Usually the last day of school is cause for celebration. And in our house, we are excited about the summer, vacation time, and all that goes along with it (brief as it is). But it was such a special, memorable school year that it's sad to say good-bye to it as well.

Our son is days away from finishing kindergarten. What made the year so tremendous was his teacher. She is an amazing combination of kindness, compassion, understanding, plus she can discipline when necessary yet never seem upset or frazzled (I volunteered weekly in her classroom, so I know). This has set such a strong, positive foundation for our son and we couldn't be more grateful.

Coming across someone so positive and with such a good impact, especially upon a child, is a blessing. Teachers touch children's lives so powerfully; exceptional teachers are a true gift.

I have seen progress and maturity in our son over the past school year, and I'm excited about the learning he will continue in first grade. But we will always have sweet memories of his first academic year.

My best friend (who lives in London) recently had her second baby. I wish so much I could be there to lend a helping hand. She had an emergency C-section, has had to deal with mastitis, an infected healing site from the surgery and, as anyone who has had kids knows, the non-stop demands of a newborn, all while trying to get well herself and give some time to her older daughter.

Ads related to newborns, babies and toddlers tend to show the sweet side - an angelic sleeping baby, a happy baby smiling up at the camera. Yes, babies are bliss, but they are also a lot of hard work and the first several weeks of adjusting can even cause some tears from the parents (did I mention my friend's baby also has acid reflux, so feeding her is a challenge as well).

I promised her it will get better, and I know it will. She will get back to good health, the baby will outgrow the acid reflux, everyone will get sleep again. I told her how much I wished I could be there to help, and she said just talking about how she was feeling lifted her mood a lot. Sometimes we all just need someone who will listen and who can understand our problems. Moms - let's all band together. No one else can understand our woes better than a fellow parent.

Just wanted to share my first guest blog, on a site called Mommy Warriors. It's about competition among young kids (in sports) -- how young is too young to encourage serious competition?