Be a good one

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder

Have you ever heard the old saying by Abraham Lincoln, “Whatever you are, be a good one”? Well that is just exactly what I am trying to do while being a stay at home mom. I am trying to be a good one. I know I don’t contribute to our family by going out and making an income. But, I think that the time I spend at home with my children can’t have a price put on it. I think that the best present you can give anyone is your time and your attention. The only thing I don’t like about being home all the time is when my husband travels I get a little nervous every time I hear a creak in the house. That is why I told him we have to look into getting a security system from www.homesecuritysystems.com/. He thinks that I am just a wimp and always says that nothing is going to happen…that it is all in my imagination. But it certainly was not my imagination when our next door neighbor’s house got broken into while they were gone on a trip.

Kiri

I remember the first day I brought Kiri, my puppy home. I went against my mom's wishes, and got her! In my asian culture, we lived with our parents even though we were "grown". Some of us lived with our parents even after we got married.

Anyway, my mom would not look at Kiri, or touch her. She was so cute, and adorable! The first night I slept on the couch while Kiri spent her first night in the kitchen. Like a little baby, she wanted to be with me, to feel love physically. She whined the whole night, while I worried, and peeped at her the whole night.

The second night, I let her stay in my bedroom. I lay newspapers all over the floor to catch the product of her bathroom activities. She got potty-trained pretty soon, and was the most reliable dog I had ever known. When I went to work, I would drop her off at my sister's place, so that my mom would not have to take care of her.

Years went by, and my mom could not resist Kiri's charm. She did not want Kiri in the first place, but soon, would miss her if she wasn't around. She brought joy to everyone in the family, but was especially attached to my mom. Kiri waited at the door whenever my mom was out, working, or running errands. My mom always looked forward to Kiri's welcome bark when she came near the door.

I had to leave her and move to another part of the world. I did not want to put her through the long flight, as she was not in the best health. I also could not bear to tear her away from my mom.

Last year, after struggling with really bad health for a year, Kiri passed away! She will be my first, and last dog.

Little League Baseball

The coach was trying to get the attention of the kids in the outfield. The moms were yelling at the same kids to pay attention. Those kids either didn't hear, or chose not to listen. It was boring! They didn't like to wait. They wanted action!

I admired the coach - his patience, and never once raising his voice! However, sometimes, I wished he would be a little more aggressive, and yell at the kids a little. Discipline was certainly lacking on the field! However, one did have to be careful these days! Parents were very protective of their kids! Seeing their kids playing was more important than them playing well, or obeying instructions.

I really couldn't wait for the season to be over!