Preach Not

I've come to a bit of a conclusion recently, I might sound sound a tad bit preachy to people reading my blog here. I want to assure you that is by no means intentional. It was pointed out to me that I need to be the expert on everything, which really isn't true. I live more by the motto "be good at what you know" and any of the tips or opinions I share on ShE's NoT yOuR aVeRaGe MoM are just things that work well for me and I like to share, so I do!
I'm not perfect either, in fact I'm far from it. I lose my temper, I am impatient, I'm not overly organized, my kids bug me some days too. I do however love my kids so much, that I wish for them to live up to their fullest potential and grow up happy and stable and reach their goals for life.
My apologies for sounding preachy, I really am not. I'm just a divorced Mom of three with a house full of preteens, who drives a mini-van, has let's call it a "unique fashion sense", and a deep love and respect for the little ones who were given to me to raise to become responsible adults. All of this accomplished in "not so average" fashion! ;0)

Trudging through the endless project pile...

I got started on the Halloween sewing...

and made and awesome remnant skirt...

and took care of a ridiculous-sleeved dress..

with a little snip, snip action...

and modeled them both...

uh, somewhat willingly!

Ah, I fear that my time being blissfully unemployed is coming to an end and even though this won't stop me from blogging, it may slow down my sewing efforts a bit. This is why I've been dedicating some time to getting the project pile under control!

First off I tackled a pair of overalls I purchased at ye old thrift store, that will part of my Man's Halloween costume. Uh, uh, uh...I'm not sharing what it will be a part of, you'll have to wait till Halloween like everyone else!;0) Anyway, the straps were a tad too short, so I reached into the endless remnant pile and pulled out some gingham and cut the fasteners off the too short straps and attached the gingham to lengthen them a bit. I then reattached the fasteners to the new gingham straps and cut out patches of gingham and corduroy and a micro-stripe in great Fall colors. I stitched them all over the front of the overalls with a little yarn and voila! Instant part of my Man's Halloween costume!;0)

Next I picked up a remnant of zebra stripe this week and decided...hmmm...I want a skirt! My Man suggested that an entirely zebra striped skirt might be a bit too much. Well, I showed him! I had this great peony,/bird/branches material that looked pretty good with the zebra stripes and dug a little further and found a great yellow star material as well. I thought they looked great together, my Man decided he should have kept his mouth shut! Ha! Remind me to wear this for date night this week. I pulled out some wide black elastic I had to attach the skirt to (because that is very "now" these days) and took a few minutes to even put darts in all even and everything, Mom should be proud!;0) (Hi, Mom!) I attached the skirt to the elastic and hemmed it all up and I LOVE how it turned out! Talk about unique and I'm all about unique, shazaam! ;0)

Lastly I performed a little "New Dress a Day" action on a great dress with somewhat ridiculous sleeves. I bought this dress on clearance for like 6 bucks I think and loved the styling of it and its super comfy jersey knit fabric. On the hanger it was impossible to tell that the sleeves were going to stick straight out like that and stick straight out they did! Trust me you didn't want to see a before shot, *shudder*. It would been such a waste not to get to enjoy the comfort of this dress so I snipped it up and cut those silly sleeves right off. Then I took the hem off of the discarded sleeves and fashioned little loops for the tops of them and left the sleeves raw edged (they'll just curl anyway) and presto! Instant cuteness and super comfy action as well (I'm wearing it now...ahhh, the splendor!).

I'm trudging through the pile and of course have several projects to go and I will be sure to share! I don't promise to model any better though...just a heads up! ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

One of THOSE days, eh?

Haha, I had this posted at my former place of work and it somehow captured the way we felt frequently. You got to be to work at 5am and try as you might and gallons of coffee gulped later, you still weren't that with it. It reminds me of parenthood in so many ways and try as we might, we will always have one of those days sometimes. Here's a few tips to cope when you do:

Not enough sleep.

