Happy today!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Wonderful! Sounds like a fulfilling life – what more could we middle-agers want than for our kids to be doing well as they venture into the world as young adults. And the cherry on top for us empty-nesters is to have a new enthusiasm that gives us happiness. Enjoy!</p>

<p>The author of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is Barbara Robinson, and she lives in my small town in suburban Philadelphia. She has, over the years, done numerous readings in our local schools and libraries. While over 80 now, she remains quite vibrant and active, and is a major supporter of our local library, whose Children’s Room has been named in her honor. </p>

<p>I have long been a fan of the book and the movie adaptation is, IMO, excellent. I am a teacher and happened to be sharing the book with a class recently. Reading the ending aloud brought tears to my eyes once again.</p>

<p>Again, enjoy!</p>

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<p>You’re only as happy as your unhappiest kid, so it is nice when they conspire to briefly have everything going well :D</p>

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<p>"Which ditzy church lady are you? I played Mrs. McCarthy in our community theatre’s production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” just before Thanksgiving. "</p>

<p>That’s who I’m playing. I hadn’t heard of the book before auditioning. I decided to play her as a real ditz instead of playing her straight. it’s more fun this way.</p>

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<p>Gosh, this thread put a smile on my face. Glad to hear things are going so well.</p>

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<p>Now that’s looking at the glass as half full.</p>

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<p>NSM- Excellent! I know the feeling of joy and relief that comes from knowing the ship has righted itself! Enjoy your holiday.
And NJRes- great news about the internship.</p>

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<p>Great Happy Day,NSM
NJRes, Congrats to your S on the internship and esp. on the job (hard to find around here)</p>

<p>Happy Day here too.
S1 (U.S. Navy) got two weeks leave for Christmas and arrived home today. S2, who had a dismal Christmas last year after posting a less than 1.0 gpa in his first college sem. came home from college yesterday sporting a 3.0 gpa earning himself a place on his school’s Honor Roll…a Christmas miracle.</p>

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<p>Congratulations, PackMom on having S1 home, and having S2 bounce back so wonderfully in his academics.</p>

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<p>I’m very happy to hear that things are going so well!</p>

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<p>Wonderful news, all! All is well with our family, with both Ds returning for the holidays. On the downside, 2 of my old friends–and I mean old in more than one way, one was 94 and another was 90 years old–died within 2 weeks of each other. Everyone is holding his breath–the old superstition is that such things occur in 3s.</p>

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<p>Happy Holidays!</p>

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<p>I’m just getting ready to go out to driveway to dig car out of many inches of snow here in NJ…
Don’t hospitals know how to close down??? :)</p>

<p>Your post gave me energy to deal. Enjoy, NSM. Sounds like life IS good!
Merry Christmas</p>

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<p>Sweet post Northstarmom, your happiness is oozing from that post. Celebrate!</p>

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<p>So, how’d the play go?</p>

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<p>Our last performance is today. All of our audiences have enjoyed the play a great deal, including laughing at the jokes. This has even been true of middle aged adults who don’t have relatives or kid friends in the cast! The cast party is today, too. </p>

<p>I’ve had a blast with my small part, and always get a laugh when people see me in my antlers and harlequin glasses. I love acting with those talented kids including 4 and 5-year-olds who nail their lines with expression that adult actors would envy!</p>

<p>Younger S got in after midnight last night, and will see me perform today! And he’ll share his Costa Rican adventures with me. He was too tired last night to do that, but did give me a big hug. </p>

<p>He also volunteered that he has gotten his fall grades, and then teased me by saying he’ll tell me today. When he was in high school, his grades were so bad (He almost didn’t graduate despite having SAT scores in the 98th and 99th percentile) that he tried to keep me from knowing when grades came out. In college, even though I don’t ask about grades, he volunteers them!</p>

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<p>NSM, my S1 did a training stint in Costa Rica as part of his Teach for America program. Fabulous experience. Hope yours took lots of pictures. Ask him if he got to do a “zip line” ([Canopy</a> Zip Lines and Costa Rica, Costa Rica Zip Line, Costa Rica Adventure](<a href=“http://www.destination360.com/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-zip-line]Canopy”>http://www.destination360.com/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-zip-line)).</p>

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<p>S took more than 300 video clips with his new flip camera that I gave to him early for Christmas. He took more than 800 still photographs with the digital camera that his overly cautious professor advised him not to bring, but I advised him to bring because I knew that Costa Rica is very safe, S is very careful, and there would be fabulous photo opps.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, S thinks he needs to edit all of his pictures before showing them to me. :(</p>

<p>Some parents insist on teaching their kids patience. S has always been an offspring who has insisted on teaching me patience…</p>

<p>I don’t know if S took a canopy zip line tour when he was at Monteverde rainforest, but I’d like to take one!</p>

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<p>^^And the grades, NSM? What were the grades??!!</p>

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<p>“There’s no such thing as a small part.” </p>

<p>Thanks for bringing in the son-shine to this snowy home state of yours. You are in a great place. Merry Christmas and continued joy from your boys!</p>

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<p>:)</p>

<p>Good for you, NSM!</p>