From Chaos Comes Happiness

If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you may be aware of the emotional events regarding 'Girl Scout Camp' that took place in our lives this week. (Oh, how I think I aged 10 years in the past 24 hours! Lordy!) If we do not cross Facebook paths, allow me to share a little story with you . . . It has to do with my oldest daughter, Katie . . . and a word we now refer to as the new "4 letter word" in our house . . . CAMP. As I gather my thoughts to sit and write the story of our experience - only now do I feel the anxiety lowering, the blood pressure has returned to a manageable level, and I am actually taking full, deep breaths in and out. Sometimes being a parent is rough . . . My oldest daughter signed up for Girl Scout camp this summer. From the beginning, I didn't feel good about it. And why would I? I am certain that in some past life of mine, I was a princess (or perhaps even a Queen).  I am the girl who insists we only sleep in hotels with "insid...

Last week, I told my dear friend, Peggy, how much I missed blogging. " I don't even know where to begin, " I told her. " It's been so long, I don't even know what to say. "  " Just write," she said. " Write about what you're  doing. Just do it. "  Wise words from a wise friend.  So . . . Me? What am I doing . . . . I guess, I am just up to my eye balls in LIFE.   2014 - it went out with a bang (a new job, four weeks of a horrible cold and cough, non-stop holiday activities, lots of family fun with even some not-so-fun, and everything that goes with it.)  Then, 2015. A new year, new focus, the rebirth of old ideas in brand new ways. A friend making her dream come true, and me being allowed to enjoy the benefits of it. And life. It IS THE life.  To avoid boring you with all if the little day in and day out happenings of the past 56 days - I'll take a few days this week to share two or three moments of th...

        I am absolutely loving life these days.  Fall. I love it even more this year than ever before.  It has always been a time of family, a time to re-group and focus, a time of great excitement before the wonderful holiday season. But this year, for some reason . . . I am feeling it all even more.  Yesterday, Katie and I had a few rare hours alone while Ella enjoyed some time over at a friends house. We made a quick stop at Target, grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte (because it goes with the season, you know), and took a little side ride through the forest preserve near our home while heading home. It was a gray and rainy day, but even in all the gray - the leaves were glowing in the warm colors of fall. As we drove through the park, I was in awe at the magic of falling leaves taking place around us. I usually feel like I miss the whole transformation from summer to winter - as if one day I wake up and the leaves have turned colors, and the next day I...

Oh, where do the days go?  I can't believe it is October. The leaves are changing colors, the heat has been turned on in the house, and orange and purple twinkle lights are covering our box woods in front of our home. We have entered not only my favorite time of year, but the one when I find myself most wanting to write. So hopefully, with welcomed help from the universe, I'll be more present here and will get back to writing. I miss it. I really do.  For today, just a little "hello!"  A quick greeting from me, to you.  And a new picture of the girls . . . taken just this past weekend. These girls, they have my heart. My whole heart. It's amazing how I fall more and more in love with them each and everyday - when I truly think I can't love them any more. I find myself enjoying them even more, too (which I never thought was possible). They are funny . . . really funny, with such great personalities - full of such good - kindness - caring hearts - smart - deter...

I've been thinking so much about how I am raising my daughters these days. I want my daughters to know how it feels to help the world, and to know that they have the power to make a difference in it. I don't want them to think there are obstacles they can't overcome. I want my daughters to be grateful for all that they have, each and every day of their lives. To know that even though there are  wants , they truly have all that they need , and they have more blessings then they could even imagine. I don't want them to ever obsess over the labels on their clothes or the number of shirts in their closets. I want my daughters to think back on their childhood and remember the moments when they showed  kindness towards others. When they volunteered. When they made cookies for neighbors. When they prayed. When they loved, and when they were loved in return. I don't want them to expect things to be handed to them. I want my daughters to treat other...

             My sweetheart Katie, who just turned 10 the end of June, is having growing pains. She is changing by the minute, and going through some of those tough life lessons that so many of us have gone through in our lives. She is testing her independence and questioning some of my decisions. She is learning how to communicate and express herself more and more. And she is learning that her actions have consequences (probably the hardest lesson for kids to learn, I think.)  Tonight she told me that she wished she could go back in time and do some things differently (in her short 10 year old life). This statement did not sit well with me, her self-proclaimed "No Regrets Ever" mother.  "Why, honey?" I asked. "Why would you want to go back in time?" "Well, for three reasons," she answered.  "For starters, I would want to dress a little nicer all of the time. All I do is wear t-shirts and shorts and if I change how I look now, everyone wi...

