My Graduation From Soccer-momdom

The day has finally arrived.  I’m about to graduate from owning a mini-van to buying some other kind of vehicle – that’s smaller.

Honestly, the thought of driving around in something besides a mini-van is, well, unsettling.  After all, I’ve owned a mini-van since 1998.  But as I was standing in the Honda dealership listening to the service consultant inform me that I needed repairs and maintenance services of over $3,000 for my mini-van to possibly transport me another 100k miles, well, my husband said, “I think it’s time to trade it in.”

My husband has been ready for me to “graduate” for about a year now, but I’ve held onto my Odyssey for one obvious reason – SPACE!  I’ve used it to cart around lots of people, purchases from Home Depot, and let’s face it, it’s invaluable when moving our daughter to and from college. 

But my husband pointed out the following:

• We’re only going to move our daughter twice more and then she’ll graduate
• Her girlfriend owns a truck and so do about three other “guy friends” if we really need one
• We don’t cart around lots of people anymore
• If I can’t get our luggage in a regular size vehicle for a trip, I’ve over-packed
• If we buy something large at Home Depot, they do let you use one of their delivery trucks for free if the purchase is over $25, which obviously it would be
• He would soon be buying a new SUV or cross-over so it’s not like we wouldn’t have one car that was fairly large

Gosh, I hate when he’s right.

So, out to the lot I went looking at new vehicles.  I have to admit that the next two hours I spent investigating a Honda Accord and Fit were quite fun.  New cars have lots of fun options, and there’s a lot of choices besides mini-vans!  ;)

I was drawn to the tiny “Fit” because it had a LOT of room for such a tiny car and it averages 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, but everyone I've talked to says 40 mpg is pretty typical.  WOO HOO!  Now, that caught my attention!  Plus, one of the service agents said she actually has owned a Fit for four years and she told me that she absolutely LOVES it.  

Now that I’ve accepted  that I’ll be buying something besides a mini-van, I’m now overwhelmed with all the possibilities. If I look at the Honda Fit's competition, there’s the Mazda2 that’s running a close second.

Or should I go a little larger like the Honda Accord or the Toyota Camry?  I had Nissans before the Honda van so I’ve considered a Maxima or an Altima. 

Come to think about it.... I’ve always wanted a red convertible so since I’m leaving behind my “soccer mom” status, why shouldn’t I enter the “hot mama” world?  Ok, probably not.  UGH!  There’s just too many choices. 

No wonder I fought graduation for so long…soccer momdom was just plain easier.

If you have some suggestion on what you think is a great car on the market these days, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Haiku Tuesday

I must admit that I’m not a fan of haiku.  Oh, it’s easy enough to write, but seems kinda pointless to me.  I’m more of a limerick kind of gal.  But, hey, participating in haiku Tuesday means a break in the blogathon so I say, “haiku it up!”

Here’s a haiku sampling for you to ponder:

Vacation next week

A week of writing freedom

Blogathon only!

Tired of exercise

Getting old is for the birds

Pass me a doughnut

Where’s springtime weather

Jumped straight into summer heat

Bring back the seventies please

What Every College Should Be Doing!

The college in our town has a requirement of its students that I think is just fabulous. 

Students must complete a senior project to graduate.  The project can be completed as an individual or group, but it entails taking the knowledge learned from general studies and combining it with the knowledge they’ve learned from their field of major to demonstrate what has been truly learned during their four years at college.

Every year the school hosts a Senior Showcase where those student projects selected as the “best of the best” display their masterpieces.  I attended the showcase recently for the first time and was amazed at what these kids are doing.

There were the more simplistic projects such as an education student explaining how to teach math to elementary students and a geography student who researched the habitat preferences of a box turtle to the more complicated projects such as a team of 15 engineering students that developed a system to reuse residential waste water.

A history major did his project about a research room on campus (that I wasn’t even aware of) for the study and preservation of the atomic research and development (referred to as the Manhattan Project) that took place in this area during World War II.

But what caught my eye was the project of three computer science students.  They built a kit that can be attached to any stationary bike, elliptical machine or treadmill that connects to any computer.  When the computer accesses Google Earth, the kit allows the bike to interact with Google Earth so “exercisers” can walk or ride through any location on Earth.  Buttons that are affixed to the handle bars allow the person riding to make left or right turns.

Think about what this does!  You can walk your way across the Great Wall of China or pedal your way down Broadway Ave in New York City – minus the traffic.  Take a bike ride through the trails of your favorite park or walk on your treadmill through the hills of San Francisco.  The possibilities are endless and what a fun way to exercise.

During the demonstration at the showcase, a college friend “model” was pedaling her way through Disney World to the amazement of a seven year old visiting the showcase.  It was just as we were right there with her travelling down Main Street and past Cinderella’s castle.  Quite amazing! 

The trio entered their project into a campus entrepreneurial club and won second place for their invention – why they didn’t receive first place is beyond me.  But through the school, the students were also connected with local entrepreneurs who are assisting the students with marketing their product. 

What a grand combination of student innovation and education! 

A Mother's Day Poem

Happy Mother's Day!

A MOTHER'S LOVE

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.

For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.

~Author Unknown~

Mom's Words to Live By

I have the best mom in the world.  She set a great example of what a mother should be, and she always had the right words to say in every drama-filled moment of my life. 

