Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!!

Last year I wrote down my goals for the year:
Updating my blog more reguarly. : )
Joining the gym at Frankie's school and going at least 4 times a week!
Walking outside on good weather days.
Eating healthy!!
Figuring out a part time job for next fall
Finding happiness in each day, even when it is hard!

I will continue to blog more, exercise and eat healthy. I have a part time substitute teaching job, and I am still exploring possibilities for a more permanent position.

I have been better at finding happiness in each day, lately! I truly enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family. I have really loved spending time with my kids off from school and doing fun activities and just hanging out at home playing games and baking!

So my goals for 2012:
Exercise, eat healthy and reach a healthy weight!
Continue to find a part time job.
Think of myself less, and others more!
Help other people who are less fortunate.
Be patient, kind and forgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am most thankful for:

My precious family; John, Lizzy and Frankie! They bring me joy everyday and it is an honor to be a mom.

My parents for helping me become the person I am today and for all they still do.

John's family for becoming my 2nd family.

All of my friends, who have become like my family!

My 3 God daughters; Jessica, Michelle and Carly.

My new job, I love to teach children.

Thank you to God!

Off to Kindergarten!

Wow, that was hard for me to send Frankie off to Kindergarten, on the bus! I didn't cry, as I thought I would, but the tears are forming as I write this! The last child going to "big kid", full day school is tough, and I will miss him and Lizzy.

The past few years have been rough for our family, but I have learned that time is precious and to enjoy each moment with my children!

So a few back-to-school bits of advice. : )

Spend some time really enjoying your children each day; playing games, reading, walking, biking, to name a few.

Really listen to them and what they have to say about their day.

Enjoy the moment, try not to worry about the dishes, bills, laundry; at least for a little while.

Try to schedule in "fun time", that isn't rushing to a sport, activity and where you can just "hang out" with your kids.

Remember that the time does go by so fast and they will only be this particular age for a short time, enjoy it!!

Park-a-Palooza

I read this idea of a "park-a-palooza" in a magazine last summer and loved it! It entails mapping out playgrounds, in the same general area, and then "playground hopping" all day!!

Last year we mapped out playgrounds in Brookline, and played at 7 or 8 of them. We went with the kids' cousins, and fun was had by all. It was a cooler day, so we did not do any of the sprinkler parks, but played on the structures, rolled down a big hill and walked through a rose garden. We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed playgrounds in the beautiful weather of Labor Day weekend!

This year, we choose Labor Day weekend again for park-a-palooza and went to Cambridge! It was a much warmer day, so the kids wore their bathing suits and had fun at many of the sprinkler parks! We again visited about 7 parks, had a picnic and enjoyed many unusual pieces of equipment. One of the playgrounds had a huge climbing structure with a tunnel slide coming down. Another had a seesaw that was quite tall and had weights to balance the 2 people. : )

My sister-in-law has started a website with ratings on playgrounds, pictures, etc! www.playgroundpalooza.com

The Beauty of the Vioiln

The bow gliding over the violin, producing a melodious sound, reminds me of my childhood. My grandfather, "Pa", played the violin since he was a boy, and I remember hearing him play when I was young. It was always so mesmerising and brought me a feeling of contentment. He didn't bring it out too often, so it was a special treat.

Friday, Elizabeth had her violin recital at the Westwood High School, where she and the other students each played a solo. She played "Bingo", and did very well. All the children were impressive in their skills, some playing a solo for the first time. Others songs included, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" and "Snake Charmer". The finale, which included all the students, was "Frere Jacques". I was impressed, as always, with how well each student does, and how much hard work takes place to prepare.

Elizabeth's violin teacher puts in a lot of hard work all year, as well. I could see her routing for each student and willing them to hit each note! After the recital, everyone brought snacks and enjoyed the food and the good company!

As I was sitting listening to all these young students play, I was taken back to my childhood and thought of Pa playing his violin all those years ago. Since he has passed away, it is comforting to have Elizabeth playing to remind me of those wonderful memories.

If you get a chance to see a Westwood musical performance, please do. I have been impressed with all the concerts I have attended. There will be an "All Strings" concert on Wednesday, June 1st at 7 p.m. at Westwood High School.

Westwood PMC Kids Ride!!

Wow, what a great morning! The rain held off for the 4th annual Westwood PMC kids ride! Over 500 kids came to ride and raised over $48,000 for the Dana Farber and Jimmy Fund clinic for cancer patients and research!! This is such a great accomplishment for these kids!

My children, Elizabeth, 9 and Frankie, 5 rode their bikes today! Elizabeth did the 6 mile ride and Frankie did the 1 mile, with the second lap all on his own. : ) They collectively raised $500.

