...and neither do you!

Having a ten year old daughter is a challenge to say the least.  We seem to have hit this stage where we are trying to find the balance between knowing we are a kid and thinking we are a teen!  It is a fine line that all of us have gone through, the problem being that we don't remember those days as clearly as our mothers do!!!  The sassy mouth that my sweet little Lady-Bird has astounds me!   Once, while instructing her brother as to what he can and can not do....she turned to inform John and I why she had the authority to do so.  See, little did I know at the time, when you are ten, and your parents aren't in the room...you get to make all decisions.

Last night, while having the end of the school year talk...who she will miss most and why, what plans she has for her summer, and who is coming to any and all sleepovers she may or may not have depending on her attitude.....she informed me how much she would miss a certain young boy.  He is moving to a different middle school next year, and he sweetly wrote in her yearbook, "I am sorry for leaving you."  I  used my grandmother's old addage...."Boys are like streetcars...wait 15 miutes and another one will be by."  To which she looked at me in disgust and said...."You just don't understand sixth grade love, Mom!"

Well Zie, that makes two of us!

You tell me...

...Painting or Photo?

The first to admit it!

I am not one to deny my faults....I know I have them.  A short fuse that makes for a very quick temper...I am always the first to apologize and say I was wrong....it may take a couple of hours, but it WILL happen!  A lack of desire to do laundry....Some of them, I will even attest are a bit, well, irrational... for instance: a fear of snakes and June bugs, my fear of needles.....Yes, I know it is only a tiny stick maybe a little burn of the medicine, but in the grand scheme of things it will make you feel better.  That being said, I will (and have) cried like a baby at the mere thought of being stuck.  I will do it, but the probability of a tantrum is at the least high!!! 

Now, here's the thing....I am terrified of tornadoes.  The sheer destruction they cause, the unpredictability of their path, the indecisive nature of what is left standing...the thought terrifies me.  So, here I sit, anxiously watching the weather channel online (note there are no storms as of yet, and nothing has changed since 7am) trying to get my fears out now....before I go home and have to shove all stress and anxiety out the window for my children's sake.  So, I will fret, and I will frown, and I will repeatedly hit refresh.....so that my children never grow up knowing just how irrational and nonsensical their mother can actually be!!! 

I am guessing a game or two of Sorry will be played, maybe UNO Attacks, I may even get the kids in the kitchen to bake some brownies....baking seems calm and productive.....doesn't it?!?

For Granted

Ever noticed the little things in life.....you know, all those things that everyone of us use everyday....but we never give them a second thought.  Well, I have noticed and here is my list of just a few of the favorite things I never cared about:

*Cracking an egg and not getting any shell in the bowl!  It is always a good day when you aren't fishing eggshell out of a bowl of brownie mix!!!

*The light given off from a brand new lightbulb.   Although, first thing in the morning it can be a bit disturbing!

*The sound your cell phone makes when you get a text message! It's kinda like, "Ohh.....someone is thinking of me!"

*A meat thermometer....hello.....no more guessing if it is done and having dry, over-cooked meat!

*Cruise control. 

*Unrolling TP for the first time and having it tear apart cleanly.....not shredding and seperating the layers.

*Rhodes Rolls:  The fastest way to bake "homemade" bread that everyone will love....and think you spent hours on.

*On that same note.....store bought pie crusts.....sometimes there just isn't time!

*Clicky pens.  Even though they can be extremley irritating if left in the wrong, figity hands....

*A light switch....think about it. How many times has your electricity been out and you still walk into a dark room and try to turn on the lights!

*Picking up a roll of tape and realizing whoever used it last folded the end over so you aren't having to search for the start of the roll!

*Finding the perfect gift bag in your gift bag stash.  How many times have you tried to wrap a birthday gift in a Christmas bag, just because it was the only one that would fit.

*The taste of ice when you replace the filter in your freezer.

*Public bathrooms with push doors to go out.....who wants to grab a door handle in a public bathroom!

And now, I want to hear yours......What is it that you never thought about, but always take for granted?

The long way home...

Over the last year or so, I have had a lot of  questions about....well, everything. My faith in people, my faith in myself, my faith in God.  I guess I always took people at their word, assumed I wasn't good enough and took God for granted.  I never thought about why I believed the way I did....why I did the things I did...I never even asked myself if I believed what my church was teaching.

So it struck me...why not question everything.  As I dove into my faith, my true religion, and my God, I learned so much more about myself, my husband, my children and my friends.  I have learned not to take things for granted...the sunrise, the sunset, a flock of birds flying....even a wheat field.  There is beauty all around us...and it is a gift.  My husband....is a gift. My children...are a gift.  I...am a gift.

I have found that I really do believe in the teachings of my church... that I really do believe in my friendships, I have had to cut ties with relationships that were toxic to me and my family, but I hold dear the friends who are true to me....I have found that I really do believe in myself.  Each day we have is a gift, look at it, study it, enjoy it but above all.....question it.  For only then can you truely appreciate what we have been given.

Nostalgia...

I woke up late this morning

With laughter all around
To hear the children playing
Out on the ol' playground
The grass was now a brilliant green
And so were all the trees
I glanced and saw the American flag
Waving in the breeze
I rose to close the window
And as I left the bed
I gently pulled the window down
And crushed my f!&king head.

Proud Momma!

My daughter, Zie, is an altar server at our church.  She is the youngest, the smallest, the most delicate, and the most beautiful if you ask me.... She has been chosen to serve for the Palm Sunday Mass...She will be serving with 3 of her peers who are taller, stronger, and well....more experienced....but you can bet that that scrappy 62 pound daughter of mine will be carrying that 40 pound cross through all the aisles of the church on Sunday morning.  Would she let the boys do it??? No, she wants to be in the forefront, the one who, and I quote..."Gets to ring the bell."  So, I will be there, not quite front row, beaming...while she flashes me the peace sign from the altar.

Ever wonder...

How in God's name did you do that......

William, my 7 year old son, has somehow figured out how to get toothpaste in his eyes not only once, but twice in the last 5 days.  Now, I am 30 somethin years old....and I have never in my life brushed my teeth so vigorously that toothpaste has splattered into my eyes.  Add this one to the "Sometimes, he makes me wonder" album!

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For those of you who have not found this site yet....I highly recommend it! It has quickly become one of my favorites. They have all kinds of money saving ideas, coupons, freebie giveaways and craft ideas! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Election Day

While I promise not to make this a political blog, today I must do my civic duty to remind everyone to vote. I don't care who you are voting for, I don't care what SQ you vote yes on...as long as you make an informed decison.
NOTE: Watching TV ads does not equal being informed!!

We live in a blessed nation that gives us the right to have an opinion....the right to make our own decisions....the right to vote! So please, honor those who have fought for us...who have fought for our children....those who gave their lives so we can live in a free country! Please, take one hour out of your day and head to your polling place and vote!

My name is Kristin and I approved this message!

Inspirations...

I am not sure why I decided to blog...I guess like most things in my life, I felt it was just time. I am inspired to delve into that creative aspect of my life that I have burried somewhere deep within the walls of marriage and motherhood. I have reached a point where I realized, I can be more than one person at once....I can be an amazing wife, a caring mother and a creative, witty and beautiful woman.
So bear with me as I get started, I am not sure where this is going....but I sure hope it will be fun!