Oh, my friends . . . what a busy week it was. I've got lots of stories to update you on, and this time, I am going to do my very best to do just that! It's Sunday morning here . . . the house is still quite (yay!) . . . I just cropped all the photos from my camera . . . I have a full cup off coffee . . . and blogland is my oyster! I thought I would just sit and write as many blog posts as I can this morning. I have a list a mile long of all that I wanted to share on here. So this morning, I hope to get as many written as possible. With any luck, we'll have at least a week or two of some new material to ponder . . . YAY! Before we get into any deep thinking . . . I'll leave that for Tuesday or Wednesday, perhaps . . . I have to share our major weekend celebration with you. Drum roll . . . please . . . Because, my friends . . . I have . . . a TEN YEAR OLD!!! Yep. Katie Girl, Katherine Josephine, Katie-Potatie, (and all the other names I've given her through th...

  Greetings, dear Crafty Schmafty Friends! Today's Crafty Schamfty Friday post is a story of inspiration and art . . . and one that I can't wait to share with you. If you follow me on Facebook, you will have already seen this photo of a drawing Katie (my oldest daughter, 9 years of age) made for me last week. It was in her little sketch book that she handed to me when I put her to bed a few nights ago. "Mom," she said, "I have an idea for your next painting." My eyes filled with tears when she handed it to me  . . . because I realized, for the very first time, that she  gets it. I have always said that the art I make is truly a message to my daughters. I like to create inspiring pieces that will teach them to believe in themselves, to follow their dreams, to live their lives to the fullest, to live happy and joyful days. But sometimes, when I stop and think about it, I wonder if they really get it. This week, I saw with my own eyes that Katie ...

Every time I step out of our bedroom and glance over to Katie's door, I see it. When the outdoor light shines from her bedroom windows, and it catches it just right . . . I see it. If you go up close to it and look at it from an angle . . . you can see it.  Lip gloss covered kisses, from my daughter Katie. Too many to count. Right there, on his nose. That is, Justin Bieber's nose. When I was 12 years old (way back . . . in 1984), I was in L.O.V.E. with Michael Jackson. My parents (who were more into Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis) didn't quite get it. My father didn't like M.J.'s choice in clothing, or dance moves (why was he always grabbing his crotch?), and my mom certainly didn't care for him. But me? I LOVED him. His dancing and his songs simply took my breath away. Loved him. I remember my dad coming home from work one day and handing me a poster rolled up in a tube. Not sure what was inside, dad explained that someone he work...

I had one of those "Mom" moments last week. You know, when you find yourself watching your child and you suddenly are so overcome with emotion that tears start flowing, uncontrollably, down your cheeks. Of course, this happened to me while I watched Katie during her swim lesson. I mean, it's an emotional time, right? No . . . I don't think so. But right there. Poolside. At our local Lifetime Fitness. That's when it hit me. As she listened so attentively to her instructor, and grasped the butterfly stroke with such ease and finesse, I sat there . . . bawling my eyes out . . . like a baby. Because somehow, somewhere, at some point in the past 9 years, this little baby became a girl. And she is . . . amazing. I don't know how it happened. I mean, I remember bringing her home and those first few sleepless months, thinking that this was the hardest thing I've ever done. And don't get me wrong, it isn't easy . . . being a parent. It is hard...

So, my beloved Katie is finding a passion within herself for quotes. Inspiring, motivating, life changing quotes.  (Hmmmm . . . I wonder where she gets that from.) She likes to google "inspiring quotes" on the iPad, pull up images of her search, and sit with her composition book while writing quote after quote into her notebook. I think she is going to end up with a pretty cool journal when she is done with it.  Often times she'll stop and read the quotes out loud to me, like, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent . . . ", and follow it with a,  "Wow . . . that's pretty deep, Mom." Last week, she was really interested in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt. I think that's pretty cool for an 8 year old (well, she's just 28 days away from 9, so I had better set that straight . . . you know, someday she'll read this and argue that she was 9!) I digress. So, she wanted to know all about Mrs. Roosevelt. Katie couldn't ...

Oh, dear . . . those little ears that hear. I've got four of them in my house, you know. Two belong to Katie and two belong to Ella. And I am often very aware of those little ears during the day. It has always been really important to me that those ears only hear things that will build them up and make them happy. That is what they deserve . And I work hard at that. Those little ears are the reason I stopped watching the news about eight years ago . . . children don't need to hear about the dangers in the world right now. If the TV is on when I am home, it is always set to either the PBS children's channel, or Disney (and I've been known to turn off both of those from time to time.) I'm aware of those ears when PG and I talk, too, as the laundry room has turned into our meeting place for serious conversations about life and family. However, every once in a while we must slip and have one of those grown up talks in a place where little ears dwell. Especially la...

A few weeks ago, Katie was getting ready for school and had a few minutes to spare before her bus was expected, so she asked if she could ride her scooter on the sidewalk while we waited for her school bus. "Sure," I said, "but be careful, honey. Don't hurt yourself. " I called out, as she headed toward the door. The minute I said, "don't hurt yourself", I started thinking. Why do I do that? Why do I always have to warn her, or say something like, "don't hurt yourself", "don't fall down", "don't do this or that"? It's not like she is the type of kid who heads outside and purposefully tries to fall down and hurt herself. Why can't I just let her be a kid and go and run and have fun, and not have to throw some sort of negative idea in to the air? Is that just a mother thing? Something that all mothers just have to do when their child is about to leave from their protective arms? Hmmmm . . . I the...

