1. Be yourself. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Don't listen to people who try to make you into something you are not. Go against the current.


2. You are better than no one and no one is better than you. “A person's a person, no matter how small.” It is important to remember that no matter how big your wallet becomes that without someone willing to pick up the trash we would all drown in our own waste.


3. Care deeply about something other than yourself. Our world is self centered. It's all about what can I do for me. How can I get ahead. Promise me that you will take time to realize that IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”


4. Life is less about what happens and more about how you react. "I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” Don't sit around wallowing in self pity. Take action. If you don't like your life, change it. If you don't like your job, do something else. If life deals you a bad hand, play it through the best you can.


5. Make your own path. Don't be a follower. Be a leader. Don't settle. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."


6. Don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh a lot. Make friends with people who bring out the best in you. “I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”


7. Never stop reading. When we read we stimulate parts of our brain that can't be touched any other way. It helps us to learn better, to communicate better and to just be better. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”


8. Life goes by pretty fast. To paraphrase Ferris, if you don't stop and look around you might miss it. Remember that no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Live in the present. “How did it get so late so soon?"


9. There is someone out there just for you. Don't worry if it takes awhile to find them. You'll know when you do. “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”


10. Keep your eyes open. Opportunities are all around you. “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut"


11. Life is a series of memories. Some will be good. Some will be not so good. The important thing to remember is that without these memories, without these experiences we wouldn't be the people we are today. “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"

No matter where life takes us, I will always be your number one fan. I love you, Middle G. Happy Birthday!!!

Dear Oldest G,

It's that time of the year again. 

The time of the year when I reflect on how fast time really does fly.  The time of the year when I try not to think of all the things I've probably done wrong as we journey through parenthood together.

It's the time of the year when we celebrate the day you came into our lives and changed everything.

At 2:25 a.m. you will officially be a teenager.  I don't think I'm ready.  The thought makes me feel old.  I can't possibly be old enough to have a teenage daughter.  Can I?

While I was certain last February that you would be taller than me come your 13th birthday, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm just a little bit glad that you're not.  Granted, we are eye level and the likelihood that you grow taller than my 5'2 frame this summer is strong.  For now, I'm holding on tight to that last little reminder that you are my baby.

Those sweet wispy curls are all but gone.  Those chubby cheeks have vanished.  You seldom call me mommy, though every now and then it slips out.  Your voice is no longer childish and is often mistaken for mine.  Sometimes I am bewildered by how quickly your body went from child to young adult. 

It is hard to believe that in five short years you will be leaving for college.  There are so many things that I am looking forward to teaching you and so many things I am afraid of your learning.

I look forward to teaching you to drive, yet I am afraid that once you learn you may no longer want to come back.  I look forward to meeting the boy that wins your heart but fear you may have to have it broken a few times before you find him.  I've imagined your graduation.  I've seen your wedding.  In my mind, I've held your baby.

My advice to you is to savor the little things because that old saying about them being the big things really is true.  Visit the ocean whenever you can.  Put your feet in the sand.  Eat cheesecake.  Laugh as often as possible.  Surround yourself with people who feed your mind and your soul and avoid those who don't. 

Find something you love and learn how to get paid to do it.  If that's not possible, continue to do what you love even if you can't make a living at it. 

Never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.   You might be surprised where that will take you. 

Will you accomplish all you set out to do?  The odds are against that but don't get discouraged.  Maybe what you thought was a wrong turn was just a different path.

Most importantly, always treat others they way you want to be treated, even when they may not be treating you that way.  Remember that you are better than no one and no one is better than you.

All my love,

Mom

Dear Middle G.

Today you are 10.  Double digits.  It is hard to believe that you will soon be in the fifth grade.  I feel like I am holding the fleeting moments of your childhood in my hands and like sand they are quickly running through my fingers. 

Like I do ever year, I will attempt to offer you some life advice.  Advice that I'm sure will mean little to you until you have a child of your own. 

• Few Friendships last forever.  Lately there has been A LOT of girl drama in your life.  It is hard for me to keep track of who you like and who you don't like.  Who is fighting with who and who is friends with whom.  Friends will come into your life and friends will go.  Only a few will forever remain.  The trick is knowing when to hold on and when to let go.
• School matters.  I know you think that spelling is useless and that math is often difficult, but trust me it is worth the effort.  No matter your age, force yourself to learn something new.  Step out of your comfort zone and try something different.
• Be the friend you want to have.  I think I read this on a fortune cookie once and it makes a lot of sense.  Listen to what your friends are saying.  Offer to help them when you can.  Make them laugh often.  You will be surprised how quickly they will return the favor.
• Screaming and crying never help.  If you get lost, don't cry.  If you are stuck in a bus, don't sit around and scream.  If you can't find your car keys, swearing won't help.  (Okay, that last one was for me.)  What I'm trying to say is life is gonna throw you some curve balls, it is better to swing with your eyes open than to close them and start to cry.
• Figure out your passion.  Everyone has a gift.  Everyone has a purpose.  Figure out what yours is and pursue it.  Some people are lucky enough to get paid for their passion and others have to supplement their income.  But either way, never give up on your passion, be it art, music, teaching or inventing, find a way to incorporate it into your life.

As of today, your future plans include becoming an artist or a rock star and living in Chicago.  I'm sure if I ask you next month these plans could be different.  One thing I know for sure, no matter where life takes you, I will always be your Number #1 fan!  Cheering you on!

Happy 10th Birthday, Middle G.

All my love,

Mom (formerly known as mommy)

Dear Oldest G,

On your birthday it has become a sort of tradition for me to articulate to you some random words of wisdom.  It is my hope that one day you will look back on some of these blog posts and smile.  Perhaps they will mean something to you.

Twelve years ago today I was exhausted, overwhelmed and terrified.  I was about to be released from the hospital with you.  Your dad and I were young and entirely on our own.  Your grandparents were all at least six hours away.  Your aunts were even farther. 

Daddy took five days off of work and we decided that for those five days we were just gonna try to figure out what life as a family of three meant to us.

Nursing was foreign and I was convinced you were starving to death.  You made so many different noises.  You were never really completely quiet.  We were at a loss as to why you were crying.  We weren't sure if you should be using more or less diapers.  We had many conversations about your bowel movements, when your umbilical cord would fall off and whether or not you had thrush.

For a while, Daddy and I forgot how to talk about anything but you.

The funny thing is I can't believe that more than 12 years have gone by.  Often times I still feel at a loss.  I still feel terrified.  I still wonder if you are eating what you should.  I still can't figure out all the things that make you cry.

You are no longer that little baby who needed me endlessly.  Nor are you that toddler who said funny words and was obsessed with Blue's Clues.  You are an adolescent, soon-to-be a middle schooler.  Your looks are changing, your body is changing.  I have no doubt that before this time next year you will be taller than your 5'2 mom.

It has been a privilege to watch you grow these last 12 years.  I realize that over the next few years our relationship is going to be a swinging pendulum full of emotion.  For many of those years you will value the opinions of your friends more than you value mine.  I want to say that I'm ready for this.  That I know whole-heartedly that I can face anything that comes my way.

But to tell you the truth I'm as scared about these next few years as I was the first day I tried to safely secured you into your car seat.

It is my hope for you that you will always be true to yourself and to your beliefs.  That you will not let those around you sway you from your core values.  That you will always give faith a fighting chance.  That you follow your passion and figure out a way to earn a living doing it.  That you will treat others the way you want to be treated.  That family means something to you.

That you will surround yourself with an inner circle that will always be there for you and that you remember, it is not the quantity of your friends, it is the quality.

Always there for you,

Mom