Christmas Cheer

Hello there to all my faithful readers, It's been awhile and I apologize about that, I've been a little busy. Roo and I took a trip to Vegas to celebrate our friends wedding. Roo said we could save up and go back so I'm excited about that cause he said he never wanted to go.
We had an end of the season cheer party, Roo was told he will be on the board next year soooo... I'm looking at another busy season. We had Thanksgiving and now it's time to celebrate Christmas.
So I'm not sure where I left off but we've had a pretty rough year. My Memaw went home to be with family I'm sure she is enjoying playing with my Sophie. It's just been well you know.

Well here it is the tiem that we should all be full of Holly and Jolly and yet more often then not people are full of anger. So I decided that today I will give you a story for some cheer. Like everything I spill here this is absolutely true....well accept for the part where I change the names to protect the innocent.

1st Story
Mom and I went for dinner on one of my days off. We are trying to get ready for the holiday. Anyway we had dinner then went shopping for a bit, On the way back home we stopped cause she wanted to get gas. She handed me her card and asked if I'd pump, "No problem" so I get out and do the good daughter thing and get the gas. Once it's done I put the nozzle back and I get back in the car and we continue or discussion.(Which I can't  remember but I can promise it's not important for this story.) As she was driving and we were talking we heard this "THUMP THUMP THUMP"  "What is that?" mom asked and we kept going then I noticed that in the mirror from the light from the car behind us, what the sound was. "Uh" well insert a different word.
Mom "What?"
Me: Well I know what the thumping is
and I start laugh, mom catches on "Please tell me that's not the gas cap"
Me. OK \
at this point I am almost in tears. See I can be pretty oblivious sometimes and apparently when I got gas I forgot put the gas cap on. It was pretty funny until the car behind us turned and the sound stopped. Then I just was laughing for a different reason. Mom "Tiffany I promise you if that gas cap is not on my car when I drop you off I will take yours off your car and throw it"
Now I'm laughing cause I know this is not an idle threat I'm just praying it will be there.
So mom pulls into my drive way to drop me off and thankfully there it is it got stuck behind the closure. As I laughed now in relief that I would not have to have my car unlocked so we could pop open the gas cap I am now laughing about the hilariousness of it all.
If you don't laugh at this idea of this happening to you at some point then you maybe you'll like the next story

2nd Story
This story is not mine to tell to be honest. I do not know every aspect of the details but what I do know is how this mother felt. This story is sad and still full of the spirit.
Young girl was in a terrible accident with her sister a few weeks ago. She was hurt and was in a comma. This young girl's smile could light up a room and though I only met her once or twice I could tell that she was something special. As she fought for her life her parents fought for just one more moment with her. Something happens when you're a parent and your child is going through this. When her she passed away her parents had to make some decisions and one of those decisions is one that will help heal others. They chose to have her organs donated so that 7 other people could receive a very precious gift.
Like I said this wasn't my story to tell and I don't know all the behind the scenes but as a mother that had to make a choice much like this my heart has been heavy and lightened. It is sad what this family is going through but at the same time they know that their daughter and sister has given assisted with giving the gift of hope to others. And I think that is what makes this story part of my holiday cheer list.

See we forget sometimes that above all else the greatest gifts we can give can be Hope. We give hope for love and for the future. As parents if you look you can see it in their eyes. You can see the wonder and the hope for everything they want. Sometimes we call it dreams but what it really is, what it really Hope and I think the real meaning for Christmas Cheer is Hope.
So lets think about that the next time you want to push, cuss, or just bully someone that you don't know when you don't get your way.

A Ranting Day

Good evening to all my readers out there. I just wanted to drop a line or two and give you some updates on the goings on in my "Happy Little World". This summer has not turned out like I thought it should. It's been filled with ups and downs all the way around and I've wondered how much it affects others.
Mini is doing good though she has her moments that break my heart. Here's my question what do you tell someone that asks if a person cares for them? Or why they don't want her around. Since the day she was born I've always held true to one phrase. "Everyone who knows you loves you, and those that don't just don't know you yet." Sadly the last few months she's been asking this question. And you can only tell her so many times that sometimes people are selfish. I don't understand the way things are right now and I'm sure for those reading this today will read the incoherent babble that seems to be coming out of me today.
I'm one of those that kind of keeps things inside for awhile. I don't really want to tell people what's going on but at the same time I don't understand the choices people make. I don't understand why someone would turn their back on those they claim to love. Why not just be open with whatever is pissing you off and let's get over the crap. I mean lets face it life is too short and people are literally dying off.
Maybe they are so caught up in their delusions that they have begun to believe their own stories. They believe they are not needed in a persons life. The problem is they are missing some of the greatest things of those people. Oh well I'm sure more months of selfish behavior will go by.
Let's face it I'm not perfect but I would cut off my own arm before treating those around me the way we've been treated. I may get mad and snarky and I may tell Roo every bad thing I am think about someone but I get over it. I take a breath and I remind myself that they are still needed some way in my life. I don't run away and shut out those that matter. You only do that for those that don't and if my Mini doesn't matter to you well then I'm sorry for you bad luck. She is greatness. She is amazeballs dipps in awesome-sauce and sprinkled in kindness. She will take over the world and you wont be there to see it. So I will continue to tell her she's loved but I won't hide the fact that these people are selfish and so wrapped up in their own stupid mind of what ever injustice was done to them. I won't hide the fact that sometime they need to learn how to let things go because they are not just hurting themselves but those around them.
Oh well thank you for reading I'll get off the soap box today

