“Everything that has a beginning, has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” Buddha We all know that everything eventually comes to an end and have experienced it in so many ways. Sometimes an ending can make our hearts happy and sometimes it can break it. ...

Thanks to the recent change in temperature and endless amounts of precipitation, I was blessed to have some free time last Sunday to spend with my family that didn’t include freezing at a ballpark. My middle daughter asked me if I wanted to watch scary movies with her and as gloomy and dark as the day was, I thought that was a perfect idea! So, we shut the blinds, got the fireplace going, grabbed a blanket and were ready to be scared!...

Just a few tidbits of what to expect for those moms with little girls that will eventually grow up into teenage girls, the stuff they left out in the pregnancy books: Okay, so not quite a child rearing book for the shelves of Barnes and Noble, but just a few warnings for ya.... Wish you the best!...

I was wasting time scrolling through the iPad looking at all my “friends” posts and after about 30 minutes I started to notice a pattern. Other moms were posting all kinds of exercising photos, were sharing healthy recipes they tried and posting pictures of them smiling and hugging their kids. ...

If someone could take a two by four and just whap it upside my face, I honestly think that would feel better than I do right now. Seriously. Any takers? Cause I’ve had it with feeling crappy and like I’ve said before, moms can’t be sick! That’s the rule. ...

So I’m just wondering if my 18-year-old is gonna grow out of some of this. Cause I’m telling ya right now, if she doesn’t, I won’t be staying at her house very often in the future. She’s a very sweet girl and has a huge heart but she’s darn right messy and what’s worse, has absolutely no awareness of it. ...

“Does your daughter play sports?” someone asked me. What? How could you tell? Was it the dark circles under my eyes or the lack of color in my face due to minimal amounts of sleep? Was it because I walked hunched over because I sat in the bleachers for an unearthly amount of hours at a time? Was it because my hair still looked like I had my visor on although I took it off hours ago? Or maybe it was because there were some leftover sunflower seed shells stuck to the tops of my tennis shoes? Or could it be that I reek of fast food since last night at 9:30, I had eaten my third Runza cheeseburger combo meal for the week? Wait! I bet I know what it was! Was it because I had a red softball team t-shirt on with a button of my daughter’s picture of her in a uniform pinned to it? Was that how you guessed? That had to be it!. ...

As I scroll through social media and see all these posts from young moms who are taking their babies to Kindergarten, it makes me think about my own babies and how distinctly I remember each of their first days of school all those years ago. Their little ones, with those sweet faces and big smiles and the moms posting how it’s breaking their heart how fast they’ve grown, just takes me back and I empathize with all of them...

I’m pretty sure this is just a Mom thing, but getting ready to leave for vacation can be almost so stressful and worrisome, that I wonder sometimes why I even book vacations. While everyone else in the family is excited and jumping around counting the days till we leave, I’m giving myself headaches every day cause I’m worrying about what all I need to get done beforehand, what all needs to be packed and then primarily, all the stupid “what if’s”...

I should be saying a huge prayer of thanks for my 16-year-old’s survival! Seriously! I don’t know how she made it through the last 40 days? Just shy of a miracle, I’m pretty sure. Thank goodness she was patient and managed to struggle through or I just don’t know what would have happened. ...

Wore my new dress today. Haven’t bought myself a new dress in a long time. Been waiting for a super, hot weather day to wear it cause the dress is very summery and I didn’t wanna look outta place. It was like 85 degrees with 102 percent humidity at 8:00 this morning so it was perfect. ...

So June is basically just pure softball in our house, except for a few hours spread out here and there for work and sleeping. I added it up the other weekend and with two kids at one weekend tournament, three games per child per day, with on average 75 minutes per game puts me at around 15 hours of sitting and watching ballgames in two days. ...

Well, I supposed it’s about that time. Gosh, what’s it been? Probably looking at around 5 or 6 years since I last bought a swimsuit. That’s an awfully long time when you think about it. However, how often do I get in the water now that the kids are older? MAYBE a couple times a year at most. The one I have still looks new, covers all the major areas and still fits so why buy a new one? Least that’s been my thinking the last few years...

I know I’ve rambled on the last few weeks or so about my daughter graduating and carrying on about how sad I was and all that, but I’m not sure I ever clarified that not once have I ever wanted to start over from the beginning. Although I miss my babies and I can’t believe how fast time has flown, I am totally good with where we’re at in life. ...

Today is the day! Your final last day of school. Yet, I remember your first day of Kindergarten like it was yesterday. I slept in your bed that night before because you were nervous, but mostly so I could soak up the last few hours of you being my baby girl. ...

Two and a half more weeks … Two and a half more weeks and I’ve officially raised a high school graduate and honestly, it seems like she’s turned into an adult overnight. ' Just all of the sudden, we’ll be talking and she’ll say some sentence that makes her sound so much more mature and she talks about her future plans all the time and what all she wants to achieve. ...

Well, the high school Prom is just a few days away! Senior Prom for my oldest and first Prom for my sophomore. I think we’re all ready but I’m guessing I will still be running all over that Saturday morning grabbing a bunch of whatnots we didn’t think of. ...

So last week I confessed that I was slacker parent by missing Grandparents Day at my 5th grader's school and how I am probably qualifying for the Super Parent Award sorta early this year. And as if that wasn’t enough, the next evening I pulled an even better one. In two days I managed to secure my award for 2018...

So it never fails, at least once a year I do something to award myself the Parent of the Year trophy. I feel like this year it’s being awarded a little earlier than normal since it’s only March so I hope I can make it to next December without being considered for any additional Super Parent awards because these two dorkball moves I just recently pulled are some doozies!...

Oh my gosh, so many lists!! So many things to do and only a few more months to get it all done!! Ahhh!! With graduation and prom and softball season and taxes and huge end of the year events at work, on top of finishing our kitchen and potentially a bathroom remodel, no wonder I wake up at 5 am and can’t go back to sleep. Like from a dead sleep, wake up and starting reeling off 150 things I need to do that day. That can’t be healthy!...

So my kids are too young to remember the Looney Tunes cartoons with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, but the coyotes continuously failed quests to keep up with that clever bird describes exactly how I feel about my kids and technology. Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out and am one step ahead of them, I find out they’ve already passed me by and I’m left standing in their dust, a good mile behind them. “Beep, beep! Zoom….” And the anvil falls on my head...

So I recently took my youngest in for a yearly check up with her doctor since she had just celebrated a birthday. I wasn’t surprised to find out that she was in the 97th percentile for height and the look on her doctor’s face when she showed me the chart was no surprise to my daughter who knows she has shot up significantly from last year’s appointment. ...

So I caught a video posted online today of a 30-something-year-old mom who had locked herself in her bathroom and taped herself explaining why she felt the need to take time out from her kids, as you could hear them and the dog outside her door. She could see the wild-eyed look on her face and the tension in her forehead as she eventually asked the camera, “Do you know why I was screaming and yelling and had to take a timeout?” Which then she held up two empty, plastic straw papers that stick to the back of juice pouches. ...

So I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m one of those weirdos that gets attached to my cars. Like they’re human beings. I’m quite particular about picking them out and when I find “the one,” it becomes my buddy. I talk to it and baby it and try to be as nice as I can because my new friend has a very important job! It’s in charge of transporting my kiddos all around so it has to be dependable and safe and comfortable. Kinda like a trusty steed!...

