Moment of truth...

  • if you saw your problems in a pile with everyone elses you would probably grab yours back.
  • all that really matters is that you loved
  • growing old beats the alternative--dying young
  • your kids get only one childhood.
  • forgive
  • frame every so called disaster with these words "in 5 years will this matter?"
  • no one is in charge of your happiness except you.
  • get rid of anything that isnt beautiful, useful or brings you joy.
  • Dont compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about.
  • its ok to let your kids see you cry.
  • Make peace with your past so it doesn't screw up the present.
  • Your job won't take care of you when you are sick; but your family will, keep in touch!
  • Just keep taking that next small step.
  • Life isn't fair, but it's still good!

Friday, April 16, 2010

A new chapter...or maybe an old one.

Well, after moving to Huntley, I quit doing daycare, because I didnt' think people would drive out here for me to watch their kids.



after a few months I got the opportunity to go to work at the Telegram. I loved it. I love the job, and the co workers.



I hate leaving my house every day and taking my children to someone elses house to be babysat.



I also hate trying to find reliable daycare.



So I made the decision to quit working and come back home to stay with my kids. I also made the decision to start watching kids again.



And I couldn't be happier about my choice. I can not wait to wake up in the morning again and know that the most I have to do it pull my hair up, brush my teeth and put some sweats on.



I don't have to rush to get 4 kids ready, myself ready and get out the door my 715 so everyone can go where they need to and I can get to work on time.



I also can not wait to tell my kids that mommy is staying home today and that they don't have to go anywhere else!



I have a couple kids ready to start daycare whenever I am done at work, and with just 2 kids, I will honestly make more than I do at work every week.



So I don't know if I should say I am starting a new chapter or re opening the chapter I closed a while ago, kind of like a good book, when a chapter is good you just keep opening it to read it again...I guess this is my life chapter I need to live again!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Remembering spontaneity

Wednesday, Apr 7th, 2010
By Rochelle Stitt

This is my column from the opinion page in the Torrington Telegram.


As a young mother of four, life doesn’t always go according to plan. In fact, it seldom does. When you look at the whole scheme of things, does it really need to?Have you ever sat and listened to an elderly person tell their life stories – maybe your grandparents as a child or parents as an adult or maybe just someone you stumbled across? Their stories of childhood are the greatest. They are always in depth and full of emotion and joy from the “good old days.”My grandparents used to tell stories from their childhood and I remember laughing and just listening with a huge smile on my face. I remember thinking, their lives were so happy and full of joy, and they had so much fun. They have memories from years and years ago. Nothing from the last few decades erased those memories from their minds. While other things slip, the important memories remain. I am sure the lingering stories, the ones passed down for generations, didn’t happen according to plan. The memories that stick are spontaneous life events – the ones that weren’t supposed to happen. Now I wonder if they were smiling or cursing while the events they tell stories about were actually happening? I wonder how long had to pass before the story went from a mishap to a great memory and something they wanted to share for decades? When I am elderly and all I have left are the memories of my past, I want to remember the times I stopped and appreciated my life and its spontaneity. The times I laughed instead of cried when something went wrong.My mom has always said to me, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s all just small stuff.” As I get older, the annoying saying starts to make more sense then ever. As you go through your daily schedule, remember being spontaneous isn’t always bad. Breaking out of the routine can bring you happiness and lasting memories to share later in your life. As a mother, these are the things that bring joy to my children’s faces and put the sparkle in their eyes.The next time your child misses the school bus, your car gets a flat tire on the way to an appointment or your boss throws something at you that wasn’t expected, don’t let yourself get angry, try to remember to smile and make the best of it. Life is what you make it. Happy-go-lucky people don’t have better or easier lives than the rest of us, they have a better outlook on life. They smile when things go right and laugh, shrug their shoulders and carry on when they go wrong. Their lives are not without stress or mishaps, they don’t get lucky and never have bad things happen, they just remember to deal with them positively and make the best of a bad situation. When you let yourself get down and dwell on the negative, bad things always seem to show up. The opposite has the same effect. When you dwell on the positive, you will notice your life is full of it. Always remember to frame every so-called disaster with these words, “in five years will this matter?” Just keep taking that next small step, because life isn’t fair, but it is still good.

Some of my simple pleasures....

  • My garden
  • flowers-not cut flowers, real live ones, especially in my yard where they are growing and beautiful
  • making lists...honestly i do enjoy making lists, even grocery lists or things I need to get done...I know its dumb!
  • Backyardigans
  • smelly-good candles really do make me happy
  • photography. I love it, all of it!
  • cooking-yeah not really the usual breakfast, lunch, dinner routine, but I do enjoy cooking in general!
  • Good Book
  • writing, it doesn't much matter what, even just a journal or a few lines of thoughts here or there, i just enjoy watching ink and paper turning into thoughts.
  • a nice hot cup of coffee
  • a pretty sunset on fall evenings
  • bottle calves...(i know dumb, but they make me smile!)

Places I DREAM of going...

  • cuba
  • Russia
  • A Deserted island with Casey
  • Back to Germany
  • Austrailia
  • Ireland