Royal Perfection

I don't think I could do a blog post today and not talk about The Royal Wedding. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and technically the plan was to go to work. But, I just couldn't resist turning on the tv to see what was going on. I had it set to record because I didn't want to miss it by accident or get up that early. If there hadn't been so much hype in the media I don't think I would have been super excited about it. But the whole world was watching and I didn't want to be left out. It's funny how the media can get us worked up about things, whether it be good or bad. It felt kind of special to be bonded with the world as we watched the most adorable couple be bonded in holy matrimony. I found myself wishing I was Kate. So beautiful, incredibly poised, she just seems too perfect. What an enchanted life lies ahead for her. But really I don't think I would want that life, too much pressure. I wouldn't mind having an English accent though. Anyway, who didn't love her dress? I loved everything about it. I also liked how Kate's sister Pippa carried the train. For some reason I though Pippa might try to steal some of her spot light, I don't know why. About an hour and a half after turning on the tv I made it to work. I came right home and resumed where I left off. I watched their first kiss after being married, and their second. It was sweet and they are a sweet couple. But man I was just dying for them to make out or something, they could have a least had a little more open mouth. I understand why they weren't all over each other and lovey dovey, they need to be proper and whatever. Well, that being said I am happy for Great Britain they seem really united by this, even though royalty in England doesn't have any real political power. It's so exiting having public figures you can look up to. I wish I could just see what it would be like to live in Kate's shoes for one day. I also wish that hats and head pieces where as popular here as they are there, I think they are really fabulous. And one more thing, before I go...I enjoyed the footage of Princess Diana's wedding that was showed. What a wonderful way to remember her.

Lost



 "Keep a close watch on Scarlet," were Wesley's last words to me before he left for the store. We were at the world's largest Easter Pageant, which seems ironic because it's in lil' ole Mesa where generations of my family (including all us sisters) were born and raised. Inevitably, the pageant turns into the world's largest family reunion. I usually end up meeting a relative for the first time, and my mom looks at me like I'm stupid that I didn't know it was so-and-so's daughter. Anyway, Wes had just left the temple grounds where the pageant was being held to pick up some last minute treats.

It was one of those perfect spring desert nights; no sweater necessary and no sweating required either. We were there with my two older sisters, their families, and our parents. I was sitting there thinking what an enjoyable time everyone seemed to be having, when I glanced back to check on Scarlet and realized she wasn't there.

"Scarlet?" I called with no response, seeing fifteen rows of vacant metal folding chairs staring back at me blankly. I jumped out of my seat, Ivy on my hip. I was not too concerned yet and called to the group of cousins, "Do you guys see Scarlet?"

It took a few moments of heads shaking no for it to sink in, that I really did not know where my child was. The pit in my stomach growing, my heart accelerating, hysteria was coming on. The crowd that once seemed familiar and fun had now turned into a crowd of strangers that seemed to grow with my anxiety- and quickly at that. All I could do was seem to whimper, "Scarlet??" Over and over again. My eyes welling with tears I looked to Eliza and stuttered, "What do I do?" I was very much frozen with fear, and dark thoughts of a predator stealing my little girl.

After a few hellish minutes, where I swear I quit breathing, I turned around to see an angelic sight. My brother-in-law Kris holding my precious girl, completely unaware of the commotion she had just caused me. I suddenly remembered to breathe. He had found her playing a few rows of chairs behind us. We couldn't see her at first glance, because the backs of the chairs were taller. Thank you Kris, for taking a closer look.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder; however, I would have to disagree. My heart seemed to grow weaker, and more quickly than I ever could have imagined. I do not ever want or need to experience that again to understand my love for my children. Little girls of mine, stay close to your mama! And answer when I call your name, dammit!

Love This Guy!

Yesterday my husband ran to the store for me to pick up a missing ingredient for the dinner we had already started cooking. I was so glad he offered to go even though I knew he was tired from a long day at work, because I sure didn't want to go after spending the afternoon at the orthodontist and library. I made him a list and off he went and about an hour later he was back (and yeah, I did call him after a while to check and see if he was almost home yet, what a nag I am!)

