We interrupt our regularly-scheduled "Flashback Friday" posts to bring you a special Mother's Day message and video. We will return to our regularly-scheduled blog posting on Monday.
Throughout the last two weeks I've come across quite a few lovely Mothers Day sayings and quotations, letters to mothers from children, letters to children from mothers, and video testimonies about mothers circulating on the internet. Some made me laugh, and many made me cry, but none spoke to me as wholly as did the P&G London Olympic Games Film entitled "Best Job".
I am not an Olympic Athlete, and I never will be, though not for of lack of opportunity or resources or support or love. For as long as I can remember, and certainly before that, my mom has been my biggest cheerleader and strongest advocate. She is my voice of reason and model of strength, full of hope for my future and quietly in my corner, both physically and emotionally and no matter the circumstances. She has always known exactly what to say and just how hard to push me - at the ballet bar, in the gymnastics gym, on the soccer field, in the swimming pool, in the classroom, as a wife, and as a mother - to help me become the best "Erin" I could be.
I don't think I'm raising a future Olympic Athlete (though I may be raising a future President of the United States), but that doesn't mean I won't be there for my children - just like my mom was there for me - as if they were. My ultimate goal has been and will always be to help them become the best "Will" and "Hallie" they can be.
To my mom, mother-in-law, sister, and extended family members and friends who are mothers, thank you. And happy, happy day to you.
I love you, Mom.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Red Cross Post: Nurses Week 2012
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| Nurses don't wear white dresses and white high heels and white hats...anymore. |
The seven days between May 6th (National Nurses Day) and May 12th (Florence Nightingale's - considered the founder of modern nursing - birthday) make up National Nurses Week, and I'm writing about this special week of recognition and celebration over on the Red Cross blog tonight.
A special thank you goes out to my mom - my favorite nurse around - as well as my camping family aunts and friends who are also nurses. Enjoy your week, and thank you for all you do on behalf of your patients!
Red Cross Post: How to Save a Life
Have you ever thought about what you could do to save a life? Take a CPR class, donate blood, volunteer, register as a bone marrow donor, donate funds to a life-saving program. Or, a perfect fit for the summer season that is nearly upon us, become a lifeguard! That's what we're talking about over on the Red Cross blog today.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
MomsEveryday Post: From the Ground Up
There'll be a follow-up to this post coming at some point in the next month or so, as we now have flowers on all of our tomato and pepper plants and it looks like we may also have successfully grown a few onions and spinach. Salsa, here we come!
Sunny With a High of 80 Degrees
One of the benefits to living in Texas is the nearly-guaranteed beautiful weather on Halloween and Easter, two holidays that are always up-for-grabs in the Midwest. My guess, based on 30 years of experience, is that the weather on these days is sunny and warm less than 50% of the time; the other 50% of the time trick-or-treaters and Easter-egg-hunters contend with pouring rain, bitter cold, or snowstorms. I recall reapplying my face paint midway through trick-or-treating because of the rain, wearing long underwear with my princess costumes (kind of ruins the princess look) because of the cold, and finding my Easter eggs much more quickly than usual because they were so visible in the snow.
Last Easter the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. Last Halloween the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. This Easter the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. Sensing a trend?
My sister, Sara, and her family were visiting the week before Easter, so they were able to participate in some of the kids' Easter festivities at school. Baby Lily - who insisted on carrying around Sara's wallet all morning - hunted for eggs on her own while we waited for Will's class to come outside.
Will's class wasn't at all challenged by our hiding skills. (In our defense, there aren't a whole lot of places to hide Easter eggs in an expansive, grassy lawn.) They had fun though, and looked adorable in their bunny hats.
The following day Sara and I (without Lily, this time) were back at school, in charge of hiding Easter eggs for Hallie's class's egg hunt. Our work, prior to the kids' release, can be seen below - clearly we're expert egg hiders.
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to complain about the heat less, and along with less complaining, I'm also trying to focus on the positive more. So here you have it: Halloween was beautiful, Easter was beautiful.
New Year's Resolution accomplished, at least for today.
Last Easter the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. Last Halloween the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. This Easter the weather here was sunny and the high temperature was around 80 degrees. Sensing a trend?
My sister, Sara, and her family were visiting the week before Easter, so they were able to participate in some of the kids' Easter festivities at school. Baby Lily - who insisted on carrying around Sara's wallet all morning - hunted for eggs on her own while we waited for Will's class to come outside.
Will's class wasn't at all challenged by our hiding skills. (In our defense, there aren't a whole lot of places to hide Easter eggs in an expansive, grassy lawn.) They had fun though, and looked adorable in their bunny hats.
The following day Sara and I (without Lily, this time) were back at school, in charge of hiding Easter eggs for Hallie's class's egg hunt. Our work, prior to the kids' release, can be seen below - clearly we're expert egg hiders.
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to complain about the heat less, and along with less complaining, I'm also trying to focus on the positive more. So here you have it: Halloween was beautiful, Easter was beautiful.
New Year's Resolution accomplished, at least for today.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
He's Just a Little Boy
Monday, May 7, 2012
"Little League Baseball is a Very Good Thing...
...it keep parents off the streets."
~Yogi Berra
I absolutely love being a mom to a little boy who plays sports. (I'm sure I'll love being a mom to a little girl who plays sports too, but right now only the little boy in our family is involved in organized athletics.)
I love helping Will dress up in his adorable uniforms (if there's anything cuter than a little boy's butt in baseball pants I've not yet found it); taking him to practice; cheering him on from the stands; and watching him improve his skills, learn more about the game, become a member of a team, take pride in his personal and the team's successes, and learn to graciously accept defeat.