Just to say I love you

 Hey there to all my faithful readers.Its funny, every time I get a break in the whole writers block something happens that just takes up all my thoughts. Tonight it is no different. Tonight I'm listening to music and I'm thinking of the past. I'm thinking of a time when I was little and everything seemed simple. Of a time when people took their time to be seen as polite. Mostly I'm thinking about family.
My family like many have gone through highs and lows. Joy and sadness and this past week is no different. So tonight I want to tell you about a woman who meant a lot as I was growing.
See this woman to the left, Her name was Reba Evelyn Ray. Though you would never know her middle name. She was the youngest of 12 kids. She lived in a time that a small town really meant small. She was voted Homecoming Queen, much to her dismay. She always had an encouraging word and could tell you some pretty good stories. I wont get into her private affairs but I can tell you with pride that she loved. Her family was her world and her friends were just as close. Any one who met her always left with a kind word and a smile, though I don't think she realized it. This woman could dazzle you when you got right down to it. And the most special and precious thing about this woman, She was my Memaw. When I was younger my brother and I would go and spend weekends with her. The little things I remember was the way her house always had a faint floral smell, though even that's not the right description but it always went home with me when I left. She always had the best cookies and always kept a can of Ravioli in the pantry, even when I grew up (which is something I won't admit too).She worked hard, she single handedly  raised the woman who would become not only my mom but my best friend. I knew that I could always call her no matter what, even if what to just give into some silliness. It was a comfort to know she was there. She had a full life and though it wasn't always the easiest the point was that she lived. She included her child in some of her adventures and she taught us all that she was the Head of the family. She was beautiful and I think sometimes I took that for granted. I think the stories get jumbled with the memories and I hate that.
Like I said family was important. I am blessed that not only did Boo and I get to have her in our lives, but that our children got to as well. She lit up when you talked about them.

 So after all of this and I'm not even telling some of the stories or memories, mainly because right now I'm a little selfish with them, The reason for this tonight is that I needed to say something. You see, she left us this past week. I guess she decided it was time to go home.And though you tell yourself its better, there is still this part inside that you know your going to be missing.She was one of my avid fans. From the blogs, to the stories to the books. She always encouraged me.She was a rare jewel and I will miss her everyday, though I know she is in good hands, It still doesn't make it easy. Reba "Memaw" Ray you will be missed but I will make you proud. Love you....

Keep on Knocking

Hello there to all my faithful readers, it is I the great and powerful.....well it's me anyway. I hope this week has been treating you well. I have to say that this is the first week in along time that I've felt more like myself. As I sit here in the new land of cubes, I am thinking about the last few weeks and decided it was time to share whats been going on. 1st off I now work with Roo. I've been trying to get this job forever and now that I'm here I have to say I really really like it. My training was good but it was at the end of my training that things have been going downhill. I had a sinus infection a month ago and got that cleared up only to turn around and get another one a few weeks ago. I can honestly say I've seen more of the doctor in the last few weeks then I had in a few years. But with that being said, I'll continue. This time instead of just a sinus infection I also had an ear infection, which means my balance has been suffering as well. Veritgo strikes when I least excpect it. But this is all part of the fact that I was also quickly become dehydrated. So I decided it was time to get off the soda's and start drinking water and gatoraid. So I started cutting down and cutting out. Doc was nice about it he prescribed me steriods to take to help fight the infection. So on the last day of the medicine is when I decided it was time to start knocking on a door that I am really not ready for it to be answered. Last Tuesday I woke up early and was extremely sick. I thought it was just something I ate and had planned to go back to sleep until it was time to go to work. After Roo took the Mini to school he came back home to find me lying on the bathroom floor. It was cool and I just didn't have the energy to move. After I tried to get up I relized that I was hurting everywhere and I couldn't catch my breath. After Roo helped me to get dressed he was going to take me to the hospital when I just couldn't move anymore. He called for 911. When the ambulance got to my house, I remember them asking some questions, I remember them putting me on a board and placing oxygen on me and then I barely remember the bumpy ride to the hospital. I think I may have passed out. Roo said that I was hypertensive. I remember the er providing medicine in order to finally get me to be able to relax. And of course I remember why I like morphine. The ER doc explained that I was in DKA (I believe is what it is called.) I didn't know what that was. I know I was scared and I know I was asleep for the bigger part of the day. Roo didn't know how serious it was at the time either, they said they didn't want to scare us. Well after being told I was going to the ICU and being put on all the fluids I began to get a clearer picture. I worried a few people and we didn't say anything to anyone because again we weren't really sure of the severity of the issue. It turns out that I am still very much the diabetic and the advice from the physician a few years ago that I could stop taking the medication completely since I had lost the weight, should have been questioned alittle more then I did. I guess when you get down to it you can convience yourself your not sick anymore. I know that I need to continue to drink water but can still balance it with other things and of course I should stay away from the gatoraide. Though I was apparently close to death, he polite enough to not answer the door when I began to knock. On the other hand when I did come back to work I learned that he was very possibly out for the evening collecting another soul. (My heart does go out to that family) It's gonna take some work and it's going to be a bit but I will get better completely. I have to much life left to live. So with all that said I guess I'll keep knocking softly and hopefully he will keep ignoring me for awhile longer. later days

