Little Bit...a FULL moon...

Little Bit has this issue with removing her clothes at any and all opportunities. She will remove her clothes and diaper and hide them somewhere. My only solution that works is to put pull ups on her. They tend to take a bit longer for her to figure out how to remove it. Once she figures that out, I'm out of ideas?! Let me know if anyone else has ideas! This is how I discovered Little Bit an hour or so after I had put her to bed. Her pants and diaper had been tossed out of her crib. She was sound asleep. I guess from a mama's perspective I can say...at least she was asleep...that's more important than being half naked!

Since I am sharing Little Bit memories and thoughts, I am sad to say that she is no longer calling her big sister LaLa. I know sad, right? She can now actually say her name, Charlotte. It was so sweet as she tried to say it and came out with LaLa. She is still known as Little Bit to most around here, and that name just fits her perfectly. She is such a bundle of everything in this little body! Amazingly, after months and months of trying to get her to say her name, she finally said it a couple weeks ago. She says it pretty quickly, and it is still hard to understand unless you are listening for it. It is still quite cute though! She is really growing up! I think this (her being able to say the real names and not her "baby" names she created) has really made me realize how much she has grown up. Where has my baby gone? It is exciting and sad at the same time. Hard to explain...

When did you realize or what made you realize your little one grew up without your realizing it?

Two Mommies and Three Little Ladies Going to the BEACH!

I'm packed. I'm ready. I ask myself everytime I get to this point..."why did I wait until the last minute?!" Actually, I had everything in my head that I needed to pack. I bought food, snacks, and beach things days ago. I had some stuff put out here and there. I made a list. I printed out the directions. I printed out the weather for the next week. I closed up any house and family details. I have a restaurant bag for the kids. I have snack boxes for each kid. I have a bookbag with car toys for each kid. I have bag and bag and bag ready...YET...here it is 12:35 in the morning and I just finished packing except for a few last minute things to throw in the bag in the morning. Oh yeah, it is morning already. Did I mention my friend and her little girl that we are going to the beach with plans on being here at 5? FIVE. IN. THE. MORNING. 

Between finishing preschool, working on my summer cleaning list, LaLa's dance practices and recital, and entertaining my girls...I genuinely figured the packing would all just come together! Maybe my friend will not notice if I just sleep ALL the way to Florida! I'm sure she can handle three little girls and driving...right? Well, she might not even be my friend anymore if I go that route! I'll post pictures of LaLa's sweet recital pictures soon and lots of fun and adventures from our trip!

Hopefully, the beautiful beach will not be ruined with oil...ugh...that's an entirely different rant for a different day!

Enjoy your weekend!
Tammy

Lightning Bug Adventures

A priority this summer was to hunt and capture some of those magical lightning bugs that have started to grace our backyard. It's not truly summer until you have your lightning bugs lighting up your room on a hot summer evening. The way these little bugs light up as they fly around is magical and such a testimony to God's creation. I love that He wanted us to enjoy and be mesmorized over His handiwork of creation.

When I was a child, we simply used mason jars with holes punched in the lid. Obviously, times have changed. LaLa has this little "bug house" that is meant to retain her bug creatures. Fancy, huh? Honestly, I think the mason jars worked better! We had to really pep talk those little bugs into agreeing to enter the bug house.

She and Little Bit enjoyed the little bugs lighting up their room until they fell asleep. I think they were upset for a while and refused to light up for quite a bit...the bugs not the kids! Robert let them go shortly after so the bugs could continue their adventures. While LaLa was looking for lightning bugs (or "lighty" bugs as they called them), Robert and I took turns pushing Little Bit in the swing in the backyard. It is basically a baby swing on a huge tree. The swing is usually the first thing friends want to do when they visit.  They are able to swing super high and still be secured with straps. Of course, Little Bit had been playing in the sandbox and is filthy! If there is sand or dirt around, she can find it!

Now for the best question of the night...how do "lighty" bugs light up?

Hmmm...good question...go ask your daddy!

Now, I guess I have to go google the answer!;)

The Second Child Syndrome?

Uh...oh...I'm caught?! Run, run...hide...close my eyes. I can't be in trouble now!

Poor Little Bit simply looks pitiful in this picture! I snap pictures of my girls several times a week. The blog is great for holding me accountable to take pictures regularly. (Add that to the great reasons for blogging). Now, Little Bit is well taken care of, but she is a wild little monkey! She has no fear. She thinks she is as big and as tough as her big sister. She will climb anything. She makes the strongest willed child look like a piece of cake. She does everything with her whole heart. She loves her big sister like crazy. She copies her. She watches her. She adores her.

Little Bit sings songs...any song. She loves to dance. She skips or gallops rather than just walk. In fact, she rarely walks anywhere. She rarely goes in the direction you want her to go. You will often see me walking our neighborhood with my girls, yet Little Bit must be strapped in the stroller or attached to one of those kid leashes (at least it looks like a puppy backpack)! She loves to play with dolls as babies. She loves to dress up. She walks better in princess "high heels" than I do in my high heels. We are working on sharing because her current favorite word is...MINE. She loves M&Ms...I mean loves them. She loves her dogs...when they do not run away scared of her. She loves to swing. She loves the park. She walked really, reallly early...even though I did not encourage it...at all.

Little Bit is the second child. With LaLa, I made sure she never left the house without being dressed just perfectly. I always had the diaper bag packed. I had a stash of toys for restaurants. We planned our day around naps and days around her schedule. She never played with markers...or even art supplies for that matter without 100% supervision. Have you ever heard of Baby Wise? I lived and breathed that book with LaLa. If she spilled something on her clothes, I changed her immediately. Well, take another look at this particular picture and notice the arrows!

