Mom, Just Suck It Up!

"Mom, just suck it up!" was said to me by my son Joseph the other day. Can you believe it? How dare my son talk to me that way? I guess I haven't been doing a great job at raising him after all...or have I? I was stunned when these words came out and realized that this time my son was teaching me an important life lesson! I also realized that I am doing my job as a parent and that it's starting to pay off. He has been listening to my constant nagging and preaching and is on his way to becoming a responsible, respectful, and empathetic individual.

As we already know, life can throw us one curve ball after another. It seems lately that I've had one thrown to me after another. Just as I get up from being knocked down, I'm down again. I keep telling myself that this is temporary, that I have a lesson to learn, that God only gives you what you can handle...

I was told yesterday by a throat specialist that nodules have formed on my vocal cords. This occurs when a person uses their voice excessively and improperly. Can you believe it?  He recommended that I try not to talk very much and also suggested I go to a therapist that will teach me to use my voice properly so not to further damage these nodules.

Hello, I'm a teacher! Kinda hard with preschoolers! This may be a blessing in disguise for me. I intend to tell the children that I can only talk in a low voice and that I need them to listen very carefully. This will hopefully discipline them to talk in a quieter voice. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Joseph, I will take your advice and try very hard to 'Suck it up!' when life gets hard. Thanks again for being the inspiration for this post!

The road has ups and downs and curves for now, but it will be straight again. Life is too short to stress over the stuff we cannot control. The best time of the year is just around the corner...bringing renewed faith and hope in all of us!

Have a glass of wine and toast yourself!

Cheers,

Sandra

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day!

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it took so long to publish this post. I realized this weekend that I need to start making a realistic plan. There are not enough hours in the day to complete everything I need to do. I've decided to divide my wants from my needs and come up with a weekly plan of what I need to do and what I want to do. Sometimes, the need to do's go right out the window when unexpected things happen in life, which happens very often.

Planning to do something is easier said than done! Lately, I find myself setting very small goals for myself so I don't lose my motivation to do all the things on my 'want to do' list. The 'need to do' list is everything you need to do on a weekly basis (clean the house, laundry, and grocery shopping), all of which are not rewarding.

My 'want to do' list takes a little more strategic planning. I want to try a new recipe on a weekly basis. I have to say that I am mighty proud of this accomplishment. Last weekend, I made cabbage rolls, pumpkin cheesecake, and cranberry sauce from scratch. My family loved everything, particularly my brother. A compliment from him means a lot since he works in the food industry and my sister-in-law can start her own cooking channel from all the amazing dishes she makes.

So, what happens if I can't accomplish everything on my 'want to do' list? Nothing! I often tell myself, 'Rome wasn't built in a day', so get over it! And, so should you. We need to prioritize what's important and what's not.  We need to accept that not everything will get done and that's okay. It will get done eventually...

Take a deep breath when things are too hard and you feel overwhelmed. If you're lucky like me, you have a wonderful spouse who balances you and always finds a way to make everything better. I have learned to see life through his eyes and realize that sweating the small stuff is a waste of time and takes up too much energy.

The road to fulfillment is around the corner. Put yourself in fifth gear and enjoy the ride!

Cheers,

Sandra

Pay It Forward!

Hello Everyone!

Hope you are busy preparing for Thanksgiving this weekend, well for those of us in Canada. Stuffing is prepared, cabbage rolls are made, pumpkin cheesecake is ready to refrigerate for tomorrow's celebration, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies will have to wait until tomorrow since I forgot the ginger. You can't win them all! Though, I still have time to write my blog!

This evening, I stuffed everyone in my mini van and we headed to church! Four boys all under the age of 12, my mom, sister, and myself. I was sitting listening to the Gospel and wondering what will I write about this week! And then, it came to me. Thank you to the priest in Elmvale for inspiring my next post!

He was talking about a movement I never heard about before called "Pay it forward." It started from a couple who were inspired by a girl with cancer that was fund raising to help other children with cancer. This couple decided to do random acts of kindness to three strangers. They didn't expect anything in return, only for these strangers to do random acts of kindness to three other people and ask them to continue these acts to three more people. Hence the phrase, "Pay it forward."

How great is this? If everyone would buy someone a coffee, help an elderly person with their groceries, or pay for someone's meal, and ask for nothing in return, except that they perform acts of kindness to three more people, our world would be a better place for our children.

Yes, I know, life is busy and stressful enough and you don't have time to be kind and think of others before yourself. But, we should make the time. Just like we should make the time to teach our children this important life lesson. Helping others less fortunate than ourselves, raising money for a worthy cause, and just being kind to random strangers.

So, this Thanksgiving, after you give thanks for all you have and count your blessings, make a plan to perform three random acts of kindness and keep this movement going: Pay it forward!

Maybe one person can't change the world, but one person in every family can make a difference!

God Bless,

Sandra

Let Us Be Thankful!

Hello Everyone,

With just over a week before Thanksgiving, we are all busy making plans for this long anticipated family holiday. This holiday in particular is extra sweet for me since it's the only time when our whole family is together! Nine grandchildren under the same roof! Can life get any better? Nope! This is when family traditions are started and lasting memories are made. One tradition that I look forward to yearly is when my brother tries to pick up the boys at the same time. They are 12 now and both over 100lbs, but my brother can still lift them up! Maybe he should try to lift them up this year before we eat our Thanksgiving meal.

What are you thankful for? I am thankful for the obvious, my children, my husband, my parents, my siblings, my friends, and my extended family. I am thankful for my health and the health of the ones I love and care for. I am thankful for all of God's creations. I am thankful to have found my calling in life and that I've had the privilege to inspire and shape the mind's of over 400 children, thus far. I am thankful for my grandparents who shaped me into the woman I am today. I am thankful to be one of the many this weekend who will run for a great cause: to end breast cancer forever! Breast cancer has touched all of our lives in one way or another. Maybe directly, or maybe a family or friend has had a difficult journey which they won or sadly lost. I am thankful for today's technology and the ability to catch this form of cancer in its earliest stages.  

Next weekend, begin a new tradition of asking each family member what they are thankful for and count your blessings! I am sure that if you look closely, you will find plenty to be thankful for.

I know I will!

God Bless,

Sandra