~Not Left Out~

In this house, Not Left Out means more than one thing. On Easter Day, the girls all dressed in their cute dresses. I am shooting pictures of the oldest three, Baby Dels was eating some baby food with Daddy. I stole her midmeal for a few pictures, but by the time I added her in the picture, the oldest three didn't want to sit still OR smile anymore~ they just wanted candy. SO because I didn't want to leave Baby Dels out of the Easter pictures, because I wanted pictures of her in her cute dress too and because she was happy, smiling and making her new funny face~ here are some pictures of her in her Easter dress...Not Left Out~


AND because I decided I needed some time away from being Mommy, I signed up for a beading class. I invited some Sister in Laws and we went out for a Girls' Night of beading. It was great. We sat with no children, a glass of wine and some great giggles and conversation. I highly recommend it AND look at the bracelet I made...
Very beachy, just in time for my Spring Break trip. I have been playing with beads and jewelry for awhile now on my own. I could handle the basics, I can throw a pair of earrings together, but it sure was nice to go to a class, get out of the house and interact with others and learn how to make this correctly, ask questions to a person~ not Google. I am planning some more classes, so I will keep you updated on my progress. My longterm goal is to learn how to make jewelry well enough that I can do this on the side, something that is mine, something that doesn't sing the alphabet, Old McDonald had a Farm, or require diapers. Don't get me wrong, I love caring for the children, I love that I can stay home with them, I would not Dream of raising them any other way, BUT it has been almost 7 years now of me being home, washing laundry, doing dishes, vacuuming floors, changing diapers and when it comes to those Holiday Parties and people ask me that question, the one I dread..."What do you do?" I have a hard time keeping my smile and saying Oh so Kindly..."I have 4 children under the age of 7, what the HECK do you think I do ALL day...eat bon bons, watch Oprah, blog, sleep in, drink wine with my feet up on the table." Ok, so sometimes I wish I could say that but I don't, I bite my tongue and simply reply that I stay home with the children. The conversation usually ends there, I have no work to discuss, no career, no college alumni status to boast about, and they don't want to hear about the boogers I found on the wall, the number of blocks the 3 year old stacked or how many times the baby nursed. On any given day this doesn't bother me, Holiday Work Parties, I cringe. I dread the question. I wish I ran into other mothers like me at these functions, but I don't.

AND then when I get home I am reminded that I have it way better than anyone...I'll bet they aren't sitting at their computers right now trying to type while having Strawberry Shortcake flavored pink sparkly lip gloss applied ALL over their lips. When I started writing this, I was thinking I would say I took the beading class to not feel left out from the adult world. To not feel left out from a "normal" conversation. Boo hoo to me. But you know what, I just realized something, maybe it's the scent of the strawberry lip gloss taking over my brain, but isn't that what it is about? The fact that my daughter didn't want me to feel left out. Everyone else in the house has this Beautiful lip gloss on, she didn't want me to be left out. Forget the Holiday party question, forget the insecurities that come with not finishing college, I have it great. I have an amazing family and I wouldn't trade that for any "I Love Me" wall full of accomplishments. My "I Love Me" wall is scattered across the fridge. Maybe I am not the one Left Out after All.