From the moment the Star Spangled Banner is played, I start to get choked up by how much everyone cares! It is amazing to see so many people come together for a common cause to help other people; and hopefully soon, we will live in a world without cancer. My aunt passed away from a brain tumor a year ago, and I think of her every day. The kids wanted to ride in her momory, as well as riding in honor of Mrs. Moody, Martha Jones School librarian.

Elizabeth said the bike ride was fun, the popsicles were good too. : ) She was impressed that there were so many people, and raising over $48,000 made her happy. She thought it was extra special that the kids were riding for Mrs. Moody, too.

Frankie also said the ride was good and had a lot of people. He liked riding his bike and seeing the kids on the obstacles course as he came back!

Now that the rain is pouring down, I am happy so many people were able to ride this morning and get that much closer to a cure!! Thank you to all!!

New Westwood Patch post!!

I have started blogging on Westwood Patch,

http://westwood.patch.com/blog_posts/kindergarten-orientation
This is my first post there, just a bit revised from my Kindergarten post on here!

Let me know what you think!

Kindergarten Orientation

On Friday, Frankie and I went to Kindergarten orientation! I remember going 4 years ago with Lizzy, with Frankie in tow in his stroller, throwing Cheerios on the floor. : ) Really does not seem that long ago!!

He was excited to go and lined up with the other kids to walk to the classroom, while the parents went to the library. He looked so small to me, still my baby. : ) But he went right along happily. When we did go to the classrooms, he was happily playing with 2 other boys in teh block area. He was talking to them and the teacher, initiating play with them. Makes me so happy, he has come so far socially!

We then got a tour of the school; library, other K classroom, lunchroom, gym, etc. Finally we got to go on the bus and look around. He had been on the day before with his O&M teacher, so he showed me where he would sit, and the emergency exit.

Great visit, but I know I will be sad to see him go off to school, come September!

Frankie is 5!!!

Happy birthday to my sweet boy!! I cannot believe it was 5 years ago yesterday that he was born! We enjoyed the day by opening his gifts, early, and then going to Toys R Us for a special birthday balloon and crown, and picking another toy! He also got his own library card, now that he is a big kid!

He asked for a special meal of turkey burgers and helped me make and decorate cupcakes with soccer balls!

Tomorrow is Kindergarten orientaion for my big boy, so it is quite a week! He is growing up, but he still likes to come sit on my lap! : )

Washington DC for kids!

Our family recently took a trip to Washington, DC, what fun!! We broke up the trip both ways, which helped us all with the long ride! On the way down, we stayed overnight with friends in central Jersey. Then we all headed out the next day, our first stop in Philly to see the Liberty Bell. We then had a quick stop in Delaware and lunch in Baltimore at the Inner Harbor. We really enjoyed walking around there and touring the ships and submarine. : )

Once in DC, we did a lot of walking to see many places in 3 days! Since Frankie was still 4, we brought the umbrella stroller and he used it, a lot! The kids loved the Smithsonian museums, especially the Air and Space, American history and Natural history. We also did the Native American museum and a few art museums.

We had a tour of the capitol, which we arranged ahead of time through our senator. We were a bit late in requesting the White House tour, so we could only look at it from afar. We also toured the supreme court, and saw the various monuments; Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Vietnam, etc.

We took the Metro 2 mornings; once to the Arlington National Cemetery and once to the National Shrine. Arlington is just so humbling, seeing how many people have given their lives for our freedom today. We saw Kennedy's grave and the eternal flame. I have a great picture of Frankie with his camera taking a picture of Robert Kennedy's grave, brings tears to my eyes. The National Shrine was also so moving and just amazing to see and walk through. We just toured around on our own and it was beautiful.

All in all a great family vacation! The weather in April was beautiful too!

NOAH Bowl-a-thon 2011

We had our annual bowl-a-thon yesterday to benefit NOAH and people with albinism, like Frankie! We had 45 people come to Ryan Family Amusements in Millis, MA! Five people total; 4 children including Frankie and 1 adult with albinism came.

Everyone had a fun time bowling, playing arcade games and eating pizza and cookies! As always, it is always nice to talk with others who have albinism or have children with albinism. The camaraderie of friends and family bowling together for a common cause is a great feeling!

School Vacation week events!

So I am still sad and not feeling great, trying to see many doctors in the next few weeks; but the kids were off from school and I wanted to have fun with them and make sure they had an enjoyable week!

The weekend started out with Coco Key Water Resort in Danvers. The kids loved the lazy river, waterslides, and pools!! We stayed over and got to swim and play for 2 days!