She is still so cute, but looking at this picture, it made me realize (once again) how I have changed as a parent. Do you see the arrows pointing at the spots on her shirt from lunch?! Did I change her? NOPE...we weren't going anywhere, and that would have been more laundry! Do you see the arrows around her little face? That is (once again) the result of a marker that she managed to snag from her big sister's stash. Fortunately, they are non-toxic because she colors on herself in her attempts to create her art! Despite the fact of the label declaring it is "washable". It is not. Markers on skin take several washes and a good day to get it off completely.

Do you notice her eyes are closed? Well, this is because I had just discovered the markers (with their tops off) in a trail straight to the culprit. Let me also mention that no matter how much I hide these stinkin' markers, she still FINDS them! What does she do when she knows she is in trouble? She finds a spot and closes her eyes. You see...in the mind of a one year old...or at least in the mind of my one year old...if she can't see YOU, she believes that YOU can't see HER! I continue to say, "I see you. Open your eyes. Did you get the markers out?" She never moves or opens her eyes. I give up and begin picking up the trail of markers and tops to hide them in an even more difficult hiding spot. She slowly opens her eyes and peeks to see if she is in the clear.

Oh well, choose your battles...yeah, she is definitely the second child!

Our Summer List...What to do this summer?!

I finally remembered to take a picture of our summer list. My mom would let my brother and I choose one fun "trip" or activity per week during the summer (water park, etc.). She would put it on the calendar, and we would look forward to that special day. It made summers fun and exciting! When I was a teacher, I would do this project as a writing activity at the end of the school year. It was always fun to see what the kids were looking forward to doing during their summer break. I would make my own list before my own children. I was facing several weeks of not teaching, and I wanted to make the most out of my summer and time off!

Now, it is a lot of fun to do it with my own children. We have been brainstorming for several weeks now. In fact, when we went to Panama City a couple weeks ago, we began the list. Each item was highly debated as of its importance to be included. Every family member made suggestions, but most of the items came straight from LaLa. She also made several ideas on Little Bit's behalf. Little Bit would agree or disagree with a YES! or NO! and thus our list making went on and on until it was finished!

It becomes easy to become lazy and let the summer and free time just slide right by you. Time goes so fast when we are adults! I want to make sure we take the opportunity to make memories. One mom mentioned that she wanted to be "intentional" with her time this summer. That is a great way to describe our goal. We want each moment to count! Of course, we do plan on having some of those lazy days along the way as well!

(By the way, I add this page to their scrapbook(s) at the end of the summer with pictures. It just makes it easier to go ahead and place it on a 12x12 piece of paper so it's ready to go!)

What do you plan on doing this summer? Have you made a summer list with your kids? Post a picture or your link!

Fastest Way to Clean Out Closets?

This is Robert. This is my husband over a decade past his highschool graduation. If you did not know him then, he will be the first to tell you and share with you his memories of his glorious time with his football team at Dalton High School. If you let him talk too long about these precious memories, he might even bring out these enormous scrapbooks the mothers of the football players made.

Have you ever just gotten completely overwhelmed with things you want to do in your house? Maybe some things you want to decorate or organize or clean? I do...often! Well, as I've mentioned in the past, I am on my clearing through my house binge (I go through these periodically!). My kitchen remodel began the inspiration. Then, I realized I was simply at my wit's end on STUFF! I'm tired of stuff. My house felt like it was shrinking. In fact, my house is not shrinking. Our stuff is growing. My husband and I felt just fine in our house prior to children. We even had room to spare! Then, LaLa came...more stuff. Then, Little Bit...even more stuff. It's either stuff gets organized and cleared out...or we move out and our stuff stays in the house! I went room to room with a pen (okay, a pencil) and my "list" notebook (my spiral notebook designated for lists). As I went in every room, I considered how I could better use space. Did I love or have to have these items?! Do I need to paint something? Is there something that I have been wanting to change or decorate? I wrote details of what needs to be accomplished in every room...in every nook and cranny.

I have a list. I have a calendar. I combined them. It's not as overwhelming because I focus on just that day or week. I have a mission. I am making progress. In fact, I cannot be stopped...yeah right! Has my little family not realized that I have a LIST on my CALENDAR? Did I mention it is written in pen?! Yeah, I knew that would really get me focused. When my family is around (believe or not...my husband is as bad as my children!), it takes me longer to get through my list because we have to stop and reminisce on each and every item! For example, the football helmet from Robert's glory football days in high school and my cheerleading megaphone from high school. I didn't even know we had these items still!

The first picture is Robert "trying" on his helmet and telling LaLa about what it meant to play football and how wonderful he was as a football player. ;) I convinced him to let me snap his picture assuring him that when he is in his old age wouldn't it be cute to still have it?

Now, on to the second picture (keep in mind...this is totally interrupting "the" time devoted to my mission). This is Robert TRYING to get the Helmet off. Hee Hee...laughed hard...really hard! Didn't quite fit like it used to fit in high school! Snapped this picture illegally without his permission during his efforts to remove it.

Now, LaLa gets her turn to try on her daddy's old helmet. It's, of course, huge on her. She also yells into my megaphone periodically to mix it up a bit. Hmmm...makes me wonder...in her future will she be a cheerleader or a football player or neither one? If you ask most people, she probably has a good chance of being either one! She's pretty tough for such a cutie!

You may ask...where was sweet Little Bit? Well, she WAS sleeping until LaLa got a hold of the megaphone!

Off to finish the next room...maybe we will not get quite as distracted with our high school days on the next one!

Preschool Memories

I haven’t shared any “inside” information on LaLa’s end of the year party last week. If I was this broken up on LaLa moving on to K4, what am I going to do when she graduates from kindergarten…or high school…or college?!


Here are some of the fun things we did for the end of the year…

These are cards that we made for each student so they would have their friends' personal information. All of the parents signed a release at the beginning of the year allowing me to create and share a student directory for the parents. I would not share personal information without being sure it was alright with everyone...so always check first! Hopefully, this will encourage the preschoolers to keep in touch over the summer. They made some wonderful little friends. I always made books for my students when I taught, and I always included my address as well. I loved receiving and returning letters throughout the summer with them.

