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The Markham Blogs: SayItCornell.com's Blog it! Series
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Lee Neiman, resident
of Cornell in Markham,
is passionate about
her son and her
community.
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At the end of the day, we all try to be the best parents we can be. We don’t make all the right choices and we’ve paid the price for some of our decisions.
If you’d like to read my blog, I will attempt to regale you with my tales of this ‘no longer new' mom. Perhaps you will see yourself in these pages and maybe you’ll learn from my mistakes. Either way, I hope my stories make you smile and give you comfort, to know that you are not alone and that Perfect Parents simply don’t exist. |
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DavidC, resident of
Cornell in Markham,
is an active member
at SayItCornell.com. |
Our Spirited Daughter began as a high needs baby: always wanting us there, always active, always hungry, never wanting to sleep (might miss something!), always learning, always pushing the limits, and she is always excited and passionate about her current object of interest. But, paradoxically, she is also able to easily jump to the next thing in a cycle of energy that can leave her bored or aggravated. I have so much love and pride and marvel at my daughter’s obvious potential – if she could only let my wife and me have a few minutes of rest to recuperate!
If this is striking a chord with you at all, please stay tuned! We need each other, and I’m hoping to get lots of feedback. |
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Other Markham Blogs
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Levin Rodriguez is a resident of the Cornell Community in the Town of Markham. |
Levin's tips and tricks for better photography blogged for easy understanding. View Levin's previous and current work as he matures in the art of photography over time.
Levin has also submitted his work to SayItCornell.com, capturing the number of events that occur in the Town of Markham each year. |
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Shania Johnston and her family reside in Markham on the west side of Ninth Line. Shania's Sunflower
of Hope fundraiser for Neuroblastoma is her dream for a cure. |
Shania is an 8-year-old girl, who has a real love for life. She loves swimming, playing hockey and doing gymnastics. Shania wants to be a teacher when she grows up and loves school. She has a 5 year old sister named Shannon and a cat named Whiskey.
Shania was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage 4 in June 2006. She had a tumor removed from the inside of her skull, which was putting pressure on the main artery to her brain. She was treated with Chemotherapy (seven cycles in total) and has had her adrenal gland removed, where the cancer had metastasized from. The disease is also in her bone marrow, her spine, on her pelvis, and legs – she still has two tumors on the inside of her skull. Shania has been fighting this cancer with a grace and determination that has been an ongoing inspiration to many.
She began fundraising one misty day in August with her friend Bronwyn – beaded necklaces, bracelets, and keychains. They inserted their price lists into Ziploc bags, set up a table, and went at selling them. All the neighbours bought some. One neighbour went to work and got 64 more orders. Shania decided to call her fundraising endevours Shania's Sunflower of Hope – sunflowers are Shania's favorite flower and she wanted to help children with Neuroblastoma.
In April 2007, after a short period of freedom from the disease, she started to relapse. Shania Johnston passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 8am. She was surrounded by her loving family, Shayne, Karen, and little sister Shannon. This is Shania's legacy. This is her family's story. We all believe in Shania, and we will never forget her. |
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Happy Mudders Day
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
May 15, 2007 – I have always asked on Mothers Day that no one else give me a card or a gift ‘from Jack’ – the day my baby was old enough to understand the occasion and make me my first macaroni vase or ash tray would be the Mother's Day I would cherish forever. That’s not to say I haven’t had any memorable ones before – no I’ve remembered each Mother's Day I’ve had since having Jack four years ago, each with their own unique moments. Read more >> |
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Quips
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
May 9, 2007 – It gets tiresome, to forever supply my little darling with those negative words: no, not now, maybe later, no way, etc. You know what I’m talking about – every parent has had more than one occasion of this scenario. Read more >> |
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The wheels go round and round
Go to RAISING PASSION >>
April 6, 2007 – I mentioned already that sleep has been the biggest issue and source of what seems like unfair levels of difficulty in raising merely one child. But one thing that has almost always worked (even when we didn’t really want it to) was the magic of the automobile vibration – a secret probably used by parents since about 1908. |
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Is That Banjo Music I Hear?
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
April 2, 2007 – We prefer to be called Appalachian people. This was the response to one of my friends as she played an “air banjo” to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song.
The reason why? My son had just walked into the kitchen as we sipped coffee and announced, “MOM, I’m going to marry you!”
My friend is single, and while I do not believe you need to be a mom to relate to a child, there are times when it’s mandatory to explain. |
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Early to bed (and early to rise?)
Go to RAISING PASSION >>
March 27, 2007 – You see, all the parenting books tell you that if you do a few basic things, your child will magically fall into line, and you will live happily ever after. The main thing is a predictable bedtime/sleep routine. Well, we always did that, but they don’t tell you that it may not work on a spirited child. |
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Kindergarten
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
March 27, 2007 – The reality of sending our children to school is inevitable. Read Lee's trials during Kindergarten Registration at Cornell Village Public School. |
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Those Were The Days
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
March 23, 2007 – Is Jack spending too much time with Grandma? Is he the first senior 3-yr-old to ever exist? |
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For The Love Of Candyland
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
March 15, 2007 – Mom's monthly breakfast out comes with a tall order – jelly bones, giant wails, and a screaming silence for Candyland. |
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BLOG: One Metre Per Minute
Go to RAISING PASSION >>
March 8, 2007 – How does it take 15 minutes to get from a back door to the garage, a distance of about 15 metres in Cornell's New Urbanism properties. With a spirited child on hand, even this is possible! |
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BLOG: I hope to grow up to be like my mother
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
March 2, 2007 – A beautiful ode to a mother on her 70th birthday, Lee doesn't disappoint once more as she reduces us to tears one more time. |
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BLOG: Jack Locks the Car
Go to PERFECT PARENTS DON'T EXIST >>
February 5, 2007 – How do you survive a grocery shopping expedition with a 3-year-old in tow and expect that the Police, Fire Department, and Child's Services would be needed? A true story.
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BLOG: Power Struggle
Go to RAISING PASSION >>
February 4, 2007 – Who's boss anyway? Sometimes a parent can't tell. Whether it's for attention, a toy, a glass of milk, or nothing at all – we all become puppets to our children at one point or another.
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Introducing SayItCornell.com's new Blog it! Series
Go to RAISING PASSION >>
 January 3, 2007 – As part of our ongoing progression to make SayItCornell.com the best experience possible and to cater to everyone in Markham, we have added a new feature to our site: BLOGS! They will soon range in a wide variety of topics. First up, we introduce to you Raising Passion by "DavidC".
Please check it out – we encourage discussion and your participation! If you would like a Blog it!, please email us with your proposal!
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