Girlymama

 I have to drive Ellie to preschool this morning. In freezing rain.

I’m really nervous! The last time I drove in wintery conditions did not go well and now I’m actually scared to drive.  I was seriously considering keeping her home today, but I remembered I volunteered to bring in the paper goods for the St. Patrick’s Day party.
How can this be me? I’m never like this. I’m a “get back up on that horse” kind-a gal. But my heart is pounding in my chest at the thought of driving this morning.
When did I turn into a wimp? Maybe its my old age.

I am never telling the kids anything in advance ever again.

I told them tonight that Auntie Nicole was coming to visit tomorrow. This is what I have been hearing ever since:

“Is Auntie Colie here? Is she comin’ now? Now? Now? Is she here now? When is she coming? After we wake up? After breakfast? After school? Is she coming soon? Is she driving now? Can she drive faster? When is she going to get here? Is she coming right now? Will she be here when I wake up? Will she be here for lunchtime? Will she be here after school? Where is she right now? Is she driving yet? When will she get here?………..” (repeat, without taking a breath, for the next 18 hours)

And people keep asking us when we’re telling them they are going to Disneyland. Humm… How about… when we walk up to the main enterance? I mean, seriously, could you just imagine the plane ride if they knew they were going to Cinderella’s house? Would you want to sit next to us on that flight? I don’t think so.

“I wear your boobs!”

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Today it is 78 degrees outside, sunny and beautiful. Driving down the road, with the windows down, on a day like this makes me just thankful to be alive.  Beautiful. We have all our windows open and even grilled last night. Man, I can’t wait until summer!!!
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Trying on swimsuits when you haven’t exercised in over a month, your body hasn’t seen the light of day since August and you just started your period is NOT good for the self-esteem. As soon as I finish this post, I will be doing my “body-slimming pilates” video. Oh yes. Maybe twice.
Anywho, I bought this adorable bikini top, to match the bottoms* I already own. I have a top to match already, but since I bought it when I was nursing it no longer fits. Lots of… extra room, shall we say? Ahem. And does this style of bathing suit look good on anyone? Its not even that flattering on the model, so you can only imagine how I looked. I just laughed when I tried that one on.
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A big shout-out to my real-life friend and faithful reader, who called me this morning to tell me she was pregnant! Woo-HOO!! But its always a thrill when you hear that someone is pregnant. Especially when its not you 🙂 But I am so excited for them – they are wonderful parents and some of our favorite people, so they should definatly do their best to procreate and thus make the world a better place.

How can the one hour time change throw me off this much? I am exhausted!  Jeez!

p.s.
Car is not totaled – just needs a butt-load of new parts. Including a new air conditioner. How that got damaged, I have no clue. Remind me of this when I am complaining about my car insurance bill.  I think we’ll brake even at this point even if we never make another claim.

Today we made cut-out cookies with frosting and sprinkles. This is always an extremely messy endeavor, but I was cleaning the kitchen anyway and decided to live dangerously.

I kept telling the girls “Don’t lick the cookies. Don’t lick the knife. Don’t lick your hands. When we’re all done, then you can lick. But if I see you licking a cookie or a knife or your fingers, I’m taking your frosting away.”

So I looked up from frosting my cookie and saw that Grace was licking…. the table.

Technically, she obeyed, as Ellie very helpfully pointed out.

* cuddling together under blankets on the couch for family movie night. 

* a full, uninterrupted night of sleep.

* kisses.

* when the girls sneak into each other’s beds at night because they miss each other during the night.

* knowing that God is in control. even when something bad happens.

* a warm day after a week of snow and negative temperatures! 

I was reading this blog this morning and she brought up something I’ve been thinking alot about, parenting-wise.

How do you prevent yourself from raising brats? Particurally when you think that you secretly are one.
We live in a wealthy area, so this is a big concern of mine. The average house in our neighborhood costs around $500,000. Chubby Checker lives around the corner. Really. (Well, our neighborhood isn’t like that. We live in the local “ghetto”.  Two kids in my daughter’s pre-school class have moms who drive Hummers. Blah blah bling-bling blah….
But because of this, our view of what is “necessary” is totally skewed. I catch myself feeling poor all the time – which we most certainly  are not. But I look at other people around us living in beautiful huge homes, driving luxury cars, shopping all the time… and I feel like we must be poor because we stick to a strict budget. I know that’s not true and I give myself a nice lecture when I catch myself slipping into that thought pattern. But how can I help my children with this same thing? When they see their friends going to Disney every year and taking horseback riding lessons?
I want them to have every advantage, but I don’t want them to be brats. And, let’s be frank, we can’t afford ‘every advantage’ anyway.  I love that they are so happy with so little. We can go to the mall on a friday night to window shop and they’re thrilled to just throw pennies in the fountain. I fully realize that this will not last.
I’m very concerned about our girls having a proper perspective of money and wealth. We have been richly blessed by God and we are to be thankful and not covetous. But I remember being in high school and “needing” to wear expensive name brands to be “cool.” I don’t want them to be laughed at or anything, but at the same time I am not going to buy them $200 jeans. Even if I could afford it. As of now, our plan is to ship them off to their grandparents when they complain about being poor, who live as missionaries in rural India. (“You don’t have cool shoes? Poor baby. Why don’t you so see some kids who don’t have shoes and then come tell me about your problems…”)

Anywho, all this to say, how are you not raising brats?
 

…just up to my eyeballs with insurance nonsense with a phone attached to my right ear. Lets just give me a new car and be done with it. Personally, I think that this would be a fair trade for my banged-up minivan. Don’t you?

Today on the way home from picking Ellie up from school, we were in a car accident. Right on our own street. We’re all okay, but I’m still shaking. I was stuck in the snow and watched another car coming towards us, unable to stop, in what appeared to be slow motion. Then, CRUNCH. The kids were terrified – Ellie was visibly shaking she was so scared – but now have calmed down and are asleep.

I need a drink. I rarely mean it when I say that, but today I do.

Don’t go wandering around Target right after you get your tax refund.

Bad . Things. happen.