Today's guest blog comes to us from reader Sandy Moore, who blogs at PennsylvaniaEnergy.org

 

The first time I noticed there was something a little different about my mother was when I heard her say

the word “box.”

“Hey Sand – would you mind grabbing this BAWWX? I can’t hold all this.”

I was only six, and I was well behind the curve on my potty training. You only have so many years to soil

yourself without grave repercussions, so I took a smoke-‘em-if-you-got-‘em approach . Sorry mom, you

got gamed. I knew what I was doing.

In addition, sociolinguistically, I was precocious. I quickly diagnosed that “BAWWX” was not “box.” My

father, groaning from the couch, seemed to pick up on the same thing.

 

“BAWWWWWWX – HELP ME WITH THIS BAWWWWWX,” he mocked, stretching the fictitious AWs as

long as his lungs would allow, as she smirked, laughed, walked past both of us and set the bawx down

without any assistance from either one of her big, strong men.

 

Perplexed and unhelpful as I was at the time, it couldn’t make more sense looking back on it. My

mother, a supremely friendly, unabashed Pittsburgher, was no less supremely friendly and unabashed

than any other Pittsburgher. Even though she’d moved across the state to raise her family in

Philadelphia, she’d brought her Western PA behavior in tow. The flood of cheestesteaks, irascible sports

fans and other Philadelphia clichés had cloaked her Burghness, but it hadn’t stymied it altogether. Boxes

were occasionally labeled as bawxes; Heinz was the only ketchup worth buying; the time she ran into

Lynn Swan on the street would always be her favorite one-upping story.

 

And it was all because she, like most other Pittsburghers, seems to have a muddled air of self-

awareness, affability and general disinterest in others’ disinterest in Pittsburgh. I realized this after I

moved out and spent four years of college in Pittsburgh, doused with roommates, friends, relatives and

strangers who’d all spent their formative years in the steel city. All of them, friendly and consciously

over-prideful as can be, made me realize what an insanely cool culture had shaped them as well as my

own mother.

 

Ultimately, I guess the point of all this is to reach out to other displaced Pittsburgh moms: don’t

ever lose touch with your roots. Someday, your child will grow to appreciate your passions and

idiosyncrasies. And until then, go easy on him when he can’t get the hang of the big boy toilet. Some of

us work a little slower than others.

 

 

 

 

Today's guest blog comes to us from Tara Darazio, a local mom and freelance journalist. She blogs at A Passion for the Pen

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 I haven’t seen it yet this year, but I know it will be coming soon.

It’s the commercial I remember seeing every holiday season since I can remember, and the one that truly puts me in the Christmas spirit.

 I still cry when I see it, like I’m seeing it for the first time. Maybe it’s just such a strong reminder of my childhood and those glorious days of believing and innocence.

Do you know what it is yet? This 30 second gem from Eat ‘n Park:

 

 

In 30 seconds, they manage to make so many messages clear, that it’s honestly genius. I wish I could have been a part of this advertising team. Did they have ANY idea what they were creating so many years ago? A Christmas classic, a commercial that elicits emotion no matter what your age.

The messages in this commercial are great ones to live by every day, and here’s my take on one of my favorite little piece of Christmas.

 Believe that anything is possible. The star relays this as she bravely decides shes’s going to get on the top of that tree. And in life, this message is one we are told when we are young, but often forget as time moves on. We let outside influences ruin our image of “we can be or do anything” and we lose a little bit of that hope with each passing year.

Never give up. Even though the star knows the treetop is too high for her, she keeps on it, knowing that sometimes it’s just that one little extra push that will make it all happen. We’ve all done things we never thought we could do. We have to remember that inner strength and that passion when we need it most.

Know your purpose. The star knew she belonged up on that tree and set her sights on that goal. We were all put here for a purpose and for some of us, we know what it is almost instantly, for others, it may take a lifetime. But we will find it. And when we do, we should embrace it and share it with the world.

