A Decade

Ten years ago, I married this guy:

He is loving, handsome, goofy, kind, gentle, smart, supportive, funny, patient, respectful, faithful, and completely wonderful.

And when I refer to him as my prince, I absolutely mean it.

He has saved me in a thousand ways.

And while this year has definitely tried our marriage, we have stood strong and he has been rock solid.

To say I love him more today than the day I married him would be a massive understatement.

Happy Tenth Anniversary to my Best Friend and The Love of My Life!

The Pain Of Another Loss

You may (or may not have) noticed that this blog has been silent for a few weeks.

Unfortunately, our family has had to deal with yet another heartbreaking loss.

Just 3 short months after losing my mom, I lost my dad.

He passed away on September 21st.

It was sudden and fast and I still can't believe it.

My mom and dad had been divorced since I was 5, so this was my biological dad.

There's no romanticism about him missing her or dying of a broken heart to blame it on.
 
It was just life.

And sometimes, life just isn't fair.

I might go into details of what happened at some point, but not now.

Right now, I'll just tell you about my dad, and what he meant to me.

My dad loved Christmas and he would decorate the tree until all you could see was sparkle, and he would buy enough gifts to fill a room.  I totally get my love of giving gifts from him!

And when we were little, he would teach my sister and I silly songs while we drove in the car with him.  And it is fun to teach my girls some of those same songs.

And he enjoyed taking us out to nice restaurants and ordering the most expensive things on the menu.  Even when we were kids.  It might seem odd for an eight-year-old to order filet mignon like it was a happy meal, but that was how my dad liked to roll.

And Oh My Gosh, how he LOVED to theme dress for any occasion.  St. Patty’s day was all green, Christmas was all red, and Game day was brown and orange all the way (GO BROWNS!).

I will always remember how happy it made my dad to watch a new western…or ten. We ALWAYS knew those would be on his Christmas wish list!

And my dad had a lot of pride in the fact that he served his country.  He volunteered to go to Vietnam when he was seventeen.

And he was an expert QVC shopper!  Pretty sure they knew him by name...

And my dad was willing to sacrifice to help those he loved, without asking anything in return.

And I will laugh every time I think of how much my dad loved sports and would yell at the TV as if the players could hear him.

And he would give the biggest hugs every time he saw us and tell us how much he loved us.

And spending time with his grandchildren made him the absolute happiest.

These, and a million other little things that make me smile, are the things I will remember about my dad.



But one thing I have learned through all of this loss is that for the rest of us, life goes on.

And so it will.

My dad wouldn't have it any other way. 

Thanks, friends, for staying loyal and continuing to read. 

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

{HUGS}

First Day Of School Happiness {2012}

Both of My Big Girls on their First Day!

Addy showing us her First Day of 3rd Grade Outfit!

Addy and Mommy

Off she goes!

Faith is all smiles about being in First Grade this year!

Daddy's Girl!

My baby girl getting on the bus

Mommy and daddy are so proud of our Big Girls!

Don't Be {THAT} Mom

School is starting, and you have a choice to make.

What kind of mom will you be this year?

Here are some Moms you DON'T want to be!




1.  The Hooker Mom.  No one wants to see you prancing into school with the words "Juicy" or "Pink " on your behind.  It's a school, not a meat market.  And by the way, it's also inappropriate to send your six year old to school with anything across her behind too.

2.  The Over Achiever Mom.  Other mom's don't like her, because she makes us look bad.  Don't volunteer for every.  single.  thing.  And at least ONCE, send in something that is NOT homemade!

3.  The Clueless Mom.  Teachers hate this mom.  They send home all those information packets for a reason.  Try reading it. 

4.  The Gossip Mom.  It's a quick way to lose friends and get a bad rep.  Unless of course you are gossiping about celebrities.  In which case, Gossip On My Friend!

5.  The Mom whose Kids are ALWAYS right.  No kid is perfect and every kid has issues.  Little Johnny did hit that girl.  And for no good reason.  Accept it.

6.  The Bragging Mom.  We know your husband is a doctor.  And you're building your dream house.  And you just got back from Fiji.  And you bought a new Mercedes.  And you lost 15 pounds.  And your nanny is the best.  Yay for you!  Now quit telling us about it.

7.  The Slacker Mom.  You know, the mom who never helps at the dreaded classroom party, or worse yet, volunteers and then never follows through?  Or the mom who can't even send in a bag of chips on teacher luncheon day?  Yeah, don't be her.

8.  The Green/Whole Foods Mom.  It's all well and good that you buy raw milk, save rain water in a barrel, and plan to save the Earth one sheet of saved paper at a time.  But please, for the love of parents everywhere, stop insisting that the entire classroom participate in your projects.  When I'm ready to make my kid's clothes out of grass, I'll let you know.

9.  The Bad Mood Mom.  Grumpy is not a lifestyle.  Even if you have to fake it, try acting happy every once in a while.

10.  The Sales Mom.  We don't want to buy your Tupperware, or your Avon, or your energy/diet drink that will take off 100 pounds in three weeks and make me feel like a new person.  (Okay, if you *actually* sell something that promises that, call me!).  The classroom is not your new sales territory.  Quit asking!