On Monday we went snow shoeing at Gore Place in Waltham! We had never tried it before and it was so much fun! Lizzy and Frankie both enjoyed it, we walked for about 45 minutes and then came in for hot cocoa!

Sky Zone! trampoline park in Hyde Park was also quite fun for the kids! They jumped for 1/2 hour in the hugs trampoline and they could even jump off the wall!

We love skating at Larz Anderson park in Brookline, and again did it this week! We love skating outside!

Then we had our annual bowl-a-thon, post to follow later!

Sad

I got to go down to NJ with John for Pa's wake and funeral. It was comforting to see the family, especially my mom.
Pa was in the air force, so he had a military funeral and 2 air force men were there and folded the flag and presented it to my mom. One then played Taps. It was very moving.
I am feeling especially sad that Grandma and Pa are now both gone. I know they are in a better place and I will see them again some day. But it is still very sad. Just so many family members dying not so far apart is taking it's toll. Coupled with my health issues, it has been a lot. The kids are off of school this week, so I want to make it a fun week for them, so I will try my best. But I really just feel sad.

Miss you, Pa!

My grandpa died on Sunday morning, at his house, in his own bed. He had been in hospice, but he had just came home on Wednesday, and was so happy to be home. I am glad he got to be at home and now is "home" with Grandma. I miss them both so much.

Pa was always dressing up in funny get-ups to make us all laugh. I remember him dressing up in bicycle shorts, and us all laughing at his skinny legs. : ) Or himdoing funny dances with us, playing his harmonica. He also was a great violin player and I loved to hear him play that. We are going to use Lizzy toy violin in his casket, she was happy to give it.

I feel blessed that I had so many years to spend with Pa and Grandma; and they were such a big part of my life and got to know my kids! I will miss them always, I do have so many happy memories!

Thankful Thursday!

I bought a journal today to write my thankful thoughts each day. I will share once in a while. : )

Colette coming to play with Frankie!
Lizzy really enjoying her skating!
Talking with Mom. : )
Warm peaches with cinnamon.
Getting special Valentine's gifts for the kids, God-daughters, neices and nephews.

Transition to Kindergarten!!

We had Frankie's annual EIP meeting last week, and the transition to kindergarten part, as well! First, I have to say I cannot believe he will be starting kindergarten in the fall!! How fast time goes and I feel sad that my "baby" will be in school all day, and riding the bus. : )

The meeting went quite well! He will continue with his TVI services and O&M. He will be using his cane more, to and from the bus, which makes me a little sad. He will also get a special ed. teacher in his classroom a few times a week to help him in the class, which I was happy about.

There will also be services in place to keep him safe. He will have someone helping on and off the bus, navigating the halls, lunch and recess.

So it feels good to have the services in place, but bittersweet that he needs them at all!

Thankful Thursday!

Dinner at Vellos with the kids and friends!
Getting Frankie's IEP finalized and questions answered.
Frankie playing and having fun with his friends. : )
My warm house.

My blog featured on Specialchildren.about.com!!

I posted the article, earlier in the week, about the Roy family who is trying to get an American Girl doll made with albinism! Frankie and Kalli met each other at Perkins school a few years back and we had gone to the Big Apple Circus with them, as well.

Please consider writing a letter and sending it to vote4kalli@gmail.com

Here is the post from specialchildren.about.com that mentions the family and my blog post about them!!

http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2011/01/06/girls-lobbying-for-american-girl-doll-with-albinism.htm?r=et

Terri's Special Children Blog
By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide since 2004
Girls Lobbying for American Girl Doll With Albinism
Thursday January 6, 2011
Get Involved: How cool would an American Girl doll with albinism be? One Massachusetts family is trying to find out. According to a post on the blog Parenting, Albinism and Boston Kids' Activities, Kalli Roy would like to have a customized doll just like her sisters do, but because she has albinism, that's going to involve a little more than selecting from the usual hair and eye color choices. Her sisters have started a letter-writing campaign to get the American Girl company to create a doll for Kalli and others like her -- a doll that could also send the message that kids with albinism are just kids, not some evil character from a movie. If you'd like to join their campaign, the blog post suggests sending your letter to vote4kalli@gmail.com.

What I Like about Winter

Hot chocolate
Fires in the fireplace; watching them, hearing the crackle and feeling the warmth!
Playing games with the kids by the fire!
Snuggling
Hot chocolate
Ice skating
Playing in the snow and coming in to hot chocolate with marshmallows
Ice skating competitions for Lizzy
Frankie shoveling
Selling Girl Scout cookies
Eating GS cookies!
Baking
Making warm meals!
Soup
Reading in bed where it's warm

Send a Letter to American Girl!!

