Conversation Hearts: Motherhood

My baby girl had a baby girl.

Mariah was born this past January.  I was so thankful that Mariah's parents let me take part in the birthing experience.  I didn't see either of my kids actual birth. *I was there, just not there.*

What an awesome gift. Seeing a baby born for the first time. Being with my baby as she gives birth. Being there the moment my first grandchild is born. Instant, pure love.

Mariah is almost two months old and I'm reminded daily of how infants change. Caitlin and Ray are naturals with their parenting skills.  I'm so proud of them both.

Shortly after Mariah was born, and Caitlin was all bliss with motherhood, she sent me a text:

"I'm so glad you weren't a cool mother"

That text was a reward and a reminder that in all my mothering errors, I did something right. Our mom /daughter fights, as Caitlin was growing up, usually ended with her shouting at me,

"Why aren't you a cool mom like my friends mothers? They're allowed to do what ever they want! Their moms are like girlfriends"

My reply was always, "Because I love you Caitlin, it's my job to be your mom, not your girlfriend."

When she looks at her little baby girl, she knows she is her mom, not her girlfriend.

I sent Caitlin a text today asking how Mariah was.  They were watching Dora.  I asked her to text me a photo and she sent me this of Mariah watching Dora.

A few minutes later, she sent me another text titled "My Other Baby."

Caitlin has the mom thing down.  She's figured out how to handle Lola when she doesn't have time to take her outside!

*All my posts about Caitlin have always been tagged Conversation Hearts. It warms my heart to write this one when I thing back at the humorous posts, these past few years, on the trials & tribulations of Caitlin.

Who's Looking at What?

Rosanna Danna
Miami
Wednesday
Marbles
Lords of Acid
Pete of all trades

These are the top “google searches” that brought traffic to my blog today.
Which one brought the most?

Marbles

Search words … “I think I’ve lost my marbles”

Hits … just on this search … just today … 126

The politicians weather must be making everyone crazy!

I do have a bag of marbles from when I was younger. Now what did I do with them?

The post that the search is picking up is here.

March ... Bring It !!

March? 2011?

What happened to December 2010, January, February 2011? Was my life so busy and full that I didn't have a moment to write ... or was I in such a mid life winter funk that I just didn't have much to say?

With today's bright sun and tomorrow being the first of March, I am beginning to feel like mama bear coming out of hibernation.

This past Saturday, Sandi, Kim, and I decided to ignore the snow and have a much needed girls night out. We ended up dancing the night away to the awesome sound of Big Will and the 360 Degree Band.

(That's not how we started out, but that could be a post on its own. Let's just say we didn't fit in the heavy metal scene and some poor pizza delivery guy is probably still walking around that venue looking for us.)

I admit, I am one who has S.A.D., but during March, I usually get it together. What better way than a vacation! I'm trying hard to convince Sandi to pull another Thelma and Louise vacation like we did a couple years ago. *It's not taking much to convince her *

So, I'm once again kick-starting my perpetual diet, hitting the tanning bed, and scouring the web for a great deal on some fun in the sun. Oh, and although I've said this before, I'm going to really try to keep my blogging more up-to-date.

Oh yeah, for those who are not friends with me on FB (why aren't we friends?)... I'm a "Nana"! I'll post more about my beautiful granddaughter, but I need to check with her parents first, to find out my boundaries.

Take Time to Truly Enjoy the Gifts of Each Day

At this time of the year, with the holidays upon us, we tend to become more aware of the people around us. We show more compassion, give more to charity, share a smile with  strangers while out shopping. What if our daily perception was as keen throughout the year as it is during the adrenaline driven holiday season?

This experiment was in January 2007, but for those that missed it, please consider the daily joys we may allow to pass us by in our hurry to rush through life.

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?