New Year, New Blog

I have not used my blog in several years, but I decided to try to journal again and thought this would be a good place to do it. I am going to try to post at least a little note every day this year. 2014 was a year of changes for me. I left my job as a night shift labor and delivery nurse, to become an elementary school nurse. I had worked half my life, 22 years, as a night shift nurse and thought I would never be a day person. I was so wrong. This job was exactly what I needed. I feel healthier mentally and physically, and my lab work at the doctor's office shows that to be true physically as well. This job makes me so happy. I love the kids at my school, the staff is wonderful, and I really enjoy the other nurses in the district. They are a wonderful group of women who are always available for questions or support. I truly feel that this job came around at the right time and was exactly what I was meant to do.

Charlie is now in high school. He is learning to drive, taking very challenging classes, and beginning to plan for a summer job. In only 4 years, he will be getting ready to leave home for college. It is very cliche to say, but I swear just yesterday we were dropping him off at Kindergarten. He is so far a really, really, good teenager. Of course he has his moments where he thinks we know nothing and he knows everything (and sometimes, he is right), but overall he is still one of my favorite people to hang out with and have conversations with. He teaches me a lot, and even when I disagree with is viewpoints, he has very well thought out, interesting comments.

Juliana is in her last year of elementary school and is not wanting to ever leave the Trailwood community. I agree with her. When we moved into this house when Charlie was starting Kindergarten, I had no idea how lucky we got to be in this school boundary area. It has been the most wonderful place to send my kids everyday where I knew they were nurtured, challenged and inspired. But, leave she (we) must. She has bigger challenges to conquer in middle and high school to get ready for the world. Watch out world, this one, will do wonderful things! She is smart, funny, creative... she challenges me in so many ways because she has always marched to her own beat, and rarely wants help from anyone. She is our independent girl who we knew from an early age, if she put her mind to it, couldn't be stopped. We only have 8 months till we have another teenager in the house.

James has been at UMB now for about 2 years. He finally has vacation time again and we were able to go to New England for Thanksgiving to be with my family. That is something that hasn't happened since the kids were 1 and 3. It was a wonderful trip. We hope this summer to be able to travel again, most likely out west where we have never been. Much of that trip will be spent camping, which we all love.

Today is the day to pack away the Christmas decorations, clean, do laundry and grocery shop. A mundane day, but it is nice to have the time off to do these things and hang out with these two wonderful kids for a few more days of our break. The best part about being a school nurse is being off two weeks at Christmas and New Year's instead of having to work on them.

I hope 2015 brings us health and happiness. I find as I age, contentment is easier to come by.

Happy New Year!

The WTC Mosque

I honestly do not understand those who are against the proposed Mosque 2 blocks away from the WTC site. Muslims are not terrorists. In fact the majority of Muslims are peace loving people. They simply practice a different religion than many of us. Just as there are extremists who are terrorists and also Muslim, so are there Christians that are extremist and kill in the name of their religion. Should we really blame an entire group for the few that are bad seeds? This country was founded on religious freedom. Some in this country seem to believe that really only applies to Christians. It is a good thing to embrace a Mosque anywhere, and maybe even more so in that area. It goes a long way to showing the Islamic world that we are good, peace loving people, who can accept others differences. That we are not to be feared. Terrorism is born out of fear, hatred and intolerance to others. When we are bigoted, intolerant, and close-minded about something as benign as a place of worship we are actually fueling attitudes of mistrust and fear to the Muslim world. The Mosque and community center is a place where people of faith can come together, worship, make friends, be with their family. All good things. And 2 blocks from the WTC is really not all that close. In NYC, there are many, many buildings in a 2 block area. I wonder if anyone can even see the proposed Mosque from the former WTC site? I highly doubt it. Let's not foster the hatred, intolerance, and animosity that created the situation that led to the WTC attacks in the first place. Let's come together in our differences and learn some tolerance, and foster peace so that events like those on 9/11 never happen again. Let's not blame an entire religion on the extremist minority that attacked us. Let's blame the individuals who actually are to blame. They may have said they were Muslim, but they were not really practicing according to Islamic beliefs. Here are two quotes I found that come from the Quaran:
"It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those of them with whom you are now at enmity... Allah forbids you not respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you out from your homes, that you be kind to them and deal equitably with them; surely, Allah loves those who are equitable." - Holy Qur'an, 60:8-9

"the taking of one innocent life is like taking all of Mankind... and the saving of one life is like saving all of Mankind" - Holy Qur'an, 5:33.

