Talk about hioliday stress!

It seems we have a blow up christmas ornament that could use some therapy. Our happy little penguin keeps trying to do himself in. Three times this weekend I caught him disconnected from his outlet and laying in the neighbor's yard. And when I came home from church last night, he was laid out like he'd tried to end it all. Poor little guy-I'm guessing the stress of being part of the Shon's ode to Clark Griswald's christmas display is just to much for him to handle.

Poor guy...I wonder if our insurance covers post holiday stress in yard art creatures...

live like I am living!

I read an article in People this weekend-I'm a People.com addict, I admit-that got me thinking. This article was about Elizabeth Edwards, her life, her stuggle with breast cancer, and her funeral. Now, I'm not a huge Elizabeth Edwards fan, so her death didn't really hit me like it hit some others, but this article really struck a chord with me.

Here was a woman, who had most of her life spread all over the papers, who didn't have a ton of privacy, and who suffered some of the most devestating things a woman can go through-the death of a child, a long and painful fight with cancer, a marriage that fell apart. But through it all, she seemed to "get it".

Too often I think we just try to get by, try to live though the season in our life and get to the next one. We wish for things to hurry so we can get on with the next chapter. Example, we wish Christmas would hurry up and be over so we don't feel stress, or we live for the weekend, all the while missing all the wonderful things that go on during the Christmas season, or lose sight of the everyday miracles that happen during the week. We want our kids to go to school so we can have some freedom, and forget to hang on to the precious memories of their childhood.

Elizabeth Edwards didn't live like that. She bought a house for her and her children, expecting to move into it and start a new life, even though she knew she had a terminal illness. She spent her last days with her loved ones, but didn't talk about her funeral. She lived like she was living, not like she was dying. How awesome is that? Shouldn't we all live like we are living? Why should we dwell on the stressful things, and the difficults things? Why can't we embrace them and find the good in them? I think there is a great lesson is NOT planning your funeral even if you know you have a terminal illness! I for one don't want to spend the last days I have with the ones I love the most, worried about what is going to be done once I'm gone-frankly, I couldn't care less at that point!

So, for today, and hopefully the rest of my days, I will continue to live like I am living. I will enjoy every season that I am in for what it's worth, and try not to sweat the small stuff. I think we would all be a little bit happier if we just followed this simple rule...

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and whatever else you celebrate!

Wanna know what REALLY irritates me, what makes my blood boil, what makes me wanna scream this time of year? Wait for it...

CHRISTIANS!!!

Yep-my people! Oh my goodness, we are so dang good at being judgemental and pious, and rude...and we seem to step it up about 217 notches this time of year.

Of course I'm not talking about every Christian, or even most Christians, but the select few that give the whole lot of us a bad name. There is this preacher in Dallas, that chooses to spend his time and energy making a "grinch" list of businesses that don't tell him Merry Christmas, but instead say "happy holidays". Are you kidding me? Are there really no other problems in the world that need solving, so this is his big concern?

I love how Christians get all offended if someone says happy holidays-I mean seriously! Guess what, We are not the only religion that has a holiday in December-shocking I know, but Chrisitan's don't own December! I don't hear Jewish people screaming out in outrage because someone wishes them happy holidays instead of a happy Hanukkah. You better believe I tell people "Merry Christmas" but I sure don't hold it against them if they tell me Happy Holidays. Why can't people just be pleasant and accept other people have different beliefs? We are so quick to demand that we are free to express our beliefs, but we sure don't wanna hear about anyone elses. What a bunch of hypocrites!

And then there's the whole belief that Christians shouldn't promote Santa in their homes! I mean, why would we teach our children to be honest, then lie to them about Santa??? Uh, maybe because children should have imaginations, and childhood should have a little bit of magic in it, and not everything has to be literal and serious all the time! I must be a bad bad Christian, because I schlep my kiddos to the mall every year to sit on some jolly fat guy's lap and ask for toys...

Nothing makes me turn into a "grinch" faster than intolerance-well except maybe Garth Brooks singing "Let it snow", but that's an entire different blog...

In my house, we make sure we teach our kids what Christmas means to our family. We know it's about Jesus' birth, and we celebrate it as such. But I'm not about to take the magic and some of the secular things out of it. Can we say balance! Why can't we celebrate the miracle of Jesus, and still have some things that are less serious? Do we really think that God is shaking his head in shame if we wish someone a happy holiday? Lord knows, we can't just be nice and tolerant of each other-we have to beat our beliefs down everyohe's throat.

I know it's our job as Christians to bring people to Christ, but I sure don't think the best way to do it is by showing everyone around us that we are a bunch of crotchity, pious, arrogant snobs that think you are an idiot for not believing what we believe. Maybe we should instead be a joyous, delightful person to be around. A person that smiles when someone wishes us a happy holiday, and answers with a festive "Merry Christmas"! These are the people I'd rather be around this season!