Whether it's a sick kid or an aging canine companion or a bout of insomnia that's interrupting your sleepy time, we all experience it on occasion. Take time out for a nap, even if it's just 20 minutes. Train the kids to leave you alone for an amount of time or turn on a favorite movie and trap them in the room with a baby gate (yes, I'll confess to doing this on occasion when mine were small!) and refresh/renew. Go to bed at the same time every night, preferably when you feel sleepy. Studies have shown that if you regulate your sleep/wake schedule and go to bed and get up at the same time..this will help significantly. Take something if you must. Herbal remedies such as melatonin work for a lot of people, talk to your doctor if you really are having a hard time going to/staying asleep. Also, if you a caffeine addict (I'll confess to this) cut back on how much you drink during the day and avoid it entirely at least a couple of hours before bed. Your body will thank you too! ;0)

It's THAT time of the month.

You're pissy, bloated, uncomfortable...uh oh, you know what that means, right? Yep, Aunt Flow is coming to your house for an unwelcome visit. Ain't being a woman great?! Bleh. Take this time to pamper yourself a little enjoy a hot bath, trade your partner foot rubs, by all means take some Pamprin if you need too. If you find yourself being a big meanie for absolutely no reason at all, put yourself in time out. It's not like we can do anything about it bothering us again next month, grin and bear it and avoid people when necessary!;0)

Got stress?

The kids are cranky, the hubby is too, you've got more work to do than is humanly possible and you're late for carpool again. Ugh, it happens...no matter how hard we try to prepare, sometimes life is just plain stressful. Take a deep breath, push up your sleeves and dig in! First of all remember everyone gets stressed out and be honest with people if this is the case. "I'm sorry I'm late, Johnny puked all over the car...please forgive me!" Most people with a heart will be quick to forgive you and YOU forgive YOURSELF as well. If everyone is just plain cranky and no one is cooperating in the least, call a mass time out. After everyone has had a chance to cool off, find something fun to do together or at least move bedtime up a little bit! ;0)

Yep, we all have them...no matter what, but rest assured they happen to everyone! You can't stop those days from happening, but you can stop yourself from freaking out when they do! That's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY!;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Softlips chapstick!

Do you find yourself using chapstick constantly? I mean, no matter how much you apply, your lips still feel dry and chapped? Maybe it's the kind you're using. Several years ago, I wouldn't have thought it really made any difference...that was until I had a conversation with a friend. This friend is an Esthetician or skin care specialist and he told me that your lips get "addicted" to regular chapstick because they have microscopic bits of plastics in them and the delicate skin of your lips get roughed up and still feel dry, even if you use it a lot. He also told me that products like Softlips are different.

Softlips is 100 % natural and I just love it! What I love most is I can put it on maybe once or twice a day and that's it! My lips stay soft and moisturized and it comes in so many different yummy flavors you'll never get bored! It even comes in tinted versions and seeing as though I don't wear lipstick anyway, this works great for me! I also know that if my lips feel REALLY dry, it's either because I have bad hay fever that day or that I am a bit dehydrated and not because of my chapstick!

So, now you know that tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe, Softlips chapstick! FYI the coconut cream flavor is to die for too! Chronically dry lips? Maybe it's time to switch your chapstick! Give it a try!;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

A Mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take. ~ Cardinal Mermillod

This is a picture of my kids standing on the deck of my parents cabin over looking the valley below in summer of 2007. Neither would I want anyone to take my place as their mother, nor would I want to take the place of anyone else. It's a wonderful  gift I was given to be their mother and one I take very seriously. Keeping in mind that  you  alone as a mother have the power to shape and mold your little ones into responsible  motivated adults and should never take such a heavy responsibility lightly. I love and protect and encourage and support, I live so that they may live as well. I love to show them how to love others and how to love themselves because that's the whole purpose of being, right? ;0) Or at least it is to me, just a thought..