These were just water bottles that we found at the dollar store. LaLa and I cut out the kids' first initial using my Sizzex (which is one of my all time favorite scrapbook toys). Just a tidbit of a secret...I use 'shelf liner' rather than the 'cricut' vinyl to make the letters. It works the same. Plus, you receive a lot more for a better price! I just look for good quality vinyl liner.

 

LaLa's Preschool teacher's end of the year gifts. Now, she is ready for the beach...plus, she likes (amazing there are still people out there that like it and have time to do it!) cooking! The students also worked together to make their teacher and teacher's assistant flower pots out of their handprints and a scrapbook filled with their "thoughts on their teacher". I forgot to take pictures!

Prior to the party, the students had the opportunity to enjoy a field day of sorts. LaLa's favorite part was the "jumpy house". She also played with chalk, bubbles, beanbags, and hula hoops.

I love their little shirts. Aren't they cute?

Party time...picnic style!

Each parent sent in an "outdoor" item to go in the kids' goody bags. Here are some of the things that were included: the shovel and pail, a backpack, a bucket hat, bubbles, chalk, a bug catcher, a bug net, plastic bugs, a magnifying glass, a float for the pool, etc.. Now, LaLa has seen this bucket sitting on her classroom's shelf for several days, she has been chomping at the bit to get her "end of the year bucket". You would have thought it was pure gold. Every single day, she would ask if today was the day she received her bucket! Then, we got it home, and I think I intervened a gabillion times when Little Bit and LaLa were not wanting to share the items. Obviously, they both liked all of the items!

I know I wasn't the student this year. I wasn't the teacher. I had a marginal part as just the mommy. However, on this last day, I wanted to pat myself on the back...and I still just might. This is the first year that I realized the parents' full perspective on the school year. Despite the marginal part, it is still a great deal of work as the mommy of the student. A lot of juggling your role as mommy and letting someone else have the control...ups and down of learning and behavior...your little one loving and disliking school from day to day...knowing how to handle a situation to not having a clue how to really handle it...learning when to say yes and when to say no to people...letting go (did I mention that yet?)...juggling picking up, dropping off, volunteering, schedules, and all while you have another little one very dependent on you...

see, a great deal of work!

If I ever go back to teaching, remind me to give the mommies and the daddies a certificate of hard work at the end of the school year and not just the students!:)

I felt like we completed the school year successfully. Our first one...my first one...ever...as a mommy. I survived it...successfully...and LaLa did too, of course!

Ugh...

Can you tell that I've been playing with my blog last night...late into the night? I do not think I have ever yelled at an inanimate object for such an extended amount of time. It is, actually, quite addicting. I want my banner to spread across the entire page. I also would like the center column to be wider. Why in the world is the end columns so wide when they serve absolutely no purpose? Most of the sites that assured me that they could remedy my problem...involved html codes and such. Scary for me. I'll keep working on it. My husband continued to ask why I invest so much time playing with my blog. Well, first of all, it's fun. Second, it's currently the only family scrapbook that I have up to date!

Aren't the pictures in the banner just great?! Not so bad for my itty bitty not-so-smancy camera! I think I went through the Picasa tutorial a dozen times! I love the picture of the girls facing away looking at the lake...so sweet. I just love pictures that catch that "moment"! My favorite is the one of Robert being "superman" for his girls! The girls were also showing their muscles and their unbelievable strength to save the world in the picture. Of course, I cropped them out and left Robert in all his glory...hee hee! Heck, if I worked as hard as he does to train for races and such, I'd show my "muscles" and "super strength" all the time! Better yet, I can't figure out how to change the pictures in the banner even if I wanted to! So, he's stuck seeing it anyway!:) That makes it even funnier!

Well, I shall be back to play around some more with these blog features! If anyone has any tricks, let me know! You may save me some sleep deprivation!

Tammy

Sex In the City...A Night with the Girls

A friend is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. -Pam Brown

Last night was so so so so so (I could go on and on and on!) much fun! A bunch of girlfriends (and some of their moms and friends) and I all got together to go see Sex in the City...the sequel. Now, this is not a normal movie that I would even like. I never saw any of the shows when they were out on tv. However, the Christmas that I was pregnant with LaLa, Robert bought me the entire set of seasons of Sex in the City. Consequently, he went skiing with some friends for his birthday, and I was left to amuse myself at home and very pregnant. I literally snacked and watched every single episode from the very first season to the last. I was hooked, and I felt like I had met each character personally after our weekend of bonding. By the way, my daughter was named prior to knowing there was a character with her name on the series, but it was kind of fitting after my weekend marathon.

The first Sex in the City movie came out a couple years ago. My girlfriends and some of their moms (they all live a couple hours north of me) went to see the movie together. They were all dressed up, ate dinner, enjoyed some wonderful laughs and memories, and hired a limousine to make the night even more special. I, however, was very, very pregnant with Little Bit. I couldn't go. I know...sad, right? Fortunately, I did have a fellow pregnant friend of mine that went to see the movie with me at a nearby theatre. What is it with me being pregnant and my Sex in the City memories?! Funny, right?

Well, this time...I was not pregnant. I hired a sitter (my marvelous cousin that my girls LOVE), drove a couple hours, and made it to enjoy the experience. We had an expedition limousine. We dressed up as glamorous girls. We transformed into normal women and left our "mom" brains behind for a night. I stayed the night with one of my best friends, Jennifer. She and I were college roommates. It was a great opportunity to actually play with her kids. I'm usually so busy with my own that I have never gotten that one on one time with them. Her husband's big breakfast was perfect too!