We all get embarrassed, that’s normal. Like I get embarrassed when I drop something at the store and everyone turns and looks at me, or when I stupidly turn the wrong way on a one-way street and cars are staring as I try to turn around. But I must have forgotten that when you’re a young teenager, everything is embarrassing! Dumb stuff that wouldn’t even cross mind to be embarrassing...

One month. 32 days to be exact. My first baby girl turns 18 years old. Still a teenager but legally an adult. Still in high school so still my “child,” my responsibility, so to speak. But four months. 116 days to be exact. My first baby girl graduates high school...

About a month ago, I was on the hunt for a dirty uniform so I could get it washed before the game since my daughter couldn’t seem to remember to get it out herself. When I searched the backpack, I found quite a treasure trove in there. There was a couple missing portable chargers, the match to a single sock that’s been hanging out alone in the laundry room for a month or so, the newest and nicest water bottle we own, the missing lunch tote from a few weeks ago, my favorite lip balm I just bought, and one of my necklaces all tangled up in a metal ball. ...

So every week I wonder, what will happen this week that I will feel I need to write about. And every week, I never have to worry because something happens to give me something to share. So this week I was wondering if I should write about Christmas or New Years and all the hubbub a mom goes through during the holiday season. ...

Ya know what I love about Christmas? All the joy it brings to people. The season of giving and being kind to others. Remembering Jesus and why we’re all here. Ya know, all that stuff. So many times this week, I’ve been reminded of the Reason for the Season and was blessed with the opportunity to say Merry Christmas to so many lovely individuals...

“20 days till Christmas, Mom!” “Hey Mom, guess what, only 19 days till Christmas!!” “I can’t wait, Mom!” “I’m so excited for Christmas, Mom!!” “Can we go Christmas shopping after school, Mom?” Ahhhhhhhh! OKAY, I got it!! Thanks for the cheerful daily, reminder, Sweetheart!...

We were amused a few years ago to read that Japanese couples were being encouraged to go home and - ahem - procreate for the good of their country. Growing into an industrial powerhouse after World War II, Japan’s economy has been suffering in recent years because of a declining workforce...

Not that I have ever given it much thought, but I realized the other day that my kids basically have no idea what I do when I’m not with them. Nor do they care probably, which is fine and is typical of their ages but I find it funny when I really think about it. ...

“Are you goin to the store today?” That’s the question that comes out of my teenagers' mouths at least once a week. “Why?” is usually the response I give them, instead of a yes or no, because inevitably, either they want something or they forget to tell me they need something for school. ...

As I washed and hung up my oldest daughter’s volleyball jersey and warmup jacket today for about what feels like the 150th time in the last few months, I was reminded that she’s nearing the end of the high school volleyball season. In the past, about this time of year, I’m kinda tired of always making sure the uniform is retrieved from the dirty clothes or sometimes the gym bag, washed up and hung to dry before she has to leave for a game. ...

A mom friend of mine recently texted after a crazy busy week and asked if I remembered the news stories about moms who suddenly disappear and then are found states away with no excuse why they left. She said she understood them now, so I responded by asking her where she was. ...

Last Monday evening couldn’t have been sweeter! Hubby and I traveled an hour away to a small town to watch our middle daughter play her last JV softball game for the season. The ballpark was like a scene from a movie perfectly placed near the center of town, only one set of bleachers set right behind home plate, and dirt parking lot. ...

“Oh my gosh, we’ve just been soooo busy and just go, go, go lately!” says the smiling mom standing a few rows down from me at the football game while talking to an acquaintance that asked how she’d been lately. I had arrived early and was sitting there patiently waiting for the game to start, zoning off into space and enjoying 20 minutes of peace with hardly anyone around. ...

Well, I guess it was time for me to be reminded of my humanness. It’s been a good 3-4 years so I apparently I was due. However, the last time I was reminded, it was in the middle of the night and no one was around. Same is true for the reminder a few years before that, not dark but I was alone. Guess I was saving up for a doozy!...

I know I often mention reasons why my girls will need counseling in the future due to my parenting, so why not add another? Apparently, I am a bad mother because I won’t let them get a puppy. I’m stealing their joy, ruining their childhood. Children are supposed to grow up with a dog...

I know we live in the world of constant communication with phones and iPads, blah, blah, blah but this is getting ridiculous! And I’m just as guilty of it as anyone else. I basically don’t go anywhere without my phone. It doesn’t hang in the shower with me and sometimes I leave it in the house when I mow, but that’s only if I don’t want to listen to music. ...

As I sit here watching basically the only tv show I ever get to catch in the evenings, House Hunters on HGTV, I laugh at the wife’s comments about the houses they’re looking at. Of course the couple’s budget was three times the amount I could ever imagine spending, so obviously the finishes in the houses are nicer than I will ever have in my lifetime. One of the kitchens they visited was remodeled with expensive cabinets, granite counters and brand new black appliances...

Well that was a toughy! Went through my first Senior Picture session last Sunday with my firstborn. Wow! What an amazing but emotional experience that was! I had been warned by other Senior moms of how it might go. Some moms warned me that it would be stressful and nerve-racking and that we’d probably end up fighting by the time it was all over. ...

I never thought of things like this as a new mom or considered it to be something to prepare for as a parent of older kids, but the day when my daughters became “attractive” to boys was a tough one! I remember the specific instance it happened with each of my older daughters as well as the specific boy. ...

I realized the other day that yet another thing has changed over the last 18 years of being a Mama and I don’t know when it happened. There’s been so many changes that it’s hard to count but I was getting ready for work the other morning and I was trying to straighten my weirdly wavy hair when it hit me. I don’t ever check the back of me anymore. Like none of it. In fact, I don’t know what the reverse me looks like at all and I can’t even remember the last time I looked...

I can feel it coming. It creeps up on me now and then, even when I’m not expecting it. I’ve done a good job of ignoring it and pushing it out but I can feel it sneaking in as each day goes by. People ask me how I’m doing now and then, or if I can believe it and I just smile and change the subject as fast as I can...

It’s kinda funny but sorta sad at the same time that all the house rules seem to totally disappear during the summer. I work hard for 9 months out of the year to set up routines and structure and then as soon as June hits, poof! All gone! Obviously, my routine is the same, get up, go to work, come home, take care of the family, and whatever that all entails. Hubby is pretty much the same as me. However, the kids are “officially” on a vacation. A vacation from rules apparently...

Ya know what makes sports so great? The big moments! The last-second buzzer shot at the end of the basketball game to win it, the interception with a 90-yard return for a touchdown, or the come from behind lap to barely win the race by a nose at the finish line...

Ya know what they don’t tell ya when you become a new mom? They don’t tell you much past what you’re going to face the first year or so. That’s it. In the beginning, people just go on and on, giving you all kinds of advice on how to take care of a newborn, bathing and feeding and all that. ...

Last night was one of those rare evenings that Hubby and I didn’t have anywhere we had to be. No games, no practice, no meetings, nada. The weather decided to be normal for once, which was a nice change so we decided to go watch the local baseball game. ...

So at church recently, we were talking about God’s power and all that He is capable of. We were discussing mostly good things but then, as I sat there, I thought about some of the bad things as well. I was thinking of the stories in the Bible of how God got angry at His people sometimes when they disobeyed Him and I remembered the amount of devastation He chose to release on them, like fires and floods, and insects and famine, and all kinds of horrible, unimaginable punishment. ...

