I am so super beyond thrilled to share with you that I actually made a step forward! I didn't send anything to more magazines, but I did come up with and pitched the idea of a new title with Examiner.com. As of today I am the National TV Moms Examiner. The idea came to me after last Friday's Fun Friday offering. The first article went live today and I'm beyond excited about the things I can do with this title. I hope you'll help me grow this title and subscribe to it and share the things you're diggin'. Wish me luck!
I wish this quote I just found was a song, because then it could totally be our theme song for this blog. It would be like on Meet the Robinsons when they're celebrating Lewis's failure and they bust into their own theme song of Keep moving forward (you can see what I mean in the video below. And if you know not of what I speak because you've never seen the movie...You really, really need to).
But I digress...Really a lot, actually. Anyways, the quote that I found:
"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." -E.E. Cummings
But seriously, kind of a little perfect for my little corner of the web, isn't it? Just say yes, you know you want to.
Because I am a lover of quotes, you'll probably see more of these entries popping up from time to time. Even though there is a part of me, deep down inside that wonders if someone just sits at their computer all day coming up with quotes and attaching important names to said quotes so they'll carry greater impact...I mean, really, how do I know that some person who is compiling the biggest list of quotes ever has double checked the source of origin? I don't. Regardless, I love me some quotes. They bring out all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings for me, so use them I will. And you know, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you left your favorite quotes in the comments. Quote on!
Yesterday was a marvelous day. The girl who I have claimed to be the little sister I've always dreamed of having, graduated college yesterday. Graduations, like baptisms and weddings, always make me a little misty. I'm hopelessly sentimental that way.
However, as speaker after speaker approached the podium, my mind wandered to things other than the event happening before me. I looked at the graduates seated where I sat seven years ago, remembering how I anxiously awaited this piece of paper that would declare me to be set on the right path. Five years of hard work, several changes in majors later, there I was...Following my dream. Right? I wondered if that too was what they were thinking. Maybe. Probably.
So the longer I sat and the longer I watched, my gaze strayed towards those graduates who were to receive their Masters degrees, many having earned degrees in areas I had assumed I would one day be striving towards. Now...I'm not so sure.
I've taken the big step (to me anyways) lately of sharing with my husband that I'd really like to find a way to write full-time when Abby goes to kindergarten. I (we) had always assumed when she went to school I would find my way back to the human services world and do my thing, but now I just don't know. This dream that had long laid dormant is back with a vengeance. Back when I first started writing for Examiner.com (nearly a year now, can you believe it?!) my aunt who is an incredible writer and photographer shared some advice with me about what it takes to make it work.
Thus far, though, I've wrapped myself into the safety of my little writing bubble with my Examiner column and writing for Simply Family, but I know I've got to suck it up and start looking at more things. I've got to get over my fear of NO and just go. The only trouble? I've been saying this for awhile now, and I just keep pansying out. But if I'm going to put this plan into action and show my husband and myself that it's possible to do this, then I'd say a little action is actually required here. Gee, who woulda thunk it? I won't know if I don't try and if I don't try, I'll always wonder.
So here we go, {deep breath} it's time to start figuring out if I can be what I want to be when I grow up.
 The key to my history, who taught me how to love with all that I am; I wonder sometimes who I would be without them...I'm glad I'll never know. My family. They showed me what unconditional love looks like and showed us all that choosing someone for better or worse is neither a fairy tale nor a myth. My parents.
The people who I can be completely me with, who love me no matter what, who I have treated like crap and vice versa - yet we'll have each other's backs for as long as we live. My siblings. The man who knows me at my very best and my very worst, who has grown up with me...Who makes me laugh and drives me crazy, but has become a person whom I can't imagine life without. My past, my present, my future. My husband. As they came along one-by-one, I was overwhelmed and amazed at how immediately you can fall completely in love with someone in the space of a single breath, heartbeat, cry. I'd never known a love quite like it...Couldn't imagine a greater love that wouldn't shatter my heart to pieces at its fullness. My nieces and nephews. The greatest love I have ever known. A love born before ever even seeing a face. The moment I felt that first movement in my belly, I was hers. Before she was even born, she became a person I couldn't live without. She is our everything. My daughter.
