Mile 2013

Mile markers on the highway remind us where we are so we can determine how far we have to go until we reach our destination. Likewise, there are milestones in life that also note our path marking our journey. Graduation is one of those moments. 

I don't remember much about my own high school graduation ceremony. I certainly cannot recall who spoke that day or what inspirational message they gave my class but I do remember with clarity two things: how I felt and who was with me. 

I was surprisingly emotional graduation day. I cried just before my classmates and I filed into our seats. At eighteen I didn't know much about who I was (who does at that age?) but I certainly didn't imagine I was catching a glimpse of the weeper I was to become. I felt the weight of the moment as I sat alphabetically organized between my peers watching a slide show of our previous four years. The moments flashed on and off of the big screen and as I watched, I wept in honor of the moment.

Now kids these days, with their camera phones and Instagram apps, have documented their entire existence with digital photography. The class of 2013 has already seen almost every photo taken of them. My daughter's graduation slide show experience will be very different than mine, as she knows nothing about the mystery of dropping your film off and waiting a week to see what photos develop. So will watching her high school career flash before her eyes be any less dramatic? Or perhaps like mother like daughter, she'll cry too?

It wasn’t a totally sad day though. The day I donned a white cap and gown my closest loved ones were celebrating the moment with me. Like a living film in my mind I can still picture myself flanked on either side by my siblings and parents snapping pictures on a warm, Saturday afternoon. The moment was significant as my loved ones literally gathered around smiling, hugging and congratulating me on the occasion. Regardless of the other 500 classmates, it was quite an intimate celebration and remains impressed in my mind.

Graduation is a most special day because it is one of those mile markers in life. Graduations don't happen frequently. They happen once for most of us and twice if you're a studious type, lucky enough to secure grants and low interest rate loans. But the rarity of a graduation is precisely what makes it momentous. It is like a birth or a wedding in that way. Those rare, beautiful moments compel us to pause, reflect, perhaps shed a tear and surround ourselves with our loved ones. It is part of what makes the human existence so powerful - our ability to share experiences.

This weekend our family is marking the graduation of our first-born. We are thrilled and not unlike my own ceremony twenty-three years ago I am surprisingly verklempt. While the cap and gown hasn't changed over the years, the tradition of tassels and valedictorians remains similar; this moment belongs to my daughter. Instead of being the graduate in the picture, I will be the mom and just like my mother helped me mark the moment I will stand next to my own child while we take photos, smile and place a marker down in the timeline of her life.

Time is passing, I can't stop it. I can't beg it to slow down nor pretend it isn't happening. I can only commit it to memory and be grateful that I am able to witness the moment.

Embrace the markers in your life - the good, bad and otherwise because for however long your life may be, there will always be moments worth recognizing. May we learn from them, photograph them, celebrate or cry for them but never, ever forget that each of your life markers is a reminder of how far you’ve come.

That’s the precise purpose of a mile marker, after all. It may be showing you the spot where mile one ends but it simultaneously points out where the next, new mile begins. So keep moving. Why? Because I'm the mom and I said so! That's why.

(This article is a part of my weekly Practical Parenting series for GateHouse Media's The Review Atlas.) If you liked it - please consider sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or your favorite social media site! Sharing is caring! Thanks for reading.

My Mother's Day Gift to You

When I reflect on all the Mother’s Days this mom of five has celebrated over the years there is a specific one that stands out in my mind. This particular Sunday was not a day of rest or relaxation. I wasn’t showered with expensive gifts or dinner out. I didn’t escape chores, dishes and other domestic duties. And yet, believe it or not, it was one of the very best Mother’s Days I can remember.

About six years ago, after a long grueling week of work, school, soccer scrimmages, doctor visits and play practices my weekend plans were to entertain out of town guests and their three young children.

Rest and relaxation was not on my to-do list.

Menu Monday - New Recipes!

It's not easy getting dinner on the table everyday.
It's not easy planning ahead & making a menu.
Nor is it easy to find the time to cook a meal.
It's really hard work. But I do it because I want my family to eat real food.

I do it because without dinner I'm not sure we would ever be in the same place to talk & connect & tell stories about our day.

I also do it because I like to cook. If I had more time I would probably cook even more. But for me, I find great pleasure in the moments my kids wander into the kitchen and sneak a cookie off the cooling rack or hang around to like the beaters after making icing. I cook for them.



Also, I do it because in Jodi Picoult's book, The Storyteller there's this great quote:

"What must you break apart in order to bring a family together? Bread, of course."

I tried lots of new recipes this week. Some worked, some didn't. Either way - here ya go! This is what my Tribe ate this week:

Sunday Brunch - Breakfast Casserole from Jaime Cooks It Up and Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
(we really liked this recipe, Aaron said it would even be great with mushrooms in it)

Monday - Pasta Alfredo Bake, garlic breadsticks & spinach salad with Olive Garden's dressing

Tuesday - Typically Taco Tuesday we mixed it up this week to try TOT-Chos
Instead of nacho chips we used tator tots. It was delish & fun!

Wednesday - Complete Crockpot Steak Dinner
(I won't make this again. The family thought the steaks were, and I quote, "Hard to chew")

Thursday - Dorito Chicken & Mexican Rice
I sprinkled in a tablespoon of Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix into the boiling water for instant rice. Viola! Mexican Rice!

Friday - Chicken Patty Sandwiches & Pioneer Woman Best Ever French Fries
(they really are the best ever & I only make them when I have time because the are a smidge tedious but totally, totally worth it)



all the recipes I try I pin the Pinterest - you can follow me there too!
Pinterest

Fly Little Bird, Fly

Halee trying on her cap & gown!

Everywhere I go you would not believe how many people keep asking me, "How are you doing?" implying with their tone of voice that perhaps I am not well.

At first I checked the mirror to see if I was looking as exhausted as I felt. Were my bags baggier or was my hair disheveled? Did my eyes look especially crazed revealing sleep deprivation?

Honestly, I didn't think I looked any more worse than normal so what was with all the sudden concern? Then it dawned on me, because I am the mother of a high school senior my friends are looking at me for the onset of empty nest syndrome.

Sleepless in the Parenthood

Even though having older kids means I am proportionately aging as well, I will be the first to admit there are a lot of really great perks about being the mother of a mature family namely; no more bottles, diapers or potty chairs.

 

For all you folks up to your elbows in infant gear and sleeping schedules let me assure you it is possible to survive those early years of parenting. I know because (fingers crossed) I’m beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I haven’t had to schedule a babysitter for years, my kids can do their own laundry and everyone is successfully bathing independently.

 

Who's Crying Over Spilt Milk?

magnets on my fridge remind the Tribe of our new rule

I like, most parents, will take any opportunity to brag about my kids. I mean if I can work it into a conversation without looking like one of THOSE moms, I'll freely admit that my kids are pretty awesome.

They get above average grades, they generally go to bed without a fight, love to read, excel at most things they try and, outside of the normal sibling squabble, they are kind to others.

That being said, they tend to lack a certain level of common sense. It's as if they sometimes forget the brain in their own head.