Let's Celebrate!

It's almost been a year since my dad had his heart attack. We celebrated this wonderful milestone by going out to lunch. Since I've been back at Bromley, I'm just blocks away from where my dad works and it's not too often that I spend time with him so this was the perfect opportunity to meet up and enjoy some time together to celebrate another year of life.

Fortunately, my sister was able to join us as well. It's been years that I can remember being anywhere with my sister and dad where we didn't have kids hanging off our arms. It was actually quite refreshing and although we only had 30 short minutes to celebrate, we had a lot to share and it was a good time!

Cheers to my dad and his HEART for allowing us to enjoy another year of life with him! -- And as he always says, "It beats the alternative!" -- WITHOUT A DOUBT!

Sunday Bowling

It's become a tradition in the Jansky house that every Sunday, John & Ashley go bowling. In fact, both of them now have their very own pair of bowling shoes. So every Sunday, John & Ashley race to get out the door by 9:00am. The doors open at the alley at 9 and it's only .99 cents a game. If they're not there by 9:15, they end up having to wait an hour to bowl.

Every now and again, I'll take the trip with them and watch on the sidelines. I've never been one for bowling but I actually don't mind watching. And this past Sunday, I decided to stroll along and watch the two bowl. We were pressed for time as all of us had slept in. We had to hurry if we were going to make it. We rushed and arrived at the bowling alley and the parking lot appeared to be empty so we decided to use our valentine's cards at Krispy Kreme. After all, who doesn't want a free doughnut from Krispy Kreme?

Well....as we attempted to fill our bellies, the bowling alley was filling as well. Once we arrived, we realized it wasn't so empty inside. So we waited and waited, and waited and waited. Finally -- After three doughnuts, a chocolate milk, regular milk and one small coke, it was time to bowl.

Ashley is quite funny. She insists she doesn't need the bumpers and loves to throw her leg up behind her once she throws the ball -- similar to John. John was having an off day as he so badly wanted a strike but this wasn't the day he was going to get that strike. I guess he'll just have to wait until next week! :)

ISS? Seriously?

ISS!!!!! You are probably trying to figure out what this stands for but don't worry, I won't leave you guessing for too long. It stands for In School Suspension and at the ripe old age of 6.2 years, Ashley landed right smack dab in ISS this past tuesday. Did I mention she's only in kindergarten?

At this time, I don't know if I should laugh or cry or if I should start writing apology letters now. I'm starting to wonder if SuperNanny could even help us. "chuckle + sigh."

Call the Toothfairy and tell her it's time!

It seems as though everyone in Ashley's class has been losing their teeth. Well...everyone except Ashley. Although curious as to when one would finally come loose, I wasn't pushing the topic. Teeth should fall out naturally, not because the so called "toothfairy" is about to drop a few bucks under your pillow.

2.9.10 -- Exactly 6 years and two months after she was born, Ashley lost her first tooth. It became loose rather quickly and then fell out within the next day. We didn't have to scare her into submission, nor did we even get a chance to keep an eye on it. It just fell out!

John phoned me at work and handed the phone over to Ashley. With excitement, she said, "I lost my tooth! Mom, call the toothfairy and tell her it's time!" Ashley has an idea of what the toothfairy will bring. She said, "the toothfairy brings a toy or money. If you get money, you just add it to your commission." I asked her how she knew this and her response, "I saw it on TV." It was too funny and almost priceless.

I'm so glad John got to share this moment with her. I met them up for dinner and as proud as can be Ashley held up her tooth in a little ziploc baggie to show me the tooth. WOW! It's tiny!

Sunday with Selena

Disney typically does a great job of marketing the people they put on TV. And thankfully, Ashley has mostly defied what they have thrown at her -- She's never really been into Hannah Montana, could care less if she ever saw High School Musical 1, 2 or 3 and never really cared for Camp Rock!

There is, however; 1 star that Disney has been able to put on the map that Ashley genuinely likes and talks about: SELENA GOMEZ -- The star of Wizards of Waverly Place.

With this in mind and tickets in hand, Ashley, her friend Arden and I marched to the gates of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo to have a little fun and watch Selena Gomez perform live on stage. It was great to see her interact with another child her age and to see the excitement and laughter that came from this interaction.

We rode rides, took pictures and settled in for a nice concert. They danced, they sang and they laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed! It was a day to remember.

And the cutest moment of all was when Ashley said, "Mom turn down the music, Arden and I are trying to have a talk." -- I love this stuff!

Run, Run, as fast as you can, You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man

Run, Run, as fast as you can, You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

This has got to be one of the most over-used phrases in all of kindergarten history! Go ahead, test it on a child who has been through kinder. Let them finish the phrase. They will probably do so without you even prompting them. I just don't get it. Why is this phrase so important?

Owell --- Ashley, quick -- run, run, as fast as you can -- you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

I am bent, not broken!

Lately, life as I know it is just a mess! I am a ball of emotion when it comes to the reactions I get from the actions of our daughter. She is all things you want in an adult and nothing her peers, teachers, school, or sitters want in a child. She is outgoing, independent (yet cuddly), ambitious, a leader, a decision maker, a communicator and very, very energetic. Her greatest weakness is that she wants to make and define the rules not follow them.

Every week is like a roller coaster ride except we don't know which direction we'll be taking. As a mom, I try to take the good with the bad, balance out the weaknesses for all the positives and strengths our daughter has, but with each passing day I find it harder and harder to do. We are bombarded with the negatives on a daily basis.

Hope is right in front of me and while I don't want to find an excuse for my daughters defiant behavior, I just want validation that what is going on is not because of a lack of leadership or poor parenting from John and me.

I am not a stonewall mom. I don't have tough skin and I don't know how to cope with rejection/judgement placed on myself or my family. I am a sponge and have always been a sponge. I soak up the emotions and feelings of my friends, families and strangers hoping that in some way I am relieving them of their pain and in return I am filled with tears of sadness. Today mostly, I am filled with tears of sadness for Ashley.

Am I over-reacting? Have I put too much pressure on my daughter, my husband and myself to fit the mold of society and worry about social acceptance? Should I care? Will it change her/our path? Sometimes I think I need to suck it up and stop feeling sorry for myself and for Ashley and consider this: Is Ashley happy? -- The Answer: Ashley is happy every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every year!

I know this is just a moment in time where uncertainty has taken over. I am bent not broken! As with other things in my life, this time of sadness and doubt will pass.