Weeks ago I applied for another online writing position with MomSquawk.com. I hadn't heard anything back over a week later so I thought I'd just send out another, 'hey I'm still here and I'd really like to write for you, e-mail,' (striving to leave out any vibes of desperation, mind you). A few days after that I heard back from them saying they had received an overwhelming response to their call for a Motherhood / Parenting writer and they had come up with a little something to spice things up a bit. What might that be, you're wondering? Well let me tell you because this is where you come in. We were given the option to write a short essay about a parenting lesson we'd learned, from there our essay would be posted on the MomSquawk Facebook page and the competition would begin. Competition, you say? Do tell...The writer whose essay collects the most comments between now and midnight on April 20 gets an automatic offer to write for MomSquawk. What to do: - Go to the MomSquawk Facebook page and 'Like' their page. (Without liking their page, you can't comment or like anything). Not quite sure what I'm talking about? No worries MomSquawk hooked us up with a screen shot to help us out.
- Go to my essay: Being Abby's Mom and leave a comment.
- Share it with your friends with these instructions.
- Give yourself a big, virtual super hug (or super squeezie as I would say to the little loves of my life) on my behalf.
Thanks so much for helping a girl out! I hope you enjoy my essay.
 “Just tell me the truth,” is a phrase any parent anywhere will at more than one point utter to their children. Yet when the child you’re saying this to is a mere 3 or 4 years old, you realize you’re not quite sure how to define “being honest” to him. On top of that, you have a dawning realization that this is a crucial moment in your parenting journey. It’s no longer just about fulfilling basic needs and oohing and ahhing over this sweet baby, but helping to shape the person your child is going to become. (Gulp).So that begs the question, how do you explain the concept of truth and honesty to a toddler/preschooler?
If you'd like the answer to that question, I direct you to my latest article. The truth about teaching honesty to kids. I vividly recall the first time I had a conversation with my daughter, urging her to tell me the truth. For the most part she's an extremely cautious girl and this translates into almost every area of her life, including things that have the potential to get her in trouble. However, in this instance the 'kid' beat out the 'caution.' She had colored on her closet doors. Wanting to give her the chance to tell me the truth, I asked her if she had done this. I could see the wheels turning as she weighed the consequences of admitting she had done this versus pretending she had no idea how those crazy scribbles had wound up on her closet door. She tried to talk her away around it at first claiming ignorance...You know, in the way a 4-year-old might. At that point I was throwing around this unknown word, "truth" at her. "I just want you to tell me the truth honey. I won't be mad if you tell me the truth. I just want to know what happened and then we can talk about what to do." She still wasn't quite sure what road she wanted to take, but eventually told me what happened. We had ourselves a nice conversation and she got the task of attempting to clean it up, but it left me thinking...How do you explain truth and honesty to kids in a way that makes sense. Obviously it's something that needs to be taught, but how...Only after I saw an episode of Special Agent Oso, which talked about breaking down honesty in three simple steps did I dust off this thought and decide to put it into an article. So there you have it, our first venture into truth telling and honesty and what led to a breakdown of keeping it real for your kids in having these conversations.
 When I was in college I went through a whole series of different majors before finding the right fit. After all those missteps, I found my home in the Human Services field. My first internship was for an agency whose mission was Child Abuse Prevention. That first internship and subsequently, my first job in my field, was a real eye opener. I had genuinely lived a fairly sheltered life, and it was heartbreaking to see the results of abuse shattering the perfect innocence of a child. Even more so knowing there were children resting on that imperfect bubble - where you know their life is being touched in some way by abuse or neglect, but not enough to substantiate and bring in the help their family needed. Too many children fall through the cracks. April is the month designated to raise awareness and provide people with tools to help in the fight to prevent child abuse. In March I started my coverage on raising awareness with an article about preventing child sexual abuse. This topic in particular is one I feel like we, as parents, need to start talking and keeping talking about with our children. The statistics I uncovered while doing the research were terrifying. It might not be a comfortable conversation to have with our children, but it's one we have to have. To kick off the month I wrote a piece about how we can all be a part of the solution. There are things we can do that might seem small, but if it has the potential to make a difference in the life of a child...Why wouldn't we do it? Additionally, I'll also link you to a piece I did in 2010 that will provide you with suggestions about volunteering or donating to specific organizations. I have a few other things planned for the month including a guide to any activities going on locally for Child Abuse Prevention Month. Ironically, when we were at the library last week, the book I checked out was about the impact child sexual abuse has on one family. I really hadn't looked at what the book was about; I grabbed it because it's an author I really enjoy and hadn't read the book yet. So look for a review to come on that book some time this month. If you want to show your support for this cause, consider donning a blue ribbon, as that's the symbol for Child Abuse Prevention.