I laughed all night. My face genuinely hurt from smiling and laughing. I realized that even after years...we are still the same girls we were five or ten years ago. The group was a combination of friends that have been friends for years, friends of friends, moms of friends, and new friends. Ultimately, I realized that we have gotten married, had kids, and started our lives and careers. Regardless if the girls were my age, younger, or older, if they had been in my life for a day or for years, or whatever...we were all friends. We were all women taking a break from life and enjoying "being women" (you have to see the movie to get that:)!)

It was great to be reminded of that....

It is one of the blessings of friends is that you can afford to be stupid with them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did I mention that I laughed...all night?! I'm going to so be in trouble for this pic being posted...so enjoy it until she sees it and I'm forced to take remove it. Hee Hee:)

Hold a true friend with BOTH your hands.-Nigerian proverb

Personalized Beach Towels are EXTRA Special!

I have almost used my entire inventory of beach towels! All I have left is a couple blue, teal, and white striped towels. They are the adult size and super soft. These would be perfect for a boy...or a little, spunky girl like my LaLa. Thanks to Jessica on facebook...my embroidery machine is not making sad noises any longer. Wow, facebook is so useful!:) I can put off service...a tad longer!

They are $15 with a name. If you would like to add an image with the name (i.e. dirt bike, butterfly, princess crown, dragon fly, sports, flower, hearts, etc.), they are $20. I get bored easily...so I thought I would move on through these beach towels and move on to another project! Let me know if you need pictures! Oh, I THINK I have  paypal now...thanks to Brittan's help...I haven't tried it out yet!

drtammy@gilreath.com

Random Things...

Random Ramblings...hmmmm....that sounds appropriate.



First, thank you for all of your ideas on getting the blood from poor Little Bit's boo boo out of my couch and her cute outfit. It worked wonderfully...the peroxide and the spray and wash (even though I couldn't throw my couch in the washer). Stitches have dissolved, and she is as good as new! I was even brave enough to leave her with my brother's girlfriend, Katie, while I enjoyed LaLa's end of the year party at preschool. She survived it without another head wound...maybe I will get to leave the house again in the near future without trips to the ER!



Ok, next, have you felt like your world is swirling around in chaos? Yep. Well, that is where I am! I love to organize...the key is...when I have time! I get giddy when I get to organize, yet I have realized with my kids I usually make a bigger mess trying to organize. Part of my chaos is starting and not finishing things. I think I could totally qualify for adult ADD! It amazes me every day that I used to be the most organized, efficient person. However, I am more often the complete opposite post children! I threatened encouraged my husband to sit down with me and create a calendar, list, and plan (yes, charts, lists and calendars make me so happy) for the summer and our to do lists. We have divided those BIG jobs up to be finished during specific times...for example, my garage. It's so scary lately. That's our job for the next week. This week I am diving into laundry (from our trip) and moving both girls’ current season clothes into their new (more later) room's closet. Sounds like it will work doesn't it? Well, let's hope. Otherwise, I am going to go crazy! I cannot stand chaos. I either go crazy and combat it or give up and give in. (I'm probably leaning into the crazy mode right now) It basically boils down to running around too much and not having the time to invest into keeping things in shape. One thing leads to another and you're swimming in chaos! Some people have recommended a house notebook. I have a skeleton of one, but it is not very efficient (it just looks cute!). So, anyone have ideas...let me know!



Our beach trip was wonderful. Too fast. Way to fast. The girls loved the water. I still hate driving THAT far with small children. Ugh...I just kept repeating that it is worth the drive!



I love Bewitched on TV land. However, poor Samantha usually looks wonderful in her cute outfits and twitching her nose. Have you seen the pregnant episodes? Her clothes look like a tent. I can't twitch my nose and make my dishes shine, but at least we have cute maternity clothes now. I'm still trying to convince Robert that I have so many maternity clothes that we just HAVE to have another baby (and adopt one too) in the next year. Two wonderful friends passed their clothes to me. I have more maternity clothes than regular clothes, but I haven't been pregnant since I inherited all of these clothes! See, it's just necessary...I know my reasoning has a few holes in it!



LaLa is officially a "K4er" as she says. Preschool is over. I had mixed emotions. It's one less place that we have to dash off to. It's more time that we can spend together. I can't slow down life, BUT I can reduce our running and invest more time in our family and our home. I'll share some cute pictures soon from her end of the year party and teacher gifts. I'm too lazy to download the pictures!:)



Three different people have commented on my voicemails. They all feel they are comic relief. I tend to leave long messages that include all the necessary information JUST IN CASE I don't get to talk to the actual person. My posts probably sound just like my voicemails. Oh well, at least there is a consensus that they are humorous.



I just realized that this particular post unintentionally supports my theory on ADD! Ok, enough ramblings for now, I mine as well, suck it up and get busy...you know on my "chaos" plan!

Thanks for listening!

Tammy

One phone call can change so much...

Yesterday, a friend and I thought we would steal a few minutes away from our families. I am off to the beach this week. She is off to the beach next week. We needed pedicures. Our husbands took on the role graciously of staying home and watching our girls. We sat down in these luxurious spa chairs, feet placed in warm sudsy water, and prepared for some girl chatting and some special treatment for our toes. About that time, my phone rang. It was Robert. All I gathered was panic in his voice (he never, ever panics), blood everywhere, my sweet baby crying, and that she had hit her head. My friend and I, literally, paid the lady something for the inconvenience, jumped out of the chairs, and ran to my car. Somehow I drove to my house without hitting anyone or anything. My friend did say a prayer for Little Bit, but I think part of her might have inwardly prayed for my driving!;)

As we pulled up to the house, my parents had just arrived as well. Robert called them to help with LaLa and for a car with seats if he had to run her to the hospital. Currently, my SUV is the only car we have with a backseat. Fortunately, the bleeding and crying had subsided by the time we arrived.

