Mom (Grandma) and Me going to church 1969

Mom (Grandma) and Me going to church 1969
Originally uploaded by Matthewsmom.

I have been wanting to post this picture of my mom and me, for the last few months. It has taken awhile to finally get it on my computer.

It just shows how much my mom loved dressing us up in matching clothes. Everyone tells me how meticulous I was and how she always had me dressed so beautiful.

Mom (Grandma) and Me going to church 1969

BEAUTIFUL WOMEN'S MONTH - PURPLE HAT

This was passed onto me today by my cousin in PA and I thought it was appropriate to share with my Erma Bombeck friends and moms and women in general:

PURPLE HATS

In honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer, here is an "angel" sent to watch over you.

Pass this on to five women that you want watched over. If you don't know five women to pass this on to, one will do just fine.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

by Erma Bombeck

(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I would have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it... live it and never give it back.

STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, we should cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.

If you don't mind, send this on to all the women you are grateful to have as friends.

Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier.

Please send this to five phenomenal women today in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month.

If you do, something good will happen -- you will boost another woman's self esteem.

When God Shuts A Door...He always Opens A Window

Today as the rain is falling down, non-stop it just makes me feel like taking a deep breath..

I don't know how many other people feel this way. I have had a bad sinus cold the last few days and Eric finally came home last night from NJ. I know that I'm blessed with Matthew. I know that there are children whose father's who go overseas or have jobs out of town for months at a time. I don't know how they do it and most times with more than one child. Who am I to say that I'm tired or sick?

There was a family last night on CNN, where they showed a preview for an interview on this coming Monday. That have 7 children and Daddy is the sole provider, and he is going over for another tour of duty in Iraq.

First off I know you can't choose love and who your heart belongs with, but I don't think I would have had the guts to be a military wife. Just because I don't like the idea of moving from state to state every couple of years. But now being wiser and older, I also know that those woman are some of the most courageous out there. It takes more that just strength to follow your husband and say honey, I'll love you wherever you go. It takes so much more strength to add children to that equation and then be there sole caretaker while the father is away. It takes alot of prayers, alot of guidance, alot of community support etc. I really do tip my hat to those mom's. And for those Dad's I tip my hat and say a prayer that you do come home for your children.

I don't know if you ever heard the saying "When God Closes or Shuts a Door, He Always Opens A Window". It is another one of those cliche's that when you really are in the thick of it, you don't want to hear...it's like just one more bunch of words, that really by themselves don't help me much.

But with action, those words are powerful. By not being afraid to say those words when someone needs to hear them. And then by doing more than that, by actively giving them a hug, or talking to them like they are human, like you - that don't want just words, they want action. They want someone to step in and take the wheel and drive for a little while. (as I'm typing that I'm thinking of Carrie Underwood's song Jesus Take The Wheel )...it's so true.

On a good note, God Opened my window this week. Showed me that if you open your eyes the people you are trying to find, might be right around the corner, instead of out there in the world wide web. Thank you God for opening my windows and letting the sun in again.

Just to bring some humor to this blog, I have to add some beautiful things Matthew said in the last few days or I wouldn't feel like I am completing my day. It's really getting addictive.

• Friday morning when I woke up with my sinus' so bad, I asked Matthew for a tissue for my nose. He happened to be standing by one of the three new boxes that I bought the day before. He took out one and handed it to me. I said, "Honey, Mommy's nose is bigger than yours. Can I have another one?" He said "OK....BUT .....ONLY .....ONE.....MORE!!!!! THESE ARE FOR ME!!" (again there was 118 more tissues in the box)

• Before I got up out of bed, I was playing with his curls and said "Honey, you really need a haircut"....He said " I know but Daddy and Everybody says I don't need one". I said "Whose Everybody?" (since he is with me all day) He said the name of a little girl that was in his brief moment in preschool in September (that he hasn't mentioned her name in at least 5 months) and then he said "Sandy". I said "The Dog down the street?" He said "Yes! SHE SAID...Ruff! You don't need a haircut! And I said Ruff I do!!!

