I tried to message my kids. They were in the middle of dinner. They were happy to see me on the phone screen. It is funny how when they are gone, I miss them terribly. They are enjoying their time immensely.

They don’t mind if I Interrupt their fun. In their absence, I am trying to fill the time. I have several projects that I said that I would work on while, they were gone. I don’t have any interruptions.

I felt the need to call them and let them know how much I cared. I think it is important to follow those little urges we have where we cant to talk to someone. Life has a way of getting in the way of what we set out to do. I did not want any interruptions to inhibit us connecting. It is so important to maintain a connection with those we don’t want to lose touch with. Even if they are our kids. One day they will be grown.

The kids are on a trip with my parents. My parents can take the time to enjoy them, now. They are both retired. My parents sent me a note to tell me how well my kids were behaving. They are on vacation. They offered to take my kids. I think anytime we can experience something new, it changes us. My kids are so busy taking it all in that they don’t have time to decide if they really like it or not.

I raised them to at least try something new. If I prepare a new dish, they must take at least one bite before deciding if they like it. When we go to a different restaurant, I make sure it is something that they are not used to. I encourage them to read new books.

Hearing that they are behaving themselves makes me happy. I hope they are being good because they know that is the right thing to do. They know that they are loved and appreciated. Having experiences to try new things and experience different places, is a gift. It enriches our lives and changes us for the better. We see that we can be different when we have different experiences.

My kids are at an amusement park today. They are probably seriously happy. My Mom is with them. They are creating wonderful memories with their Grandmother. Hopefully they are behaving for Grandma. My mother enjoys taking them places.

I don’t know why we go to amusement parks to shake things up. There are a lot of things we can do to make memories. I wonder if it is more about what she would like to do. I am not sure my kids will want to ride some roller coasters.

What I do know about most kids and animals, is that they love to be in motion. It is hard for them to sit still for long periods of time. They need something to provide some stimulation. I am glad they are getting out and doing something. It is better than being entertained by video games. I am glad it amuses my mother. I hope my kids find some amusement with my mother. I hope they will treasue this time.

My kids are on vacation without me. They are spending time with family. I look at some things that around the house and can’t help but think about them. Yes, there are reminders of them even in things that are not theirs.

There is a really cute little bulldog in the neighborhood. It is white with black spots on it’s nose. It is the cutest little dog. It reminds me of how much my daughter loves bulldogs. She would be begging me to pet it if she saw it.

My son loves running. I saw a pair of gym shoes just like his. I immediately thought about him. I think about how much he has grown. His shoes are bigger than mine. He really likes to be a part of the team. He knows what shoes work best for him. He knows what races he likes to take part in.

We are selling our old house. I think of all the memories that were created there. My son grew up in that house. He learned to crawl. He took his first steps. We brought him home. We made chocolate chip cookies. My son would sneak into the pantry to get things. I don’t need those things to be around me to remind me of them. I keep those memories locked up tight. I look forward to hearing about their vacation. However, I can’t wait to make some more memories.

I saw a post on social media where someone had asked what kinds of activities should be taught to kid to teach them life skills. There are plenty of skills needed. There are household activities that kids need to know. It is important for them to be able to take care of themselves.

Basic cooking skills are needed. Kids who live in chaos learn to accept that life is like that. They need to know organizational skills. Cleaning the house and their rooms are good place to start. Teaching them all of things that you struggled with is a great idea.

Finances is a big one. Kids need to know how to plan for something they want. They need to know how to stick with a budget. There are so many skills they need to learn. How about how to get along with others? These are just a few ideas. It is okay to fail. That is the first lesson I would want to teach them. To get back up after they failed. That is the greatest of all skills. Learning from what have done is the best life skill.

I can’t quite explain how I feel without my kids. I thought I would be happy to have “me” time. There is something about having them around. Maybe, some might think this is odd, but I do like spending time with them. I realize they are just little versions of me.

They are trying to figure out something. They don’t know what is in store for them. We can’t tell them everything they need to know. That would spoil them. It is like telling someone the end of a movie they want to see. Anticipation is everything.

Something is so valuable in finding your way. I choose to let them stumble and fall. They may try me. However, I know it is only part of something they have to grow through. Something special and unique to their own growth. We all have something to work on. I will work on my something while they are not around. Together it will be something to look forward to.

I remember my sons first steps. I remember when he first learned to crawl. He leaned over and touched our cat. The cat looked back at him, with a look of disdain. However, the cat did not strike. The image of him learning to crawl will forever be imbedded in my mind, because it made me laugh.

I am making it a point to laugh more. If we find the humor or reasons to laugh through out the day, we just feel better. This parenting task is hard. Why do we have to be so serious. It is important, but that does not mean we cannot laugh and savor those funny moments.

It was cool how the kids seemed to smile for no reason when they were babies, because they were glad to see our huge faces. Maybe the look on our faces was funny to the little ones. I need to make more opportunities to laugh at eat phase of parenting. I once asked someone if it got easier. They just told me it was different. I choose not to see it as something to dread. I love to laugh about things that used to upset me.

My daughters went bike riding in a forest preserve. They complained about how long they had to ride to get to our destination. I had to encourage them to keep going. We took breaks, but not too long. We walked our bikes up steep hills, when it got too tough. We kept going. There were waves of complaints. I had to tell them to stop complaining. I told them they could do it.

We did not have a plan when we set off. We forgot to bring some snacks. However, we had water. That was enough to get us going until we took another break. The kids wanted to complain about how much their feet hurt. We kept telling them just a little bit further and then we can take a break. Soon we found our final destination. It was a waterfall.

They were so excited to play in the water after going on such a long ride. They wanted to wade in the water and feel the waves. There are good waves and bad waves. Now they know that they can ride the waves to on destination and then ride on to another. They learned they don’t have to complain. They learned to love getting to where we set out to go. It was more than they could have imagined. The waves of complaints were not heard on the ride back. They got tired. They knew that the ride home to our vehicle was a victory. They went about 6 miles today. That is a lot for kids.

Before I had my kids, I had images of what I thought they would look like. I thought about how I would feel. I thought long and hard about whether or not I was ready to be a parent. I decided I was ready. I had to find the right person to be with. I had to work on myself. It took me a while to become a Mom. Some might think I am my kids grandmother. I had a late start. The pictures in my mind were of perfect moments, where everyone fit into place.

There were trying times as a parent. You do the best you can. My parents did the best they could with what they had. I had my moments. I would fight with my parents. Not too often. I was asserting my independence. I knew I had to move out of their home. It felt like I was being pushed out against my will.

I floundered. I made mistakes. Then I realized, I could be out on my own and thrive. I made changes. Then I found my husband and then we had three kids. Before we had kids I had to visualize what life might look like with kids. I knew there would be expenses. There might also be some strife. I learned to let go of the images of perfection. I hold on to the happy moments as they occur. Those are the images that I remember. When you are fighting or feel like you are at your wits end with your kids. Hold on to the pictures of the happy times, the fun times, and make more. Forget about the unhappy times or the perfect moments you had in your mind.