Easter Traditions

In lieu of Easter this coming weekend, Park and I worked on some new family traditions.  Yesterday, we decided to dye Easter eggs.  The other day I purchased the Paas brand kit I remember using as a child from the Dollar Store and a carton of eggs just for the day.  We hard boiled our eggs, and when they were cool enough we began dying.  Unfortunately, we came to the conclusion through trial and error that brown eggs don't pick up dye all too well.  The only colors that ended up working were blue and red...but the eggs had to sit in the dye for over an hour.  Needless to say, Park lost interest REAL fast and we had to pick up on the
decorating after dinner.

Anyways, we didn't let this get us down.  When the eggs were dry, I let Park decorate his eggs with dinosaur stickers.  I was a little worried that the stickers were too small for him to maneuver and maybe a bit to advanced to figure out.  However, he proved me wrong!  He's such a genius:)  I also think we could have used washable paints and let him paint his eggs.  That would have been really fun!  Next year...

After craft time was over, he wanted to "help" his Mommy and Daddy eat the eggs.  So he cracked the eggs, peeled them, salted them, and fed them to us.  What a day!  He did a really good job.

I also have an Easter basket that I'm going to make for Park.   I plan on putting it in his bedroom so that he can wake up on Sunday with a surprise from the Easter Bunny!  I have crayons and little cars to put in his basket as well as the usual plastic eggs.  However, I still haven't decided what to put in the eggs for his basket AND for the little Easter egg hunt we are going to do.  Uncommon Momsense's cute Mommy blog posted some good ideas for what to put inside the eggs...I'm thinking I'll do healthy snacks for the basket and money for the hunt.  Oh the days!

Have a wonderful day!

Mommy Bridget

"My Blog is Carbon Neutral"

For all you bloggers out there who care about your carbon footprint, I was sent an email about a wonderful program based out of Germany that plants trees in Northern California where fires destroyed thousands.  The trees are planted through the Arbor Foundation to offset the (gulp) carbon dioxide emissions our blogs create.  In order to have trees planted to offset your carbon emission, go to their web site and follow their 3 easy steps:

Just a few easy steps to make it green:

1. Write a blog post about the initiative + insert your favourite button
2. E-mail the link to your post to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de
3. We plant a tree for your blog in Plumas’!

What a great program!  And SO easy to do...I encourage everyone to take a moment and do so.

Thank you,

Mommy Bridget

UncommonGoods

UncommonGoods

How cute! My son would LOVE this!!!

Mommy Bridget

Our Earth Hour

I hope you joined in...what a nice excuse to hang out in peace with the ones you love!
Mommy Bridget

ksl.com - Landmarks go dark, millions unplug for Earth Hour

ksl.com - Landmarks go dark, millions unplug for Earth Hour

It worked!!!

Mommy Bridget

Tomorrow is Earth Hour

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 27th at 8:30 pm is Earth Hour. All over the world, people will be turning their lights off for one hour. This could truly be one of the most amazing "mass" world events we have ever seen. Can you imagine how much electricity would be saved if you all participated? Take pictures during this time...post them on my blog. How exciting!!


As posted by Earth Hour,

March 18, 2010
Capture the moment - Earth Hour has arrived!  
It's now a week away from Earth Hour and we want to help you prepare for the big day with a quick how-to guide to sharing your photos, videos, blog posts and tweets with us and the rest of the globe on the night.
At 8.30pm on 27 March, lights will go out for one hour all over the world and we’d love you to help capture the moment in your area. We’re going to be adding your photos and videos to the homepage of earthhour.org on the night as it happens around the world, so upload your images and videos as soon as you can.
 
Upload your photos: http://flickr.com/groups/eh2010

Upload your videos: http://www.youtube.com/group/earthhourglobal

Tweets and blog posts: use the tag '#earthhour' to help us find your post

How?

Photos
1. Upload your photos to your own Flickr account
2. Join our group: http://flickr.com/groups/eh2010
3. Add your photos to the group
4. To help us identify where they come from, please name and tag the photos with:
'Earth Hour, Earth Hour 2010, your city, your country'

Videos
1. Upload your videos to your own YouTube account
2. Add your videos to http://www.youtube.com/group/earthhourglobal
3. To help us identify where they come from, please name and tag the videos with:
'Earth Hour, Earth Hour 2010, your city, your country'

Tweets and Blog Posts

Let us know what is happening in your area and what you are doing on the night on Twitter and, if you have one, on your own blog. Use #earthhour for your tweets and tag your blog posts ‘earth hour’ so that we can easily find your posts. Follow @earthhour on Twitter to receive updates from around the globe across the duration of Earth Hour.

