Happy in my skin. Happy with me, even when my hair is wild, my face has a pimple or two, with or without makeup.  I learned to love me at a very young age and with all the ‘things’ that are on my mind, ‘me’ is not one of them.  If there is anything I pray my two daughters learn is to be happy with self…. the approval of others is never needed.  When you look in the mirror, see your flaws, bumps, lumps, gray hairs, the funny looking curve of your mouth, and you are still comfortable… that feeling, yeah, that’s beauty.

Journaling.... my own personal therapy

I'm back to journaling!  I haven't taken a pen to paper, when it didn't involve something homeschool related, in many years.  It is unbelievable how therapeutic journaling is!! I bought a really nice journal, a fancy new pen, and sat down at my desk and just sat.... and just sat.... and just sat.  I was thinking, "What in the world am I going to write about?"  That was the same question I asked myself years ago when I journaled for the very first time.  I had to remind myself what I did then...... I just started writing. And I wrote anything that I felt like, whatever moved me, whatever popped in my head. Once I started, I just kept going and going.  When I got finished, or should I say, when I got a cramp in my hand, I looked back and had written 7 pages! And boy, did that feel good.

My conversation with my journal went from my love of my family to the up and downs of the homeschooling year, my feelings toward family and certain people, relationships/friendships that have grown and some that have run their course, the remodeling of our kitchen, the craziness in the world, the stability of my family, my parents health.... I wrote about things I didn't even realize were heavy on my mind or making me very happy, or making me think just how blessed I am.

Now, if I can just get 'that feeling' about blogging again!  Why does blogging feel like such a chore? Some people do it so effortlessly and I'm a tad bit envious.  So, I'm going to do better!

Living Life in Laughter

My Baby-Boy, My son, My Young Man

Where in the world has the time gone!!!!???? My son will be 14 in a couple of weeks. I miss him being a baby, I miss him calling me 'Mommy', I miss seeing him try to 'run away' from his shadow, I miss carrying him on my hip, I miss watching Sesame Street with him, I miss him thinking that I was the absolute coolest person ever.

Fourteen! My Baby Boy is almost 14. Jeffrey Clifford Charles. He stands almost 5'8", wears a 13 shoe, weighs 160 pounds, has a light mustache, wears cologne, doesn't think girls are gross and he loves life. My Baby Boy is almost 14. I am so very proud of him! He loves the Lord, Prays, Gives God praise, loves Christian rap music, and thinks going to church is cool.  

My son is almost 14. He is a great swimmer, an All-Star baseball player, a former assistant softball coach, an aspiring History professor, he is super smart. My son is almost 14. He admires great men, he wants to be a good husband and father.  

My Young Man is just that, A Young Man. My young man is almost 14. I still watch him sleep; he is my first born and my only son. I thank God everyday for allowing me to be his Mom. I know, with all that is within me, that I was created to be his Mother. I look at my son and my heart overflows with pride and love. My Young Man still hugs me; he still tells me "I love you". 

Fourteen....my son is almost 14.

   

Teaching the Baby to ride her bike....

Well.....I knew the day was coming, I just wished it didn't have to come so soon!  Today was the day my husband took our youngest child out for her first 'I-can-ride-my-big-girl-bike' lesson. 

 It seems like everything that she does, because she is our youngest (and last) child, is so emotional for me.  My two older children learned to ride their bikes at 5.5 and 4 years respectively, but when it came to my 'baby', I was never ready.  I always had an excuse; "We don't have time to teach her right now", "She doesn't have knee and elbow pads", "I really like having her on the back of my bike", "She is just so young"....well, the time finally came where everything was 'just right'.  The weather was great, my husband bought knee and elbow pads last week, the training wheels had been removed last year, her older sister was excited for her, and she was absolutely ready...I still wasn't, but reluctantly, I knew it was time, she is 6 years old and ready to ride her 'Big Girl Bike'.  So, with tears in my eyes and love and joy in my heart while watching my husband hold on to the back of her bike while running up and down the sidewalk, I captured that moment of time, my baby girl learning to ride a bike....... 



WHAT THE WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those who know me know that I absolutely strongly dislike solicitation of any kind! I don't like phone calls, knocks at the door, selling on the job, via email, etc.  Anyway, I made a comment on FaceBook a while back, because of limited amount of space I could only say a few things.  This is what I really wanted to say:

***Dear solicitors, Please STOP coming to my door! Let's get something straight right off the bat:
1. To the folk that travel in pairs from door to door, I'm a Christian. I celebrate all holidays; Christmas and birthdays being my favorite. Toot-a-loo.

2. Yes, I know the grass is tall but I don't need to pay you $20 to cut it when I have a 12 year old son that does it for free (no, he isn't smiling but it's FREE).

3. To the same teenager, from November - April.....Please see #2 when the grass is covered with snow. 

4. SEND YOU TO SUMMER CAMP!?  I have 3 kids of my own, can YOU help me out!

5. MAN! Are you serious, heck no I don't want to buy meat off the back of your truck!!  How old is that darn truck anyway? And is that rust AND chipped paint on it.  Good googly-moogly, a person would have to make sure they have had their tetnus shots and be tested for lead poisoning deal with your crazy tail.

6. Don't even step one foot on this porch with that political nonsense! I actual read about the candidates and know who I am voting for. Get to stepping, get to stepping!

7.  And the window man, Roof Man, and all-around handy man, Don't make me.....

So, folks, as you can see I just don't like solicitors at all!  And to that fact I recently made a sign and posted it on my front door that says: "ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING OF ANY KIND!  If you are not family, friend, or have been invited, DO NOT ring this door bell or knock on the door."  I have actually seen people step onto my porch, read the sign and step off and keep on going.....SO! Just last week, why oh why, did a man step onto my porch and knock on the door, the same door with the sign mind you, and when I came to the window and said, "Yes" (I was to angry to even go to the door), why did this man say, "Hello there, My name Jack and I would like to have a few minutes of your time to tell you how you can save on your heating bill.  WHAT THE WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Moments with Big Daddy (my DH, Jeff)

A while back, Big Daddy and I were talking with a friend about there being no marriage in heaven.  Big Daddy didn't have much to say but I did notice a slight smile on his face, very Mona Lisa-like is how I would describe it.  I said, "I wanna be married in Heaven." I looked over at Big Daddy and said, "Honey, don't you want to be married when we get to  heaven?" He looked at me straight faced and said, "Uh Uh, I opted out!" LOLOLOLOL