To me, a regret is something that you wish had never happened. If you could go back in time, you would snatch that moment back as if it had never existed.
When I say I have no regrets in my life, I truly mean that. Does that mean I have not made mistakes in my past? Certainly not. It does not mean, at all, that I am perfect or unflawed. Lord knows I have many faults. I do believe that all of our past decisions, good or bad, make us who we are today. I like the person that I am. Therefor, I can not look back with regret at any experience or decision that has shaped me.
So please, when I say I have no regrets, do not think that I feel I am perfect. No one is, least of all me.
Love to all.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
In response...
I write this in response to the comments to my previous post.
Yes, I opened the discussion. No, I do not expect you to agree with me or my decisions. At the same time, it is not your place to judge the decisions Paul and I make for our family. I do not judge the decisions you all choose to make, for it is not my place.
Just what, exactly, do you mean by "it shows in your children"? You seem to be saying that my children are somehow less "acceptable" than your own, which I would wholeheartedly disagree with. Both Mandy and Andrew are great, well loved children who receive nothing but compliments from the rest of the world.
Yes, Mandy is willful. That has always been her personality, from the moment she was born. Ask Paul. I do not think that being a stay-at-home Mom would have changed that. If anything, it would have made me spoil her even more than she already is. And no, before you say anything to that, she is not spoiled because she was in daycare and I felt guilty about it. (I know you are dying to make that comment)
Mandy is my daughter. She is beautiful, friendly, kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. And I let her know all the time. As a result, she has a big head. She is extremely confident, and I am immensely proud of her. She is the exact opposite of Andrew in so many ways.
Andrew is intelligent, artistic, and all boy. He is quiet, somewhat shy, but friendly when he gets to know you. He loves to build and invent things. Drawing is a passion of his. He is fiercely loyal to his friends. He too is handsome and kind. He is the kind of boy everyone wants to be friends with.
Mandy and Andrew both take great pleasure in helping others. They love to help those less fortunate than they are. When we went to the food kitchen this Thanksgiving, they could not believe how many people are unable to feed their families. They both want to do more to help, and asked if we could go again at Christmas. Andrew even went back to school and told his friends about it, hoping they would help, too.
So, please, tell me how could my children be any more perfect? I makes me sad that you feel a need to be so judgmental. I have supported the decisions you make, even though they are not the right ones for my family. We each do what we feel is best for our families. I do not look back with regrets, ever. I hope you do not, either.
Love to all.
Yes, I opened the discussion. No, I do not expect you to agree with me or my decisions. At the same time, it is not your place to judge the decisions Paul and I make for our family. I do not judge the decisions you all choose to make, for it is not my place.
Just what, exactly, do you mean by "it shows in your children"? You seem to be saying that my children are somehow less "acceptable" than your own, which I would wholeheartedly disagree with. Both Mandy and Andrew are great, well loved children who receive nothing but compliments from the rest of the world.
Yes, Mandy is willful. That has always been her personality, from the moment she was born. Ask Paul. I do not think that being a stay-at-home Mom would have changed that. If anything, it would have made me spoil her even more than she already is. And no, before you say anything to that, she is not spoiled because she was in daycare and I felt guilty about it. (I know you are dying to make that comment)
Mandy is my daughter. She is beautiful, friendly, kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. And I let her know all the time. As a result, she has a big head. She is extremely confident, and I am immensely proud of her. She is the exact opposite of Andrew in so many ways.
Andrew is intelligent, artistic, and all boy. He is quiet, somewhat shy, but friendly when he gets to know you. He loves to build and invent things. Drawing is a passion of his. He is fiercely loyal to his friends. He too is handsome and kind. He is the kind of boy everyone wants to be friends with.
Mandy and Andrew both take great pleasure in helping others. They love to help those less fortunate than they are. When we went to the food kitchen this Thanksgiving, they could not believe how many people are unable to feed their families. They both want to do more to help, and asked if we could go again at Christmas. Andrew even went back to school and told his friends about it, hoping they would help, too.
So, please, tell me how could my children be any more perfect? I makes me sad that you feel a need to be so judgmental. I have supported the decisions you make, even though they are not the right ones for my family. We each do what we feel is best for our families. I do not look back with regrets, ever. I hope you do not, either.
Love to all.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
On Daycare...
As you know, I have the pleasure of teaching 4th grade at the same school my children attend. This is truly a blessing for our family, as it allows me to see them on a regular basis throughout the day, as well as earn a living at the same time. Our family has benefited immensely from this arrangement.
You know, when I went back to school to get my degree, I felt only slightly guilty at putting Mandy and Andrew in daycare. We had already moved back to South Carolina, and had no family nearby to help us out. Since they did not go for a long time while I was in class, and they were meeting new people and having a great time, I was comfortable with the arrangement.
Now, that is not to say that daycare is all fun all the time. You really have to be on top of everything and ask your children questions. One day, for example, Mandy told me her teacher hit her in the back. When the director questioned the Mandy, she repeated the story. But the teacher was not fired. As a result, we moved daycares and I never tell anyone anything nice about the Sunshine House daycare. I was really disappointed in the way they handled that situation.
That being said, we had a great daycare after that. They were expensive, but worth the peace of mind. It is great to have a safe place to send your children. They had some nice safety features in place, as well, such as video cameras in every room.
