Sunday, January 26, 2014
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Moving
Excitement, sadness, excitement, sadness, excitement, sadness. That seems to be the cycle I'm in lately with our pending move. Leaving the house we've called home for the past 7 years and thinking how little the kids were when we moved in (preschool & 1st grade) and how big they are now (6th & 8th grade) and I can't help but feel like we're walking away from a big part of their childhood. It's easy to get caught up in the stress and chaos of packing and making all of the necessary moving arrangements but when things slow down for a moment, I'll catch myself thinking "this is the last time we'll do this or watch this in this house." But then I'll also find myself excited about the aspects of our new home and the possibilities that exist for the kids in a new neighborhood. And THAT is what's important to focus on now. We're all going to be sad to say goodbye to our home this week, but we'll also be excited to say hello to our new home this coming weekend. As Mama Bear I think my job is to make that excitement the focus and forefront for everyone so wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Social Media: Friend or Foe?
I'm opinionated, I'm outspoken and I have a tendency to get myself into sticky situations because of this. However, these very traits are also why I've been so successful in getting my family's anti-bullying message highly publicized. So take it or leave it, it's just the way I am. I do try to think before I act, but more often than not, I act before I think. Then I do a little back pedaling and fix whoever's feathers I happened to ruffle. And this is the situation that I found myself in this week.
I found a particular situation to be extremely frustrating from a financial standpoint but when it boiled over to affecting my child, Mama Bear was Unleashed something fierce. What did I do? I shared my feelings via social media. What happened? They weren't happy.
Now I have apologized for personally offending anyone through my actions, however I won't apologize for standing up for my child who was an innocent bystander. Because that's what Mama Bear's do.
So this leaves the question...is it ok to share our opinions via social media when we feel we are getting bad service? I would say yes because in this day and age, that's how information is shared and companies do need to be held accountable for the service they provide. Often times, we want to protect others from dealing with the same inconveniences that we had to. However, if we are just doing it to "get back" at someone for wronging us, that's probably not the most effective way to get the resolution we want.
Have you had a similar situation? How did you handle it? Did you get the results you wanted or did it just make things worse? What do you think this teaches us about modeling behavior to our children that encourages them to stand up and speak out when something is wrong, but to also know where to draw the line? I would love to hear your stories, opinions and suggestions!
I found a particular situation to be extremely frustrating from a financial standpoint but when it boiled over to affecting my child, Mama Bear was Unleashed something fierce. What did I do? I shared my feelings via social media. What happened? They weren't happy.
Now I have apologized for personally offending anyone through my actions, however I won't apologize for standing up for my child who was an innocent bystander. Because that's what Mama Bear's do.
So this leaves the question...is it ok to share our opinions via social media when we feel we are getting bad service? I would say yes because in this day and age, that's how information is shared and companies do need to be held accountable for the service they provide. Often times, we want to protect others from dealing with the same inconveniences that we had to. However, if we are just doing it to "get back" at someone for wronging us, that's probably not the most effective way to get the resolution we want.
Have you had a similar situation? How did you handle it? Did you get the results you wanted or did it just make things worse? What do you think this teaches us about modeling behavior to our children that encourages them to stand up and speak out when something is wrong, but to also know where to draw the line? I would love to hear your stories, opinions and suggestions!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Reflections
Recently, I'm finding myself reflecting on how quickly the years fly by. Today I filled out paperwork for Robbie to enter middle school next year and for Ashley to enter high school. As if that wasn't enough, we have orientation at the high school tomorrow night. Now THAT is going to give me a cold, hard dose of reality. My babies are growing up.
As hard as it is to accept, I also feel a great sense of pride in the young woman and young man that we're raising. We've been blessed beyond measure when it comes to these two. Not because of the school and extracurricular activities that they excel in, but because of their servant hearts in always wanting to help others. My sweet boy who still insists on having mom tuck him in each night (shhh, don't tell him I told you!) and my independent girl who has gone to sleep for years without even saying goodnight. We jokingly call her our little old lady because she goes to bed so early sometimes! These two have grown up to value family time with movie and game nights, they confide in each other and most importantly...they confide in us. Yes, they both have big dreams and goals and we will support them every step of the way in achieving those goals, but more than anything else I simply want them to be happy. I want them to enjoy the life they create for themselves. I want them to enjoy the families and careers that they will one day have. I want them to enjoy reflecting on childhood memories of time spent together as a family.