The story has varied according to who tells it, but from what I can gather, she was playing like the couch cushions were "lily pads" with her sister. Robert was doing the dishes (where he can still see them in the living room over the bar). She tripped in the midst of a jump and hit her head on the wall of the fireplace or coffee table...that's the sketchy part. The part where LaLa was the princess and Little Bit was the frog in the game prior to the accident is the only part that is accurate and consistent on everyone's account.

We decided to take her to Scottish Rite to make sure she was okay (concussion?) and to see if she needed stitches. They were incredible there. I was so shaken up I put her birth date as July 15, 2010...um...not quite, but they still looked at me concerned. I am somewhat of a germ fanatic and hospitals just freak me out a bit (okay, a lot). I did not want Little Bit to touch anything (not to mention that we had grabbed her and left without her shoes). We managed to keep her amused by walking and talking a lot. They checked her out immediately...head wound really gets you to the front of the line. They put this head band and numbing gel on her that had to stay on her for thirty to forty minutes. Hmmm....keeping an almost two year old from pulling it off...interesting. Then, we saw the doctor. He was great...absolutely great. I'm sure it was mostly due to my friend's prayers on the way to the house. He decided to put in a couple stitches because of its location. It would have continued to bleed and not have been able to "close" and "heal" properly. He said that there was no concussion and the wound was not too bad. He reassured us both (pale still, I'm sure) that head wounds bleed a great deal.



Then, the awful part. They swaddled her, wrapped her in a straight jacket, washed the blood out from her hair (right at her hair line), and cleaned the wound preparing it for stitches. She fought and fought to get out of that thing. She was crying, sweating, and pleading for "mama and dada to help". Heart breaking and breaking and breaking. Completely helpless. I am not good in emergencies. I cannot even sugarcoat the extent of my lack of ability to deal with them. I thought I was going to pass out when they took that thing and began to stitch her up.

Once it was over, she was fine. Her daddy handed her milk and her blanket, and she placed her head on my shoulder and fell asleep before we walked to the car. It had been an eventful day for a little girl....and me.

The first thing she said when she woke up was...ow...boo boo...hair hurt. Yes, baby, your "hair" will hurt for a couple days. You are just going to have stop being such a monkey! I think it is going to be Little Bit that gives me a heart attack and makes me gray WAY before my time. She has no fear. Sometimes, I want to be more like that myself. Sometimes, I long for the days when she didn't know how to be mobile yet and was safe!

The stitches should dissolve in a few days. Until then, we can't brush her hair. I can't remember whether or not we can wash it. Hats at the beach...she can't touch it...all that fun stuff. Do you see that girls crazy hair? Well, she will have that same crazy hair for a few days it seems!
It just amazes me that ONE...one simple phone call...can change so much...so fast. Fortunately, it all worked out, and I can this blog post to her scrapbook. Let's just hope that it's the last entry that results in a head wound and blood. On another note...does anyone know how to get blood stains out of a cute Bailey Boys outfit and couch cushions????

Have you ever wondered what your life would be life if…?

My goal lately has been to live in the moment. This lesson was a Bible study that I heard several weeks ago that has been on my mind. How often do you live in the moment? I mean fully live in this exact moment? When you are sitting in church listening to the sermon, are you making your to do list in your head rather than taking in that exact moment? (I am.) When you are driving in your car from place to place, are you living in that exact moment? (I am usually struggling to entertain my children, focus on driving, and talking on my cell phone.) When you are with your children, do you drink in every drop of that moment? (I don’t. I am usually saying, “I can only play for one more minute. Then, I have to get dinner started.”) Wow, are there really that many moments that I miss? Are there that many moments that I do not take full advantage of by living in it completely?

I had always thought that my multi-tasking ability was one of my best attributes. Now, I am not so sure. That attribute might be in part responsible for making my mind race and wonder when I should be living my fullest life in every moment. Do I sometimes make wrong decisions or wrong turns in life because I am not in the moment? Would I have the opportunity to enjoy life and my children more if I was in the moment? Would I hear and feel God more within those focused moments?

James 4:14 says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Regardless your religious preference…we most believe in one thing: life is short here on earth.

We know life is short. We know we are not promised tomorrow, yet I allow my moments to get stolen.

It is difficult to focus on living within each moment. My brain has been trained to multi-task, to rush through each activity to get to the next, to be productive, to make my decisions based on a quick response not giving myself time to consider what I think and feel or meditate on God’s desires. Try it. Try to be consumed with each and every moment today. IF you are talking to your preschooler, put your entire self into that conversation. My preschooler talks so much that it is really difficult. My eyes glaze over after a while. Do you know my biggest flaw? My most difficult thing I overcome every day? To focus on a task. My mind wanders while I write. It wanders while I fold clothes. My mind wanders and races so I venture into another task or thought. Would I actually be more productive if I lived within the moment? Would I actually (gasp) enjoy or actually complete putting away laundry?


What would my life be IF I lived within every moment? I wonder…

Overheard...

*My Little Bit has been flipping out (to say the least) over SNAKES. What in the world has put this fear into her? She will run frantically for me yelling, "Help, Mommeeeee, Nakes." I will encourage her to get in the tub, and she will adamantly shake her head, "No, dere nakes." Robert and I just couldn't figure it out. It was funny at first, but then it has become a complete fear of hers. Late at night, I heard the girls whispering in their room, "Little Bit, give me the silly bands or the snakes will get you." Little Bit promptly handed over silly bands to her big, manipulative sister saying, "no, nakes, LaLa." Hmmm....I think I have found the culprit! LaLa, I wouldn't blame your little sister if she gets you back for that one day!



*I called Robert today as I was on my way home.

LaLa answered the phone.
Me: What is daddy doing?
LaLa: He's pole dancing.
Me: He's what?!
LaLa: pole dancing.
I hear Robert in the background asking her to repeat it again. She clearly says the same thing again.
I hear him ask her where she heard that from. (By the way, he is coloring with Little Bit and watching the Braves game.)
LaLa: I heard it on the chipmunks.
Me to Robert when he gets the phone: What in the world are you doing? AND, where in the world did she get that?!
I do not remember that part AT ALL on the chipmunks?! Maybe we heard it wrong? Maybe she heard it wrong? Great, now our child is going to go to her private, Christian school tomorrow and tell her teacher and friends that her daddy was pole dancing?!