 Singing and dancing through life. This morning as I listened to my daughter sing herself awake, I couldn’t help but think, “Lord, let her always wake up with such cheer in her heart.” My mother prayed a similar prayer for me as a child, but more on that later.
Lately it’s a rare moment in our day when Abby isn’t filling the air with songs – whether from memory or brand new material, fresh off her imagination. From the house, to the car, to wherever we end up – she’s singing. I love this about her; the freedom in which she’s still operating. I don’t look forward to the day when she becomes embarrassed when she realizes people are listening to her.
After I graduated from college, my mother shared with me the prayer she had prayed for me as she watched me skip away to kindergarten. She prayed that I would always carry that happiness within me, that I would never lose that joy that made me “skip” through life. The reason she shared this with me was because, following my graduation as we were setting up for the party, she watched with tears in her eyes (seriously, no dramatic exaggeration here) as I skipped away to the door.
So I’m hoping that one day, years from now, I’ll get to experience a similar moment of dreams realized for my daughter. On the outside looking in, it might seem like a small thing, but to me it’s everything. Are there other prayers I pray for my daughter? Of course, nothing in her life is off limits in those conversations, but happiness, joy...Isn’t that what we want most for our children?
On Examiner.com there's this nifty little discussion feature, which I haven't used up until now. But tonight I finally decided to roll the dice and see what kind of a response I could get on what can only be described as a hot-button topic in the parenting world. To spank, or not to spank? This one question can stir up emotions like no other. Odds are, even if you aren't a parent, you've probably developed strong opinions about it one way or another. If that's the case, then I invite you to participate in that discussion: http://www.examiner.com/billings/discuss/to-spank-or-not-to-spankThe plan is to publish an article some time in April weighing both sides of this issue. If you're uncomfortable sharing your thoughts, but you'd like to participate, please feel free to e-mail me. As always, if you don't want your name shared, that's completely your call, and I will maintain your anonymity. I look forward to the discussion, see you there!
 Aside from that little hiccup of falling snow this past Tuesday, according to the calendar and in general, all signs point to spring diligently working to show its bright and shining face. The birds are singing, baseball teams have begun practicing, and barbecues are begging to be fired up all around. For this week's Fun Friday offering, I explored my Top 5 reasons we're thankful for spring, but within that list, I didn't get to fully dive into why I'm beyond ready for spring to hit the air already. So please, check out the fully familial version of why I'm thankful spring is battling its way into our midst, but following is just a bit more...1. Easter will soon be upon us. I could just say I can't wait for Lent to be over so I can have myself that soda (or five) that I've been craving, but that wouldn't be 100 percent true. (I'd be lying if I didn't say that wasn't part it). But truly I love Easter, especially as I've gotten older and particularly after I became a mom. It's a beautiful time of year and to have the sacrifice that Jesus made for us at the forefront of our thoughts...It's just incredible and overwhelming. 2. Our yard is a complete and utter disaster and I am genuinely looking forward to not having to look at the ugliness anymore. I know it's gonna be a real back breaker getting it looking decent, and in truth I wish I could just spray it with 'ugly-be-gone,' but I'm pretty sure that's not an option...So I'll take the hard work for the prettier view. 3. Flip flops and Capris. Need I say more? 4. I am crazy excited to unleash my daughter on our driveway. She's got her Dora bike with training wheels and her scooter from Christmas...I am so ready to see her out there enjoying the outdoors in a whole new way. 5. Barbecue!!! We attempted barbecuing in the screen porch this winter...It wasn't so pretty. Definitely be glad to have that baby back out on the porch where it belongs, enjoying food in this delectably fantastic manner. 6. Abby told me she's so ready for spring because it means setting up her pool...And ideally putting water in it. Daddy got her some "gobbles" (goggles) and she is beyond ready. 7. My youngest niece starts tee ball this year. I cannot wait to watch her out there in all of her sassy glory. It will be magnificent. 8. Basketball. I am surrounded by family and I'm really hoping this will be the year for "community basketball" on the home front. The memories of endless hours of H-O-R-S-E, Around the World, and 1-on-1; I can't wait to make new memories with all the nieces and nephews. 9. Speaking of the nieces and nephews, the two 7-year-olds have concocted a plan for baseball, soccer, and volleyball camps to be held on our little "compound." (Not really, but that's what it's affectionately known as). They are hoping I'll "run" their volleyball camp - what's better than that?10. Spring leads to summer, which leads to the Fourth of July, and in our family there's little else that can compete with the good times we have on that day. So there you have it - the unfiltered version of my I'm-so-happy-it's-spring list. What's on your list?
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