Grandparents Are Our Link to the Past and the Future!

Welcome back , everyone! Hope you had a great weekend with your family!

When I look at myself in the mirror, do you know what I see? Besides the wrinkles and gray hair , I see a little bit of my grandparents.. my grandfather's nose , my grandmother's rosy complexion , the love of dipping Italian bread in homemade tomato sauce from my grandfather, and the warm smile, bright eyes, and strength from my grandmother! "Coraggio e sangue freddo!" as she always said...these are words I tell myself often when life throws me those curve balls and I feel like giving up! Being raised from grandparents is a blessing! Count your blessings if you are lucky like me!

Italian donuts

Family values are disappearing quickly. Like I said in my first post, we need to keep family traditions alive. I can still remember Christmas when I was a child. My grandmother would make these potato and flour donuts fried in oil..."Cudraridri" is what we call them in Calabria, Italy. They are sooo good and sooo bad for you but...Life is too short! My mom learned how to make these yummy donuts from my grandmother and this Christmas was the first time my mom showed me how to make them and I have to say for my first attempt...they were like my grandmother's!

Whatever your family tradition. old and new, it is necessary to keep them in our family for generations to come.

Ask yourself a question? What has changed since your were a child?...yes I get it! We have to drive our kids to every sports tournament and ballet recital...but what have we lost along the way doing this? The most important thing of all...we have forgotten what really matters...it's the simple things in life...like stopping to "smell the petunias", listening to an elderly person's stories and taking a deep breath on that first Spring day and telling yourself that you're grateful at all you have...When was the last time you did something like this with your children?

Instead we complain, resent, envy, one another and always look at getting the latest electronic gadget for us and our kids...don't get me wrong I am one of you! I've done the same thing...but when does it stop?

I will tell you...when you wake up one morning and realize that the last 20 years have passed and you feel empty...Is it too late? Of course, not...Life may be short but this is our only chance to live it to the fullest and to be the "best possible person we can be". We already know that random acts of kindness are contagious, right? So, why not open a door for someone, smile at the grocery cashier and tell her to have a nice day...whatever it is...do it and don't forget to pass these values onto your children! Children learn from example!

I always told myself that I would never be like my parents...I would be cool in my kids' eyes...guess what? I am my parents! When I preach to my kids, do you know what I hear? All my dad's words, all his life lessons, and  the importance of school and saving for a rainy day and I also hear my mom's complaining to pick up my clothes and clean my room! Thank you Pa and Ma...I was listening after all! Thank you for being my rock when the boys were born! I never realized a parents' love for their child until that day!

I am not cool in my kids' eyes! Do I care? My kids don't need me to be their best friend...they need me to teach them how to be respectful to others, to be trustworthy and reliable, and to take pride in everything they do! They need me to pass on our family traditions because this is their foundation that will shape them into the adult they will become.

Grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren...the past and the future all together at the dinner table! Precious moments... many tears shed here...happy and sad...worth every moment!

This is your life, make it worthwhile!

Enjoy!

Sandra

Keeping Family Traditions

Hello, everyone!

I am excited to start my first blog, so please be patient with my "ineptness." Is that even a word?  Okay, why this blog? I have been on a journey for a long time and have discovered two things: Family is everything and Life is too short! I've been teaching preschool children for over 20 years and have been so busy inspiring young minds that I forgot to do things that inspire me...hence this blog!

I started my journey last year when I had a few medical scares...MRI's at 2am...walking down that long hallway at the Breast Cancer Clinic...thankfully all is well!

This was an eye opener for me...Life is too short!...it can change with a blink of an eye! I think we can all relate, we as mothers are selfless...we put everyone first...we expect nothing in return...but we do lose ourselves along the way...

Wake Up and Smell the Petunias! This phrase has been used in my classroom for many years and by many of my little  'friends'. I want to make my first dedication: To all the children I inspired along the way...who inspired me to see life through their eyes...and to finally after all these years inspire me to practise what I preach  and be "the best possible person I can be!" Thank you!

I did wake up one morning and realized that instead of complaining, I should do something for myself. The best place to start is to to set goals for yourself. Choose goals you can stick to...something small like organizing your closet...I find that clutter makes me crazy! With four men in my house, keeping a house organized and tidy deserves a separate blog.

I have to commend my husband who didn't mind clutter when I met him and is now bothered by it. He recently organized a room in the basement, his "Man Room" and not your typical guy room with a big screen T.V. He's not into sports like your average guy...this is what I loved about him when I met him...I tell Michael all the  time...if you can play the guitar and cook...girls will go crazy! On one side of his room are his musical  instruments and on the other side is his new passion...making these little computer thingies using "Arduino" that can tell you the temperature, turn lights on and off...anyway...enough about that. My husband has told me for years to find something that inspires me, that I can be passionate about...something to keep my mind young!

I finally listened to him and decided to do something about it! Thank you for that hard kick that finally knocked me over!

Now, back to our goals and the purpose of this blog!

Set a goal, attain it and move on...It is possible to achieve more than one goal at a time! "Heaven to Betsy" people...it's about multitasking!

Okay, the purpose of this blog! I recently discovered Pinterest and became inspired! I made my first specialty cake for my husband's birthday and he loved it! I realized from that point that cooking for others and watching them smile after the first bite is PRICELESS! What a great feeling...I immediately started pinning everything relating to food and since then have many recipes under my belt that have become family favorites!

I have two goals: Run the Mississauga 1/2 Marathon next May and begin a Family Book with recipes old and new and traditions that have been passed on from my grandparents...lots of pics of the kids cooking with Nonna Anna and helping Nonno Mario in the garden!

Here is my second dedication: To my family...I am one of the lucky ones who was raised by her grandparents...they have shaped me into the woman I am today! To my parents who have passed on strong family values, that I am passing on to my family...to my lil' sister, Cathy who is my hero and the strongest person I know!

Family is Everything!

It is up to us to keep these traditions alive in our families today so that our children have something to pass on to their kids tomorrow!

Regards,

Sandra