By following these steps, you can easily share your Earth Hour experience with the rest of the world and truly be a part of the greatest mass participation event in history.


Please consider this wonderful opportunity,
Mommy Bridget
(thanks for the heads up JB:)

"Hand Wash Cold" by Karen Maezen Miller

Karen Maezen Miller is a beautiful reminder of...simply put...ourselves. I recommend her books and her teachings to anyone.

Mommy Bridget

Safety Sheet for our Babies

I've been wanting to make an emergency/what to do/who to call sheet to put on my refrigerator for some time now.  Although we don't have sitters for Park very often (barely ever), I still think it's important to have just in case.  Today I finally did the task and I feel SO good about doing it.  So I thought I would share the list in it's bones with all of you so you can use it, fill it in with the appropriate information, and put it on your fridge too!

Mommy Bridget

Important Contact Information and Safety Sheet

In case of emergency, dial 911

Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222

Bridget’s cell phone #

Marshall’s cell phone #

Pediatrician’s phone #

Closest Relative/Contact:

Disclaimer:  If you are unable to reach either Marshall or Bridget James, I give the above person the authority to make any medical decisions for Park James in case of emergency on our behalf.

Park’s Allergies: None

What NOT to feed Park (choking reasons):

·         Popsicles

·         Whole nuts

·         Hot dogs unless it’s cut into small pieces

·         String cheese unless it’s cut into small pieces

·         Carrots

·         Grapes

Other Notes: 

·         If Park has a fever over 102 degrees F, give him 1 tsp. or 5 mL of his infant Ibuprofen.

·         If his fever is over 104 degrees F and you cannot reach either Marshall or I, call Park’s pediatrician immediately for medical advice.

Vaccines Park HAS had in case of emergency:

Domestication Mayhem

For some reason today, despite the beautiful weather, I felt like staying home and doing things around the house such as baking...not only because our bananas are more than ready to either bake with or toss into the garbage, but because I was feeling a little extra domesticated today:)  Oh, and my son LOVES to help!

As you can see, he doesn't mind one bit helping me "clean" up the mixing bowl.  Oh the days, I totally remember doing the same with my mom (love you Mom!)

I have also decided that if you are still reading this post, then you are special enough to have my secret Banana Bread recipe.  It's my grandmother's recipe that my mom made and now I make...and now you will make!  It's too good of a recipe to hang on to in secret.  If anyone eats banana bread it ought to be worth eating right!

So here it is:

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup butter
mix well
2 eggs
4 tbls. milk (I use vanilla soy milk but you can use any)
mix well
1 tsp. baking soda
3 mashed ripe bananas
mix well
opt. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups flour
mix well


Butter and flour your bread pan prior to use.  Bake mixture at 350 degrees for 50 min.  Use toothpicks to be sure the bread is done.


Enjoy and be well!!!


Mommy Bridget

Cloth Diapers vs. Disposable Diapers

After seeing some super cute cloth/reusable diapers at my friend's house yesterday, I wanted to learn more about the benefits of using cloth versus disposables on our wee ones. 

Of course there is the obvious, cloth diapers are reusable and don't end up in our landfills.  If we estimated that we change 8 diapers per day for 2 years of a child's life, that is 5,840 diapers for ONE child that will end up in our landfills.  That is A LOT.  And if we estimated how many children are in the US consuming diapers, we can safely assume that 27. 4 billion diapers are ending up in our landfills each year.  This is huge...and embarrassing that I've taken a part in such.

Of course, people will argue the hassle of cleaning cloth diapers.  It would be a bit more time consuming and a bit messier short term.  But does this outweigh the long term affects of disposables to humans and the earth?  No.  Then one can argue the cost in water used in washing the diapers as well as the electricity used to wash them in the washing machine.  But is this enough of an argument either?  With it being so minimal, I don't think so. 

