Green is a sign of spring

I may be the Platinum Mother of the Year

It seems to be a habit, I never can remember sunscreen in April. One nice thing about a blog is it will remind you when you did not put sunscreen on your kids last year. Supposedly, parenting is a seasoned skill, maybe April 2011 will bring higher marks.

I really blame YMBL for my non-wearing sunscreen mistake, the South Tx State FAIR is supposed to be in October, not April, not near Easter. Who wears sunscreen in October to the Fair? (The children of good mothers?) Yes YMBL, I know about Rita & Ike, we are acquaintances. But, blah, blah,blah. It makes sense, but it broke tradition as well as my pocketbook. However, it was bring your "Mimi - and - her - money - day", so we can still eat next week. I know that my dad is SOOOO HEARTBROKEN that he missed the Fair and he would have been appalled at the $7 ride for a pony. Their ponies were not even worth $7. I told my kids, we were not spending $20 on pony rides, we owned 5 horses. I used the word owned loosely at that moment, but it worked. Will must have really believed me, because he chose a rooster on the carousel.

Here is the example of my next award winning motherly skill. Faith likes to ride scary rides with her her daddy, they chose Evolution 1st. (Should have read this 1st. ) The name should have been the 1st clue to GET OFF!

I nearly lost it as I realized it went up and turned upside down and hung in mid-air for a few very long seconds. Who is this child?

This is Faith next to her Daddy, he is wearing his hat backwards and her shorts are yellow. If I was a real blogger, I would have used arrows and fancy photography. She was not crying as she landed, she was happy as a clam. Daredevil, not a good sign, not a good sign. Deep, Larson, blood is the only answer. I told my dad and these were his exact words, "Why would anyone want to do THAT?" Amen brother, I have no idea.

Claire was a little less hesitant, I love this pic of her and Craig. They are loving it! I have no idea what the ride was called, I just know it stayed near the ground! By 4:30 in the afternoon, she was doubled over with a stomachache, too much fun & candy.
My mom used to tell me one could get burned on a sunny day. She is really burned, I felt bad. Like mother,like daughter, we both forgot. I did remember to brush my children's teeth since cotton candy is not their fan.

Besides spending money and forgetting sunscreen, I think it is all about making memories anyway.

You know the saying...

"Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens!" I always thought it was silly, but the look on the face of my eldest is hauntingly familiar, and I feel the pecking.

Then, I consume my 3rd pot of coffee, pray, grit my teeth underneath my gray t-shirt that matches my daily yoga pants and remember these faces.

They are worth it all....

Maybe I will resort to the past...

I have been reading The Wagon West Series. I am only on the second book, Nebraska. The irony of it is I can totally relate to these people. Although I am not on a wagon train, I do see the world falling away, or apart from America, or just clinging to the world.


In 1837, banks were closing and many people were without work. Pioneers set out to develop the west, near Oregon. They experience many trial and tribulations, but I notice some of their strife is just as we experience today. Some are overtaken by greed, jealousy, anger, and others become victorious through tragedy and loss. It is not a Christian novel, but you can see where many character's receive their strength. Many things were simple. I even think as a child, I often felt as though things were simple. They were not, but it was all I knew.


My next worry was when my 1st tooth would fall out. Lucky for Claire, it happened 3 days after Western Day 2010.

I often wonder what goes through the mind of my children. Do they find life simple or complex? Maybe I should know all this with my education background, but I just figured out last year that it was about time I quit acting like a child. I think I am an adult now, 3 kids and the ripe age of 37.5.




All this adult, deep talk and thought is hurting my ears and I think I may have a headache. :)

To my dear youngest sister:

I do not know who we were partying for, but I am so grateful for the memory of sharing cake, food & laughs with you. One huge laugh should have been the 3 cans of RAVE we used to make our hair fluff! Also, those streamers are kinda random. It looks as though the cookie cake was gone, and we had yet to dive into Mom's yummy sheet cake. I am assuming it was night since the drapes are drawn like SOMEONE MIGHT SEE US! (Or the big, barking dog may interrupt our dinner and cause us to eat swiftly!?)

By the looks of my hair, I bet you were glad you moved in a few months. It would have been tragic if you had grown accustomed to TEXAS HAIR. I love you and wish you the best in the year of 33!!! I pray Lucy never, ever uses RAVE.

A cheap pedi

A friend gave me homemade sugar scrub for Christmas. Just oil & sugar in a jar, I love it. My feet feel really smooth; it wins over the pedi egg. My friend used sugar & oil, cheapest at the store. I tried it myself this week. I found that I should stir the mixture well, and then let the oil settle overnight. However, I googled this post with a recipe (I know nothing about these people , they just seemed to know what they are talking about), and I may try this next time.

This may be old news to all of you , but I am thrilled with the new cheap, smooth feet discovery!

From one extreme to another

Ok, you know my post a few posts ago about all my cooking, meal planning, and organization. Well, that plan does not hold up if you are living at the Julie Rogers Theatre for 3 days. When I close my eyes, I hear the music to the Cinderella ballet, and I think Claire may still have a few stray marks of eyeliner on her face. However, that is minor to the fact that I thought we may all turn into a piece of processed chicken. I am still afraid to balance the checkbook, but Sonic diet cokes & Chick-fil-a food amidst drama & exhaustion won last week.

We had Pei-Wei one night, and they messed up my order so I get a free spicy shrimp the next time I order. I was grumbling about it and Claire said, "Don't worry, we can get it tomorrow, I bet you can't cook then either." Amen sister, Amen.

I did redeem myself by cooking on Monday night. Then, Craig & I ate at Carrabba's last night BY OURSELVES. Hallelujah! It was good too, I cannot lie, and my hips can attest to the bread. I know, IT WAS SCHOOL NIGHT! We just left the kids here in their beds, all tucked in cozy like. No, really, my MIL offered to keep them because she knows we are wonderful parents who need a break. Ok, really, the kids just begged. And since she lives about 500 feet from the trailer park/school, I agreed. I was about to heat up leftovers and Craig waltzed in and stood still. He said, "It is too quiet, where are the kids?" I said, "Your mom's house, she is a sucker, even on a school night." He responded excitedly (we don't get out much), "You got any coupons? No, forget it, let's go to Carrabba's." The offer was too good too pass up. And, the waiter did give us 2 coupons. Oh darn, we must go back.

On another random note, a Farmer's Market is opening in Downtown Beaumont in May, and I like this blog. It would be much easier if she or the market did the cooking.