Pixie Dust & Dolphin Kisses

Nothing can take the place of wonder & awe in a small child’s eyes.

Think back to a time when everything you believed in was true & sweet & simply pure magic.

 (3 years old)

Our little one just turned 6 ~ celebrate with us in this photo journey and thank you to everyone who has sent such lovely e-mails ~ I have shared every one with her!

It all started with a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: choice of gown, hair in a princess bun with shimmering pixie dust, a wand, glass slippers, and a beautiful sparkling wishing star.

Cinderella had just finished dancing with Prince Charming…Sleeping Beauty & Snow White. 

   

The Fairy Godmother greeted Little Petal and her Baby Bambi at the door.

                                 Following her gown presentation in the dressing room…

     

   …it was time to transform into a little princess. Hair, nails, the whole royal treatment for Little Petal and her Baby Bambi – who was also sprinkled with pixie dust and given a matching crystal cheek applique.

Then it was time to meet Cinderella and have lunch with her in her castle!

   

  Cinderella enjoyed meeting Baby Bambi.

Snow White, Belle, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty made our little princess feel extra special, too!

                       

  

After making a big wish on her birthday candle and a wonderful farewell hug from Cinderella,

we enjoyed the Magic Kingdom where dreams really do come true…

…because the next morning, Little Petal awoke to the news that her dream of swimming with dolphins was about to come true!! (For more on her incredible love of sea animals, go to the story “Harmony & Magic,” posted on November 3, 2010)

 We spent a beautiful day at Discovery Cove swimming with sting rays, swimming through an aviary – protected by 2 waterfalls…and Little Petal’s favorite – swimming with a very sweet dolphin named Jenny – what an amazing experience!

The Bright SpotTM  – Creating memories with your family, for in the end, all we have are our memories.

A MILLION Thanks to YOU!!

We hit our 1 Millionth page view on this site since its launch 6 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We only have YOU to thank as our faithful readers of this site and as listeners of our radio show, “Let’s Talk with Bianca & Phillip” on stations WSTC and WNLK, and streaming LIVE worldwide.

                  

With guests from around the nation, our show focuses on Life, Love & Parenting issues. We welcome all of your input and respond to every e-mail.

The show is archived on this site every week! – just click on the Radio Show flower in the navigation bar above to select a topic of interest to listen to at your convenience.

                          

We’d love & appreciate your vote ~ only takes a minute.

     Please click on this Vote Now image ~ you’re eligible because we stream Live.

On the VOTE NOW survey above, please forward to page 4 & under Radio Personalities: type in “Let’s Talk with Bianca & Phillip,” and under Radio Station (local): type in “1400am WSTC, Norwalk.”

Then just hit “Submit” at the end. You don’t have to give your information.

The Bright Spot  – YOU, YOU, YOU!!  Our readers, listeners, followers and friends, THANKS A MILLION!! LITERALLY!!

Thank You & Thank You Again

                

 ~ especially to Mama Hen at www.MamasLittleChick.com !! I am forwarding these awards to some of my sweet followers who take the time to e-mail, comment and follow this site regularly: Chelsea, LeeAnn, Kerry, Marissa at Let’s Move It Mommas, Rayan Turner, TV’s Take, Jinnia, ThetaMom, The Planet Pink, Hello Sneakers-Goodbye Heels, Mrs. F., Mommy Spirit, Melissa, WallFry, Discovering the Me in Mommy, Erica, Jill, Warren, Stefanie, Adrienne, Grace, KatieMay, Hannah, Scott, Pooneh, Parisa, Becky and Dr. Yakini.

I cannot believe it, almost a million page views in just 6 months because of all of you ~ thank you!

     Would you please do me a favor & take a minute to vote for us by clicking on this Vote Now image ~ you’re eligible because we also stream Live.

(This site, The Let’s Talk Mom.com, is updated every week – my husband & I host a parenting program Live on 2 radio stations, 1400am WSTC & 1350am WNLK – it’s later archived on this site so you can listen to any of the shows at your convenience. See flower in nav bar above.) 

On the VOTE NOW survey above, please forward to page 4 & under Radio Personalities: type in “Let’s Talk with Bianca & Phillip,” and under Radio Station (local): type in “1400am WSTC, Norwalk.”

It would be so wonderful and appreciated, and you don’t have to give any of your info on the last page or fill out anything else unless you wish to. Just hit “Submit” at the end.

