Life Sighs Teddy Bear

This adorable design is now available in t-shirts for women, including maternity sizes, as well as bibs and baby clothes, HERE

The Other Sigh'd of the Story

As parents, we constantly worry about our children from the day they are born. The younger they are, the more control we have to make sure they are safe. Only child safe toys are allowed in the crib. We child proof our cabinets, install gates to block the stairs, padlock the access to the swimming pool, and bolt the gun cabinet.

We also question the job we have done to instill moral values. We provide guidance through countless hours of lectures:

• "Don't talk to strangers"
• "Dial 911 for an emergency"
• "Don't take candy from strangers" (except on Halloween)
• "No sex until your married; but if there is sex be safe!"
• "Live above the influence"

The older they get though, the harder it is to keep them safe. The best we can do is hope that they heard and retained 10% of those lectures, and have enough self confidence to make the right choices.

As parents, we need to continue to:

• "See" with our eyes -- Question any behavior that seems out of character. Our children are unique gifts, and we know them best. Changes in behavior may be a warning sign of a serious issue or a plea for help.
• "Listen" with our ears -- We only listen to the extend we are prepared to be changed by what we hear. It is very easy to jump to conclusions or assumptions based on what we observe. Until we open our minds to listen to our children and understand their point of view, we really don't know them at all.
• "Guide" with our hearts -- Understand our children need our guidance. Only after we create a safe environment for them to share all aspects of their life, can we truly provide them with the support and direction they need to navigate the most difficult courses in life.

Our toughest challenge as parents is to not prejudge or make assumptions. We need to be open to understand the other sigh'd of the story. Then and only then can we truly appreciate the individuality of our children.

Love, Laugh, LIVE!

Over Sighs'd

Often, I wake up in the morning, stumble to the bathroom -- stiff with aches and pains, I don't recognize. I wonder when did they begin? Yet I can't remember a time without a hobble in my morning saunter. The person in the mirror staring back at me is a 40 year old stranger, who appears to have overindulged during these past 16 years of wedded bliss. Or just gave up paying attention to herself as she married and raised a family.

Obesity is an ugly, shameful word -- one to be whispered -- not said aloud. Yet it is all too common in the current world we live in today. What is different today than 25-30 years ago when we were growing up?

Our generation was taught to"Clean your plate, before you leave the table!" and Ring-Dings and Twinkies were acceptable snacks. To balance this though, we spent the majority of our free time outdoors, building treehouses and playing kickball.

Today, Ring Dings are still a favorite, but the serving size has doubled -- what once used to be a single Ring Ding wrapped in aluminum foil and accompanied a dozen lunches, now is a package of two wrapped in plastic, lucky to see six trips in a lunch box -- if not consumed all in one sitting. Also, the internet and video games have saved many a tree these days with Wikipedia replacing the voluminous hard-cover Britannica series of the past, but this shift has caused our children to lead much more sedentary lives.

Obesity is an epidemic and we must save our children from this over indulgence by encouraging healthy snacks, and promoting family friendly activities on the weekends. I challenge you this week to plan some outdoor activity this week with your family and get moving!

Life Sighs

What are "life sighs", you ask?

Merriam-Webster defines "Sigh (verb): to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)2: to make a sound like sighing 3: grieve, yearn ".

I like to think of "life sighs" as those experiences that become our lasting memories, our defining moments -- the things that make us who we are, the milestones that mark our journey through life. Some of these memories leave us longing for "the good old days" and others bring wrenchingly painful emotions to the surface every time we allow them to breach the borders of our consciousness. But we let those painful memories in -- we must -- for without them, we can't truly appreciate all of the good.

This weekend my husband, Paul, and I slipped out of the house early Sunday morning with our caffeine and reading material in hand, and headed to the local beach. As the sun rose higher in the sky, a solitary beach began to buzz with life as visitors arrived: families, an elderly couple searching for sea glass, a treasure hunter with a metal detector strapped to his back who was heavily concentrated on the rhythmic ticking of this amazing machine certain to secure his retirement.

A young boy, possibly 5 years old, stood at the edge of the sea, just out of reach of the receding waves, tossing stones into the ocean. Paul and I reflected on how it seemed just last year our son Christopher, was this small. He loved to go on long walks and toss stones in the ocean. Now, soon to celebrate 16 years of life, he is anxious to get his driver's license, and looking forward to college visits next Spring.

This "sigh" reminds us how quickly time is passing and how we need to appreciate every minute of every day. For today is just tomorrow's memory.



Citation: "sigh." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008.
Merriam-Webster Online. 27 May 2008

A Life Lesson

It was a beautiful, picture perfect day in May. Cirrus clouds accented the pale blue Saturday sky. I was amazed how lively seven year-old Chris was in the backseat of the Town & Country minivan, teasing his baby sister, making her giggle and squeal with delight.

It was hard to believe just two weeks ago our world was knocked of it's axis, when this adventurous little boy fell off a 20 ft. ledge in the back yard. I had flash backs every waking moment for a week, head over heels I watched him dive to the rocks below...I saw his father break the cardinal rule of First Aid and scoop his young son from the ground, unconscious, head falling back lifeless, eyes rolled back in his head.

An eternity passed between the 911 call and the arrival of the ambulance. Time warp into a fuzzy dream at that moment -- he gained consciousness, screaming and crying every time I reached for him. His father the only comforter here. "That's one very lucky boy," the ER doctor marveled as he examined the cat scan results. Chris escaped with a mild concussion and a small bruise.

Two weeks later, we were headed to Owl's Head, a peninsula on the Maine coast where Chris' best bud Nick lived with my dear friend (his mom) Missy. As we pulled up the long driveway, the Stevens clan gathered on the porch, Missy, eight year old Nick, and two year old Noah. Nick was the complete opposite of Chris -- big for his age Nick towered over the other third graders, donned sun-kissed blond waves, and soaked in the world through sparkling blue eyes. Chris took after his Spanish father with dark brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. A munchkin by any measure he struggled to stay at 5% on the pediatrician's growth chart.

The boys spent the day collecting ants, ladybugs, and pretty much anything that crawled. I recanted the events of the past two weeks -- I didn't have anyone to talk with and it felt great to see my old friend again. We shook our heads, unable to believe how lucky we were that Chris was fine. Russ, Missy's husband joined us for a moment, he stared at the novice bug collectors and said in a barely audable voice, "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to the boys." Those words have been burned into my memory forever.
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The next day, while retrieving an umbrella from the car for his mother, Nick tripped and fell. He never regained consciousness. February 12, 1991 - June 11, 1999.

Although Nick's life was lost in a senseless, inexplicable moment; the generosity of his parents' saved the life of of another little girl hundreds of miles away. Rachel received Nick's heart -- she is looking forward to going to the prom and will be graduating high school soon.

This was a turning point in my life. Appreciate every minute of every day. Tell your children you love them, and better yet -- show them. Life is too short to put anything off until tomorrow.