He Needs A What?

I have to take Brant for a Bone Age today. I never thought I would have to take him for one, they are not bad, just an x-ray of the hand. I am used to Cheyenne getting them regularly because she has been having them since she was 2, but she is growing so fast they do them to keep track of how rapidly her bones are aging. For example the last one she had, her bone age said she was almost 10.5 but she actually was only 7.5...which means her body (and hormones) are growing faster than they should.

However Brant is short, he is smaller than most 13 years olds, he looks about 11. So the other day when I took him for his checkup, she informed me she felt he was developing too fast...WHAT???? I didn't take her seriously at first, I kinda laughed and said well he is 13...and she said "more advanced than most". So now she wants him to have a bone age to see if his bones are growing right with his age... I'm not really worried, because he is very healthy and it may only mean that he may end up shorter than most men... I don't know how it works other than if they start producing hormones too early it will make them shorter than they are supposed to be...they tell me that Cheyenne (even though she is the tallest 3rd grader I have ever seen) could end up short??? Confusing I know. Cheyenne takes shots to keep her from developing any further right now...but I'm just so shocked that Brant is also doing the same thing and with totally different characteristics. I'm actually interested in knowing now if it is something in my genes that causes this. We will have to wait to find out...I'll update when I get the results!
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Need a little comedy break?
Kids say the funniest things sometimes and I wish I had a recorder or notebook at all times to write them down, because I cant remember them all...One day I will have to do a post on the ones I do remember...
Anyway this morning we went to the gas station and I asked Brant to pump the gas, I told him I would get out and get it started but I wanted him to pump it...I just had on a pair of my walking gym shorts and a tank top with the little bra top built in (not much support in those)...so when he gets done I get out and help him close the cap and jump back in the car, when I did I looked up and some man waved at me...I said "Oh that's great, he probably saw my outfit", Brant asked me "What would you do if a man asked you for your phone number?" I showed him my hand with my wedding ring and before I could say anything he said "Tell him 1-800-I HAVE A HUSBAND!"
Out of the mouths of babes!!! Have a great day!

Not Me Monday

I have been reading a blog that a found through a friends blog and totally fell in love with it. I know some of you follow it already and if you dont you should. She is an amazing woman and I cant wait to see what she writes or takes pictures of next. She has dedicated Mondays as "Not Me!" Mondays and its a time to confess all your little shortcomings... Check it out and join in the fun! I am! http://www.mycharmingkids.net/
*I absolutely have not been thinking about what I was going to post for Not Me! Monday this whole past week!

*I am not addicted to blogging at all, even though I may or may not check my blog several times a day.

*I do not write down little notes to remind myself of what I want to blog about next or think to myself as something is happening "How can I blog about this?" No way not me!

*I have not spent the last few hours reading other Not Me! blogs, watching the clock tick down until I now have only 45 minutes left before I have to leave to pick up the kids. I must say they were all very amusing, I couldnt help myself!

*I did not have a chocolate dipped ice cream cone, fries and a diet coke for supper a few weeks ago! That would be setting a bad example for my kids...

*I did not stop mid-post to take a shower because now Im gonna be late...NOT ME, Im Never Late!

Hope you all enjoyed Not Me! Monday, check out MckMama's blog and all the other Mommies with Not Me's!

I Have Come To Realize...

I have come to realize the following things about me:I

• I think I have developed Adult A.D.D., I can't focus on one task at all, I start one thing and then end up doing something else...I may or may not finish the previous task.
• I can not read while there is noise going on around me, however I can carry on a full conversation while phones ring, kids cry and the dog barks all without missing a word.
• Also pertaining to the above, I have been known to zone out into my own little world while in midst of a conversation...
• I am always searching for a new way to make money from home...no luck yet...but I must continue my search...
• I have a list of things I want to do or to learn how to do, but never take the time to just do it... (also see the first one on the list...I have started many things, just haven't completed them)
• I am late for everything...(actually anyone who knows me already realized that)
• Simple living is my motto...I'm not a "from scratch" meal preparer...stuff from the box works just fine for me.
• Home Interior in my house consists of almost every wall being covered with pictures of my kids & family. I probably should own stock in picture frames...
• Cleaning house is my least favorite thing in the world to do, therefore if I can find anything better to do, I will do that first then cleaning comes in last... My Mema once told me "A House is a Showcase but a Home is lived in." I live in a Home!
• I am currently trying to read 3 books...when I get tired of one, I read another one...
• Putting on makeup and always fixing my hair is not a must anymore...As long as I'm clean and look decent who cares...(don't get me wrong I still can get all pretty...but if I'm taking the kids to school or simply running to the store...forget it...life's too short)
• I am always adding or rearranging things on my blog or any of my websites...so be prepared, it may not look the same from one day to the next...

