My family liked the outdoors. While I was growing up, my father would go hunting and fishing and all the things that a real man loves to do. I admired that about him. He really tried to be a good father but he often fell short. He married my mother at 18 and they begin to travel the world after he joined the military. My brothers was born in Montgomery Al, and I was born in Honolulu Hi. He was a man that believed in taking care of his family and doing what he had to do to survive. He also almos

I run. I don’t have a runner’s body. But I have the spirit. I am slow, but I’m a scrapper. I put on my sneakers and plug through the miles. At times, I am not as consistent as I’d like and right now, I am working out of my winter hibernation.

A little tired and about 25 minutes out, I rolled my ankle and my leg buckled. And in the most ungraceful manner, my feet went out from under me. My head and shoulders plunged forward toward the ground. My palms met the curb. Through no

I love being a mother. It's a beautiful gift like none I could have imagined. My capacity to love and be love has increased tenfold through my experience of motherhood. in part, okay maybe more than that, I owe to my mother for she taught me how to love by loving me. Now that I have grown, with a family of my own, she is my friend and mentor. I have heard it said, we love that which we serve and oh how my mother loved her family. She sang, taught, cooked and gave. Maybe she wasn't perfe

Bullying is such a serious factor in today's schools. If it's not your clothes, your hair, your sexual orientation, or your shoes… then it's your mental capacity. I am in constant battle with my children's school on this bullying thing. I understand in most cases kids will be kids, but this is getting pure ridiculous!! These offenders should be taught a serious lesson. Instead the kids that are doing everything in their will power to defend themselves get into trouble.

I got bullied

This past Friday I took my daughter Tesla to the Galleria Mall in York. We ate at the food court--at the time I didn't even think about the recent roach infestation--she had McDonald's chicken nugget happy meal and I opted for an over-priced, fancy salad from the Salad Works restaurant. Things were going down well though Tesla felt her chicken nuggets were a bit over-cooked. I convinced her, after tasting a bite, that they were the same old nuggets she always orders. She finished befo

The bedroom is shrouded in darkness with wisps of light streaming into the room from the radiance of a midnight moon, its ascent clear through the broad glass windows that line the walls. This light is only matched by the artificial, brash light of a lamp, digital clock and a Blackberry, emanating from a night table adjacent to a great canopy bed. From this light I can see the spotless room I walk into, the walls dry of a finger’s smear and gleaming wooden floors clean of a shoe’s dark scuff. T

Today, I shouted at my kids. Yes, it's true. And it wasn't really for anything they were doing, except they were playing loudly inside (raining outside precluded my fix it "Go play outside and don't come in until I call you")and I was tired, with dinner and kitchen cleaning and the list goes on until I could relax.

After apologizing for my outburst (gotta set a good example), I reminded myself to enjoy them, to smile more at their antics than I frown, to remember my own childhood sp

I am between apartment leases right now, so a few weeks ago I moved back in with my parents. It is only for the next six months, but it is amazing how much five years can change your perspective and your relationship with your parents.

Obviously, there are pros and cons to living at home as a 20-something year old.

I respect my parents more as a 22-year-old than I did as a 17-year-old. (This could be because as a teenager, they had to support me by law, and now they could

The bird died yesterday.

This wasn’t just any bird. Cody was a beautiful 1-year-old lovebird. He belonged to my daughter who had spent the better part of a year working to earn him. Two Christmases ago she was gravely disappointed when Santa did not bring the bird she had requested. I explained to her that birds are a big responsibility. I outlined the work involved. Actually I outlined what I imagined to be the work involved and then exaggerated a little because I didn’t want this

I knew he was going to be a feisty one the minute they pulled him from my body. The cries were angry and strong and didn’t stop quickly. I had been induced at 7:15 that morning, and when they told me to start pushing, I had one goal; to do my job so that I could finally meet this sweet little boy I had known and loved from the minute I found out about him eight and a half months earlier. I’ve never been the type of woman who liked surprises, so we already knew he was a boy and all of my frie

You: Can go weeks without talking to your kids.
Me: My whole day is off if they are away.

You: Prefers to spend your weekends drinking and "clubbing."
Me: Prefers family fun nights.

You: Show your status by brand name clothes, fancy electronics & expensive cars.
Me: Show my status by working hard and trying to be a good mom.

You: Think money is power.
Me: Thinks education is power.

You: Are happy with your life.
Me: I'm happy

No matter how old you get, or whatever may happen in your life, your mouth will always water at the thought of your mother's home cooking. I don't know what it is about home cooking--maybe it's all the memories--but there's nothing quite like eating your mother's cooking. Being away at school has amplified this feeling for me. Eating crappy dining hall food, or even my own semi-decent cooking, makes me yearn for the days where I had my mom cook dinner for me every night. When I go home for scho

No Fear : Explaining To My Kids Their Daddy is in a coma.

Seriously - this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Putting on a brave face and explaining to my four children their daddy was very, very sick. We could go in and see him, but not touch him. He looks like he’s sleeping, and there’s all sorts of funny machines hooked up to him. We can talk to him but he won’t answer.

Figuring out how to be happy to see them when I didn’t have any happiness in me. Figuring o

I watched as he sat at her feet and yanked her pant leg continuously as his mother tried to have a conversation with the woman standing beside her. “Mom, I’m hungry! Mom…Mom!”

OH MY GOD, FEED YOUR SON!

After spending my Sunday at a five year olds birthday party, I have seriously questioned having kids in my life. Not that I don’t like kids, but my god, these parents must be saints for the patience they have. I couldn’t help but laugh when I witnessed a father sprinting ove

Some years ago, in the fall of 2006 to be exact, I read a story that absolutely grabbed me. I can’t describe the feeling of being ‘grabbed’ by something you read about, but I can tell you that my reaction was immediate and of heartfelt urgency. A young girl, 12 at the time, was going through chemo treatment for leukemia at Children’s Hospital in the lower 48, a great distance from her home, familiar surroundings and the friends she knew. Thousands of lonely and scary miles from her life in