As I was watching my 10-year-old bounce around the house the other day, I stopped and watched for a minute, envious of her lack of inhibitions and happy go lucky spirit. I giggled as I imagined the world where adults could act that same way. I mean, wouldn’t it be awesome if we’d just be standing there at work talking to a coworker and break out a random cartwheel?...

Ya know, for the past 3 years I’ve been totally on board with my oldest daughter’s college plan, which was after high school graduation, go to the local community college for the first two years, live at home and then transfer to the big University out of town for the remaining two years. Good plan! Saves a ton of money and would be an easy transition into college, as well as into adulthood before throwing her 18-year-old, small town, innocent self onto a giant campus. Totally on board!...

I noticed something yesterday as Hubby and I sat together in the bleachers all day at my daughter’s track meet. We were hunched under a big umbrella, all squished together, not really saying much, just watching the races when it hit me. We were alone. It had just been the two of us all day. In fact, there are lots of days anymore where it’s just him and me with no kids. When did that happen?? Why didn’t I realize it?...

So as a mother of teenage girls, long car rides alone with them are almost always a guarantee that important life conversations will take place. I don’t force anything, but I certainly open the gates and let the conversation flow where it can. I use these car rides to not only find out as much information as I possibly can about what’s all going on in their personal lives but also their friends’ personal lives or anyone else in their school as far as that goes. ...

So back in the day, when my older girls were younger, Hubby and I would try and have Family Movie Night on Sunday evenings and watch Disney movies or something similar. We’d make popcorn and the fixin's and enjoy a wholesome evening with each other. We all looked forward to it and enjoyed our family time together. It was a nice way to end the weekend and a positive way to start the next week...

Guess what? It’s Spring time again and in our house, that means track season! And this year I get the pleasure of watching my two older girls participate together, sometimes in the same event and so far I’m loving it! Not only do I get my monies worth but it makes all those hours of being outside worth it, getting to see two of my kids in multiple events...

So for all you young moms out there, consider yourself warned. All those things you “thought” you got away with back when you were a kid? Ya, it comes back! In some form or fashion, I’m getting repaid for all my poor decisions, and we’re not even out of high school yet. ...

While waiting for our dinner to bake in the oven yesterday evening, I gazed around the family room and decided to tidy up a bit. So I gathered up the phone charger cables, picked up a couple pair of giant Converse shoes and moved the brand new prom dress still hanging in its dress bag to a higher spot so it didn’t get touched. ...

Let's see ... Maybe it was the person who tossed their plate full of leftover sausage and gravy biscuits meal into my sink full of fresh soapy water I was going to use to clean the counters? I'd already hand-washed all the biscuit and gravy pans in the dirty water, emptied that and then filled my sink up with fresh, clean soapy water, only to come around the corner and there floats a plate surrounded by dirty sausage pieces, greasy gravy and chunks of biscuits...

Ya know what one of the tough things about being a mom is? It's having to get after your kids for behavior you know darn well they inherited from you. Serious, it's a real struggle! If it's funny, you can't help but laugh but deep down you know you should probably correct them instead and tell them it's wrong to say that or do that but you know you did the same thing and it was funny then too. ...

A week ago today, my sinus infection, that I "thought" I'd finally kicked, decided to return and with a vengeance! I mean, why I would want to feel healthy? It had only been hanging on since the first of January. Head colds are supposed to last eight weeks, right? So the first round of antibiotics and 18,000 vitamins apparently didn't cut it so there I was again...

So another Valentine's Day has passed and it's not that I don't appreciate the special day or enjoy the sweetness of it, but it's not a day I really look forward to or worry too much about. Hubby always has done a good job of making me feel like his Valentine each year, probably much better than me if you were to compare but it'd be okay with me if we just kept it pretty simple. ...

So another Valentine's Day has passed and it's not that I don't appreciate the special day or enjoy the sweetness of it, but it's not a day I really look forward to or worry too much about. Hubby always has done a good job of making me feel like his Valentine each year, probably much better than me if you were to compare but it'd be okay with me if we just kept it pretty simple. ...

Just when I think I'm doing a pretty decent job at being a parent, I gotta have some know-it-all parenting doctor reveal to me that, in fact, I'm failing miserably and might as well be the poster child for bad moms. Sometimes I have to travel out of town for work and this morning, before most people were awake, I was cruising down the dark highway. On some of my road trips, I like to listen to the religious radio shows. Good way to get some life boosts while killing time on the road...

Little did I know that as a parent of teenagers, I'd still be sneaking stuff from my kids. Like back in the day, when they were little, I would have to sneak pop or sneak a snack that I didn't want to share with them. I would wait till they took a nap and then eat something I told them they couldn't have or if they wanted gum, I would sneak a piece and then barely chew it so they had no clue I had gum. ...

The other night at Bible class, we talked about forgiveness. It's so easy to talk about forgiveness when you are sitting in pews with fellow Christians, discussing how we are supposed to forgive infinitely, just like God forgives us. And so I sat there all high and mighty, listening and reading verses thinking, "Why yes, I would have forgiven that unfaithful servant just as his master did, or yes, I have forgiven people seventy times seven many times in my life. ...

With three daughters, two in high school, people's drama is something that is part of our daily conversations. Always someone mad at someone or somebody talking about somebody else. Drama about boys, drama about other girls or drama made up just to have drama. Never a dull moment and these days, with cell phones and social media, it's almost impossible to stay away from it, no matter how hard they try...

How many days do I drive around and patiently sit and endure the girls music they blare in my truck? They're always pluggin in their phones and blast some new hip hop song that I've never heard of, practically blowing my speakers and for certain rattling my eardrums. I always let them dance around and flail their heads back and forth, enjoying the boomin' tunes...

Tis a few days before Christmas and all through my house, Are piles of wrapping paper scraps and in the attic a new mouse. The stocking stuffers are yet to be bought, But if I have to make another trip to the store, I think I'd rather be shot! The children are hyper and leaving messes galore,...

So my 16 year old has been going through a whole pot load of adversity this semester and facing new and difficult challenges almost every day. I don't know how she's surviving, to be quite honest, because these are battles I can't fight for her. Anyway, this morning I saw her slumped in the kitchen chair, barely eating her breakfast while watching her 9-year-old sister hop around the kitchen checking the lunch calendar and filling her backpack with her papers and rattling on-and-on about her upcoming Christmas program. ...

There's just so much that I love about you and so much that I want for you, Sweetheart. I want you to have the best of everything and I want your life to be full of experiences and love and laughter and although I know you will have conflict and heartbreak, I want you to be able to look back and be happy with yourself. You will have some regrets but we all do, but I mostly want you to be proud of yourself and how things turned out...

Sadly, I think her days might be coming to an end. I'm not sure if we have weeks or months left, but I know her lifespan is questionable at this point and I'm having a hard time with it. I had a tough time with the last girl, too, when she decided to take a turn for the worse and I still miss her...

Sadly, I think her days might be coming to an end. I'm not sure if we have weeks or months left, but I know her lifespan is questionable at this point and I'm having a hard time with it. I had a tough time with the last girl, too, when she decided to take a turn for the worse and I still miss her...

So in my house, this week is one of the most looked forward to weeks of the whole year! Not for me, in particular, but definitely for my Hubby and middle daughter. It's deer hunting time, and for those two, it ranks up there about as high as Christmas. Probably even more important than Christmas, as far as Hubby is concerned...

