THANKFUL THURSDAY

THANK GOD IT'S THURSDAY!

Every day this week felt like Friday just HAD to be tomorrow because I'd already been through a full week... hadn't I? No? Not yet? Oy!

[1] I'm incredibly grateful that tomorrow is Friday. No, I'm not wishing my life away. I'm glad for today and every day that preceded it. I'm just a little more tired this week from a little more running around. And, Friday always makes me happy because I get to anticipate the weekend. That is, Friday is followed by Saturday and Sunday which are days "off"... which means I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn and drive 50 miles to get the kids to school. Instead, we all get to hang out. And, I love anticipating hanging out with my kids almost as much as actually doing it.

[2] I'm glad Summer is coming. Again, not wishing my life away. I have a bunch of reasons why I'm glad for the new season; I just love summer time and all the outdoor freedom and activities that come with it. But, also -- and maybe mostly -- I'm glad for Summer because Olivia had a rough time this year in 2nd grade. Summer means not only that she survived but that she gets to take a break and spend some much needed one-on-one time having nature-girl fun with Mommy while the boys are in school (a little bummed about that) so she can make a fresh start in September with a new teacher.

[3] I'm thankful that my "transition tool" method of getting Michael into his classroom without causing him more stress by ripping him away from Mommy -- which is the method the teachers were using -- worked well today. Sadly, the trauma of April's surgery, dehydration and ER visit followed by being separated from Mommy and Brian for the first time since his birth (while Brian was in the hospital) took it's toll on my baby. Hopefully, my new, gentler separation method will continue to work as brilliantly as it did this morning so I can finally help him to truly and peacefully get over it.

[4] I'd like to say a group thank you to the many people -- professional and lay-people -- who have helped me foster my boys' development. As such, I'm happy to be giving back to other families of children with special needs as a parent-member of Oceanside's Committee on Preschool Special Education and Committee on Special Education. I'm a big believer in paying it forward so I'm thankful to have this opportunity.

[5] A special thanks to Dr. Cindy Arroyo (the boys' EI speech therapist) and the Long Island Speech and Hearing Association (http://www.lisha.org/) who nominated and gave me a Parent Award the other night at their annual reception. Tangible reward in parenting is rare. So, it felt really good that someone recognized that I work hard and try to go that extra mile in doing my job well. It's not always easy and I'm certainly not doing it for the recognition -- God knows there would be very few children in the world if we parented for recognition -- but getting just a kind word or a little praise does make all that running around a tad easier (for my mind if not for my body). A big thanks for the boost!

Take a moment today and give some kind words of thanks and praise to someone you know who's been working hard without any recognition. It can make a huge difference in so many ways! It did for me. And, with that, thanks to all of you for humoring me by reading my crazy scribblings.