 Trust in others. When the tree so graciously bends down to pick up the star, who is almost crying on the ground, if you look closely, we feel an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness. When we are at our lowest point, when we think we have nothing left to give, the impossible happens. Whether the strength comes from a family member, a friend, God,  we will be lifted up, just like the star, and we will move forward. At Christmas, everyone is a bit nicer to one another and the world acts how it should act year round. I wish we could keep that spirit longer.

Shine. The star shines in the literal sense, but we learn to shine in a different way. We must find what makes us happy, what brings us love and peace, and use that energy to shine as a person, as a parent, as a friend, as a spouse. If we all focused that kind of positive energy in our everyday life, wouldn’t things be easier.

 If I think of myself as the star, then for me, writing is my “tree.” It lifts me up when I need lifting, and it’s where I am supposed to be in my life. It’s what I am supposed to do. I’m thankful that I’ve found my peace, and I wish for all my readers that you find yours this holiday season, or anytime, and shine on for many years to come.

Today's guest post comes to us from local mom,  Jacqueline Dudt-Mulzet, who blogs about her two daughters at http://thesweetersideofmommyhood.wordpress.com/. Jacqueline is a preschool and kindergarten Art Teacher at Euro Academy in Wexford.

 

By the Grace of God

On February 20th, 2012, at 11:34 p.m., our daughter Grace was born into the world six weeks premature. After a worrisome seven months of pregnancy, we breathed a sigh of relief to hear our little angel cry, and see our little angel move as soon as I had given one last push. At a mere 4 pounds 13 ounces, my husband and I couldn’t imagine meeting a more beautiful baby.

Her skin was soft and smooth, her eyes were wide and bright. She stared and stared at us and we held her close. I’m not sure how long we got to have her, but I vividly remember, and can even still feel, moments of complete and total joy as B and I beheld our little miracle for the first time ever.

Because of her prematurity, Grace was immediately taken to the NICU to be assessed as all premature babies are. I can’t describe what it felt like for that hour and a half, experiencing afterbirth pains for the second time in my life, without the baby to show for it. B and I sat and talked, distracting each other in my hospital room, asking the nurses every few minutes if it was time yet to go see our daughter.

Almost two hours later, we got to hold her again. We rejoiced in her strength as she needed no assistance at birth. She was breathing perfectly, heart pumping strong, and eating already. She seemed in perfect health.

Later that night, or rather early that morning, we found out there were some problems regarding her platelet and white blood cell counts and her direct bilirubin levels. We began to panic. Her team of doctors and nurses were mentioning possible metabolic dissorders, liver diseases, blood problems, brain damage. What was happening?

In the moments and days between the confusion, I held that little baby tight. I rocked her and I nursed her and I whispered to her everything she needed to know about her crazy big sister and the world she would soon be living in. I tried fiercely to stay awake forever so I never had to put her down. I watched as her Daddy held her, loving every minute of having her safe in his arms.

One of Grace’s doctor’s had the good sense to send her urine out for an expedited CMV (Cytomegolovirus) test. This was something my blood had been tested for during pregnancy so we were not altogether surprised. We were, however, surprised when Grace tested positive for this virus. The bits of information B and I had read months prior started to swim through our heads. Deafness, blindness, brain damage, cerebral palsy. Was our baby “ok”? What was happening?  What the hell was CMV?

Slowly, our family trickled in and out of the NICU with us.  Reminding us to eat. Forcing me to sleep. Making it possible for us to see both our daughters at once. We were split in half between the two loves of our lives, one baby girl needing us at home, and the other needing us in the only place she had ever known.

We had little miracles as Grace passed her hearing and vision tests, and crushing blows when we learned the virus had, in fact, damaged her brain in ways only time would tell. Slowly her bilirubin levels began to normalize, but the clenching pain in my heart wouldn’t yet subside.

