Does anyone know of a study that discusses how in some cases a family member (namely grandparents) can cause tension in a labor room? I had this question posed to me and need a bit of help with researching this. I know from being at several births that mother’s of the mother to be can sometimes over hen and cause stress and slow down labor.
Just throwing this out there for discussion. If you know any research on this, please share.

This morning in his favorite place snuggled between his parents Ben passed away. Who is Ben you may ask? Ben is the 6 year old little boy that lives next door to the Genuine household. He and his sister are best buddies with Genuine Niece and Nephew. From the previous entry you may know that Genuine Niece and Nephew and Hula Girl are at Nana’s house for the week.
My heart breaks for the family. He was such a happy and wonderful child. I can not even imagine how Genuine Niece and Nephew are going to react when they find out their playmate has died. What a horrible thing to have to explain to a 6 and 5 year old. I am so sorry that the Genuines have to have this conversation with them. Life just seems so unfair at times.
You can read all about Ben and his family on Genuine’s blog.

It is Spring Break in our home. What does that mean to a mom? It means one or more children are home. In this case Nana decided to take the older cousins and have them a week together. (Genuine Niece and Nephew and Hula Girl) Of course the one child that is home is the one that gets up at the crack of freaking dawn so no break for mommy.
Hula Boy is confused and a bit miffed. Unfortunately one thing he does understand….his sister gets to do something he does not. That in itself I heard about most of the way to Denver. I think next time I will have to either send them both or none at all. He kept asking to go home while we were there yet without his sissy he’s a little lost. I know I know that sometimes the big kids get to do different things like…go to school, go to dance and piano lessons, go on field trips…and the list goes on. He thinks of these as fun things. He wishes he could do them.
So today I will be attempting to entertain a ruffled feather HB. This is going to be FUN.

I was listening to a conversation between HB and HG. She was informing him that he was being a pest. He got his feelings hurt and said, “Why don’t you like me sissy? You make me sad when you say you don’t want me to play with you.” All of a sudden her face went from upset to a softened sympathetic look. She then informed him that she did not want to hurt him and that if he sat still she would tell him a story. He of course readily agreed.
She told him the story of before he was born and how lonely she was without him. She then held his hand as she showed him the picture in the photo album of him holding her finger. She told him that he melted her heart but sometimes he bugged her. Without a thought she hugged him and he let her. (not often does he allow hugs!!) She then talked about how she had prayed for a brother of a sister and he was the answer to her prayer. He crawled into her lap and snuggled in close. I let their moment last as long as they sat there. I looked in amazement and thought to myself about how lucky I was that they truly love each other. That in itself is a blessing.

We were at HG’s piano lesson waiting for her to get finished when Hula Boy decided that he was done with waiting. He started getting into things and being a general pest. In the midst of one of his mischievous moments a beautiful woman walked in the door and sat down. HB got this sparkle in his eye. He shyly moved toward her with his hands behind his back. He then looked at her and in all of his cuteness said, “HI! I am HB! I am three years old!” She said hello and commented on how adorable he was. Then she asked what he was doing. He responded, “I’m just standing here, looking at you and tooting!”
Yep he’s that smooth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note to self….when playing “auto cars” (AKA Hot Wheels) with Hula Boy do not line up the cars according to shape, size, or color. That is too easy. Line them up according to “lives in dirt”, “goes fast”, with trailor hitches, big wheels, and “not my favorite”. Must line them up in the correct order!

It is suppose to dump a foot of snow tonight. It is currently 1 in the morning and we barely have a skiff of snow. This will be quite disappointing for Hula Girl due to the fact that SAT’s are in the morning and at this rate school will not be canceled. Such a bummer.
I use to look forward to snow days with eager anticipation. In the winter I would pray for them just because I wanted to be home for an extra day. Well that’s not entirely true. I wanted to gab on the phone in my pajamas with my friends all day! I did not have the option to watch TV due to the fact that my parents decided that TV was of the devil when I was 6 months old and put it out on the street. Growing up without a TV was traumatizing. I mean…how could I win Trivial Pursuit without the entertainment pink piece of the pie? It just was not fair! (wink)
Oh the humanity!
It is now 1:36 and the skiff of snow is still a light topping. Hula Girl will be in mourning in the morning!

I got a call from my mom saying that my dad had been hurt and they were on their way to the doctor. Honestly, I never think of my dad as being weak or getting older. He seems ageless to me. This is a big reality check. He is now 75. He looks and acts about 60. I think it is because my mom keeps him young. (she’s almost 11 years younger!)
My dad has always been my rescuer. Meaning that when Hula Hubby is out of town should anything go wrong I always call my dad for help. Wherever I am, whatever the circumstances he comes to help. My mom is the same way but up until recent my mom worked.
We are not like a lot of families since we girls have grown up. If there is a beef to settle it gets settled right away. We do not hold on to it. There are no such thing as grudges. We have always held to the belief that grudges result in bitterness. Who wants to be a bitter old person? NOT ME! Yes we have our issues but we do not generally have fights. We try to be there for each other as much as we can.
That being said the news is that he tore his rotator cuff. They are leaving on vacation today. (I started this post yesterday!) He did not want them to cancel their trip. My mom will be the one driving. This makes me very nervous. When they come back in two weeks he is going to have surgery. I guess he will be out for 6 months. No heavy lifting. Hopefully he takes this as a warning to take care of himself.
*sigh…When did I become their parent?

There is a certain sense of accomplishment when you hit the send button on the last of your comments and emails. I can not describe the elation I felt when I knew I had responded to everyone that has written me in the last 3 months! Yes I know you got an e mail from me that I did not respond to until two months later but I have an excuse. Ok so I don’t have a good excuse. **sigh Elation.

Tonight HG and I had a date. We had a date that included tea and cakes. It was a tea that included hand massages and nail painting. It was a girlie date inside and out. It was great fun. We started the new series called “Secret Keeper Girls”.
Secret Keeper Girls is all about true beauty. How it comes from the internal wardrobe and not the external that fades. It’s all about being a woman of character. With all of this girlie talk the subject changed to personal very quick.
It all started with a simple object lesson. See….we had tea out of my finest china that was given to me by my grandmother. It is sentimental and special. The object lesson was to bring in a paper cup and a mug as well. Then it was all based on the girl’s perception. Meaning….one of the questions was…if I had served you tea in a paper cup would you have felt special? If I would have served it in a mug would you have felt like it was special? Her answer was of course no. Then I asked about the fact that we were drinking from cups that were my grandmother’s cups and they are “special” cups did she feel different and special. Of course her answer was yes. I went on to explain that cups can be our lesson. She felt special because I took the time to prepare tea for just her and I and then I chose to serve her in my best china. If we had had tea in a paper cup what would have happened after we were done? It would have been thrown away. If it would have been in a mug it would have been alright but not as unique as being served from mommy’s finest. I then went on to explain that God saw us as His best china. We are a vessel that He uses for a purpose. I went on to ask how she felt about herself as a person.
It had a place where she could add her thoughts about her inner beauty. I was shocked. She was harder on herself than I was. We spent time talking about those things. It opened up avenues that were up to recently closed for discussion. She became brave. She ventured to ask the questions about womanhood and about women. About….BABIES! So we started on the talk. We stopped when she got too embarrassed.
We are venturing into the unknown. I answer what she asks until she can not take it anymore. I do not get embarrassed. It doesn’t bother me but she shrinks up into a ball and gets red! The beginning phases of open communication where “the talk” is concerned. I just pray she doesn’t die of embarrassment when I eventually tell her the rest!