Hello...anyone there?

I have a confession: I can be stubborn. I can also be unforgiving. And I can be critical...in fact, I can be downright difficult to love.

I haven't always been like this-ok, maybe stubborn, but not the others. But the past few years I have become some of the things that I really disliked in other people. I've been burned by people-friends, sometimes family, and even church people. And I've become hardened.

I haven't liked who I was becoming and I tried to change-didn't work. So I began to pray about it-ALOT. I am by no means a prayer warrior-I'm just not very good at it. But I was in a place I didn't want to be in, and hard as I tried, I couldn't get out of it. So I prayed. And prayed. And prayed some more. And then I went about my business, feeling like I wasn't being heard.

Shon and I have pretty much always gone to church. We went to the same church for almost 10 years, and about a year ago, on a whim really, decided to try another church-just to see what was out there. We stayed-not because we loved it, or because we disliked our old church, but because the kids liked it and it was comfortable-we were under the radar, no one asked us to lead a group or get involved-no one knew who the heck we were. We have been so under the radar in fact, that a church member has introduced himself to us 3 times in the last year. And that's exactly how I liked it-it helped prove my point that all people were unloving and uncaring. I had been burned at the other place-tried to join a few groups, never really connected, never really found my niche...I'm not sure anyone at that place even noticed when we left...hmm maybe we were good at flying under the radar there too...

A few weeks ago I started a bible study-no biggie-Ive done about a dozen. I honestly did it because I was taking Emi to church anyway, and thought it would be a waste of gas to drive to the church twice. This bible study started out like all the others-I learned a few things, found a few bible verses I thought I should commit to memory, had a few bonding moments with other women...then we did a lesson on being a critical person. Well crap! It is HARD to see in black and white the things you dislike the most about yourself!

So the past couple of weeks I have searched my heart, and honestly read the bible, talked to God, and pondered how to get back to the person I was a few years ago. Last week I saw a post on a friends facebook about joining a small group at our church-so I took the plunge. This is not the the first time I've tried this-Shon and I have done small groups before-a few times. To be honest, we hated them. We felt judged, we felt stupid because we didn't know enough bible verses, we felt so out of place. We never bonded with anyone, but I thought I'm gonna give this one more try-with an open heart and no expectations that people will fail me again. And you know what? No one failed me!!! I honestly had one of the best times that I've had in a long time-with "church people"!!! Who would have thunk it!!!

And then it dawned on me...maybe the reason I haven't connected to people in the past is because of my critical nature and the negative vibe that I've been giving off. Maybe if I would have listened to God's wispers in my ear, he wouldn't have had to "hit me over the head" so to speak with a bible study about my critical outlook on people and their motives.

So we are officially in a small group at church. With people who have flaws, and are not perfect, have bad days, and recognize that I am also not perfect. People that are real, but love God, and want to be better. People that I "get". I am so unbelievably thankful that God not only answered my prayer, but that I actually listened to him for a change. I'm still very flawed, still need to be more trusting, but I really believe this will be a safe place for me to start to become the woman that I know God wants me to be!

the curse of the second child

As much as I swore it wouldn't happen, Kynlea suffers from 2nd child syndrome. It's first obvious when you walk into our home and see a mini shrine to Emi, and only a few pictures of Kynlea (usually the professional, matted, huge ones-because we were trying to make up for the fact that it had been a year since her last picture). Every month, or in some cases week, of Emi's first 5 years of life is documented in pictures...Kynlea, not so much. I could easily say this is because Emi loves getting pictures and Kynlea hates it, but there is more proof.

By the time Emi was 2, she was already in a dance class, by 3, she was taking three of them. She's also in soccer. Kynlea is three and has yet to be enrolled in anything. We are so stinking busy with Tyler and Emi, I can't even find the time to get Kyns signed up, let alone to a practice or a game.

But most telling is just by looking at her. Emi never left the house without a bow in her perfectly brushed hair, and earrings that matched her perfectly coordinated and ironed outfit. I'm lucky if Kynlea gets her face washed and her teeth brushed some mornings!

Here's how things have changed:
Emi-always had cute, matching clothes, with zippers and buttons, with no thought to how difficut it is to get her in and out of said outfit...Kynlea-is lucky to get pants that match her shirt, and long gone are any zippers.
Emi-I would buy $30 jeans and not bat an eye, even though I knew she would outgrow them in 3 months...Kynlea-I wait for a 2 for $22 sale at Childrens place, even though she's been the same size for over a year.
Every morning Emi's clothes were perfectly ironed...Kynlea is lucky if hers come off a hanger.
Emi-had earrings that matched her outfit every day...Kynlea is still wearing the studs that her ears were pierced with three years ago.
Emi had the best selection of shoes...Kyns has tinkerbelle AND ariel flipflops
Emi had at least a zillion bows....Ok, so does Kynlea-in this area I haven't slacked

I had this epipahny this morning as I was picking out Kynlea's clothes for the day and stumbled upon a hand me down skirt from Emi that needed to be ironed. I wondered if Kynlea would grow up feeling neglected and think that I don't care as much as I did when Emi was little. And then I thought, it's not so much a case of caring less, but more about deciding what is really important this time around. Granted, Kynlea doesn't always look like a Gymboree poster child, but she is still loved like crazy and I haven't slacked on the quality things. So when she grows up and asks why there are no pictures of her or why she doesn't have a ton of baby earrings to pass on to her girls, I will tell her that I was more secure in being a mom this time around and worried less about the details, and instead focused on just enjoying the small amount of time we have together before I have to send her out into the world.