P.s. I forget to give credit to my daughter for the picture last week on the Thought for the day, Thank you for all your beautiful pictures. ;0)

A stitch in time (or several!)

Modeling my new dress with shoes and belt

Yes, yes... I know that I missed my daily bog post yesterday, but honestly I did get a few things accomplished! I have noticed that I had amassed quite the pile of sewing projects and since we're closing in here on Halloween (yes, it will be here before we know it! EEEK!) and I have like 4 or 5 costumes I need to work on, I decided I should clear out some of my other projects first!
First project was a shirt that I purchased and wore once and then inevitably shrunk in the wash...(good job, I know...) and I loved the styling and the fabric of the shirt and I loved the color as well. So, rather than toss it, I thought I'd do a little "New Dress a Day" action (click the link to see what I'm talking about) and revamp it instead! I cut off the bottom of the shirt to even it up and stitched together a skirt out of a $1 remnant I had that matched perfectly and attached it to the shirt. Wow! Instant dress! I also took part of the material I took off the bottom of the shirt and fashioned it into a rosette that I attached to a headband to be all matchy-matchy and voila! Just took 20 minutes to complete too!

The next project was a dress for my friend's baby girl, I had this all ready to go and it took maybe 15 minutes to put all together. I took a sleeveless little onesie and cut off the bottom at empire waste length. I then made a skirt out of some leftover gingham I had and attached a matching length of ribbon to the top. I then sewed the skirt to the top of the onsie and I intended to reattach the bottom of the onsie, but the length of the skirt was so cute with the ribbon, I decided to leave it as is. I finished it up by making a cute bow with some more ribbon and attached it to a stretchy headband! It turned out so cute! ;0)
The last project I actually completed in about an hour last night , it was a top  for my daughter . I had some left over material leftover from a project a couple of weeks ago and decided to put  it to good use  by attaching it to a t-shirt for my daughter. of course, we couldn't stop there though!  She loves  anything with netting and I had some purple netting. I started by attaching  some of the leftover material from the bottom to the netting  and attached that to the leftover bottom of the t-shirt I had cut off. I then attached that to the shirt in a diagonal way, you know eighties punk style! It turned out so cute and what a great way to dress up a t-shirt that bought off clearance for a buck! 

I've been a sewing and I have several other things to sew and I promise I'll share them with blog-land too! ;0)                                                                                                                              

Adorable baby dress for a friend!

Punky top for my daughter!

                                                                                                            

all stitched up!

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

I have been staring at this blank tip segment all day long...and I'm still not inspired to write anything "tip worthy". I will however share with you (my loyal blog readers, yes all 3 of you) what exactly I was doing instead today. I wish I could tell you that I deep cleaned or organized something or that I even accomplished a sewing project, but no would be the case. I spent the only part of my day that did not involve shuttling kids or running errands or feeding someone or... (okay, you get it) reading! ;0) This is a lifelong passion of mine and one I still pursue on occasion with a voracious hunger that can only be quenched by being transported to another realm. Today was one of those days. The author of today was Carolyn Jessop. I fell in love with her and her story a couple of years ago when I read her book "Escape" (the link leads to the book available through Google reader). Carolyn was born into the polygamous cult of the FLDS located in Colorado City, Az...not far from where I live and the book details her story of being raised in the brainwashed manner the "prophets" kept hold of their power and her heroic effort in fleeing the cult with all of her 8 children in tow. I was enthralled to read how they lived and why the women stay and was astonished that she even had the same pediatrician for her disabled son that my own kids see. If you want to read something real and amazing that people still live that way under our noses, I highly recommend her book.
The book I read today was on loan from my Mom, "Triumph" details her account and help she provided as an expert to the Texas authorities when the raid on the YFZ ranch in El Dorado Texas that took place in 2008, as well as, her growth as a free woman. Both books are excellent reads and make me think of how minimal my struggles are and how I should be able to handle anything I have thrown my way. I mean if this woman could leave all that she had ever known to save her children from a unfathomable fate and succeed, then what excuse do I have to hold me back?

