May you know this as I do…

That you are shaping minds,

That it is within your classrooms that small people often decide:

Veterinarian….Artist….Comedian….Scientist…..Astronaut…..President

And it is YOUR, ‘yes, you can‘ that makes all the difference,

That tips the scale.

It is your smile

Your call on the raised hand

Your encouragement

Your belief

And soft criticism

That guides,

That pushes 1st grade in to 2nd

and

Pulls 3rd grade in to 4th.

It is your structure

Your unwillingness to accept anything but their best

That forces them from their comfort zone into their momentum zone.

And for this, we, their parents, say THANK YOU.

Thank you for the long hours, for the loud classrooms, for the snow days, the rainy days, the sick days, the Crayola days, the science fair days, and oh yes… the field trips.

Thank you for pushing and pulling, for prodding and guiding, for nurturing and teaching.

I hope, whether you receive one or not… that you know the children in your classrooms share this sentiment…. their favorite thing about this year – even if they don’t say it, is very likely, YOU.

Yuma is a community. Yuma is a border town. Yuma is a farming town. Yuma is a military town. The area is home to the Yuma Proving Ground, an Army Base – which is larger than the state of Rhode Island and the Marine Corps Air Station. The largest percentage of the nation’s military flight training happens there (or at least it did when I was there nearly 20 years ago, related: when did I get so old?) since the weather cooperates 360 of 365 days a year.

I lived on $16,ooo a year, I polished my Spanish, I learned to water ski, I made some amazing friends and took a few life lessons to heart that I still carry with me to this very moment.

You’d think in a small town, the ‘local’ news would consist of county fairs and school board meetings, but there was so much more.  Don’t get me wrong, I covered both – I rode in monster cars, interviewed the 4H crew and spent hours deciphering agendas, but it was just as common for me to hear immigration, border crossing, smuggling, deployment and oh-my-heart… Prowler Crash or Harrier crash.

In my time covering the news, I also covered some extraordinary stories – including meeting the crew from the Enola Gay and flying with the Marine Corps to the base of the Grand Canyon in a CH-46 Sea Knight (with Santa Claus) to deliver toys to an Indian Tribe who lived there.  It was during this time that my respect for the men and women of the military grew.  I witnessed strength and tragedy, death and the overcoming of what seemed to me to be insurmountable obstacles. And this was at a time of peace.

You may or may not know that I was born in Canada and it was just this past year that I became a United States citizen, so I’ve never had ‘ownership’ of the military the way many have  - I didn’t have a grandfather who fought in World War II, a dad who braved Vietnam or a brother who enlisted when he was just 18.  I wasn’t part of a ‘traditional’ military family, but I joined one in my time in Yuma.  I joined simply by being present, by absorbing the work these men and women do every single day, by witnessing the pain of deployments, the strength required of time apart and the pure joy of reunions.  It takes something special to make those families work… and yet thousands do it every single day.

Thousands are doing it right now and thousands have done it and lost. I had only been on the job for about 45 days – I was only 23 years old, when I learned an EA-6B Prowler had gone down, killing the 4 Marines on board. At that time in 1996, it was the third military plane to go down in only 2 days.  I was devastated.  And yet, I could only imagine the families. Those on board weren’t living in Yuma at the time, but merely training there.

That is four families left to cope with an unimaginable loss. What about their significant others?  Their children?  Their parents?

Since that time, I have been drawn to charities that benefit the military – especially those that ALSO benefit children.  Which is why I simply MUST tell you about T.A.P.S.  - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.  It is a national non-profit made up of AND providing services to all those who have lost a loved one on Active Duty with the Armed Forces. Here is one mother’s story. One of the most amazing things TAPS does is provide a ‘good grief camp’ for children of fallen soldiers. At the camp, children receive are paired with a mentor who is currently an active service member.  This mentor guides them and is willing to be a role model for the child.  Additionally, the kids receive grief counseling and peer support.

This week, Sevenly, a social good fashion brand is fully supporting TAPS with this exclusive line of limited edition graphic tees and lifestyle products.  Seven dollars from each sale goes towards the charity of the week, helping raise funds and awareness.  Sevenly’s foundation is that People Matter.  Since their launch in June 2011, they have raised over 2.1 million dollars, each day working towards their goal ”leading a generation towards generosity”.

Your purchase helps a child cope with the heartbreak of losing a parent who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Think about it.