In my house, we occasionally have what I call "reality checks". These happen when my girls have pushed their limits and need a little wake-up call, time to get their poop in a group and get a handle on themselves. The "reality checks" aren't partial to any specific age and each girl is blessed to have one of their own now and then...

Oh man, I'm in trouble! The school sent out a mass email the other day warning kids of wearing clown masks to school on Halloween and kindly stated that making someone suffer anxiety for a few laughs is not acceptable. Oh geez, apparently the school has no idea how our house works on Halloween because we thoroughly enjoy scaring each other and the more anxious one of us gets, the more laughs we get. Is it mean? Ya, sorta. But is it funny? Totally!...

So this new water bottle game? Driving me nuts! People with kids probably know what I'm talking about. This stupid new game where kids flip a half empty water bottle out in front of them and try to make it land straight up on its bottom. They flip it and flip it and flip it, over and over and over on the pavement or kitchen floor or table. They yell "Ohhhhhh!" and fist bump when it finally lands standing up, after the 237th time of flipping it...

Hubby and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary this week. I knew it was coming. It's not like it snuck up on me, but it seems that the busier our lives get, the less planning we do ahead of time anymore. Back in the day I would pick out a card at least a week in advance, write paragraph after paragraph of sappy sentences about love and whatnot, and the two of us would plan out how we wanted to celebrate, where we wanted to go and so on. ...

I read a statement the other day explaining that "just because I want to be alone doesn't mean I'm mad" and then went on to explain that being alone recharges your batteries which implies you would return a calmer and happier person. Well, that just fits me like a glove and I wonder if anyone out there will ever realize it...

I stood in the laundry room at 5:30 in the dark morning, still and silent, staring at the mountain of clothes that lay heaped on the floor, with so much girth that I literally thought that one could hide a body under the size of that pile. I was up way too early and not quite awake, so who knows how long I actually stood there staring at the mound of dirty clothes. ...

Ya, so that whole phrase "don't cry over spilled milk"? Ya, that's a bunch a baloney. That darn phrase has been nagging at me for years when my girls would spill their drinks, milk being the most popular, and I'm here to say that I ain't agreeing with it. ...

As a mother of three growing kiddos, I've been known to try and save a buck here and there. If I can catch a sale or online bargain, I'm gonna do it, because keeping up on everything for three girls can be a toughy! Anyway, I came down the stairs the other night, glanced in the living room and saw everyone in my household sitting in a comatose state, eyes focused on their iPads and cell phones, while the TV blared some obnoxious nonsense. ...

As a mother of three growing kiddos, I've been known to try and save a buck here and there. If I can catch a sale or online bargain, I'm gonna do it, because keeping up on everything for three girls can be a toughy! Anyway, I came down the stairs the other night, glanced in the living room and saw everyone in my household sitting in a comatose state, eyes focused on their ipads and cell phones, while the tv blared some obnoxious nonsense. ...

So unless you are freakishly organized and stocked up for a nuclear war, when you're a busy mom, you have to go the store all the time. And I mean ALL the time! You can probably swing by once a week but darn tootin' there's something you're gonna forget or some strange item your child will need for their Science project that will require you to go back to the store multiple times in one week. ...

Well, I decided it's time for a career change. I've been going down the same path now for some time, but I think I finally found my calling. Here all along, I thought being a mom was my true calling, my purpose, but oh no, there's something bigger and better out there. Something no one else really wants and something I might have a niche in...

Well, here I am again ... hiding behind big sunglasses and slappin' a fake smile on my face and giving everyone a thumbs up! "First day of school, huh? How ya doin, Mama?" And of course I respond, "Great! Big day, exciting stuff!" However, they didn't see me bawling alone in my truck 3 minutes ago when I watched my youngest trot into the playground of her new school. I'm not really sure how my eye makeup looks, so I'll just keep the sunglasses on for now. I can fix that on my lunch break...

Man, I love watching the summer Olympics! It sparks my competitive spirit and I find myself so tuned in to a race or match that I'm actually nervous. Like I'm the one competing or something. I even yelled at my kids during a race the other night to, "Give me a minute!!" And let out some heavy sighs when Hubby wants to tell me all about window trim when the Americans are about to win the gold in the 200m backstroke...

I sure am glad my girls have me around to make fun of. I mean, ya gotta have some dufus in the house that is butt of all the jokes. We have the 9 year old and the old dad too, but the 9 year old just gets offended and pouts when they laugh at her, and the dad has no idea he's getting made fun of because either he can't physically hear them or if he does, he doesn't realize they're talking about him...

To My Young Teen Daughter ... Oh how I wish you could see yourself like I see you. I know this stage in life is hard, no matter what I do to try and help you. I know it's tough to like yourself or see any beauty behind all the changes you're undergoing. ...

Oh how I wish we didn't have to face the idea of dying, but it seems it takes a death for everyone to step back and appreciate all they have in life. At least it sure does for me. I spent most of last week trying to be happy on the outside and just roll with the daily stress of my life, but behind my positive façade, I was complaining about every stupid, little thing and finding the negative in about all the situations. ...

Mother's Log: Wednesday, during the summer. Woke up at 5:02 a.m., thanks to Hubby's alarm. Woke up again at 5:12 a.m. thanks to Hubby pressing snooze. Tried to go right back to sleep after he left but instead pondered some life altering thoughts like "should I wash my truck today, but I haven't checked the weather forecast so what if it rains?" and "I wonder that other black softball sock is, I gotta find that by Friday" and other very important questions that need answered before 5:30 a.m. ...

She made it three months. Three whole months basically accident free. At least with any other driver, because we did have the little incident where we tore into the driveway a tad too quickly bonking our side view mirror on the basketball goal popping the mirror out right out of its case. But other than that, accident free!...

I had mentioned recently that I had another birthday roll around. I wasn't unhappy about it at all and sort of consider myself a "youngish" mom since I still have kids at home and one still in elementary school. But the day of my birthday, when I eagerly retrieved the mail full of birthday cards, I found a single piece of junk mail, squeezed between my cards that sorta let some air out of my birthday bubble. Not a burst, just a slow leak...

I saw on a post online the other day showing pictures of two different yards, one that was green and manicured with neatly groomed flower beds and then another that had overgrown grass and weeds and no flowers in site. The post was referring to the difference between sports parents and regular people this time of year, with the overgrown yard reflecting the life of a sports parent. Oh, how I related!...

I don't know when it happened exactly, but I've reached the point that when my birthday rolls around, I am truly grateful for another year on this earth. Seriously, not just saying that. I don't remember being thankful for turning older in the past, but these days I've realized that each year really is a blessing. ...

So another Mother's Day has passed. Even though I had to work half the day, it was still a wonderful day and I was blessed to spend most of it with my family. Earlier last week I was asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and so I spent some time contemplating my answer. ...

If you see me, I don't want to hear any wise cracks about my Track Meet tan, cause I'm fully aware of it. I've talked before about my Softball tan, which has some of the same qualities as a Track Meet tan but not quite the same. With two girls in Junior High and High School track, I'm pretty sure I've sat outside for roughly 3,476 hours in the last few months, give or take a few hours, and that much outside time has colored specific areas of my skin at various intensity levels...

So the end of the school year is a mad house for anyone who works in the educational field at any level. It took me a few years to catch on to that but now I just plan on riding the crazy train from April 1st -- May 18th. It's exhausting physically and mentally, but if you know the ride is temporary, no one derails...