And just for today, I ironed the skirt and she's wearing it-even though her earrings and shoes don't match :-D

SAY WHAT?

I had my first taste of "what kind of craptastic mother are you?" last night and I gotta tell you, I'm not a fan :-D

Kynlea is three, and is ALMOST potty trained. She's dry most nights, and can stay dry during the day when she chooses...Kynlea does everything as she chooses. I admit, maybe I should be a little bit tougher on her, but who am I kidding, she is my baby, and as hard as I try not to "baby" her, I still do. Plus, I just don't fight every battle with her, if I did, I would have time for nothing else. So, yes, she is three, and not 100% potty trained-Deal with it ;-)

When I had Emi, I was a freak. I read the books, and made it my goal that she hit every milestone well ahead of schedule. She slept through the night by 6 weeks, she walked at 9 months, she was off the bottle at 10 months. She is a genius child-I'm not gonna lie :-D. Potty training her was a bit rough, but that was my fault-I thought I could potty train her by her first bday-THAT totally backfired and she wouldn't go near at potty for a year. But in true Emi fashion, she had her last potty accident the night before third birthday-Emi does everything in grand fashion, it makes remembering milestones easy ;)

With Kynlea, I have been much more relaxed, maybe because she is my baby, maybe it's because I have so much going on, or maybe it's because I am a bit scared of her...it's probably a little of all of it. But honestly, I have stuggled with the fact that she won't be consistant on the potty. I have searched the internet and books for ideas, I have bribed, begged, pleaded, and threatened her. But finally, I let it go and reminded myself that eventually ALL kids pee in the potty.

So last night, I dropped her off at church so we can do Wed night bible study. This is the first time we've done bible study at this church, so I wasn't sure where to take her. I walked past a room with what looked like babies, so I proceeded to the big kid room, where I was promply greated by a "lady". She asked how old Kynlea was, and if she was potty trained. I replyed that she just turned three, and was about 80 % but had a pullup on and would go if she was reminded. This "lady" proceeded to tell me that "the BABIES are in the other room, and that they only accept BIG GIRLS in this room!"

Oh no she didn't!!! I gotta tell you, it's a good thing I was in church!

So here is my thought. Why are we, as moms, so worried about our kids being just like every other kid? Why do we think of ourselves as bad moms if our kids don't comform? And why in the world, do women feel the need to judge other women, instead of being encouraging and warm?

As angry as I was at this woman-and believe me I was furious, it made me think...do I say things that make my mommy friends feel less than adequate? Do I look at kids and think something is wrong if they don't do exactly what I would want them to? I hope I don't and I am very sorry if I have. I learned a valuable lesson last night from that "lady". I will try much harder to be a supportive mommy friend from here on out...

God works in mysterious ways!

I hate today-REALLY hate today. I wish I could just skip July 28th. It's been 5 years since we lost my dad and it doesn't get easier. I can handle father's day, his birthday, and every holiday, but I HATE HATE HATE this day. There are a million happy memories that I have of my dad on every other day, but not today. This day was the worst day of my life-hands down. It completely sucked-BAD!

There is a reason why Kynlea was born on July 27th-because I wasn't about to risk her bday being today. They say that it gets easier as the years pass, but I don't agree. Every year I watch my kids grow and ache inside that their papa gene is missing it. I'm sad, I'm mad, I'm hurt-and I'm NOT over it!!!

Shon's dad called yesterday to wish Kynlea a happy birthday-Shon's dad has never met any of our children, has never met me, and hasn't seen shon in almost 30 years-he's nuts, he's a mess, he's not at all a good roll model...yet he calls every birthday and tells us he loves us, that he wants to meet his grandkids, and that he's sorry. I know that Shon is angry, and I'm sure there is major hurt that I can't even begin to understand, but I just don't understand how the man that is so loving to me and our kids, can act like he doesn't even have a dad-because I would give anything to have mine back. I just don't get it and it breaks my heart.

I really do try to be a positive, understanding person. I try to be sympathetic to people that don't have the relationship that I had with my dad and that I have with my mom. I try not to judge or pretend to know better than they do. But today I am not understanding and sympathetic. Today I am angry and bitter and don't understand. I will be better tomorrow and not pass judgement on those who CHOOSE to not talk to their parents. But not today. Any day but today.

controlling my need to control...