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Thanks to a great deal of soul searching and recovery from an emotional hangover, I am with it enough to share a great product for my "This is What I Like" segment! I know you're thrilled!;0) Anyway, here goes! Netflix!

We recently discovered this streaming movie utopia and honestly I don't know how we survived without it! I just thought that you signed up for DVDs and they sent them to you in the mail, you watched and mailed them back...but, it is so much more! It all started when we bought a new Blue-Ray player because ours was crap. My Man was super excited that it had an internet connection and we went home and set it up. We ran through the features and found that there was a Netflix logo and that we could stream movies. My Man checked on the rates and we discussed if we thought we would use the service enough to warrant paying for it and signed up for a free trial. Wow! we have watched more movies in the last few weeks then we ever would have going and renting them from Redbox.
Here's how it works:
For those of you familiar with traditional Netflix, you go to the sight on-line and load movies you want to see in your Queue. They mail you one, you watch it, you mail it back, simple and straight forward. They also have many, many movies available in streaming form as well. You pick out ones you want to see and load them into the Instant Queue and they are there ready to watch! We just turn on our Blue-Ray player and click on the logo and watch away! So cool!
The new release movies you generally have to wait to have mailed to you, but the instant movies are full of great classics and all the 80's B movies we watched growing up and we've had a blast sharing such classics as "The Boy Who Could Fly", "Beetlejuice", "The Never-ending Story", and "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking" with the kids! It is heavenly and a great way for us to spend time together as a family!
Netflix you rock! tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe, try it! I'll bet you like it too! ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Simple days bring simple joys. ~Emily Lawless

I've noticed that no one really reads the the thought for the day posts, so I'm going to streamline them a bit. I'm generally busy on Fridays (my kids get out early from school) and I imagine most of you are too. I'm also going to make more of an effort to blog 5 days a week, this way on Fridays I can post a picture from my collection and include a quote that you are welcome to share. Happy Friday everyone! Just a thought...;0)

The Smell of Autumn

What is the smell of Autumn? The smell of pumpkins, the smell of cloves, the smell of crisp morning air, the smell of fallen leaves piled in the yard...ahhh, yes it smelled that way today or at least at my house! I love Autumn, it is truly my favorite time of the year. I love how the days get cooler and the golden hue of dusk comes earlier and earlier in the eve. I love how the sky deepens into a rich shade of blue and the leaves change color all at once. I love sweaters and jeans and boots, for my cooler weather wardrobe is better than that of summer's. What I love most is making the best of what Mother Nature has to offer. Apples and pumpkins are particular favorites and I have plans for baked apple cinnamon oatmeal and just made Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread today (recipe on side bar). It smelled heavenly and tasted just as good and made me wish for Autumn, to hurry and come so we can enjoy it's splendor.

Sunshine!

my baby...

is growing up too

but, is still my baby for now...;0)

I've noticed that I prattle on about my two older kids, as they grow and mature they take up a lot of time and patience. This makes me ever so grateful the sunny spot in my life, my baby. I am under no delusions that my baby isn't a baby any longer, no rosy red cheeks, no chubby little tummy, no overalls, no Buzz Lightyear fetish, chubby arms around my neck. I wish to keep that way in my mind forever and in a sense he will always be that way to me. When he was born it was love at first sight, he has always been Mommy's boy. In the hospital when he was born, he never went to the nursery he stayed right with me. Barely a fuss when he was hungry, he looked at me with wide eyes as I spoke to him as if he was listening to every word enraptured.
I don't have hardly any baby pictures of him, unfortunately, he lived with his Aunt and Uncle (along with his siblings) from 14 mos. to just before he turned 3. (Why? click here) My arms ached for him especially in their absence. He was so very young and even though I didn't get to see him for a couple of months at a time, he ran to me arms extended when I was able to get back to them. Ran to me and wouldn't let go.
Today, he is getting so big with friends and interests and is growing and maturing along with his siblings. I'm afraid one day he'll turn into his big brother and be resistant to huggys and kissys and loves before school and before bed, but not now. For now he is still my ray of sunshine with arms tight around my neck proclaiming, "My Momma!" and insisting upon one more kissy before letting me go. He still crawls up on my lap while watching movies and jumps up in front of me to be picked up and I oblige (even though he weighs nearly 50 lbs). Sunshine, my happy (not so) baby boy!;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY 9/14/2010