I am extremely grateful that we do not pay for daycare any longer, but I do not regret my decision to return to school. The options that has opened for our family far outweigh any perceived negatives from daycare. Mandy and Andrew are well adjusted children who know they are loved more than anything in this world.
I know that I seem very different from the rest of the family at times. But I think we will find that we actually have a lot in common. For instance, Beckie works part time at night when Miguel can watch Angie. Paul and I did this for many years, with me working part time around his schedule. This is a great way to earn extra money without using daycare.
I look forward to getting to know you all a little better through this blog as well.
Love to all.
You know, when I went back to school to get my degree, I felt only slightly guilty at putting Mandy and Andrew in daycare. We had already moved back to South Carolina, and had no family nearby to help us out. Since they did not go for a long time while I was in class, and they were meeting new people and having a great time, I was comfortable with the arrangement.
Now, that is not to say that daycare is all fun all the time. You really have to be on top of everything and ask your children questions. One day, for example, Mandy told me her teacher hit her in the back. When the director questioned the Mandy, she repeated the story. But the teacher was not fired. As a result, we moved daycares and I never tell anyone anything nice about the Sunshine House daycare. I was really disappointed in the way they handled that situation.
That being said, we had a great daycare after that. They were expensive, but worth the peace of mind. It is great to have a safe place to send your children. They had some nice safety features in place, as well, such as video cameras in every room.
I am extremely grateful that we do not pay for daycare any longer, but I do not regret my decision to return to school. The options that has opened for our family far outweigh any perceived negatives from daycare. Mandy and Andrew are well adjusted children who know they are loved more than anything in this world.
I know that I seem very different from the rest of the family at times. But I think we will find that we actually have a lot in common. For instance, Beckie works part time at night when Miguel can watch Angie. Paul and I did this for many years, with me working part time around his schedule. This is a great way to earn extra money without using daycare.
I look forward to getting to know you all a little better through this blog as well.
Love to all.
On my pets...
Yes, we have pets. We have a cat who is nearing 14 years old. She keeps to herself most of the time. She really isn't a bother.
In addition, we have 2 dogs. Now, Abby is an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. We adopted her from the Humane Society last year in October. She is now over a year old. She is a great dog, but some people may not like dogs that much. Howie is a Bassett Hound that we rescued from the side of the street almost a year ago. I went for a walk with my MIL and the kids last February, and we found him on the side of the road, nearly dead. I brought him home, and we adopted him that week. He has been through a lot of rehab since then, but is nearly perfect now.
Both of our dogs "live" in the kitchen right now. The reason? They shed a lot and we do not want dog hair all over the house. The kitchen floor is easy to clean on a daily basis, which we do. Also, the dogs have crates they go in when we are preparing and eating food. Overall, they are a nice addition to the family.
We do plan on getting some fencing for the yard and setting up an outdoor space for the dogs to be. Currently, when we need them to be outside, they go on the front porch. That works well enough, but they do not have a lot of room to run and play in that place. We are working on this.
My point, however, is that you can have pets and still have a sanitary home. Some people say otherwise and will probably reply here that my house is a haven for germs because of our pets. Oh well. You really haven't been here lately, have you?
In addition, we have 2 dogs. Now, Abby is an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. We adopted her from the Humane Society last year in October. She is now over a year old. She is a great dog, but some people may not like dogs that much. Howie is a Bassett Hound that we rescued from the side of the street almost a year ago. I went for a walk with my MIL and the kids last February, and we found him on the side of the road, nearly dead. I brought him home, and we adopted him that week. He has been through a lot of rehab since then, but is nearly perfect now.
Both of our dogs "live" in the kitchen right now. The reason? They shed a lot and we do not want dog hair all over the house. The kitchen floor is easy to clean on a daily basis, which we do. Also, the dogs have crates they go in when we are preparing and eating food. Overall, they are a nice addition to the family.
We do plan on getting some fencing for the yard and setting up an outdoor space for the dogs to be. Currently, when we need them to be outside, they go on the front porch. That works well enough, but they do not have a lot of room to run and play in that place. We are working on this.
My point, however, is that you can have pets and still have a sanitary home. Some people say otherwise and will probably reply here that my house is a haven for germs because of our pets. Oh well. You really haven't been here lately, have you?
It's All About Me...
and my family!
It seems in this day and age that people who should know me well do not and people who think they know me don't really know me either. So, I thought I would try to set the record straight.
This is mainly here for my family. I am not in this for others to read, though feel free if you want to. I will probably say some things that you disagree with, and that's fine. Life would be boring if we all agreed on everything all the time. I am sure there are many things you will find we have in common, as well.
I hope you enjoy reading this. Perhaps we will forge a connection of some type from these postings. At least, it can't hurt.
It seems in this day and age that people who should know me well do not and people who think they know me don't really know me either. So, I thought I would try to set the record straight.
This is mainly here for my family. I am not in this for others to read, though feel free if you want to. I will probably say some things that you disagree with, and that's fine. Life would be boring if we all agreed on everything all the time. I am sure there are many things you will find we have in common, as well.
I hope you enjoy reading this. Perhaps we will forge a connection of some type from these postings. At least, it can't hurt.
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