Another factor of disposable diaper's long term affects to our earth is the human waste factor.  When one uses a cloth diaper, the instructions state to discard the waste directly into the toilet so, along with other human waste, it goes into the sewage system which is then treated and etc etc.  However, it's estimated that less than .5% of disposable diaper waste goes into the sewage system with the rest going into our landfills.

One more factor is cost.  The cost of cloth diapering is about 1/10th the cost of disposable diapering.  WOW! 

There is also the concerns of how safe disposable diapers are to babies' sensitive skin and health.  Disposable diapers often times contain harmful dyes, dioxin, and other bleaching agents that we would not want near our babies bums.  And yet we do and wonder why they get diaper rash!  Of course, with cloth diapers you need to attend to a dirty diaper immediately otherwise a diaper rash can occur too. 

Is it convincing to you yet?

If you aren't already using cloth diapers for your diapered babies, here are some great brands that I found to get you started:

http://www.babysorganicnursery.com/home/dp1/smartlist_59/cloth_diaper_products.html
http://www.bumgenius.com/
http://fuzzibunz.com/
http://www.clothdiaper.com
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com
http://www.heavenlyorganic.com
www.tinytush.com
(there are SO many!)

All I can tell you is I'm sold...and not sure why it has taken me this long.  I think I will order some cloth diapers today!  Can anyone recommend their favorite cloth diapers so I know which ones to purchase? Your recommendations mean the world to me:) Thank you.

Mommy Bridget

ksl.com - Iceland's eruptions could have global consequences

ksl.com - Iceland's eruptions could have global consequences

This is a good article with regards to natural disasters causing weather patterns to change. Back in the 1700's this volcano erupted, causing problems worldwide. North America experienced one of it's coldest winters on record. It will be interesting to see what will happen next with these seismic areas.

Thinning out your seedlings

If any of you gardeners have begun planting you seedlings indoors (or outdoors), you may or may not have some sprouting occurring.  If so, apparently (I say this because I am clearly a rookie) you must thin out your seedlings once they appear strong.  You do this to allow for one plant to grow healthy and strong instead of a couple fighting for nutrients and space. 

In order to do this, you need to choose the strongest growth and cut back the others at soil level so you end up with one strong seedling per container.

In the meantime as my little veggies babies await transplantation into the garden bed outside, they stay in a super sunny and warm window nice and moist in rich, fertile soil.

I am so proud of my new little seedlings.  I can't believe how fast they grow!  As stated earlier, I am a rookie at growing anything so any input or advice is much appreciated!

Mommy Bridget

Utah Clean Air Conference

 photo credit: Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News

For those of you living near Utah County, there is a Utah Clean Air Conference being held at the Utah Valley University on April 10th at 9 am.  The conference is free and open to the public.  Please see the attached flier for details.

I am planning to attend...

Mommy Bridget

Sophie Bracelet from Stella & Dot Free Giveaway -3 Days Left!!!

Just a few more days everyone until I draw for the winner of the Sophie Bracelet from Stella & Dot valued at $59.  All entries will be accepted through Sunday March 21st at midnight. 

In order to enter for the drawing, I need three things from you:

• subscribe to my blog (if you haven't yet)
• tell me the name of another piece by Stella and Dot that you like
• email me at (thecuriouscaseofmommyhood@gmail.com) your contact information should you be the chosen winner

Also, I'm going to accept 5 extra entries per person should you do any or all of the following:

• repost this on your facebook personal page
• repost this on your facebook fan page
• retweet this on your twitter page (of course, you would need to be a fan of my twitter page and me a follower of yours for me to know that you did this:)

Therefore, you could have 15 extra entries if you do all of the above.
Again, all entries will be accepted through Sunday, March 21st at midnight.  The winner will be notified via email the following day.

Good luck to you all...this is a beautiful piece!

Mommy Bridget

Spring is Here, Time to Start the Seedlings

I am so excited about spring being here (as if it isn't obvious enough with my daily babble about that fact) not only because hello, the warm weather in Utah is on its way but because for the first year ever, I am going to embark on a new adventure...vegetable gardening!!!  This is not to take away my weekly visits to the local farmer's markets nor is it to replace my commitment to buying and supporting locally, but it's going to hopefully not only save us a little money but also ensure that my veggies ARE organic.  In addition, I'm hoping that having veggies readily available will increase our healthy food intake because let's face it, we don't always choose the better to eat:)

So here in Utah, if you want to grow a vegetable garden from seed you need to start now if you haven't already.  In the last week, I've begun this task.  I purchased organic seeds and organic soil good for growing vegetables. Although buying organic is more costly than the alternative, I gratefully have a ton of seed left over for next year's harvest. 

