THIS WEEK

I am sooooooooooooo excited -- a red blip from Istanbul?!? Could it be . . . D-O-N? That's so wonderful! Hmmmmmmmmmmm, E, better get baking those cookies to send (if I send them now, he might get them by his birthday) . . . *Ü*

This week has been a challenge, and above all else, I continue to remind myself of the shortest parenting tip that I have learned:

Our children spell "love": T - I - M - E.

I am going to put that on the refrigerator. What they want, above all else, is my time and attention, and secondly, to learn.

I try to keep that in mind and NOT fob Miss M off to the TV when Mr J needs to be fed (rather, I curl up right with her on the couch, so that it's the three of us and not two plus one), or plan to run numerous errands on a Saturday, or take a call. I love to stretch out on the floor and play with LEGO blocks, hope to make a bug jar this summer to catch fireflies, explain the intricacies of whatever they want to know, and yes, I am even looking forward to someday taking my teens to the coffee shop.

Time may be money to grownups, but time is love to my kids. Happy Bunny Hugs to All!!