Flip Side Giveaway!

Amanda Marley-Clarke  is our tile winner! 
Congratulations!!












     Mollycoddle tile!

Molly has volunteered to giveaway another one of her tiles. We have coordinated and she is going to start making Flip Side tiles for me. You may choose this tile or another of her 6" tiles. More Flip Side quotes to come.


To qualify for the giveaway, you must "like" the mollycoddle.com Facebook webpage (comment that you did)  and follow my blog (any of the follow links).


Let me introduce you to the woman behind Mollycoddle tiles.

Amber Housey created this video to share with you Molly's tiles and studio. 

I am lining up more future Flip Side giveaways. You will get updates on my blog.

Walk in Someone's Shoes Wednesday

Every shoe has tongue,
They all have a sole.
Every shoe has a heart
And a story to be told.

No matter what they look like

Whether old or new,
They are all quite different
Every single shoe.

Take the time to learn
What they have to say.
You may make a friend.
On that very day.

Here's a shoe to ponder.
Someone you might know.
We think she has it all.
She's had her highs and lows.

"I think the biggest misconception about me is that I'm this spoiled brat. 

But I'm not. I'm the total opposite."

Born on February 17, 1981 in New York City.

Three younger siblings.

Her childhood was spent in palatial dwellings in the priciest neighborhoods.

Arrested for cocaine possession.

Had a DUI.








Yes, it is Paris Hilton.

We All Know Someone on the Flip Side

We all know or knew someone like this!!

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.”

" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown , and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. H e looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. " Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

Sibling Rivalry

My sister, Heather (left) and me (right) in front of my Grandmother's House

My husband and I were watching Modern Family last night. It is, in our opinion, one of the funniest shows on tv. We really enjoy it. Some of it we can relate to (ok a lot) and some of it we are glad we don't and some of it we wish we could.  The episode about Phil having symptoms of ADD...ME! The dippy things that Gloria does...ME! My husband says it makes me cute. The episode where Mitchell joins a flash mob and Cameron gets mad because he couldn't be a part of it....ME!

Last night, the younger daughter was graduating from middle school at the top of her class and had to make a speech. She and her sister do not get along very well because they are very different. Alex is the smart one who thinks she is a nerd and isn't pretty like her popular and pretty sister, Haley.  Haley tries to convince Alex not to use the speech she wrote because it ripped on all of the popular kids in school. She didn't want Alex to end her middle school career and begin high school with the memory of defiling the kids in her grade. Alex didn't agree until Haley explained that the popular kids have their "stuff" to deal with too has her "stuff".  She told Alex that was failing a class, had to go to summer school and might not be able to go to college with her friends. In the end, Alex realized that when she stopped to look at the flip side and walk in her sister's shoes, they both had their own "stuff" to deal with.

THis is me, too. I have a twin sister named Heather. She is awesome. She is funny and vibrant and smart and successful. When we are together we just laugh and laugh. We are also very different and have been our entire lives. We are fraternal twins which means two different eggs developing at the same time. We were wombats. I have brown hair. She wears red hair like she was born with it. I am 5'7". She is probably 5'10" or 5'11" (I am guessing). I am smaller in stature. She boisterous and outgoing. You know when she is in the room. I am a wall flower in recovery. She is super smart. She didn't have to attend classes to do well. I worked my butt off just to manage a C sometimes. I, by NO means, was a "popular" kid in school but we had different kinds of friends. She was drama club and Dungeons and Dragons. Though, I was in drama club, I didn't fit in. I was teen magazines, make-up and boys (who didn't give me the time of day). If my sister and I were in the same room, you would not pick us as sisters, let alone twins.

Many years ago, she and I had a heart to heart about growing up. She told me she was jealous of how I looked and how skinny I was. I often thought, when she was getting teased about her weight (which we realize now, wasn't a weight problem at all but a perception problem by everyone) how unfair it was to be born twins and be so different. She harbored some resentment for me. What she didn't realize was that being as skinny as I was, was just as bad as being fat. I was teased too. I was an underdeveloped toothpick. I don't quite know if any toothpick is ever developed but that was me.

I told her that I was jealous of her outgoingness and how smart she was. I struggled everyday of my schooling career. It was sheer torture. How I became a teacher was pure diligence and drive. I wanted to help kids who struggled too. I wanted to help all kids to respect each others differences and value them. I wanted to be like my sister in so many ways. We should have been blended together and redistributed. She was stunned to hear my point of view. I still look at how courageous she is. She travels, she moves all over the country, she has interesting jobs, she has no problem meeting new people, she is so funny and fun to be with.  I love that. I value that.