I can't wait to see the little guys grow!  This was actually so much fun for me to do and Park loves to help me water them.  I have them sitting in a window that stays bright most of the time.

In addition, we are planning a raised garden bed.  We are gathering the supplies we need to hopefully, HOPEFULLY, build in the next couple of weekends (pending my very busy husband;)  I have a few fantastic web sites to help us with the construction details: 

http://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Raised-Planting-Bed
http://erincovert.wordpress.com/2008/03/15/how-to-build-a-raised-organic-vegetable-garden-planting-bed-part-one/
http://www.casasugar.com/DIY-Build-Your-Own-Garden-Box-1550067   (thanks Jenny!)

One more thing, we are also beginning to compost.  Yay!!!  I can't believe it has taken me this long to start but in my defense, I've been waiting for a house with a proper yard for such.  This compost will be rich and fertile to help my veggies grow (probably not this summer but for years to come).  Below is a good source for a basic introduction to composting:

http://vegweb.com/composting/                                                     

Just another day workin' on a sustainable life:)  Ok...more later.  Wish us luck!!!

Mommy Bridget

ksl.com - Sierra Club praises EPA for ozone rules

ksl.com - Sierra Club praises EPA for ozone rules

Amen!

My New Favorite Dish

I just had to repost this recipe as it was a big hit with my family last night.  This is a recipe I saw on another Mommy blogger's page (also one of my favorites) called Uncommon Momsense.  I tried to repost the recipe directly but was unable to so see the attached link for the full recipe.

Pine Nut Spinach Orzo

 Here are the ingredients in the dish.  It's super simple and vegetarian which I was happy about since I'm trying really hard to make really tasty meals that don't include meat.  I am not a vegetarian but let's face it, our country consumes way too much of it and it's not healthy.  So anyways, the recipe calls for Orzo pasta, pine nuts, spinach, olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and salt and pepper.

And this is what my finished product looked like right before I ate two bowls of it!  It is SO yummy...I highly recommend this dish.



To see the full recipe, click on the title to my post or go to www.uncommonmomsense.com and go to her recipe tab.  You'll find more great recipes on it as well.

Enjoy!!!
Mommy Bridget

Method Baby

I just discovered my absolutely new favorite household cleaning item...

It's Method Baby's brand of squeaky green dryer cloths.   They smell so yummy...like rice milk and coconut. 

My usual fabric softener seems to be clogging up the softener compartment in my washing machine and after 3 fruitful attempts at cleaning it and retrying the softener, I decided to give up my old favorite laundry smell and search for another option.  Yesterday at Whole Foods I found these dryer cloths on sale for $4.99 and decided to give them a try.  Like I said, yummy!!!  And even though they are technically made for washing and drying baby clothes, we are going to use them for all of our laundry.

Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

Mommy Bridget

Couch Fort

With Salt Lake City's winter snow accumulation we received over the weekend, our family was forced to get creative keeping Park busy and happy. Marshall had an idea...  He said that as a child, he used to make this to play in.

Marshall calls it a couch fort.  Basically, you take the couch cushions and prop them up to make walls.  Then, you use blankets to hold the cushions in place and make a roof.

Park loved it.  Can you tell we have a happy boy???

Now the only problem is he always wants to make a couch fort.  Needless to say, our couch is permanently in shambles.  But that's okay!!!  As long as the little guy is happy, we are happy:)

Mommy Bridget

ksl.com - Experts say buying local and organic food boosts economy

ksl.com - Experts say buying local and organic food boosts economy

Shop local and organic if you can...it's so much better for you! I'm pleased to see this on our news:)

Are C-Sections Too Common? NIH Panel on Lowering Cesarean Birth Rates - ABC News

Are C-Sections Too Common? NIH Panel on Lowering Cesarean Birth Rates - ABC News

Rockabye Baby

I came across an article in a baby magazine advertising music CD's for babies and their parents and was reminded of how awesome of a gift this was for us when we received it to enjoy (thank you Chelsea!!!)  We absolutely love the Led Zeppelin album we received and so I felt I had to recommend them to all of you.  The collection is called Rockabye Baby! and they have music artists from Queen, AC DC, The Beatles, The Pixies, U2, Green Day, and Led (short for Led Zeppelin:)  These rock!  When you go to their web site you can stream the different tunes.  It's like rockin' lullaby music for everyone in the house. 

