Annie's Haircut

Before: After:
I took the oldest two girls to church this morning, because we volunteered to help with the Angel Tree. When we were done I surprised them with a trip to the hair salon. Normally my SIL will cut their hair, so this was the first time that either of them has sat in a salon chair with all the mirrors. They were pretty excited! We did a bit of boring grocery shopping, stopped at Pizza Hut for some Book It pizzas and headed home. When we got home Annie was a bit bummed that she didn't get a hair cut too. So after bribing her with eating her lunch all gone, I got the scissors out and started working on her hair. My intentions were to go about shoulder length, but she had some pretty tricky curls in the back and I ended up going shorter than planned.
Her response... "But Mom, I want my hair like Daddy's!"
I guess it wasn't too short after all!
I put a little bow in the front and she has been smiling since.

All of my girls have short hair now... well Molly's is at her shoulders, but that is short compared to what it used to be! Someday they will all look at pictures and ask me why?
My answer... it's SO much easier! Molly used to complain, whine, and repeat "Ow" whenever the hairbrush would leave the bathroom. Multiply that by a few more girls and getting ready to go anywhere was not very enjoyable. Now they can all brush their own hair and be ready to go. More important that that, they all wanted shorter hair. So if they ever look back at pictures and question my logics... it's right here in writting.

To My Girls,
You all asked for shorter hair, you pointed to where you wanted it cut at and I simply paid for it all (I'm a bit more guilty with Annie, I was holding the scissors) It's not my fault if you are reading this 10 years from now and laugh at pictures of yourselves...I didn't do it, you did- Although I do think it is really REALLY CUTE!
Love ya, Mom

If Obama wants a Goldendoodle, he just might end up with a Poodle!

This is Bailey our Goldendoodle Puppy (10 months old) I hear the new President Elect is considering a Goldendoodle for his girls. Very good choice, she's a great dog...if only she didn't love to dig! Here's Bailey's story...Suddenly one day when trying to brush the dog, I realized that she was getting matted hair. I brushed, clipped, brushed, clipped and brushed some more, but it seemed hopeless. So I called the groomers, it was time to pay the buck and get some help. So... What happens when you take a Goldendoodle puppy in to the groomers and repeatedly say over and over-

"I like the shaggy dog look, I do NOT want a poodle cut?"

My Hubby picked the dog up from the groomers, this is what he told me. "The lady was talking all about Bailey and how she did while being cleaned up, meanwhile this white dog was wandering around the store- I just figured it was the store dog. So then she asks me what I think about Bailey and I look around to see her. The lady points to the white dog and I had to ask her if the white dog was Bailey! It looks nothing like her, I can't believe it's the same dog!"

When he walked in the front door with Bailey, the kids were a bit hesitant to approach her. Maybe they thought we traded her in for a dog that doesn't dig! Ha! They want to know how long it takes for the hair to grow back.

The groomer informed me that one possible reason that her hair was so matted was because she was neutered, was under meds and after that happens they start to loose their puppy hair and their adult hair comes in... at the same time as a winter coat coming in...Yikes!

On a positive note: it's much easier to wipe her feet off when she comes inside. I feel like she is always looking at me though, I've never seen her eyes before!


(No offense to anyone who has a poodle, knows a poodle, likes the poodle cut or cuts the poodle cut.)

It's happening already

I know I haven't posted in awhile, so it probably isn't healthy to start off by venting, but I feel this is important. It's been in the headlines (No not politics) Girls and their self image issues. Molly is 7 and she completely stunned me. While getting ready for gymnastics, she was very upset because her leotard didn't have a skirt. At first I thought she was upset because Lolo's outfit had a skirt and hers did not. I finally got it out of her... the reason she wanted a skirt on her leotard??? "My legs are too fat right here!" Pointing at her thighs.

I was shocked, sad and a bit disappointed...in myself. Why would she think she is fat there? It can't possibly have anything to do with my own self insecurities. I'll just blame it on school, yeah someone at school must have taught her this, not me- right?! TV, it had to be on tv...

My Hubby and I have both been trying to watch what we eat and loose a few extra pounds here and there. It has been open conversation in our house. We have always talked about healthy food, vitamins and how they help make you strong and healthy. I even went as far as to tell them that "Yes, you should eat the crust on your sandwich, that's where all the vitamins are!" (I'm sure there are vitamins in the crust, it's not a complete fib) My children have so graciously pointed out that my tummy is still big, even though there isn't a baby in there- thanks girls! With so much focus on loosing weight being shoved down our throats today, did I really expect to not have this happen in my house? I have 4 girls after all, it was bound to come up. So what do I do about it?

I have decided that we are no longer going to discuss loosing weight in the house. We are going to focus on living healthy lives. That's it. I will continue to monitor what shows they watch, but I fully know that I can't possibly shield them from everything forever and would like them to know the difference between what media and society say are beautiful and what is actually healthy and beautiful.

I recently went to a seminar that addressed this and many other important issues in parenting. The speaker was Marybeth Hicks. She authored a book called 'Bringing up Geeks' and while I haven't read the book yet (that requires time to sit down) I highly recommend her and the topics that she speaks on. If you have the opportunity to hear her speak, get a babysitter and make it a date night- she's great!

What are we teaching our children and how can we make it better?

Can't keep this to myself

You have to go check out this blog. Bridget just had her 5th child, yet she finds time to create the most beautiful things. From quilts to baby booties- you have to check it out! Take note of her Etsy store...Yeah she has time to open a store... she is amazing!