Parenting 101-Teaching Social Media

Good day to all my faithful readers, I hope that life has been treating you well at this point. Today I would like to go back to our parenting lessons. After a recent look into the wonderful world of social media I have learned a few things, mainly the fact that we as parents are practically oblivious to not only the outside world but also the social world around us.

As I was looking through Mini's phone (yes she has a phone and yes I do request the privilege of going through it at whatever time I wish to ask) I was scrolling through her Instagram account when I discovered to my astonishment that these young ladies (I do mean young) are once again showing their Mean Girls skills and have brought bullying to a whole new level. I have to give it to my girl, not one of the mean comments or threats where from her. Though the one comment that I did see from her did become an instant learning experience. (I'll get into that in a minute) It was here that I learned that this girls (who by the way are between 8-10) have taken their bullying ways from the playground and the snide remarks in the regular setting and have now began taking their frustrations out over social media. Now, I know that this is truly nothing new as this has been going on for quite sometime, but as our schools are giving our children email addresses and certain responsibilities that go along with this I feel that we, as parents, need also to once again step in and actually do our jobs. Parent.... So with that being said I have once again decided to give a quick Parenting 101 on how to work with your child and the whole Social Media thing.

1) Talk to your child: This is an important one that we all miss as parents. We tend to ignore our kids for various reasons:

    a) we had a long day

    b) we had a bad day

    c) we have other stuff on our minds.

Whatever the reason and those are just three of the more prominent ones. Keeping a line of open communication with our kids will allow for an insight to what is actually going on in their world today. So you may not care that Little Johnny acted out for the 9th time in class, but if you wait you may learn that it was due to something that he may have said and that your child feels that it is questionable. 

2) Expose them to the world: Besides actually treating them like that have something important to tell us (which in their minds they do) we need to allow them to see the world. Now before you flip out please note I am not saying let's take our children on some drunken bender, or introduce them to the more seedy things in life as they are kids and they will of course learn this. What I am suggesting is that you can't hide every bad or negative thing from them. There is such a thing as being too sheltered. I want Mini to be a kid for as long as she can but if she asks those questions or hears those statements I am going to answer.

3) Teach right from wrong: It's silly that I must put this out there, but I'm going to. There is a right and wrong for a reason folks. Teach your kids. Teach them that it is no only in "real-life" but also in the "cyber-world" as well. Teach them early, talk to them often, and show them right way.

4) Be aware: Again the whole point of this post today. Be ware of those that you are allowing your child to follow on any social media. Be aware of those that are following your child. Be aware of whats going on around them. Regardless of what is said, YOU are still their parent. 

5) Once it is out there: This is one of the most important things I think we need to teach our children. Just like gossip, just like normal everyday words. Once it is out there on Social Media there is no going back. A little friend of Mini's placed a picture a cute little kid and said "He asked me out" Mini and this little girl kind of gushed about it for a moment. Then Mini said "OMG she's so gonna Kill you" talking about another little friend. When I read this I immediately called Mini into the room and told her this was what her father and I had been talking about. This conversation had been going on over Instagram. We told her that anyone could see that and though I may have made a big deal about I told her that the "she's gonna kill you" could be considered a threat. Now I know that this was only said as a way of expression and that Mini didn't mean it, she stated that she could just "Delete" it, I took this an opportunity to teach a lesson. So here it is

Take a piece of paper and write the most negative thing you can think of......Now rip it up....