I wonder, as a mom, why I sometimes have a hard time just sitting back and letting my girls become their own person. I struggle with this the most with Kynlea because she is so opposite of what I am. I struggle to find the balance between what I want for her and what she wants. I often struggle just trying to figure her out. I love her so very much, I just don't always know what is the right thing to do for her.

My baby princess is turning three in one month. I love love love my kid's birthdays-they are my favorite days of the year-I love planning and throwing them the parties that they want. I've been accused of going overbored, but I just love to do it!

Emi has never had a store bought cake-wait-I take that back...when she was three, she had a strawberry shortcake party and I bought a cake-she still reminds me that I didn't love her at her third bday and that's why I bought her cake...Emi loves bday parties as much as I do-she gets way into it-comes up with fabulous themes, and we have a great time planning-she is such a princess-I've raised her well-LOL!

Kynlea could not be more opposite! She HATES attention! Doesn't like too many people, doesn't like too much noise, doesn't want to open gifts in front of people...she is so anti-party! I first saw this at her first birthday when she completely melted down and my mom ended up hanging out with her in the pool alone because Kynlea couldn't deal. It took 3 days to get her gifts opened-she was not even a little impressed. Last year was no different. She loves Elmo, so we planned a huge sesame street party, had her favorite balloon guy make her Elmo balloons, played games, etc-again she hated it! Wanted no part of the attention-she may have been tramatized...

This year her heart is set on having a Go Diego Go party. She loves him-not Dora, Diego. So I sit, planning a "boy" party, that is low on the party like elements, and trying to make it the perfect party for my anti-princess. Although in my heart I want to go all out, I will listen to my little girl and plan a party that SHE will love. Complete with a bouncy house, a chocolate Diego cake, some fruit, no meat, no games, minimal decorations, and a very low key time that will not cause my baby girl any stress. I will fight my instinct to make her the center of attention that day and just let her play. It will be perfect for her.

And in September, when Emi turns 8, I will go ALL out ;-)

blessed!

Whew-what a week! And it's only Thursday! I think I've learned more this week alone, than I have in the last five years of my life...

I've learned that I don't handle stress all that well. I'm not talking about everyday, meet the deadline, got alot on my plate stress-that I am good at. I'm talking REAL stress-can't control, feeling helpless, only thing to do is get on your knees and pray stress-this stress I do not handle well AT ALL!

I've learned that I am friends with one amazing woman! A woman who has dealt with more in her 35 years than some people twice her age. This woman does what needs to be done, rolls with the punches, and comes out a better person for it. She is stronger than I could ever be, and she has proved it over and over again-this week alone!

I've also learned that I am not that bad of a friend...over the past couple of years I've questioned this some. And I could always be a better friend. But ya know what, almost everyone who has really been important in my life-through elementary school, high school, college, etc...are still around-heck I even married one of them. Which makes me think, I'm either not a terrible friend, or I choose to be around some of the most forgiving, awesomest people ever!

I've learned that a wine cooler by the pool on a hot afternoon is quite refreshing! I knew this MANY years ago, but forgot-thanks for reminding me mom! Am I going to start buying BnJ four packs and drinking them around all of my friends-no. But they can be a nice change-LOL

I've learned that Tyler is really a responsible kid, with a good head on his shoulders-I kinda knew this one already, but he continues to prove me right.

I've learned that Emi has a good grasp of God and heaven. And that she loves God! I am SO thankful for this!

I've learned that Kynlea has some pretty sweet moves-next time you see her, ask her to show you her "spinkler". I predict "so you think you can dance" in her future...

I've learned that you can NEVER been to protective of your children-it only takes a second for them to get seriously hurt.

I've learned that in a split second, your whole life can change. And your priorities can completely shift

I've learned that people are good. People love children-even children they don't know. People will take time to pray for a precious little boy that they don't know, and for his family. They don't need details, they don't need credit, they just do it because they are good.

And most importantly, this week I have learned that the power of prayer is awesome! I believe in God, and I trust God, but man this week, I have seen what happens when people put it in God's hands and let him take control! And I am SOOOOO thankful for Him and you guys for being warriors this week!

I have cried my eyes out this week. I have kissed my kids more than usual this week. I have prayed harder this week than I have in years. I have sat, still, quiet, and reflected-something I am not good at. I have been a sappy mess.

I am blessed-the people I love are blessed! God is so good!!!

And this weekend, I get to watch my princesses be in my cousin's wedding. The same cousin who was in my wedding almost 11 years ago, who's mom's wedding I was in, and who's mom was in my mom's wedding-thank goodness we all had girls! I love tradition! I love weddings! I love my wonderful life!

I am blessed!

You get one luxury item. What's it gonna be?

