I celebrated my last Father’s Day with my dad in 2001.  My brothers, their wives and families, my uncle and my husband were all there.  We had a cookout at my dad’s house.  Little did I know it would be the last one...my dad died the following month.

My parents divorced when I was 2.  He remarried and had 2 girls.  I have no memory of having ever lived with my dad.  Whenever he came over to visit, there was some pretty nasty fights with my mom.  

Ocassionally he did take me out, sometimes with my sisters.  That was nice because I rarely went anywhere.  He did attend all my graduations and when I was in college, he helped out by giving me money for books.  When I got married, he walked me down the aisle.

Still, I don’t feel like I knew my father very well.  I don’t remember having any deep conversations with him.  When I was a child, I was honestly afraid of him because of his volatile temper.  When I was an adult, after I got married, we moved close to him and we got together on a regular basis.  That was nice but shortly after that he died.

I wish I had known my father better.  I wish I would have had a better relationship with him.  And I wish he would have met my sons.

Most of you know that my mom had MS but regardless she was a great mom.  My mother had a very difficult life and faced many obstacles.  She was born in Bolivia and her family was poor.  She said she didn’t have sufficent food to eat and her dad was abusive.

Unfortunately my mother married my father who was also abusive and a cheater on top of that.  My parents divorced when I was 2 so I really don’t have any recollection of living with my dad.

My mom was an excellent cook, everything was made from scratch.  She also was a seamstress and made me some beautiful dresses when I was a little girl.  She ensured I received the BEST education by putting me in a private school from first grade until 12th grade.

She had a wonderful green thumb and we were always surrounded by beautiful plants like African violets, geraniums, pointsettas, prayer plants, etc.  

She was there for me literally 24/7.  My mom never ever went anywhere.  I don’t ever remember having a babysitter.  We shared a bedroom when I was growing up.  She was always home when I came home from school.

My two brothers, my mom, and I went to church every Sunday.  Most Fridays we would pray the Rosary in Spanish.  Spanish was the first language I ever spoke.  Unfortunately my Spanish is fading though.

She learned to speak English on her own.  She watched shows like I love Lucy and had books like Aprendemos Ingles (Let’s Learn English).

She was a wonderful Mom and I miss her so much.  For those of you who are still blessed to have your moms with you, enjoy this special day with them.

This Saturday, May 7th I will be walking in the MS Walk.  I have walked in the MS Walk many many times over the years.  My mother had MS for over 37 years.  She died in July 2007.

For those who don’t know, Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system.  It affects different people in different ways.  But the victim is not the only one affected, the whole family is.  My mother has chronic constipation and lost her balance.  Towards the end, she was in a wheelchair.

I remember going to church with her and she would literally hold on to me for support.  As a small child, it was absolute torture to keep still and walk really slowly, but I had to because otherwise she would fall.

She had to take cascara sagrada, which is a powerful herb so she would have bowel movements.  Unfortunately this sometimes caused some accidents as she couldn’t get to a bathroom fast enough.

She couldn’t play catch with me or go on leisurely walks or drive.

My parents divorced when I was 2.  My mom was a single mom with MS and raised 3 kids.  She could not work and did not speak English.  She had no extended family here in the United States that could provide support either emotionally or financially.

I don’t know how she did it.  No, I do know.  She was a woman of TREMENDOUS faith.  She prayed constantly, read the Bible, prayed the Rosary, and taught me and my brothers about God.  

So this is why I walk.  If you would like to support me, please send me a personal message and I can send you the link to my page.

Thanks,
Diane

So I’ve been off from work since last Wednesday and been at home.  I really wanted to go somewhere but can’t afford it right now, but have to say that being at home has been really relaxing.

I spent the last half of last week getting ready for Jack’s birthday party on Saturday, running around doing errands, cleaning, etc.

Sunday was Easter and it was our first Easter alone...just the four of us.  After church and an egg hunt for the boys, we went out for lunch (which we rarely do), came home, went for a walk, and blew some bubbles.  

Monday, some dentist appointments for Kyle and me and great news...NO Cavities!!  I surprised Kyle by taking him bowling afterwards and for lunch at the alley.  He crushed me but I still had fun.

Tuesday was Jack’s real birthday and Kyle went back to school so it was just me and Jack at an indoor pool.  The little guy had a lot of fun.

Now I will be doing some serious cleaning around the house the rest of the week.  I’ve also had time to read some good mystery novels and watch a bunch of movies (Black Swan, Devil, and Switch) which I rarely do.

All in all the home vacation wasn’t bad at all but I still hope we can go to the beach in August.  

Jack is my youngest boy who will be 3 tomorrow.  I consider him my miracle baby for a few reasons.  First I had 2 miscarriages and then when I had some lab work done, the doctor said I had “low ovarian reserve” and that my chances of natural conception were very low.

I was pretty upset as I really wanted another child.  To make things harder for me, it seemed like all the mothers I knew were pregnant with their second child.  It just didn’t seem in the cards for me.

I could have seen a fertility specialist but decided if it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be.  

Then my mother died in July 2007.  Shortly afterwards, we went to the beach in August.  I was on a Ferris wheel with my son Kyle and I felt a little nauseated.  I thought, that’s wierd, I never get nauseated on rides.  I didn’t think much of it.

Later that month, I took a pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant!  And I was really scared because I thought I would have another miscarriage and I just couldn’t deal with another miscarriage along with losing my mom.

But lo and behold, the pregnancy went well.  I didn’t have any issues except the morning sickness and my feet swelling up near the end of my pregnancy.  Ironically, Jack’s due date was April 20th, one day before my mom’s birthday.  He was late, although not as late as Kyle, and was born on April 26th, 2008.

Jack Leon Mansfield - he was unexpected but most definitely a wanted baby and my miracle baby!  Plus with him being the youngest and me being the youngest in my family, I feel like there’s an even more special bond between us.

Yesterday I went to the hair salon to get a hair cut...just an inch or so to get rid of my dead ends.  Then on a whim, I decided to get my hair straightened.  I have NEVER had my hair straightened.  I felt like a totally new person when I saw the end result and just wanted to share!  I am not good with hair so I doubt I will be able to recreate this by myself but I just wanted to share with you ladies.

My hair is naturally wavy and my hairdresser Sabrina told me NOT to get my hair wet or it will curl up again, LOL!

I also got a brow wax and a manicure which is really really chipped bad now.

I rarely go the hair salon and get my hair done so this was a special treat.