The last three weeks have been such a roller coaster. We found out on my precious M’s birthday that her allergies were unfortunately causing several problems. The first correction to be made was to have surgery. Many children have these surgeries each and every single day. No harm done, and I just figured that it would be the same for us. That is what I get for thinking right?

M was scheduled for surgery two days after Christmas. We would write notes back and forth to each other trying to squish all her fears. I kept reassuring her that everything would be okay and she would be a new girl for the new year. What I meant was, she would be able to breathe better and in return get a good night’s sleep. Even though her nerves crept up on her the morning of surgery, I was proud of her for putting on such a brave face. They wheeled my sweet girl back to the operating room and I waited in recovery room. I worked to try and keep my worries at bay. She had her tonsils removed, adenoids removed, tubes put in her ears and allergy testing all done during surgery. After about one hour and half, a nurse greeted me with good and bad news. Good news, her surgeries were a success. She did not even bleed any during surgery. The bad news, she tested positive for 23 different allergies. I can deal with this as L has several different allergies. I was just ready for the nurse to quit talking and direct me to my sweet M.

After, hugging my sweet girl very tightly, I let her finish waking up and get adjusted. We were able to leave three hours later. I assumed this would be the finale and my little girl would be on her way to being healthy again. For 14 days, she followed the strict schedule perfectly. She did not have any problems and did not complain at all. Day 15 this all changed unfortunately. She woke me up around 4am and she was bleeding out of her mouth. It was not a bad bleed so we got it stopped with salt water and headed on over to the ER. They did more salt water and sent us back home to follow-up with ENT. We followed up and everything seemed to be alright. The very next day, I get a call from school that M is bleeding yet again. Tears filled my eyes and I hurriedly made my way to the school. M leaped into my arms with such big tears. We both were crying. This was taking a toll on her and she was scared. We went straight to see her surgeon. Once again, we were reassured that everything was going fine and she was 98% healed. He said, I am pretty sure she will not bleed again but if she does, please call me immediately. I tried to stay calm and reassure M that she was doing a great job.

Fast forward two days, this becomes a nightmare. M woke me up at 12:45am and blood was going everywhere. My precious girl how can this be happening? I jumped up fast and went straight to the fridge to make a huge cup of cold ice salt water. The bleeding was still going and fast. I began to panic. Please Lord, let us get this bleeding to stop. This was by far the worst bleed yet. It took five cups of cold salt water to get the bleeding to stop. The bleeding was just shooting out from the back of her throat. We hurry and get into our vehicle and make our way to the ER. It is pouring the snow and we slide. Lord, please just get us to the ER. We made it and I am trying to comfort M as I am driving.

As we get into the ER, the doctor is very concerned and calls M’s surgeon immediately. They want her admitted right away. The surgeon comes over and I can tell by the looks on his face, he was worried. He said, I just really thought this would not happen again. I hope you have not lost faith in me. Absolutely, not. He was our saving grace and he comforted us both. He grabbed M in his lap and immediately said a prayer over her. We were headed to an emergency surgery. It was M’s artery in the back of her throat.

M was so scared. I was scared. All I wanted was my baby girl to just be okay and get over this bump. They put in the IV while she was awake which they did not do last time. The pain across her face just broke my heart. I knew it had to be done though. As she was being prep for surgery, our family and church friends were arriving at the hospital. We were being surrounded with prayers and love. I felt calmness come over me and knew M was going to be just fine. After about another hour and half, the surgeon greets us. She did wonderful in surgery. He pulled her palate very tight and double stitched over the artery. He also, recauterized her blood vessel in her throat.

She had to stay in hospital for two days but was such a trooper. The surgeon said in his 22 years of practice, this had never happened. Leave it to my M to defy the odds. The first day I was worried as she just slept and slept and slept. She refused to eat, but who could blame her? This had taken a mental and physical toll on her. Just today, I finally got her to eat her first bites. Praise God!

I feel like we have made it past second base and running towards home plate. We are almost there hopefully. She cannot do any activities for 3 weeks and you better believe I am watching every move she does. I keep reliving the scenario and it just breaks me down. I could not sleep last night well because of all the nightmares from this. I know without a doubt that my faith and prayers from everyone has got us all through this. I never want to experience this again. She did lose a lot of blood and has to build back up her red blood cells and hemoglobin. The surgeon ordered her to eat lots of red meat. I absolutely cannot stand red meat, but will do anything for my sweet girl.