The Bright Spot  – YOU!!  YOU are our Bright Spot – for without you as our readers, listeners, followers or friends, we wouldn’t be here. So thank you, thank you, thank you from our hearts to yours.

An Offering to Change a Life

I often talk about giving – giving of one’s heart, one’s time, one’s energies…but what about giving a part of oneself?

2 months ago, our 5-year-old saw some children who didn’t have any hair, and naturally she was full of questions. We gently explained how others can help by showing her pictures and answering all her questions.

The outcome: “I want to donate my hair to the children who lost their hair.”

We let 2 months pass to make absolutely sure, but she was adamant. So last week, our family took her to Mommy’s hairdresser for her 1st real salon experience.

The salon made a real fuss over her – from chocolates and orange juice to special organic products gifted from the family owners presented in a lovely embroidered bag.

  

Everyone in the salon was simply thrilled a little 5 year old knew exactly what she wanted to do and why.

It was a wonderful experience we will never forget!!

The Bright Spot™  – Our daughter says she’s looking forward to doing it again. We are very proud!

For more information, visit Angel Hair for Kids, Pantene Beautiful Lengths, Wigs for Kids, or Locks of Love to make a donation.

Please take a minute to read the next 2 short stories ~ Grandma didn’t pass away from old age – she had cancer – as did her youngest daughter whom she lost years earlier. The above was an important story for us, thank you for sharing.

Is This The End?

We received the dreaded call on New Year’s Eve. The children’s Grandmother had a few days to live and the hospital now moved her to the nearby hospice.

Happily married for 60 years this year, Granddad looked at his daughter with deep, sad eyes and asked, “Is this the end?” when she drove him there that afternoon instead of the hospital.

Every day he sat next to her, held her hand, read her the newspaper,

or stood over her…everyday he must have thought will this be the last day I gaze on my bride.

Blind for the last 2 years, Grandma looked forward to hearing Granddad read to her.

We are proud of our son’s great strength and love of his grandparents.

Our daughter could stand for hours and just lovingly adore her grandmother.

 (This photo was taken 2 years ago)

We’ve explained to our 5-year-old that Grandma is growing her angel wings for her flight to Heaven.

She understands that when Grandma’s an angel, she would get her sight back and then she can fly into her playroom or room and watch over her as she has fun or sleeps. She would be the children’s special Guardian Angel. She could see us but we couldn’t see her. That gave our little one great comfort.

As these days grew longer with sorrow and Grandma’s breaths grew shorter with life, our little one would ask, “Is Grandma an angel today?”

With a very, very, very heavy heart and cheeks stained with burning tears, I write this late hour with the hopes of healing my aching heart…….Grandma took flight early today.

The Bright Spot  – Good God, unbelievably, I have a Bright Spot even in this darkest hour…I was able to tell her again, just 45 precious minutes before her passing, what an extraordinary, wonderful, incredible mother, mother-in-law and grandmother she was and how much I loved her, adored her, looked up to her, and how blessed I was to have her in my life, to model my marriage after hers, and to raise my children with the love she showed us. I was able to say good-bye.

(**Please see the next 2 stories, as a favor to me tonight, about love and time.** They are important to this story and, hopefully, important to you in your life.)

Oh, my heart grieves for Granddad. They shared every moment together for 60 years; Grandma’s cozy chair beside his in the den is now empty.

Why I Love You

When my beloved father died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack, my sister’s and my life completely changed. He was the most special Daddy and we adored him.

Thanksgiving was the 1st big holiday without him and the empty dining room chair at the head of the table was a cutting reminder he wasn’t coming back.

One of the million things I learned from my father was to tell people why they are so special.

So when I learned earlier this year a close friend of 40 years was very ill from lung cancer, I not only rushed to her that day to tell her why I loved her so much, but I also wrote her a long letter of each and every little thing that made her special to me.

She loved my children like her own grandchildren and they even called her Nana.

It gutted me when she died, but I had no regrets. She knew how much I loved her.

We’ve just returned from Europe.

We took the children out of school and spent the Thanksgiving holiday in England. Of course, England doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving but it was a time to give thanks and tell a very special and significant woman in my life why she means the world to me.

Yes, it was that time again – Thanks…giving – a reminder to give deep thanks for why the people around me are so special and wonderful because there may not be another time – we had received a phone call that Grandma was in the hospital. So off we went!

