My Daughter

My oldest daughter turned 8 yesterday. Maybe its the hormones but I have found myself really reflecting on the last 8 years. Who I am today, who I was then, how she has changed my life in all ways.

We were told 2 months before she was conceived that I had a very low chance of getting pregnant, and since I had such a complicated case aka-they really couldn't tell me what was wrong with me-I was limited in the kind of treatments that I could have to become pregnant. It was a devastating blow to Patrick and I. The months of tests, treatments and studies they performed on me, seemed futile, we were both exhausted. Then magically I was pregnant. It was so surreal we just couldn't believe it. A blessing like nothing else I have ever experienced.

Our first pregnancy was a really hard one. I was really sick for most of it, went into labor 8 weeks early, on bedrest for the last 5 weeks. I had 3 different due dates, I was in prelabor for 3 weeks, absolute craziness! Then at 9pm on a cold December night, she was here. Emilia Jesseca. My husband and I often remarked over those first few weeks how what was important and worry last week really meant nothing after she was born. Its still true. What mattered and was important 8 years ago really doesn't register any more.

Millie was the reason we had more children. She was a great baby, she was a great toddler and she proved to be an even better big sister. She teaches me new things every day. Most importantly she has taught me how to be a better person. She is like her Dad, (always has been a Daddys Girl) she is kind, compassionate and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. What a super power that is. I find myself wanting to be as wonderful to people as my daughter is or at very least setting a good example so that she knows that she is doing the right thing and making the right decisions even when people are not being as kind to her.

I am more of a protector now then I was before. I have always been a very protective person, of the people that I am closest to, but this has become much more intense. I am very protective of my family. I now know what it feels like to be a "Mama Bear". It makes it hard to mask ones emotions when one hears of injustice being done to her little girl!

I am really lucky to have her as my daughter, I am really lucky to have her as my first born. She really is an enchanting a wonderful girl, I can't wait to see what she does and what she is able to teach me in the next 8 years!

Happiness to you always.

What Has Happened?

Hello!

I have been reading on my Facebook page lately people posting things like " what has happened to customer service?" & "where have all the nice people gone?" My family and I were shown first hand that these posts are mild compared to what is actually happening out there this time of year. Let me be the first to tell you, its down right scary! Allow me to share.

We went to the grocery store on Saturday. This is usually a great family event! LOL, as funny as it seems it really is! The Littles love riding in the car-cart, the Bigs love helping and they have found that if they show an interest in something they usually get it! I think its a great way to have the whole family involved with a household chore. Now, we do get looks. We have a very large family by todays standards. People really do stare us down. The first few people to stare really makes me laugh, after that I take the:

"Take a picture it will last longer" approach...hehehe I never said I was nice! I was in a pretty good mood this day though and I really needed a good day so I was determined to make it a good day regardless of anyone I came into contact with!

Anyway, our trip to the store started out with a major bonus. It was sample day! SCORE! Millie and I were in heaven! They had little stations set up and everything! However, we did notice that it was crazy crowded so Patrick and I took the "you go get this and I will eat and the I will go get that and then you can eat" tactic. It worked for about 10 minutes, then the surge of people got to be so great that we just had to get going on our shopping list. From the minute we left the prepared foods area we saw that we were in store for a little adventure.

People were zipping around that store like it was on fire. It was like a survival game. We were pulling our Bigs out of the way of people that were simply not going to stop, they were practically running with their carts pulling things off the shelves at incredible speeds. I don't know if you ever watched the show Super Market Sweep back in the 90's, if you did, it was like that. Not only were they going at alarming rates but they still gawked at the huge family making its way down the aisle. A very dangerous thing to do! I had 2 favorite moments. The first was this woman with one of those little carts, she was zipping and I mean zipping around, every time we rounded a corner she zipped past us so fast there was a "gush" of wind that made our hair fly up. We had several close calls with my oldest daughter who would bend down to get something off the shelf and we would feel the air change around us, realizing this just in time to pull Millie out of the way! (I really wish I was over exaggerating...) My second favorite moment was when I, trying to be conscious of the other people around me at checkout, put my cart against the wall out of everyones way. Of course this was not good enough for one girl who decided that while I was putting a bag in my cart, that I was not moving fast enough for her. She literally pinned my 6 month pregnant belly against my cart pushing hers so that it scraped my back. UNBELIEVABLE! I was so stressed out when I left the store I was shaking. On the upside, my kids, were angles.