Be calm(er).

I often get asked about and/or complimented on how easy going and well adjusted my kids are. My MIL compliments constantly on "what a good job" I'm doing. I don't know that I am a great parent, but I do know some tricks and being calm or calmer is a huge plus. If you are flighty and fly off the handle frequently, well, why are you surprised your kids are too? I'm pretty easy going for the most part and when there is a crisis, it's always me that stays level headed. The same goes for my dealing with my kids.
I have to remember a friend of mine, who is a bit loud, boisterous, and flighty and often deals with her kids by shouting and can't figure out why they don't listen. She's a bit crazy and therefore, so are her kids! She used to ask how I got such well behaved kids, what my secret was. There is no secret, I'm calm therefore my kids are too. Simple, right?
First off you need to work on you and how you deal with situations. What!? You stuck your brother in the toy chest and now he's stuck!!! Vs. Hey, come on guys...let's not put anybody in the toy chest and help me get him out. How would you react?
Be respectful. You have to give it to get it, right? Barging into you preteens room because it's "your house" and ignoring the protesting. Vs. Knocking and peeking your head into the room and speaking calmly, even though you are getting attitude.
Be honest. Don't lie to your kids, ever. If you want them to respect you and not lie to you, then you need to do the same. "Mom, you forgot to do this for me!" No I didn't, you didn't tell me I needed to. Vs. Omigosh, I did? I'm sorry, let's do it right now.
Honestly, if you can be a little bit more easy going, you'll be surprised how much more easy going you kids will be. If they are shouting, or running indoors, or not speaking to you with respect are you shouting back? chasing them down? being disrespectful back? I can assure you I'm not, I'm getting down on their level and asking them to watch their tone, or nabbing the running offender and planting him next to me and holding their hand, or reminding the disrespectful one that he/she will get no where until they can be more respectful. All of this while remaining calm. Give it a try, it works for me! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Insert any great product here _____. I seem to be having a phenomenally bad day today and would like some help! If there is a great product you think is just fab, please send it my way! Shoot me an e-mail lambjgirl@yahoo.com, click my Facebook badge and send me a message or comment and send a link if you'd like. Come on, I know you'd like to share! ;0) Thanks, ShE's NoT yOuR aVeRaGe MoM. ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Renew.

