Double Portion Inspiration

I was home caring for my 3 year old when his actions revealed a wonderful life lesson. For about two days my son was unable to keep food down. He wanted to eat but when he did, it would come up. It was hard to watch because a child that is normally full of energy and all over the place, was laying on the couch without enough strength to play with his toy cars (his prized possession). For those that know him, shall we just say, he is all boy. He constantly runs, jumps and plays. The phrase "bouncing baby boy" is an understatement for him. A rapid heart beat, sweat running down his face, and at times, the beginning of a wheezing cough won't stop his desire to be energetic. You can only imagine how it felt to see him in such an exhausted and weakened state. He barely had enough strength to sit up on the couch, however in the midst of his anguish, he wanted to be in my presence . I snapped a picture of my son (above) after he gently whispered the words, "Mom, I want to ...

When I was a new mother, there were words of advice that I never forgot. I thought I would share a few of them with you. Don't wake a sleeping baby . I was still in a daze from giving birth when the labor and delivery nurse gently whispered those words in my ear. I never forgot them . I allowed my son to wake up on his own for a feeding. He's now three years old with awesome sleep habits (12 hours a night). Don't do for kids, what they can do for themselves. My sister gave me this advice. When you are a first time mom, there is a tendency to make our kids dependent on us for everything. We brush their teeth, comb their hair, put on their clothes and sometimes hold their sippy cups for them. We forget to realize that our goal is to raise our kids to think and do for themselves. That's why they always scream, "let me do it." For once, just give them a chance . They may not do it like you, but over time, they will learn. Teach your kids to pray . My mom knew what...

It is Labor Day! The last official holiday of summer.  For many of us that means that we get a day off of work.  Studies show that most American workers do not use all of their vacation time.  We feel so overwhelmed when we come back from a vacation we just decide it is easier not to take one.  The other option is to take a "working" vacation where we spend time away but we are constantly checking our email and voice mail so we don't fall behind. When we make this choice (not to take vacation) we miss out.  Vacations serve numerous purposes: 1.  They help us stay healthy 2.  They help stave off burnout 3.  It helps strengthen our bonds (especially with our family) 4.  It helps our job performance 5.  It helps relieve stress Deciding not to take a vacation or "mental health day" causes us to feel stressed and overwhelmed in the work place.  We often don't really realize how much we NEED a vacation until we take one. "Come ...