PERSPECTIVE........
I truly try to be a glass 'half-ful' kind of gal, the key word being try! It's not always easy and there some days when I'm done - I say I'm done - and the glass isn't just empty, it doesn't even have any lingering drops of water at the bottom.

We are finishing up school with tests and projects; heading into dress rehearsals for Wizard of Oz; prepping for dance recital next week; practicing for baseball and next week's tournament; going on field trips; and most importantly, GETTING READY FOR SUMMER! From my perspective, the kids are growing rapidly and next (school) year brings a new chapter to my life with having a middle-schooler and all of the other three in full-time. But for now, I'm reflecting on what this year has brought to our family......

Maggie --- she has grown so much (even though she's still short, lol!) and has taken her role as big sister to a new level. Her bond with Ian is incredible and she has really understood the severity of Amanda's hospital ordeal. She even spoke yesterday at an assembly promoting the KidsWhoCare club; and about how they came and sang Christmas carols to us and brought a card quilts and toys for Amanda in the hospital. She is still a fiesty 12yr. old, but I see such amazing things in her. She is ready to grab middle school by the horns (literally, too b/c she is switching from trumpet to french horn next year).

Sean -- he's my dude; he makes me laugh and gives me headaches all at the same time. He has worked hard on lots of things this year from reading to math and beyond. His writing has improved and he has started to discover that math is pretty cool. His true passion is sports (and not school), he works hard at whatever job he is given; including being deligent about taking the trash out b/c he has also discovered the beauty of an allowance. At 10yrs. old, he's as strong as an ox and he wears his heart on his sleeve.

Amanda -- my little miracle; a fighter; and independent soul. To say she is amazing just puts it so simply. It hit me yesterday! As I was curling her hair and putting makeup on her face for dance recital pictures, my heart lept. We've done this same routine for years with dance and theatre, but this year it's different. She has fought SO HARD to be where she is now. She is dancing on the stage (and getting ready to perform in theatre) when seven months ago she couldn't sit up unassisted; she couldn't talk; she couldn't eat. It takes my breath away. She got a 100% on her math quiz last week; it was combo add & subtract..........she is upset b/c most of the kids in her class are doing multiplication quizzes. Perspective, girlie ---one step at a time, my sweet one. She is spunky and stubborn and I love her to pieces.

And Ian -- he's the little dude. Kindergarten is bittersweet; they go in as little five year olds and come out as big thinking six year olds who have reading skills and new teeth! He has loved every minute of school from his friends to his teacher to big buddies (with Maggie). There is lots of talk about what first grade will bring and my heart melts a little. From my perspective, he will always be my baby; from his perspective, he's BIG but he loves being the baby. When I see him crash on the couch for a nap from the exhaustion of play/swim/life, it is a reminder of how much he is still growing and how so very soon he'll only nap when he's sick or old enough to be a teen-ager (ack!).

I'm writing this so on the days when my glass is empty (along with my wallet) I can get reach deep and change my perspective. To see, that I have a lot to be thankful for. To have a glass thats FULL or at least half-ful, especially if it contains a margarita.

Winning the war, one battle at a time........

well, that isn't the best way to think about food and kids, but you can understand where I'm coming from as a parent. I know, I know. Pick you battles. Food was never a battle I was fighting; I have always gone with the montra 'it's my job to feed you healthy food, it's your job to eat it' OR in simpler terms 'fine - don't eat. You don't get anything else.' They both work.

I have never made seperate meals for my kids. If we were eating something new or 'unusual', I always made sure that there was SOMETHING they would eat. Yes, that means they sometimes had fruit for dinner and nothing else. They have all survived; no one has starved. YET. I'm still trying lots of new recipes.

It seems that offering lots of things through the years is slowly paying off. Take the evolution of red beans and rice ---- it started out as red beans (in a small bowl so it didn't touch the other items on the plate), plain white rice, sausage bites on the side, carrot sticks, and a roll. And you can guess what got eaten. But I kept at it. No self-respecting Southern girl would have children who don't eat red beans and rice!!!!!!! I'm SO HAPPY to say that last night every single one of my kids ate red beans and rice together in a bowl (Sean even ventured into adding Tabasco). Now, they did only each eat ONE BITE of the creamed spinach and no one died......I'll keep working on that one. See, it's an evolution.

I'm learning to be happy and NOT complain about what my kids eat. Today for lunch Ian ate one leftover bbq chicken leg, some carrot sticks/cucumber slices/red bell pepper slices, strawberries and a cup of peach yogurt. Unless you think I'm being smug, I'm only happy he eats like this because it has to cancel out all the candy running through his veins.

For the record, I don't consider myself a Food Nazi. The kids usually eat ice cream after school every day. Home-made sweet tea is probably their favorite drink; and drinking milk means adding Nesquik. And you don't want to know about fast food/pizza/baseball snack bar junk. However, the big picture involves lots of home-cooking, new recipes, and an introduction to sno-balls in New Orleans this summer.