Disclosure: I am supporting Sevenly and TAPS because I WANT to do so. The link to purchase the graphic tees for TAPS IS an affiliate link, HOWEVER, all money will be donated directly to TAPS, because it matters to me. 

My small people do LOVE to get their hands dirty and make delicious treats in the kitchen – especially if I let them sample along the way.  One of our favorites (it has actually been a HUGE favorite of mine since childhood) is the classic Rice Krispie treat.  Now…. the truth is, no one has ever been able to make them as well as my grandmother did and it has been a long time since she was able to make them for me…. so, I thought it would be fun to find a recipe with an alternative spin that my family and I would LOVE.

And I did: Nutella Rice Krispie Treats. They are extraordinary. Just watch:

This recipe is from the amazing Chef In Training.

What treats to you make with your small people over the Summer to keep little hands busy (and tummies happy)?

This video is part of my weekly ‘Keeping Style in Your Life’ Series… a new one comes out every Monday.  For past videos, see below.

Hair Tutorial: Create Quick, Easy Beach Waves

10 Ways to Tie a Scarf

Organize that Kid’s Room

Healthy Smoothie Recipe

5 Must Have Fashion Items for Your Winter Wardrobe

Hair Tutorial: Quick & Easy Double Braid and Fishtail Braid

Wine Tasting: 6 Amazing Red & White Wines for $15 or Under

How to Organize Your Home Office in 10 Steps

5 New Spring Fashion Trends for 2013

Make Guests Feel Comfortable In Your Home – 5 Tips

How to Make a Braided Bun

How to Make Perfect French Toast

How to do a Sock Bun

Make it a ‘Yes Day’ With Your Kids!

5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Redecorate a Room in Your Home

How to Do a Fancy Ponytail Twist

This video was shot and edited by my good friends at Pounds Media. 

 Disclosure: As you likely know by now, I am proud to have a long term working relationship with Kelloggs, though, as always, all thoughts, opinions and true love of Rice Krispie Treats are all my own.

4 eyes stare at me… mouths agape … waiting … waiting … for my reaction.

“Atta Boy Cooper!  Finally!” I exclaim.

Huh.  Incredulously, my 6-year old slugger and 8-year old shortstop look at me like I’ve gone crazy.

“Um, Dad, you’re not mad that I just broke a window?” says the line drive hitter.

“Heck, no, for the past two weeks, I’ve been telling you to wait for the baseball to get deep into the zone.  You’ve been jumping at everything.  Too eager.  Not that time.  You let the ball travel.  You hit it off your back foot.  And, you squared it up.  So, we have to buy a new window.  That’s part of it.  You.  Must.  Stay.  Back.  Trust your hands.  Got it?” I explain.

“Unbelievable” says the pony-tailed softball phenom under her breath, “Not only is he not in trouble, he’s getting congratulated for breaking a window?  Well, fine, I’ll go spill Chocolate Milk on the Living Room carpet. That’ll probably earn me a trip to Toys R Us.”

Cooper smiles.  Delaney shakes her head.  I peer over to the window surveying the damage.

“Okay, pep talk you two.  We do NOT tell Mom, got it?” says the former Coach-now-turned-Dad/Husband.

Delaney rolls her eyes, “Now, how in the world are we going to keep her from finding out about a shattered window?  Are you going to fix it?”  She laughs.

“Yeah, Dad, you can fix it.  You can fix anything,” says a very supportive Cooper.

“Cooper, seriously.  Have you ever met our Dad?” says a more realistic Delaney.

“Um… Dad, actually, what are you going to do?   You’re not the best at fixing things,” states a now more realistic Cooper.

“It’s a Double, you two,” I say in a relieved tone.

An all of a sudden greedy Cooper barks, “Wait a minute, I thought a hit off the house counted as a triple.”

I assume the dual role of Score Keeper and Dad, “It does.  By the way, 2 runs scored on that.  But, I meant it’s a Double Pane window, and well, only a Single pane broke, so we’ll just clean up the glass, toss it in the trash can, and move on.  Everyone cool with that?”

Delaney is clearly not happy with the Scorekeeper role, “I’m cool with everything except the fact he gets 2 RBI’s on a hit that breaks a window.”

Cooper continues his evolution from petrified to now very confident, “I’m cool with all of it.”

A dumbfounded Delaney chimes in again, “The 7^th inning started with me up 1 run and 0 broken windows.  Now, I’m down 1 run, your down 1 window, and Cooper gets a High 5 for all of this?  Okay, let’s get this half inning over with.  I’m ready to stick.  I’m sending one into the living room.  We’ll be getting Ice Cream tonight for sure.”