I'm packing for a weekend trip to the lake, and I'm desperately trying to decide what I should bring as my luxury item. Afterall, me at the lake for the weekend may as well be me on some deserted island playing for immunity from tribal council. I'm just not a nature girl...well, if nature consists of a beach by the ocean with a lounge chair and a cabana boy, then I AM a nature girl, but if it doesn't, then no-nature and I are not that close.

I considered bringing a ginormous Texas flag-Colby style-for shelter, and because we will be in Oklahoma...but honestly, I'm not that loyal to Texas (and we are staying in a hotel).

Maybe I'll bring floss-yes floss! Afterall, you only have to floss the teeth you wanna keep, and if we get desperate we can use it to tie something up-surely you need to tie things up in nature...

hmm-maybe my Iphone-ya know so I can call for help if the bears come to attack-are there bears in Oklahoma? Gotta google that before I leave...

oh wait-bug spray! Yes, I'm sure there are bugs at lakes-great! Wonder what kind of bugs are at this particular lake? Wonder if Family Off will handle them all or if I need to bring Raid...note to self-google this also...

Bottle opener is a good option-lord knows I can go without eating, but a girl's gotta stay hydrated. It's acceptable to drink wine out of a solo cup if you are doing at the lake right? I wonder where I can find acceptable lake behavior...no doubt I will be googling all afternoon...

Maybe I'll just bring my own personal fireman! Yes, that's it-that should cover all my bases-well except maybe the floss...

I will no doubt be out of my comfort zone this weekend, but so what? I am up for an adventure and some of my favorite people in the whole world will be there. It will be a fantastic weekend and I know we will have a fabulous time!

Besides, I survived an all girls trip to Cancun, which I assure you was scarier than anyting Jeff Probst could come up with on Survivor-camping should be cake...

mommy guilt

Today I drove through the McDonalds drive thru and bought my kids happy meals. This is not something that I do. Seriously, unless we are on a trip, I try not to let my kids eat fast food. Even on crazy soccer/baseball nights I try to plan dinner early, or at the very least, pack thier dinner for us to take. As I sat in the line waiting to get their bags o grease I felt SO guilty!!! What in the world possesed me to do this? Was it easy? maybe... Was it good for them? NO! What was I thinking???

What is it in mom DNA that makes us feel guilty? Why can't I just chalk it up to a special treat for the girls and get over it???

I have this crazy idea in my head of what the perfect wife and mother is. The house must be clean, the kids must be clean and well mannered, the wife must cook a nutritious and delicious meal every night, the food must be organic, non processed, all the while with a smile on my face because I have the most amazing husband who works so unbelievably hard to give us this life, the life I want for my family...

This is next to impossible to do btw...

But I try-I try hard. Sometimes to a fault. Sometimes I work so hard on the house, I neglect my kids. Sometimes I'm so wrapped up in Emi's homework, dinner ends up being chicken nuggets and tator tots. Sometimes the folded laundry doesn't get put away. Sometimes I'm just so stinking tired at the end of the day that all I want to do is go sit somewhere and let someone else feed my kids and husband. So much for the perfect mother.

So for tonight, I will try to get over the guilt. Tonight I will relish the fact that I was able to take my kids to McDonalds and let them have a happy meal for no other reason that I decided they could. I won't feel guilty that I didn't cook for them, that it wasn't organic, that I didn't see what actually went into making it, and I will be happy knowing that tomorrow they will eat healthier.

The Princess and the Poop

Kynlea is potty training-I know I know-this should already be done...I get it. But she's my baby, and maybe I'm letting her off the hook just a little bit, maybe I am letting her be a baby just a little bit longer, get off my back-she's my last baby...

anyway...

She's really getting good at the going in the potty thing. And she loves the big girl panties. She's a rockstar on the potty, except for one minor detail...

she thinks it's funny to poop on the princesses!

yes, she loves to rock the princess panties, and she takes special care to poop whenever she is wearing them, because "princesses like poop!"

Lord help me...

happy happy joy joy...

Things that make me happy...

dates with my hubby
Kynlea's singing
Emi's jokes
coffee
patios
Mexican beaches
big glasses of wine
hanging out with my mom, being serious or silly
having company
watching the Patriots win
chocolate cheerios
family vacations
my nieces
girls dates with just Emi
blowing bubbles with Kynlea
each one of my girlfriends for being just the right girl for what ever I need
the wrinkles by shon's eyes and the gray hair that he hates, but I think makes him look even better than the day we got married
hearing my kids chant "RAH RAH TCU"
chips and salsa
cooking a meal that's good for my kids AND that they will eat
laughing with my sister
looking at pictures of my dad with Tyler and Emi
watching my kids play sports
working on things in my house
baseball games
bouncy houses
the perfect bible verse
a Kenny song on the radio
flip flops
bronzer/powder/eyeshadow combos
cheese
the perfect tan


I could go on for days...I am a very lucky girl :)

a dumb blonde's take on healthcare reform...