Me on the other hand, I have been a Bad bad blogger. I apologize to all my blog friends for not visiting and commenting. What have I been doing? Organizing. I look around my house and see the chaos and wonder what I have been organizing. I am sure there is some corner of this house that is organized, I just need to find it. I have been ripping through closets, drawers, dressers, rooms and the shed. I have moved furniture and rugs around. Donated all kinds of clothes and toys. Yet as I look around here, I am convincing myself that all that organizing was only Round 1. Beware of Round 2, I will be even more stealthy with toy removal. I will be more aggressive with the dust bunnies. Darn it- I want progress. I want something to show for my hard work and right now I just see clutter. Looks like I better get back to it. Round 2- ready or not here I come!

One Year Celebration!

Dels,

This is your Mom with a simple request...SLOW DOWN!! This past year has gone by way too fast. I feel like I blinked and you went from a cuddly nursing baby to a smiling crawling happy toddler. Augh...Toddler... you can't be a toddler yet! Slow down! I guess all the signs of toddlerhood are here, ready to walk, eating by yourself, waving, playing peek a boo...but I'm not ready! Yes I look forward to seeing what kind of little girl you will be, the fashion princess like Lolo, or the bug watcher like Molly, or maybe the loving comedian like Annie. As of right now I am predicting that you will be someone who is adventurous. Someone who wants to be involved in everything, who does everything with a smile. I can hang you upside down and you smile. You are a giggler. The simplest things make you happy, a newspaper will give you the giggles for a good 15 minutes! You are happy and you make everyone around you happy. Thank you for bringing this into my life and into our family. Slow down kiddo, sit and cuddle with me, smile at me and know you are loved. Happy Birthday Dels! I love you! -Mom

What's 10 Inches?

Before

After

We finally did it!

We donated our hair to Locks of Love. This has been over a year in the making and last Friday was the big day! My SIL, the girls' Aunt A cut our hair for us. Here's what got it all started...

One day when we were out for a walk we passed a family, the kids were all smiling and saying hello to all of them, it was a heartwarming moment to watch my children be so sweet. In the back of the group the father was pushing a wheelchair with their daughter who was disabled. Her head was propped up, she was looking to the sky with a smile on her face. My children stopped smiling and just stared. They weren't walking anymore and as the father passed by their eyes followed the wheelchair. I know this is a normal response for young children who are curious, but at that moment my heart sank. I realized that I have not been teaching my children enough about other people's lives. As I shooed them down the sidewalk, we stopped in the grass and sat. We talked about that little girl in the wheelchair. We talked about manners and staring. We talked about being thankful for our health. It was a pretty indepth conversation full of questions, some that I didn't have the answers to. That night at dinner we went around the table and we each said something that we were thankful for. The responses were heartbreaking.

After we ate, I opened up the newspaper to check a time for something and I saw a picture of a little girl who had donated her hair to Locks of Love. Perfect! This was a great opportunity to teach the kids. I showed them the picture, explained why she would cut her hair to give it to someone else? What was a wig? Why some kids have to wear wigs? Why they have to take medicines that help them, but make them sick? Sat dumbfounded searching for a response when asked why God would allow these children to get sick? The questions were tough, but they were learning, I was learning. After talking for awhile, sweet Lolo with tears in her eyes looks at me, grabs her ponytail and says, "I have lots of hair, they can have mine!" To my surprise Molly agreed as well. They were ready to get the scissors and donate at that moment. So we got out the measuring tape. Unless they went for a pixie cut, they didn't have long enough hair. They decided that night that they were going to grow out their hair. To show my support, I agreed to join them.

And there you have it- over a year ago we had this conversation, but to this day and always, we will remember it!

Summertime Kids' Parade

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. This week is our Festival week, full of fun activities for the kids and grown kids alike. These pictures were from the Kids' Parade.

Tomorrow is our Big Parade and since our house is only one house off the Parade Route, we throw a HUGE party. Needless to say I haven't been blogging because I have been weeding, cleaning, planning...pretty much in that order. We serve Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches- I bought 100+ hopefully this will be enough. We have a Keg of Oberon and a pony keg of Molson. The Party has gotten so big that we now have "sponsors" My Dad and his best friend Goof have graciously sponsored the big keg. We have tables, chairs and tents being offered. The "POP" (aka Soda- it's Pop around here) was donated by my In-laws, as well as an unbelievable cheesecake that looks like an American Flag- YUM!

My Mom has been an unbelievable help. She has been here daily helping me out. She went shopping with me yesterday and helped me heave 10- 2o pound bags of ice. She made curtains for my kitchen- that look awesome! She has been bringing supplies, helping with the planning and best of all...she's making 2 Veggie Pizzas...my favorite! My Dad- my rented handyman who works for Oreo's- came and fixed a bunch of stuff around the house. My fence and gate needed fixing. My handrail coming down the backsteps was pretty much pulled out of the wall. And my dishwasher that is a whole nother story in itself, is now screwed back into the cupboards. He took the day off today and will be busy washing yard chairs with me later today. My Mother In Law, Father In Law and Sister in Law have been here babysitting and helping me out hugely. It is so much easier to shop for 10 big bags of ice, 75 cans of Pop, 24 bottles of water, 100+ hamburg buns, paper towels, napkins, plates, silverware, cups...when you don't have a cart full of children! THANK YOU! My Hubby has been having back spasms and was not walking too well the beginning of this week. My Sister In Law ran over to babysit so that I could take him to the hospital. He is on medication now, walking- slowly, but he's moving much better. I am thankful for her coming over, because I don't know how I would have pushed the wheelchair and the stroller at the same time! Overall, I could not have done any of this by myself and I appreciate them all so much. SO with a huge list yet to get done, WHY AM I BLOGGING? Because my Dad still checks it daily and pesters me about not posting more often. This is for you Dad! This is my way of saying Thanks to all of my HELP! Family and Friends is what it is all about- Thank You for showing me that.

With that said...

IT'S PARTYTIME!!