Here's hoping for a great year of wonderful teachers, well behaved children, and sane parents.

I will be linking up with Many Little Blessings for Top Ten Tuesday and We Are THAT Family for WFMW.

Tales of The First Grade Nightmare {For Mom's}

When my oldest daughter started first grade, I was so excited!

She would be at school all day for the first time, (we did half day kindergarten), and I just knew that would be the year she blossomed.

Ummm, not so much.

{At least not at first}

The first day was wonderful.  She loved her teacher, her classmates, and getting to eat lunch at school like a "big kid".

But after that first day, things changed a bit.

I noticed that she was a lot more emotional.

And when I say a lot, I mean laying-on-the-floor-crying-for-no-reason kind of emotional.

She would hit and kick her sister for no reason at all, (which may be a normal thing now, but back then it was completely out of character), and scream and my husband and I when we asked her why she did it.

It was as if I had sent my sweet little precious girl to first grade, and they had sent back an emotional basket case.

After this had continued for several weeks, I started to get concerned.

Did she have some kind of psychiatric problem that was just now surfacing?

Did she need medication?

And I was wondering if she was behaving this way in class.

I emailed her teacher, and I am so thankful for the advice she gave me.

She said that while it was frustrating for me, this was completely normal behavior.

She explained that transitioning into a full day at school is a BIG deal for a kid.

She told me that she was behaving wonderfully at school, and that may have even been responsible for some of the problems I was having at home.

You see, My little girl was holding all of her "stuff" inside all day long.

Her nervousness.

Her anxiety.

Her insecurities.

Her extra energy.

Her emotions.

And once she got home, all those things had to come out.

In the safety of her home.

The place that she knows that she is loved unconditionally.

And yes, it was VERY frustrating to me.

But after she explained it, and I thought about it, I knew she was right.

This was one of the biggest changes in her life, and of course it would be a big adjustment.

So instead of yelling at her and sending her to her room, I started having conversations with her about all the feelings she was having about school. 

We started talking about ways to help with her tiredness and frustration.

We had earlier bedtimes, and decided that when she got home, being alone watching TV or reading was what she needed for the first half hour or so.

And we also encouraged her to write about how she felt, or whatever was going on.  And she LOVED that.  In fact, she is still a writer today.

Not all of the emotional craziness went away, (she is my daughter after all....the craziness is inherited!), but it did get better.  And over time, it got a lot better!

Now I have my youngest starting first grade in two days.

This time, I'm prepared.

{As well as any mom can be}

I am expecting the emotional roller coaster we will probably face for the next several months.

Not fun, but completely "normal".

Anyone else have this same experience?  How did you handle it?

Clark Howard For President

I'm pretty sure Clark Howard isn't running, but I kinda wish he would.

I am SO SICK of all the political ads already.

I turn the channel whenever one comes on.

And here's why:

I don't feel like I can trust anyone.

Of course The President is going to say Mitt Romney is a only out to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. 

He wants to stay in office.

And of course Mitt Romney is going to say that The President hasn't done his job, and has only increased the debt.

He wants to become President.

And while I am all about social issues, I also care about our economy.

And I kind of think that our economy is the main issue in this race.

And if that's the case, I think that Clark Howard is my guy.

Why?


I think he wouldn't be interested in any kind of hidden/personal agenda (other than scoring a great deal at Walmart).

And isn't that what we think about most politicians?


(Not the Walmart part.  The hidden agenda part.)

I am generally pretty conservative, but even I have to admit that I usually feel like I'm choosing the lesser of two evils.

And I hate feeling that way when I vote.

So, I may be writing in Clark Howard's name in on the next election.

Because at this point, it might be the only thing I do feel good about.

{And yes, I'll be stepping down from my soap box now.}

What do you think about all of this political business?  (Warning: If you leave a comment, Be Nice!)

For The Love of Reading: Sophie Kinsella

I have shared my love of reading before. 

And often, I am asked which Authors I like to read.

So today, I want to tell you about one of my favorites: Sophie Kinsella.

You may have already heard of her, as she wrote the book, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" which was made into a fun movie starring Hugh Dancy.

And while the movie was cute, the book was soooooo much better!

{Which, in my opinion, is almost always true...}

And, in fact, she has an entire series devoted to 'Shopaholic'.

The reason I love Sophie Kinsella's books are that they are always light hearted, spirited and fun to read. 

The main character is usually a young woman who has the best of intentions, but always finds herself in some hilarious, crazy circumstance.

And her witty, irreverent, British humor cracks me up.

Often, I find myself laughing out loud while reading.

And for a time, I can just relax, forget the serious stuff in life, and enjoy a story that is zany and fun.

I have read several of her books, including:

I've Got Your Number

Twenties Girl (my favorite!)

The Undomestic Goddess

Can You Keep A Secret?

AND, I'm getting ready to start Remember Me?

So tell me, have you read any Sophie Kinsella books?  Which is your favorite?  What are some of your other favorite Authors?