I value my life too. It is who I am and i have made it the way I want it to be. I have made my mistakes and owned them. I have worked hard to get right where I am and I have a ton to offer. I don't label myself with my past but learn from the good and the bad. I learn from my sister and all of the people I meet.  I try not to judge people but try to get to know them. Everyone has something to offer. Every person we meet is in our lives forever. What we do with that is up to us. I still struggle with self-perception, self-confidence and self-worth. I am not perfect. I will not allow those things to linger in my mind. I want to boost those negatives into positives to touch lives. So here I am world and ...

HERE I COME!!!

Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth.  Each of us has something to give that no one else has.  ~Elizabeth O'Connor

Everyone has a Story

My husband, who is on the Flip Side bandwagon, handed me a Mitch Albom article called, Homeless Vet Goes Home the Right Way. It was another article about an unwanted homeless man who passed away and had no one to claim his remains. These are the same stories we've become so accustomed to overlooking because we say to ourselves, "There was nothing I could do." or "That is just going to make me feel bad." or "He was probably some dead beat." Whatever it is, we all share similar feelings. It is human nature. We are always being bombarded by stories of violence, negativity and sadness in the news, we have become 
antipatheticAdjective: Showing or feeling a strong aversion.

which is really hindering our ability to have empathy for others. It is a shame. We fail to take the time to hear the whole story, the story that may actually affect our lives in some way. 

This homeless man named John Hannah, did in fact have a story, a family who couldn't find him and a significant history. If it weren't for a funeral director who took his body to his modest funeral home to care for it and try to find his next of kin, he and his past would be discarded alone.  

Using his birth date, four digits from his S.S. number and his final ranking in the Navy, they found his family who had been searching for him for 15 years. He spent 20 years in the Navy and actually had health insurance and a pension. No one is quite sure why he ended up the way he did but they did learn he had lost his wife and he took it very hard. Even more amazing, he actually had a blog for years and followers who knew who he was. Though he was homeless, he went to the library daily to write in his blog. 

There are so many flip sides to this story. Empathy guided the funeral director to go in search of family for this stranger and expected nothing in return. What a sacrifice he made for another human being. He felt for this man and didn't want him to die alone.

Miscommunication or lack of communication or unknown circumstances caused a family to pull apart and lose touch. It is most likely, John thought his family didn't care, when in fact they were looking for him for 15 years and now he will never know that. Sometimes we assume we understand something or someone and don't take the time to really find the truth. Our fears overtake finding the truth. 

Then, there are all of his blog followers who knew him maybe better than anyone. I wonder if they saw him on the street if they would have taken a second look yet he captivated them online. We would have never expected to find that out about man living in a homeless shelter. 

I am not assuming I know what or how any of you would react to this situation or any other situations. I am merely generalizing about what I think are natural feelings and reactions that many people, including myself, have.  I am learning how to change my reactions and interactions with people and situations so I can be a better person, a more empathetic person and a more productive citizen in my community and world. 


Here is another one of my posts about "Walking in Someone Else's Shoes." http://amberhousey.blogspot.com/2011/01/in-honor-of-jack.html

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."
Mother Teresa

The Extraordinary Geek

I found this article that said kids should embrace their inner loser. What?  I had to read on. It was about those kids who feel they are lower on the social pyramid and don't feel they belong when in fact they are the ones who are the most interesting and have the great ideas. The author wrote a book called, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth. I don't think they will inherit it. I think they already have. If you ask many successful and creative people what they were like in highschool, many will tell you they were nerds. My child's pediatrician will openly say she was and is a nerd and she is also one of the most popular pediatricians in the area. I openly admit that I was a geek and still am in many ways. I embrace it.

So I was inspired to write you a poem related to this topic as a post today. At the bottom is a link to the article. Have a nerdy day!


Love the loser you think you are,
Embrace your inner nerd,
See the qualities that make you think,
Even if absurd.

It's your interesting personality,
And your quirky style.
It's your refreshing ideas,
That will take you the extra mile.

A social pyramid is a downward slope
Lonely at the top.
A social circle accepting all
Is really hard to stop.

