Good Photo Fun for When You're Feeling Bad

Oh my goodness! It's been forever since I've posted on this here blog. That's a bad thing but not as bad as the shingles which had me down for the count for more than two months with horrible pain, terrible itching, and extreme fatigue. Yikes! Thankfully, it's just about resolved and spring is finally here!

Besides sleeping and watching bad daytime TV, I kept myself busy wasted time during my home confinement by surfing the net on my iPad (love that good thing!) Yep, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and more right at my fingertips!

What kind of entertaining things did I find out there on the World Wide Web? Photos of course! Lots and lots of photos - some good, some bad, and some ugly. Some funny, serious, or stupid. Many photos made me shake my head in disbelief, while others made me smile for a moment when I really didn't feel like it.

Since smiling is supposed to be good for you, I encourage you to check out these three types of photos if you need a little bit of "cheerapy." Yes, I just made that word up. If you disagree with my choices, no worries. There's something for everyone out there.

 2. Animals and pets: While I'm not that fond of cats, I do enjoy cute pictures of pups. I also enjoy photos and captions from Casey's Safe Haven, a rescue shelter where my friend Barb volunteers to help horses, ponies, and dogs. Another fun Facebook page to check out is The Daily Puppy, shared by my friend Ronda.

3. Food glorious food: Need I say more? I'm guilty of posting foodie photos myself like this huge breakfast I enjoyed for my birthday a couple years back. Yum!

1. Babies and kids: I'm not just talking about photos of my cute kids or those of friends and family, but adorable snapshots of children from all over the world. Precious!

* Bonus good thing: If you like to people watch but you're like me and sometimes need to do so from the comfort of your couch, check out
Humans of New York., it's a creative site with awesome photography and interesting people. HONY is on Facebook too!

Good Things Readers: Do you have fun, family-friendly photos you would like to share? Let us know in the comments section and will be in touch with the details. Thanks!

The Goods on Motherhood

It's all about mom this weekend with the celebration of Mother's Day on Sunday, and it's all good. This week, I gave a shout out to fellow moms and friends to share with me good things about motherhood. They came through with MANY heartfelt thoughts about being a mom, and having a mom too. Here's what they had to say . . .

Motherhood is filled with joy and wonder, hope and heart, learning and love, and special memories to last a lifetime.

Only ONE? OK- I've been absolutely amazed at the special bond I have with my teenage boys. I absolutely adore them in spite of their moronic teenage behavior. No one could have prepared me for how unique and powerful that relationship would be. My 3 boys are my pride and joy! I am an enthusiast of whatever they are interested in at the moment. Their joys are my joys, their sorrows my sorrows. Life is sweet in ways I never imagined because of the privilege of being their mom! - That's only one of at least thousands (good things!) ~ Kathy H.

Being a mom gives me a good opportunity to exercise my funny bone. Correctly done, humor brings perspective, warmth, conveys love, and unifies hearts. I love laughing with my boys because it keeps my countenance lifted. At my age, any help I can get is great! ~ Ruth K.

I truly never knew what love was until my son was born 29 yrs ago. Being a mother has taught me how to love unconditionally. ~ Elaine C.H.

The best thing about being a mum is their unconditional love and the way their eyes light up when I am with them. The best thing about my mum is that she loves me and supports me always even when I do stupid things. She drops everything to help me when I need her. ~ Sharon M.

Am I allowed to be a tad different??? I love being a mum (to one son) and grandmother to 3 small boys, but I delight in being a mother in law... my daughter in law is my joy. I never wanted a girl child before, but when she arrived on the scene I realised what a blessing a girl can be, so happy I have her. ~ Dawn B.

I loved every second of everyday being a mom. The best thing that ever happened to me, and now no more!! I'll never forget my memories. ~ Sus L. (Once a mother always a mother. Cherish your memories, Sus)

I love seeing the world new all over. There is so much joy in the simple things of life. My children are my world. ~ Daphne G.