Do those sound like words from a religion that fosters terrorism? To me they sound very similar to Biblical teachings about loving our neighbor and "thou shalt not kill". We should not fear a group of people because we don't understand them or they are different from us. We should take time to get to know what they are like, and understand that they love their children like we do. The majority of Muslims do not want to commit terrorist acts, or take over the world, they want to be able to live a good life, enjoy worship with their families and friends, just like the majority of Christians. I believe we have different religions on this earth because God knew that different people needed different paths. We are not all the same, why should we all have to worship the same. The important thing is that we love one another, treat each other with kindness and respect and not kill in the name of anything. We need acceptance for ALL people.

Mother's Day: A Day For Peace

"Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

This is part of a poem by Julia Ward Howe that was a proclamation for the first Mother's Day in the United States. I did not know until this year that Mother's Day was started as a rally for peace by mothers who cared so much about this world we live in. It makes me sad that she wrote this in 1870 and we are still searching for that peace. I plan to take part in a Peace Rally on Mother's Day organized by the church we have started to attend. Here is more information about the peace rally. Julia's Voice.

Mother's Day this year is also James' and my 12th year wedding anniversary. 12 years ago we joined together to form a lifelong partnership, and that is what led me down the path to motherhood. Being married to James and becoming a mother to Charlie and Juliana has been the most wonderful time of my life. It has its challenges, but those challenges are always worth it. Charlie and Juliana teach me so much more than I teach them. I want them to live in a world free of injustice and full of equality and peace. I want them to always know that our family is their place of security and acceptance, where they can always turn when times are tough and when they need to celebrate. I want them to know that their dad and I made the decision 12 years ago to join together because we were best friends and knew we could weather the storms as long as we were together, and that they came from a place of immense love, respect, and a common desire to show our children a wonderful happy life. I hope that Charlie and Juliana learn that the most important thing in life is their relationship to other people and how they make their footprint in this world. I want them to learn to respect all people, no matter their differences. I want them to learn that the way we treat our earth affects the way the earth treats us. I want them to learn that war creates more problems than it ever solves and that peace and education and acceptance are the ways to overcome problems. I hope that James and I instill in them a sense that they can accomplish what they dream through hard work, and education, but also by the way they treat others. My own mother taught me all of these things my entire life by her actions not just her words. She has always been the first one to lend someone a hand,even when she herself was struggling to make ends meet. She always taught us that all people are equal and worthy of respect. She taught us that peace is always a better choice than war. She taught us that education is the way to make a better life, and even if money is tight, a college education is obtainable and necessary. All of her children have college degrees, my brother has a Ph.D and my sister an MBA. Hopefully one day, I will also get a master's degree, but I at least have my BSN. None of us ever considered not going to college as an option. I thank my mother for these gifts she gave me, and I hope I can pass them on to my own children.

Here is the Mother's Day Proclamation poem in its entirety.

Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Julia Ward Howe

So darn proud of my kids

I had parent teacher conferences for the kids yesterday and could not be prouder of them. Juliana's journal writings are the funniest thing, and she is doing very well in 1st grade. She is still very shy with her teachers, but they said she is socializing well with her peers. Her class is team taught. She has one teacher Mon/Tues and every other Wed, and another teacher Thur/Fri and every other Wed. They are both wonderful women and I love that she gets to have time with each of them. Her teacher on Thurs/Fri was my first friend in Kansas. Yes, that's right, when I moved here in 3rd grade from Pennsylvania, Juliana's teacher was the first person I became friends with. It is so great to meet up with her again and to have her teaching my daughter. We lost touch in middle school because we went to different schools. Her teachers are a great team, and really challenge the kids to meet their personal best. Juliana is being given special opportunities to do challenge math and reading assignments. She is also in a special "research" group for the kids who need more challenges. They research topics and then present them to the class. I love that our school constantly strives to meet the needs of all the students.

Charlie had his first student led conference. His teacher and I listened to him present how he felt he was doing in school. He put so much time and thought into his presentation. He is so in touch with exactly who he is, and how is he doing. I was very impressed with the young man my son is becoming. His teacher could not really add information that he had not already covered. He gave his strengths and weaknesses with such accuracy, I was amazed. His teacher is very young, and has only been teaching for 2 years, but I love her. I could not have asked for a better teacher for him. She is wise beyond her years, and is so fantastic with the students. This year is such a great school year for both of my kids. Such a change from last year, when I was not at all happy with the teacher Charlie had.

Long time since I blogged, but today I feel the need!

President Obama plans to give a speech on Tuesday to America's youth. He is doing it at 11am (noon eastern time), and allowing schools to have access to stream the speech into classrooms. Conservatives are in an uproar! Why? They honestly believe Obama is trying to give our kids some evil socialist message. WHAT? Since when was encouraging kids to stay in school and get an education a socialist message. They also feel their children are being forced to watch it. Schools are not required to air this speech or use the suggested curriculum to go along with it on the Department of Education website. And the curriculum is so benign. Check it out at this link: curriculum If George Bush were giving this exact same speech with the same curriculum, conservatives would be demanding their children get to watch it. What is it that is scaring them about Obama? Are they afraid he is setting a good example to children by showing that anyone in this country can achieve greatness by staying in school and getting a good education? Maybe that is it. Maybe they don't want every child to think they can grow up to be President. President Obama is a shining example that a poor child from a single parent household can achieve his dreams by staying in school and getting the best education possible. Who better to give a message like this to our children? I am not at all understanding this "don't let the children hear anything the President has to say" attitude. If George Bush had planned this exact same speech with the same curriculum to go along with it, I would demand my children be allowed to watch it, and I have never been a fan of George Bush. I think it is important for all Americans, including children, to hear what a President has to say. Why are parents so concerned that their children will hear a speech by the President? I have never failed to discuss current events, politics, issues with my children. If the President says something in his speech that you don't agree with, can you not talk to your child about that? Do you really think your children are never going to hear anything you don't want them to? And what is it about "stay in school and get a good education" that you don't like. It is our duty as parents to find out everything our children are learning in school and discuss it with them,and give our point of view and why we feel the way we do. It is not our duty to censor everything and shelter them from ideas we may not agree with. The kids and I saw protesters with signs that said "God Hates Jews" a few weeks ago on the street. My kids asked about those signs. We had a great discussion about it,and how some people have very wrong ideas and how we can do better. It was my responsibility to be sure my kids knew that was discrimination, and what that meant. If I had ignored that,and told them nothing, or not let them see that, we would have missed a very teachable moment. If this speech had an overtly partisan political message, I could understand the uproar. This speech is the President telling American children how important education is. That is something I wish all Presidents did. Children should be a part of our political system. They should learn about how government works, and watch Presidential speeches at every opportunity. I always watch the State of the Union Addresses, even in years when I don't agree with the President. It is important information to hear. I try to get my kids to watch those too, but of course, those are way to boring for a kid. This is a great way for the President to engage kids in taking responsibility for their education,and to let them learn a bit more about the President. I don't understand why parents think they must sit beside their child the whole time the speech is on. Can they not watch the speech themselves (there are many ways to see it, CSPAN, online etc.) and then discuss it that evening? Our school is not showing it in every grade, but my 4th grader's teacher said she would be showing it and invited any parent that wants to come watch along with the class to do so. I am certain most schools will allow this and would encourage it. The other thing I don't understand parents saying is that Obama is going behind their backs and forcing their children to watch the speech. He has given a week's notice, schools are not required to air it, schools that are airing it are allowing children to do alternate activities at that time. Going behind their backs would have been airing it in schools without informing parents and making it mandatory viewing. This whole right wing argument is ridiculous. I can't imagine ever being upset that my child is getting a great learning opportunity by being able to watch the President of the United States give a speech about education geared for them. I would have been a huge supporter of this had George Bush done it,even though I am not a supporter of his. Conservatives need to settle down, listen to the speech, and then feel really, really ashamed that they created such furor over a benign speech about education. I don't know how they will be able to tell their children that anything Obama says on Tuesday is not right, when he is going to be telling them to stay in school and get an education. They will be feeling pretty stupid on Tuesday evening when they realize the message is exactly what they would want any adult to tell their child. President Obama has been married to the same woman for 17 years, is a wonderful father, got an advanced degree and has been hard working his entire adult life. He came from single parent household with a very poor beginning. This is exactly the type of role model I want for my children. I don't agree with every position Obama has. I think the bailouts have all been a very bad idea. I am sure other things will come up over the years, I don't agree with him about. But I can't find fault with a message to stay in school and get an education, and I can't find fault with him as a wonderful moral role model for my children. I want my children to learn to listen to political speeches with a critical ear, and discuss it with me or others. I don't want my children to automatically agree with my position on topics. I hope they learn to form their own opinions based on values I helped instill in them. I don't think they have to hear political speeches in the same room as me. I think we can easily discuss them later,and hope to do so on Tuesday night.