As we were unloading the bags I pulled out the cans of green beans (one of the things I needed for the casserole I was making) and asked him if he only got the french style. He said yeah because he wasn't sure which ones I needed since I didn't specify on the list. It's true, I didn't. And I wasn't mad about it, and it didn't really matter, but then he said (and this is what killed me) that one day he hopes he can get home from the store and have gotten everything ALL right. Gotten everything on the list, the right brands, the right kinds, the right ripeness, the right amount, so there isn't one thing that I will complain about. I looked at him and instantly felt bad. It's true, I always find something to complain about. Sheesh! I'm as bad as my kids. I mean, I'm always complaining about how much I wish they would stop complaining and here I am constantly complaining. At least now I know where they get it from. Except why do they always get the bad stuff from me?

Anywho, back to my sweet husband to whom I immediately apologized. I have started to realize A LOT lately how great he is and how much I take him for granted. I think my mom is helping me to realize this. Occasionally, she'll make some little comment about what a great guy he is or she'll tell me that I need to thank him more often for the things that he does. And it's true, he is a great guy and he does do so much for me. Who wouldn't want a guy who cooks dinner and gives you a neck rub all in the same day and sometimes multiple times in one week?!

Early in our marriage when we had been going through all the growing pains and adjustments that marriage throws in your face offers, my husband told me that he would give me whatever I wanted if I would just make him feel important. This has only taken 14+ years to sink in (and it's still working it's way in there) but I do feel like I'm starting to grasp this concept. It's just the application I'm struggling with, perhaps it has something to do with my stubbornness.

It's true though, the happier I am with him, the happier he is with me and the more willing he is to do whatever I need and want him to do for me. It's such a simple, basic concept, so why is it so hard to do sometimes? Kris' grandma told me once a long time ago that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I know it's an old quote, but to be honest I don't know if I'd ever heard it before then and if I did it didn't leave an impression on me until I was married.

I don't know all the answers to a perfectly happy marriage (since I'm a ways off from having that), but I do know that most people don't stick it out long enough to achieve it. I've been thinking about young love lately and how fun and exciting it is, but how it doesn't even compare to the love that grows with time and experience and HARD WORK! I know I'm more in love now than I was 14 years ago. What did I know then? Not much, that's for darn sure! Check back in another 14 years and maybe we'll be even closer to that perfectly happy marriage! (I can dream can't I?)

Our young love state (celebrating our 1st anniversary a long, long time ago)

Decisions, Decisions . . .

Gone are the days when most decisions are made for us.  As a child, our parents guide, direct, limit and even determine our choices.  As an adult, however, it is up to us to make most of our choices.  (Why were we in such a hurry to grow up and have this control?)

So I go through this process of trying to decide.  Some decisions are easy, when I know what I want and it's ready for me.  How often does that happen?  I am indecisive.  I'm sure my parents could tell you how I drove them nuts trying to decide what to order at a restaurant.  Even still, Keith and I play a kind of game when we are out for dinner.  (I kind of like it because we always end up sharing! :)

When we decided to get married, we sealed the indecisive deal.  Marriage was a clear decision, but that was about it.  We are both indecisive.  Fun, huh?  We go through many processes when we are making most major decisions.  We talk about our options, debate, share our opinions, make pros vs cons lists, run numbers, fast and pray and poll any poor willing soul who will or must listen.  (Sorry everyone!)

So the decision we are debating right now is where to live.  It's driving me nuts! (See here.)  My biggest hang up right now is the elementary school.  My kids go to a unique school right now.  It is very student-centered.  They have over 300 students on boundary exceptions.  We love it!  We even get to request teachers and I know and love many teachers at the school.  Do I settle to move into a home that I may have to move out of in a few months to potentially stay in the school zone?  Or do we move and be settled for a while?  I don't know if I can convince Keith that we should get a boundary exception and drive our kids every day, 10 miles round trip.

Oh, decisions, decisions!  What would you do?

Just Dance

Generally I feel like I lead a pretty simple life. A happy, simple one. I am okay with that of course, I think any stay-at-home-mom would have to be, our children make our lives interesting and fun. But nevertheless I always get excited when I have something exciting and out of the ordinary going on. I feel so cool when I come home and I get to tell my husband about whatever it is I did.

This past Saturday I had an opportunity to judge a dance competition, and dance in the competition as well. I didn't really know what to expect but I was looking forward to the whole experience. I felt so high and mighty writing down notes about the dances and giving out scores. Being a judge included getting an awesome goody basket and free lunch. There was also a portion of the competition where we judges taught a group of dancers a little dance. I was basically on top of the world.

I take an adult hip hop class and we did a couple of dances during the competition (I didn't judge myself of course, there were other judges who did that). It was a lot of fun, I gave it my all knowing that someone would be evaluating what I was doing. I grew up dancing ballet and we only performed, you don't compete in ballet. So it was interesting to see another side of the dance world.

