This gallery contains 4 photos.
Aside to the left is a photo of the “FlowerHand” arts and crafts I created with my three-year-young toddler. In this post I will provide for you six easy, guided steps on how to make this cute, little fun arts … Continue reading
We have to accept children for exactly who they are. We also have to remember we were once children ourselves; therefore, let’s remember to live from our hearts and bring out our ‘child-ness’ that we each have within our hearts. We adults can learn so much from our youngsters when we listen, interact and really observe the young. They have fascinating ideas who can help benefit our future! Love children, love ourselves and continue to grow and flourish into the beautiful beings we all truly are.
Let’s continue to teach our children to make choices based on love!
Love & Light,
Dianne Furphy
“Accept the children the way we accept trees—with gratitude, because they are a blessing—but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are.” -Isabel Allende
Photography by Dianne Furphy.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOU CAN CREATE WHAT YOU WANT.
The best feeling in the world comes from my son. It amazes me how I can have times where I feel sad or bad and I take one look at him and he instantly fills my body up with the greatest love I have ever known. Kids sure are the best gift, yes?
I am ooh so happy and so in love with my boy…
With Tremendous Love & Gratitude,
Mommy
(Dianne Furphy)
Photography by Dianne Furphy, 2012.
Photography by Dianne Furphy, 2012, taken shortly after our conversation; ‘the night of dreaming meeting at the waterfall’
The best thing in the world to me is being a mother. The love I share for my child is so immense; there are no possible words to express my feelings aside from the wonderful stories him and I share together. Here is just one of them:
I was putting my son down to bed, read him a story, tucked him in, gave him hugs and kisses and as I always do, I tell him to dream sweet, happy dreams. Sometimes I even say to him, I’ll meet you in your dreams and I ask him where he wants to meet at. This time I told him I will meet him at a waterfall. I told him we can go in and under the waterfall and put our hands up and play.
He said, “I don’t want to go under the waterfall; I don’t want it going in my eyes.”
I said, “Well, ok, than we can go around the waterfall and run in circles around it.”
He says, “Ok but I do not want to go under. Can I bring my thing that holds me up?”
I say, “Your vest, yes, you can bring your vest.”
He said, “Can I bring anything else?”
I said, “Yes, of course, it is your dream you can bring whatever it is that you want… what else do you want to bring Brian?”
He replies, “All I want is you mommy.”
My heart completely melted. My boy is the most sweetest, charming little gentleman-boy ever and for him I am most grateful.
Here are to beautiful nights dreaming of our dreams.
Love, Light and Blessings,
Dianne Furphy
Photography by Dianne Furphy, 2012, taken shortly after our conversation; ‘the night of dreaming meeting at the waterfall.’
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOU CAN CREATE WHAT YOU WANT.
I came across this story yesterday, it reminded me of my son and his father and thought it was so beautiful I had to share. I am one grateful mother and partner to have such a beautiful family. Enjoy! <3
Papa’s Facts of Life:
“It is not flesh and blood, but the heart that makes us fathers and sons.” –Schiller
I have much to thank Papa for. He helped me to grow up more or less sane, a healthy neurotic who laughs a lot, love a lot, and isn’t afraid to cry or be vulnerable. He showed me that life is an exciting adventure and challenged me to take full advantage of all it has to offer. He hooked me on learning and taught me my responsibility for leaving the world a better place for my having been in it.
I’m aware that my life has not been the greatest success story, but like Papa, I am far from a failure. The facts of life that Papa modeled for me were simple. He lived by a positive code, the rules of which were uncomplicated and accessible to anyone wanting to live a good life:
O Dance, sing and laugh a lot.
O All things are related.
O Don’t waste time trying to reason with pain, suffering, life and death.
O An animated person animates the world.
O Find a quiet place for yourself.
O Don’t ever betray yourself.
O Birth and death are part of a cycle. Neither begins or ends with you.
O Stay close to your God.
O It’s crucial to love.
O Idealism is a strength, not a weakness.
O People are good if you give them a chance to be.
O Discrimination, for any reason, is wrong.
O Self-respect is essential for life.
O Except in the eyes of God, people are not created equal, so we are all responsible for those who can’t help themselves.
O Cruelty is a sign of weakness.
O Commitment and caring are the basic ingredients of love.
O Love is indestructible and therefore the most powerful human force.
O Change is inevitable.
O People who think they know it all can be dangerous.
It’s true that “everybody gots a father,” as the little girl said in the class so many years ago. But there are fathers and there are fathers.
There is always the chance that my deep love for Papa has caused me to be partially blind to his faults. I know he had imperfections, and I am not suggesting that he was a candidate for canonization. But I know for certain that he was very much a selfless person, never dishonest or vindictive.
He was proud, sensitive, affectionate. His greatest fault might have been his obsessive need for security and love—if this is a fault. He was compassionate, naturally intelligent and always concerned about the welfare of others. But no matter what he had or didn’t have, was or wasn’t, his attitude toward fatherhood made a positive and lasting difference in my life. What else can we ask of another human being?
Thanks, Papa. I’ll always love you.
-Leo Buscaglia (from the book Lessons from Dad, A Tribute to Fatherhood).