For everyone dying to know my take on healthcare reform here goes...

I'm just not really that affected either way.

I mean really. I am fortunate enough to be married to a guy who, barring any really stupid mistake, has a pretty secure job with good benefits. Granted, things can always come up, but for the most part, me and my family are going to go about our business and still get to see the same doctors we've always seen. Will it cost us more? Maybe. But, the price of milk keeps going up, and I still buy it.

What I don't like is people who decide that they love or hate it, only because it's a Democrat's idea. Do I love Obama-um....not even a little bit. Did I vote for him? Not on your life! Do I think his idea (or any Democrat's) of bigger goverment is a good one? No. But guess what, I didn't like some of the stuff Bush did either-and I even don't agree with McCain ALL the time. People who are so narrow minded that they can't see the opposite side irritate me!

Here's the thing. I don't think the Government should tell me what I have to do as a business owner. And I think that forcing people to provide benefits will only cause companies to hire less people, causing more unemployment, which will strain the system even more. I don't think that offering lower income families a "tax credit" to buy insurance or imposing a fine for those who don't have insurance is going to be all that effective either.

I absolutely do no agree that I should be paying for your healthcare if you come to my country illegally, don't pay taxes, and take away a job from someone who lives here legally. But, guess what? I already am. Have you ever been to an emergency room trying to get someone to see your sick child, only to be sitting in a waiting room for hours because it's full of people without insurance also trying to be seen? Do you realize that they don't have insurance because they probably can't afford it, or it's just not a priority, and so they are not going to pay this bill either, causing MY insurance premiums to go up. Is it fair? No. Is it life? Yes. For the most part, we've all been to Kindergarten, and we've all learned that life isn't always fair. I personally would rather have more people with insurance, which may free up some of the urgent care places, just in case I really have an emergency-call me selfish...

Yes, I worry about the cost, especially to my children-I don't want them to have to deal with the mistakes that my generation has made. But I also don't want my kids growing up in a society where every man is for himself. I LOVE that this country is founded on the belief that hard work pays and that you can be anything you want. But bad things happen to good people. People work hard all their life, and try to do the right thing, only to be handed a circumstance beyond thier control. Should this person suffer because he or she loses a spouse, or a job, or becomes ill? What about children? Should they suffer because they are born into a bad situation? Maybe if some of the people who are so worried that their taxes are going to go up spent a little less on trying to keep up with the Joneses and a little more trying to help their fellow man, Government wouldn't HAVE to step in. I get so fired up when I see on the news that people are sending millions of dollars over seas to help others when tragedy stikes, but they never think to pick up an extra bag of groceries to help a neighbor who is down on his luck at home.

For the record, I am not a supporter of Big Government, and I belive very strongly in the Constitution. I belive that this is the greatest country in the world because of the belief that hard work equals a good life. I am in no way a supporter of everyone being equal just because, and everyone deserving the same things. But, I am also a firm believer that sometimes, we need to all take a step back and look at how we act, before we start throwing stones at people because they don't have what we have or believe what we believe. Different views and right to express these views are part of what makes this country so great.

So yes, the Republican in me says this is a bad idea. And so does the comfortable, middle class, keep your government out of my business, life that I enjoy. Would I hate it more if I was a business owner, who is being forced to do someting by my government? Yes. But would I be thrilled about it if I was a hard working single mom who made too much to be on Medicaid, but couldn't afford insurance for my kids? Yes. My point is that it affects everyone in a different way. It's not the worst thing that has every happened, and it certainly isn't the cureall. As my mom would say-it is what it is, and now we have to figure out how to handle it.

And that is my very liberal republican view on this topic that I don't know nearly enough about...
Please feel free to bash my thoughts or clue me in to what I've missed, because honestly, I don't know much about it, but I want to!

Your momma dresses you funny

We had a minor crisis on our hands this week. I decided it was time to pull out the spring/summer clothes and see what we needed for the season. Naturally nothing that Emi had fit, so I knew we were in for some major money for her. But I thought for sure Kyns would be good-I saved everything I had for Emi, all I had to do was find the box of summer 3's...no luck, its gone, someone somewhere, probably in our old house, has a box full of Gymboree summer clothes and shoes in size 3-CRAP!

Emi is a fashonista-she is so very particular about what she'll wear and where she will get her clothes from. I knew we would be shopping for her in shifts-a little this week, a little next, etc. The child pretty much only wants clothes from Justice, so we buy when we get a coupon-any mom of a girl knows this-Justice is the place to shop, but Justice is not cheap. I'm ok with this, I was a label girl back in the day, and I want her to be able to wear what she likes.

