Who's 40???

Well, hair cut successful! She loves it and I haven’t heard anything about it….yet. She flipped that hair around so much last night, I think we are gonna have a sore neck today! I’ll have to post a picture later. KK mentioned getting her hair cut, but decided to wait for a couple of weeks before she goes to a camp. She is going to be counselor at a day camp for young people with developmental disabilities. I am so proud that she wants to help and is excited to help. And, she’ll have fun too!
Went to bed last night thinking about Mr. C’s 40th birthday. His bday is fast approaching and we have decided to have a party for him, but I haven’t ironed out the details AT ALL! He knows about the party because I cannot surprise him! He pays waaay too much attention to everything going on around him. And, he is hypersensitive to his birthday because he claims he wants to just let it pass on by. Well, not gonna happen around here. When I was growing up, birthdays were a BIG deal. And, they still kind of are. I have 3 brothers and a sister and I still get a call every year from all of them and their spouses and kids. And of course, my parents call and sing “Happy Birthday”-it’s awesome. I guess as you get older, you are supposed to act like your birthday is no big deal, but really, it is. At least you’re having one!!! Ok, I got really off track. Mr. C’s party still rambling through my brain. Didn’t come up with anything last night in my sleep, so will have to research some things today. Will keep ya posted. Until next time-JC

Hairy Decisions

Today was very hard for me to get up out of the bed and head to work. Just sluggish-guess it’s Hump Day! Anyway, not much on my mind today. Thinking about taking Em to get her hair cut. She has long, wavy, beautiful hair, that she NEVER wears down. It is up in a ponytail all the time. Well, she’s been saying all summer that she wants to cut it and she wants some sort of bangs! Seriously? This is a dilemma for me…..do I let her do what she wants and let her deal with the consequences of the short, bangy hair??? (which really means I’LL be dealing with the consequences!). Or, do I try to convince her to hold off and work on styling that long, pretty hair she has? The dictator in me wants to lay down and the law and “Just say no”!! But, the flower child, peace lover in me wants to say “What the heck” and just let her do it! I know that I usually give in, so why am I even having this conversation with myself? Because I’m bipolar, that’s why. Tripolar, quadpolar (you get the idea). Not really, but I do feel that my personality is directly related to my mood on any given today. Em’s lucky, today I’m feeling like the peace loving flower child!!  Off to get the chicky a haircut! Until next time- JC

Inspiration

It’s funny where you may think inspiration comes from. Any kind of inspiration. Inspiration to get up in the morning, to do your daily routine, or write a diary entry. Mine came yesterday. I was washing the dishes after supper, (I know crazy right? Who is inspired by that!!). Anyway, I was going about my chores, doing my dishes, and realized, this is what’s life is about! The mundane things. Dishes, laundry, kids. You think I’m crazy yet? Then, I decided, my life is wonderful. I have a wonderful husband and two great kids who add so much to my quality of life. I want to remember all of these little things one day. All these little stories that seem unimportant now. I will cherish them later. And I will have these entries as my reminders. I thrive on the fact that I am going to come home from work every day to the same man I have been coming home to for 15 years. That my two girls, 13 and 9, are going to be waiting for me to walk in the door with ONE MILLION questions. My little fat dog, Daisy, is going to be waiting at the end of the line to wag her tail and give me her hello! I think if we all took a little more time to stop and enjoy our “everyday” lives, we wouldn’t look so much to make them extra-ordinary. Just saying.
We built a house almost 6 years ago, and oh my goodness, the thought and preparation that went into that! My husband and I went back and forth (not fighting, we really didn’t butt heads during the whole process), about what we wanted, what we could afford. We knew that this would be our “forever” house and wanted it to be as right as it could be. So, I take great pleasure in looking outside my big windows into the backyard to see my children outside having the time of their lives. Or, having the family room and kitchen all one big room, so we can all be together during the busiest parts of the day. And, all of this, while doing the dishes……..and being thankful for just being able to absorb it all, and do the dishes - Till next time…JC

Do I Have to Have Another One?

Well, I am staring a year older in the face....literally. A few hours and I will have another birthday. These times make me very emotional and spend so much time reflecting on my life. It's funny, I told Chad last night that I want time to stand still. I love my life, my husband, my kids. I feel soooo fortunate to be healthy, happy and here. I told him that I feel like every year is the BEST year. And he was very smart to say, "Why CAN'T every year be the best year?" All most of us want is to be happy and when we do have happiness, we don't always take the time to enjoy it. Stop and smell the roses they say. Well, I am going to try to stop and smell the roses. Take in all the sights and smells around me. Actually, sometimes, do nothing but sit and play with my kids and read and watch tv and play on the computer with them. These are the things that make me happy and if something were to happen to me tomorrow, I would not want them to remember that I was always running around doing chores, stressing about the house and the groceries and everything I have to do. I want them to remember that no matter what age I was, I was always willing to stop and smell the roses with them.

First Days of School

Well, we are on our third day of school here in Louisiana and I have to say my children are surprising me! They have gone to bed every night, gotten up every morning on time, (even eaten breakfast which they don't usually do) and done their homework. I thought this would happen the first day, but by the third day, I thought for sure there would be many tears.....still waiting. I have seen such a transformation this summer of them. They have started helping with chores, picking up their things, just outright being agreeable. Was it a change in my attitude? A change in theirs? Maybe both. I do realize that they are getting older and for now I will sit back and enjoy the good and happy! :)

There is a Floor!

Well, guess what? My children's closets DO have a floor! This weekend, I got a wild hair and took EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) out of their closets. I decided to go through all of it and make them help me and explain to them that we only have so much space. If there are more "things" than space, there is a problem. Well, guess what peeps, there is a problem......maybe I should say WAS. We cleaned those closets out like maniacs. And it's funny how my kids are loving how clean they are. I guess deep down inside they want order, but don't want to have to organize. Now, if we can only keep it that way!

Sounds in the Night

We had a long, busy weekend. Full of responsibilities AND fun. But, eventually, we must come back to reality! Last night, Chad went to bed early since he had to be at work VERY early this morning; and, I took over bedtime duty. You would think, how much bedtime duty is there actually with an 11 year old and a 7 year old.....well, it depends. Some nights they are SO tired that they fall into bed and you never hear another peep out of them. Considering that I woke them up at 9:40 yesterday morning, they were not too tired last night. So, the three of us laid in the bed and talked. Talked about school coming up, talked about trying out a new babysitter that they wanted, talked about how their summer had been going. Finally, all was quiet and no sounds at all were so wonderful. Just to lay there with my precious children and know they fell asleep very happy! Have a wonderful day!