I am proud of you M. You are one strong little girl!

We have been waiting on a big snow and it is still yet to come, so we will welcome any amount of snow we can get. We were greeted this morning as we awoke with a beautiful winter wonderland. Was it a huge amount of snow? Actually, it was not. Maybe 2 inches? The amount did not seem to matter in the sparkle of M and L’s eyes. Just watching the pure joy escape them as they put on their ever abundance of snow clothes, brought me back to my childhood. There would be no worries in the world, only fun times going down the sledding hill with my brother. Now my two girls are getting to experience the same excitement.

Hearing the laughter, seeing the smiles was pure winter delight. I escaped five minutes before they came in to create a delicious warm drink for a winter snow day. I greeted them at the door with two cups of hot chocolate and we sat and discussed their sledding stories. Now, this is the winter life!

The last nine years have been the most amazing years filled with so much wonderful joy. I always dreamed of becoming a mom when I was a young child. I would line up my baby dolls in my room and play house for hours on in. My mom can contest to this as she would walk in on my frequently and just smile.

Nine years ago, I became a mom to a beautiful brown-eyed M. My oh my has she grown over the past nine years.

From the first time I held you M, I was in love. I would sing and talk to you all throughout the time I carried you in my tummy, then I was just in awe when you were placed in my arms. There is a special bond between a mother and daughter, and I am so proud of that awesome bond. You are always there to bring a smile to my face, to help me in the kitchen or to help with me your little sister L. You do not like for anyone to be sad around you and will do your best to help cheer them up. Your teachers said at school this year, you are always the first one to raise your hand to help out another student. M, you have always had this caring spirit about you. You want to help everyone and will not be told no. I always say there is a special old soul about you because you are always putting others first before you.

M, we can sing songs together, play card games together, watch movies together and just have so much fun. You love for me to still hold your hand and hug you tightly. You love when I cuddle up to you and put your special blankie on you.

M, you have a love of art. You surprise me with the most special drawings just when I need them to brighten my day. You will perform a dance for me to show me your special talent of clogging. Clogging is one of your favorite things to do. Ever since you were 5 years old, you have been going strong. Each year, I can see your passion grow clogging. You teachers are always bragging on you and say how hard you work. M, see it isn’t just me that you touch with your sweet soul. You touch the lives of all the people around you. Your personality is such a heartwarming one and one that makes me so proud as a mother.

M, you have a love for your Jesus Christ as well. You love to pray for others and ask God for guidance in your life. I will catch you praying if someone is sick or if you are worried. It just brightens my soul that you believe in prayer so much. We were sitting down for lunch and you already bowed your head before I could even get any words out. You had already started praying. Keep up the wonderful testament and prayer will get you far in life.

M, you are such a great role model with your schooling. You are taking after your mommy in making straight A’s. If you come home with a paper that is less than an A, then you will have tears fill your eyes and apologize. Just like your mommy was when she was a little girl. I always hug you tightly and let you know, that it is okay. We are not perfect and only one person was in this world. You always want to do the best you can and will get frustrated if you cannot figure out a problem on the first try. I am proud of your wonderful school work and always so proud of the stories that you bring home. You are an amazing writer and reader. You are already reading on a 6th grade level. Keep up the great work my sweet girl.

All of these qualities is what makes the last nine years the best years of my life. I love you so much and so proud to call you my daughter. I know we will always have a special and close bond. All three of us including your sweet sister L.

Reach for the stars sweet girl, you will go far!

Happy 9th Birthday Precious M!

Love,
Mom

We had a fun weekend of partying for our precious M. I am not sure how she is already nine years old. I will admit, I shed a few tears this weekend. It is so bittersweet to see M growing into such a young lady. We did have so much fun celebrating her big day though with an Abba Dance Party.

Our living room floor was literally transformed right before our eyes to a dance floor. M invited her sweet friends and for 3 hours, all the friends had the best time dancing to the beat of 70′s music. Who said we couldn’t bring back the 70′s here at the end of 2011? I have proof that we did and it was a blast.

We had twists, we had turns as the girls danced to the beat of the music. I seen so many smiles and so much laughter.