What has happened to people? Do we reserve this kind of awful behavior specifically for this time of year or is it what we have become all of the time? My mom calls this the rude season. I have to agree. I have witnessed so many near misses in the parking lots in the last 2 weeks, people getting cutoff on the roads, purposefully blocking entrances to stores. The customer service industry is really on shakey ground as well. You would think that with way the economy is now people would A-be grateful for the jobs that they have & B-the companies that they work for would want to keep their customers happy.

So I would suggest, slow down. Take a breath. The item you want will still be there in the 10 seconds it takes that family of 6 to get out of your way. Give yourself time, get plenty of rest, grab a coffee, plug into your IPOD & make your shopping experience fun. If it still gets you down and you feel like you would rather drink raw eggs, then shop online or my personal favorite go grocery shopping or do your big box store shopping after 10pm (don't forget your IPOD it keeps the "crazeys" away). Remember that this is the season for giving and remind yourself of that wonderful golden rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Its important and you will have a much more satisfying experience if you do this. Even though the chances are slim that people will follow the same advice.

Hang in there!

Be Merry and May Happiness Find You Always!

Regina

The Holidays...An Overview

Well, we just conquered Thanksgiving. For our family, this marks the first of the anxiously anticipated Holiday Season. This is always a very daunting time of year for me. I have never been one to really embrace the whole Holiday season. Having kids definitely helped that, having a husband who is so in love with Christmas has helped me really see the magic of the season. However, that being said, the stress that comes with making sure that these memories and traditions are carried out properly and efficiently is EXHAUSTING!

I know that what we do as a family is NOTHING compared to what others do. For example we have this beautiful family in our lives, our in-laws. They are so dedicated to the traditions that they have that they drive 3 hours at 2 or 3 in the morning on Christmas Day to be back "home" to celebrate Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is spent listening to amazing Carolers in her hometown. Bless their hearts I commend their dedication, I don't think I could do it! Once the tree is up, the decorations are out and the village is set up, I am done. Boxes need put away, anything with glitter must go out of toddler reaching range, if the lights outside don't work you have 2 hours to get them to work or out they go. My husband likes to joke me and call me Scrooge!

I am not a Scrooge, I LOVE buying presents for my kids and my family. It is really one of the highlights of my year. I LOVE the spirit of giving and celebrating the true meaning this holiday holds for me. Hearing about different cultures and what they celebrate and why is fascinating to me as well. I see the magic, the love the joy and the hope this season brings. SO why do we run full tilt from the last Thursday of November until the end of December? Do we as parents and caregivers get the chance to actually sit down and take in the Holidays? Or are we too busy creating the memories for our children that we lose site of what is important? I personally fall into the latter category. As sad as that is. I want my kids to have the most amazing Holiday ever, I want my husbands eyes to dance as much as my sons do when they open their gifts from Santa, I want to participate in that amazing feeling of giving....Anyway I can. I want to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas in every way shape and form. I set out to do everything possible to make these times wonderful but rest assured I will resemble a 3-year old temper-tantrum-ing puddle at some point around December 20th.....

This year I am determined to make the changes to ensure that I can sit back sip my egg nog and enjoy my Christmas Tree. ( I say this as my husband is beginning to perform surgery on a strand of lights that went out on our tree....This could get ugly)

So my question to you is, how do you do it? How do you find a wonderful balance that allows you to enjoy the season? Please leave me your feedback, I really would love to know.

This will be part of a series I am sure so look for new posts often!

Happiness and joy to you!!

Regina

Trying Again!

Apparently there is a little problem with Blogspot accusing innocent people such as myself for spamming! They shut down their blogs so that people cannot read them. Thus is what happened to Reginamum...So check back soon for a new blog there are a few topics I am really excited about writing about! Kid Birthday Parties, Holidays & more on Travel!

If you missed the first blog then Hi! I'm Regina, I have 4 children and 1 on the way.

Yes, I am Catholic but I do not use that as the excuse for why we have so many children! We are just very blessed and fortunate people to be chosen by these children to raise them! My husband Patrick and I have been married for 12 years and have been together since high school. (18 years!)

I also co-own Spela Children's Store & Cafe in State College, PA. So I will be able to pass on some great new products that will hopefully make your life a little easier!

I am looking forward to sharing some of the insight that I have obtained through my own experience, in talking with other moms and caregivers and some that I will solicit from friends, family or by the people that come into our store. So let me know if there are any topics you would like to have covered!

My main purpose for this blog is to let parents and caregivers alike know you are not alone. Other parents are fighting over homework, worried that their toddler will be wearing diapers to the prom, and that the bottle and/or pacifier will be a permanent fixture in all family portraits!

Happiness to you always!