What Riding a Roller Coaster Has Taught Me!

 Posted by Bill on April 4, 2011  Balancing Work and Children, Dealing with Divorce and Your Ex, General, Getting Your New Life In Order, How to Communicate with Your Kids, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Single Entrepreneur Mom, Teenagers, The Craziness of Single Parenting, Uncategorized  1 Response »
Apr 042011
 

When I was young, my friends and I would go to the local amusement park each summer and ride the roller coaster. Damn that roller coaster would scare me, but I was not about to be the first one to say it. I was convinced that each time I would get on it, would be the day that it was going come off the tracks and violently hurl me through the air to my inevitable death.  No matter how many times I rode that roller coaster, the same thought would rush through my head. In reality the roller coaster never did breakdown, let alone slam anyone into the ground, but that sure didn’t keep fear from entering my mind.

Now that I am older I still go on roller coasters and in the back of my mind I still believe that today might just be the day that the damn thing finally breaks down. Fortunately for me my past experiences tend to remind me that it just isn’t going to happen.

It’s funny how the life of a parent is like riding a roller coaster. It starts off slowly as you lean back in the seat, looking up at the blue sky above, without a worry in the world. Oh sure, you know that inevitably there are going to be some twists and turns but nothing that you can’t handle. Then reality hits! Before you know it your life is spiraling downward, your stomach drops and you start praying to God to save you. Please God just let me survive this fall and I will make sure that I do it right as a parent. Then just when you get a break from the fall, and before you can catch your breath, the next twist and turn is before you. Your mind races, your heart pounds and you hang on for all you life praying that you will survive. And when you finally are convinced that today is the day that you are going to be hurled off to your death, the ride comes to a sudden stop, and you slowly coast into the safety of the platform. Continue reading »

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“You Had Me At Hello”

 Posted by Bill on March 28, 2011  Balancing Work and Children, Dealing with Divorce and Your Ex, General, Getting Your New Life In Order, How to Communicate with Your Kids, Organizing, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Taking Time for Yourself, Teenagers  No Responses »
Mar 282011
 

In the 1986 movie “Jerry Maguire” there is a famous line where Jerry (Tom Cruise) flies back home to meet Dorothy ( Renee Zellweger) to tell her that he loves her and wants her in his life, and she tells him “You had me at hello”. What made that line so famous was that although the couple had been arguing for sometime, those five words “You had me at hello” said it all.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!

When I was growing up,  my friends and I would pass each other in the hall and nod our heads. It was our way of acknowledging each other. Nodding our heads was our way of letting the other person know that they meant something to us. Nodding our heads said it all. Continue reading »

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Everything I Need To Know About Life I learned In The Last 60 Days!

 Posted by Bill on March 14, 2011  Balancing Work and Children, Dealing with Divorce and Your Ex, General, Getting Your New Life In Order, How to Communicate with Your Kids, Organizing, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Taking Time for Yourself, Teenagers, The Craziness of Single Parenting, Uncategorized  3 Responses »
Mar 142011
 

What have I been doing with my life? I always thought that life was suppose to teach me things each and every step of the way. As a young boy I attended school every day because I was told that it would teach me things that I didn’t already know. I graduated from college thinking that I would be wiser from the experience. I have tried and failed on my own for what seems like forever, because I was told that life lessons are invaluable. Imagine my surprise when I finally realized that “Everything I Need To Know About Life I learned In The Last 60 Days”! . Here are the things that I have learned about life over the past 60 days.

* Hard work does pay off.

* Time spent by yourself is the best way to reflect upon what’s important to you, and only you. It’s also a great way to calm your mind. Continue reading »

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They’re Bullying Our Babies

 Posted by Kelly on January 8, 2011  How to Communicate with Your Kids, Teenagers  2 Responses »
Jan 082011
 

We all know bullying is very much a focus now.  Lots of news coverage on this nasty epidemic.   It is baffling the levels to which anger, fear, and hatred will go.

I have personally thought about this topic a lot.   My children are young.  That said, I am already starting to see some snippy little girl behavior out of my four year old and her friends:

“You’re not my friend Ashley… I like Jordan better…” Continue reading »

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How Do You Spell Love?

 Posted by Bill on December 27, 2010  Balancing Work and Children, Dealing with Divorce and Your Ex, General, Getting Your New Life In Order, How to Communicate with Your Kids, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Taking Time for Yourself, Teenagers, The Craziness of Single Parenting, Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Dec 272010
 

Whenever I speak to groups, I always like to give them a little spelling test. It is really a very easy test, but one that everyone always seems to fail. My question is “How do you spell Love”? Most of the time everyone will proudly answer, L.O.V.E. Oh sure there are the occasional L.U.V.’s that come out, but in general L.O.V.E. is the answer. Each time I do this I have to correct the audience. The real way to spell L.O.V.E. is T.I.M.E. If you truly want to show your children, your family, your friends, yourself  and others in your life that you love them, then you need to spend time with them.