*LaLa and Robert were taking a nap together on our lazy weekend. They love watching the Braves game. She is one of the only four year olds that I know that can name almost all (entire starting lineup) of the Braves players. She is a serious fan just like her daddy.

LaLa: Daddy, I know a lot of the Braves players because we watch the games together. You watch My Little Pony with me, but you do not learn their names. If I know the Braves' names, you need to know the ponies' names.

LaLa continued to teach Robert each of the ponies’ names and quiz him for the next thirty minutes. Finally, when he successfully named each one, she was ready to take a nap.



*On a walk on our street today, I wearily told LaLa that her mouth had to be so tired because she never, ever quits talking. She said her mouth was not tired at all. I told her my ears get tired sometimes of listening. Robert sincerely turned to me and said, "Now, you know how I feel about your talking." Hmmm...Didn’t like the comment, but it made sense. I guess I do know now.


*As I was driving, LaLa said to Little Bit, "Little Bit, will you always be my best friend?" That mama moment made me want to melt and cry all at once. (maybe that will make up for the snake episodes!)

*We are having some DREADFUL traffic that we face on the way to church or preschool due to construction. However, instead of dread the construction and traffic, I end up laughing and smiling because Little Bit is so in love with the tractors. LaLa is pointing them all out to her the entire trip there while Little Bit squirms and screams excitedly, "TACTOR, TACTOR!"

Summer Anyone & My Embroidery Revelation...

I have started to monogram all gift bags. They are perfect to throw in ballet clothes or for nursery or toys for a restaurant or whatever!

Okay...my embroidery plan that I mentioned a while back...for those of you who care:).

I have decided to no longer do any embroidery of personal items. (in other words...I will no longer embroider anything you give me.) I have reasons...I promise. First,  it makes me a nervous wreck (that should be reason enough!:)) I have had people ask me to embroider all kinds of wild things. I do not want to embroider your grandmother's childhood blanket (I still love my friend that asked me). Good grief...I would die no matter how much you assure me that it is fine if something happens to it. With embroidery, you can remove any stitches (for the most part), but it is always a possibility that it will leave a mark or holes. If I embroider something I have (a towel, a bag, a shirt, etc), I ususally have more. I can replace it easily. If I can't replace it, I won't feel bad...well, as bad!

Second, I cannot embroider everything. Let's see...people have asked me to embroider crazy, crazy things...umbrellas (which would be super cute if I could do it...and you can with "embroiderable" umbrellas"), little bitty items (I don't even know how you fit a letter on it much less fit it on an embroidery machine), hats (nope can't do hats), shoes (nope can't happen), smocked dresses (probably, don't want to "probably" do a dress that you paid eighty dollars for! I would stop breathing), bathing suits (yes, you can do some types...only some) etc. The thing is even if something is embroidable...it has to "fit" on a hoop or rather pull the object far enough from the front where it is embroidable! Okay...boring rambling...but this is my reasoning...so I thought I would share. No mean looks...you still have to love me...lots!

My hubby gave me this wonderful machine last mother's day because I embroidered all things in my house. What's embroidered in our house (by the way, I do not know how to properly conjugate the verb "embroider" so excuse my mistakes!!)? I have embroidered curtains, framed fabric, my lamp (tricky), towels (hand, beach, bathroom, kitchen), blankets, pillows, pillow cases, shower curtain, basket liners, etc.. When I had girls, it became an obsession to monogram all their little things. He figured he had a lot of high priced hobby toys. My scrapbooking and purse obsession added up to be costly overall, but I did not have any big toys. He thought he would share the love a bit and surprised me with a wonderful mom's day present...my embroidery machine. I never thought it would turn into a great way to make extra (secret) spending money! I love doing it...especially when my kids cooperate and give me time to do it! It can make anything special when you add a monogram. If I thought I could get away with it, I would monogram my own shirts!

If you find something just wonderful that you want embroidered, ask me! Like...hey, I found these cute bags at Target. Do you have anything like it? I probably do! Or, a friend of mine...will call and say I really need two hot pink shirts that have a black monogram to go with a cute black skirt the girls have. No problem! I'll try to find them for her! It eliminates the randomness of "trying" to embroider something that may or may not be possible and the possibility that I could mess up something you own.

I'm hoping sometime this summer to have a site or etsy shop...the only thing is my dear friends and their friends are keeping me so busy that I'm scared to add more (strangers' orders) into the mix! Do any of my wonderful friends know how to do this kind of thing or set up paypal...hint...hint?!

Beach Bags for the twins...can I please have twins. Did you hear that? That was my hubby choking when he read that! Their stuff is just too cute! Hee hee...that's what would happen. I would finally talk Robert into having a third, and it would be twins! Better yet...twin girls! Four little girls...I better stop while I'm behind!

Well, now that I shared (and you all promised to still beg and want my stuff I make) my plan...

I can tell you the important stuff...

I am loving this weather....the sun...the walks...the jasmine...the garden. I love it all. I am not a winter girl, but I just can't get enough when spring hits. It just gets better and better after that point.

And, I just love this little face coming to ask me if we can go play in the "pood".

Of course, sweet girl, who could say not to playing in the "pood" with two cute girls! And better yet...they won't tell that I haven't shaved my legs in a week...I know too much, huh?!

I'm off to splish and splash in the pool with my girls. Gotta love this time of year!

Beach bag and towel for LaLa's little friend.

A Quick Cure for an achy kind of Day...

Tammy: I have a headache. We don't have anything here to take (especially after all the crazy recalls lately!).  I'm tired and achy. I'm just done.

