Photo by  RAZmom88

It's hard enough raising one teen -- but three?! Welcome to RAZmom88's wild and wonderful life. Check back every Thursday to find out what drama or joy she encountered this week.

A Choice

Zack, 15, made the choice not to try out for the JV basketball team and instead focus on indoor track. I was a little disappointed because I wanted him to do three sports this year and indoor track is not considered a school sport.

He made the decision so that he could be ready for track season this spring with the hope of making it to state. Last year he was the only underclassman to earn a Varsity letter in track. He also does weight training two nights a week. He explained to me how much pressure he is under to keep his grades up and do so many school activities. He is only going to focus on the ones he is best at.

Photo by JSVDP

Experts are always sending me stuff hoping for a spot in the Daily Buzz, and I usually just ignore them because the advice I get from the moms here is so much better.

But I recently came across this little "how-to" from Kansas State University child development expert Chuck Smith that I thought was pretty good.

He suggests three simple ways to teach your kids to be thankful. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, I know this is on all our minds. (I, for one, am really tired of reminding my 6 year old to say thank you after a nice gesture or when someone gives him a gift. Is there a point when autopilot kicks in?)

As we all know, telling kids to be thankful just doesn't work. You have to show them, and hope your good modeling rubs off. I liked Smith's three simple and real suggestions on how to do that ...

Photo by 3boyz1princess

A big boat of a car.

Florida bound.

My mom and dad in the front seat, my brother and grandmother and I all crammed in the back.

Every year when I was around 9, our family would drive from New England to Tampa to visit my grandmother's sister. It was a looong trip, especially with zero legroom. My dad insisted on putting his 24-quart hard plastic cooler with enough sodas for a week on the floor behind the driver's seat. That just so happened to be the side of the car I was assigned.

My parents decided my brother needed the rear right passenger seat because he was younger and needed the floor space to play with his Army men (no car seats or seat belt rules back then). My grandmother got the middle seat to separate the two of us, and that left me with scrunched up legs the whole trip.

Kids around the country have been making Christmas cards for 5 year old Noah Biorkman. Watch the video to meet him. He's a Michigan boy in the final stages of neuroblastoma, a cancer of the body's nervous system that strikes in infancy and childhood.

One CafeMom user posted in Stay at Home Moms that because he does not have long to live, Noah will be celebrating Christmas early. He loves opening Christmas cards, so his mother had been asking people everywhere to send them to him.

Following more cards than she could have ever dreamed off, plus her son's deteriorating health, she's since asked people to kindly stop, though a donation to the "C.S. Mott Children's Hospital" to be used for neuroblastoma research is still appreciated.

Photo by lukeNgavinsmom

Now that Halloween is over, talk with turn to the holidays. Not so much Thanksgiving,  but the good ones that involve toys. In case your Big Kid might be tempted to spill the beans about Santa to your little ones who still believe, here's a funny story.

anetrnlov found this on Facebook. I don't know if it's true or not, but what a great comeback line ...

"Today, my 6 year-old daughter was asking me questions about Santa Claus at dinner. My 13 year-old daughter was getting annoyed with all the dumb questions and simply told her younger sister that Santa didn't exist. Instead of being aghast and upset, my younger daughter just said, 'Yeah, but neither does Edward Cullen!' "

"My older daughter left the dinner table and I think its easy to say who won tonight."

Too dangerous for a kid?

CafeMoms are already starting to talk about holiday shopping and when it comes to Big Kids that means toys. Most of the gift guides out there tell you which toys to get -- but a recent post at Momversation lists 20 dangerous toys NOT to get.

Bummer. Some of these were my all-time faves as a kid. Here are three in particular that I played with constantly. Tell me if you agree that these are really hazardous. I promise I won't tell my mom what you said.

Then click over to Momversation for the full list.

Photo by lilysmommy8503

This year, Fourth of July finally falls on a Saturday. Hooray!

Me and my true loves.

Long story but I ended up on the couch last night. Don't worry, it had nothing to do with hubby--the kids slept in our bed, and at about 4 AM, I'd eaten somebody's heel for the last time.

Anyway, later this morning my boys (3 and 5) came down the stairs to wake me from the couch with their loudest possible "Happy Mother's Day!" Just that, merely waking up to their happy voices, left me teary-eyed. Moment's like this one, where I am the recipient of an unimaginable amount of love from tiny people who are just learning their way in this big, big world, remind me that there is no more rewarding station in life. I ask myself what have I done so right that I have these two children who love me so unconditionally. Fully. Purely.

Dear Mommy,

I cried this afternoon after we got off of the phone. I don't think I'll ever get used to you living on an island--literally. I love it, of course I do, (Christmases on the beach, your gorgeous new complexion, shoot, you've got more of a life than me!), but I'll never get used to you being so far away.

I cried today though, not because you are there and I am here, but because I am so touched that even across the miles you can feel me, you can sense my emotions. I was down and confused today. I really needed you and, surprise, the phone rang.

photo by lyricsmommy516

The build up to Mother's Day tends to make me reflective and emotional. Motherhood is a state of being that no words do complete justice to. It is a transformative, ever-evolving experience and only mothers know that for all of the challenges, the rewards are infinitely greater. We are in a special club.

As you reflect on what you love about being a mother, check out clairandamjones's journal post. She says what I think a lot of us feel about the blessings and everyday joy of motherhood. WARNING: You are going to cry!

Here's what gets my vote for best Mother's Day inspired journal post...