Meli's world

Everybody knows that song from the famous show, "The Jefferson’s".... you know the one that says they finally got a piece of the Pie. I think that's exactly what my kids would have been singing last night if they knew the song.  The past couple of weeks, I have been one of those crazy moms. I have been driven crazy by sibling rivalry and the constant yell of “ That’s not fair”. My son and daughter want to make sure everything is fair. That they get the same snack, get the same amount of television or tablet time, that they get served equal portions and that I even compliment them equally. It’s been a lesson I have been trying to get through to them all the time: LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Yes, as a mom I love them equally, and will always try my best to make sure they feel the love, but I cannot measure every single word, gift, or food I ever give them. And I cannot control the things that happen to them out of our home either. Sometimes Emeli will get a movie day, or Ma...

Finally today I can say I have a brand new windshield! This past Friday, when I was leaving work I noticed my windshield had two small cracks. I don't park under a tree and it wasn't obvious it had taken a hit by anything. It was two lines that you couldn't even feel and I had no idea how they got there. It didnt seem to have a point of impact. It just seemed to have cracked within the glass itself.   I immediately went home to check where we could replace it and how much it would cost because I was worried it would break even more. Of course because of the weekend, the estimates we got were extremely high and I didn't want my weekend to be interrupted by having to take it somewhere to be fixed. The weekend went by and the windshield made it through so we were determined to find a place to take it to monday. When Monday came and I shared the story with my awesome knowledgeable coworker she told me it should be covered under my insurance. Duh!!! Why didn...

Tonight we got home from church and Manny, my 7 year old son was a bit hungry. He ate some of the leftovers from dinner and asked me for chocolate milk. Being tired and in the middle of packing lunches I did what any good mom would do, I gave him a bottle of chocolate milk. The ones I pack in his lunchbox instead of making him some. It was most convenient at this moment, not necessarily lazy. Almost immediately he was in the kitchen asking me to open it for him. Kind of bothered he was interrupting my flow again, I said "No, open it like you open it at school". To which he replied: "I don't, I get Sean to do it." Now I wasn't bothered at his interruption at all anymore, I was bothered by his lack of effort and finding out he hasn't been opening his own milk.  The conversation that followed though, thankfully is full of the type of Gold moms dream of. "Manny, how old is Sean?" - 7 "What grade is he in?" -2nd "How many ...

  I know it's been a while since I last wrote, so why not break the dry spell with what I've been going through and what I'm learning. School started about a month ago here in Florida. For my little one Emeli, that meant starting pre-k. I'm not sure what she envisioned it to be but she was super excited. She talked about it for weeks, we went shopping and she couldn't wait to start. The first week went ok. Then the next week, she hated the place. She was refusing to go. Crying about it at home. Didn't want to talk about school at all and just was making herself miserable and anxious about it. So we did what every parent would do and switched schools. She started there fine too. And it seemed to be a more hands on and playing curriculum than the other school. However a couple days into it, again she was refusing to go. Except this time we knew she loved it. She was coming home talking about her friends, all she did and how nice her teacher was. Thi...

Last week Emmanuel's basketball season ended with his all-star game. East vs. West in the city we live in. But the season didn't start out the same. It was his 4th season playing basketball, But his first season with the bigger age group. This age group was something he had looked forward to since he started pee-wee basketball at age 4. In this group, he would actually have more than one team practice a week, play full court and have the opportunity to be picked for the all star team. When he was put on a team,, it was a bit frustrating. He had a brand new coach who was struggling coaching them, he had kids on the team who could not focus, and despite being the most experienced on the team, he was the smallest. There was a lot of practice to do. A lot of practice. They scheduled lots of practices during the week and they all seemed to improve. Emmanuel became a pro at dribbling, running more since now they were playing full court., and shooting with more power since now ...

Haters. A word commonly used in music, pop culture and amongst people of all ages. We all got them. People who don't like us to succeed. People who may wish you wouldn't do better than them or feel a sense of envy if you're doing good. I remember it was my 4th grade teacher Ms.Brown who first taught me the concept : "misery loves company". Its true. People in general may not truly feel happy for those that are better off than them. Hence the reason for the 1% vs. 99% argument in politics and our economy in this country. But the other day when Emmanuel, my 6 year old came home to tell me he was picked "Most Trustworthy" in his class, what was that proud mom congratulatory speech turned into a lesson on "Haters". He told me since "Trustworthiness" was the character trait for the month of October at his school, the class was to vote or nominate whom they felt displayed this trait the most. He told me it was close amongst him a...

This afternoon as I checked Emmanuel's agenda and his graded work, I came across his spelling test. I was so proud to see 100% and a sticker across the top that read perfect, but my attention was also drawn to the bottom of the paper where the teacher made a smiley face and a heart. Emmanuel had written his teacher a note on the bottom of the paper that read "you're a great teacher"! -- and my heart smiled. Emmanuel up until now has been the type of kid who has no problem reading or writing. He excels in spelling and almost always gets 100% on his spelling test. He didn't need to write this for the teacher to give him a better grade, nor did he tell her this in front of the class to be teacher's pet or get recognition. When I questioned him about it, he told me how his class of 18 boys was being rowdy that day and barely listening to his teacher. He thought she was having a rough day and could use something to cheer her up. And that's where the less...

Now that most of you know my story and everything my husband Emerald and I have been through, perhaps you will understand that the things I write about are lessons I've personally learned and the things that have made our marriage thrive and continually push forward. Getting married in our teenage years, it was like date night every night. We would eat out dinner after long days at work, or go out to breakfast before work. We would catch a movie or go for strolls at the mall randomly. So easy to do when you have no other priorities. We would go play tennis with friends at the park, go for walks, swims, or play video games. (yes we were teenagers). It was always exciting and it always gave us time to share our favorite activities and to talk about our days. However things change when you become parents. We moved in with my parents to save money during the pregnancy and never thought of how difficult that would be. Also, we had to get in saving mode for the addition to t...

  “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 There’s always so much you want to be able to teach your child. I wonder a lot if my teaching Is effective or if they will really remember all I say. Not only in the classroom education part of it, but in the person side of it. For them to be loving, caring, forgiven, to know truth, to stand for truth, etc.   And then there are those moments, where we learn something from our kids. And we are reassured that they are learning and my prayers for them to be able to stand up for their beliefs is working. Emmanuel, my oldest who is 6 is a little clown. He loves to talk and sing and is very outspoken.   He has always been one that I can have conversations with since he was 2. Quick to talk, quick to learn and way advanced for his years. In the past month, my husband and I have also had the privilege to be his teachers at church and go in further detail...

Just a couple minutes ago, I closed the blinds in my house because it was too sunny. A few minutes later it became as dark as night and the thunderstorm started. God has created our universe and everything in it. We all share in the natural things of life, both the sun and the rain, the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. We all experience like circumstances, but what makes us different or sets us apart is how we react to the circumstances or even how we learn to appreciate both the sun and the rain. I love this bible verse, because its always a good reminder that the sunny times are not a reward, or the rain a punishment. Both were given to all of us, good or evil. In the past couple of months I experienced sunny times. Things were going well. We were able to take the kids on our first real family vacation to Disney World, we were getting involved and meeting new people at church, my husband received a promotion and went to a corporate training, and we were even beginn...