We have met Kalli at Perkins, she is Frankie's age! Please consider writing a letter, Lizzy is working on hers now!


January 5, 2011

Salem sisters work to 'cure ignorance'
By Jillian Jorgensen
jjorgensen@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Wed Jan 05, 2011, 12:16 AM EST


SALEM — Kalli Roy's two older sisters have American Girl dolls customized to look just like them. But getting one for Kalli is more difficult than picking out the right facial details from the doll catalog.

Kalli, 4, has albinism, an inherited genetic condition that means she has little or no pigment in her eyes, skin or hair. Her eyes appear violet and her vision is impaired, but that didn't stop her from sprinting around her house one recent evening.

Her sisters, Kaila, 10, and Kiana, 8, got the idea to ask the American Girl company to make a doll that looks like their sister. But their request isn't just so their sister could have a familiar toy.

They want "to cure ignorance," Kaila said.

The dolls come with books telling the tales of pre-teens from various points in history through the modern day. The girls hope a "Kalli Frances" doll and book would educate those who sometimes stare at Kalli or make mean comments.

At a summer camp, Kiana and Kaila were playing with a boy they had just met. They asked if he wanted to play with their sister, too.

"He said, 'No, she's a freak. She doesn't look like us. We can't play with her,'" Kiana said.

"Did I cry?" Kalli asked, from the other side of the table.

Kiana told Kalli she didn't cry, because she hadn't heard the exchange.

"What do you say when people stare at you or say bad things?" the girls' mother, Tricia, asked Kalli.

"I'm fabulous," Kalli replied.

The girls decided to contact American Girl on their own, Tricia Roy said, and the company urged them to send in a letter about their little sister. But Kaila and Kiana had bigger ideas.

"We didn't want to just send in two or three letters from the family," Kiana said.

So, the two of them approached their principal at Lancaster School to see if they could ask fellow students to write letters. The school went above and beyond, Tricia Roy said, bringing in guidance counselors to talk to each class about albinism and then letting students write letters to the company during lunch. Kalli went to the school that day to answer questions from students.

"We had over 40 letters from the school and staff," Kiana said.

Tricia Roy also posted the girl's mission on Facebook and message boards for people with albinism, their families and friends. She has received letters from people nationwide and even outside the country.

"Everyone stares at Kalli and if we make an American Girl doll, it'll help them answer the questions that they're too afraid to ask because they think they're too personal," Kiana said.

But the doll could help people understand that Kalli is, with some slight help, able to live like any other 4-year-old. She uses a walking stick, and has to wear sunblock and sunglasses whenever she's outside.

But she goes to the beach with the help of a full-body bathing suit and a sun hat, and can run throughout her own home because she's memorized where everything is.

"She's smart as a whip and runs through life like any 4-year-old," Tricia Roy said.

She dances and is learning gymnastics from Kiana. She also is learning to play the piano.

"She played "Jingle Bells" in the Christmas recital," Roy said.

Just seconds later, Kalli was gone in a bright blur and "Jingle Bells" was coming from the piano a few rooms over. That's the Kalli her sisters want people to know — a girl who can do just about anything and is fun to be around, rather than some of the preconceived notions about albinism.

"All the movies that have a person with albinism, they show them being evil," Kaila said.

And for Kalli, who uses the term "sunglass kid" rather than albino to describe herself, the idea of having a doll like her is a pretty great one.

As her mother asked what a Kalli Frances doll would come with, Kalli ticked off some of her own accessories: a bright yellow dress, sunglasses, a walking stick, "a bathing suit like mine and beach socks."

Father Dave said his daughters are like second mothers.

"What's really nice is they include her in everything," he said.

And their mother has already told the girls it isn't about the end result. Even if the doll never gets made, they've already raised awareness in their school and in their community, among the people Kalli will know as she grows up.

That will help make Kalli's interactions with people easier, Tricia Roy said, even if it doesn't completely cure ignorance as they've hoped.

"What they're asking for from the world, I don't know if it'll ever really happen," Tricia Roy said. "But just knowing they think it's possible is enough for me."

Letters in support of the doll can be e-mailed to vote4kalli@gmail.com.

Happy 2011

Had a fun day in Boston seeing the melting ice sculptures, walking and having lunch!

A few goals for 2011:

Updating my blog more reguarly. : )
Joining the gym at Frankie's school and going at least 4 times a week!
Walking outside on good weather days.
Eating healthy!!
Figuring out a part time job for next fall
Finding happiness in each day, even when it is hard!