Just as mother nature renews herself after a devastation, such as fire, mother dearest should make it a priority as well. Lack of sleep, lack of planning, stress and the like can all take a toll on Moms and "when Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", right? That's the goal here is the so called journey of life or so I see it, is to raise our children to adulthood and encourage them to healthy, happy, successful adults. Of course the alternative might be to ignore them, spoil them, not teach them life skills so, they never leave the nest! (psst..that wouldn't be good!)
Hmmm..but, I digress. I had a point...I think? Renew. Oh yeah! Got it! Lack of sleep does this to you...am I right? ;0)
Take a few minutes for just YOU during the day.
Honestly most days this just involves taking a shower for me and getting dressed pretty if I have to go out, comfy if I'm just shuttling kids all day. I fix my hair (with intention) and even though I wear little make-up anyway, I still put it on. ;0) I'm not one of these chronically over dressed Moms, you know the ones in stilettos and fresh gel nails and over-styled hair? Yeah, that wouldn't be me. I do however make sure to put some thought into my clothes and match and even do a little accessorizing. Why? Just because you are a Mom, doesn't mean you have to LOOK like a Mom, right? ;0)
Give yourself permission to let stuff go sometimes.
Do you have people at your house on a daily basis? Are your children afraid to touch anything because you'll go ballistic? Do you spend every waking minute cleaning something? Why?! Does the domestic fairy give out prizes or something? Eh, no. My house is clean generally, but not spotless by any means. We live here and if that involves two pairs of shoes under the dining room table and towels on the bathroom floor, then so be it! I clean a lot more if I know people are coming over, but if not...then it's just clean enough. No dishes in the sink, but several on the counter. Legos up off the floor, but unmade beds. The kids love living here and I can always pick up the clutter and shut doors when necessary, so yep, we're good. ;0)
Take time for you and your partner as well.
Put the kids to bed at the same time every night and spend a few minutes with your partner. Ask about his/her day, go over what needs to be accomplished the next. They are your ally, and treat them as such. Love them, respect them, accept them, and appreciate them, don't forget them, don't let them forget you either.;0)
Renew. Renew 1
Definition: To make new again; to restore to freshness, perfection, or vigor; to give new life to; to rejuvenate; to reestablish; to recreate; to rebuild. Momma ain't happy...perhaps this is in order! ;0)

Silence...

This is an oldie I recycled from my Among the Lambsfold blog click here to see. I wrote this in October of last year as a reflection of how we mature as adults, as parents, in life. My apologies if you follow both blogs and have read this on before, I just though it to be poignant. ;0)

You know the old adage, "Silence is Golden"? The term had no meaning to me as a child. Why would someone be so happy if it were silent? Making noise is so much fun!=0) Not until I reached adult-hood did I realize the power of a noiseless world. Silence helps one to enjoy all the simple things in life. Think about it, if it is quiet enough to hear rustling of the leaves in the trees and the songs of the birds, perhaps people wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the necessity of a little nature in their lives. With a little more silence, perhaps people wouldn't be so quick to build more roads in open spaces and clear trees to build things we really don't need. With a little more silence, perhaps people would be able to hear their own thoughts and take the second that is needed to calm down before their actions lead to violence. I don't need the T.V. on all the time, nor do I need it to fill up the house with useless noise. I enjoy being able to hear my own thoughts, and I enjoy being able to appreciate the life I have been given to live. I enjoy listening to my children play and create, I enjoy being able to hear the ringing of my own ears. Taking the time to reflect and learn from our own mistakes, is the only way to progress and grow as a person. I would much rather be known as a "genuine" person when I'm gone, than a person who only thought of themselves and let their mistakes hold them back in life. I know I am not a great person in the eyes of the world, I don't have a great job, I don't have a lot of money...I haven't accomplished a great deal of things and circumstances still hold me back. My words aren't revered as consequential and my presence isn't well known...I lack in the ability to attract greatness and my personal struggles don't amount to squat when compared to others. I know that I possess empathy and spirit and if you are my friend, you will remain so for life. I help with things and prayers whenever possible and truly don't hate anyone in my life, past or present. I live for my children and conversely, my children are my life. Things are just that, things...they can neither comfort you in sorrow, nor bring you everlasting joy. Family is to be treasured and appreciated above all things...they can't be replaced, things can. I have the presence of mind to appreciate help when given and be grateful for those who give it to me. Silence is Golden, use it to your advantage...seek it out when you are down, reflect and meditate. Recharge yourself on the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves. Leave the T.V. off occasionally and just enjoy the breeze as it carries the sounds of years gone by and the laughter of children past your ears and into the silence...

Gotta love a project!

