Feeling Poetic

It doesn't happen often, but from time to time I feel the urge to write somewhat cheesy poetry. Nothing calls for a poem that painfully rhymes like the birth of a baby, and I have just been gifted with my very first nephew. The poem may be silly, but it is also kind of sweet. I really wish I could draw so I could turn it into a board book. You can write just about anything in board book form and as long as it rhymes and the drawings are cute, it is brilliant. Any way, here is my poem written in honor of the birth of my nephew born 9-10-11 in Beijing, China.

When you were born it was both day and night,
With us in the darkness and you in the light.
We waited for days, expecting you here,
But you could not be rushed, you just wouldn’t appear.
So, we paced and we prayed, and even lost sleep,
Waiting and watching for you to make that first little peep.
Into this world you came with a scream.
It was far better than any of us would dare dream.
Though miles of ocean and even more land
Kept us apart, my love was instantly grand.
I could not wait until my arms would hold,
This tiny person, who was more precious than gold.
That day was, without question, certainly faithful.
You made me an aunt, and I am eternally grateful.  

The Joy of Car Line

I've been going through old computer files and found something I wrote after a particularly bad day in the school car line. I started understanding how even the most even tempered person could get road rage. I thought I would post a couple of bits from it for fun.

At the beginning of the year the school gives you a magic claim check with a random number on it. It hangs on your rear view mirror and announces to the staff which child you are allowed to put in your car. Guard this with your life. Make sure there is one in every car you could possibly use to pick your child up. Laminate it, baby it, and treat it as gold. If you lose it you may never see your child again. Even if you child looks exactly like you and runs to your side saying,” Mommy! Mommy!” this is not enough. For safety purposes the school must assume that you and your husband entered into a nasty divorce that morning with him being awarded sole custody and you are now trying to kidnap your own children. It could happen. The only way to fix this problem is to bring with you 3 forms of ID, a DNA sample, and a notarized statement signed by your husband and a federal judge swearing that you do in fact have the legal right to claim your own child. If the colossal tragedy of losing the number card happens please do everyone in line behind you a favor and park your car and walk into the school to collect your child. It makes the line move so much faster and the strip search less embarrassing.

Later, I'll post tips on how to know when you should park your car and walk your child in.

Cancer Stinks!

Thanks to a sea of pink, you probably all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but cancer awareness season actually starts today with recognizing the worst of all cancers, that being the ones that attack children. It is also the month for ovarian and prostate cancer, just for the record, which is an interesting combination that I will not be addressing.
I'm sure there are cancers with lower survival rates and maybe even a few are more painful, but I still think cancers that attack our children are worse. Children are suppose to be innocent and not worry about anything more serious than when the next Phineas and Ferb will air. They should not have to worry about radiation, chemo, picc lines, death. As parents we are suppose to be able to protect our children from the things of the world that can hurt them. We shouldn't have to worry about more than them falling off the monkey bars and breaking an arm. We shouldn't have to worry about blood counts, transfusions, medical bills, tombstones. It is the ultimate in life not being fair.
The fact that cancer exsists in children should remind us all that we are never too young to have cancer. I am as bad as anyone. I have annual check ups once every 3 or 4 years. I think I have always had in the back of my mind that I'm too young to worry about it, but that is just a nice little comfortable lie I tell myself. I've got friends fighting a battle with cancer right now. If they aren't too young, then neither am I and neither is any adult reading this.
Know yourself, know your kids, and if that little voice in the back of your mind tells you something is off, get it checked out.
If you find yourself with a little extra money to donate this month, please consider The Aflac Children's Cancer Center in Atlanta or Saint Jude in Memphis. Just in our lifetime, these two places have made unbelievable strides in curing childhood cancers and blood disorders. I have more than one friend that owes their life to these hospitals.