Robert: Ok, I'll pick you up something on the way home from work.

Robert enters with a couple magazines he swiped from the lobby at work, peanut M&Ms, Advil, and a Coke (which I haven't been keeping in the house to try to cut down on my caffeine addiction!). He even admits that he did try to look for a scrapbook magazine at the store without luck. Then, he eats with the girls and sends me upstairs to eat and watch TV Land (Bewitched). Ah, now I remember why I married him! I wish all guys knew that this kind of stuff means more than expensive items and flowers!

Ramblings & My Husband

This is my 200th post. Wow! I just thought that was interesting.

I went to Lowes today to collect 30 of these brick edger things (technical term), spraypaint, and a couple flats of flowers (can never have enough). All over their store, it says, "We will help you load." Well, Lowes...I say "yeah right". I spent almost forty minutes after I asked and paid for assistance and getting and loading these heavy brick things, got my kids in and out of my car four times because I was forgotten about waiting for help, and moved my car three times because the lady didn't know where to send me. Ultimately, I got my kids out of the car (both quite tired, exhausted, frustrated, and crying) one last time and went back inside the lawn and garden section. The lady assured me someone was stacking them this very second. I strolled our circus of screaming children over to the brick section and not one single person was there! I promptly got a refund for EVERYTHING I bought & packed my kids back in the car! YOU have to get this...it's the best part, the lady said, "Let me walk out with you to your car (still blocking the parking lot) to get your return (one brick paver thingie so she could ring up all thirty of them & my flats)". This cashier and a young man walked out with me to get my now returned items. So, they could walk OUT with me to get my returned items, BUT no one...not one...could help me LOAD my car! UGH! Okay, that was my rant and rambling.

Now, on to my husband. He's smart. He's lucky...wins everything and anything he signs up for in contests and activities. He can sale anything to anybody...pretty handy to have around to haggle or sale something at yard sales and such. He thinks and debates through everything and anything he does, especially when money is involved. Let's just say he is the cheapest person that I have ever met. beyond frugal. My dad often says he trips over dollars to save pennies. When he does spend money, I think he physically gets sick. With all that said, he's been (financially) nauseous for a few weeks now with our spending on our kitchen, our water heaters that went out, our air conditioner that stopped working, and everything else in the house that suddenly decided to fall apart! After a good thunderstorm and a full day power outage a couple weeks ago, our television began having a vertical green stripe and a double image. Every other tv worked in our house. Every tv is hooked up to a cable box just like the one downstairs. Only the downstairs tv was not working. Now, what would you think? My thought was the tv is broke. My sad husband mourned the loss of his flat screen, but after much debate, he decided we should replace the tv.

He spent the entire day (yes, mother's day) going back and forth between stores, sales people, the internet, and sales papers trying to decide the best economic decision on a new flat screen. After all, he rationalized that our tv was five years old (how is that old for a tv by the way?!). He purchased a tv. It wouldn't fit on our existing mount because it is now obselete (yes...five years old and they do not make it that way anymore...seriously). Off to purchase a mount. Oops...now we need a special (60 dollars) cable to make the dvd and vcr work. My poor dad and Robert worked hard the entire day working on getting this tv up and working. They turn it on and....

IT HAS A GREEN STRIPE AND A DOUBLE IMAGE!

WHAT?! Let me repeat, WHAT?!

I say (T), "that's not right. it has a green stripe too."
Robert (R) says, "oh, no, this tv is broken too."
My dad (D) says, "well, guys, it must be the cable not the tv."

R looks like he is about to pass out. He turns white, white, white and sits slowly. My D stands looking serious and perplexed. I fall down on the floor laughing, crying and unable to talk.

All that work. All that money. For no reason. We are not real frivalous people. We did not buy the original tv to begin with...my parents did as a gift one Christmas. We try to keep savings for emergencies (like air conditioners, water heaters, etc.). We have just had too much of that lately! We try not to have debt (if we cannot pay for something, we don't get it.) We saved for years to redo our kitchen. Like I said...Robert is cheap  frugal. We would have used the other tv until it died. Now, we have this fancy smancy tv after we have fixed item after item over the last few weeks in our house.

It's just kinda funny...well, let's just say Robert is not ready to laugh yet.

I just figured...you have to laugh or cry, right?!

I couldn't be mad because I assumed the tv was broke as well.
 I was more mad about it taking my entire mother's day than the tv drama!

Come on over and watch a show on our new fancy, smancy tv...

and feel free to laugh at with my smart, lucky, saavy husband about his not-so-smart purchase!

"Happy Mudders Day" & Thoughts About Being a Mommy

Mommy. Mama. Mother. Mamamamamama. Mom. These are the names that altered my life forever. That title of Mommy is the first time that I felt complete purpose for my life. It changed my perspectives. It changed my fears. It changed my goals. It changed my life.



Motherhood...a place that I never thought I would want to be. I assumed if I did ever become a mommy it would be a mom with a career, a nanny, a cleaning crew, and a nice, stylish wardrobe. I did not even plan on making a lot of money. I had dreams and plans of working or creating a non-profit organization to protect/support/advocate for children.



I know so many that dream and fight to have a baby of their own or through the gift of adoption. They have fought paperwork, time, money, infertility, tests, tears, miscarriages, and disappointment working toward experiencing the wonderful gift of motherhood. A gift that is easy to take for granted when you're tired and overwhelmed. My heart goes out to those that go through those trials and tribulations in their journey. There are so many sweet, innocent babies out there that need mothers. I pray and pray that they will find their way into their arms. I know a time after my miscarriage that I felt pain like no other. I felt like I lost a gift before I ever had the opportunity to treasure it.



When I became pregnant, I remember looking for a nanny to help when the baby came. I remember thinking (despite how wonderful and qualified the person was) that there was no way I wanted this individual raising my baby. You know what? I finally came to the conclusion that I was the only one that I wanted raising my baby. Then, I had to break it to my husband. I am finished with working. I will now be a stay at home mom...over night...decision made. One baby changed my mind...my life.



