Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful for Toddler Days


Toddlers are wonderful wow little people. There are few things as delightful, or tiring as a day with an energetic toddler.

Toddler To-Do List:

Chasing a ball
Blowing bubbles
Running with the dogs
Playing at the park
Going to the zoo
Drawing with sidewalk chalk
Digging in the dirt
Walking a nature trail
Running in the yard
Batting
Pulling a wagon
Climbing up the slide
Sliding down the slide
Running through the sprinklers
Swinging
Riding the merry-go-round
Jumping in a puddle
Pushing the stroller
Climbing the jungle-gym
Singing and marching to “We’ve off to see the Wizard.”
Drumming
Walking in the museum
Running to feed the ducks

This is only a partial list of a typical toddler day. What wonderful things are on your toddler to-do list?

My toddlers were capable of going, and going, and going, then falling asleep in an instant, >snap<, then awake for more! I had thought I was going to fall over exhausted when they were 1, 3 & 5. We all made it. Now, when I see toddlers I think of all the fun energy of running, running, running.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Legacy of Babe Ruth


"Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back."
~ Babe Ruth


George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore Maryland. He was raised in a rough neighborhood until his father placed him in an orphanage at age 7 where he remained until he reached adulthood. At St. Mary’s Orphanage he progressed with the regular curriculum, learned the skill of shirt making and played baseball.
In 1913 he was noticed and was signed to his first baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1914. He played Major League baseball on three teams throughout his career: the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Boston Braves from 1914 – 1935.

Career
Babe started wtih the Boston Red Sox in 1914. The New York Yankees bought the Bambino in 1919. He was a natural hitter significantly contributing to the Yankees’ seven pennants and four wins at the World Series.

Stats
Ruth’s life time batting average was 342, with 714 home runs, 2,873 hits and 2,217 runs batted in.

Personal Life
Babe Ruth was known for his Roaring Twenty lifestyle and was famous for his generosity. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Helen Woodford who died in a house-fire. His second marriage was to actress Claire Hodgson. He had two adopted daughters.

Legacy
In the promotion of excellence Major League Baseball gives the Babe Ruth Award to the best performing player in the World Series.

Mrs. Ruth and his daughters worked tirelessly after his death to create a foundation to memorialize Babe Ruth's life and career. They purchased the property known as Babe Ruth's Birthplace and renovated it into a Museum. The women selected items that defined Babe Ruth. Over the years other baseball memorabilia was contributed. Now, the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum and Foundation also houses the archives for the Baltimore Colts.

Read more:
http://baberuth.com

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Life Style


Always amazing to me is how some people choose to hold themselves back from happiness. The joy in life comes from living at the level you live. This is where happiness is found; when you live at the correct level for your actions.

This is a large topic because there are differences as we grow older, differences if we mature or stay immature. The differences impact the level of happiness we experience on a daily basis.

Innate to our human nature is the desire to be happy. Happiness is the proper state. When we are happy, we know this. People who experience unhappiness for a long period of time become depressed. Depression is a dysfunction. Even doctors realize that depression is something to be corrected. Although there are ways to correct depression and unhappiness that have long range effects rather than short term outcomes.

Happiness is the place where we realize that everything in life is just as it should be. We find ourselves smiling for no reason at all.

The question for people who realize they want to be happy and that at the moment they are not is how do we get happy, to this place of happiness? It is an inward journey but the journey happens when we practice principles and take action in our lives.

Moments on the Path of Solid Happiness: http://solidhappiness.com

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Conscious Parenting


“You’re so calm,” she accused.

“Sometimes,” I answered.

“But you have three teenagers,” she studied my face.

“Yes,” I smiled, “they’re really fun to be around. I like them.”

“How did you do that?” she exclaimed.

“It’s a long story.” I said.

When we decided to have children, I made a statement that seemed innocent enough at the time but it was a pivotal moment in my life: “I want to raise them.” I hadn’t realized, we were stepping onto the path of conscious parenting. The philosophy demands a good deal of soul searching and choosing to expand the parent’s (my & my partner's) consciousness for the benefit of the children.

Contrary to the standard, we made parenting decisions based on desired outcome. Our goal was to form a family with intelligent, healthy, compassionate children. All decisions included the consideration ‘what’s best for the individual as they are a member of this family.’ Once you think about it, it really is a simple way of going about life, especially if you’re a parent.

Babies cry. They cry for a reason. It’s the parent’s job to find the reason and fix it. The check list is short: Is baby hungry? Is baby messy? Is baby hurt? Is baby lonely? Is baby tired? Contrary to expert advice, ignoring a crying baby is not okay. Besides, a crying baby is irritating, I prefer the cooing, cuddly kind. I discovered that when a child’s needs are met, they rarely cry.

I was known as an over-packer, even for short trips. A fully stocked diaper-bag, snacks, Sippy cups, a small cooler, extra change of clothes, blankets, toys, books and a first-aid kit. Why? Because when you have kids, things happen. My kids were happy campers because mom was mostly prepared.

The toddler years: I love the toddler years. It’s a really fun time because the entire world is WOW! Everything is new for the young ones. The parent’s job is simple. Toddlers want to explore. Parents need to ensure a safe environment. We decided to forgo the coffee table because rolling, crawling, walking, summersaults, building, and dancing, are just too important to be impaired by living room furniture.

One day, another toddler mom commented on my lack of trips to the emergency room. I never liked going to the emergency room. The anxiety and related indigestion that comes with hospital visits never really appealed to me. So I avoided the whole issue with a liberal use of “NO.” I observed that most “accidents” happened when parents were inattentive. So I watched them and stop them from doing things that would inevitably cause injury. Kids don't need to get injured to learn a lesson.

Elementary years: Many people were watching how this conscious parenting thing was going to go once the kids were in school. We reviewed our own school experiences; we reviewed current data about schools today. The evidence was overwhelming, arbitrary institutional rules prevented children from a variety of behaviours we felt stronly about encouraging in our children. The list included: No being allowed to attend to bodily functions in a timely manner, not being allowed to eat when hungry, segregation encouraged ageism, and there were limits placed on compassionate interactions. All these issues were counterproductive to our goal. There is no useful purpose to being publicly humiliated or slammed into a row of lockers. Large or small, every former school student has unnecessary scars. So we opted otherwise.

Teen years: Clearly, I wasn’t thinking when they were babies because when they were 1, 3 & 5, it didn’t occur to me that someday it would be 16,18 & 20. Of course, I could go on & on about all the things I love about them, the fun things they do; the interesting things they learn and share with me and each other. They make me laugh every day. That’s our experience with teen years.

But the question: “How did you do that?” is best answered by saying that raising kids, like living my life is one small decision after another.

http://www.consciouslyparenting.com/

http://www.namastepublishing.com/products/book/conscious-parent-book-shefali-tsabary/9781897238455