Eleven days felt like an eternity as we all waited for Grace to be cleared to go home. It was made clear that her condition was not to be taken lightly- she needed to be closely monitored by an army of specialists: The GI doctors, Infections Disease, Audiology, Ophthalmology, General Pediatric, Early Intervention. She may very well be facing endless challenges as she begins to grow up. Only time will tell how well our little girl fights this invisible virus. We pray for the best and prepare for the worst, and so far? We’ve been pleasantly surprised.

 

Grace will be taking an Anti-Viral called Valganciclovir for the first year of her life. She receives 0.8 mL two times a day and needs frequent blood draws to monitor her white blood cells as the drug is bone marrow suppressant. So far she has been doing great with no affect on her immune system whatsoever. There is no false sense of security here- we are well aware that that could change at any time during this next year- but for now we are immeasurably thankful. The damage this virus has done to our daughter seems to have been slight compared to what it could have been, compared to what I’m slowly learning it has done to so many other children in the world.

1 in 150 children are born with congenital CMV.

CMV affects more children than Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida and AIDS.

CMV can be passed through saliva, blood, mucus, tears and other bodily fluids. This is why mothers with toddlers, pregnant women working in childcare centers or preschools and nurses are most at risk.

Children born with congenital CMV may develop permanent medical conditions and disabilities, such as deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, mental and physical disabilities, seizures, and death.

Prevention is as simple as frequent hand washing- soap and water!

80% of people in the world have already contracted this virus. It is only dangerous to a pregnant woman who can pass it through the placenta to a developing fetus. In everyone else it can feel like a cold or present no symptoms at all.

Only 14% of women in the U.S. (even those that have already had it) have heard of CMV compared to the 97% of women who have heard of Downs Syndrome.

I am urging you, begging you, to please follow the link to the STOP CMV website. Educate yourself on what this virus is and where it comes from.  Arm yourself with knowledge that could save the life of an unborn child. If you are a pregnant woman, a woman hoping to get pregnant, or know a woman in either of those two categories, take the time protect that unborn baby. Take the time to stop CMV.

http://www.stopcmv.org/

http://www.cmvfoundation.org/aboutCMV.html

How to take better pictures of your children

 

You don’t need a fancy camera to create gorgeous images.  You also don’t need to know a thing about ISO or aperture.  Simply follow these easy guidelines to capture images of your children that are full of personality.

• Work it:  Try to capture real emotion in your child’s expression by earning it.  In order to capture the expressions that you know and love you need to draw it out.  Laugh, joke, pretend you are going to tickle them.  If you work to get your children engaged and laughing the images will encapsulate their personality, not just their physical features.

• Get a little serious:  Wait until your child is engaged in an activity, then sneak in to capture a few images.  You will remember how they may stick their tongue out just a little bit as they concentrate.  Ask them if they see a firefly in your camera to create the soulful images of your children.

• Move to their level:  While having your child look up into the camera is a fun perspective, make sure you take some images down at their level.  By sitting on the floor or laying on the ground you create an interesting perspective in your composition and showcase the world from their point of view.

• Fill the frame:  If you only try one thing, this will give you the biggest bang for your buck.  Simply get a little closer and fill the image with your child.  It eliminates distraction and there is no question as to who the subject of the photograph is.

• Window, no flash:  Avoid on-camera flash as much as possible as the light is incredibly unflattering and creates those crazy alien eyes.  Instead, simply move over near a window and have your child look outside for a squirrel.  The light from the window will light their face beautifully and also create those little catch-lights in their eyes

 

 

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Today's guest post comes to us from our friend Nicole Begley.

 Nicole Begley is a professional lifestyle family photographer specializing in creating custom home décor and fine-art images of those that you cherish most.  The goal of every session is to create images that your great-grandchild will view in 50 years and get a feeling of what life was like in this moment of time.

 Nicole has started the point and shoot challenge on her blog as a way to encourage moms to capture fun snapshots of these moments that will pass too quickly.  Become a follower of the blog for more photography tips and opportunities to learn more about your camera.

 Website:  www.nicolebegleyphotography.com

Point and Shoot Challenge: http://kids.nicolebegleyphotography.com/category/point-and-shoot-project/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/nicolebegleyphotography