Time after time I feel frustration, confusion, overwhelmed, exhaustion, and just plain dumb as a mother. I heard a statement recently that explained it all. It's not that I have lost brain cells as a mommy. Rather, I just have so much more to do, think about, and worry about as a mommy. I do not have enough brain cells to go around!



However, more often than not, I feel admiration from my kids. My girls are two little people that tell me and think day after day that I am pretty as a princess....even with my glasses, ponytail, and sweatpants. I feel unconditional love when their sweet voices say "I love you, Mommy". I feel happy when my silly faces and "tickle tackles" make them giggle contagiously. I feel secure when they fall asleep beside me and reach out to snuggle in their sleepy state. I feel an overwhelmed need to protect when they cry or hurt, they run to me for comfort, a kiss, or a band-aide. I know for now...a short, very short time....I can make their hurts better.

I want to give my children so much. Most of all, I want them to be happy, healthy and strong. I want them to see God's love through my love. Yes, it is challenging at times. If I cannot show them Christ-like love, then who can I expect to show them the love of Christ.



I know that I would give anything, anything at all, for my children....my body, my time, my thoughts, my nights, my days, my life.



Yes, I would die for them...in a heartbeat...without a moment of hesitation. Could I let them die for me? Honestly, NO, I could not.



When I became a mother, I realized the sacrifice and love that God showed us when He gave us His Son to save us.



Wow...there are no further words to express that kind of sacrifice.



I love you my sweet girls. Thank you for making mother's day my favorite day of the year...the day that reminds me what a blessing being a mother truly is. LaLa and Little Bit, my mom used to tell me that you will never know a mother's love until you become one. It is so true....I will love you both....forever and always.

Love, Mommy



May all of you, Mommies or soon to be Mommies, have a very happy and special Mother’s Day.

The Strawberry Patch

My granddad would plant a huge garden each year that he shared with family and friends. I always enjoyed "helping" him. I remember helping him pick strawberries year after year. He would often call me his "strawberry queen" because I ate much more than I picked. I could never get enough strawberries. There is something that makes strawberries taste so much better when you picked them yourself.

After preschool yesterday, we went on our own strawberry picking adventure. It was lots of fun. I think Little Bit might have inherited my tendency to eat more than pick. LaLa meticulously admired each berry prior to picking. The tractors, animals, and homemade ice cream were an unexpected addition to our visit to the strawberry patch. The people that worked there were so nice. Nice people can make a day even more special. We so often forget that!



Here are some pictures from our strawberry pickin'...

Southern Belle Farms

McDonough, Georgia

2010

My Chandelier's New Look!

Before

The picture is fuzzy because I remembered to take the picture AFTER I had turned off the power!

I have been "puttering" around my house doing project after project since our kitchen remodel. Of course, it's inspirational and quite frustrating all at once. As I focus on a project, other "household" chores seem to pile up! Hopefully, I will get a bit better at managing it all! I did manage to clear out all the dust from the remodel (jack hammer thingies are messy), but I still have quite a bit to organize in my kitchen, spring cleaning projects to finish, and declutter obsessions to work on! Everyone knows when you spend a great deal of money on a purchase....something always fall apart...something unexpected.

Well, that is certainly true for us! Our water heaters went out as our kitchen remodel was underway. AND, you will never believe it, but our flat screen TV was hit by lightning yesterday. My poor husband sat quietly in the living room mourning his lost for quite a while yesterday. It's just part of how it works. We have to just be thankful for the blessings that we do have and not worry about what could go wrong next! If you see my husband mourning his lost, please feel free to remind him!:)

Now for my chandelier project! My husband was not very supportive of this project. He feared that this was my secret ploy to just get a grand replacement to match the new kitchen. It sincerely wasn't a plan! I had seen on blogs and research that this was totally possible! My brass chandelier was about to be a beautiful rubbed oil bronze (ORB) color just like my kitchen!

It was not very difficult, and I did it with two children under four underfoot. My small dog did get a bit of spray-paint on his back after being a bit too curious during my project!

Here is what I did...

1. Take down the chandelier. (You must turn off the main power. You also need a second set of hands because it is difficult to unhook the wires and hold the fixture.)

2. Put some sort of plastic or cardboard down to protect the floor where you plan on working on the fixture. I used whatever I could find in the garage! Some people recommend a cardboard box to sit it in while working. I also used something (empty baby wipe box) to prop it up on both sides.

3. Remove anything that comes off. For me this included the light bulbs, the "candle thingies", and such.

4. Tape around the wires to protect them from paint.

5. Lightly sand all the brass.

6. Clean the fixture.

7. Spray-paint with a primer. I used Kilz Spray-paint Primer. Let it Dry. Turn it upside down and repeat. You don't have to be very thorough with your spraying with primer.

8. When it's all dry, spray-paint with your chosen color. I used Rustoleum ORB. It took two cans. After I had let it dry, I went back with a small art brush to get any spots that I might have missed or need some touch up.

9. Pull off tape and add the pieces back that you removed.

10. Hang your "NEW" chandelier back up and enjoy your new look...costs less than twenty dollars!


After:

Hmmm...several questions come to mind. First, can I buy the ORB spray-paint in bulk? (I have a LOT of brass in my house. I really like this color.) Second, what else can I spray-paint?!

I'll keep you posted on what else I can "surprise" Robert and spray-paint!

On a side note, to those of you who have asked...I ordered some more needles for my embroidery machine so I should be up and running by the end of this week...maybe. I still need to get it serviced for its yearly visit, but I think this will help it to "go" a little longer until I get it down to Macon! I'm having an embroidery debate (mostly in my head). I'll share it this week...

Have a great week...and remember when things go wrong, count your blessings...

and admire your "new" chandelier!

Tammy