Ok, Im done for now...that was fun. I may have to do that again on other topics... I encourage you to do it too, its very liberating!

I think I just came up with a new name for my blog...Simply Living...What do you think?

Simply Christy

One Proud Mama

On Friday, We had a sleepover for Brant's Birthday. Our first one ever...

There were 3 boys from his baseball team, 1 best friend from school and my best friends son Chase who spent the night... Of course Cheyenne was here and Jordan stayed to keep the boys straight for a little while. They had lots of fun playing football, running an obstacle course (which included putting on a dress and running around the house)riding bikes, skateboarding jumping on the trampoline, roasting marshmallows and did I forget to mention playing XBOX 360 all night long!!!

What is a sleepover without staying up all night? I remember those all night sleepovers when I was young. They were good though, Larry only had to get up once at 4:30 a.m. and tell them to quiet down and which they did. They may have slept for an hour around 6 they said... but I was up at 7:30 waiting for Jordan to come back. They were up and ready to go some more, they played again all morning and we took them to the Oxford park for a little while! They all had such a blast! He had a great 13th birthday!

Below is a pic of Larry & Brant playing football and Chance (our puppy) wanting in too!

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Now this is why I don't bake! I asked Brant what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said yellow with chocolate icing. I'm thinking no problem, I can do that... yeah right!!!

I baked the cake no problem, so I go to turn it over into a cookie sheet to put icing on it and when it landed on that pan it looked like an earthquake hit it, there were cracks through the whole thing... So I decide to "cover it up" with icing...wrong answer...I didn't let it cool, so it just melted into all the cracks...I thought "Those boys will never eat this cake!"...here is a pic of it!

Thankfully,a very dear friend of mine, Mrs. Tammy, came to drop off her son. I showed her the cake for a good laugh... She saved the day! She told me to put the cake in the freezer and let if completely cool, then spread cool whip on top, shave a Hershey bar over it and drizzle Hershey's chocolate over that! It was awesome! Much better than just plain cake. She is such a lifesaver, I don't know what I would do without all her great advice!!! Needless to say, the boys still didn't eat it, they only wanted ice cream, but that's OK because the adults liked it! Here's the after pic!

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Today I got to shop all day! How great is that!?! We don't really have extra to spend, but it was really nice to go and hang out with Janet at Hobby Lobby, looking at all the things I would love to decorate my house with... Fall is definitely creeping into my thoughts! We had great conversation and I enjoyed not finishing cleaning my floors to spend the morning with her. We will have to do that again soon!

Then this afternoon, Brant & I went back to Ocala to the mall for him to spend his birthday money. Cheyenne had dance tonight and went to her dad's, so he and I took our time and enjoyed being together...

He surprised me (and made me cry tears of joy)...while we were in Inland Ocean I pointed out a car sticker of a sun that I thought was pretty...so we paid and walked back out into the mall, he asked me for some of his money and said he had forgotten something, he went back in the store and came out beaming and handed me a little bag... he had bought me that sticker and said "Thanks mom for bringing me shopping today"...my heart melted and I teared up...that boy knows how to make a mama proud!!!

Help When Help Is Needed

Yes 2 posts in 1 day! I have been working on this one for a few days...I'm still not sure I'm happy with it and may edit later, but I wanted to get it out there!

Sometimes the smallest, tiniest offerings of kindness in your eyes are the biggest most wonderful gifts in others. I'm not talking about big expensive gifts or even anything of monetary value. I mean the acts that come from your heart that mean more than anything bought.

