Smile Sunday - What an Honor

Mommy just got three awards from her wonderful fellow bloggers!! I am so proud of you mommy!! This flower is for you!

I have just been given three awards and I am ecstatic that two very special ladies thought so highly of Mama’s Little Chick. I want to say a huge thank you to Ashlee from Love Comma Ashlee for awarding me the Sunshine Award and also the Super Comments Award. Another mammoth thank you goes to Tiffany at My Crazy Kind of Wonderful for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award.

Both Tiffany and Ashlee are wonderful writers and their blogs were placed in my “favorites” the first time I saw them!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:

1.) Thank the person who gave you this award.

Thank you so much Tiffany! I am truly honored!!

2.) Share 7 things about yourself.

~I love to dance! I spent many years as a competitive ballroom dancer.
~I used to live in Mexico for two years and I have always considered it another home.
~I did a lot of theater when I was in my teens and twenties. I miss acting!
~I love the beach and taking Little Chick as much as possible when the weather is nice.
~I used to date a famous rock star for over two years.

I wanted children and he wanted to win more Grammies, so we split.
~I love to write poetry.
~ I love, love, love a nice cup of coffee!

2.) Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! I added an 11th because there are so many amazing blogs!!

Mrs. F at As the Forest{e} Grows

Ashlee at Love Comma Ashlee

Neelam at Being Zara and Zidan
Allison and Team at No Time For Flashcards

Gina at The Ish Blog
Stacey at 29 Lincoln Avenue
Cheryl at Boots in the Doorway

Big Fat Mama at Big Fat Mama
The Girl with a Plan at Ready.Set.Plan
Veronica at Of Rice and Ramen
Alysha at The Tarr Pit

Thank you so much Ashlee for honoring me with the Sunshine Award! I really appreciate it!!

I pass this award along to:

Mrs. F at As the Forest{e} Grows Tiffany at My Crazy Kind of Wonderful Wanda at At Last...We Are Family Pamela at Music for Special Kids Gina at The Ish Blog

Once again Ashlee, thank you so much for yet another award! I feel so honored!

The Comments Award!!

With this award comes 10 questions that Ashlee has made up for me:
1.)Why do you blog?
I love to write! I enjoy sharing the amazing journey my daughter and I are on, as well as trying to inspire others.
2.) What are your three best memories?
Being blessed with Little Chick!!!!! Sunday breakfast with my beloved Dad and family. Going to the beach with Little Chick! 3.) If you had to change your real name, what would you change it to?
Got me thinking!! Hmmmm! Soraya. 4.) What are 5 things you can't live without?
Family, shelter, food, camera and pictures, and the beach. 5.) What are the the 4 best books you have ever read?
The Ultimate Gift, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Kite Runner, The Sacrifice of Tamar 6.) Tell me something unique & interesting about yourself?
I am a hopeless romantic and very old fashioned. I wish I could have lived in the “ballroom days” and danced with Fred Astaire. 7.) What do you love about yourself?
My enormous love for others!
8.) What is the best movie ever made?
Gone with the Wind 9.) If you have a Freaky Friday experience who would you want to trade places with and why? A young Ginger Rogers so I could dance the night away!! 10.) What's the best part about being a woman?
Being a mommy!!!!!

I pass this award on to:

Tiffany at My Crazy Kind of Wonderful Neelam at Zara and Zidan

Congratulations!! Now answer the ten questions, pass the award on to your favorite bloggers and create your own ten questions for them.

I want to thank Tiffany and Ashley once again for giving me these three wonderful awards!! What an honor!!

P.S. I have had some computer issues, so please disregard the spacing above. It is not how I set it up!

"I have learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one
of the most peaceful feelings in the world."

Remember the other day when I mentioned how I reunited with an “old friend” of mine? My beloved poetry and quote books. Well, I have been going through them with such fervor and loving every second of it! Today I stumbled upon a poem that I remembered had such a profound impact on me the first time I read it years ago. It was yet another “reminder” about certain things in my life that I need to take a closer look at. I have posted this poem called “Life Lessons” in my Get Inspired sidebar (at the right). Please take the time to click on Mama Hen’s Inspirations and read it. It is the first poem. It is a definite keeper and one that I know “everyone” will get something out of.

Reading it made me think about the things “I have learned” so far in my thirty-nine years of life. To begin with, God has thrown quite a few painful life lessons in my past years and I have truly learned that we need to pick ourselves up no matter what and move on no matter how hard it may be. I have also learned that as much as we plan for things, we better be prepared for detours and bumps along the way. I have learned that no matter how hard we try to obtain something, God has the ultimate plan for us and we need to be patient and trust in Him. I have learned that perhaps His plan is completely different then my own. AND finally, I have learned that His plan is by far much greater then what I had envisioned.

As I wrote about in my “About Mama Hen” page, I waited a very VERY long time for Little Chick and went through quite a bit before she got here. I am so pleased to be able to share our special stories with you! I know I keep saying it, but she truly is the greatest blessing in my life!

Belly Laughs

"While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.”
~Angela Schwindt

Yesterday when I picked Little Chick up at preschool it was such a lovely day (after all the rain and cold weather we just had) that many of the moms just let the kids play with each other out on the front lawn of the building. The teacher in me (or maybe it was the child) started to sing some counting songs with them. All of the children were giggling and running around.

One child discovered that there was a little hill of grass that sloped down towards the school. He went right to the top, plopped himself in the lawn, and proceeded to roll down. Little Chick saw this and, of course, jumped into this fun game! Before you knew it, all of the little munchkins were climbing up and rolling down. They bumped into one another and all you could hear were belly laughs. They were sweaty and their hair was covered in freshly cut grass, but they didn’t care! Watching this filled my soul with such happiness! I began singing, “There were ten in the bed, and the little one said, roll over, roll over.” The kids kept asking me to sing more each time the song ended.

