Based On a True Story

Being a step parent is a lot like that... If you're a step parent and you want a good laugh at yourself...go watch Daddy's Home. Being a parent is hard work. No one really can explain how difficult it is to be a parent. I always heard people say, "oh just wait until you're a parent," or "you don't understand until you have kids..." Cliche I thought...but I had no idea. Not to toot on my own horn, but I feel like I'm a decent step parent. Sure I have my flaws, as my kids will tell you. And yes, I do call them my kids. To swing on this tangent, I call them my kids for a reason. I met Suzie when Kayden was only 2 and Rose was a mere month old. I have been in their life for the vast majority of it. I have been there when they were sick, fought through homework, patched up skinned knees, listened to fits, you get the idea right? I watched Rose take her first steps, taught Kayden to ride a bike, and seen so much joy in those two kids as they ...

Failure...when we think of the word, we have a negative connotation. I think that we can also agree that we learn from our mistakes. This is an idea I am really trying to convey to my 6th graders this year. There seems to be such negativity that surrounds even the mere mention of the word "failure." "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." -Henry Ford Sometimes when you fail, you just feel like laying down and bowing out. Life has a tendency to beat you while you're laying down.  I think it's about time to stand up, and learn from my own failures. Recognition of my own failures, just even in the past week, have hopefully lead to improvement on all fronts. The more I have failed during my short 33 years of life, I have come to a realization. I am at my happiest when I focus on what is going well in life and how I can learn from my many mistakes. I am beyond blessed and to focus on the negativity that surrounds u...