I know I often nominate myself for Worst Mom of the Year Award, but so far there's no trophy sittin' on my mantle so I obviously get beat out each year. Well, this year is no different than any other year, and I'm building up some reasons to list on my 2016 Worst Mom nomination form. Some of those on the list are purely accidental but then there are those that I have chosen to do despite how poorly it makes me look as a parent...

As a busy mom, I am usually running on a pretty tight time frame most days. With three girls' schedules and a full-time job, I have to "try" and make sure I'm organizing my time in an efficient and effective manner. Last week, I promised my oldest I'd get her a sub sandwich before she left town for her track meet by 10:30 a.m. ...

As a busy mom, I am usually running on a pretty tight time frame most days. With three girls' schedules and a full-time job, I have to "try" and make sure I'm organizing my time in an efficient and effective manner. Last week I promised my oldest I'd get her a sub sandwich before she left town for her track meet by 10:30 a.m. ...

I don't know when it started or what all is going on, but something big is going down! Have you noticed it?? Just like all of the sudden too! Everything was fine one day and totally different the next. I'm so confused as to what I'm supposed to do because it's not getting any better. It's everywhere I look and affects most of everything I do. I shake my head in disbelief and wonder what this world is coming to and why would Big Government do this to us??...

Here's a shout out to all the happy folks that keep honking at me in the drive lane at school! And a kind request to reconsider your honking in the future. First of all, we're not in a big city where honking is a norm. Here in small-town Mayberry, most of us aren't in that big of a hurry and things are that far away...

All growing up, my brothers and I knew what it meant when our mom said, "Don't make me pull this car over!" It meant that we were pushing her buttons and in about 3 seconds, if we didn't knock it off, mom was gonna pull that car over and someone, if not all, were gonna get spanked...

Driving my girls to school this morning with the bright sun rudely pointing out how dirty my truck windows are and traffic acting like a four-way stop is as puzzling as a Rubik's Cube, my 13 year old asks me, "Are you okay?" Am I okay? Hmm?? Let's see ... "Yep, I'm fine," is all I decide to muster. Of course she asks again, knowing full well I'm lying through my teeth...

So I was asked to take an online survey today about my media preferences and such. One of the questions I was, "List the top 3 television shows I watch most frequently." Before that question, I was zooming along answering all the questions with no extra thought but then when I read that one, I was stumped. Top 3 tv shows I watch the most ... uhhhhh??? Uuummmmm??? Why was it taking me so long to answer?...

So I made a resolution back in January that we would slow down on the going out to eat all the time. First, with three active and growing kiddos, were lucky if our restaurant bill is under $40 a pop, so multiply that by 2 or 3 times a week and by the end of the month, the budget is screaming at me wondering where all the cash went...

I've been putting off writing this for as long as I can because I didn't want to face the emotions hiding just beneath the surface. Plus, sometimes I think there is something wrong with me that I get so emotional about milestones in my children's lives that should be happy, momentous occasions...

So thanks to the Snow Storm of 2016 that nailed our poor town a week ago, my girls and I were forced to have some bonding time for a few days, which we loved, by the way! I know there were several other families that were as happy us but you couldn't wipe the smile off our shocked faces. For the first time in forever, it really snowed ... and HARD, and it wasn't another fake out like so many other times. We couldn't believe school was cancelled and could hardly contain our excitement!...

I saw a post the other day from a mom with toddlers and little kids complaining about never getting to go to the bathroom by herself. I giggled, remembering those days when the girls were tiny and all the times I wished I just had 15 minutes to myself to take a shower or a bath ... alone! But then as I sat smiling, it hit me, "Wait a minute! What am I thinking? I still don't get the bathroom to myself and my girls are nowhere near toddler age."...

I'm finding it interesting that as the years roll on for me, I'm much more accepting of things these days, that five years ago, I would have fought hard against. Something must happen after turning 40, I don't know? But I'm OK with a lot of things that would have me fall into what I might refer to as the "old mom" category...

So I'm one of those types of people that do not like to be marked up. I will never have a tattoo, I don't write on myself, and I don't even like marker or pen ink on my fingers. I really hate when I get paint or stain on my hands and I don't even like nail polish on my nails for that matter. ...

I shouldn't have done this but if I had to guess, I have a feeling a lot of mom's before me have done the same thing. One early morning, a couple weeks before Christmas, I woke up way before my alarm, panicking about all I needed to get done before Christmas...

Well, that was weird ... This was our first Christmas without the visit of the big man in the red suit. The jolly ol' elf has been sneaking into our house for the last 15 years but this year, he passed us by. Flew right over our address without even a glance below. Maybe he's had enough of our sarcastic attitudes and crabby holiday ways?...

It's basketball season again so I figured it's time for some apologies. Just get it out there right now so I'm covered. Although I've improved a ton over the years, that sports rage monster buried deep inside me sometimes rears its ugly head and the calm and cool woman sitting peacefully in the stands, can have these sudden bursts of raving lunatic that are just unexplainable. I'll refer to it as Fierce Fan Mode...

Well, it's official; our house is changing. We're making the transition from a house with little kids to a house with just big kids. Don't get me wrong, we have a slew of dolls lying around and toy boxes full of Fisher Price toys but some pretty big stuff went down last week. A major moment that caused my mouth to drop and my heart to break just a little...

So a couple 0f weeks ago, we packed up all the red gear we could find and headed to Lincoln for our annual Husker football game. If we had our way, we'd get season tickets and go to every home game, but with three busy girls and a family of five, it just doesn't make sense. So, for now, we pick one home game a year and make it a tradition...

I'm not gonna lie, I fear for my life. Hubby thinks I'm over exaggerating but riding with a 15 year old new driver scares me to death. It's been over 9 months of riding with her and I just can't seem to calm down. As soon as I securely fasten my buckle and I watch her hand shift into gear, I stop breathing...

Gotta couple compliments last week. That's a pretty big deal when you're my age, and something you sorta treasure and want to hold onto for a while cause who knows when you'll get another one. I haven't been feeling too hot-to-trot these days so it was good timing. I'll just admit that my exercise routine is collecting a lot of dust on the back of my to-do shelf and my eating habits have sorta resembled a college kid's, if I'm being honest...

It's expected of moms to be able to fix most anything, right? Fix dinner, fix the rip in pink bunny, fix the movie on the tv, and most of all fix the boo boos. I've spent the last 15 years successfully fixing almost all of my girls' boo boos. I've fixed so many tummy aches, headaches, and stuffy noses, that's there's too many to count. ...

So just so I'm clear, I'm sorta weird about my house. I'm not a Martha Stewart or a June Cleaver freak about keeping things spotless but I like to have things tidy if nothing else. Well, living a life with two full-time jobs and three busy kiddos leaves my house untidy more often than not, which between you and me, drives me crazy...

So I was toodling down the street early Sunday afternoon, just chatting away with a friend of mine, whom I was giving a ride home. We had just enjoyed another delicious potluck together after church and our families had left earlier, so were taking our time, continuing our conversation as we headed towards the neighborhood...

I'm pretty sure my older two girls have secretly become good buddies with the evening maintenance personnel at the Junior High and High School. In fact, they must be covertly assisting them after hours with various projects or maybe just helping shut off lights and lock up classrooms because that's the only reason I can figure why they're always the last ones out of the school building each day. ...

