This Is The Year

I think teenagers get a bad rap.  I really do.  I'm constantly seeing memes and viral Facebook posts and letters to the editor about "today's generation".  As if that term is a dirty word.  Repeated often are words like "lazy", "entitled", "disrespectful" and many other unflattering terms.  And I think it's garbage. YES, there are some crappy teenagers out there.  But I think the percentage of "bad kids" today probably isn't any different than it was when I was a teen.  And if "our generation" was so much better, and we KNOW what kids today need and how they should be parented, who exactly is raising these crappy teenagers?  It certainly can't be all those perfect adults out there who think teenagers today suck.  Because if those folks were raising them, I mean they wouldn't be so crappy, right? We always "shudder" at the thought of our kids reaching their teenage years.  Especially when t...

I don't even really know what to say.  Or write about.  I only know that I miss blogging.  And for the past several weeks I've felt the call of the blogosphere tugging at my fingertips.  Things will happen in my life that I want to write about.  Or something will happen in the news that I want to share my views on.  But not in a combative, Facebook debate sort of way.  And then I think - I wish I was still blogging. The world of blogging has changed so much since I first started my blog years ago.  Back then we had a little circle of blogging friends who visited each other regularly, started getting to know each other, and in many cases lasting friendships in the real world were made.  I still keep in touch with many of those friends I made through facebook, or texting.  Some have gone on to be big-time money-making famous bloggers.  Others have quit blogging.  In both cases, I miss reading their blogs each day, giving my lit...

I'm still working on my political post - I'm having a hard time finding time in my life to write.  I am going to be honest and let you know that right now I am completely overwhelmed.  I feel like I'm drowning.  Between Halloween costume orders, jewelry orders, my disaster that we call a house, Hubby's business, and the kids and all their activities - I have literally felt like crying most of the time lately.  But I'm sick of feeling crappy, so I decided to sit down and blog about some fun stuff that has been going on, and think about things for just a little while that really put a smile on my face. Two of my beautiful daughters celebrated birthdays in the past few weeks.  I cannot believe how quickly they are growing up.  I need it to S-L-O-W down already!  But I look at them and nearly burst with joy at what wonderful girls they are and how each passing day they get more and more fabulous.  I'll post about them in 2 separate posts so I don't ...

It's been over a month since my last post - but I'm not giving up on my little blog.  I have too much I want to write about! I'm working on a pretty heavy political post right now.  At least it feels heavy to me.  I'm not really sure when it will be finished and ready to publish.  I only know it has been fighting to burst out of me for months and months and I finally had to sit down and start writing.  We'll see what it looks like when my brain is finally relieved of all the the thoughts and feelings that have been tumbling around in there for all this time. For today I think I'll just share some things I'm grateful for.  Because I am truly, truly blessed. Today I am grateful for the teenagers in my teens' lives.  And for their parents. I'm so thankful that I was able to send my son out to his first school dance yesterday with a wonderful young woman who values modesty, and who knows she can be beautiful and have a magical evening while dress...

Well - it's happening.  Right now.  I'm blogging.  I have been feeling the pull of the blogosphere for a few weeks now.  I'm not sure why - but I've just really felt compelled to get back to blogging.  I have no idea how I'm gonna make it work.  I have so much stuff sucking all my time already!  But I've missed this place.  There's nowhere else quite like it. I'm not even really sure where to start.  Do I update on my family?  Some people may remember us - some people may be new.  Maybe nobody out there will be reading this at all.  What's a rusty blogging girl to do? I guess we'll start with this cute thing. This Baby Girl is 18 months old - can you believe it?  It seems like such a short time ago she was coming home from the hospital.  Yet - and I think I've said this before - it's incredibly difficult trying to remember what life was like before she came. She's kind of a stinker.  Like a lot.  S...

Last week I told you our family was going to have an "unplugged weekend".  I had been thinking about doing this for a while, and finally got around to discussing it with Hubby.  With him on board, we presented it to the kids, starting out with watching this short message as a family: As parents, hubby and I are pretty conservative when it comes to a lot of the technologies of today.  We don't allow violent video games in our home, our children were probably some of the last of their friends to get Facebook accounts and I know that Bookworm (our only child with a cell phone for now) was the last of his friends to get a phone.  It has nothing to do with not trusting our kids and everything to do with what we felt was or wasn't necessary for our family's circumstances and what we did or didn't feel was the most uplifting or healthy way for our family to spend their time. Of course there is a fine line between giving them everything, and allowing them...

So here's how my day went yesterday: Wake up, get kids ready for school. Drive kids and Hubby to school (hubby is driving the 6th grade to the McCullough space center for a space simulation field work). Get back home. Answer email and shop correspondence while Baby Girl attempts to feed herself oatmeal (yeah, she's at the whole independent stage). Clean up oatmeal from table, chair, floor and Baby Girl's face, belly, arms and hair. Attempt to clean up in my bedroom while Baby Girl naps (yeah right - she napped for 14 minutes). Get in the shower while BG plays on the bathmat, waiting her turn to get in and get cleaned.  Hey it worked the last time I needed to have a shower and I was by myself with Baby Girl so don't you judge me. Get all lathered up when I hear a huge crash followed by instant wailing from Baby Girl.  I jump out of the shower, dripping wet and sudsy to see my poor baby flat on her back on the tile.  She had attempted to climb up something...