A good mom communicates with her kiddos. Meow! Ruff Ruff!! ~ Ronda M., mom to an adorable bunch of fur babies

My mum passed away 12 years ago, and I still miss her today. She was my best friend. She was a great mum and dad to me, so you see she was very special, I love you mum up in Heaven . . . ~ Michele H.

I miss my mom very much. Even though she was sick, she still did things for me like watching my three children lots of times. As for being a mom I love my children very much. ~ Julianne P. A.

Hearing those four words - "I Love you Mommy!" ~ Kelly B.

Thank you for sharing ladies. I don't think I could have said it any better myself, but I do have a bit more to say about motherhood. Check out my post Let's Hear it for the Moms on my LeMOMade blog.

Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful Mother's Day!

9/11 Reflections

Where were you when . . .

It's a question that's been asked many times this week with the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday.

I can remember vividly where I was, and what I was doing. I was at home taking care of a then 10-month old Miss O. Her little bro A was merely a peanut growing inside me as we learned we were having a second child just the week before. As I watched the events unfold on TV, I could not help but wonder how we would we raise our babies and keep them safe in such a terrifying, broken world.

Fast forward 10 years. Our children our thriving and growing, and now beginning to understand the enormity of 9/11. So this weekend, we watched some media coverage of the events, and talked about what happened a decade ago.

Here are some highlights:

2. An excellent documentary: We watched the History Channel's "Voices From Inside the Towers, a film documenting dozens of harrowing, heartbreaking stories of love and loss on 9/11." This program featured recorded phone calls from people inside the buildings as they contacted family members, friends, 911 dispatchers and local media as the events took place. T questioned whether or not we should let the kids watch this film, but ultimately it was a good idea. The program was very well done, thought-provoking, and touching.

3. A brief, but poignant conversation: "Could it happen again? Could it happen in Chicago? Those are the biggest questions Miss O had after viewing the program. We told her and A the truth. Yes, it could happen again. And yes, there are people in the world with beliefs different than our own who will harm others. We told them that our president, the government, the military, police officers, and firefighters are always working to keep us safe. "If you're scared" added T. "You can pray."

1. A round of applause: At the end of mass on Sunday morning, our priest asked all the military personnel, police officers, and firefighters in the congregation to stand and be recognized. Everyone enthusiastically applauded, then we concluded the service by singing "America the Beautiful."

Love and Marriage

The heart of marriage is memories; and if the two of you happen to have the same ones and can savor your reruns, then your marriage is a gift from the gods.

~ Bill Cosby

Sixteen years ago today, I married my best friend. Fifty years ago today, my mom and dad married each other. Yes, we share the same wedding anniversary. Since my parents have 34 years on us, I asked my mom to share three good things about 50 years of marriage for today's post.

So without further adieu, and with just a tiny bit of editing, here's mom:

These are some of my thoughts which are all of what makes 50 years feel like yesterday. (say awwww right here, I did.)

1. Marriage is not 50/50, it's more like 100/100. Or my famous, "It's not like in the movies." It's growing together with love and patience, understanding and misunderstanding, hope and respect, and knowing we can count on each other. It's taking each day at a time, which sometimes is not the easiest thing to do, life gets busy.

2. God is love. When we attended pre-cana so long ago, we were told "Marriage is husband & wife & God"...and dad and I feel God has been with us all the time. Having children is a great blessing....kinda like creation along with God. Of course grandchildren are the greatest....so much easier....because we have more time, and they reflect your children who reflect us.

3. Making memories with family and friends. Fun times on vacations with children, and with good friends. Having lifelong friends is truly a good thing! Together memories are created and shared.

Here's a bonus good thing from mom which makes me chuckle, "And dad is a wealth of information, for things I never bothered to read or study about...so it was good to have him." (By the way, dad is still around and I guess mom is going to keep him after all these years!)

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad. We love you!



Happy Anniversary to my sweetie, too. I love you, T.