Lost tooth and Happy Birthday

James had a birthday party last night. It was just about 10 good friends and us. We had a great time, talking, playing the Wii and looking at Juliana's new smile all night long. Near the beginning of the party, Juliana told us her bottom tooth was very lose. I looked and sure enough, it looked like it would be easy to pull. I asked her if she wanted me to do it, and she said "NO!". She worked and worked at it, and all of sudden looked very surprised, held her hand up and said "look!". There in her hand was her tooth, and in her mouth a cute little gap! She showed every person at the party more than once her tooth. She would not put it down for anything. I finally found a little box for her to put it in. She carried the box around until bedtime. She also wrote the cutest note to the tooth fairy to leave under her pillow with the tooth. It said "I pulled my tooth out on my dad's birthday all by myself! All by myself! Hope you like my tooth. Love, Juliana." Several of James' friends (men) told her all night that the tooth fairy would bring her $50! I assured her that our tooth fairy does not give anyone $50! Our tooth fairy brings $2 for the first tooth and then $1 for all other teeth. The tooth fairy did give her $1 bonus for pulling her first tooth herself,however! She found 3 gold dollars under her pillow this morning.

Here is our girl with her missing tooth!

Happy New Year!

The last two months of 2008 have been challenging and busy. James got laid off from DLR group in the middle of November due to the economy that everyone is having to deal with. Luckily his skills are still needed by his old company, so he has done some contract work for them. Also luckily, his coworkers all liked him and some of them have passed on some other contract jobs to him. I have also been able to pick up extra hours at work, so for now we have not yet had to struggle to make ends meet. But January and February are very slow birth months, so not only will I probably not get extra hours, I may get canceled and not even get my normal hours. Hopefully a new job is on the horizon for James. The kids are doing fabulously in school. Juliana has started guitar lessons and has taken to it so easily. Charlie won a spelling bee at school and came in second place in another spelling bee the same day. We had a nice family Christmas even though I had to work part of Christmas Eve. It was a downscaled version of our usual Christmases, but it was wonderful to be together and to all be healthy. We really are blessed. I have a feeling 2009 will be the start of wonderful new things in our lives. Happy New Year to all our friends and family!