Note To Self.....

Are they GOOD BABIES??.....

I get asked this question all.the.time. Does anyone really think I am going to say, 'No, not really. They are awful. Horrible.'...?

Probably not. Not unless I am having a really really bad day, but I would never say that outloud. Only in my head, sometimes in a vented text to my sister and well, I do occasionally mutter it under my breath to Aaron. But that's it.

Then I get, 'How about your teenagers? Are they good? Teens are HARD. Whoa, wait until you have 5 teenage girls!! I'm glad I don't live in YOUR house!'

-Yeah, thanks, so am I. I surely don't need your negativity bringing me down. Our house may be chaotic, but it's beautiful chaos.

All babies are good. All babies are sweet. All babies are perfect. Every single one of them are all that and so much more.

Toddlers are fun. Toddlers are a challenge. Toddlers are full of life and curiosity. Toddlers make the world stop with their discovery of life and everything around them.

Tweens are sweet. Tweens try so hard to discover themselves. Tweens are so fun to observe. Tweens keep the world smiling at their ever changing lives from minute to minute.

Teens. Teens are beautiful. Teens make you think, and remember, and reminisce . Teens make you laugh in wonderment at the almost adult you're responsible for creating.

We are, right now, raising triplets (babies), toddlers, tweens and teens.

It's what we put into our children as their teachers. We need to set the examples and guide the way. For their entire lives. Raising a child doesn't stop if they make a mistake. It doesn't stop when they turn 18, or move out. It doesn't stop when they go to college or even if they don't. It doesn't stop when they get married and have their own families.

It's a forever kinda thing.

A lifetime promise to commit to this experience with more love than anything else you'll ever commit to, in your life.

And it's HARD.

I came across this story on Facebook. It's perfect (I'm just seeing it for the first time although I'm sure it's known). It makes it all so simple. Suddenly, it doesn't seem quite as difficult now.

'An old man told his grandson, "My son, there's a battle between
two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed,
resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth."
The boy thought about it and asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The man quietly replied, "The one you feed."

Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward. I'm sure most of have heard the term. But it's also a movie. An amazing, heart stopping movie. It makes you think. It makes you want to change the world. It makes you think some more. It's one of those movies that sticks with you. The one you can watch over and over again and even though you know the entire movie word for word, it still brings the same emotion every single time you watch it.

Like E.T. I mean, who hasn't seen E.T at least 6 times, cries when E.T 'dies' and then starts jumping up and down, laughing and clapping when his little red heart starts glowing again?

Pay It Forward is that kind of movie, although not as happy, unfortunately. It's the one movie I want my kids to watch, over and over again. If you haven't seen it, do. It will have a huge impact on you.






So, you watched the trailer, or have seen the movie. The basic idea is that we need to help each other out. Do a favor without expecting something in return. Be it big or little. Be the reason for someone to smile. You never know when you will make someones day better. Or happier. Or brighter. It's the little things that matter.

Yesterday we listed a computer that we weren't using for sale on Craigslist (an older one, I listed it for just $75) Within minutes of listing it, I got a call. From a 16 year old boy. He needed it for school, but wouldn't have any money until the 1st. When his social security check came. His dad just died and he gets social security every month. He was simply asking if I could possibly hold it for him until the 1st, he would try to give me some money down and he understood if I couldn't hold it but he thought it was worth asking. I told him that I would call him back if I got any other calls on it. He called me back about 30 minutes later. He said that he talked with his mom and she said they just couldn't afford it and he apologized to me for wasting my time and telling me that he could come up with some money to hold it, when he couldn't.

All night, I couldn't get this kid out of my head. I'm pretty good at being able to tell if I'm being lied to, but it's hard over the phone, when you can't see their eyes and body signals. But something in my heart was telling me that this kid was not lying. He wouldn't have called back to apologize to me if he was. He was sincere. He needed a computer and just couldn't afford it. So, today, I called him back. I asked him if he still needed a computer. He did. I told him he could have it. Just have it. He was literally stunned into silence for a few moments. Then he asked if I was serious. I was. He insisted that he could never just take it and that he would try really hard to come up with some money to give me. It took me about 5 minutes to convince him that I wanted him to have it and that I wanted nothing in return other than for him to use it. I could hear the smile on his face. He's on his way over now to pick it up. Will I ask him to 'Pay It Forward'? Yes. Whether it's just turning around and giving it to someone else when he's done, or if it's something else entirely, it doesn't matter. What matters is that it's the little things. So, giving someone a $75 computer isn't saving the world. But it made a difference in his life. It made him happy. It made him smile.

I won't lie, it felt good to make him happy. And to show my kids that life isn't always about looking out for #1. It's about looking out for other too. It's about love, and kindness. Peace and compassion. It's about caring for others and being the best person that you can be.

I wonder, if more people did that, how much better of a world would we live in? If everyone, at least once in awhile, made it a point to 'Pay It Forward', what would happen?

PS. Did my post make you think? Well, it must be something in the summer air, my friend Olya posted about something very similar, at almost the exact same time as I did. Get cozy, with a cup of tea and start reading Olya's blog. It's inspiring, to say the least ♥

PPS. For some odd reason, I'm getting a very de'ja'vu feeling as I'm reading what I've written. I think that maybe somewhere along the line, I've written about this before.......??? *shrug* oh well, I think the topic deserves a few repeats :)