Here is the front and the back of a quilt I pieced together for my man's niece (who just had a baby). I am not claiming to be a great sewer, quilter in any sense of the word...but, I do enjoy putting together colors and patterns and creating fulfills a deep seeded need I have!
I love the yellow and lavender together because pink for little girls in soooo passe! These screams feminine anyway...and it isn't pink! Ha! I actually had all the fabric for this in my stash (I have quite the large stash of remnants). I haven't figured out why I like to purchase bits of fabric so much...maybe it's like buying new paint or colored pencils and a new sketch pad, it just oozes with possibilities!;0)
The only problem is with making quilts for other people is that I can only give them to people who either A: don't realize what a crappy sewer I am or B: don't really care! I just make do with what I have, my machine is old and fussy, I don't have a quilt rack and I don't pin anything. I don't pin anything because I kill my needle with the pins so often that any project becomes not worth the money when I do! ;0)
Oh, well it nice enough for the baby to play on or spit up on or poop on...which I imagine is inevitable, right? ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

Be realistic.

Okay I confess, I am not a very good Mom...especially today. I am angry, frustrated, and impatient. I am in such an ornery mood that I don't want to do anything at all, especially for all the ankle biters. No one has cleaned anything, no one can do anything for themselves, no one can keep track of their things and it's taking all of my effort not to beat my head against the wall. *Sigh*
We all have the days where no one listens to a thing you say and you can't figure out for the life of you why you bother to clean anything at all. We all have kids who lose their jackets and shoes and their favorite toys and it's going to piss you off sometimes too. I was sitting here thinking I needed to write a blog post for today and I couldn't think of anything except being mad.
I mean come on, no matter how hard you try and how organized you are and how patient you try to be, sometimes you're going to lose it and yell. When you find yourself at that point, put yourself in time out. That's why I'm hiding in the office for the time being. I can't hear anyone whining and I can't see the "deer in the headlights" look when you ask them to back track to where they saw their book last.
I'm realistic and some nights there is too much going on to want to cook, so I don't. I promise no one will die if they have take-out or frozen waffles...again,;0) I'm realistic, I know I am going to get angry sometimes and frustrated and impatient and I will have to put myself in time out. I promise no one will shrivel up without my presence for a few minutes either!;0) Be realistic and here's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY. ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (Don't Do It)

Relax.
What the perfect thought for the holiday weekend right? I want everyone to do just that and for the don't do it part, well, stay safe and keep your family safe as well! Remember what Frankie says....RELAX! ;0)

Confessions from a "Uniformista!"

Now just because you have to wear a uniform to school, doesn't mean you can't be fashionable, right? Take a look at my daughter and what she wore to school for 7 days and tell me if she looks boring to you!

DAY 1: A light blue polo pared with a pleated navy shirt, matching blue trouser socks and loafers says I mean business, but I'm cute too!

DAY 2: Pretty yellow puffy sleeved shirt with a ruffled navy jumper is adorable paired with white lacy socks and pink ballet flats and is perfect for long winded chats with Grandma on the phone!

DAY 3: This white polo and khaki capri ensemble is casual but still fun, especially when paired with white ballet flats whimsical yellow socks and matching flower for the hair!

DAY 4: Nothing says giddy-up there school day like suede cowgirl boots paired with your khaki shorts and blue polo, don't forget the spiffy navy cardigan!

DAY 5: Sporty cute yellow puffy sleeved shirt matched with your navy knit skirt and navy capri-length tights and matching cons would make any little sporty girl smile!

DAY 6: Nothing wrong with a little casual comfort and this blue polo and slouchy khaki pants fit the bill! Don't forget you purple laced skate shoes and matching floral headband!

DAY 7: Want to fit in with the country club crowd? With this white polo with gathered khaki skirt paired with navy tights and sparkly white shoes you'll do great! Now just tie your cardigan around you neck and don't forget your doggy accessory and you're a shoo-in!
So, it seems that wearing a uniform to school isn't so bad and in fact can actually be kinda fun! Just think, I probably spent less than I would have on school clothes this year and that can't be a bad thing! ;0)