Kynlea is not quite 3-and doesn't like to wear clothes period. Kynlea wants to wear nightgowns or "no pants". the child hates pants-and by pants I mean anything that covers her butt-she pretty much hates anything below the belly button, pants, shoes, socks-she can't be bothered.
Since she hates everything, I went for cheap for her-Carters. Cheap, easy to clean, easy to put on (and in her case pull off), and fun. Simple-run in, grab the stuff, get out!

This morning, I put one of the new outfits on her and said "oh Kyns-you're so cute!" Kyns reply: "I not cute, this is UGLY!!!" and promply pulled the skirt off....

Not even three and already more of a Diva than her sister!

Hi, my name is Wendy, and I'm a cerealaholic...

It's been 12 hours since my last purchase. I can't help my self. Jerry Seinfield is my hero-I aspire to have a cereal shelf as stocked as his. I don't know why, I just love to buy cereal.

My addiction makes no sense, I get this. There are four of us that live here everyday, and one who is here on the weekends. I've probably seen Tyler eat cereal 4 times in his life, Shon and Emi rarely eat breakfast at home, Kynlea may or may not eat on any given day, and I can't even think about putting anything in my body other than coffee until about 10 am. There is absolutely NO need for us to have 8 boxes of cereal in the pantry-NONE!

I know this, I understand this, but I can't stop...Last night's "incident" started off completely innocent. After dinner, I wanted to run by Target to pick up milk, creamer, juicy juice, pitas, bananas, and zyrtec-THAT'S IT! I didn't even need to go near the cereal aisle. And then I saw it...

A HUGE endcap (with a neon sign, being held by Kenny Chesney, that read LOOK WENDY in pink sparkly lettering-even though no one else saw it-ok, maybe that part was a dream) with 3 different kinds of cereal on it, and a sign that read "buy any three General Mills cereal, and get a 4th box free". What are these people trying to do to me??? Do they not know what brand of cereal GM makes-CHEERIOS!!!! I'll just take a quick peek, just to see if it's really worth it, I mean the girls are almost out of chocolate cheerios, and there may be another kind they might like, besides, all GM cereals have Boxtops which will help Emi's school, and wait, what's this? A NEW kind of Cheerios??? Do they have a person up at GM that just sits around and thinks of new kinds of Cheerios? Can I have that job? Seriously, next time you are in the cereal aisle, ask me to move aside and check out just how many kinds of Cheerios they have! Oat Cluster Cheerios! Well, we have to try these! Which naturally means we have to get three more boxes, so I can get the new kind for free-that way I won't feel guilty if I hate them (which I won't because they are Cheerios) because they were free!

My bottom shelf in my pantry is now proudly displaying 12 boxes of cereal, 8 of them being Cheerios...but they are whole grain, so really I'm just being a good mom and feeding my family healthy things...I'm seriously gonna jump on GM website now and see if they have an opening for Cheerios testers...

She's already a butterfly

Sometimes (ok almost all of the time) I worry like crazy about my kids. I worry about everything...literally everything! But sometimes I see something in my kiddos and I think that maybe, just maybe they will turn out ok inspite of me!

Emi's school hosted open house and the first grade program last night. For weeks Emi's been worried because she had a speaking part in the program. Yesterday she came home in hysterics because one of her friends was out sick and Emi was going to do her part also. She was so funny, practicing her lines over and over and reminding herself which mic to go to at which time.

FF to 6 pm-we arrive at the school and Emi leads us into her classroom-after stopping about 6 times to hug friends. She confidently walks in the room, introduces my parents to her teacher, shows them around, greets everyone else that walks in, then tells us it's time to see the rest of her classes. Again, she leads us around the school, stopping every ten feet to hug and talk to a friend. Every teacher we see talks about what a great kid she is, how helpful she is, and how friendly she is. When the program starts, my little butterfly gets on stage and nails her lines-both of them. She doesn't miss a beat!

I gotta tell ya, I have no idea where her confidence comes from, but I am so thankful that she is how she is. That girl does not know a stranger, and she is not going to change for anyone. I love that she is so sure in who she is that people just naturally want to be around her. And I love that she has a heart for people, that she will be friends with the "underdog" without hesitation, that she loves people for who they are inside, not what they are outside, or what the have to offer her. She doesn't care if they are older, younger, rich, or poor-she just loves people and loves to be with people.

Yes, I worry like crazy about my kids, but there is some comfort knowing that somehow, in someway, Emi is growing into a loving, confident young woman, who is beginning to find her place in the world. I pray that this confidence continues as she gets older, and that she can avoid some of the traumas that teenaged girls usually have to deal with.

You Hippy

My Kynlea is the leader of her own little world-has been since the day she was born. She came out fighting "the man" and two and a half years later, she still dances to her own tune. She looks like the perfect combonation of her older brother and sister, but that's where it ends-she is the exact opposite of the older two.

