Thanks to SUBWAY® restaurants for sponsoring my post about summer fun with my kids. Check out the Kids Eat Free program at any LA area location! Just purchase any two subs, two sides and two drinks, and you can get a kid’s meal FREE!

It’s hard to believe, but my son’s summer vacation is soon ending. In about 12 days, he’ll be starting 5th grade. (No, I’m not ready, why do you ask?)(Because OMG 5th GRADE) He’s been absolutely vegging this summer and I’ve let him. Aside from our weekend trips to the movies, swimming in the pool, and trips to Disneyland, we’ve stayed relatively quiet.

I don’t mind the calm summer because about a month and a half ago, we wrapped up a very busy time that ended right as school was ending.

Baseball season.

Little League.

Holy way to absolutely screw up any schedule you ever thought you had. I’m used to soccer season: maybe two practices a week and a game on Saturday. Easy Peasy. Not baseball. On top of two practices a week, there were two games a week. Mid-week. He had maybe 4 Saturday games. The season felt like it stretched on forever. Rain delayed some games which then had to be made up. Some days we baked in the sun, some we froze. I was not impressed.

But my son? He fell in love. He was never interested in soccer, much to the disappointment of his dad. But baseball? He fell hard for it. If you know me, you know this pleases me greatly. He was excited, wanted to practice after practice, wanted to try all kinds of positions. He gave it everything he had and he made me so proud.

His proudest day? When he got to pitch. He had been waiting so long for the opportunity, working on his stance, practicing and practicing.

He pitched an inning and struck out two batters. I don’t think anything could have wiped the grin off his face that day.

He’s taking a break now, but fall ball will start soon and he’s excited. He was sad when his season ended, saying that he wished he could keep playing. In the meantime, he’ll watch our Dodgers play through the season and keep practicing his pitches in the backyard.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Dear Sir,

Today you are 10. I’ll be honest, I’m not ready for 10. I’m not ready for double digits. But today came anyways and holy cow, were you excited. Your dad gave you a birthday party on Saturday and you were so stoked because this was the first party you got to have where you invited your friends from school. You are so ready for 10, even if I’m not.

I know you’re ready for 10 because you’re just so enthused. You’re just about to start baseball and watching you practice your pitching stance brings a smile to my heart. You know mom wants season tickets when you’re a Dodger and you know how special left handed pitchers are so you’re working hard.

You’ll start 5th grade later this year and you’re flying through 4th like its no big deal. You’ve accepted the changes your dad and I have put upon you, including bringing new people into your life. Your heart is huge, it always has been. You take life with arms wide open and I want to do everything in my power to help you soar.

I love you sir. Happy birthday dude.

Love, Mama

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

I hate that my son hates reading.

I grew up with a book in my hands. My parents are huge readers so reading came naturally to me. When I was younger, we would have to commute an hour and a half each way to school and work and reading was the easiest way to pass the time. A lot of people can’t read in the car, it makes them sick, but I’ve never had that problem. I love the library and book stores are like foreplay. I can waste hours in either.

My son? Not so much. He rolls his eyes when I try to take him to the library. We’ve spent too much time trolling the kids section of the book store, looking for a series he might like. He goes straight for the books with big pictures and few words. He has followed in his dad’s footsteps.

His dad used to mock me when he saw me with a book in my hands. He never “got it”, how I could sit for hours and just read. To give him some credit, he is a very smart man. He excels in science and math in ways I never could.

My son is following in his dads footsteps. Which makes me proud, don’t get me wrong. He is top of his class in math and he LOVES science. He struggles where I excel and that is really hard for me to deal with. I know he’s smart, he’s just not interested in reading, language arts, comprehension, none of it.

It’s starting to effect his grades. He rushes through the assignments just to get them over with. When he slows down, he aces his work but most of the time, he’s rushing and getting it wrong.

So we’re working on it at home and one of the biggest things I want him to take an interest in is reading.

Enter J.K. Rowling.

We are starting from the beginning. Every night before bed, we lay down and read. He reads a page and I read a page.  At first he was resistant, rolling his eyes, heavy sighs. He had to see how long the book was and OMG that is waaaaaaay too long mom! I told him to suck it up and give it a try. The first night we read half the chapter. He attempted to divert attention away from the book, all the usual tactics. I was worried this would be an every night thing.

On the second night, he surprised me. The Dodger game was on and I was tempted to let the reading slide. (I KNOW, BAD MOM. But… my Dodgers were on! anyways.) I told him to start getting ready for bed and he asked if we would be reading. I asked him if he wanted to and he said yes.

