The Treat of the Trade

We are 7 1/2 school days away from another summer. I will have a 4th grader, an 8th grader and a Senior next year. I am wanting to slow down and enjoy all things summer this year. I want to disconnect from social media more and take a few more road trips. I want to spend more one-on-one time with each of my kids. I want to be in more pictures with them and not just car selfies. During the school year we are busy and I forget to slow down. I have had that as a "new years resolution" for many years now and I just forget that it's ok to slow down and stop. I need this. For my sanity. For my health. For my kids. My junior brought home a book of everything we are to do for senior year and I was tired after reading the first 2 pages. I mean good grief. Can the school system not give these kids a break? We have deadlines to meet starting in July. And as much as we will try to get it all done, it will be around our schedule. Because I enjoy our afternoons at the p...

    This. This made me cry. I joke to my husband that I need a magnet on my car that says "MOM TAXI". I get we are the ones that signed the kids up for this or that or said yes when they wanted to do this that and the other, but man o man I can put some miles on my car in one week. Fortunately, we have a 3rd driver in the house and she is able to drive herself to school and practices and run by the store for me if need be. I don't dump the other 2 on her to get them anywhere unless I am tied up with another kid or in bed ill and even then I still get up and mom.   Our whole city is under construction and I am convinced that is the reason my blood pressure has escalated over the last few months. Fighting school zones and school traffic and then fighting all the traffic from all the detours can make a mad woman crazier!   I recently purchased a car humidifier/essential oil diffuser and the lavender seems to be helping. Helping me stay cool calm...

  I have had some tough situations thrown my way in life. One thing I know I can be proud of is the bad situations that have been thrown at me have never been my excuse to treat someone poorly. Not even a stranger. And damn sure not someone I love and respect. With that being said, I have been stressed these past few days trying to wrap my mind around why people act the way they do. Why someone can claim they do things to make me happy and act as if I will love them any less if they "fail". So they overwhelm themselves and can't handle life when it gets a little rough. Nothing is their fault and everyone else is to blame. They are the only ones going thru this and no one in the history of ever has gone thru anything remotely hard. Give me a break. I know people dealing with much more stressful situations. These people are a lot younger, some are older, and even they don't put blame on others for the situations life has thrown their way. I am here to lend a helpin...

It's a rare thing for me to be in front of the camera. As we haven't had "professional" photos taken since 2010. But, as long as I dress my family up and take my camera along, I can have anyone snap a quick photo. 4th of July 2017 was a good day.       HAPPY JULY!!

  *i usually leave anything "step-mom" related off this blog, but I felt like sharing this today*             "Step-moms are by NO means trying to take credit for carrying a baby for nine months and taking part in the birthing process. We get it. We are not the bio-mom. However, we are in a mothering role and we deserve to be recognized" - Unknown       When I was younger I pictured myself as a mom to 4 boys. A huge house with holes in the walls from the 4 rowdy boys. No one ever grows up thinking..."I cant wait to be a step-mom!" It never crossed my mind in my younger years.   Fast forward many years later when Josh and I met. He came with 3 beautiful girls. WHOA!! That was a lot to take in! I was just a girl in my late 20's, divorced, no kids, and just flying by the seat of my pants. Living life carelessly and the way I wanted to. And then we feel in love. I feel in love with Josh...

    School let out May 26. In the time that school has been out we have logged in 31 hours at the pool Our bathroom is completely remodeled Our skin is sun-kissed Our oldest wrecked her car Our nights are longer And our town received more rain in one afternoon than it has in one year   Even though summer hasn't officially started, we have officially started and cant wait for more hours at the pool and maybe sneak in some road trips here and there!         HAPPY SUMMER! HAPPY FRIDAY!

The original post you will read below was written about a toxic dad and how you are brave if you walked away from the relationship. I didn't have a toxic dad. I do however have a toxic mom. Who wasn't always this way. I mean when I was younger she was an OK mom. She was still shady and lied to my dad a lot, but when I was little she kept me alive so, that's something. When I reached 12 I can't pinpoint exactly what made her change from being an OK mom to being a nightmare mom. But she would pick fights with me, I couldn't EVER have a normal relationship with friends. Whether they were girls or boys. She just had a distrust in me as soon as I hit 6th grade. (and yes you are probably thinking...o you were just a hormonal teenager. No. No I wasn't. Shit literally hit the fan with her and I when I turned 12) At 38 I still struggle with wrapping my mind around what is wrong with her. Fast forward to 2000 when my dad p...