So I saw this post online the other day from some mom who is obviously doing a much better job than me. It was this nice list of things our kids don't know we moms have done for them, like all the sleepless nights we've had, how much we've worried and cried over the years, and how many times we've sacrificed the last piece of pie that we were saving for ourselves just for you, dear child. Eeeerch! What?!!!...

Most weeks I sit down and type up another one of my mom stories, with the hopes of turning it into some sort of humor piece. However, some weeks I just don't feel like being funny and this just happens to be one of those weeks. Ya see, this week, my mind has been on another young mama that I know, that just lost her sweet baby boy...

You'd think after almost 16 years of parenting our girls together, that I would have picked up on the fact that Hubby is not quite as sentimental as me when it comes to the kids, nor does he have quite full memory bank that I have. So I'm not sure why it shocks me, when we are reminiscing about their lives, that he has absolutely no clue what we're talking about. It makes me wonder if he was even conscious during the early years of those three little human lives he helped create?...

I just want to say sorry to my daughter's elementary school right now! Since it's early in the school year, I wanna go ahead and get my apology on the table before she actually says anything so everyone at the school knows I'm already aware it's coming and I'm working on it!...

I know this drives the older siblings crazy in every family but as a mom, I finally get it. My youngest daughter is my baby and always will be. Can't change that. The other evening, while she was curled up on the couch watching Disney channel, I sat across from her and just stared. I stared at her face with cheeks that are still a little chubby and perfect, unblemished skin...

Alright, so the last two weeks I've been sharing the various hiccups that occurred on the "awesome" vacation we took last month and as of last week's story, I was still keeping my cool and hadn't completely flipped my lid. Well, if anyone knows Type A personalities, that's hard to do when all your plans fall apart. Anyway, by mid-week of the vacation, I was still smiling and determined to have fun despite the random setbacks...

So last week I described the fact that I obviously set my expectations for our "awesome" vacation WAY too high and how the strep virus decided to mess with me and my "plans" right before we flew out. I thought after all five of us were on the plane and actually flying over the ocean, everyone healthy and no injuries, we'd be good to go! Off to enjoy a week in paradise!...

Well, we just wrapped up a dual softball season with my two younger girls both playing travel ball. Whew! What a roller coaster that was! Hubby was head coaching one team while assisting the other and I was in charge of everything else that goes along with two kids playing ball at the same time. ...

Since it was Father's Day last week, I should have written something prior but better late than never right? I think it's so easy to take for granted all the things that Hubby does for our family and I don't just mean the standard providing financially and mowing the lawn. I want to thank him for the little things that go unnoticed, or sometimes the big things that also go unnoticed. So anyway......Dear Hubby, Happy Belated Father's Day and I want to say Thank You:...

Since it was Father's Day last week, I should have written something prior but better late than never right? I think it's so easy to take for granted all the things that Hubby does for our family and I don't just mean the standard providing financially and mowing the lawn. I want to thank him for the little things that go unnoticed, or sometimes the big things that also go unnoticed. So anyway......Dear Hubby, Happy Belated Father's Day and I want to say Thank You:...

I don't usually ask for this but I think it's important and necessary. Plus, in great numbers, can be quite efficient. I'm asking for prayer. Not for me, but for the poor soul who has chosen, for some odd reason, to sit in the passenger seat of the Driver's Education car with my 15 year old, very inexperienced, but overly confident daughter...

Often people ask me how I come with material for my column, hinting that I must make this stuff up. Um ... no, I don't have to. I just wait to see what happens or which kid does what to me that week, and voila, material! Any other mom out there knows you can't script some of the things that happen to us, it's just if you write it down or not. For instance, last weekend so many ridiculous things happened on our trip out of town that I couldn't even narrow down what I should write about...

So let's just say I've been spending many an hour in the bleachers these last few weeks. Mostly outside at softball tournaments for upwards of 12-14 hours a day but sometimes in a gym watching basketball or volleyball too. I've always been sorta fascinated with humans and their reactions and enjoy watching the different breeds of folks out there. So lately, with all my bleacher time, I've enjoyed observing all the sports parents that I've spent so many hours in close quarters with...

I had a friend tell me earlier this week that she wasn't feeling very "nicey nice" and I giggled but more the week has gone on, the more I'm not feeling very "nicey nice" either. About anything really, no one particular thing or person. And in fact, I think I might be coming across a bit "bitey" or in my personal case, negatively sarcastic towards others. I don't like when I get this way but I'm all in right now, man and it's hard to come out of it...

There's so many What to Expect When... books or tips on the Internet but I've yet to see one on Teenage Girls specifically. And since I don't have the privilege of raising boys, here are a few practical tips I thought I'd share for living with teenage girls:...

Dear Third Child, Since you're only 8 years old and don't know what "childhood issues" are yet, I thought I'd apologize now so you have something in writing to take to your therapist later in life. That way you know that none of what happened to you growing up was intentional and that you were loved just as much, but just happened to be the third child...

My daughter doesn't know I'm writing this, so please don't tell her. She would be embarrassed by me sharing this, but what's that's nothing new I guess? Anyway, this is too good of news not to share. Ya see, we have a new edition to our family. He's tiny and adorable and has been a surprising little blessing for me and Hubby...

I'm wondering if a person has to actually own a home to notice what's in it? Like work every day, earning a paycheck that helps pay the monthly mortgage for the house, in order to recognize all the junk it holds and the care it needs? That would be the only reason I can come up with for why my girls are oblivious to so many things...

So my oldest daughter has been doing this Track thing starting on three years now and I've grown to love it! I liked all of my girls' elementary track meets when they were little but when junior high started and there were legitimate track meets with actual competition, I started to really to get into it. Now of course, the weather is a booger some days and the sitting for hours on end in steel bleachers can be quite a pain on one's backside but I still enjoy the season...

When I was a kid and in a bad mood, it use to drive me nuts when my mom would tell my little brothers, "Don't talk to her, she's a grouch." I use to think in my head, "Well, I wasn't a grouch, I just didn't feel like talking, but if you're gonna say that, then I'm darn sure gonna be a grouch now!"...

My house is full of overflowing trash cans. You'll find them in the bathrooms, the bedrooms and of course kitchen. And if recycling cans in the garage count, you'll find every single one of those overflowing too. I spend most my day grimacing as in each room I go into, I see them spilling over. ...

Apparently, when you become a mom and chose to do the family's laundry, since no one else can seem to do it right, you have to keep a running inventory in your head of all items you launder and know their whereabouts at all times. I didn't realize this until recently and apparently I'm failing in that category of my job...

So Hubby and I have something very serious to share. It involves the safety and livelihood of all humans. We're pretty sure, based on some goings on at our house, that aliens from another planet are coming. Not today and I'm not exactly sure when, but soon!...

My first baby turns 15 years old this week. I've admitted before that every year her birthday rolls around, my happiness is masked by a sadness that I wish wasn't there but it always is. Every birthday, I take a minute to just stare at her hair, her hands, her eyes and reflect back on how much she has changed in a year...

If I haven't already been nominated, go ahead and nominate me for "Worst Mom of the Year" award or at least add this to my "guilt" list and something I'm sure that my daughter will have to seek counseling for later in life. On Monday my middle daughter stayed home sick from school. ...

