We all know that when we see a new born baby or have children of our own, those new born babies are truly a miracle.The question is though what kind of experience did the mom’s go through to bring that miracle into the world?

There are lots of mother’s today who choose to have a home birth either with or without a midwife present and no pain medication at all. I admire the mother’s who do that and hope that it can always turn out to be a positive home birth experience. There are mothers who experience their full pregnancy with an OB and have their OB or any other OB deliver their babies in the hospital with and epidural and pain medications. Some births can turn into an emergency C Section which is often necessary to save the life of mother or baby. Then there are mothers and often during their second births that may have to have a planned C Section. Once again this may be necessary for the safety of the mother and baby.

My first birth was a natural birth delivered in the hospital It was 35 hours of labour and initially I took an epidural but when it was time for the baby to come out the epidural had worn off and they would not top me up with another one. I had also developed toxaemia at the end. I had great trouble getting my miracle baby out. It was a very difficult birth and a very hard recovery there after. However my special boy is the best boy in the world and it was worth every difficult moment to have him in my life. My second birth 3 years later was with a different OB and it was a planned C Section. I was awake in the C Section and didn’t feel a thing. I was treated like an absolute queen and felt like it was a lot more civilized way to give birth. My recovery was quick and easy and after 10 days I was well healed and running around and driving. I have the most precious girl in the world that came out of that wonderful birth. 

We are all going to have different birth experiences, some positive and some negative. Which ever way it turns out, I know that the miracle of our babies is worth everything.

Sometimes I wish I could catch time while it is flying and hold it still.

Princess T is now 6 yrs old in grade one. She really is becoming so independent now. Her big brother Y is 9 and half years old and will be turning 10 in April. He is in grade four. For those whose kids are already teens don’t think that I am crazy when I say it kind of scares me that he will be out of the single digit numbers. Of course he is very independent. He can do everything for himself now. He goes out to his friends houses on a street alone and walks home his little sister from school daily. I’ve never really felt age that much until this year. I guess that as the children grow one really begins to question things about their life. 

I keep wondering about things like… maybe it’s time for a career change now that the kids are getting older. Then when I think about the practical side of things they really are young enough to still need me around. 

Well I just wondered if any other mom feels time as their children grow older like I have been.

Princess T is 6 years old. She receives a token for allowance each month as I feel that she is way too young to receive too much at this stage. On Saturday we were in the mall and she really wanted a “build a bear”. Hubby and I said no, its way too expensive. We then went into the store and found  out that the cheapest bear is $12.00. We told her that if she wants one she can buy it with her own money. So she came home and counted out all her quarters until she made up $12.00. The next day we took her back to the store and she brought along her quarters in a little bag. She chose a bear worth $12.00 and named him cuddly, she did not have enough money to buy him clothes but went up to the counter with her little bag of quarters and paid and bought it all by herself. We are so proud of her.

From the time we get pregnant we receive something called the “Guilty mother Syndrome” Somehow when we have our first child, it doesn’t seem too bad. Then we have two children we feel guilty that neither of them are receiving the attention that we were able to give the  first one. If we are working moms, we feel guilty that we don’t have the opportunity to spend enough time with our kids. if we are stay at home moms, we feel that we are always running around and doing chores and also not spending enough quality time with our kids. My mom tells me that even your kids are grown up and married with their own families there still seems to be so much that one feels guilty about. So, I have decided that one of my “new years resolutions”, is to stop feeling guilty. I have two magnificent children and they are okay and growing up well. So I am going to try my best to let go of the Guilty mother syndrome.

Princess T’s nine year old brother loves his sleep so much. He is so happy to brush his teeth and get ready for bed every night. He just can’t wait to get under his blankets and then in two minutes lights are out, and he’s in a deep sleep. However when it’s time for Princess T to go and brush her teeth, there’s always a moan, or an argument. Bed time has turned into an unpleasant issue.

