Wow, what a weekend! I would have loved to have had this out for Father’s Day, but no such luck. Birthdays, brothers, and babies being born.

Anyway, a happy Father’s Day to my hubby.

Here are my “Top 10 Thank Yous for our Best Dad”

1. Thank you for making us laugh every day.
2. Thank you for making coffee when it’s not your day to.
3. Thank you for letting us sleep in “10 extra minutes” when it’s really 30.
4. Thank you for keeping us safe and reassuring us when our concerns seem ridonculous.
5. Thank you for always listening and dropping everything you’re doing to give us eye contact.
6. Thank you for being on time and conscientious.
7. Thank you for showing your daughter what a true gentleman sounds like, speaks like, thinks like, looks like, acts like and loves like.
8. Thank you for grooming our son to be a gentleman.
9. Thank you for making me feel like the most important person in the universe.
10. Thank you for working relentlessly, tirelessly and being the best writer on the Net.

We love you, Writer Dad!

Namasté

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The phone rang while I was laboring over a piece of writing. Usually I ignore the interruption when working, but the children were in school and my mommy vibe automatically started to tingle.

What if it was an emergency? The visions a mother can conjure up in a moment of what if… well, they can be ugly.

“Is Alex there?”

“No, Alex doesn’t live here anymore.” I said smiling.

“Since when?”

“Didn’t he tell you?  He was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and decided to move to Australia.”

“He what the what?” the man said incredulously.

Obviously unfamiliar with Judith Viorst’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No  Good, Very Bad Day, the caller did not get my obtuse joke. He hit a sudden pause in the middle of his freight train of words.

“Wait, you’re kidding right?” he said.

“Yes I am,” I continued to smile.  “I think you dialed the wrong number.”

Several explicatives were launched by the caller before the rattle of the receiver being slammed into the cradle echoed in my ear.

Fortunately, I found humor in the phone call rather than disappointment at being treated so rudely. Hopefully the caller was able to reach Alex, and perhaps they had a chuckle later.

I did.

That’s the point.

We get so bogged down with life happening, deadlines, and must do’s that a bit of diversion must be scheduled into each of our days. Humor is one way our family copes with the healthy dose of life’s hiccups.

Loud laughter and joyful hearts are just another part of our daily routine. Some days I find it harder than others to lose myself in the laughter, but if Sean can’t break my funny bone with his quips, then he’ll hold me down and tickle me until I burst with giggles. Sometimes he even recruits the children to his team.

Numerous studies show that laughter enhances respiration, reduces stress, stimulates the brain and improves overall blood flow. Laughter is the life tonic, essential to us all. It’s good and good for you.

Take a break from reality and embrace the nonsense talk or tell a bad knock knock joke. Go to You Tube or act absurd and nutty doing the chicken dance or belching the alphabet impressively for your children. Whatever you do to make your loved ones smile, make it no less a daily habit than brushing your teeth.

What does your family do to promote happiness and laughter?

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We are thankful for mothers who
allow sticky fingers and fistfuls of clover
let chocolate fingers go everywhere
celebrate beating on pots and pans
tickle and encourage puddle jumping

We are mindful for mothers who
look at photographers behind barbed wire,
can’t buy their children new shoes
have nightmares in the daytime
who are not spoiled by anyone

We are thankful for mothers who
have endless supplies of Band-aids
handle tantrums with grace
give gentle reminders that dirty clothes do not go under the bed
always have time for an extra hug and kiss

We are mindful for mothers who
live in an X-rated world
don’t have rooms to tidy up
live with real monsters
will eat anything

We are thankful for mothers who
endure homework and deadlines
spend frugally
dry tears and make us laugh
make even the smallest things seem special

We are mindful for mothers who
have never seen the dentist
go to bed hungry
cry themselves to sleep
inhale and exhale, numb the whole time

We are thankful for mothers who
read to us in silly voices
sing loudly and off key
carry us when we are tired
protect us from strangers

We are mindful for mothers who
don’t have a place to call home
can’t buy their daughter a prom dress
walk or ride the bus every day to get to work
are born in places where conditions are tragic

We are thankful for mothers who
teach us that our body is a temple
give us freedom to express ourselves
help us see that death is the other side of life
allow us to absorb gratitude as a habit

We are mindful for mothers who
never give up, no matter what
hold their own hands when there is nothing else
don’t get a second chance
hold their heads higher to be closer to heaven

We are thankful for ALL mothers, because their breath gave us life.
Happy Mother’s Day to every mother and to every daughter who might some day be a mother.