When hosting a party for 12 eight year old girls, here are a few tips: Please don't concern yourself with heavy house cleaning prior to the party. The main objective is to simply create more space. A second grader will not notice if you spent hours vacuuming your stairs or not, she'll just enjoy running up and down them multiple times. Therefore, be sure to remove all clutter, potential tripping hazards and any breakable or sentimental objects...

My two youngest daughters are gamers. As in, they love to play games and hate to lose. They're always asking me to play cards or board games or Wii with them. I try to fit it in as often as possible but sometimes I wonder why. It's just a double-edged sword with those gamers. They tell me I'm not supposed to let them win, yet when they lose they're mad at me. I can't win even when I do win...

I thought to myself, there was a day not so many years ago that my life was consumed by diapers. Did I have enough diapers at home, did I have extra diapers in the car, or will I have enough diapers to last through the weekend? I had diapers stuck in the seat pockets of my truck and wipes in the console...

So I spent some time with my little nieces and nephews over the holidays and forgot what being 3 and 4 years old was kind of like. One really cool thing I was reminded of was the fact that sometimes it's okay to have an alter ego. Ya know, like an imaginary friend who can come and go as you please. There when you need them and gone when you don't...

So I read a post online recently that stated that putting your kid's Honor Roll bumper sticker on your vehicle is just bragging to other parents how much smarter your kid is than everyone else and how it "may" hurt other parents or kids feelings. Okay, point taken. ...

Oh how I miss those days when my big girls were tiny and I was a stay-at-home mom with no kids in school. How my biggest worry every day was nap times. Would they lay down okay, would they sleep long enough or too long, would I get my errands ran in time to get home to lay them down in time, did they drink all their bottle or where's their pacifier? A good nap for my little one could make or break the day for me so it was a big worry of mine a lot of the time. ...

When it comes to my girls, one of my sarcastic statements has always been, unless your arm is hanging off or you threw up all over the school building, I don't want to hear about it. How dare I say that?! Of course that sounds beyond cruel and of course I do not ignore their illnesses or injuries when they're legitimate, in fact I probably baby them more than I should when they are actually sick or injured but I would guess every mom out there knows when their kid is "really" sick or "kinda" sick.. ...

Aww, 9 o'clock in the p.m., basically the last hour of the day for me. Everyone is lounging in their pj's and zoned out watching tv or checking out a book or the ipad. The house is quiet with just the murmur of some Alaska show Hubby is watching flowing through the living room. ...

Is there anyone else out there that feels like they're inside a pinball machine, being bounced around from here to there and having the ever living sense knocked outta ya every now and then? Maybe it's the change of weather or the hustle and bustle of school, sports and work, but that's what I've felt like that last few months. ...

Just yesterday, it seems I had a curly haired little girl who played dress up in oversized fancy dresses and high heeled sparkly shoes, twirling about the house to music on the radio. A little girl who thought the boy on the Disney movie was dreamy and life revolved around friends and sleepovers. ...

We haven't always lived in a small town. My big girls were born in a big city in Colorado and my youngest was born in a mid-size city in Oklahoma ... none born into the life of small town Nebraska. Their younger years consisted of freeways and skyscrapers and millions of other people with all kinds of backgrounds. ...

Thanks goodness for technology! My smartphone is like a second me, a second mom in the house so to speak. Too bad she can't do laundry and make dinner. Maybe my next update will include some household chore apps? I didn't realize how much I depend on the ol' girl until her battery pooped out on me while driving home alone last night from my daughter's volleyball game. ...

The other day I was sitting near a group of other moms watching our little kids from afar and couldn't help but overhear their conversation. They were discussing the challenges of being a mom in today's world, given all the opportunities offered to kids anymore, and how busy families have become. They brought up some great points about limiting your kids' activities and making time for your husbands, etc, etc...

Ironing clothes.... Why does it take so long? Why does almost everything my family wear need ironing? Even the things that said on the tag, "Wrinkle Free," still need a touch of ironing here and there. It just never ends. And I put it off till I'm down to one skirt that doesn't really fit me and two shirts that are probably out of season as my non-wrinkled outfit options, with the rest of my closet hanging there all bunchy and tacky...

I was so fortunate to have been given a profound statement to read yesterday, a statement that has renewed my parental philosophy. "If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. ...

I'm sure that's what my kids and hubby say behind my back as I go from room to room ranting and raving throughout the house. They stare at me and wonder why I was fine yesterday but flipping out today? Completely oblivious to the fact that they, in fact, might be the reason I'm roaming about like a crazed lunatic. Yet, out of fear, no one has the guts to ask what's wrong so they just side step me when I charge through the hall or duck out the back door when I storm in the kitchen...

So I've decided to change my 14-year-old's name to Gretel. She must think she'll get lost because everywhere she goes; she makes sure to leave a little trail. Ya know, a little something to help her find her way back or to remember where she's been...

A dear friend and coworker of mine handed me a small slip of paper last Friday morning following our meeting and explained that her and her daughters were on a new mission. The piece of paper read, "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."...

Getting pulled over by a highway patrolman is never fun, by any means, but I've realized that getting pulled over when you're alone beats getting pulled over with your kids any ol' day. Here I preach to my girls all the time about obeying the law and the dangers of breaking the rules and then all that talk is wasted when I'm toodling down the highway and suddenly have flashing lights behind me...

So what part of "I'm in a meeting" doesn't make sense to my kids? I'm telling ya, working full time during the school year is easy peasy compared to working during the summer when my kids are home. I think during the school year, as long as they are busy in their school day, they could really care less of where I am or what I'm doing, but in the summer, on the other hand, they want me at their beck and call. ...

For those of you that don't know me, let me describe myself in one word ... tall. Let me describe my girls ... tall. Okay, maybe not the middle daughter so much but she's starting to stretch. Now let me tell you why I felt the need to describe us, because apparently the world feels it necessary to point it out to us all the time, like we didn't already know we were taller than the majority of girls and women in town. ...

Before I was a mom, I always thought it'd be the ideal situation to just raise kids from ages 4-18. Give birth to them and then let someone else raise them until they were out of diapers and walking and talking, then take them back. Ya know, get the hard stuff done and then let me have the easy years. Now that I have a teenager, I decided I was majorly wrong!...

I was just wondering if someone could tell me what season we're in or perhaps what state I live in, because I've been thoroughly confused. Gosh, is it winter or is it spring? Oh wait, maybe it's summer? I don't know because it's all occurred in the same darn day. At 6 a.m. it's a frigid 36 degrees outside but by dinner time it might be balmy 85 degrees. Hmm? Confused much?...

So I saw a couple posts on the internet the other day about being careful not to ignore your little kids when they're talking to you, like not staring at your cell phone while they're trying to show you something or zoning out on the t.v. while they're telling a story and so on. ...

So with the coming of the spring, so comes the busy time at my work. A lot of commitments in a short amount of time. Because of that, Hubby has had to step in quite often and take over some of my kid duties that aren't typically his responsibility. When I was a stay-at-home, he rarely had to do any kid shuffling or kid appointments or all the pick-ups and drop-offs but in the last 18 months, his world has changed. ...

Often I rattle on in my columns about the pros and cons of having all girls and the differences in my house versus those all boy households. I'm sure these topics will continue, as is my life, but since we just had Easter, I was reminded of one of the cons of having all daughters. ...

I know over 40 years ago my grandma was removing the hem from my mom's skirts so that they'd be longer even though short skirts and showing off your leg was the new "in" thing. My mom, to this day, still complains about how Grandma had to go and ruin her skirts. "What's the big deal with a leg, anyway," she says...