We spent every day with her. She loved to have her arms stroked, and her grip was strong and purposeful as she hugged. She listened intently as our 5 year old sang her dozens of songs.

Grandma is blind. She lost her sight 2 years ago. She said to hear her grandchild’s voice in song was simply precious.

Every day her room was filled with grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws. Our visits were happy and loving, joyous and tender.

I spent my time with her telling her all the reasons I loved her. There are so many, it took all the days we were there to tell her.

The point is I learned the lesson my father taught me – tell those special to you how much you love them – you see, I didn’t wait until now to tell this incredible woman how much she means to me, I’ve been telling her throughout the years. But this week, I went over everything again just to reiterate how important she has been in my life, in my marriage and as a parent.

Next year will be 60 years with her husband, a beautiful role model of the most loving marriage.

The Bright Spot  – You have time right now to call that special someone in your life and tell them why you love them so much. Don’t wait. Because life can change in a flash and you don’t want to have any regrets.

 

How Do You Measure Time?

(This is a special 3-part post that runs from December 21 – December 28th. As you read down the page, you’ll know what I mean.)

I am so tired of people being offended by holiday greetings, holiday decorations, holiday traditions.

I just heard in the news yesterday that some people in England want everyone to take down their outdoor Christmas decorations because it depresses and offends them because they don’t celebrate Christmas and have no decorations.

Please read Mission: “Bright Spot” in the navigation bar above – just click on the flower.

There you will learn much about me…including that I come from a very large, close-knit, multicultural, multi-religious, multi-international, multi-lingual family.

We were raised to be open and accepting of all cultures and religions; raised to be respectful and open-minded. To be kind and thoughtful of other families’ customs and celebrations.

If you want to put up a tree, put up a tree. If you want to light a Menorah, light a Menorah. If you want to drink from a Kikombe cha Umoja Unity Cup for Kwanzaa, drink from the cup, but for God’s sake, stop your cantankerous yammering, put on your happy face and let the world celebrate…together!

Embrace the differences.

(Our Snowy Village and Christmas Tree)

 

I remember one year buying a Mezuzah for my brother-in-law. I had one of the Rabbis explain what it was. I initially liked its beauty but when he explained what it was, I was doubly excited.

As it was December 22nd, the Rabbi asked me what it was for. “It’s a Christmas present for my brother-in-law,” I beamed.

I explained that my father was Muslim, my mother a Lutheran, my sister and I were baptized Protestant, we went to Catholic schools for 17 years and my sister married a Jewish man, and that was just a glimpse of my very unique family…then the Rabbi hugged me and said, “You are what the United Nations should be!”

Today, my sister called to tell me her husband collapsed and was rushed to the hospital unconscious. As I wait here with the children, I can only pray. And then pray some more.

One of my cousins had sent me the following in an e-mail. It asks “How Do You Measure Time?”

The author is unknown but the message is clear. We don’t know how long we have with one another, so enjoy every moment.

To realize the value of 4 years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize the value of 1 year:
Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of 9 months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize the value of 1 month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of 1 minute:
Ask a person who has missed  the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of 1 second:
Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of a friend or family member: LOSE ONE.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

And hold on tight to the ones you love!

The Bright Spot   – I have the power of prayer in my belief system. You may believe otherwise, but that’s the beauty of this nation.

We are strong because we are different. Don’t worry about who’s celebrating what. Celebrate with them and enjoy  life!

UPDATE ON THIS STORY (the following morning):

As soon as the kids were off to school, I drove to the hospital which was more than an hour away (my husband went yesterday). And thank God I left so early! Here’s why:

My sister set off shortly after I left. We planned that I would visit my brother-in-law 1st in Intensive Care while she waited in the lobby with their little one. Then we would switch and I would watch their daughter while she visited with her husband. (Their little one wasn’t allowed upstairs because of a bad virus). 

During my visit I found out that he had been feeling very ill, had picked up this virus while away on business, and then really felt ill yesterday morning. He felt so delirious, he could no longer make out the numbers on his phone to dial 911, so he called out to a neighbor nearby, waving, “Help me! Help me please!” She looked at him and drove off. He said he felt like he was dying and he didn’t want to die at home alone, he wanted to get to the public so he went to the nearby coffee shop and staggered in, telling the owner he was a diabetic and needed help.

The owner yelled at him that he must be drunk because he was slurring his words so the owner called the police – not an ambulance!! Then he threw my brother-in-law out the door and told him to wait outside for the police – excuse me, it’s 20 degree weather here!!  No longer able to stand, he waited on the ground, delirious, weak and shivering.

