Staying in Touch

As you know, I’m always looking for ways to stay connected to my two young nieces who live 400 miles away. I tried the pen-pal thing but it flopped – they’re forgetful when it comes to writing back! I periodically send care packages with games, books and activities. In the springtime I sent a whole box full of things to encourage them to enjoy the great outdoors: jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, water bottles (BPA free of course!) and even a soccer ball! But one of the greatest tools has been the more technologically advanced options: email and Skype.

While hand written letters and postcards are nice, it’s so easy to send my nieces a little electronic note to not only keep in touch with what’s happening in their lives but to share things happening in my life as well.

Skype has been a great way to interact. Because of Skype, I got to see my youngest niece, “Bailey” perform the latest dance she learned. But even Skyping can be difficult to do when we all get caught up in our day-to-day lives. It seems that setting up regular Skype "dates" might be the way to go.

Another fun way to stay in touch is through something like "Kinect" that will allow you to play games together. Unfortunately this isn't an option for me, I have Xbox, they have Wii. I've been searching online for age-appropriate games that we can play together but haven't had any luck so far. If you know of any online games that have this capability, please leave a comment, I'd love to know about it!

Aiming High

As women in the United States of America, we may take our freedoms for granted. In this country we have the ability to do things that women in other parts of the world don’t: marry whom we choose, own property, get an education, drive.

That’s why one article I recently read got my attention – in fact, it was the photo that caught my eye first: four Afghan women wearing head coverings and military uniforms. 

The headline read: “Afghan officers are aiming high.”

These women are training to become their country’s first females piloting military helicopters.

“We’re going to open the door for ladies in Afghanistan,” said second Lt. Sourya Saleh. “It’s a big deal for us to open this door for the others. That these other ladies who have the dream and think they can do it, we want to show them.”

 

These women are fighting against the odds to pursue their dreams.

While Afghanistan remains a male-dominated culture, women there now go to school and work in offices. Having women pilots in the military will be a huge step not just for Afghanistan but for the entire Middle East.

 

With all of the negative news coming out of the Middle East, I’m excited to be able to share this story.

I wish these women the best of luck in their journey.

You can read the full story here

Ode to Abby Wambach and the U.S. Women's Soccer Team

Although our girls on the U.S. Soccer Team didn’t win the Women’s World Cup, their achievement is still one to be admired.

I felt hometown pride as Abby Wambach, a native of my hometown, tied the game against Brazil which they went on to win, and scored the winning goal over France and went on the World Cup Finals. Abby Wambach and her teammates are wonderful role models for young girls, exhibiting strength and determination. 

And what I love about Abby is her humble, down-to-earth attitude. Even winning an ESPY for “Best Play” of the year didn’t distract her from her goal.

“(You can’t) lose sight of what’s important, and what’s important is sticking together as a team, which has united us and we’ve grown stronger, to be honest.” Wambach was quoted as saying.

Abby may have scored the winning goal against France, affording the  U.S. team to go on for a chance at the World Cup, but she recognizes it was a team effort.

“If you have a ‘we’ mentality instead of the ‘me’ mentality, you’re more likely to win.”

That’s a mentality that applies both on the soccer field and in life.

Read more about Abby here in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 

Girls Rule!

There’s no denying girls are growing up faster these days, and they’re being inundated by the media and their peers with negative messages about the way they should look and the way they should act. How can we combat those messages and remind the girls we love to stay true to themselves?

I’ve been searching for ways to reinforce that message for my young nieces, through books and movies with positive female protagonists and inspirational quotes.

I came across a book called “Girls Rule” by Ashley Rice.

The one you see here is the updated edition and it’s a slim book full of positive writings, poems and fun drawings just for girls. There are several other books in the series, narrated by Penelope J. Miller, with themes of following your dream and believing in yourself. Other titles include: "You Go Girl... Keep Dreaming" and "You Are an Amazing Girl: A Very Special Book About Being You and Making Your Dreams Come True."

I gave this book to my niece “Hannah” for her eleventh birthday and she LOVES it. I bought myself a copy so we can talk about it and share our favorite parts. I hope that perhaps it will be a springboard for some fun and insightful conversations.

“Girls Rule” covers uniqueness, courage, friendship and handling change. This is just the thing I was looking for. I will be checking out other books by Ashley Rice as future gift possibilities! You can check out her website here: http://www.ashleyrice.com/

Definition of a Long Distance Auntie

I’m an auntie because my sister has two beautiful daughters who are now 11 and 8 years old. I’m a long-distance auntie because they live 400 miles away.

I don’t yet have children of my own so when I held my eldest niece for the first time and felt the weight of her fragile body in my arms, I was thrilled to be an aunt. I was only 14 when she was born and I was so proud I hung pictures of her in my school locker. I felt the same way when her sister came two years later.

I still remember the days of Blue’s Clues and Elmo, bottle feeding and babysitting. But those days are long gone any my nieces are becoming young girls.

About three years ago, they moved out of state and being away from them has only gotten harder as time has passed. I worry that I’m missing out on their lives; I worry that they’re going to grow up and forget about me.

I’m looking for ways to stay connected with the girls now that they are 400 miles away. I’m searching for inspirational stories to share with them and ways to send them positive messages as they grow and go through their tween and teen years. I want them to know that they are bright and beautiful and strong and that they can do anything they put their minds to.

I hope this blog will be a great way for me to work through my struggles and share my triumphs and ideas of connecting with the young ones in our lives who are far away. But I hope this may also be a resource for mommies, aunties and god mommies everywhere, whether the children they love live near or far, who are looking for ways to reach out and connect.