Love yourself for who you are
The qualities so unique.
You are truly the special one
That extraordinary geek.


http://twe.ly/cEkb

Mom

Isn't it funny how life comes full circle in so many ways? As we are growing up, we challenge our parents (mothers) , cause trouble maybe, demand our independence, fight with our siblings and frankly, drive them nuts. What did they always say? "Wait until you have kids." We thought, we will never be like them. We will never say,  "Eat your dinner. There are starving kids in the world." Or, "Stop acting like that or I will embarrass you in front of everyone here." (though, in fact, we are more terrified of being embarrassed ourselves but we can't let them know that.)" Or, "What in the world are you watching?You are going to turn into a boob sitting there all day in front of the TV" Or, "Those video games are going to ruin your brain." We said we would be the cool parents who will not nag our kids and let them do what they want. What we find out is that they are a reflection of us as parents. That kind of sucks. We can't catch a break. What I mean is, our parents didn't want us to make them look bad and now we realized that what our kids do or how they act or how they turn out is all about how we raise them. We can't be cool parents or people will look at them and say, "Jeez, who's raising those kids? A zookeeper?" So, here we are saying all of the things our parents said to us.

It's ok though. We take the the things that we feel were effective and reestablish them in our raising techniques and we add new ones that will enhance our parenting even more. Most importantly, we make mistakes. That's ok too. Our kids will say someday that we did crazy things. Truthfully, its the circle of life. If things were perfect, they wouldn't want to leave and we wouldn't be ready to let them go. There is enough good or great things that make them want to come back.

On this Mother's Day, I thank my mom for working hard at putting up with the craziness we may have caused and loving me through all of the things that make me who I am today. She unconditionally loved me and stills loves me today. Even better, she loves me through my children now. She helps me with them and loves them with all she has. Seeing her do that, makes me say that this is what I hope to do for my kids someday. I Love you MOM for your hard work and love.

Queen of her Queendom

Mission #67 Are you playing with a full deck?

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This is my 3rd card of 52 in the deck. 52? or 50? No, 52 cards in a deck and 50 states in the US...and 13 original colonies represented by the 13 stars, no stripes on the flag (50 stars for the states). Right? This isn't a history lesson. Cards not states. (sometimes I ramble on out in left field. You know its safer from flying balls out in left field.)

This one seems a bit easy for me because Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday. So I declare it my Queen day and I request all attention to paid to me on this day for I am ruler of my Queendom. Queen-DOM not DUM.
I am Queen Amber and shall be treated as such. Ok? Helloooo. Anyone?

Actually, my husband is great about Mother's day and takes on all responsibilities including cooking, getting the kids ready, keeping the kids from causing upset, gives me gifts, helps the kids get me gifts, generally breakfast in bed and so on. He's a good man that Charlie Brown. Mind you, I love him just the same on Father's Day.  We try to "love" each other all year even if I am not the most lovable until I have had my coffee and breakfast. Ask him. I didn't tell him that until after he married me. heh, heh.

So, my Queen card this week has ranked me as Queen for a Day on Saturday. It is the most Blessed thing that has ever happened to me. Loving my children is like no other and the hardest job in the world. I wouldn't change a thing.

I hope all Mother's on Mother's Day have a beautiful day and BE SPOILED! You deserve it. Love.

"On Mother's Day I have written a poem for you.  In the interest of poetic economy and truth, I have succeeded in concentrating my deepest feelings and beliefs into two perfectly crafted lines:  You're my mother, I would have no other!"  ~Forest Houtenschil

Appreciate a Teacher

Today I took a moment to stop at Starbucks, not for me, but for the teachers in my children's lives. I wanted to give them a token of my gratitude and appreciation for being significant people in their lives and their education. All of my children love school and love to share what they are learning. This tells me that their teachers and my husband and I are instilling a healthy love for learning.

No person is perfect...so no friend, husband, wife, boss, co-worker or teacher is perfect. We embrace that because it challenges our character to learn to appreciate the good qualities in a person and deal with and learn from the qualities that we have difficulty with. It makes us stronger and more compassionate human beings. It is good to have different types of teachers (not just the mushy gushy ones that affirm us, as well as our children, every day). Yes, they need to be good at instructing and care about our children and nurture them but if we had the "perfect" teacher every year, would your child be ready for the challenges later in life with that grumpy boss who wouldn't give a compliment if his/her life depended on it or cope with the scatterbrained co-worker that they are on a project with? It is about teaching your children (and yourself) to see the positive in people and teach them how to maneuver through the different personalities.


 It's important to make each year a team effort. Not only between you, your child and their teacher but between you and your child alone. Let them know you are there to work things out and give them strategies to deal with their daily challenges. Remember, going against the teacher instead of working with them is not going to be productive. I have had some difficulty this year with teachers and I have not been "perfect" at dealing with it. I am writing this as a reminder to myself to be positive and not compare myself as a teacher with their teachers who may be very different.

