As a Working Mom, it's always a nightmare when I have had to plan for celebrating my sons' birthdays at school. I end up having nightmares of staying up all night baking enough cupcakes for every student in their classes and wake up in a cold sweat when I realize I miscalculated the amount of cupcakes in my dream. Let's put it this way, my baking skills are not on par with the beautiful images you see on the Internet from moms who are more talented in the culinary arts. The beautiful cake above was made by one of my fellow basketball moms for my son's fourteenth birthday... When it comes to planning your kids’ birthday parties, the pressure can be overwhelming for parents. Thankfully, I'm not alone, nearly three-quarters (71%) of parents wish there was an easier way to make birthdays feel special for their kids. Wish granted—no candles required. Netflix is granting parents the ultimate birthday gift with the launch of 15 Birthdays On-Demand featurettes. Starring the … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday In Heaven, Grandma!
Today is my Grandmother's birthday and I can't help feeling sad that she is not here with us on this day every year. I think perhaps writing about her and what she meant to me will help me to feel a little bit better. Also, by talking about her here, I keep her memory alive forever even after I'm gone. That is the beautiful thing about the written word, it lasts for all eternity. Sarah Marie Walker was my maternal Grandmother. She was nicknamed Sally by her father and the name stuck through to adulthood. Her parents, Francis and Elizabeth already had a son named James when she was born and had another son, Edward, years later which made her their only daughter. Sally was raised in a devout Catholic household by her Irish mother and English father who had been forced to convert from being Protestant when he married Elizabeth. Her father was a Merchant Marine so he was away most of the time and she helped her mother with her younger brother since she was much older … [Read more...]
Let Sportime USA Plan Your Child’s Next Birthday Party! @Sportime_USA #sponsored
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sportime USA. They are sponsoring me to attend Blog Her 2013. All opinions are 100% mine. Last weekend was my son's tenth birthday and my husband and I spent a lot of time checking out different venues that cater to children's birthday parties in the New York Tri-state area. We wanted a location that catered to children and families and that had the kinds of activities that would keep my son and his friends entertained throughout the party. I remembered having gone to Sportime USA when I was a kid and I had great memories of being there so we decided to check out their website to see if they offered party packages. For those of you who are not familiar with Sportime USA, it is Westchester's premier indoor amusement center. It boasts over 150 arcade games, laser tag, rock climbing wall, 4 dimensional motion theater, bumper cars, amusement rides, batting cages, billiard tables, 3 level indoor playground and … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday Pumpkin!
February 22nd is my son's seventh birthday and I am at a complete loss as to where the last seven years have gone. I can still remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. Every single day since his birth has been filled with joy and the warmth of his love. We never really knew whether we wanted to have a second child or not. Our older son's birth had already made us feel complete and we weren't really in a rush to have another baby. It was already a lot of work managing two full-time careers between the two of us, parenting, and running a home. I guess we just figured that, if it was meant to be, it would happen. On my older son's second birthday, we had a birthday party at our house and hosted a barbecue for all our close friends and family. During the party, my husband's grandfather suffered a massive heart attack and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. We were all devastated and, that night, in our grief we decided that we had to … [Read more...]
My Birthday Confession
Today is my birthday and it is a special day for many reasons beyond the usual ones that one might think of. You see, while most people are lamenting over birthdays due to the loss of their youth, I am counting my blessings and thanking God for every year that I get to be here to see my sons grow up. While others keep their age a secret for fear of ridicule, I proudly wear my age as a testament of my strength and courage. Today is my 36th birthday and I am proud to say that I am a Survivor. Yes, I know you all feel like you are survivors in your own ways but, you see, I am the other kind of survivor. Yes, that kind. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with CML. Yes it's a Cancer, yes it's treatable, and no I am not dying. CML stands for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and it is a blood malignancy. I've had this blog for over 2 years and I have struggled with writing this post for a long time. There are many reasons for it including the fact that I believe some things are … [Read more...]