Anyone who knows her, knows immediately that she is NOT a people pleaser, in fact she's not even a people person-she doesn't have time, nor does she care to know you. She doesn't sleep, she requires perfect order in both her toys and her life in general, and she doesn't tolerate affection-she will only give you a kiss if you beg her NOT to. She also doesn't eat-the child literally lives off a steady diet of chocolate milk, bananas, tomatoes, and the occasional mix of refried beans and mexican rice with salsa, or a chocolate poptart.

And STUBBORN-the child has a will that won't quit. She has known how to potty in the potty for 6 months-some days she does it, some days she doesn't... and its on her terms only! I've tried "treats", sticker charts, begging, and even the occasional threat. I even tried to bribe her to poop the other day by promising her a zhu zhu pet-didn't work. But she will "conga" to the potty if I help her form the line and sing "gonna get your poop out-gonna get your poop out!" And I do-Shon thinks I'm nuts, but I say, every girl needs to know how to poop in the potty and to conga, so I see it as teaching her a double lesson...

This morning, she asked me to play a game with her. Now, most 2 year olds are content playing candy land, or chutes and ladders-but not Kynlea. Kynlea likes bingo...and craps...and farkle. Today's game was a crazy combo that she invented. The props included 5 dice, 8 yatzee chips, a checker, a tea cup, a plastic OTB cup, and a longhorn shaped laser light. And there were rules-there are always rules. The object of the game was to put the dice and chips into the tea cup, blow on them for luck, dump them out, yell WAHOO, take the longhorn out of the OTB cup, shine it on your roll and yell YOUR TURN! We played this game for almost an hour-and had to follow each step exact or it was a DO OVER! I don't have a clue how she came up with this game, but I know her well enough to just "go with it"

Ya know, Shon and I have taken the other two kids to Disney for their fourth bday, but between the Conga and the Gaming addiction, I'm wondering if we should just take Kyns to Vegas...

Do they make an app for that?

After months of resisting, the Cavett's are now a 3 Iphone family.

Shon was seriously like the third person to own one-he bought his the day it came out-he does stuff like that-always needs the latest and greatest gadget. Tyler is the same way ( it's in the Cavett genes, I see it in the princesses too). I, however, am the exact opposite-I like the tried and true, and the cheap-I am cheap. (except when it comes to handbags, but that's a totally different blog altogether) I seriously rocked my Razor phone for YEARS-because it was pink, and because I knew how to use it. I was finally convinced to trade it for a Blackberry only when Blackberry came out with a full keyboard (because I don't have time to search for letters) and when they made them red-color is one of the things I look for in a phone-ok, it's the main thing I look for in a phone.

And so began my love affair with my Blackberry ('S-I had three of them-I'm hard on phones). All my BFF's had them, we chatted-too often, I could put a pink skin on it, I could check my facebook-sometimes, it was cute, I could change my ringtone to Kynlea yelling RAH RAH TCU, or a Kenny song, and most importantly, I could figure it out. I have no patience for gadgets-I mean none-I don't read directions, and I don't like things that don't make what I like to call "blonde sense" (has to be REALY easy). Shon hated my blackberry. He told me for years to update it, I wouldn't-I was NEVER getting an Iphone.

Then one day-last week I caved. Shon was upgrading his and introducing Tyler to his Iphone. But there were stipulations-there always are with women-I was only getting one if I could get a refurbished one (again-cheap) and he would do all the work. It arrived yesterday and I opened it, charged it-I'm smart enough to do that and only that-and then I swear to you, the stupid thing was eyeballing me, teasing me, telling me that it would kill me in my sleep...so I put it back in the box. When Shon came home, he was so excited-we promptly took a roadtrip to our local AT&T store for my tutorial.

I walked in, handed the "devil" to the saleslady, and said "turn this on, put my contacts and pictures on it, and make it pink". I then walked over to the bench and sat down to watch the Food Network while she and Shon "fixed me up".

Fast forward 12 hours: I have a pink AND purple Iphone with smileys on it , Kenny's no shoes radio, some app that will make me the next Monet, and a ton of other stuff I can't believe I ever lived without.

I'm so progressive...

I did it! Or more specifiacally, I am in the process of doing it-starting a blog-a blog about my family, my crazy life, my friends, my random thoughts, etc. etc. I will most certainly be blogging about the love of my life-the Captain as I lovingly refer to him, my mini-princesses-Emi and Kyns, our crazy cat, my parents whom I adore, but don't fully understand, my amazing friends, and most often, just about anything that comes to mind. I will no doubt blog about what it's like to be a housewife, run my own business, raise princesses, be married to my hero, and everything else you can imagine-some sweet, and probably some pretty ugly.

Bear with me as I try to figure this thing out, and try not to take anything too seriously. I really do think I have a rare condition that is a cross between OCD and ADD, so read at your own risk. I will always try to be respectful, but I can not promise I won't accidentaly offend ;)

To know me is to love and sometimes wanna kick my butt at the same time-but I will most certainly tell it how I see it!

Happy reading