Jeff, Jennifer, and I participated in the Mighty Texas Dog Walk. It's a fundraiser for a service dog training center that is in our town. There's some rivalry between this and a British dog walk for the Guinesses Book of World Records. We didn't break the record this year, but we still had fun. Our puppy was on the evening news today for just a second. That was pretty cool.
I have one complaint about the dog walk this year. There were 3 water stations set up along the course, but the problem was that there was a run of some kind that happened before the dog walk and used the same route and the runners depleted the water supply so by the time we got to any of those 3 tables for water, there was absolutely nothing left. I think they should have warned us before we started the walk that water would be unavailable. After 3 miles, we were parched!!!
Other than that, it was fun. Hot, but fun! :)
Here's a link to the TV program...not sure if it works...
Mighty Texas Dog Walk
In the video, about halfway through, two men will talk, then right after them is a woman and right after that woman is our puppy, Duke.
I'll post more pictures later. I'm kind of tuckered out right now.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mother's Day Musings
Mother's Day...This year, it falls on Sunday, May 11. Actually, if you ask me, every day is Mother's Day. Think about it. Is there ONE day in the year when a Mom doesn't hear, "MOM!!!"??? Is there one day in the year when someone doesn't need, want, think about, love, cherish, or thank their mom??
I can't tell how many times "Let your mother do it for you" or "I'm telling Mom!" has been voiced in my household. Therefore, every day must be Mother's day if Mom has to do it all...
So, what, really, is the purpose of setting aside one day in the year to honor these hard-working, self-sacrificing icons we call "Mom"?? Overpriced flowers, more paper in our landfills (think, homemade and store-bought cards and the 2 year old's drawings), boom in restaurant business, extra opportunities for people to go to church, to name a few.
But Motherhood...if I were to sum it up...it consists of many emotions. Here's a recent story:
I took Matthew (now 5) with me to run errands. The night before, his daddy had been complaining his foot was cramping up. I don't recall Matthew being in the room at the time when Daddy was whining. (Bear with me...this has something to do with the story) I was at 4 different stores and a fast-food place and every place I went, Matthew would be limping and people would look at me with utter SHOCK on their face, or disgust. I guess you could call them disgustingly shocked. I have no idea what Matthew was saying, I tried to get him to tell me but I couldn't understand him myself. So this goes on all day. People look at me and I smile one of those smiles only a proud mother could have for her child. You know the type, right?? That brought even more horror to the faces of these passers-by. I started to worry a little bit, but wouldn't let it show in my face. That evening, we get home and I finally find out from Jennifer what Matthew had been saying all day..."My feet are crapping!! My feet are CRAPPING!!!" ::Groan:: (Picture me with a huge ear-to-ear grin as he yelled that!!! No wonder people were disgusted with this Mom!!)
Apparently, Matthew wanted to be like daddy. He also wanted to be like David...he managed to sneak David's old heel gel thingie, oversized and all, into his shoe!
But it is moments like that, and like the time Matthew insisted his foot broke (because his toenail needed a trim after breaking), the time Matthew asked me if I dreamed (the story is in an earlier blog), the joy of watching a child receive an award, score a goal, make a basket, successfully finish an instrumental piece, discover something scientific, misunderstand something that ends up being humorous, make it through surgery -- twice -- and go on to play football, get an academic honor, graduate from high school (sniff, sniff) and adamantly tell you that it is NOT ok for you to attend the same college as he does, THOSE are the things that help shape motherhood. The rewards are in the relationships themselves that last long after the kids leave home. When the kids are little, the rewards are in the neverending hugs and kisses and scribbled papers with "I :heart: Mom". When the kids enter the teen years, the reward is in maintaining communication when so many other kids are cutting it off.
I've been blessed. It's been a roller-coaster ride with all the highs, lows, loop-de-loops, twists, and upside down hangs, and there have been times where the car got stuck upside down at the top of the highest loop and all I could do was scream. Then there were times the car got stuck right side up at the bottom and all I could do was hold my children, sigh, and enjoy the quiet. The ride is far from over. I have at least one child at home until the year 2021 and I'm not pushing it.
For Mother's day, check this out:
Mother's Day Giveaways
And Happy Mother's Day (even though I still insist every day is Mother's Day) to all you other Moms!!!
I can't tell how many times "Let your mother do it for you" or "I'm telling Mom!" has been voiced in my household. Therefore, every day must be Mother's day if Mom has to do it all...
So, what, really, is the purpose of setting aside one day in the year to honor these hard-working, self-sacrificing icons we call "Mom"?? Overpriced flowers, more paper in our landfills (think, homemade and store-bought cards and the 2 year old's drawings), boom in restaurant business, extra opportunities for people to go to church, to name a few.
But Motherhood...if I were to sum it up...it consists of many emotions. Here's a recent story:
I took Matthew (now 5) with me to run errands. The night before, his daddy had been complaining his foot was cramping up. I don't recall Matthew being in the room at the time when Daddy was whining. (Bear with me...this has something to do with the story) I was at 4 different stores and a fast-food place and every place I went, Matthew would be limping and people would look at me with utter SHOCK on their face, or disgust. I guess you could call them disgustingly shocked. I have no idea what Matthew was saying, I tried to get him to tell me but I couldn't understand him myself. So this goes on all day. People look at me and I smile one of those smiles only a proud mother could have for her child. You know the type, right?? That brought even more horror to the faces of these passers-by. I started to worry a little bit, but wouldn't let it show in my face. That evening, we get home and I finally find out from Jennifer what Matthew had been saying all day..."My feet are crapping!! My feet are CRAPPING!!!" ::Groan:: (Picture me with a huge ear-to-ear grin as he yelled that!!! No wonder people were disgusted with this Mom!!)
Apparently, Matthew wanted to be like daddy. He also wanted to be like David...he managed to sneak David's old heel gel thingie, oversized and all, into his shoe!
But it is moments like that, and like the time Matthew insisted his foot broke (because his toenail needed a trim after breaking), the time Matthew asked me if I dreamed (the story is in an earlier blog), the joy of watching a child receive an award, score a goal, make a basket, successfully finish an instrumental piece, discover something scientific, misunderstand something that ends up being humorous, make it through surgery -- twice -- and go on to play football, get an academic honor, graduate from high school (sniff, sniff) and adamantly tell you that it is NOT ok for you to attend the same college as he does, THOSE are the things that help shape motherhood. The rewards are in the relationships themselves that last long after the kids leave home. When the kids are little, the rewards are in the neverending hugs and kisses and scribbled papers with "I :heart: Mom". When the kids enter the teen years, the reward is in maintaining communication when so many other kids are cutting it off.
I've been blessed. It's been a roller-coaster ride with all the highs, lows, loop-de-loops, twists, and upside down hangs, and there have been times where the car got stuck upside down at the top of the highest loop and all I could do was scream. Then there were times the car got stuck right side up at the bottom and all I could do was hold my children, sigh, and enjoy the quiet. The ride is far from over. I have at least one child at home until the year 2021 and I'm not pushing it.
For Mother's day, check this out:
Mother's Day Giveaways
And Happy Mother's Day (even though I still insist every day is Mother's Day) to all you other Moms!!!
Mother's Day Giveaway
I'm coming in on this late in the game, but I still wanted to throw it out there...
http://www.5minutesformom.com/3329/mothersday2008/
http://www.5minutesformom.com/3329/mothersday2008/
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