I'm not sure why I do it or which side of the my extended family I should blame for making me this way but for cheap entertainment, I like to change the words of beautifully innocent songs and make them gross and funny, keeping the same melody of course...

Did I Just Fall? "Yes, you did," is what the body told the brain the other day at about 6:15 in the morning. "And not only did you actually fall, you sorta jumped first, then fell," the body continued to describe to the brain. The now irritated body asked the brain, "Have we not walked down this same set of stairs a thousand of times? For crying out loud, it's not rocket science, there's seven stairs and you should know that by now! " The brain, still in shock, retorted with, "Well, it was pitch dark in the house and really early in the morning and ... ...

I don't know about other families, but in ours, EVERYONE wants to sit by me. For years this battle has been raging between my daughters when we go out to eat, or sitting at church or riding a ride at the carnival, wherever the 5 of us are going to sit together. It's kinda like calling "shotgun" for the front seat of the car like my brothers and I did growing up, except my girls call the right to sit by me...

Long gone are the days where MY stuff was actually MY stuff. Now my stuff has apparently become fair game and for everyone's pickin. What happened in the last two years? Did I miss the memo? As far as I can remember I've had MY clothes, MY shoes, MY makeup, and so on. Never had a sister, so didn't have to share there and never had to share with anyone, really ... until now...

I made all these grand plans on New Year's, how I was going to really get organized and get family organized too. Be a better mom and a happier person by having organized kids, an organized home and organized life! Yep, gonna plan out healthy meals for each week, gonna keep weekly homework schedules for each daughter, gonna stay on top of the family budget, gonna plan date nights with Hubby, you name it. ...

So I read on the computer the other day a catchy life phrase "You can't make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's not a mistake, it's a choice." I had to laugh. Yes that applies in a few cases, but mostly none in my case. For instance, as I've mentioned in the past, I made the mistake of putting my truck in reverse with the back hatch wide open. ...

So last Saturday, I'm sitting in some hole in the wall town, squeezed in between 150 people on a set of sticky bleachers, waiting for my daughter's basketball game to start. I needed to use the restroom and was dying for a bag of popcorn and a pop but couldn't seem to map out a trail through the mass of parents and kids so at the top I remained. ...

I decided they have got to stop making all these blasted, reality cooking shows. They're making me look bad! Before all the shows came on TV, my kids thought I wasn't too bad of a cook. They had no idea that there were other options in life. But, now, they see these chefs making beautifully designed meals with mahi mahi brazed in a Tuscan cream sauce, or I don't know ... asparagus, and they're wondering what's up...

Recently, I got the privilege to learn some very valuable relaxation techniques from a local professional, who's also a mother of three. In her presentation, she referred to the phrase "monkey brain," when your brain is thinking of 100 different things all at the same time, all cylinders firing at once, never focusing on one task at a time...

I had a supervisor at work awhile back, who'd never ventured into the world of motherhood herself, tell me in my evaluation that she thought I struggled with change and that I didn't like it when my plan didn't go exactly the way I wanted it to. As I heard her say the words to me, I struggled alright, struggled to hold back my laughter. Not know how to handle changes in my plans? Hmmm???...

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through my house, Creatures were stirring, even the mouse. The hamster cage reeks from days of neglect, All due to the Christmas I'm trying to perfect. The stockings I forgot, now buried in a tote, My girls haven't noticed and I kinda hope they don't...

I'm going to apologize now if you don't receive a personal Christmas card from the Morgan family this year or if your baked goods weren't baked in the Morgan home, but bought from the store. I'm sorry in advance if your present is barely wrapped and tied with a jacked-up bow, and you can't read the writing on the attached card...

So I'm sitting on my couch with my feet up on the coffee table, about ready to take a bite of my sandwich I made for lunch, when out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a tiny, dark gray mass shooting across the floor from underneath my feet, under the coffee table and then under the other couch across the room. ...

Busy moms don't have time to worry about their vehicles. With a taxi service that can potentially run 24/7, we expect our cars and trucks to start when we need them to, always function correctly and steer clear of major issues that would cause us to be out of a vehicle. Getting gas and oil changes is all we should be responsible for doing, outside of an occasional trip through the car wash...

Well, my favorite sports season started up last week. Basketball. My oldest had her first basketball games last Saturday and each year, at the beginning of the season, I'm always amazed at out how much the girls have grown. It seems they should all be 10 year old 4th graders, not these taller and maturing 8th graders. ...

So I realized that when my girls are super big trouble, not just petty stuff, and I ask them to tell the truth as to what happened and offer them three separate chances to come clean, at the end I only get about 85 percent of the truth and the rest is exaggerated to cover their fannies. They think they've fooled me but like I've stressed to them over the years, a mama ALWAYS knows and I know when I've gotten the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth, so help me .....

Many moons ago, there was a time when I felt tired and considered my day done, that I simply waltzed off to bed. Yes, sure, I had to shut off the TV, click off a light or two, put on some pajamas and brush my teeth, but a maximum of four to five things, and I was off to dreamland...

The last two weeks I've been referring to the fact that although my girls hear my voice, I also know they tune out most of what I'm saying. When I try to express some "words to live by," they barely acknowledge me and I doubt retain more than 15 percent of what I said. But, as I keep saying, oh how I wish they would really hear me, really take some of what I say and apply it. What I want them to hear is the things that matter. Things that could make their lives better...

Last week I mentioned that although, I know my girls' hear my voice; I also know they tune out most of what I'm saying. When I try to relay to them "words to live by," they nod their heads but I doubt any more than a small percentage is actually retained. But oh how I wish they would really hear me, really take some of what I say and apply it. What I want them to hear is the things that matter. Things that could make their lives better...

I know my girls' hear my voice but I also know they tune out two-thirds of what I'm saying out. If they were really listening, I wouldn't I have to repeat myself 3 or 4 times before they act. I try to give them words of wisdom now and then but when I ask later do you remember what I said, they reply, "About what?" When I talk, they nod their heads but I'm pretty sure only about 15% is retained, and that's being generous. ...

Man, do I need to get off my duff and start exercising again?! Drag out the old Jane Fonda tapes, or Tai Bo workouts, or maybe borrow someone's P90X dvds or whatever they're called. It's getting bad and I'm quite unpleased with my lazy self. I had big plans a few months ago, to really kick it into gear. ...

There are some slang words and language trends that have come and gone over the years. For instance, back in the '50s, you might hear the kids say, "Man, that cat is a real square." Or "My parents are such a drag." Or "Hey, Daddy-o, what's cookin'?"...

Man, ya know what's fun?? Kids with the flu. I don't know what can be more fun than staying home with sick kids. All ... week ... long. One day, maybe two days, any mom can handle but by day three, four and five, a mom's patience level, well, maybe just mine, starts to dwindle. ...

Okay, so if you aren't aware, which I'm sure most parents my age already are, the cool thing for early teeny boppers to do, is to take pictures of themselves on their phones or iPads or whatever techno devices they have that their parents don't know how to run. When I say "themselves," I'm referring to just their face...

It's amazing what a mom will find in her laundry when responsible for washing the clothes for a family of five. Most weeks, I can do the laundry without any fun surprises but everyone once in a while I get blessed with little extra goodies that are sometimes shocking, sometimes funny and sometimes ridiculous...