Back at dance class on Monday look at what all of us mommy's earned, da da da daaa:
I got a good laugh out of this. I haven't gotten a trophy since junior high! I told Glenda (the lady in charge) that I would put it on my mantle and blog about it. Little Mia loves to play with it, because that black circle part spins! You know you are jealous!

This 'n That

I have been savoring the sweet taste of victory since my last post! It is pretty exciting, I must say. (Oh, the things we moms get excited over!) I was prepared for that battle to be long and hard fought. But luckily, it only took a few days! Now he's done it 5 or six times, enjoyed his candy bar AND his ice cream cone (Cotton Candy Thrifty cone, to be exact!) and I am one happy, stubborn momma!

I must be going crazy because I find myself longing for summer vacation to be here already! I'm so tired of the school routine. Papers, homework, forgotten instruments, carnivals, reports, field trips, money for book orders, money for field trips, money for carnivals, money for tye-dyed t-shirts, I'm over it! This is bad because I'm sure that two weeks into summer I'll be pulling my hair out and wishing school was back in session!

Is anyone else as upset as I am that Corey and Leah from Teen Mom 2 are splitting up? I'm pathetic, I know, but that show is addicting and they were my favorite ones. I had high hopes for them, I wish they'd work it out and stay together for their family. And on that note- does anyone else still wish that John and Kate would get back together? Do it for the kids!!! Ok, I'm done now.
I always forget how good Fruit Stripe gum is and then the flavor runs out two minutes later. And it smells good too! You should get some, even if only for the memories of chewing it as a kid.

Mini Movie Review

We had some half-price movie tickets that we needed to use so we snuck out on Saturday night and saw Hanna. I'm not such a huge fan of movie reviews. I've decided I don't need an expert movie watcher to tell me all the intricacies and details of a film and whether or not it lives up to his/her high standards for movie viewing. And sometimes if a movie gets great reviews and is really built up then it can be a huge disappointment when the movie doesn't live up to the hype. I usually enjoy movies because I don't go into them with all these high expectations and I can generally tell from a preview whether or not I'm interested in seeing a film. That being said, I actually wanted to see Hanna and it did not disappoint. It was well done, suspenseful, had enough violence for my husband and I think it only had one f-word (for those of you who care).

Mini Book Review

I just finished reading the book Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald. It's a book I just picked up randomly at the library off of their new releases shelf. Apparently it's a sequel to Veil of Roses, which I haven't read yet, and I hate reading books out of order but hopefully it won't ruin it too much. This book is about an Iranian woman who comes to America looking for a husband because she doesn't want to go back to Iran. I love reading books about other cultures, I find them so interesting. I also love it when a book is set in a locale close to home because I can visualize it so well and this one is set in Tucson. It was an easy, fast, light read which is sometimes nice when I'm not in the mood to read something heavy. The thing I loved the most about this book is that it oozes love for America. It got me thinking about everything I take for granted as far as being blessed to be born in this country goes, and that's a very humbling thing, really. Don't read this book looking for literary greatness, it's mostly just a feel good love story which left me... feeling good!

That's it, I'm done! Peace out homies! And, as my two year old told me last night when I put him to bed, "Good night Mom, have a good day!" Soooo, good night and have a good day!

How do we do it?

About 20 years ago multi-tasking was the way to get things done.  Books were written on the subject about how to multi-task effectively.  More recently we hear multi-tasking is ineffective and inefficient.  Avoid it.  Don't do it.  Did they talk to any mothers?  I say it is our only way of life!  Keith is always telling me not to multi-task that studies have shown it doesn't work. What?  Do you want a home-cooked meal?  Clean clothes? Your children fed and bathed?  Let alone be able to walk in the house!

For example:  I can hardly talk on the phone without folding the laundry.  Laundry!  I love my washer and dryer!  They keep working when I walk away, if I could only get the clothes out of the dryer before they sit and wrinkle!  Cleaning the house is always vacuum a floor here, pick-up a room there, wash that mirror so I can see myself!  Not to mention all while looking out for, interacting with, feeding and taking care of the kids.

And then there's dinner.  I can hardly make dinner without helping with homework, feeding the baby and getting the family ready for the evening's activities.  I can't wait for water to boil!  And I can't help but see everything that needs to be done.  It's a huge first-born tendency, I know.  I am distracted throughout the day by things that want my attention or demand it, like a potty-training 2 year old or a 4 month old to hold.

