May 11, 2008
Happy Mothers Day...
I hope all you moms had a nice day! Here are some of my favorite Mothers Day writings:
Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.
***
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby..........
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a
mother, "Normal," is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a
mother by instinct...
Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a
mother is boring......
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said if you're a "good"
mother, your child will "turn out good."
Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices.....
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a
mother.
Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.
Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a
mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books.......
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a
mother is labor and delivery.....
Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten…or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."
Somebody said a
mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back....
Somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a
mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....
Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.
Somebody said a
mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....
Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your
mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.......
Somebody isn't a
mother.
***
What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it heart?
Is it the ache you feel when you see your child 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 need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?
So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies--and for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't.
This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then reading it again, "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.
This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed--when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green. Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.
This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
This is for all the mothers who gave life to their babies, only to give up their babies in the hopes of a better life.
This is for all the mothers who couldn't bare children of their own and who love the children given to them as if they were their own.
This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up--right away.
This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Birth mothers and adoptive mothers. Mothers with money. Mothers without.
This is for you all. Hang in there!
"Home is what catches you when you fall--and we all fall."
--Author unknown.
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
10:02 PM ::
---------------------------------------
Good morning!
This morning I woke up at about 8:00 to hear some plotting & scheming coming from the kids room & it wasn't long before they were in my room asking me what I wanted for breakfast. A little while later they brought in a cup of tea, two fried eggs, a slice of garlic bread & a scone. It was very tasty!!
This is what I found on my desk:
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
11:11 AM ::
---------------------------------------
May 09, 2008
A quick post before work
I've decided to stop working Mondays for a while...just to give me a day to catch up with things in the house. It's been so hectic trying to get everything done over the weekend, so Monday I will be able to do the shopping & cleaning, laundry, any business etc. & maybe squeeze in a coffee :-D
The kids all got me Mother's Day gifts. Chad & Danae bought some at school...hand towels, & a wooden spoon, a candle & a bunch of nice-smelling cinnamon sticks wrapped up. And Kylie made a cute little heart out of clay that she decorated & wrote on.
Btw...I have been looking everywhere for those single toothbrush holder thingies that stick onto the mirror (they look like this) & can't find them! I've searched Kmart, Target, Woolies, Coles, all sorts of pharmacies etc. & it's very annoying :-( So if anyone has seen them or knows where I can get them...let me know!
Marty is trying to organize an x-box bash on Saturday night cuz he's not working...which means the house is going to be full & loud.
Anyway, more later...I gotta go!
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
7:43 AM ::
---------------------------------------
May 07, 2008
I'm a bit grumpy...
I got my results back today for my second assignment & I didn't do as good as I'd hoped! I passed...which is fine, but I was hoping for a better score. So I'm feeling sad :-(
Our tutor said that overall everyone in the unit got pretty low grades...but I really want to keep up with at least a credit average (which I have in all my other units so far), which means I have to do extra well in the next 2 assessments (including the exam eeeek!)--which basically translates to spending a bit more time researching & writing.
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
4:33 PM ::
---------------------------------------
May 06, 2008
I feel refreshed...
...just took a loooooooong warm bath :-D Anyway, I'm finally getting around to updating.
Weekend was busy. Got up earlier on Saturday in order to go to a garage sale...got some great deals--stuff a bag of clothes for $2, so I got a couple bags! The kids had a large, self-organized picnic outside. Dropped Danae off for a sleepover at her friend's house. Did all the laundry...btw the days were so nice & sunny! Had Andrew & Libby over for dinner in the evening. Wanted to do some gardening, but didn't get around to it.
On Sunday Kylie went to a friend's birthday party which was lots of fun. Practically her whole preschool group was there, it was at a gorgeous little park I've never been to (very close). "Spiderman" showed up for a visit & played games with the kids...it's the cutest thing watching a group of 3-5 year olds play :-D During a water break Kylie came up to me & said, "Mommy, that man is not the real spider man because his clothes have a zipper on the back of it...he's just dressed up!" Heheheh...what an observant little thing. Later on as "spidey" went to have a drink the kids all crowded round him as they wanted to see what his face looked like under the mask.
This week has been work & studying. I'm working on my last assignment for the unit I'm doing...which entails 4 visits to observe children 0-8 years old (I did the visits at Heidi's house) & a written essay thing about the visits. I'm also on a hunt for new bunkbeds...checking ebay every couple days etc.
Anyway, I'm off to listen to a lecture & then get to bed! btw...I've moved all my links to a separate page, if you click on the "bookmarks" tab at the top you'll see them. There are some really good ones on parenting with activity ideas etc. And the lists are by no means complete...I will be adding more when I get around to it.
Good night!
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
9:14 PM ::
---------------------------------------
A proper post coming soon
I've been running out the door early the past couple days...and even the weekend was full of everything, so no time for blogging!
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
7:27 AM ::
---------------------------------------
May 05, 2008
Eeek
Just trying out a couple new things with the layout...if it's messed up or doesn't load properly it's cuz I'm too tired to finish tonight :-D
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
12:08 AM ::
---------------------------------------
April 29, 2008
A few pics
These are from last Sunday when we went to Del Rio...was lovely! The weather was perfect...which was sooo nice after 2 weeks of rain--the kids even swam a couple times. The pics are mostly of Kylie, as Chad & Danae were all over the place.
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
9:21 PM ::
---------------------------------------
April 26, 2008
This is what I was meant to take care of tonight
...instead I opted to listen to some good music, play a game of scrabble & watch a movie :-D
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
9:59 PM ::
---------------------------------------
Anything to get high...
Apparently kids are getting high off "Dust Off" which is a can of compressed air used to blow dust off computers. They are also dying from it!!
You can read the story here.
These are the sort of things that freak me out!
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
11:13 AM ::
---------------------------------------
A few pics from yesterday
Posted by Ruth Cortejos ::
10:50 AM ::
---------------------------------------
