Summertime.... and the living's easy...from the words of an old Sublime CD.  Summer 2014 has begun for many kids around the country. I watched the kids play in the creek yesterday and began remembering what summer was like for me. It was about no schedules, no pressure and most of all it was about siblings. Yes, friends came over often. Unrestricted sleepovers because there was no school the next day. Staying up all night until laughter knocked us out cold on the floor. But, really... it was time with my brother when we were young.

  We stayed home all day and ran around outside. We would walk to the convenient store and get slushies. We would lay down in the back of my dad's El Camino as he drove to the Braum's ice cream place. The heat would beat down and burn our bare feet on the concrete. They were wonderful days... of course until we started getting older and friends kept us away. Summers took on a whole new meaning once one of us had a driver's license. There were no more walking together somewhere because we no longer were both stuck as pedestrians. Yes, I would catch rides with him to crash his dates with his high school girlfriend... but summers were different.  At about the age differences that my older two are with the younger.. that's when it shifts. Free time is no longer about playing cards with your little sibling, it's about catching movies with friends and sitting out in the summer night air talking about the boys and girls and the events of the year before and the new hope for the coming days. My kids are at a pivotal point in their childhood. A point where they appreciate the roots of their family yet they are wanting so bad to spread their wings. In this process the youngster who is still wanting to "play" is begging for time while the others want to "hang out" with their friends or in their room with music. He feels held back and alone.

 So, those moments when all three are together and enjoying themselves is a mother's pure bliss. I watched at one point yesterday... sitting in the grassy sidelines with the baby. I witnessed a picture that sums this summer up for the kids. My oldest, heading into high school with hopes and dreams for his future already on the other side of life's creek. My middle... exactly that... in the middle wading to the other side... still a child at heart not yet with plans for her life yet she knows there is more out there. My younger of this set falling behind... closer to me at the edge of the water. Looking on to them and not wanting to be left out. My daughter falls back to help her little brother along. They meet up all together on the other side.

I know my children will grow up as children tend to do during the summer months. I am aware they will drift apart as they continue in that process. As long as they stop and help each other across to the other side of that creek each summer I know it will be a wonderful one full of memories. That's what summertime is for.

It's my day and it's her day!! Happy Mother's Day

This is a picture of my life's best accomplishments. These are my degrees, my high level executive careers, my late night glamorous parties and each year on this day ... they roll out the red carpet for me. They are, in themselves, my reason for living. When you really think about that statement that is so commonly said by most loving mothers... wow, how bold. Really think about this... before children, they had no reason to live? Oh they did.. they just didn't know exactly what life could be. Life as was currently known was absorbed in creating the most well balanced life for yourself. Hobbies that made you happy, friends you could trust, successes in work and school. Without children, your life would carry on and be satisfying. However, the moment your child is born your personal worlds shift and the direction takes a wild turn. I don't believe they are the reason for a person to exist but I definitely believe they can be the center to their existence. As mother's every single one of our choices have a hint of influence from our children. Every choice and decision, every goal and aspiration somehow turns into ones that are both our own and someone else's. Very interesting dynamic in life. These four beings above are the center of my life. Without them, I would definitely be a different person. 

Although my children shine in my heart as my life's focus they are not the reason for my existence.  That title my dears belongs to my own mother. Even though she lives off in the distance right now, she doesn't ever seem very far away. If I am half the mother raising my children as my mom was raising me then I will be a happy woman and I will have happy kids. I look back at my childhood and I was always smiling. My mother was always there beside me diving into my imagination, teaching me and I never doubted her trust. I hope my children will be able to do the same.. when they think of their childhood, they think of stressfree days with an array of opportunities in front of them. I hope they remember like I do, the simplicity of a mom's help. No matter how small. Her smile and love that had the capability to over power any fear or booboo that I was crying over. Yes, I hope I make that same impact on these 4 beautiful people.  Thank you mama on this Mother's Day for everything big and small!