What do we do?  Multi-task!  I don't know any other way.

Sometimes I feel like The Help

I recently finished reading, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I know I am behind, I am always the last to know about the best books to read. Pretty much everyone I know has read it, or maybe it's just a couple of my sisters and my MIL. But if you haven't you should. It got me thinking about people who do "dirtier" work. The kinds of jobs that are on that show, "Dirty Jobs" or anything that we might consider to not be a great job like a cleaning, maintenance, or physical labor.

I grew up having to go clean offices with my family. We all hated it, but I think most of us would agree we learned a lot, especially the importance of good old fashioned hard work. We all swore we would never take on cleaning jobs like Mom did. But my brother Neils, my sister's Eliza and Tara have all done cleaning jobs before. I guess I was the next in line...

When my sister Eliza moved away from me, I took on her job. It's a tempting situation for a mother who wants to be home with her child. I am gone in the morning for at most two hours and I am home before my little girl gets up. For the hours, the money is actually really good. Most people that I see at work are nice and say hello and we have small chit chat. However, there are a handful of people I have never spoken to much less made eye contact with. I have to wonder what they might think of me. Do they think that I am a lowly person for doing a job with a coolness scale of zero. Do they think of me like the black maids in, The Help? Or do they think I am scum? No. Probably Not. Maybe they are just shy like me. I might never know. Right now I think that in this economy any job is a good job. And I am grateful. I might be bias but I personally think that manual labor is for the elitist of them all ;). I believe that, when I think of my Mother. Anyway it's just something to think about.

My Babies Stole My Brain

Really this is my life? Don't get me wrong I am more than happy to be a mother, I love my girls and husband more than anything. However, I didn't really know I'd be sacrificing my intelligence and common sense when I decided to have kids. In her last post, Aliece talked about how she had a different brain before kids. Well I sure know I did! Here's why, in the past couple of weeks I have:

Jumped in the car, ready to go without shoes on.

Put the frozen rolls back in the fridge not the freezer. Oh, and by the way, they completely defrosted and so I cooked the rest of them even though we were done with dinner, figured it was better than just throwing them away.

All too often I yell, "Aliece, Eliza, Vaugh-, No, Tara, No....Scarlet come here!" (Hey, it's what I grew up hearing.)

Got to the register to pay at Target, and couldn't find my purse. I instantly thought someone had stolen it and started freaking out. (The store clerk thought I was crazy. Oh wait, I am.) I ran out to the car to double check, and there my purse was sitting, in the car unlocked. Thank you dear angel.

My poor baby, I couldn't figure out why she was so fussy and realized she was hungry. It had been a few hours...

Walked around the house for probably about twenty minutes while holding my phone to my ear with shoulder, but not talking to anyone.

Showed up for church at 10:30 am, thinking we were half an hour late. Turns out church doesn't start until 11, so for the first time this year, we were on time!!!

We were at the Zoo and there were elephants from India. I couldn't for the life of me remember if India was a country or a continent. Then I tried to name all the seven continents. It took awhile. And I may or may not have had to look it up. :)

This is just a small list (of the things I can remember). At least I know these girls make it worth it!

Do you have any my-baby-stole-my-brain-moments that you'd like to share?
Really, it would make me feel so much better!

Stubborn

Just before we got engaged my husband spoke to my father to get his blessing or permission or whatever it is you do when you speak to your future father-in-law to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. My dad said to him, "Are you sure you want to marry her? She can be pretty stubborn." My husband in his young, naive, so-in-love-and-couldn't-wait-to-be-married mode replied, "yeah, I know she is."

Uh, gee thanks Dad...

And over the years I've had to listen to my husband say, "Man, your dad was right. You ARE stubborn, I had no idea!"

This really grates on my stubborn mind. For the record, I like to think of it as being strong-willed, independent and assertive.

And now, when we have a child who rears the ugly head of stubbornness you can just guess who gets the blame. But that's ok, I can handle it. I'm STUBBORN, remember? I take it as a compliment. In fact, I like having stubborn kids. You want to know why? They ARE more independent. Hence they dress themselves sooner, are less clingy at an earlier age, and can tend to their own needs like pouring a bowl of cereal themselves, etc.

But, here's the problem: I have a potty training two-year old right now and we are butting heads over the issue. Not the peeing part, that for the most part is good. It's the other part we're talking about here and it's definitely a problem. He, quite possibly, could be the most stubborn of them all. The bribery isn't even working at this point. A full-size candy bar and a trip to get an ice cream cone are on the table thus far. The way to this kid's heart is through his stomach and he does really want these things, it's just that he doesn't want them enough to do the deed.