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“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can.”
~ John Wesley

NamasDaisy has been neglected in action, but not in thought. I have experienced many amazing local learning adventures over the past 2 weeks. It was not a Spring Break, but an UNPLUGGING from self that has since seen me pouring my heart, mind and soul into our local learning communities.

The best part of my 2 weeks of dedication in a different direction was my feeling of authenticity. I felt true to myself and followed my heart with integrity and pride. Honesty happens by choice and when fostered inside us, it is unfailingly good. We respect ourselves more and expect it from others in both their dialogue and actions.

Being honest gives us:

1.  Character and a reputation that our children or friends observe and model.  Choose your words wisely, tactfully and remember someone else is always listening. Vent only when appropriate, not from pure reaction and never in front of your children.

2.  Positive relationships create a climate of safety - emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. Think about all your important pockets of connections: marriage, family, friendship, business, education, religion. These relationships will not thrive without TRUST.

3.  Solid mental and physical health. When we are free from guilt, worry, or other self imposed forms of inner chaos, we can enjoy feeling confident, self respect and a high self esteem. This is the one I struggle with daily. I have my private techniques to cope, but if I fail to meditate or ________ then I am like a diabetic without my insulin.

4.  A sense of peace.  A peaceful mind is a positive and productive mind. Ownership and self-correcting with commitment to remain honest with oneself is difficult to maintain with steady consistency. It requires work and reflection. Being dishonest is the worst form of self centeredness.

Maintaining honesty prevents roadblocks in our inner growth. Dishonesty on the other hand, prevents us from fulfilling our true potential. This is the worst kind of self punishment.

Honesty is the glue that cements our relationships. It is through this light that we can travel down the path of being good old fashioned, down to earth, HONEST people.

Namasté

Daisy

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“It is not the stongest of the species that will survive, or the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.”

~ Charles Darwin

We are approaching the 90 day mark since we closed our preschool. We continue to teach Mia and Max and a group of fourth graders at Mia’s school along with a handful of private clients.

I wake up to TEACH.

We have kept in touch with our “clients” as Max always referred to them to differentiate work and family, or in Max’s language… OUR teachers. MY parents.

He initiated this from the beginning, then walked the walk and talked the talk. Unprompted, he  called us Mr. Sean and Ms. Cindy and apologized when he would accidentally slip a Mom into a sentence.

At Mia’s school he calls me “Mrs. Platt and at the age of 4 our little puppy tries to keep up with the big dogs. “Graders Mom, they’re fourth graders,” he says, hands in his lap, eyes on the speaker, and finger to his mouth when the person next to him is failing to listen. Mia just darts the sideways or direct teacher glare that clearly states, “Please stop right now so I can listen.”  Studying violin since the age of the 3 and learning in another language all day will build that behavior and expectation.

Oh my goodness. I am looking in a miror.

My children are good learners and a barrel of fun to teach. I am a good learner and fun to teach.  Remember, as a parent, if you cannot admit your child has schooled you and taught you a few times around the block and back, well, you need to work a little bit harder or take a long look in the mirror and meet two words:

OWNERSHIP AND SELF AWARENESS.

So checkpoint for progress.  Am I happy we closed our preschool?  ABSOLUTELY.   The past 90 days has given me the perspective to weed out the unecessary so I can focus on the here and now and work inside my present to build my future.

Upon my two decade tally mark of teaching, I still find myself at the beginning. The past was my warm up, now with technology and the world wide web at my fingertips, my message is burning and raging to be released; to be heard, read, and acted upon.

One client recently said, “So what do you do besides get him coffee all day long?”

The cheshire cat smile gleamed. ” I build, I learn and I teach.” I have retreated to my virtual Tibetan mountain top…with a laptop to scribe.

Namasté

We’re discussing Angela Maier’s Classroom Habitudes over at Daddy’s domain.

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“It has been estimated that children from homes in which reading and writing are common activities have had over 1000 hours of informal reading and writing experiences before beginning school.”  

~ Patricia Cunningham and Richard Allington

Now that we have closed our preschool, I finally had my first opportunity to help in Max’s classroom. It was overwhelming, the pleasure and opportunity to sit on the other side of the desk for my son at his preschool.  

The PARENT - the soul who birthed the child, cries when no one knows, and feels so much pride, hurt, passion and love in both their belly and their heart.

At  Max’s preschool we made a friendship quilt to donate to an orphanage of tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.  We worked on our dexterity as we threaded needles of yarn and sewed on a big quilting rack pushing a needle in and out and back and forth.  The pride on Max’s face was priceless as he stood up and glanced at me from across the classroom.  

He smiled, I smiled, and we both knew how special the moment was.  He waited patiently for his turn to sew with Mommy and he beamed at me as the two of us sewed in tandem.

