Mom's

Happy Mother's Day - this pretty much says it all.....

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, "It's okay, honey, Mommy's here"Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted?

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes....and all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football, softball, hockey or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" They could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world". and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.For all the mothers who read the same book twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up, Right away. And the Mothers who said if you need me call me and they never did.This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.What makes a good Mother anyway?Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...And mature mothers learning to let go. As Nemo said, you gotta let me go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.Single mothers and married mothers..Mothers with money, mothers without.This is for you all. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can.Tell them every day that we love them.... And pray.

Please pass along to all the Moms in your life.

Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall

A KFC Bucket, Stuffing and Gravy, Last in Line and "He hit a what?"

A few things:

KFC Bucket

Please ask Jen about the comments she made re: a bucket of KFC - I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time


















Stuffing and Gravy

Another conversation over the weekend with some close friends discussed how good the stuffing and gravy is from Phil's Chicken House. This one, my friends, will not be forgotten!! Different night, same friends. I'm sure the margaritta's helped!! By the way Cuervo Gold now makes a bottled Margaritta with Grand Marnier. Really, really good....... two large bottles were consumed over the weekend. Each drink was floated with additional tequilia. Yes - real good!!


A joke...

A bus carrying only ugly people crashes into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the grief they have experienced. They're all lined up, and God asks the first one what the wish is."I want to be gorgeous," and so God snaps His fingers, and it is done.The second one in line hears this and says, "I want to be gorgeous too."Another snap of His fingers and the wish is granted. This goes on for a while with each one asking to be gorgeous, but when God is halfway down the line, the last guy in the line starts laughing. When there are only ten people left, this guy is rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. Finally, God reaches this last guy and asks him what his wish will be.The guy eventually calms down and says: "Make 'em all ugly again". NEXT TIME YOU'RE LAST IN LINE. . .BE HAPPY!!!!!!


He hit a what???

A Turkey. 2006 CR-V vs some wild poultry. Must be a lot more of those in Saratoga than in Endicott. All I can think of is a cartoon character image of a shocked turkey flat up against the windshield. Can't help that your kids keep reminding you of it ALL DAY LONG!!!!! Much more to be said on this one.

Grace's First Father/Daughter Ball

Grace's first big night!!




Daddy, I'm ready!!!













My first wrist corsage


















Check us out!!! Ready to hit the town....





















Grace and McKenna....
















Imagine - 200 5-12 year old girls doing the Electric Slide. Yes, Sheri - we know you want to be in on it too...

No - I didn't bring my own flask as was suggested. This was taken on the move. Really!!







Many of the little ladies spent a good amount of time on the floor after getting too dizzy








This was a really nice event at Seton Catholic High School. Looking forward to all of those with Grace and Caroline in the future. Funny - more important than the dancing was the food. Themed as "A Night in Venice", the girls were all over the chocolate fountain, cookies, ice cream, punch, candy, cakes, canoli, etc... I guess it starts early - it really is all about the food!!

For those of us with kids under 5....

FluMist nasal spray more effective than flu shot in children under age five

05/01/2006

A study being released today at a child-health meeting finds that MedImmune’s nasal spray flu vaccine provides infants and preschoolers with “significantly more protection” from the flu than traditional flu shots, the Associated Press reports. For the study—which was funded by MedImmune and led by a vaccine specialist at St. Louis University—researchers enrolled 8,000 children ages six months to five years during the 2004 flu season to receive both a FluMist nasal spray and a shot, only one of which contained a real flu vaccine. The researchers found that FluMist was 55% more effective than the flu shot, with only 3.9% of children who received FluMist developing the flu, compared with 8.6% of children who received flu shots. However, the researchers did find that some children ages six months to two years developed a temporary “asthma-like wheezing in the weeks after the first FluMist dose.” According to the researchers, the risk of wheezing was “slight,” with only 1% more children developing the condition after receiving FluMist than children receiving flu shots; the researchers say they will continue to analyze whether the risk would “offset the increased flu protection.” In addition, the FDA likely will question whether FluMist should be approved for children under age two; FluMist currently is approved for use in people ages five years and older, and MedImmune is planning to seek approval to market the vaccine for younger children. The study’s lead author concludes that despite the risk of wheezing, any product that “makes it easier and more effective to vaccinate children is going to contribute a lot to the protection against influenza” because children are thought to be the “prime spreaders of flu virus” (Neergaard, AP/Washington Post, 5/1).