“You do that into the NEIGHBOR’S living room, and you got a deal,” says the very mature 37-year old; that’s me by the way.

A very naive Cooper asks, “Which neighbor?  The Cardinal Fan or the Cubbbbbb … Fan.  Ooooooooooooh, forget it.  I got it.”

Cooper swings at the first pitch as the game starts back up, “Yeah, I got it too.”  Pop up lands in Softball Mitt.  “Give me the Bat.  I got last licks.” says a revenge-minded (and witty) Delaney.

Game ends with Delaney plating two in the bottom of the 7^th to win 3-2.

She did not hit any balls into any living rooms.  Danielle (aka Mom) did find out about the window that evening only because yours truly put the darn glass shards on the top of the trash inside the big garage can.  Delaney looked at me when Danielle found out and said “You’re a genius, Dad.”  She’s right.  I fixed my 6-year old’s swing.  What’s more important than that???!!!

Sincerely,

Coach Dad

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff Smith is a Dad first, Coach second.  A former Sportscaster and Play-by-Play Announcer, he lives to give his kids the true spirit of sports and a strong foundation as truly good people.  No matter what his career path, his priority has always been clear: his family.  This site has been lucky enough to have him writing his regular Daddy Diary since its inception.

To connect with Jeff, find him on Twitter.

For more of his incredible writing… read on:

iRule, iThink

Courage, Size 6: Lessons from the Sidelines

The True Rules of Soccer and Life

The Road to U.S. Citizenship: An American Perspective

A Coaching Philosophy to Live By

And by ‘nervous’, I do mean scared out of her eight-year-old mind. This was her first time taking the mound. She stretched tall, circled, snapped and followed through from her shoulder.  A girl’s softball pitch certainly doesn’t appear to be the most natural of motions, but she did it.  She threw balls and a few strikes.

But even without feeling as though she was ‘perfect’, or even doing as well as she wanted, she stuck with it, finished the inning and met my eyes with a smile as she entered the dugout. That’s a version of success I will take every time.

Last night, I watched my small dude play his first game of the season.  His team rounded the bases time and again, Coop running up to my chair, ‘Mom… did you see?  I got a single for you and a double for Delaney?’

It is so easy to take these small moments for granted. My small people are happy. They are doing something they adore. And they are healthy.

They get the food and vitamins they need to give them the energy to run, to bat, to catch and to make the throw from shortstop to first.

I suppose you don’t need me to tell you it isn’t that way everywhere, but I’m going to tell you anyway.  And I’m going to tell you because with a simple click, you can do a little something about it. Vitamin Angels is a non-profit organization that connects children under the age of five with the essential nutrients they need.  These nutrients help their young immune systems fight infectious diseases.  This in turn gives them the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives (not to mention enjoy the benefit of good health).

Amazingly, it only takes 25 cents to provide a child with vitamin A and antiparasitics for a year. That means for 1 dollar, we can provide a child with vitamin A during the most vulnerable years of their life. Here is where you come in…. Puritan’s Pride, a company I am proud to be working with, is running a ‘Like and Do Good’ Facebook Campaign (fits right in with my ‘Give Good, Get Good’, RIGHT?).  For every ‘like’, they will dedicate $1 to Vitamin Angels.  To date, they have raised over $12-thousand dollars – with a goal of hitting $25-thousand dollars.

Vitamin Angels is working to reach 25 million children in the U.S. and around the world.  For children under the age of  five, a simple dose of vitamin A every six months can reduce child mortality rates by 24% and the risk of early signs of blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency by 68%. What astonishes me is that vitamin A seems like such a basic need – something I never evern worried my children would lack and yet it can cause such problems in our world’s smallest ones.

I love the idea that we can do this together.

More parents deserve the joy of watching their children run, jump and play as I do mine.  And for something as simple as a hopping over to another page and ‘liking’ a program that is doing such good work?  I think you can do it, right? Visit Vitamin Angels to learn more and head to Puritan’s Pride’s Facebook page for a quick like and to add your $1 (remember – all you are doing is clicking ‘like’) so more children can receive the essential nutrients they need.

I have faith in you.

Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Puritan’s Pride, but am truly impressed by the work Vitamin Angels does and am happy to share their mission with you.  As you know, my ‘Give Good, Get Good’ mission is incredibly important to me, so all thoughts and opinions expressed both in this post and on this site are mine and mine alone.