The girls were having so much fun that it was hard to break them away from the game to scoop up some birthday, but we eventually did have chow time. After all, we had a birthday song to sing to a special M.

No dance party is complete without a kids punch served. The punch was a huge hit and was gone very fast.

The food hit the spot and it was time to hit the dance floor once again. All the girls were eager to get back on the dance floor and see what moves they could perform.

The older kids could not sit back any longer. It was time for them to step onto the dance floor and break down some great 70′s moves.

This Wii Game was so instrumental in bringing back a decade into today’s generation. The game is such good clean and friendly fun as you can see all ages were having fun breaking down on the dance floor. The creators of Just Dance put their expertise together and came up with ABBA You can Dance so as you can imagine, you will not be let down. The game is averaging 4.5 stars on Amazon.com. Go ahead and grab your copy today and prepare to dance, laugh and create so many fun memories.

This will be a birthday party that M will remember for a very long time!

Disclosure: Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Christmas parades are such a fun and festive tradition each year. This year was an extra special parade year.

M usually rides the float with her clogging team but was able to clog in two parades this year due to being older. My memories take me back to her very first parade where I shed tears as she went by me and once again I shed tears this time.

I am so amazed and proud of my sweet M. She loves to clog and can keep up with the beat. Me? I would be tripping over my own two feet. I will leave you with a very short clip of some good ole fashioned Christmas parade clogging. Enjoy!

As a mom, you start the journey of motherhood with your kids depending on you for their every need. They wrap their tiny fingers around your fingers and all is well in their world. Being an attachment mother was what I loved and cherished so much during the early stages of motherhood. I miss deeply when the girls were babies as I would always have them close to my chest. I would wear (babywearing sling) them all day and we would be attached at the hip. Pure bliss!

The years are moving so fast though and we have fast forward from the attachment parenting stage to a more independent stage. We are doing our last co-sleeping days but I still see lots of family movie nights of us all cuddled in the bed together… I just wish I could pause time, because we are fast forwarding too fast. How did I wake up one morning and the girls went from depending on me for everything to spreading their wings and taking on the real world.

The girls are back to school for the new year. I am a ball of mixed emotions. This conversation sent my emotions even further all over the place.

L: Mommy, when will I be on my own?

Me: I am not sure. I am assuming when you are 21 and become an adult. But, you could just stay with mommy forever.

L: Mommy, when I am on my own will I have to get a job?

Me: Well honey, we do have to work in order to make a living.

L: Mommy, I want to do whatever I want when I get 21.

Me: Sweetie, that is a good attitude to have. I want you to reach for the stars and let God direct you into a great career.

M pipes in: Why are we talking about growing up for L? I don’t want to grow up, I just want to be a kid.

WOW! L has definitely grown in the last couple of years. She is still a BIG mommy’s girl and needs her mommy close, but she is always engaging in these big grown up conversations. M is not thinking so much about the future and just enjoying the moment. Looking back on the conversation though, I do get a big smile on my face. My girls are growing into independent women and it is all because of the parenting we have done over the last nine years. Who said attachment parenting was so bad? Looks like I have two amazing girls to prove that theory down the drain.

Spread your wings girls but always know mommy is right behind you flying with you. Here’s to a great school year.

Date nights have become such awesome experiences this summer with our girls. Now, ever since we have had kids, my husband and I would do dates with both girls with us. For example, I would take the girls out to lunch and a manicure altogether. Hubby would take the girls out for breakfast. Last month we decided to change up the dates. We started one-on-one dates with our girls. Hubby would take M and go on a special outing. I would take L and go on a special outing. Then the next week, we would switch girls and go on another outing. The girls are enjoying every minute of these dates. The quality time they are getting with each parent is what makes this so special in their eyes. Even hubby and I have to admit, that we are really enjoying it so much as well.

M proclaimed on the last date:

This has been the best day mommy and daddy.

5 dates you can do with your kids this summer

1. Go to the movies. So many great movies are on the big screen now that are suitable for kids and adults. It is a great way to beat the heat too.

2. Visit a local museum. There are so many children’s museums across the country. Pick one and go be a kid for the day. Your child will love you getting on their level for a change.

3. Enjoy an ice cream cone. What child doesn’t love some good ole fashion ice cream cones? If you can’t do dairy then enjoy a smoothie or sno-cone instead. Turning off your cell phones and enjoy a conversation with just you and your child while enjoying a delicious treat.