The police arrived. My brother-in-law had just his last ounce of strength left to mumble he was a diabetic and was feeling very strangely and then he passed out.

Doctors told us when the ambulance arrived, glucose levels in a healthy body are supposed to average 100, his count was 1,700 and that he was close to slipping into a coma and was 10 minutes from dying. They actually say he is a “prime case study” because none of them knew how he didn’t die. Now I ask you – where is all this holiday spirit of love and giving and kindness and helpfulness? I was just sick when I heard all this!

So then, while I was visiting him in Intensive Care, a call came in from a hospital staff member telling me that my sister had slipped in the lobby, cut her hand on some rusty metal and was in the Emergency Room undergoing treatment, a Tentanus shot, and x-rays and could I come and get the little one.

The day was long for all of us. So what’s the Bright Spot  in all this??

I remembered my own blog post above from yesterday – how do we measure time, how do we value time? I was with my sister, brother-in-law and niece. I was there to be a helping hand. I was there for a reason. It’s 2 days before Christmas Eve, our big celebration, when I could have been flitting about with last-minute preparations. And tomorrow is a big show on our radio program, I could have been preparing guest questions, etc…

But I was with family ~ and there was no other place I would have rather been but right there in the hospital…valuing my time with my loved ones.

UPDATE December 28th:

My brother-in-law has now finally been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit, thank God. He will be in the hospital for quite some time. Thank you so much for all of the e-mails that were sent to us last night – we appreciate it!

Thank you from my family to yours. Hold those you cherish close to you as you celebrate the New Year.

Tea Cups

Our sweet, adorable “Uncle” George passed away at the age of 95. 

He was the consummate gentleman.

Always held the door open, always in a suit, tie and outdoor hat to go to dinner – no complaints or excuses even as he wearied in his 90s.

He was a devout religious man, a boy scout, an engineer, a loving husband, an incredible man.

My husband’s father and my father had both passed away and George became the

Patriarch of our family. 

His beloved wife, Mildred, had passed away about 16 years ago and we met George the following year ~ he lived next door to my sister on the beach – this is her lovely house at sunset – simply glorious.

Mildred and George had no children; we “adopted” George into our family and for 15 years we shared every holiday, every birthday and every regular day in between as family.

He even had a cell phone on our family plan. 

For George’s 90th birthday, we had more than 80 people at our home to celebrate. We set up huge foam poster boards with photos from his youth – he kept those boards all around his home for years.

Whenever we visited George at his home, he would make tea. It was our very own special tradition – he always had delicious goodies and a fine story to tell.

But the time came when George wasn’t feeling well. He asked us what we would like from him to remember him by.

He knew very clearly we never wanted anything but his love, strength, model of life for our children and model of love and communication for our marriage. But he asked more persistently as he was dissolving his material things so I said we would be honored to have his tea cups.

We would enjoy them throughout our lifetime and think of him.

Little Petal’s Fairy Princess Tea Party for her 4th birthday was inspired by George ~ for he gave us these gorgeous porcelain tea cups that he and Mildred had collected from all around the world.

We honored his gracious gift by telling that story to everyone at the tea party

and we all clapped in his honor.

Below is Little Petal turning 4 and her adorable friend – all the little princess were

so naturally gentle with the porcelain. So sweet and beautiful to see.

We miss our Uncle George very much but we know he longed to be with his dear wife so much.

Phillip and our son were pallbearers, carrying George to his final destination beside his beloved. Both said doing so was very healing for them.

George had brought flowers to Mildred’s resting site every single Saturday for 16 years. He is a model for all of us.

The Bright Spot  â€“ If we all bring one lonely person into our lives, we can change this world one snuggle at a time.

Please go to the Radio Show flower in the navigation bar above and listen to the show we broadcasted Live on November 4, 2010 – it’s now archived on this site ~ we talked about this wonderful way to integrate our Senior Citizens into our families, our lives (and the conversation after the elderly and children about World Vision reduced me to tears.)

Our Senior Citizens are the walking treasures of history, story-telling and love from a time gone by. Grab hold before their story is gone. Everyone in the family benefits and your experience will last for a lifetime!

Harmony and Magic

Do you remember the love the young boy and the 7,000 pound Orca in “Free Willy” had for one another. I love to see such a connection between people and animals.