I know, I was surprised too.

On the second day he read much better, fumbled over less words, and read a lot faster and with more feeling. I know the Harry Potter series is HUGE but its a jumping off point. I don’t care how long it takes to finish. My goal is to get him reading the books on his own and, if I’m lucky, loving them as much as I do.

This may be premature, but I think the reading situation might be looking up.

Quote by Emilie Buchwald.

I will always remember that…

… it was raining the day you were born.

… my night nurse loved The Simpsons and was illegally downloading episodes the night you were born.

… they brought you to me in a “Property of the U.S. Navy” onesie.

… you had big feet from the start and while you looked just like your dad, you got those from me.

… for the first 2 weeks, I couldn’t look at you without crying because you were that beautiful.

… all I wanted to do was touch your hair, and your cheeks, and hold your little hands and feet.

… you helped me get current on all after dark infomercials. And you never let me buy anything!

… you always hated being on your stomach, which is why you have a flat spot on the back of your head to this day.

… you had THE best baby laugh I’ve ever heard. You laughed with your entire body and I always laughed with you.

… you were never scared of baths and you would open your eyes super wide in shock when I poured water on your head. Then came the laugh.

… you had so much hair, you got your first haircut at 3 months.

… baby shoes never fit your fat feet. Not only were your feet too big, they were too thick. Also, you would kick off every pair of socks I put on you.

… you were mischievous from the start and 9 years later, you still are. I see that glimmer in your eye and I know you’re up to something.

… you have never been one to dwell. Yes, you get mad. Yes, you threw tantrums and you pout. But you are quick to forgive and you never hold things against people. You’ve always been able to move on quickly, in case you miss a moment to laugh.

… you’ve always been my protector.

… you need to sit next to me in restaurants.

… you aren’t afraid to hold my hand at school (yet).

… you usually pull my arm up so you can snuggle under it, no matter where we are.

… you love. You laugh. You have compassion for others, especially when they are smaller than you.

… you are you. You are who you want to be and you express that in your music, your clothes, and in the jokes and stories you tell.

You’re 9 today sir. You made me a mother and from the start, you’ve been changing my life every single day. You’ve made me see the world differently, how amazing and beautiful it can be and you’ve shown me how quickly it goes by.

I love the boy that you are and who I watch you becoming. You make me so proud to be your mom.

Happy Birthday dude.

I love hate to brag but, I’m pretty lucky. Wherever I go, I’m surrounded by people who have a natural ability to make me laugh and smile. I enjoy this life and the people that I am smart enough to include in it.

They are allowed in because they make me laugh, and they let me be completely rediculous.

(She’s laughing at lord knows what on my phone)

I love having the ability to laugh on a pretty consistent basis. It cleanses me. Laughing so hard that I can’t breathe is one of my favorite things to do. I only hope that anyone reading is as lucky as I am.

Who brings laughter to your world?

When my son was little, I stayed home with him during the day. I worked nights while his dad was in the Navy. It worked for us, well. I finished my degree while I watched my baby grow up. I didn’t miss a single milestone and I would never ever trade a minute of that time for anything else in this entire world.

This is the child who’s laughter and smile could bring me to tears with the pure beauty and joy it would bring.

One of our most favorite ways to fill the day was with Disney movies. He was obsessed. Every single Pixar movie, he would have them on rotation. The minute it would end, I would have to start it over again. He wasn’t even watching half the time, he needed it for background noise. He would be playing and pause for just a second or two to watch his favorite parts, point and laugh at Woody, or Mike Wazowski (maybe because they shared a name? He always favored him.)

I miss those days, fiercely.

Right from the beginning of our Disney movie days, I always pushed the music. Whenever a song would start, I would pick him up and dance around the house. Once you’ve seen a movie 5 times in 4 hours, you learn the words pretty quickly. After awhile, it would be him seeking me out to dance when his songs came on.

The opening scene to Lilo & Stitch would always excite him. He loved this movie so much that he wore it out. I had to go buy another one. He loved the opening song to this movie so much that he would make me replay it over and over again. He got the soundtrack for Christmas that year but it wasn’t quite the same. I just recently added this song to my iPod and every time I hear it, I can’t help but remember his little chubby legs bouncing up and down as he swayed to the music. I can almost hear his ringing laughter as we twirled around the living room, his head thrown back with joy.

Sigh. My baby isn’t a baby anymore but it sure is wonderful to remember those days.