4. Go to breakfast. The girls love having Dunkin Donut dates with daddy. They get to enjoy a special donut and daddy gets to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee. Win-win for daddy and child.

5. Head to the park. Swinging on the swings, sliding down the slide, chasing the child through the park are all things that will brings lots of smiles to a child face. Just knowing they have your undivided attention will mean the world to them.

Have fun, create special memories and enjoy the quality one-on-one time. The dates will be memories forever in your child’s mind.

The internet can be a scary place and especially this holds true for children. You hear so much about child predators and the internet is instant bait which just sickens me. My girls are limited to what they can do online and I am right there with them when they are online to ensure they are safe. With my oldest daughter M though, we are entering the stage where she wants to talk to her friends online and play games online. I have been searching for a site that would allow her to play games safely online and was recently introduced to Yoursphere.com.

We are taking things slow but I let M dive in last week. Over the next three months, I will be posting updates on my thoughts and opinions of the site.

My first impression:

- I love how secure the site is and how they double check anyone when signing up.

- The team of law enforcement force behind the site really eases my mind.

- I am not sure how I feel about her adding friends but will go deeper in thought with this over the next two months as we continue to research the site fully.

M’s first impression:

- She loves all the different games that is available to play in the virtual world.

- The object of collecting coins is really enticing for her as she is very competitive.

The concept is such a great one and much needed for tweens 8 to 12. There needs to be a safe place and I feel like Mary Kay the founder is really developing this with Yoursphere.com. As stated on their site:

Yoursphere’s priority of children’s online safety and privacy is achieved via implementation of technology, human oversight, proprietary policies including input from their Law Enforcement Task Force populated by former Secret Service, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials as well as through education and action.

I look forward to diving even deeper with M and sharing our experiences. Stay tuned. Why don’t you join with your tweens as well and navigate a safer environment. If you do sign-up, use the code: YS11-RTR8. Also join Yoursphere on Facebook to stay updated and Twitter as well.

Disclosure: I am participating in a summer campaign with Yoursphere. I am compensated for my time. As always, all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Remember the yesteryears when the only technology we had in the house was a black and white television and an old typewriter. Those were the days right? How would our kids survive with so little technology? That is the question of the day parents, but in all seriousness, we are the ones creating technology monsters. Listen, I love technology, I mean… I really love technology, but there comes a point and time that we need to back track a little bit. Especially in these summer months, I will declare, it is no technology time during different parts of the day. The girls will either play a board game, jump rope outside, throw a ball and hopefully not bust a window, or sneak in their room and use their imagination by creating their own play or dance party.

Today was the creation of a dance party. The girls gave hubby and I our invites and told us the time to be there. Hubby and I showed up and were greeted at the girls play room door with the beautiful M. She had our tickets to all the activities at the dance party.

As we took our seats, the food bar was awaiting for us. All we had to do was turn our tickets in and we could have unlimited food the girls had set-up for us.

It was time to get this dance party started.

Of course, they had to pull an audience member, so they decided on mommy.

After so many laughs, smiles and dance moves the show had to come to an end but not before we went on a tour of the room to check out the beautiful dance party decor.

Hubby and I enjoy their little parties so much. We all will treasure these memories forever. Encourage your child’s imagination. It will bring a smile to everyone’s face!

It is the most wonderful time of the year. Well, one of the most wonderful times of the year. My girls are moving on up in their school careers. I will never have another kindergartner and this makes me so sad. How can I be a mom of a 3rd grader? Time you know, you could put the brakes on a little bit. That would be the best thing ok?

Introducing, my newest 1st grader and 3rd grader.

We have so much planned for the Summer and are going to enjoy every single minute of it. I actually have put together a schedule that will keep the “I am bored” comments at bay and will share that tomorrow. In the meantime, take a moment to see these cute End of Year Teacher Gifts I found on the Skip To My Lou craft blog.

Embellished Scissors

Teacher Appreciation Flower Picks

Both crafts were a huge hit with all the teachers. I included a hand written thank you note to each teacher as well detailing how much I appreciate them. Teachers do a very hard job and we need to always remember that they are not definitely in teaching for the money but for the love of the children.

Let the summer memories begin!