All Rights Reserved. Photo copyright to Dianne Furphy, 2012.
“If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.” –Brian Tracy
Here are some of my (at-home) Personal Techniques on how to care for a child with a fever from the experience of being a mother:
Fluids. Make sure the child drinks plenty of fluids. Water, juices, freeze pops helps do the job and/or any clear liquids. Soup (chicken noodle or any other soups the child prefers) is also a good intake for the child when they are feeling under the weather. Moreover, if the child is not urinating, it is a sign of dehydration; seek a doctor.
Rest. Make sure the child gets plenty of rest. If the child wants to get up and play, let them do so but don’t let them overdo it. Have them play as calm as possible with little running around and jumping so they do not over exert themselves.
Cold rag. Grab a wash cloth, towel, whatever you have and run it under cold water. You can either pat their forehead, head, neck, or wherever the child feels is burning up. You can also lay the rag on their head/forehead.
Be there for your child. When children are sick and not feeling well, they want love and affection. Stay by their side and comfort them. Let them know everything will be ok. Shower the child with as much love as possible.
Temperatures. It is easy to tell if the child is running a fever. Looking at their face, skin discoloration, even by putting your hand or lips to their forehead, you can tell if they are warmer than usual. Try to take their temperature every-so-often to keep up with their grade of fever. It is known that children can run high temperatures up to 103 F degrees but depending on your child’s behavior: Seek a doctor if your child has symptoms of:
1. Not drinking any fluids.
2. Cannot keep any food down, (although it is typical for children not to have an appetite, as long as they keep fluids flowing, they should be OK).
3. Drastic change in their mood (seems completely out of it).
4. Having difficulty breathing.
Lukewarm Bath. Giving the child a lukewarm bath, using only warm water can help bring the fever down.
Light Clothing. Dress your child in light clothing and only cover with light sheets. Body heat needs to escape which heavy covering can cause a temperature to rise.
Steam. When my toddler’s nose is congested, I take him in the bathroom, turn on all faucets with hot water, and let my toddler inhale the hot steam. This helps him breathe a lot smoother.
Humidifier. A humidifier is great to have in the child’s room while they sleep or even when they are awake. This helps moistens the air in the room which can help reduce the cough. You can find a humidifier basically anywhere: Check your local stores.
Fruits. My toddler likes to eat watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and many other fruits when he is not feeling too well. This also helps with dropping his temperature as well.
*I am only speaking with personal experience with my child due to the above recommendations. Every child is different and may need other alternatives. Please feel free to share any other at-at-home-remedies that you have encountered with a child. I’d love to hear from you… Thanks in advace for sharing. 
“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” -Unknown
This gallery contains 45 photos.
“When kids play, they remember. They may not be aware they are learning, but they sure are aware they are having fun. When you have a good belly laugh with your siblings or parents or friends, that stays with you. … Continue reading
“It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.” ~Joyce Maynard
Being a first time parent comes with many surprises. I have been a stay-at-home mother for the past three years. Now that my “baby” is no longer a baby and is going to leave me for the first time to start preschool is a bit overwhelming for me. However, there are many strategies to use to get by the stress that comes along with parenting and the transitions and preparing for what’s best for your child because that is, of course, the main focus. My three-year-youngin’ starts preschool in two days and I know I have to remain strong. I am very proud of my boy and the young little man he is growing into and I also think how proud of myself I am for taking such wonderful care of him. When I look back, we did a lot of playing trains, blocks, story time, flashcards, cars, cranes and trucks, board games such as candy land and scramble, hanging out, took many walks, dancing, and of course the discipline that goes along with young children and so fourth… I taught him a lot and now it is time for him to learn from others. It’s hard and I know I will pull through. There is no parenting book or guide to warn parents that it is a challenge when transitions happen. …And sending my boy to school for the first time sure is a challenge in itself for me. I just wonder how I will be when he has to leave for college or moves out of the house for the first time; well, I will wait (very) patiently and enjoy every second that I do have with him until that day comes. Right now, my focus is preschool. ((Smiles)). As a parent, I believe we have special key roles to play in a child’s life. For one, I know I have taught my son love from day one. Love is very important and to me love is being there, caring, helping in time of need, playing, laughter and having fun together… love to me is also teaching children to have decent morals, values and integrity. It is never too late to teach love, give love and receive love. For my son has taught me the true meaning of love. I am ready to watch my boy grow and develop; to watch him transition into the man he becomes. …And I will walk along side him every step of the way; for I am his mother. But in order to take these steps with him, I have to be fully prepared. So below I have listed some strategies to help parents cope with their children growing, changing, and developing into their own person when knowing that your child will enter the world on his own for the first time.
Techniques on how to help Parents Cope with Transitions with their Young Children:
“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back.” ~William D. Tammeus
Furthermore, this link also correlates to my Guided Tips section:
Techniques on how to help Parents Cope Effectively with Transitions with their Young Children attending school for the very first time:
“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back”. ~William D. Tammeus
This link also correlates to my other post:
This gallery contains 31 photos.
“A Day Out With Thomas” is a fun-filled family event. Lots of fun activities for all ages of children to do. Two years in a row I attended this event in Strasburg, PA with my toddler and and my partner and … Continue reading