And so we are in a battle.

A battle of wills. His against mine. He thinks he's won at this point because I have backed off a little bit. But, I'm just biding my time and eventually I will win because I always do. And let's face it, I have had quite a few more years than him to perfect my stubbornness.

In a past life I. . .

As we prepare for our moving adventure (trying to be positive and not freak out, which by the way is our family anthem!) I am striving to purge (gotta love that word sometimes) the stuff we collect and gather and move without really using. I purged about 20 inches of paperwork I kept from college. It's less than two inches now. I must say I am proud of my accomplishment.

Even more, I am pleased I finished college with a 4-year degree. But let me tell you, it was with a different brain. I flipped through binders from at least 3 semesters of calculus, trigonometry, statistics, and math education theory. It is a different language. (Literally, calculus proofs with nothing but Greek letters.)  Ah, I remember enjoying some of my mathematical concepts courses a little too much.

(I am just amazed at my perfect score on this calc 2 exam, even if you can't read it!)

It truly seems like a different me. I have several different me's. After college, I was math teacher me. Teaching junior high mathematics requires a different brain! (Oh yeah.)

Before college I was dancer me. I danced for a modern dance company in Phoenix for a couple of years. I grew up with Ballet Etudes in Mesa and danced with them for many wonderful years.

And of course, high school me, junior high me and elementary school me. I'm sure most of us can relate to different stages of childhood. And childhood events that define us.

And now I am mom me. (Ha ha! I had to do it!) I have been a mother for over 10 years now. I still have moments where it's hard to fathom. I think,"I'm the mom." (Especially those moments of "mom-brain".) I guess I still don't feel ready to raise a child sometimes. I am such a work in progress myself. (I hope that doesn't sound horrible.)

Speaking of work . . . I need to get back to my purging and packing. Hopefully, I'm saving things that will have meaning to me when I see them again (when I eventually unpack, or we move again!)

And I hope my analogy isn't offensive to anyone. (I could go on how my kids are my professors now, but that would be bad.)

What's that smell? Oh, it's me cooking dinner

My first year of marriage I probably cooked my husband three meals. That's what happens when you are both working full time. Poor guy. Now that I'm at home and not working, I get a text every single day from him that says, "What's for dinner?" I usually say: something with chicken, or something with beef. Sometimes I say, is grilled cheese okay? Occasionally, I stick it to him and say, whatever you wanna make. But really, I figure being a Mom who stays at home it's part of my duty and role to make din din for the familia. Though it stresses me out sometimes, I enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes. I feel really accomplished when we eat a fabulous dinner that tastes amazing. I need to work on tasty, healthy recipes though. If I really want to feel like a good cook, I get the recipe from here: The thing I like about this book is that they try out lots of different ways and variations to cook a certain meal. That's how they find the best way. They explain in the book how they come to the best conclusion. Then they give you the recipe and walk you through it step by step with good details. It's more work and time but if you want to learn some really sweet skills in the kitchen you should get the book. It has never let us down. In my honest opinion it is the Bible of all cook books. The other day we were putting some good use to Griselda, our butchered cow. Remember when I introduced you? We had some cube steaks that we needed a recipe for so we found a good one in the book. It was for chicken fried steaks with gravy. Let me tell you the hubby always likes it when I cook, but this night he LOVED it. He is not acting in the pictures at all. Truly. I love it when I make him proud.

The Sideburn Saga Continued

Remember the post about Wesley's sideburns here? I was totally trying so hard to not be annoyed by him/them. It wouldn't have been so bad if every time I looked over at Wes he didn't have some ridiculous comment about how much I loved his sideburns. Or how he was keeping them forever. Or how many compliments he was getting on them. Or how he knows I secretly like them, and so on. And on. And on. He even put his brother up to texting me about how much he loves Wes' sideburns and how awesome they are. Nice try Wes and Randy. If you know Wesley, then you know he can take a small joke that probably started out funny, and turn it into the most annyoing thing you have ever heard in your life! So, basically what I am saying is we totally act twelve about the situation.