And my favorite:

• I came downstairs and he was across the living room from me. I said, "Hey, Come hear so I can put your socks on so we can get rid of our colds". He always gives me a hard time and due to my not being able to talk with my throat feeling like razors were inside, I said "Do you love me?" He said "NO"....being the wimp of a mom I was this week, I couldn't help but tear up at his announcement. I kept it under control but he saw the tears. He RAN ACROSS THE ROOM TO ME, LUNGING AT ME AND HUGGING ME. I said, "See, it made mommy sad when you said that..you hurt my feelings, I would never say that to you because it would hurt your feelings"...he sat back on the couch.....and then said...

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (now I hadn't said April Fools since April 1st and only had said it once then)

Such a sweetie racking his brains on how he could get out of this one!! And he did!!!!! LOL

Short but sweet

Well, I found out the reason I've been so tired. I woke up this morning with what my little guy has had now the last few days. I felt like I was down a tunnel. All congested, sinus pain around my nose, ears hurting, throat sore.

Every time I feel that way, I am reminded of the day of my mom's funeral when I perforated my eardrum...and with Eric being away it really scared me. All of the panic comes back, what if something was to happen to me with just Matthew here? etc.. The other night, I almost fell down my stairs again too. I wasn't doing anything more than walking, with Matthew in front of me, and I slipped and stopped myself with all of my might by grabbing the stair with my hand. My heart was pounding as I started thinking about what my son would do if Mommy was knocked unconscious, God Forbid. Eric and I were discussing it and we really need to teach him the numbers 911 on the phone. He knows to call 911 from watching Danger Rangers, but I think I need to actually show him. Or at least put it on speed dial and teach him the number to hit.

And God Willing, he will never have to use it.

Tonight while eating dinner, I was telling him how sorry I was that he was sick all week and that Mommy was out of it again too and that I wished I was a better Mommy to him sometimes. He said to me again "Mommy, take a deep breath and you are a better Mommy"....I'm not lying, this is my insightful, sometimes old beyond his years angel. Thank you God for getting me through another day and for letting him be apart of it.

Every night I Thank God for my miracle, tonight I just feel like telling the whole world, Thank God for my miracle.

Boys Will Be Boys & Still be Mommy's Cuddlebum SIMULTANEOUSLY

Well, this week I'm slacking in the blog department. I'm just so tired. Matthew had another fever on Tuesday and now another cold, that again Mommy now has, so with Eric out of town, I'm tired. And now the weather today isn't helping any.

I was lying with Matthew on my bed earlier and I couldn't understand why my bones were aching so bad, and then I heard the rain and remembered oh yeah, it's raining. It happens whenever it rains and sometimes it starts a day earlier to give me an advanced weather report within my body.

I said to Matthew "Mommy's bones are achy!!!" He said "Mine are achy too Mommy". Like an old man, instead of a 4 year old.

He is so funny. Last night as I was trying to get him to sleep, he said "Sing me a hullaby Mommy". Now, since the day he came home from the NICU I could never get him to like my singing him lullaby's, at least not while he was screaming or had colic. He didn't want any part of my singing. I was so disappointed considering I had been dreaming about singing to my own child some day, and now he didn't like my singing. The only thing at those times, were Daddy's arms holding him in a football hold and swaying him back and forth. He preferred Daddy's rocking to mine.

Regarding my singing to him, there were rare times, when he was content to let me get through a whole song. Last night he let me sing him a whole lullaby!!! And HE FELL ASLEEP TO IT!!!! yeah!!!

Well, I am really disappointed that I missed my Remember When Wednesday. I was so proud of myself that I was sticking to my theme and reaching into the depths of my soul to get it all off my chest. I'll make it up next week.

In the meantime, I uploaded some more pics today on Flickr. I thought as I was going through some of them, that my little boy is such a little boy!!! ALL BOY!

I am going to leave you all with a BOYS WILL BE BOYS chuckle. The pictures above show a story of a little angel, who just couldn't help being a little boy and get into a little trouble. And if you notice, he is wearing his jail stripe pajamas.

Since we moved back into our addition in May 2005 I had displayed a nice Raggedy Ann Collection that I never had room for before. I don't have a large collection, but some nice dolls that I love and were gifts to me. One day in November 2006, I came down from doing laundry and this is what I found. The Raggedy Ann dolls have since been hiding in my closet, out of his reach and unfortunately out of my Mommy's view.