The phrases she used were those ones that you just never forget, and her words of wisdom still ring in my head today.  I’ve passed on those little “gems of life to live by” to my own daughter, and I’ve added a few of my own. 

In honor of Mother’s Day weekend, I thought I’d share some of them. 

There's those that withstand the test of time like….

• Watch both ways before crossing the street
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• The grass is always greener on the other side
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
• Do your best!  That’s all anyone can ask
• Be nice
• Money can’t buy you happiness
• A penny saved is a penny earned

There's those few that are just plain common courtesy…

• Use your indoor voice when inside
• Take your shoes off at the door
• "What do  you say"  (answer = please, thank you) 

There’s some I take exception with like…

• Don’t put off for tomorrow, what you can do today (I mean, enough already, I go hard every day.  Can’t something wait till tomorrow?)
• Cleanliness is the next to Godliness (I could be wrong, but I don’t think there’s any reference to dust in the Bible)
• If you sit too close to the TV, you’ll hurt your eyes (I’m pretty sure that research has proven that I didn’t become near-sighted because I watched Scooby Doo at arm’s length)
• Carrots are good for your eyes (That one never worked when she tried to get me to eat more vegetables)

There’s the one that always makes me laugh when I hear myself repeating it:

• Shut the door!  Were you born in a barn?  (turning off lights when you leave a room applies to this one also)

Then there’s some of my absolute favorites that mom always said and still says today like….

• You can’t put a price tag on your health
• Be careful for what you ask for (boy, isn’t that the truth?)
• You learn something new every day
• Take your vitamins

 Perhaps the two that really made an impact in my life are….

• Can’t never did anything (Apparently I said “I can’t” a lot as a child because this one is burned into my very being.  Just tell me I can’t do something or even suggest it, and I’ll prove you wrong.)
• Life’s not fair (Something that I still struggle with today because I just feel life should be fair.)

I’d also like to add a few of my own gems…

• It’s not always what you know, but who you know
• Dusting is a waste of time J
• Think twice about what you do and say because Karma “will” right the world

My daughter would laugh reading this because I’m sure I’ve said a lot, if not all, of these at one time or another.  But they really are important words to live by, and I thank you mom for keeping me pointed in the right direction with these words.

A Mother's Love

Every spring a dove makes its nest in a planter on our front porch. 

The location is excellent for a nest because our house faces east and the front is sheltered from the brutal westerly spring storms.  Our porch is also covered which keeps the dove dry and relatively sheltered from any strong winds.  The planter she chose hangs on a brick wall about five feet above the porch making it inaccessible to dangerous predators.

Each year we watch as the dove makes her nest, lays a minimum of two eggs and then we await the birth of her babies.   In the wee hours of the morning we can catch her feeding her young, but she’s quick to stop and cover them protectively if she gets a glimpse of us watching her.  She also gently covers their tiny bodies to shield them when we go in and out the front door.

A few weeks after the birth, the young birds emerge during the day, stretching their feathers in preparation to fly away.  Then as quickly as she nestled in to our front porch, her babies fly away.  She soon follows.

Our little brood this year took flight yesterday morning.  I missed the big event but noticed after returning from my morning workout that they had left. 

I couldn’t help but think how ironic it was for them to leave just prior to Mother’s Day weekend because this dove represents what mothers are all about.  She prepared a strong, sturdy, comfortable home for her young, gave birth to them, fed and protected them in their youth, taught them to fly and then stood by and assisted them as she sent them off into the world. 

As I looked out on the porch this morning, I saw a dove stop for a moment on the planter.  I’m not sure if that’s the mother checking back at home to ensure that her little ones hadn’t returned for more guidance or if that’s another dove preparing for its babies.

Either way, I’m happy to share our porch in one of God’s little creature’s circle of life.

Pure Joy!

Yesterday I was visiting blogathon participant blog, “B.I.K.E. with Jackie” and was reading her “25 Things that Bring You Joy” post.  It prompted me to write today’s blog.

I didn’t write out my "25 things" because a big grin came to my face when I thought of the first one.  Our dog, Sugar.

We bought Sugar 11 years ago for our daughter, Kelsey’s 10^th birthday.  Kelsey wanted a dog, I wanted a dog, but my husband, Marco, didn’t really.  Well, as most things go around here, Marco was out-voted (sorry Marco but you know it’s true) and Sugar joined our family.

This adorable Shih-Tzu would become Kelsey’s younger sibling to tease and love and Marco’s napping buddy.  I became her caretaker.  She soon was more than a pet.  She was a valuable family member. 

During the past 11 years, Sugar has picked up a variety of nicknames.  She answers to Poochy, Poochers, Sugar-dog, pumpkin, munchie, munchkin, moo and mooie.  I have no idea where those nicknames came from, but Kelsey and I seem to come up with new ones all the time.  It’s really a wonder Sugar doesn’t have an identity crisis. 

I immediately thought of Sugar when I thought about things that “bring me joy” because nothing can replace that wagging tail and happy pup every time I walk into the door.  It doesn’t matter if I’ve been gone half a day or just ran out to get the mail, I get the same “I missed you so much and I’m so glad you’re home” reception when I walk through the door.

And “joy” comes to my mind as every morning I awake to this tiny face licking my arm or cheek (and sometimes nose).  It’s as if she were saying, “Good morning.  It’s a new day.” 

It’s unconditional love at its finest… and pure JOY!