Category: January 2008

So it is not any surprise to most parents with school age children that discipline has been color coded.  We have progressed from the block system to the stop light color coding of behavior.

In being responsible parent we try to instill the same values at home that they do in class.  It shouldn’t be difficult since most are common sense.  Our children are well behaved for the most part but are far from being perfect. 

Last year Walker had quite the transition from the cozy cuddling life of pre-school to the hard knock life of kindergarten.  He lost many of blocks but seemed to turn himself around by the end of the year.

Well needless to say the transition from vacation back to school is not an easy one.  I can’t say it is any easier for us adults to go back to work.  I was three weeks out of the office with the last two being vacation.  Walker has proved that the transition has not been easy as he has landed on red light several times since his return to school.  Apparently he is a “chatter box”.  The result of him being a “chatter box” is that he doesn’t seem to hear the directions he is suppose to be following never mind actually following them.

So the result of his decision has been the banning of the Nintendo DS for three days.  Yes there tears and drama but let’s just say it worked because he got his act in gear to get it back by Friday.  So the lessons we are trying to teach are that there are consequences for your decisions so make them wisely.  Of course even us adults have problems with that every once in awhile.

I don’t formally belong to a book club but often take suggestions from friends on great books to read.  I have listed just a few of my favorites here.  I gave my most recent list to my husband for book suggestions for Christmas.  He was able to find two of the three.  I ended my Christmas vacation with beginning the book "My Sister’s Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult.  For those who haven’t read it by all means go out and buy it and read it.  It is always hard to find the time to read but I found myself engrossed with the ethical dilemmas that she proposed in this book.  The book begins with the healthy 13 year old obtaining the services of an attorney.  She no-longer wanted to be the donor for her sister who was diagnosed with leukemia.  Kate would surely die without the donations that Anna has given all of her life.  The ethical dilemma presents itself when you find out that Kate was diagnosed at the young age of 2.  She already had an older brother but there was no match for Kate at the time of her diagnosis.  The only way to possibly have a perfect match was to utilize a sibling.  The parents then decided they would have another child – Anna.  The love of the sister’s is so great it is hard to measure.  Anna has undergone major surgeries and multiple hospital stays when she wasn’t even sick.

I strongly urge you to read this compelling and emotionally charged story of how a family deals with life and death decisions.  I would love to hear what others thought of this book

I read a blog today that I haven’t read in quite some time – Boobs, Injuries and Dr. Pepper.  She has so eloquently put into words her version of the "I have a dream" speech.   There is also a priceless story of the innocence of a child.

I have a dream….

I have a dream that one day we will unite as a country to care for the deserving ones who cannot care for themselves. We will provide health care for our elderly and not force them into poverty with rising pharmaceutical prices for medicines that enable them to simply live.

I have a dream that we will welcome our military home with joy and gratitude and not force our beliefs upon them about a war they fought while we watched it on the news.

I have a dream that one day I will not fear sending my children to a public school.

I have a dream that myself and others like me can speak freely and innocently, with no malice in our hearts, and not be labeled as a person who hates simply because of the words we choose.

I have a dream that people will rise above those words thereby taking away their power to harm.

I want to thank Crystal for reminding us times change and our dreams change and mutate into something different.  We should never lose sight of what our perfect world should be.

My own dreams:

I have a dream of my children growing up happy, feeling safe and loved.

I have a dream of living in a world that our leaders will truly think what is in the best interest of the people of our country in the long term rather than their own agenda, which may be short term.

I have a dream that my children will continue the friendship they deveoped as children into adulthood.

I have a dream that more people in the world will realize how precious freedom is and how important it is to maintain.

I have a dream of watching my children grow into responsible, compassionate and loving adults and they they have the opportunity to pass these values onto their own children.

I will not tag anyone but simply ask that you pass this along either via your blog or through e-mail.  Renew the dream as it is a precious one.