I have witnessed the most remarkable relationship between our 5-year-old daughter and a young Beluga whale ~ the two just make my heart swell.

 

Sometimes there’s a crowd, sometimes we’re just there on our own,

but the two of them take no notice of anyone but each other.

He will look directly and intently at her, swim to her and play

with only her no matter how many people are around.

He brings her his toys – balls and floaties,

and she will stay and play for ages, cooing and singing and encouraging the activities…

even in the rain!

They have a unique and beautiful friendship.

The young beluga will swim up to her and sing his whale song…

and await her return.

And we will make the long journey back and forth because this connection, this love, this tie to nature is an incredible gift.

Our little one has begged to swim with her beloved Beluga. The rule is that children must be 6 years of age. Guess where we’re going in a few months! 🙂

The Bright Spot  – may we all be so blessed to be that in tune with the world around us.

A Letter From My Love

My darling husband, Phillip, underwent a major surgery ~ what was to be a 3-hour surgery turned into over 5 hours because of complications.

I was very scared.

But the support from our family, friends and community was overwhelming – letters, e-mails, prepared dinners, child care, phone calls, hospital visits, you name it, people were there.

Because of this incredible support, he wrote a long letter to everyone when he was finally home recuperating – I’d like to share a part of it with you now.

When I married Phillip, he was a widower. He knows the deep heartache of losing one’s spouse.

This letter will give you an idea of why I love this man so much. Why it was so easy to fall in love with him instantly and marry him after only being in his company 46 days.

 

My Dear Friends,

These last few weeks have been quite daunting for me. Thankfully, when it comes to surgeries, I do not get fazed. If it needs to be done, get on with, just get it right.

My deep concern has been for my wonderful wife, Bianca, and for my children. Should anything go wrong with the surgery, frankly, I wouldn’t know a thing about it. 

But I know, only too well, the pain left behind for loved ones when the unexpected happens and your spouse is suddenly gone.

Without going into too much detail, the operation ran to almost twice its planned time; the surgeon told me it was the most complicated case he’d ever seen in his career.

During all this time, I needed to prepare myself physically, and most importantly, mentally for a speedy recovery.

Also during this time, Bianca was preparing so she could help me get through this. So many of you overwhelmed us with your help, your kind words, your compassion and your prayers. I am thankful for your concern for my health and for Bianca’s well-being. We are truly blessed to have friends as great as each and every one of you.

What has gone unseen during this time is the enormous amount of stress this has put on Bianca.

She has kept on the brave face, looked after the kids, looked after me, and made the house extra welcoming and cozy for my recuperation.

But I see the pain in her face at the thought that something horrible could have happened.

I cannot bear to see my beautiful wife suffer after the amount of goodness she has brought into my life.

 

I love her more than life itself and if I spend the rest of my life loving her as much as she has loved me, I will still not be able to repay her in full.

I truly am THE luckiest man on the planet to have found such an incredible person to share my life with.

Thank you,

Phillip

The Bright Spot  – my friend, Susan, told me about a quote she heard and I love its truth, “The greatest gift a father can give his children is loving their mother.”

 

The Diamond Celebration

My Grandparents were married 61 years. It was a beautiful model of love and kindness that I model my marriage after.

My Grandmother says their recipe to a long and happy marriage was communication and holding hands, walking arm in arm through a lifetime.

  

My Grandfather told me years ago what the key to a beautiful marriage is, “Don’t marry someone you can live with. Marry someone you can’t live without.” (Below: My Grandparents with my Mom)

A few years after my Grandparents’ Golden Anniversary, my Grandfather said, “I am looking forward to our 60^th wedding anniversary – our Diamond Anniversary.”  (Below: my Grandfather & I dancing the night I was crowned Miss Connecticut)

He worked hard until he was about 85 and then Lyme Disease and cancer hit him aggressively.

But he affirmed, “I will be with My Love for the Diamond celebration!”

And he was, thank God!

We all flew to Europe for the big event. The province they lived in together for over 6 decades presented them with a beautiful certificate and a large bronze medallion along with a mention in the newspapers and on the television.

A year later, he passed away.

That’s the marriage I strive for – I found the right man for me. It took a long time and a lot of crazy boyfriends – not all – but enough to make me realize that when I found him, I knew what my Grandfather was talking about – Phillip’s not just someone I can live with, he’s someone I can’t live without.

My Bright Spot  – my husband, my lover…

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