There are times in my life when I want to stop the clock . . . not forever . . . but just for a little while. Today was one of those times. Katie started 3rd grade today. 3rd grade. I don't know why I feel this way. As I watched her walk to the bus today, I thought about how fast life is moving. Slow down, baby. Slow down, just a bit. For me.

So, my first day as an unemployed Mommy started with a neighborhood DuckTape Purse 101 class in our kitchen. Remember we had discovered this crafty fun in the beginning of the year (click here to be reminded). While we took a break from the whole duct tape thing in the Spring, it appears to have resurfaced in recent weeks. So, Katie, Ella, and two of Katie's friends spent a few hours creating some new duct tape creations that I just had to share them with you. Introducing . . . our most recent duct tape creations . . .  Are these the coolest purses, or what? With only a little help from me, the girls really made these all on their own. I LOVE them! Here is a photo of Katie and her friends, Gabby and Megan, with their purses. Love these girls. Ella wasn't into the whole project . . . she enjoyed wearing her duct tape headband and wristbands and preferred dancing around the kitchen entertaining us. She reminds me a little bit of W...

It's been a crazy busy week in our happy chaos home. Between work, PG being out of town for his work, multiple friend play dates and overnights, pedicures and manicures (I LOVE Katie's birthday this year - a Mommy & Katie day - wahoooo!), planning/shopping/cleaning/cooking for a family barbeque, and all the other comings and goings this week . . . I'm finally able to sit down and get caught up on . . . Life. Life. What a Life. You see . . . all the guests have left. The food is all put away. I've washed the last dish of the night. The children are tucked in bed. PG is playing with his iPad on the family room couch. The house has finally cooled down after a hot day of cooking and company. And I am tired. Really tired. Like, cranky tired. Like the "dogs are barking and the back is aching and the hands can't possibly clean another dish" tired. Life. It's often exhausting, isn't it? Well . . . maybe just this week. Then . . . a short whi...

Eight years ago today, life changed for me  . . . in the most miraculous way. My baby is 8 today. This baby. Here she is, just this past Saturday, sporting a brand new side part haircut. She is gorgeous, isn't she? I mean . . . really gorgeous. And what is even more gorgeous about her . . . is what is inside of her. Her heart. Her mind. Her spirit. Her soul. Oh, I can't wait to see where life takes her. And I'll be right here . . . watching her go . . . picking her up when she needs it . . . and cheering all the way. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of this little girl. Happy Birthday Katie! I LOVE YOU!

Another tear jerking moment, my dear friends. This one took place just moments ago. As Katie and Ella are now outside enjoying a bit of this gorgeous June evening, I found myself running to the computer to share this latest story with you. I am so afraid of the memory falling into that empty pit in my mind that I just had to write this down.  You see . . . I'm not chubby. At least, not in the eyes of my Katie. And that, my friends, has my very own eyes filling up with tears as I type. A short while ago, I stood at our kitchen sink, cleaning our dinner dishes and glancing up out the kitchen window every few seconds, as that golden hour of sunlight tickled the top of our back yard lawn. Suddenly, the front screen door stretched open and I could hear Katie and Ella running into the house. "Mommy!!!" "Mom!!" "Mom, I didn't say it!!!" "Mom, Mom, Mom . . . Ella said something mean about you," and even other exclamations were heard as K...

There have been millions of time in Katie's 7.8 years on this Earth when I have been proud to be her mom. Like when she took her first steps, the first time she said "Mama", and the many times I would find her doing something thoughtful for her sister (without any encouragement from me.) I have often been speechless at the very thought of her. How smart she is. How caring she is. How beautiful she is. Honestly, I have been blessed with two children who, to me, are as good as they get. Seeing Katie make her First Holy Communion was just another one of those many moments when I felt a lump of pride and love in my throat, as if my heart was going to swell so much it could pop right out of me. Born and raised Catholic, church was always something important in my childhood. I am ashamed to admit that I have not done as good a job in teaching my children about our faith, as my own parents did for me. But I am not perfect, and if there is one thing I...

I like to play the “ What’s your favorite…?” game with Katie and Ella. You know, the “What’s your favorite color?” , “What’s your favorite TV show?” , “What’s your favorite pizza topping?” . . . those kinds of things. I like to keep up with their favorites in the ever changing minds of theirs, and they LOVE when I ask them these questions. However, I’ve learned that there are some questions I have to preface with additional rules. Like the other day, as Katie and I ran errands around town and I started asking her questions. “You can’t say recess or lunch,” I told her, “so, what is your favorite subject in school?” (Her 7 year old brain usually feels that recess and lunch are subjects and are both very deserving of her vote.) “Mom,” she answered, “I have to tell you that I really really love music class. Because when the music plays, it brings such joy to my ears.” Seriously. You have just got to love that child. "...Joy to her ears...," she told me. I love ...