I was a teacher for many, many years. It is a difficult job physically, mentally and emotionally. Imagine being on your feet all day walking from one end of the building to the other at least 4 times a day ( I wore a step tracker once and maxed out on it at 10,000 steps in a day which is close to 5 miles), continuously planning for the next presentation which has to be seamless, while administrative papers pile up on the corner of your desk throughout the day, with the phone ringing, emails coming in, papers to correct, shoes to tie, articles of clothing to find, coats to zip up, hugs to give, tears to dry, fights to break up, (differentiation) challenging the high learners, reaching the low learners, not forgetting the average level kids, staff meetings, IP meetings, new curriculum, state testing, lost lunch boxes, forgotten lunch boxes, recess duty on the coldest days and one of my most challenging was knowing I was going to have to protect and reassure and comfort 20 little first graders on 911 when they locked down the school and it seemed the world was coming to an end. I could only picture Red Dawn (the movie) and bad guys parachuting down as I huddled these little sweet babies in a corner protecting them. I was emotionally drained that day. We are totally invested and we do care about your children.

Teachers and families are a team and it takes the team and the tribe to raise good people. If you feel that your child isn't getting the education they deserve or being treated fairly, of course do something about it. Be fair, though.  Question your children as well as the teacher.

We, teachers, only believe half of what we hear, you should do the same (and we hear some crazy stuff sometimes).

Be sure to thank a teacher today. The smallest gesture truly means the world to a teacher. I thank all of the families I've had and the support they gave me and some still give me.

A Hero

Let me define hero:
noun ( pl. -roes)a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities : a war hero.• the chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.• (in mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semidivine origin, in particular one of those whose exploits and dealings with the gods were the subject of ancient Greek myths and legends.
I have heroes in my life. They are the people in my life that I hold in high regard for their character and values. Some of those people have accomplished things or have overcome things that I find to be heroic. One of my dearest friends beat cancer. Not only did she beat it but she did it with such grace and positive attitude. Oh, I know in the privacy of her home with her husband, she struggled but she was determined to beat it and not let it get the best of her. She survived. She is my hero. She went through chemo, lost her hair, got sick and kept on going. She is my hero. We walked the 3 day Komen for a Cure. We trained for over 500 miles in snow, sleet, rain and heat, walked 60 miles in 3 days, slept in tents, got blisters and achieved. I walked with her because she is my hero. If she can do it, I could too. If she could survive, then I could too. There are many heros out there like that too. Even the ones that don't survive but fight the fight are heros. 
A surprise hero emerged last night at 1:00 in the morning. I met a woman named Lori Lite on Twitter a while back. I often comment on her tweets, share her tweets and visit her sites. She writes children's books (like me) that teach children in a fun way how to relieve stress. Very cute books and music. Last night, I learned from one of her tweets that she has had quite an adventure with her business. She published her own books and sold them out of her home. A friend of hers encouraged her to try out for the show "Shark Tank" to see if she can get financial backing for her business. She did it. She was on the show and an investor backed her. Holy crap (if I may)!
It wasn't that she made it on the show that impressed me most, it was that she had the courage to try. She was like me and many other people out there who have a passion for something that they want to share with the world. A normal person. She had to be interviewed over and over, she had to prove her business plan and have numbers to back it. She had to pitch her idea over and over and she had to go on national tv and convince some pretty tough investors that her product and business was worthy of backing. I was so riveted by her story and her adventure that I stayed up until 1:00 AM reading about her and chatting with her on Twitter. I don't even know her but I was proud of her. She did it. 
I don't know if that is something I would do, but she did and I was impressed. I know that if she can do it, then I could too if I wanted to.  She has a passion for teaching and helping children like me and she went for it and she did it.  She gives me power and motivation.  She is my passion hero. She is my entrepreneur hero. Kudos to her. Check her out. http://www.StressFreeKids.com/

Some of my other heros: My husband for being one of the smartest people I know and for his passion to help children with our charity Building Bridges which he founded. My youngest son for being born 10 weeks early with a twisted intestine and fought death for 3 months of his life, his lack of thriving due to an allergy to milk and soy, for his lack of core strength that limited his ability to run and jump properly but has been reversed almost fully through weekly therapy for two years.  My grandma who lived to 104 on her own and was able to meet my husband before she passed.  
And many more.... Do you have a hero? Tell us about them.