I often say that it's my job to be the parent now so that we can be friends later. I consider myself very blessed that more often than not, I can still take on the roll of friend in the midst of parenting. Although it makes me sad to see them growing up so quickly, it also excites me to think about the years we have ahead as friends and the memories that we will continue to create. Somewhere down the road are spouses and children waiting for them and for their sake, it's my job now to focus on making sure my children have the best examples of marriage and parenting possible so that one day we hear "Thank you" instead of "Why didn't you?"
As hard as it is to accept, I also feel a great sense of pride in the young woman and young man that we're raising. We've been blessed beyond measure when it comes to these two. Not because of the school and extracurricular activities that they excel in, but because of their servant hearts in always wanting to help others. My sweet boy who still insists on having mom tuck him in each night (shhh, don't tell him I told you!) and my independent girl who has gone to sleep for years without even saying goodnight. We jokingly call her our little old lady because she goes to bed so early sometimes! These two have grown up to value family time with movie and game nights, they confide in each other and most importantly...they confide in us. Yes, they both have big dreams and goals and we will support them every step of the way in achieving those goals, but more than anything else I simply want them to be happy. I want them to enjoy the life they create for themselves. I want them to enjoy the families and careers that they will one day have. I want them to enjoy reflecting on childhood memories of time spent together as a family.
I often say that it's my job to be the parent now so that we can be friends later. I consider myself very blessed that more often than not, I can still take on the roll of friend in the midst of parenting. Although it makes me sad to see them growing up so quickly, it also excites me to think about the years we have ahead as friends and the memories that we will continue to create. Somewhere down the road are spouses and children waiting for them and for their sake, it's my job now to focus on making sure my children have the best examples of marriage and parenting possible so that one day we hear "Thank you" instead of "Why didn't you?"
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Embracing Experiences
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's have come and gone. This usually makes me really sad since it's my favorite time of year, but I have to admit that this year I'm relieved to move forward and focus on new goals for myself and my family.
My Mama Bear came out in full force at the beginning of November after a business client (whom I won't name) decided to breach our contract and put our lives in a complete uproar. The impact this had on my family for our trip to FL, the Christmas holiday and our personal life in general, put me in full fight mode. I'm proud to say that I successfully wrapped up my case in Small Claims Court last week and while that did bring some satisfaction, more importantly it gave me another opportunity to show my children how important it is to stand up for what you believe. I took a chance by filing in court knowing it might not end up in my favor, but my family always comes first and as I tell my children...you never know unless you try!
I will share that I found myself in a deep depression the last couple of months because of the "inconveniences" that my family was dealt. But in light of beginning a New Year, I want to share the amazing joys that we experienced through that journey as well.
Florida Vacation, Thanksgiving & Miss American Coed Nationals:
A dream my daughter had for nearly 5 years came true mid-July when she won the title of Miss Heartland Jr Teen and with that, the opportunity to compete for the Miss American Jr Teen title in Orlando during Thanksgiving week. As a family, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to provide the kids with a full Orlando vacation as part of the trip. We were tremendously blessed in our fundraising and sponsorship efforts with only a few expenses left to cover going into November. And then life threw us a curve ball and we had no idea how we were going to make it happen. Through some creativity on my end and the blessings of angel after angel who stepped up to offer their help and support, we pulled it off! Was it everything we had envisioned? Not entirely. Was it still fabulous and something we'll remember fondly forever? You bet! Those angels who stepped forward to help in our time of need, you helped us give our children memories to last a lifetime and we will be eternally grateful. A week of relaxation in the sunshine, family time laughing and bonding, watching our daughter shine throughout her week of competition, spending quality time (and Thanksgiving) with loved ones who journeyed from near and far to join us...it was truly a dream come true.