Over the years, I have been on the giving and the receiving end of these gifts. It seems to run in a circle for me. I will give and then I receive... wait isn't that in the bible?... give and you will receive. Of course, that is how God helps everyone in this world, by placing it upon someones heart to give when another is in a time of need and to allow them to receive in their time of need.
Not too long ago, there was a family at Larry's work where the family lost their home to a fire, I sent out an email to everyone on my list and asked for help of donations of any kind. The response was overwhelming so much in fact (not all from my friends but from anyone who heard and wanted to give), they had to stop taking donations. They had no room to store it all until they got a new home. But how awesome is that, I even had people I barley knew bringing items by my house to give to them. I know that happened again recently with a friend of a friend of mine. Everyone just gave so much they really couldn't take anything else. God is Good!

I can also think back at a time in my life that I didn't have much money, I was a single mom at the time and it was Brant's 3rd Christmas...I feared he wasn't gonna have a Christmas that year. But someone gave me a check for $100.00 and I have never forgotten that. They knew I needed help and they gave it to me. Now I try to give at Christmas when I can, even if its a toy for Toys for Tots. I was so thankful for that great gift and it left such an impression on my heart.

More recently we were touched by others wanting to give us help. My grandparents house has been pretty much abandoned for the past year. My Nana had cancer 5 years ago and never really regained her strength and then last summer she got deathly ill and we almost lost her. She now is in a nursing home in Bushnell, which has proved to be such a blessing, they take good care of her medically and she is happy. My step-grandfather had to go live with his daughter because of his failing health also. So the house has pretty much sat, Mom did the best she could maintaining it, having the yard mowed and she has cleaned the dust out of the house I don't know how many times. But it has become very overwhelming.

Anyway back to my story, my friend Jill knew we were going to be working in my Nana's yard this past Saturday so she talked with her cousin Joey (Jeanne's husband) who had told her he wanted to start helping families in their yards...little did he know when he said yes to helping us, it was 2.5 acres that should have been mowed for hay! I cant tell you what a blessing it was for Jill, Curtis and Joey to come and lend their time on a hot Saturday morning (after working their regular jobs all week) to help us work in the yard. They mowed, weed eated (not sure if thats a word), picked up limbs, raked and pretty much anything they saw that needed cleaning up...It helped us so much!!! It looked like a jungle down there, but after all their help and the rest of the family spending time there last Thursday and Saturday its looking much better! They were truly gifts from God!

Last year I was a volunteer and mentor at the kids school and will be again this year. It is such a great feeling to know you are helping out in anyway you can. I'm also thinking of volunteering at the animal shelter...I might as well do something useful while I don't have a job right? No, I really do love helping and feel it is an important part of being a person and a christian. Sometimes its hard for me to except help (must be pride) but I do need it at times, just as everyone does in their life... As long as you keep giving when you are needed, others will give unto you when you are in need!

Here are 2 before and 2 after pics of my grandparents house so far!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Today is Brant's 13th birthday! I just can't believe that I am the mom of a teenager... although he has been reminding me all week that it is coming... Of course like every other birthday of theirs, I reminisce over the day they were born, the joys and the trials...then I think of how lucky and blessed I am to have both of them.

I have good kids despite the fact they both have been through alot in their little lives, they are emerging victoriously in so many ways! Growing, changing, learning and exploring everyday... I so miss those early days of their lives when they were so dependant on me in every way. Now they almost do everything for themselves, ok not everything... I still do alot for them, but if I werent here they would survive without me for a few hours.

I usually cry every year on their birthdays, even if its a few little tears...I think they expect it... Brant asked me this morning, "are you crying yet?", they know if mom is crying she is happy or proud...tears in my family does not mean only sadness, it simply means our hearts are about to burst with joy and pride, so it has no where to go but out in tears (Right Mom????) I got it from my mom, poor Mandi & Jeremy so many times saw both of us cry over them while they were doing things like singing, pageants, pitching or whatever event we were watching them do...

I've already cried tears of joy and pride over so many things from my kids and I dont think I ever will stop...they know how much I love them when they see me cry with a smile on my face!!!

Little does Brant know I have cried a few times today when thinking about him over the years, but I may have to save just a few for later so he can see I still cry every year on his birthday...

They are the light of my life and joy in my heart!!!

I made 2 collages for their birthdays so Im putting them both on here... Cheyennes birthday was last month and I didnt blog about it because it was still so new to me...so this is for both of them!!!