If there is one thing that we never seem to have enough of it’s time. We all seem to be busy running around, taking care of ourselves, our kids, our jobs and are so preoccupied with life, that we just don’t spend enough time with those that are closest to us. Every year around this time, what is the one thing that we all like to say? “Where has the time gone”? Someone once told me that if you want to live forever then get married, because when you are single times flies by and once you get married, time slows down to a crawl:) That person by the way is now divorced! Continue reading »

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A Letter To Sara, My Deceased Ex. Wife

 Posted by Bill on December 6, 2010  Balancing Work and Children, Dealing with Divorce and Your Ex, General, Getting Your New Life In Order, How to Communicate with Your Kids, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Taking Time for Yourself, Teenagers, The Craziness of Single Parenting  15 Responses »
Dec 062010
 

Dear Sara;

It’s been almost three and a half years since you passed away, five years since we divorced and seven years since you left me to be a sole parent to Jack and Michaela. I figured that maybe now we should talk again. First let me update you on the kids.

Jack for the most part is doing great. He has friends that love him, a personality that you would cherish and and a stubbornness that you would respect. He is peaceful in his spirit, smart in his thinking but like you he occasionally plays the victim.  If God didn’t tell you he had the 30th highest score on his high school entrance exam, out of 425 kids. He gets that from you Sara. Unfortunately school seems to bore him and thus his GPA is around a 2.something (he gets that from me). He is 5’7 1/2 ” and is committed to joining the US Army Rangers when he gets out of high school. I really want him to attend college but he is adamant that his calling is with the Rangers. I know that it is not what either of us would have chosen for him but I will support him all the way. I am actually very proud of him because how many 16 year olds are there that know exactly what they want to do with their life.  I am so proud of him and you would be as well.

He is like you in so many ways Sara, but he is still so angry with you. I know that he won’t admit it to me but he misses you dearly. He needed a mom in his life to hold him when he felt sad, to comfort him when he was sick and to talk to him like only a mom can do. I worry about him because he has not had that female influence around since you died. I know that he is strong, but it’s one thing for me to know this, and totally another to understand it. Now that he is 16 I worry that I can’t help him anymore. I remind him daily of all the wonderful traits he inherited from you and how much you loved him, but I know that he tunes it out. Don’t worry though, I know deep down in my heart that he loves you with all his heart, and will one day make us both very proud. Continue reading »

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I Survived My First “Black Friday”, Barely…

 Posted by Bill on November 29, 2010  How to Communicate with Your Kids, Organizing, Raising Children as a Single Parent, Single Entrepreneur Mom, Taking Time for Yourself, Teenagers, The Craziness of Single Parenting  1 Response »
Nov 292010
 

When I was a child “Black Friday” represented that time each night, when the lights went out, and I had to go to bed. When I was in high school “Black Friday” represented the day that my report card came home ( I was a 2.something GPA kid). When I was in my twenty’s “Black Friday” represented the next day at work, after coming in from the night before at 1:30 am. Now that I am a dad to a fourteen year old “Black Friday” has taken on a  brand new meaning.

Last week my daughter asked me if  I would go to “Black Friday” with her? Why not, I don’t mind getting up at 6:30 a.m. to spend some quality time with Michaela. Then she informed me that we would be getting up at 4:00 a.m. What? “Only the crazy people get up at 4:00 a.m. to shop” I said. “No way Dad”, in order to get the best deals we need to be there no later than 4:20. “Alright honey lets do it” I said.

Well Friday morning came and Michaela handed me a folder detailing our agenda for the day. She had every store that we would be going to listed, coupons for each store, what I was required to get at each store, and believe it or not, the floor plan of each store. Needless to say she is a bit organized. We started out at Super Target. My first thought was who in their right mind would go to Super Target at 4:00 am. Don’t most “Black Friday” shoppers go to the mall or some electronics store? At least those are the videos I see each year on TV of the the ensuing chaos that accompanies “Black Friday”. How wrong was I? When we arrived at 4:20 a.m. there was not one shopping cart left in the entire store. Luckily for me my only job was to find the “Vampire Diaries Collection” at 75% off.  Fortunately, this did not require a shopping cart. Unfortunately, Michael’s list did require a shopping cart, so there I am at 4:35 a.m. following shoppers out to their car to get their cart from them and head back in to meet Michaela. One thing that I learned about shoppers on “Black Friday” is that, although they may show up in slippers and PJ’s, do not underestimate their resolve. There is nothing scarier than a woman hopped up on coffee and Red Bull, coupon’s in hand, and a shopping cart without brakes headed right for you. I can personally attest to the fact ,that you are best served to stay out of the thier way,  and concede the last I-Pod to them. If you don’t, I guarantee that  you are going to get ran over. Continue reading »

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