Time may be free.... but it's priceless.

I love my little man.

And he'll always be my little man... no matter how big he gets.

My First Grader

First Day of First Grade Picture!

My sweet, sweet little baby started 1st grade yesterday.  Don't ask me how that's possible.  I'm just giving you the facts.  I can't believe it's been one year since I posted on his first day of kindergarten.

I'm happy to report that he had a great day yesterday and that we've been blessed with the same teacher that he had in kindergarten thanks to her decision to move up to first grade this year.  She has essentially kept her entire class from last year, so for Maddox starting the first grade probably feels more like going back to kindergarten after having a break for the summer.

I managed not to cry yesterday morning and I'm very proud of that.  I try my best not to see him growing up as a "bad thing."  Rather, I just try to think of how blessed I am that we're both here, healthy, and happy enough to watch his life unfold.  I'm not good at always seeing it this way, but I really try hard to keep those blessings at the front of my mind when I feel myself getting sad about him getting older.

My baby is growing up more quickly than I'd like, but I'm so thankful to have a front row seat to his life.  The things he learned during kindergarten blew my mind and made me so very proud of him.  I can't wait to see all of the things he'll do this year that will amaze me even more.

Mad Jackie, J.D.

I've been missing again.  And oh, I'm so glad to be back... and to have nothing standing in my way of enjoying my blog anymore!

Why don't I have anything standing in my way anymore you ask?  Well, that's because....

I graduated from law school!!

See, I even have pictures.

My mom was a tad excited about my graduation.  Here's her car.

 My grandma and me before the ceremony.

 And one with my mom before the ceremony.

Then that sweet, sweet music started and we began to walk in.

I passed right by my fan club! :)

But then, the moment I'd been waiting for arrived.

It was my turn to walk on stage and get hooded.

I was officially a juris doctor!!  YAY!!

Afterward we took a few pictures before leaving (of course).

This is my mother and father.

 And, this would be my hubby and little man.

And one more of us, well... just because we're a good looking family.

At home, we had a nice little congratulatory party with cake and presents.  I'd always joked that I wanted a white lab coat like MDs get once they become doctors because it wasn't fair that JDs didn't get them since we're doctors too.  Well, my mother had one embroidered saying Dr. Jacquelin E. [last name], J.D.  How awesome is that?  And my grandmother had a gavel engraved with my name on it.  

So, for the last picture of my graduation day, I give you Dr. Mad Jackie.

As always, thanks for sticking with me through the break.  Graduation was in mid-May and since then I've been studying non-stop for the Bar Exam, which I took last week.  I'll post again soon to let you know the joys of bar prep.  I know you can't wait.... ;)

Hit My 10,000th page view AND my 100th Google Friend Connect Follower Milestone Today: A Thank You!!

When I started this blog on March 22, 2011 with a post entitled I Feel Nakie it never crossed my mind that almost exactly 10 months later l'd be writing this post.

Sure, 10,000 page views and 100 GFC Followers isn't crap compared to many (in fact, MOST) of the blogs that I enjoy reading.  But to me, it is.  To me, it's my first big milestone and I'm genuinely appreciative of it.  So I just wanted to take this time to say thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to express myself on this forum.

Thank you for being supportive.

Thank you for commenting.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

Thank you for the friendships and the connections made.

Thank you for sending me emails, "liking" my Facebook page, and for following me on Twitter and Pinterest.

And thank you for the inspiration.

In June of 2011 I discussed how the most difficult part of blogging to me is simply trying to find my voice.  While I'm still searching for it, I feel that I find it a little more with each post and with each new follower.  The support, the emails, the comments, and even the friendships have helped me realize that I really can just be myself.

So thank you for helping me find my voice and thank you for helping give me the confidence to speak it.  In fact it's that support that lead me to get up the courage to post a weekly Linky for my Secret Sunday Series.  So thank you for that as well!

I'm excited to see what the next 10 months of blogging will bring for me (and for you as well.)

Thank you for making today special.  

Dear Santa

Santa, I've been a very good boy this year.  