Baby Steps Into Growing Up

My 8 year old daughter Cheyenne, is very shy, and everyone says I named her perfectly. We actually call her Chey as a nickname. She has always been one to take so long to warm up to everyone and everything. We once took her to a water park in Daytona and she was scared to leave my side the for the first hour, then when she finally did and started enjoying herself it was time to go. I can't say a lot about it because I am also a little shy, maybe not as much as I used to be but sometimes when we are around a lot of people around me I get nervous and I defiantly can not speak in front of a crowd!

The first few years of school was no picnic either, most mornings she cried and threw up before school. It was awful, that is one of the reasons I quit my job and last year in 2nd grade was better for her, no throwing up and she only cried a few times... Now this year is a whole different story, she gets up in the morning, gets ready and actually has a smile on her face. I have seen her blossom so much in the past few months, its like she is trying to leave the baby behind and come into being an adolescent or more importantly a tween...oh my, I'm not sure I'm ready for that one. She already acts like she is 16 sometimes, thanks to Hannah Montana!

She is also afraid to spend the night anywhere, the only places she would stay are at her dad's or her dad's mother's house. But this summer she did stay with my Mom once, for the first time in a really long time. She said it was great and asked not long ago when she can stay with her again. We are working on that feat but she is doing alot better. Im not sure I will get her into children's church anytime soon either, but you never know she may surprise me.

I am especially proud of her right now though, I saw her overcome a fear of speaking in front of people last night. We joined 4-H and they asked her to be the secretary, the whole time Im saying "she's not gonna do that", but all the parents assured me they would help her along, so we agreed. So last night was her first time and she had to read the minutes, she was scared to death and I could see the fear on her face. She wouldnt even participate in the activities before she was so nervous, but when it came time for her, one of the leaders stood beside her and helped her with the words she had trouble with and she read the whole thing aloud!!!! She did AWESOME... I was so proud, then she actually wanted to stand up in front of all of them and recite the 4-H pledge, she couldnt remember it this time, but we will study hard for next time.
She even asked if we could do a presentation in one of the upcoming meetings! WOW is all I have to say, is that my little Chey who is scared of her own shadow sometimes??? Yes it is!!! We are also going to enter the Southeastern Youth Fair in Marion County where she may have to speak to judges, we will cross that bridge when we get there but for now we will take these baby steps into growing up!

Tidbits From Our Weekend

How come the weekends fly so quickly? This one went by very quickly or maybe I'm just tired and I needed more rest. Saturday morning came early for us, at 6:30 a.m. Brant's step mom called, he was running a fever and complaining of a sore throat. So she brought him home. At that time I felt like maybe it was a virus... I looked in his throat it didn't show signs of white spots on his tonsils and his temp was only like 99.9, so I decided that we would wait it out for a little bit.

A man came to look at the boat and he bought it! Although we were happy since that alleviated one of our monthly bills, we were also sad to see it go...But I promised my honey that we will have another boat in a few years and this time it will be the best tricked out Bass Boat of them all...he informed me it will be a Triton!!!

We then went to my Nana's to work in the yard and do some more cleaning...(I have another post in mind about that subject, that is on my "to write" list). Poor Brant was still feeling bad but he went along and slept on the couch. After being there for about 5 hours and dusting almost everything in that house, while the men cut down shrubs and trees, we came home.

By then Brant's fever was a little higher and he was feeling worse. My sister brought me more Tylenol and we kept alternating it. Still the whole time I'm thinking its a virus... That night he woke me up burning up and could barely swallow, so I went into sleep with him for a while (I know he is almost 13, but he is still my baby)and he was just miserable. Around 8 and he was still not feeling any better and his heart was racing, I knew it was more than a virus by then.

There is a new Urgent Care on 466 going toward Target called Paramount Urgent Care. I have been told by a few friends that is was good and boy was it! We were in and out of there in less than an hour. He had strep throat. They ended up giving him 2 shots to speed up the healing. The rest of the day he and I laid around the house, I felt wiped out too, while Larry smoked some ribs on the smoker, what a great man he is. And by the end of the night last night he was feeling better and even ate supper. I kept him home today and maybe tomorrow depending on the white bumps on his tonsils, but so much better than Sunday morning!!!!

I felt horrible about not taking him sooner though, they always tell me its a virus and there is nothing they can do. So this time I was gonna be smart and just save the money...I know I'm not the only one who has ever done that, but it sure makes you feel awful knowing if you would have taken them the day before they wouldn't have gotten so sick.