I've been very impressed with the organized sports available here in College Station. There have a been a few snafus along the way (like, you know, having to become a soccer coach on approximately 12 minutes notice), but overall we have had great experiences with soccer, basketball, and now baseball.
Baseball is a great sport for Will for a few reasons:
1. Baseballs are small, so he's considerably less afraid of them than he was of basketballs.
2. Baseball doesn't necessarily favor athletes who are tall or generally large. Will - once again the smallest child on his team - can hold his own against kids who are a year older, six inches taller, and 15 pounds heavier with no trouble at all.
3. Will seems to have fairly decent hand-eye coordination (a gift from Tom - there's a reason the only sports I was ever any good at were soccer and swimming) and upper body coordination, which makes swinging a bat and hitting a ball seem like second nature for him.
4. Will really LIKES baseball, which means he likes to watch it, ask questions about it, and practice on his own. This translates to him really understanding the game and what he's supposed to do when he's on the field more so than most five-year-olds. This was not the case when he played basketball.
5. Will has a couple of new baseball idols in Ms. Andrea's (Hallie's preschool teacher) sons, Zachary and Brandon. At 11-years-old they're both VERY good at baseball, so I took Will to one of their games for him to see what bigger kids' games looked like. Ever since that day (and ever since they high-fived Will after the first inning) he talks about Zachary and Brandon all the time: "Mom, do you think Brandon likes playing 3rd base? Mom, do you think Zachary has ever hit a home run?". As if I have the answers to these questions. I'm just going to give Will their phone number so he can start directing his questions to the source.
6. His butt looks adorable in baseball pants.
At the beginning of baseball season the league held an official, Olympic-like Opening Ceremonies on Olson Field at Blue Bell Park (where the Aggies play). Will loved every minute, from walking the field with his team, waving to the cheering crowd, and posing for pictures.
Aunt Sara and family were in town for the Opening Ceremonies, and perhaps Will's biggest fan that night was his cousin Lily. This is how she reacted when Will walked by and waved.
My heart is melting.
And then the season got underway - twice-a-week practices for three weeks, and now twice-a-week games for eight weeks. It's a lot to fit in at the same time as spring soccer, but I honestly love every minute of it and judging from these videos and photos, I think Will does too.
The first video is of Will hitting off the tee at his first practice, and the second is of him batting - no tee - in his first game. (Kids are given three tries to hit the ball when a coach throws it to them, and if they miss three times they hit off the tee.)
~Yogi Berra
I absolutely love being a mom to a little boy who plays sports. (I'm sure I'll love being a mom to a little girl who plays sports too, but right now only the little boy in our family is involved in organized athletics.)
I love helping Will dress up in his adorable uniforms (if there's anything cuter than a little boy's butt in baseball pants I've not yet found it); taking him to practice; cheering him on from the stands; and watching him improve his skills, learn more about the game, become a member of a team, take pride in his personal and the team's successes, and learn to graciously accept defeat.
I've been very impressed with the organized sports available here in College Station. There have a been a few snafus along the way (like, you know, having to become a soccer coach on approximately 12 minutes notice), but overall we have had great experiences with soccer, basketball, and now baseball.
Baseball is a great sport for Will for a few reasons:
1. Baseballs are small, so he's considerably less afraid of them than he was of basketballs.
2. Baseball doesn't necessarily favor athletes who are tall or generally large. Will - once again the smallest child on his team - can hold his own against kids who are a year older, six inches taller, and 15 pounds heavier with no trouble at all.
3. Will seems to have fairly decent hand-eye coordination (a gift from Tom - there's a reason the only sports I was ever any good at were soccer and swimming) and upper body coordination, which makes swinging a bat and hitting a ball seem like second nature for him.
4. Will really LIKES baseball, which means he likes to watch it, ask questions about it, and practice on his own. This translates to him really understanding the game and what he's supposed to do when he's on the field more so than most five-year-olds. This was not the case when he played basketball.
5. Will has a couple of new baseball idols in Ms. Andrea's (Hallie's preschool teacher) sons, Zachary and Brandon. At 11-years-old they're both VERY good at baseball, so I took Will to one of their games for him to see what bigger kids' games looked like. Ever since that day (and ever since they high-fived Will after the first inning) he talks about Zachary and Brandon all the time: "Mom, do you think Brandon likes playing 3rd base? Mom, do you think Zachary has ever hit a home run?". As if I have the answers to these questions. I'm just going to give Will their phone number so he can start directing his questions to the source.
6. His butt looks adorable in baseball pants.
At the beginning of baseball season the league held an official, Olympic-like Opening Ceremonies on Olson Field at Blue Bell Park (where the Aggies play). Will loved every minute, from walking the field with his team, waving to the cheering crowd, and posing for pictures.
Aunt Sara and family were in town for the Opening Ceremonies, and perhaps Will's biggest fan that night was his cousin Lily. This is how she reacted when Will walked by and waved.
 |
| This is my new favorite picture of Lily. |
And then the season got underway - twice-a-week practices for three weeks, and now twice-a-week games for eight weeks. It's a lot to fit in at the same time as spring soccer, but I honestly love every minute of it and judging from these videos and photos, I think Will does too.
The first video is of Will hitting off the tee at his first practice, and the second is of him batting - no tee - in his first game. (Kids are given three tries to hit the ball when a coach throws it to them, and if they miss three times they hit off the tee.)
         I'm so grateful that these athletic opportunities are available to Will. Though he doesn't know if yet, playing sports is about so much more than actually playing sports.  |
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