Have a rockin' spledid day,

Mommy Bridget

In With Your Old

As spring is approaching, I've found myself shedding our house of unused items, clothes that don't fit, blankets we don't need or use, toys that Park has outgrown, and old television sets.  I hate clutter and I think (Mom, correct me if I'm wrong) that I have a bad habit of hanging on to items that I will never use again.  Therefore, spring cleaning is a must!  All items go into a spot in the garage to await their monthly pick up which is SO great.  Pick up?  Yes, I said pick up. 

When I first received a notice from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, notifying us of a pick up day in my neighborhood,  I looked at the list of items they were looking for for donation and thought, Yes!  I have so many items I want to get rid of to someone who really needs them and how great that I they come to ME to pick them up!  And so it began.

All too often, people in America get lazy and throw out unwanted items which end up as waste in our landfills.  Books, clothes, bedding, baby clothes, toys...these are all things that are wanted and desparately needed across the globe.  Why not take a minute out of your day and give your old items to someone who needs them?  So next time you are getting rid of household items, contact an organization in your area and donate them.  Popular organizations that accept donations include:

•  Big Brothers Big Sisters
• American Red Cross
• Humane Society
• public church organizations
• public schools often times hold donation drives
• local homeless shelters
• Boys and Girls Clubs
• Toys for Tots

Remember:  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Donate!

Mommy Bridget

Fending off the Sniffles

This morning I found myself feeling a bit better, most notably due to the full day of rest I had yesterday while my husband looked after Park most of the day (thank you Marsh!!!).  I wish, on the other hand, that I could say the same for Park.  Although his spirits are up, his nose is flowing like the Colorado River.  Every time he sneezes I reach for a towel because a meazly little tissue won't do. 

Forced by the will of my son's and my health, we left to make a run to the store. Park and I and coupons in hand (which I forgot to give to the cashier, go figure) made our usual Monday trip for necessities.  In addition to our usual meal groceries, we picked up the following to help with the stuffy noses:  

• cayenne pepper and chilli powder 
• green tea
• probiotics
• 2 boxes of super soft tissue paper

Reason being...I know there isn't a whole lot we can do to get over a cold virus, but there are very simple things that will aid your body in the fight.  The cayenne pepper and chilli powder is going into the Jumbalaya I'm making for dinner tomorrow.  Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which in addition to many other health benefits it helps clear plugged sinuses and congested lungs.  The green tea is first, a replacement for the coffee I'm addicted to every morning.  It's so much better for you so I'm going to supplement the tea for the coffee for a while.  But green tea also packs a major antioxidant punch.  It may also shorten the duration and severity of the cold virus and the flu.  The third item, our probiotics, is simply a part of our daily routine.  Along with so many benefits, taking a daily probiotic is also linked to boosting immunity.

And so it goes...wish us luck.

As for the rest of the day, it's going to be just that...REST.  (While sipping on some green tea of course;)

Hope you are all feeling great and happy Monday,

Mommy Bridget

Another Free Giveaway Beginning Today

Hello everybody!  I am starting another free giveaway on my blog today and this one is super special.  It's the Sophie bracelet in black from Stella and Dot, which retails for $59.  Be a super sleek and stylin' woman in this pretty accessory.

In order to enter for the drawing, I need three things from you:

• subscribe to my blog (if you haven't yet)
• tell me the name of another piece by Stella and Dot that you like
• email me at (thecuriouscaseofmommyhood@gmail.com) your contact information should you be the chosen winner

Also, I'm going to accept 5 extra entries per person should you do any or all of the following:

• repost this on your facebook personal page
• repost this on your facebook fan page
• retweet this on your twitter page (of course, you would need to be a fan of my twitter page and me a follower of yours for me to know that you did this:)

Therefore, you could have 15 extra entries if you do all of the above.
All entries will be accepted through Sunday, March 21st at midnight.  The winner will be notified via email the following day.