Christmas:
All good things must come to an end and so it was with our vacation. Reality hit hard when we left the 70 degree temps and arrived home to sub zero weather and all of the financial stress that comes with the holidays when you have unexpectedly lost a large portion of your income. We had already agreed that Christmas would be a much smaller affair this year because of the trip. No problem. I will take memories and experiences over physical gifts anytime. But having someone else's actions dictate that we now didn't even have the ability to provide a small Christmas was almost more than I could handle. And yet again, those angels started appearing and blessing us left and right. Not only did we enjoy a nice holiday, but our children were shown the importance and value in helping others. As my 11 year old son reflected on his small selection of gifts Christmas morning, he shared that next year he wants to have a smaller Christmas again and use our money to provide pillows, blankets and donuts to those who are homeless on the streets. Thank you again life experience for taking Mama Bear's disappointment and anger towards others and using it to enforce the true meaning of Christmas to our family.
New Year's:
And here we are entering 2014. I have new goals that include improving our financial stability (by being more selective in the clients I choose to work with), continuing to embrace experiences over physical possessions, launching new programs with a far-reaching affect for many and learning to simply live in the moment. Often we get too wrapped up in the what if's, why's and when's of the world to enjoy the right now's. The right now's are what matter because today's right now is tomorrow's memory. Do you want to remember stress, depression and anxiety or would you rather remember joy, love and laughs? I know what I choose.
My Mama Bear came out in full force at the beginning of November after a business client (whom I won't name) decided to breach our contract and put our lives in a complete uproar. The impact this had on my family for our trip to FL, the Christmas holiday and our personal life in general, put me in full fight mode. I'm proud to say that I successfully wrapped up my case in Small Claims Court last week and while that did bring some satisfaction, more importantly it gave me another opportunity to show my children how important it is to stand up for what you believe. I took a chance by filing in court knowing it might not end up in my favor, but my family always comes first and as I tell my children...you never know unless you try!
I will share that I found myself in a deep depression the last couple of months because of the "inconveniences" that my family was dealt. But in light of beginning a New Year, I want to share the amazing joys that we experienced through that journey as well.
Florida Vacation, Thanksgiving & Miss American Coed Nationals:
A dream my daughter had for nearly 5 years came true mid-July when she won the title of Miss Heartland Jr Teen and with that, the opportunity to compete for the Miss American Jr Teen title in Orlando during Thanksgiving week. As a family, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to provide the kids with a full Orlando vacation as part of the trip. We were tremendously blessed in our fundraising and sponsorship efforts with only a few expenses left to cover going into November. And then life threw us a curve ball and we had no idea how we were going to make it happen. Through some creativity on my end and the blessings of angel after angel who stepped up to offer their help and support, we pulled it off! Was it everything we had envisioned? Not entirely. Was it still fabulous and something we'll remember fondly forever? You bet! Those angels who stepped forward to help in our time of need, you helped us give our children memories to last a lifetime and we will be eternally grateful. A week of relaxation in the sunshine, family time laughing and bonding, watching our daughter shine throughout her week of competition, spending quality time (and Thanksgiving) with loved ones who journeyed from near and far to join us...it was truly a dream come true.
Christmas:
All good things must come to an end and so it was with our vacation. Reality hit hard when we left the 70 degree temps and arrived home to sub zero weather and all of the financial stress that comes with the holidays when you have unexpectedly lost a large portion of your income. We had already agreed that Christmas would be a much smaller affair this year because of the trip. No problem. I will take memories and experiences over physical gifts anytime. But having someone else's actions dictate that we now didn't even have the ability to provide a small Christmas was almost more than I could handle. And yet again, those angels started appearing and blessing us left and right. Not only did we enjoy a nice holiday, but our children were shown the importance and value in helping others. As my 11 year old son reflected on his small selection of gifts Christmas morning, he shared that next year he wants to have a smaller Christmas again and use our money to provide pillows, blankets and donuts to those who are homeless on the streets. Thank you again life experience for taking Mama Bear's disappointment and anger towards others and using it to enforce the true meaning of Christmas to our family.
New Year's:
And here we are entering 2014. I have new goals that include improving our financial stability (by being more selective in the clients I choose to work with), continuing to embrace experiences over physical possessions, launching new programs with a far-reaching affect for many and learning to simply live in the moment. Often we get too wrapped up in the what if's, why's and when's of the world to enjoy the right now's. The right now's are what matter because today's right now is tomorrow's memory. Do you want to remember stress, depression and anxiety or would you rather remember joy, love and laughs? I know what I choose.
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