Thank you for the presents.  Enjoy the milk and cookies.

This was his first ever handwritten letter to Santa.  

See that look of pride on his face?  It doesn't even compare to the look I was giving him behind the camera.  <3

The Beauty & Benefits of Learning to Play the Piano: Both Music to my Ears

My little man, who just turned six, has been taking weekly-piano lessons since the 1st of September.

I've always loved music.  So of course, I've been eager to share this passion with my child since before there were two lines on that pregnancy test!   And the fact that it's beneficial to him to learn to play?  Icing on the cake!

Madd just had his first piano recital, where he played two pieces in front of about 100 people.  

This is his "I'm excited but nervous" face.  

He kinda puffs out his cheeks and tucks in his bottom lip.  

Such a sweetie.

This is more of an actual "smile."

Once we got seated, I realized that no one had ever told me how absolutely NERVOUS I would be for him.  I turned to my mother and asked her, "Were you nervous when I would perform on stage?  I have butterflies in my stomach that I was not prepared for!"  She told me that she always felt the same, which made me feel better (read:  normal). But serious--WHY didn't anyone tell me this?!

Thankfully he performed everything just as practiced.  I've never been more proud of him!  Watching your child have his moment in the spotlight to reap the benefits of his hard work is by far one of the best feelings in the world.

His first piece:  Up On The Housetop

His second piece:  O Christmas Tree

{Be sure to watch his bow at the end.}

So, now that you've seen my little man play at his Christmas recital, I'd like to share with you the five most prevalent benefits a child receives from learning to play the piano.*

1.     It helps them in school.

• Children who play an instrument score higher on both standard and spatial cognitive development tests in school. 
• Children who play the piano score higher in the area of math than children who do not.

2.     It raises self-esteem.

• Children who play the piano receive increased self-esteem with each song they master due to the dedication and time it takes to learn each new piece.
• Likewise, recitals give children an opportunity to receive praise for their accomplishments, which also increases the child's self-esteem.
• Most importantly, to me at least, is that learning to play also teaches children to keep a positive outlook when facing difficult tasks.  It teaches the child that learning is a process which takes patience and practice.  This knowledge helps children approach other tasks with confidence, decreasing the likelihood of frustration and discouragement.  

3.     It increases coordination.

• Sure it increases hand-eye coordination.  But, it also increases fine motor skills.
• Unlike any other instrument, playing the piano requires each hand to work independently of the other.  For example, one hand may be playing soft while the other is playing loudly.  Or, one may be playing quickly, while the other is playing slowly.
• Playing the piano increases dexterity and complex thought process.

4.     It helps improve concentration.

• Think about all of the focus that is required to play one piece:  the child must interpret each note and rhythm, translate those notes into actual movement on the instrument, and then immediately move forward to the next note and do the same.
• The child must read and think critically and creatively, which will assist them in many other areas in the future.

5.     It helps the child be more well-rounded.

• Children are exposed to genres of music they otherwise may never have heard, whether classical or otherwise.  
• Children may develop an appreciation for composers, such as Mozart or Bach.  
• The skills and knowledge acquired will aid them in any other musical or instrumental endeavor taken up by the child in the future.

As for my son, over the past three months I have personally noticed that he is notably better at understanding that conquering anything new takes practice and that it's okay not to immediately know how to do something.  He has always been very hard on himself and piano has definitely taught him to have patience with himself.  I've also noticed that he's able to pick out change of tempos in songs on the radio now as well as recognize when a piano is playing in the background, whereas before he didn't seem to pay attention to things.  

Overall, I am VERY glad that he is taking piano lessons.  It has been nothing but beneficial to him.  His next recital is in May and I can't wait to show him these videos six months from now so that he can see all the new progress he'll have made.  

Does your child play an instrument?  If so, let me know how you feel it is personally benefiting your child.  

*The benefits stated above were taken from this site, although the same information is available throughout numerous studies and webpages.  

How Can This Be?!

This little boy started kindergarten today.  

My little man is growing up.