Good luck!

Mommy Bridget

Taking a Sick Day

The nose is running faster than I can catch up with it...due to some unwanted germs into my home, I'm regretfully sick as a dog and cannot think of a damn thing to write about.  Or, to put it better, with my clogged mind and lack of energy I refuse the attempt.

I hope your weekend is swell,

Mommy Bridget

Oh the Smell of Sweet...SNOW?

The last week in Salt Lake City was a perfect display of the late winter's mild weather condition with temperatures in the 40's and 50's and the boom of people beginning to emerge outdoors. I was so glad to see the weather was kind while my mother visited. It was a good vacation from her usual sub-zero temperatures and frigid conditions of the North. We definitely spent sometime outdoors, running around the yard with Park, playing in sandboxes, and cleaning up the yard from winter's debris. We had beautiful days to say the least.


But after delivering Grandma back to the airport, I noticed a cool breeze kicking in.  A bit of rain here and there followed by large gusts of colder air in the afternoon.  Then, as I emerged from bed this morning...I opened up our back door to let the dogs out and this is what I discovered.

Winter Willie is still here.  Good thing I pulled out my patio furniture...I hope it's water proof!   

I'm not really complaining though.  It's obvious we need the moisture (in case you didn't get the picture...that's Park's hair standing up with static).




Mommy Bridget

Staying Patient

Staying Patient

Good ideas when dealing with a toddler tantrum...

ksl.com - Home births up nationwide; Utah in top 10

ksl.com - Home births up nationwide; Utah in top 10

I believe it...I keep hearing about more and more home births around here. How special!

Mommy Bridget

The Dangers Lurking Amidst Bath Toys

I watched this story this morning and felt it VERY important to repost. I urge you all to watch this..it's short but very informational.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How do you feel about your bath toys now? To those of you whose children suffer from eczema and think it's purely dry skin or an allergy...this is a possible alternative cause for it.

Mommy Bridget

Vitamin D and Your Autoimmunity

Thanks to my friend Lena for forwarding this information to me on the importance of Vitamin D and your immune system.  I can't stress how important it is for everyone to have adequate Vitamin D intake...

Don't worry...Grandma is here

On Saturday, we were so lucky to have my Momma grace us with her presence here in Salt Lake.  Living 1000 miles away from one another gets to be so difficult at times...thank goodness for phones!  But a couple of times a year, my mother willingly hops on a jet plane and coasts on down this way to spend some time together.  It's so exciting to have her here.  We get to spend tons of time together doing fun things like eating out and shopping:)  While shopping and dining is fun and exciting, I found the most fulfilling times we have with each other are doing simple things like cooking dinner, chatting over coffee in our pj's, going for walks, and most of all, watching the relationship and close bond my son shares with my own Mommy.  There is nothing like a Grandmother's love for her grandchildren. 

Lately, Park seems to be going through a stage of stranger anxiety.  Wait no, not only with strangers, pretty much with everyone who isn't me or is Daddy. It has been a bit of a surprise and at times a struggle when he sees someone walk in the door he has known is whole life and hides his face (or hits me) because he is no longer comfortable.  But the minute my Mom walked through our door (or actually got into our car from the airport), Park and her have been inseparable.  He sure loves his Grandma!

Yesterday, at 9:45 am Park was playing with his train in his playroom which is next to the room Grandma is staying in.  While my Mom lay in her bed reading a book, my son ventured in and climbed onto the bed to say hello.  He played with her feet for a minute, thinking it was funny to grab them while they were under the blanket.  Then, and to my mom's surprise, Park laid down next to her, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. 

My Mom came up the stairs and in a quiet voice said I think Park is asleep on my bed!  Stunned, I had to go down the stairs to see for myself.  Sure enough, Park was fast asleep.  And he slept for 2 hours.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me anymore when Park does things such as this for my Mom that he's never done for me...she did raise 4 children.  But the capacity with which Park feels so comfortable with my Mom despite our distance and relative infrequency of visits is surprising to me...to say the least.

We are so blessed to have family.  There is nothing like sharing our young families with our own parents, brothers, and sisters what it truly means to be family and to have one another.

Mommy Bridget