We didn't get to make it to church and also missed Avery getting baptised. I felt guilty because of my recent revelations and promises to God, but I know he understood and we are planning to go this coming Sunday. I'm just so thankful Brant is feeling better and I have my fingers crossed Cheyenne doesn't come down with it!

Oh and BTW, if you want to rent a cute movie get Baby Mama...it wasn't as funny as I would have thought from the previews. But all in all a really cute movie and it made me laugh!

I Can Feel The Winds of Change Coming!

Not only is summer coming to a close (which makes me sad) because I so love summer time, Fall is defiantly in the air. I can feel it in the mornings when I take the kids to school and late evenings too! It almost makes me want to put out my Fall Decorations, but I'm gonna wait a little longer for that, gonna hang onto summer as long as I can.

It's not only the seasons that I feel are changing, the past week has been on heck of a whirlwind for me. I have had so many emotions. I started this week, feeling like I have hit the lowest of low in my life. I had no direction in which to turn. I honestly felt numb for lack of better terms... Recently we decided that we really needed to find a church and change our lives and the kids for the good... Although I knew all this time we needed too, we just didn't make it top priority ( I know shame on us). So we went to church on Sunday and It was nice. I liked everything about it, Larry & Cheyenne did too. But the strangest thing happened to me when it was over, I felt this total lack of control and I was running scared, not sure what in the world I was feeling, what I was going to do. I had no explanation but "I don't Know". Maybe it was Satan knowing that I was fixing to turn my life back to God and he was putting all of these thoughts in my head. Long story short, I spent the next 2 days, dazed & confused, running basically on auto pilot and then when confronted by Larry, I lost it... I cried until I looked like a I had a bad allergic reaction, I prayed, I talked to a great friend for hours, I went to the cemetery and prayed some more. I finally felt comforted by the words I had read in a devotional bible and my prayers... I decided that whatever is going on I need to "let go and let God". I realized that I had lost all Faith in the Lord and what he can do in not only my life but all of our lives. We all as a family need this not just me. So the rest of the week, I have spent trying to rebuild my faith and trust in the Lord, feeling more confident and blessed for what I do have and not being upset for what I don't. Most importantly trusting that he will reveal to us in his own time his will for our lives.

We also have some other things in the works that I need to leave for a later time until I know for sure, but we are going to take a "Leap of Faith" in the words of Jill (a great friend of mine) and see where it takes us.

One more little thing that came from all this and it took Jill to point it out to me. I also had apprehensions of going to church in a place where people knew me, knew my past and that I have not lived as I should. Which goes way beyond church, I generally didn't want to "run into" anyone who knew me or knew about me that could pass judgment about me, my family or my life... I know it sounds crazy to feel that way, but I did, I have nothing to be ashamed of really, maybe I haven't made all the right choices, Ive been divorced, I have 2 children with 2 different fathers and now I'm remarried to someone who is also divorced... but she told me "I don't see any of that in you, I just wish you could see what others see in you and who you are to others". She let me know that most people don't think of us as we think of ourselves and it made me realize I was passing judgement on myself before anyone else had the chance to think anything about me, good or bad. So I'm also working toward being me and loving me for who I am no matter what others may or not think... Having a low self-esteem is such a big thing to overcome, but I'm working on it!!!!

So there are lots of things changing around here and I will keep you informed as they all take place! I'm really looking forward to these changes in our life, I am confident they are all for the better!!!

Overwhelmed With Thoughts!

The past few days I have had so many things going on in my head. Actually, who am I kidding, I always have alot of thoughts going on in my head! So I thought I would get some of them out in writing so maybe I can make more sense of them. Keep in mind these are my opinions and I do not want to offend anyone on how I feel about certain things.

First, Its wonderful that McCain picked a woman to run for VP with him! I actually thought of voting for Clinton, if she were to make it as the Democrat contender. However, I never cared for Bill Clinton and I am not really into politics and most of it is a joke... But I do feel a woman could do a good job as a President or a VP for many reasons. As to people slamming her for having 5 children, one of which is pregnant at 17 year old and unmarried...WHO CARES!!!! That does not mean that she cant do a good job...no matter how good your morals are and how your raise your children, they will still make mistakes and live there own lives, you cant be with them every second of everyday! I would think less of her if she turned her back on her daughter in her time of need.

