Buzz Lightyear, some magic marker and some very sad news

Whew! Sometimes when I finally get my kids in bed at night I feel like a hallelujah chorus is in order. The hubby has band practice on Tuesday nights and somehow they are always the most challenging. Ethan threw his Buzz Lightyear (i.e. his passion for living) at the wall tonight and thus received a spanking and Buzz was shelved until morning. Between his dramatic crying and longing stares at the top shelf, I attempted to scrub a big smiley face off of Hallie's stomach for the second night in a row. Her friend was over yesterday afternoon and they came up with some "creative" ways to use her markers. Yes, she even drew long eyelashes, teeth and her belly button is the nose. Endearing, huh? I can't help but wonder how many baths it's going to take to remove this piece of art. Let's hope it wears off before her next doctor's visit. I am so proud of her, though, for how great she is doing in softball. Her coach told her tonight that she has a "vacuum on her hand" because she catches every ball. Ethan, however, thought that was an insult so he yelled back "My sister is not a vacuum!!" and gave him a dirty look. Thankfully, he didn't hear or see this display. On top of that, Ethan was walking around tilting his head back and saying "Hey, I'm a Pez Suspenster" to the other parents. He wouldn't move until they took some "candy" from his neck. Oh Boy.

On a more serious note, my brother-in-law's mom passed away last night from neuro-endocrine cancer which is rare, but very aggressive. She was only diagnosed 8 months ago and it has really been a roller coaster for the family. Sadly, my brother-in-law lost his younger brother to suicide a few years ago and now this. I feel so badly for him and especially his dad. Jackie was one of the kindest people I have ever met. She always met me with a big hug and called me "hon" and "darlin' ". She was an amazing photographer and she really taught me a lot about freelancing. She had a very difficult life and was enjoying her only grandchild (David Scott) so much. She loved him dearly and it just devastates me that he won't even remember her. She was a strong lady and I do take comfort in the knowledge that she is with her Savior and her son. I have fond memories, especially of last mother's day when we had a dinner party at our house. That was only 2 months before she got sick and we all had such a wonderful time together. I am so glad that I have that.

Please pray for my brother-in-law (Scott) and his dad (Mike). Scott is a precious human being and has supported my sister through some very tough times. He, my sister and my nephew are all Mike has left. No parents, no siblings and some horrible memories of finding his youngest son dead by a shotgun blast. I am praying that the Lord will make it possible for him to move closer to my sister and her family soon. He and Scott will really be needing each other.

A Survey I Stole From Jana

1. FIRST NAME? Jana

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not really, though my mom got the name from her cousin Jana. I also have a younger cousin named Jana whose parents stole my name.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday afternoon after having dealt with 14 toddlers in Sunday school on no sleep and then being ignored all afternoon. Yep, it was basically a self-pity fest. PMS anyone?

4. WHAT IS ON YOUR DESKTOP BACKGROUND? I change it monthly. Right now it is a fave picture of my hubby.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Honey roasted turkey breast

6. KIDS? Yep, I have two of my own and 3 step kids and another step adult who I’ll claim occasionally ;)

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I make a great friend.

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL ? Are you kidding? Yeah..

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Who me?

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Oh yeah.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nope. I like my feet on the ground, thank you.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Bunches of Oats or Raisin Bran

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES ? Not usually. Especially since I usually wear slip ons that come off at the door.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically? Well, yeah, stronger than I look.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Bruster’s Birthday Cake. Yum.

16. What happened to # 16??

17. RED OR PINK? Pink.

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Physically I hate my cleft chin. Otherwise, I hate how shy I can be.

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Hmmm. I guess my best friend Sally who lives 8 hours away.

20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black yoga pants with a white stripe and no shoes!

21. LAST THING YOU ATE? A whole wheat bagel with country crock light and strawberry jelly.

22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My son singing the Buzz Lightyear song while he is on the potty. He tends to take his time in there.

23 IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Dark green

24. FAVORITE SMELL? Spring rainstorm.

25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My next door neighbor and best friend other than Sally, Kathryn.

26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their warmth and intelligence.

27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from Jana’s blog, but of course I like her. She’s hilarious!

28. FAVORITE DRINK? Sweet tea and Porch Punch

Where's # 29??

30. HAIR COLOR? Dark brown

31. EYE COLOR? Very dark brown

32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Not any more! Aha, I had Lasik.

33. FAVORITE FOOD? Turkey and dressing

34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Either, but I prefer dramas.

35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Elizabethtown

36. COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? white

37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Ugh, anything but winter.

38. HUGS OR KISSES? Do I have to choose?.

39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate cake with chocolate licing

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Sweet Caroline, Bringing Up Boys, Cold Mountain.

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My husband’s companny logo.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? “The First 48” on A & E.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Kids laughing, wind, rain, cicadas, ocean

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Neither!

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Northern California.

46. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I write well and I read incredibly fast.

47. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? November 5, 1976 in Gadsden, Alabama.

48.Why did you answer this survey of your self? Because I had to pass the time while my son was indisposed.

After a 6 year old birthday party at "Libby Lu"

Has anyone noticed that there is something going on with girls these days? I mean, I played with dolls and Barbies until I was in middle school. Now days, my daughter's kindergarten class is full of "little" girls who breeze right by the toy aisle to pick out some tight, lowriders with a lacy stretch top complete with some saying like "It's all about me" or "Boys stink" or better yet, "I'm a brat" emblazoned across the chest. Exactly what are we trying to teach our children here? That being an egotistical, spoiled brat is something to advertise? That boys are really inferior and its okay to say mean things about them? Frankly, it scares me. Hallie is one of the 2 or 3 girls in her class who couldn't care less about her clothing and has two pairs of shoes...Sunday shoes and tennis shoes, and neither of them have a 3 inch heel. She wears cute "girly" clothes that I pick out (for the most part), and as long as they are comfortable and include some form of pink, doesn't care. She is more interested in taking care of her baby dolls, riding her scooter or bike or painting another masterpiece for our rapidly decreasing wall space. Maybe it's because I have limited her TV watching to educational shows only, or maybe it's because I am not really into fashion. I don't know, I only know that I want my little girl to stay a little girl until she's not one any more. That's another thing that bothers me. So many of the parents encourage these interests. They actually want their daughters to dress and act like a rock star. They are constantly asking me "How do you get her to dress in such cute little outfits?" I just respond by saying, "because that's all I buy." I just don't get it. Does anyone else out there see this trend or is it just me?

For those of you who don't know, Libby Lu is a store for girls where they do makeovers, sell teeny little outfits, fake hair and various body jewelry. It is mostly for preteen girls, but several 5 year olds are having their birthday parties there.

Here is Hallie after her makeover. Yes, that is blue lip gloss and eye shadow. Thankfully, she refused the fake gem stickers on her face, however we couldn't get around the fake ponytail thing on the back of her head.


Here is the entire group after the "fashion" show. Notice Hallie at the top with a "I'm not really with them" look on their face. I am not including pictures of the fashion show as they include many of the girls performing some very grown up moves in their mid-drift baring outfits. Hallie and her close friends tried to hide behind them.

Okay, I am not trying to throw out a "better than thou" tone here. I don't think these girls are bad, nor are their moms. Many of them are good friends of mine. Maybe I am the one doing something wrong. Who knows? It just seems like they grow up fast enough, why should we rush it? Trust me, I know from experience that rearing teenagers is difficult enough. I am certainly not ready to start it now with my 6 year old.