It was so “simple” and so “perfect”. It was one of those moments you want to capture in time. I wondered how many of us allow the inner child to roll through the grass like we used to? The children were so silly and the laughter was contagious. At what point do we start to get “serious” and lose a bit of the “silliness”? I always try to be silly with Little Chick, but as with all of us, things have to get done (endless dishes, laundry, bills, cooking, etc) and we can get tired. I took a mental note, however, of what simple and free fun all of the kids had. It reminded me to let lose and let my inner child come out more often!

Little Chick on Mother's Day happy running around with the ribbon from my present!

Little Chick is my greatest gift!

Thanksgiving Thursday

“A single grateful thought towards heaven is the most complete prayer.”

Well, it is Thanksgiving Thursday again and I can’t believe how fast this week has passed. This is where I need to “stop” and really think about the things I am thankful for. In the hustle & bustle of life we are always getting caught up in the “daily necessities” and it truly can be very difficult to put on the breaks and just “take a moment.” A moment for ourselves, a moment for our children, and a moment to breathe in and simply say “thank you".

If I think about my many blessings, Little Chick will always be first. I waited a long time for her (as I talked about in my About Me page) and since God blessed me with my baby in 2006, I never let a day go by without thinking about what an absolute miracle it is!

I am so grateful for the shelter I have. Sometimes I think we can take things like this for granted. It started raining last night and it got really cold in my house. I grabbed an extra blanket and turned the heat back on. Yes, the heat! I thought about the people out there who don’t have heat, or a blanket (let alone an extra one), or even shelter!

I think we all feel thankful throughout our days, but it is not until we truly “take a moment” and think about how much we really have, that it starts to resonate within us.

Here is Little Chick and her new tire swing! It finally came! Thank you jungle gym company! You made one little girl very happy!!

What Keeps You Going?

"Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply,

to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed."

What keeps you going? For me, first and foremost, it is Little Chick, family and living life! When I hear her sweet voice in the morning my heart just melts! She keeps me going in a way that I have never known. I have always been a go-getter and one to set goals with a determination to accomplish them. However, at this point in my life my goals are wrapped around providing the best home and life possible for Little Chick.

The other day I bumped into an old friend of mine. It was like seeing my “first love” after all these years. My heart raced and my face carried a smile plastered from ear to ear. That friend was my good old faithful poetry and quotation books. Yes, BOOKS. They had been settled at my mom’s house for the past four years or so, because we moved a few times. I wanted to keep them safe at moms. I had been missing them, because all of my life I referred to them with such a passion and devotion. They were there for me through the good times and the bad! They always kept me going!

So, now that we have purchased our home and should be staying a while I was ready to go and fetch my old pals. I have to say that it is you, my bloggy friends, that made me realize that there was a yearning for my fine references. They have always inspired me and I want to pass that inspiration on to you and Little Chick.

Little Chick is what keeps me going!

What I Wouldn't Do For Little Chick

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet."

Last Tuesday I called the guy who put our new jungle gym in our backyard and asked him when he would be bringing the door to the little house that came with it (something they forgot when installing). I also told him to bring a tire swing for a tree we have out back and an extra swing (to avoid any sad munchkins when there are more than two on a playdate). I gave him my credit card number and asked when he would be coming. He said as long as I have the chain on the tree they could come the next day. I said, "Great! I am heading to the hardware store right now. See you tomorrow."

So I picked up the chain and went home to take a look at the tree. Hmmmmmmmm! It was pretty big and very tall!!!! So, I journeyed to the garage and picked up the heavy ladder and walked it down our big hill out back. I proceeded to stretch it as long as it would go (about 14 feet or so) and then leaned it on the tree. As I was climbing I had some strong mommy thoughts. "What if I fall? What would Little Chick do?" The chain was heavy, but I got it over the branch. Feeling a bit shaky I scooted back down the ladder.

I went and called a friend of mine and told her I needed to get this chain up so they could deliver and hang the tire in the morning. I explained that I was afraid of falling and needed someone there just in case. The great friend that she is, she packed her three kids (ages four, two and five months) and came right over. We headed down the steep hill and while looking at the tree she gave me an "Are you crazy look." Anything for my Little Chick! Like a monkey I started to climb once again and it began to pour. So there I was scared and hanging from the branch with the chain around my neck trying to secure it. Thunder and lightning were added to this wonderful event and kids were running up the hill and by God I got it done. An entire week has passed and they seem to have forgotten to bring the swing. It's all good though! Little Chick will be so happy when they finally come! They say tomorrow! Let's hope!

The "Dog"wood Festival

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

We had such a great day! We started our morning by going out for breakfast. It was so nice not having to cook (or do dishes). Then we told Little Chick that we were going to the Dogwood Festival. This is a really nice event that has taken place here in Connecticut as far back as I can remember. In the car Little Chick said she could not wait to get to the "Dog" Festival. I told her that it was the Dogwood Festival, but she didn't care. She went on and on filled with excitement about the "Dog" Festival! It was the cutest thing!

When we arrived and saw all the tents and people Little Chick yelled, "The Dog Festival! The Dog Festival!" We bundled up (it has been ridiculously cold here) and started walking around. To my utmost surprise, what did I see, but dogs EVERYWHERE!! In all the thirty something years I have been coming to this affair I have never seen people with their dogs! Little Chick was smiling from ear to ear chasing after every four legged friend she saw and I was running right behind her saying, "Make sure you ask the owner if you can pet the dog." This went on the entire time we were there. Here are just a few of the many "dog" pictures I got. Little Chick must have greeted at least twenty of her furry friends.

It truly was the DOG FESTIVAL!