Max was adamant about our moment sewing together, later citing it as the best part of his day when we did our ritualistic discussion “Best part/worst part” around the table at dinner.

Back 2 Back

On the same day, Mia’s teacher called me into the classroom for a one on one publishing conference. Mia had several pieces of writing collected in her Small Momments Book. They were pieces of work, ready to be published and adorned on the classroom’s wall of fame.  

Señora invited me into the classroom after school to listen and observe.  It was beautiful.  The entire conference between student and teacher was in Spanish.  They talked in tandem, discussing Mia’s writing and making last minute edits before the big celebration (publication day in the classroom).

I sat there in awe as Señora and Mia rattled for 10 straight minutes.  I understood 50% of what they said, but that was only because I relied heavily on visual cues and teacher background knowledge.

Mia turned to me and said, “Look Mama.  I made a bilingual book to help you learn more Spanish.”  

Señora beamed and clapped her hands with the perfect “T’Dah!” upon on her face.    

On one side of the page the essay was written in Spanish. The other side held English, clear as day.  Ahhh… sweet relief; the beauty of dual immersion.

I knew the background of Mia’s essays because we had many discussions about what she was writing in class and she had brought home some homework that we did in Spanish to prep for her writing time.

Writer Dad and I have 2 times the homework every night.  He reviews all the work in Spanish and I review the same concepts in English, but I had no idea the beautiful picture our munchable chunks would create.  I just hope that each day we pay into the language bank will eventually add up to the accumulated interest of our undying effort.

This book was like the quilt we were making in Max’s classroom, each essay a piece of cloth sewn in two languages.  Mia’s small moments created a beautiful timeline from the first day of first grade forward, and all from her perspective.

“See Mama?” she said, “I wrote in English for you.”  

She did, and she did it very well.

Thank you to my children’s teachers.  The gift to be on the other side of the desk was humbling, satisfying, and will remain with me forever.  Max starts kindergarten next year and we will have 2 times the kindergarten to celebrate again.  

Thank goodness.

Namaste,

Daisy

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“You need only claim the events of your life to make yourself yours.  When you truly possess all you have been and done, which may take some time, you are fierce with reality.”

~ Florida Scott Maxwell

Just for today…

Go about your travels with just a penny in your pocket.  Find some nature to nurture, smile while you’re there.

Write everything with your least dominant hand.  If you are ambidextrous, do it backwards/mirrored image.

Spend two hours in a public library for pleasure.

Bake a cake and eat it without utensils (or hands).

Hand write a letter to someone.  Mail it.

Read a book aloud with as much inflection as possible.

Sit in silence for ten solid minutes… no interruptions, non negotiable.

Choose one. Do it.  Just for today

Daisy

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“I dwell in possibility…”

~ Dickenson

Everyone can use a little positive parent reinforcement.  A bit of food for the spirit does wonders for the soul.  If you can make the following a 10 minute daily habit, you should.  Call it prayer, meditation, or whatever you’d like.  Just make sure it’s scheduled.  

Heck, even people who work in a fast food restaruant get a 10 minute break.

6 Family Affirmations 

1.  I am not a perfect parent.  There are no perfect parents.

2.  I am always open to new ideas and fresh ways to become a better person and more effective parent.

3.  I will find quality time to spend with my child (children).

4.  I have confidence in my ability to grow and bulk up on the areas of my personality where I feel slight or inadequate.

5.  I will look at ALL my problems as challenges and find solutions for each.

6.  When my children want to talk to me, I will offer them my undivided attention with undiluted eye contact.  

Disclosure:  If you are unable to pause a particular activity, take the time needed to let your child know their needs are important and you will revisit the discussion at a time when their needs can by met in full.

Some needs are universal, and there is nothing so detrimental to a full life than the feeling that we are adults who have somehow arrived at a plateau where we no longer carry the need to search, expand or endeavor to change.  

As parents and adults we have a complex composite of confidence or insecurity, strength or weakness.  Just for today, which bright light will you flip to illuminate the heart and soul of yourself and those around you?

Namasté

Daisy

Sean is putting the DAD in Writer Dad today.

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“Nothing is worth more than this day.”

~ Goethe

Happy Monday and Happy Chinese New Year!

It is Year of the Ox.  A year to be tenacious, persevere and remian undaunted in each of your endeavors.  Throw open your windows and let the greatness of the New Year’s changing winds fill the nooks inside your home.  

Eat long noodles for long life, sweet oranges for a sweet life, fish for prosperity and luck.  Wear lots of red, and declutter your heart, mind and home.

Namasté

Daisy

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