After some serious threats about cutting my hair, posting about it on Facebook, and even pinning my hair up in a faux bob, I knew I needed to be even a little more proactive. Saturday night I grabbed the scissors to show Wes I meant business. I pulled my hair all back, and was holding it against my neck and yelled at him to just cut or I would. I was hoping he would say something along the lines of alright, alright, I'll shave. However, that sentence never was uttered. He dramatically grabs the scissors and chops my hair off. My heart dropped. After I heard the scissors snip and my hair fall. In a shaky voice asked, "Did you seriously just do that?" OOOMMMGG! He starts panicking and yelling at me, "You can't play me like that Tara! You just can't!" We were both totally freaking out. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He finished the hair cut and the total inches lost were about five. It's been probably since high school since I have had my hair this short. The cut isn't that bad, but thank goodness I have just a few hairdressers friends, and we happen to be heading back to Mesa in less than a week and I can get it fixed then. Oy vey. I am still in shock. I cannot believe how the events played out. And don't tell me it's just hair. Hair is everything.

Here's a pic I know you are all dying to see:

And if you are wondering; yes, he still has those damn sideburns!!!

(They actually don't look bad in that pic, trust me they were much worse in person.)

Favorite Childhood Books

When I was a child I loved to read. Nothing could compare to being swept up in a story so vividly drawn upon the pages of a good book. I have memories of creeping out of bed and into the hall to read by it's light, desperate to finish a book, staying up way past bedtime. I sobbed one night at the ending of Where the Red Fern Grows. My heart pounded throughout the suspense of The View from the Cherry Tree. I can hardly remember any of the books I read as a teenager, but the ones from my childhood have remained with me and it is these stories that I love to share with my kids. So, one of my favorite things to do is read these books to them at bedtime. I love to pick books I remember from those days and that I have loved all these years. This also happens to be one of my children's favorite things to do with me.

Some of our favorites are:

Amy's Eyes

by Richard Kennedy

I never forgot reading this book and so when my kids were old enough that I knew they would appreciate it I started searching for it. It could not be found at any library and when I discovered it was out of print, I was so sad. But, luckily I found it on Amazon and bought a used copy. I must say I was bursting with pride because my kids loved it as much as I did and we all cried together at the end.

The BFG

by Roald Dahl The kids and I have never laughed so hard in our lives! Honestly! Great fun!

Also great books by Roald Dahl: James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; really, we love anything this man wrote.

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett She writes such wonderful stories, full of vivid characters and rich scenery that you are able to jump right into. My kids loved this one and Little Lord Fauntleroy both equally as much. Her characters always learn great lessons and leave you wanting to be a better person.

Next up from this author: A Little Princess

Also highly recommended by my kids: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Socks by Beverly Cleary (we are cat lovers around here), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Another fun thing we like to do is watch the movies that correlate with the books, if they have one. We watched both the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movies and did a comparison/contrast to the book. For the record: the new movie more closely follows the book, but we like the Willy Wonka character more from the older film. We've also watched James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Secret Garden, and A Wrinkle in Time.

What books did you love as a child? I'm always on the lookout for more ideas!

I thought I would give you a laugh

Sometimes I am just really, really dumb. Occasionally I get these feelings of self confidence but then they end up a mess and I feel like the stupidest person alive. Let me explain. Up until recently I was really against cutting Mia's (my daughter's) hair. I was just loving how long it was getting. Often times it was in her face and it drove me and my husband crazy. Dan had been wanting to get it cut for a while. He wanted to take her somewhere to get it cut but no way was I going to let a stranger mess with it. One day he was complaining about it (as he frequently did) and something came over me. I said, "Fine I will cut it when we get home." I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Are you ready to see what I did? Okay here it is:





The first thing my sister Tara said was, "Well you could always tell people she did it herself." Because that is exactly what it looked like. The picture doesn't even do it justice. What was I thinking?

Well two days later I decided to work on it some more. It was difficult with how wiggly she is. Luckily the hair cutting gods were shinning down on me and it turned out okay. The goal was to make them look like side bangs:

Not bad right? Today my friend Abbie said, "Michelle, I know you were really embarrassed about Mia's bangs but they really frame her face nicely." That made me feel good. She saw Mia the day after the disaster when her hair was clipped to the side. So, the moral to this story is...stupidity can be turned into success, just give it a couple of days.

Just Another Day at the Museum

There is nothing us Wright fam loves more than a competition. We are all competitive, whether we want to admit it or not. Even when we are hanging out at home we can't help but get into a debate; and it's always a competition over who's right vs. who's wrong. It can get pretty heated. Fist pound the table and tears are inevitably shed. But that's how we are. Intense. Opinionated. This is where I feel sorry for the in laws who marry into the family (minus Keith and Kris because they are just as opinionated as any of us). The last time we sisters were all together in February we had a little competition in the standing long jump. . .