Second, little Caylee Anthony and her so called mother Casey... all I want to know is why they keep letting her out of jail... if they keep on with her she will do the same thing Melinda Duckett did and commit suicide, because of the "stress" and no one will ever know the real truth about what happened or where the little one is! She doesnt deserve to be out of jail and they need to find a way to make her talk, I dont feel sorry for her or her parents at this point, I feel there is something just not right with the whole situation... She shows no remorse, no guilt, no emotion what so ever that her daughter is missing... If it were me and I was innocent (BTW the thought of killing my children has never entered my mind, even when they are driving me nuts) I would be beside myself with grief, crying, praying and begging for anyone to help me find my lost child... Casey has never showed any type of emotion in anyway. And don't think for one minute if my Mother or Pop thought I or anyone else hurt one of my children that they wouldnt turn me in... I have already been told they love us kids but if someone hurt their grandchildren, it would be on! Ive been told that a time or two in my life from both of them!

I have several "little projects" I want to do around the house, like clean out my office, organize my scrapbooking things, paint the kitchen, clean out the kids rooms (again)... It is all very overwhelming for me though... I have all good intention, then when I set my mind too it I walk into the room or place Im going to work on the "little project" and I dont know where to start!!!
I look around and think to myself where did all this stuff come from and where am I going to put it. Larry and I are such packrats (me a little more than him) but we both are! My house is not overrun with things, I do not have paths through clutter, but it is just still not the way I would like it to look. I want it to be more organized, neat and clean looking... all I see when I look around is STUFF!!!!! I think to myself I want it all gone, but I just dont know where to begin cleaning it out or where to put it...

One more thing then Im done for now, I promise... I can not for the life of me figure out why some people act and treat people the way they do! Im gonna leave it at that for now, its too long and complicated, but I just want to scream GROW UP!!!!!

Ok, I feel a little better now, maybe I can tackle one of my little projects this weekend! I will let you know!

Parenting is Tough Stuff!

Yesterday Cheyenne and I went to the grocery store and I realized how much I have spoiled my children... which I have been noticing more lately as the money is getting tighter. They dont understand when we say we really dont have the extra money right now. She looked at me yesterday and said "we can never afford anything". Which broke my heart because not too long ago when we did have 2 incomes, we could afford alot more stuff. I call it stuff because most of it was not necessities but wants... Now we have to focus only on necessities and only wants every now and then.

I began to wonder have I done the wrong thing by always giving in to them for thier every little want? As most parents today we want to give our children what we didnt have or make their childhood easier than ours were. But in doing that I feel I have hurt them in some way of not understanding what it means to be said no too. I am the worlds worst at giving in, ask my husband or any of my family... I love them so dearly and just want them to be happy so I say yes or a no can be broken down fairly easily with me...

Most of my reasoning is because I feel sorry for them, they dont have a "normal" childhood with their parents together. They live with me during the week and see their dads every other weekend... I feel bad for what they go through emotionally, since I too lived that way, I know it is hard to live between 2 families and even as an adult now it is hard to juggle the two. So I always of course want to be the good mom so they dont one day say the dreaded words "I want to live with my dad"... I hope it never comes to that, but I have the teenage years coming soon!!!

I know I wont always be the best and here lately I feel more and more like a failure than a good rolemodel to them. In the process of trying to be "the best" mom I can be, I know I have made some bad decisions in the parenting department... So now the question how do I fix this, how do I make them understand that a No is No and I'm not being mean?

Larry & I tell them stories all the time about when we were growing up...you know the ones like we heard from our parents about walking 10 miles in a snow storm...LOL... mostly about that when we went to the store we didnt get everything we asked for and usually we knew better than to ask. That a trip to the mall or a restuarant was maybe once or twice a month not a week! They look at us like we are crazy usually, as Im sure I did at their age too.

With all the technology, the peer pressure, the television shows and advertisements of the kids who have everything how am I supposed to help them understand that just because Hannah Montana has it or your best friend has every video game system made that we really dont need it, we have more than enough, at least in my opinion we do. Being a parent is tough and boy have I grown more respect for mine over the years for all that we did have even when we thought there was never enough!