 So what do we do??? If we spanked her, we would be called abusive parents. Sometimes we try the 1, 2, 3 counting thing, and occasionally it works. Other times we threaten to take her favourite toys away, and she sometimes that works. Other times hubby threatens that she can’t do nice family outings- I don’t always agree with that one. Sometimes a smiley face chart works very well.

 So basically each night we try a different tactic to avoid bed time issues, .We seem to have to find something different to use each night. 

I’d be more than happy to receive any suggestions to make ess of an issue

Okay we all know that the world has changed and the digital world has entered our lives. Yes okay we can’t live without, computers, digital cameras, the internet, you tube, projectors, big screen TV’s. and so I could go on forever. What’s most interesting is my son in grade four gets his homework projects do on the computer and the internet. Yes he probably knows how to work it better than me. He brings home web sites that he has to look up his work on and do his projects about. His teacher’s even have their own web sites, and he can find all the home work that he might have missed in a day on the teachers school web sites..I am not bashing the new world of technology. Although I think creativity and imagination is a little lost today, but boy it’s so convenient. Life would’ve been so easy if I were a kid today.

Even though we are not taking a winter vacation, I am looking so forward to the two week winter break. A great break from making school lunches daily, overseeing school homework, and rushing the kids in the morning, not to mention my major rush for myself each morning. I am looking quite forward to major relaxation time and family quality time. The kids are looking so forward to the break, and a break of weekly routine. We are taking them to see High School musical on ice. To be honest I am as excited as them to see it. The rest of the time spontaneity it will be.  

When my children were infants and toddlers, I used to be horrified by the parents that gave their bigger kids cell phones. I used to look it as pure spoiled. My son is almost 10 years old, he walks my 6 year old daughter home from school. This was not out of my original choice, but because I work full time, and interestingly enough neighbours were not willing to help me out and bring my children home from school, which I would’ve gladly done for them if I could, they have to walk. Being a little bit concerned about their safety, I have given my son my cell phone to take along with him. He keeps it in a special place in his school bag, and it is not to be used at school, nor are  his friends allowed to even know that he has it. If ever there is a safety or emergency issue, I have taught him only how to switch it on, call 911, and dial the very next emergency contact number. Each day when they are home safely I take it back from him and put it away. He does not ever use it during weekends or any other time, it is purely there for the safety of their walk home and that’s it. For those of you whose children are infants and toddlers, you are probably quite horrified at the idea, like I used to be. For me, it is just a tiny tiny bit of “peace of mind” for their safe walk home.

For those of you who live in places like Chicago, New York, or other winter climate places, you will know that we really have to make the most of winter. Living here in Canada, the winter can certainly be long, but I always make the most of it, and teach my children to as well. They are outside daily at recess at school, so that is good. On weekends, I bundle them up and go for walks with them. When we have lots of snow we all go outside and make snow angels, and snow men. We of course also go tobogganing down the snowy hills, and then afterwards really appreciate a warm cup of hot chocolate. I try my best to make  the long winters exciting and fun. So I hope that all of you who live in cold climates, also have a great time, and please feel free to share any other outdoor winter activities that we can continue to make the most of winter.

 It is hard to believe that this week my children will already be receiving their first school reports of this school year. They are in grade one and grade four. I have not received any phone calls from either of their teachers, so I am presuming that there will not be any major surprises. I am never too concerned about their grades, provided that they have shown me that they have worked hard to obtain whatever the grade is. I do not expect them to  do well in every subject. As much as it would be nice, every child does better in some things than other. As a mom I never compare my children to each other, and I never compare them to their friends or neighbours. Quite honestly I am not interested in their friends and neighbours school reports, it is none of my business, and my children’s reports none of theirs. I teach my children to be very proud of themselves and their achievements, and if any area does need work, we spend the rest of the time working on it. Every weekend just after their school reports, we take them out for dinner to celebrate their achievements.