From oldest to youngest:

Aliece (didn't let nursing w/ a 2 mo old stop her)

Eliza (didn't let being prego stop her)

Me (Tara)

Mich

Brit

I'm pretty sure Mich won the contest.

Way to go!

But, I might have had an honorable mention with my signature pose:

Of course, I am vying for extra attention, I blame it on my middle child syndrome.

We missed you Kindra and Emilie.

Rain check?

What's in a Name?

What's in a name? A whole heckovalot if you ask me. It's why I stress to no end in picking out the names of my children. Your name influences people's opinions of you, there is no getting around it. I once knew a girl who said studies have been shown that people with more common names are more popular and have more confidence than those who don't have common names. I can see how this might be. Although, I'm not sure if that holds much water in this day and age.

We live in a time where unique names and derivations of names are all the rage but then that has a seemingly reverse effect causing them skyrocket to the top of baby name lists. Take Nevaeh for example, it's heaven spelled backwards and I've never really been able to figure out why this name has become so popular. To me it's awkward and a little strange but apparently people love it because it has gained rapidly on the "lists".

And then there's someone like me. I'm named after great-great grandmas on both sides. Growing up I never knew another person with my name. And I LOVED it. I felt unique and individual, special, really. I was never popular though, so I guess that lends a little credence to my friend's theory. It wasn't until I was 14 that I met another Eliza and it kind of bugged me. Nowadays, I'll be at the park or a restaurant and hear my name, turn to look and realize it's a mom calling her young daughter. I haven't quite squared away my feelings over my name gaining a little popularity, but it doesn't bug me as much as it did when I was a teenager. I guess I feel a little like a pioneer, like I was one of the first one's with the name so I'm still special.

Now I am struggling with the task of finding a name for our new baby. For some reason girl names are really difficult for me, I agonize and search and ponder and ask people for their opinions. Sheesh, we had a boy name all picked out already and I'm even kind of a little sad that we aren't going to get to use it (well, I'll never say never but...). Maybe it's because I didn't dare let myself hope for a girl. I don't know though, because I suffered through this same agony with my first daughter. We didn't even have a name picked out after she was born and felt all the pressure at the hospital to get it done.

Then there's your last name. It's no secret how much we Wright girls loved our last name growing up. It's catchy, positive, it inspired a degree of confidence and pride in us, it came in handy for student council campaigns. We are proud of our strong family heritage and wanted to carry that on. And then we all went and got married and had to give it up. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love having the last name of a Sesame Street character now, but it just isn't quite as cool as having Wright for a last name.

And then our brothers had to go and get married and their wives got to take on our beloved last name. Now, that was kind of a weird feeling and talk about being a little bit jealous over that. But what do I know, maybe my sisters-in-law weren't too thrilled about giving up their maiden names? Don't worry girls- I have no hard feelings over you having Wright as a last name! :) And anyway, it doesn't really matter what last names we have now because we'll always be "Wright Girls" no matter what.

Ahhh, such is life! I guess I'll go back to playing the Name Game and hopefully in the end my daughter will wind up with a name she loves as much as I loved mine. (Both first and last!)

What do you think? How do you feel about YOUR name(s)?

All of us Wright Girls from left: Kindra, Aliece, Eliza, Kristi (she's not a Wright girl- that's Michelle's sis-in-law, and the only girl in her family) Michelle (the bride), Britny, Tara, and Emilie (and cut us some slack- half of us were prego at the time- Kindra, Aliece and Eliza; and Tara and Emilie had just given birth less than a month before!)

This was the only picture I could find that had everybody, it just happened to have one extra. :)

Feeling Like a Hoarder

We have been living like we will be moving any day now, since about September. That's what happens when your landlord's let the house go to foreclosure! (A topic for another day, or not!) The boxes feel like they are closing in on me some days. Boxes I have packed and boxes waiting to be packed. I try to ignore it. It can be frustrating. Why don't we just move? Well, right now we are saving money and I don't want to have to deal with driving kids to school or changing schools right now.

I have been slowly packing at this point. And trying to get rid of more stuff. I give away a bag of stuff every couple of weeks. I love that charity donation centers are always sending postcards about their trucks coming to our neighborhood. So the morning of the pick-up I always try to have a box, a bag or two out on the curb. You'd think I wouldn't feel like this because I am always giving stuff away. Is it 5 kids? A husband who can't throw anything away? Or is it me?

I like to blame Wal-Mart! The great retailer making everything more affordable so we have more of it. Or maybe I can blame China?

Most of it feels like clutter. Don't get me started on the mail. I despise mail. I never seem to throw it out fast enough. I pay bills and get more bills. I go paperless, but more paper keeps coming! Papers from the school too!

I am looking forward to moving. I'm craving a fresh start. But in the meantime, if you don't hear from me for a while, I may have packed myself into a box!

My Multiple Personalities

I am really not sure what has been up with my multiple personalities lately. They have really been getting out of hand. I have a couple of idealistic days a week where I am the Michelle I want to be.

I wake up refreshed, go clean the police department in a good mood, go jogging right after, come home and unload the dishwasher, take a shower before noon, run errands, take Mia to the park, maintain a clean house, stay ahead of the laundry, practice piano, make dinner, give Mia a bath and get to bed early while reading a book. I guess I can see why these days don't happen all the time. The thing is, I feel so great when I have awesome days like these, I wish I could be like that all the time.

The other Michelle has a couple of bad days a week. I wake up oh so tired and grumpy, clean the police dept but I feel like crying the whole time, come home and lay on the couch, get Mia and let her watch tv while I fall in and out of sleep, we lay on the couch and watch tv for a good portion of the day and we eat really low maintenance food (lot's of sugar), and I usually have Dan pick up some fast food for dinner.

The other portion of the week I think I am somewhere in the middle. Don't even ask about when I am on my period, I always say to my husband, "Remember you are supposed to cut me some slack when I am pmsing?!" So which one of these is the real me? I am trying to figure that out, I think I am somewhere in the middle. But I really want to be the idealistic one all the time and not just a couple of days a week. What about you? Do you have any alter egos? I sure hope you do, because that would make me feel a whole lot better.

Food Review

I am definite fan of trying new things. When I used to work in the otc pharmacy at Walmart every time a new lip gloss or chap stick would come in I would buy it. So whenever I see something new on a commercial I always want to try it out. Good thing we have DVR or else we might be broke. I am also a fan of tasty healthy snacks. So when I saw these Special K cracker chip things of course they went right on my grocery shopping list. When I picked them up off the shelf I was worried there might not even be anything in the box (it's only 4 oz). I do like them. I wouldn't say I am in love. They kind of remind me of sour cream and onion Pringles except they are a little bit thicker and have more of a crunch, but they are also light at the same time. The best part is that you get to eat 27 chips and it's only 11o calories, that's about 4 calories per chip. The truth of the matter is that I probably won't buy them again until they go on a sale.

Picking A Different Battle (Or Trying)

They say to pick your battles. I'm sure every marriage has those issues you have to choose. It could be the ole' putting the lid back on the toothpaste, taking out the trash, or putting your shoes away. I'm sure anyone could be nitpicked apart, and I'm sure I could be the girl to do it. Call me negative Nancy. I like to think of it as having a detailed eye.

I know I can annoy my husband. But, boy can he ANNOY me. All it takes is a bit (more than a bit) of facial hair. For years I have been in distress over my husband's side burns! They aren't just sideburns, they are chops that would make Elvis' burns look weak. I don't know what it is, they just bug me. Like so bad. I mean, I really throw a fit over this one. We call it a B fit. Just talking about it makes my blood pressure rise. And my heart pound. And my head swirl with angry thoughts.

And let me tell you, it's only HIS sideburns. I like them on other guys. I don't know what it is, maybe it's a control issue. I keep my hair longer-ish for him, so why does he to have the ugly burns? I try to manipulate the situation anyway I can.

He thinks growing facial hair is the defining thing about a man. I've caught him looking at facial hair websites. I've seen him admire other men's in public. The longer he went without burns, the more his fetish grew. We even had a public debate over it on Facebook. And the majority agreed with me.

I've cried to my sisters about it. I've cried to my friends about it. Hell, I even cried to my parents. I even thought about calling Dr.Laura But, deep down I know what she would say. (But, she seems to side with the husband most of the time anyway.
I knew what I had to do. I had to let it go, and accept him. I mean he is the best husband and dad, this is such a trivial issue. So, I've given up. And am letting him be him.

Last night, as we climbed into bed together, I reached over to gently stroke his cheek and ended up petting a patch of hair. "It's like petting a cat," I said. And then he started purring and meowing. And we laughed. Here he is proudly showing off his man chops on our family hike just this morning. And I am telling myself he is completing the family photo, not ruining it with his burns. ;)