She was confused but she did what I asked. "whats this do?" she asked.

"Absolutely nothing" I told her as we ripped the paper in to a few more small squares. But then I laid some of the pieces down and I said "That was a delete" she still looked confused and then I went on "But tell me even by ripping the paper, did you make it clean? Or is there still writing on it?" 

Mini answered that there was still writing, I nodded and told her "That's exactly what happens with computer and social media, you see just because you wrote it, you sent it and then you thought 'oh no' and you deleted it doesn't mean the damage hasn't already been done. Just like this paper, you wrote it, you saw it, you ripped it up, but it didn't erase the fact that it was still there." 

6) Always learn/teach: We are evolving parents. I am lucky that I did not grow up in a completely digital age. Our pictures of our mistakes were taken on actual film and not plastered all over the internet for all the world to see. I am learning that somethings need to remain private and yet I am able to choose what parts of my life to share. I am teaching my daughter that even as someone as kind  of heart as she is, that even she can make those mistakes. I give her the show of freedom without actually giving her true freedom so that I am able to help her grow and learn. I would rather she learn with me by her side then learn later that it was something she felt that she had to hide. 

Parents, though I believe our teachers have a responsibility to guide and teach our children it is also our responsibility to continue with their lessons. Don't be the parent with the over tight hold on their kids because they wish to shelter them. Be the parent that is moving right along with them. Show them that to have strength and courage you must not only stand up for yourself but also to make the decision to know whats right. Teach your 8-10 that yes there are cuss words in the world and yes they may hear quite a few of them from you, but there is a time and a place for them to be said. And at 8-10 years of age that's not it. This kids are growing up so fast that they are missing out on being kids. 

I know this may anger a few parents but at the same time at least let it open your eyes. I am not a perfect parent. I am guilty of everything I have pointed out. But I make sure that before Mini is allowed to say it, that she has an understanding of what "it" is or means. Because once it comes out of your mouth you have to take ownership of saying. 

Today's lesson was not only on teaching social media but of also teaching ourselves. We have to do better or our worlds will crumble. Don't just preach/teach the values that you want them to learn. Show them. We are, as parents, the first teachers our children have. They watch us, learn from us, mimic us. Be less judging of others and show that everything you want for your child is everything you are truly teaching the. 

Happy Days

Quick Hello

Happy Sunday peeps. I hope that this weekend has been good for you. As most of you know it's been a little drizzly here in Texas. As even more of you know my youngest would have been 3 years old this weekend. Yesterday as a matter of fact.
I got through it, mainly cause I stayed busy, then of course there was the part that I was sick too. My head is so stopped up I really don't have any place for thoughts right now. Of course that's not to say I don't have them. I am still grieving, I am still wondering why, but I still accept that somethings are not meant to be.
So we started a new chapter, we are still in the same place which is good cause Mini did not want to move away. But we were able to get a new home. It's perfect for us and though I've been working quite a bit (I've only actually been in the house 1 full day after being here a week)
The job is going pretty good. It's different that what I thought but so far I do like it. I'm just wondering if this is where I am really meant to be or is this just another stop. Will this be apart of the book of life full time or a small chapter.....
Mini has been doing good. She wants to do another year of cheer. She is struggling with school a little bit this year but she's doing better. I'll have some new pictures of the new house put up soon. I just mainly wanted to touch base
Later days

A Whole New Year

Happy New Years to all my faithful readers, I know its been awhile, just like you know I always come back. So lets get it started. Last year ended with some big changes. I left the land of cubes and started a new job.
Now its been a few months (feels like forever) but my training is almost done. I'm looking forward to the end of training but until then I am just soaking up all the knowledge that I can.
The end of last year also saw us moving. We are in a transition phase right now, a big thank you to my parents, but we are working on getting a new home. It's not something that I have talked about a lot with anyone only because we  wanted to make sure things were going to happen in the right way. Now of course we are playing the waiting game. We ended Christmas in our family last weekend. I got to see both of my little nephews. I can't believe how big they are getting. Mini of course had an awesome Christmas. Once again I want to thank all our family for helping us with this.
Every year I panic, this year was no different even though our big family gift is a house, it's not here yet and well I'm just kind of like....well anyway the point is thank you to everyone for helping make her Christmas great.
So let's kick off the Christmas recap with our yearly visit from that famous Elf on the Shelf Charlie.

This year was a tame compared to last year. Of course with the ending of Sons of Anarchy, Charlie took out some frustrations. He also had a flashback moment to the early years of tv with a Romper Room visit. He was excited that he could see everyone.
Then we went down to Roo's family so that we could spend the holiday with them. Mini loved all the gifts she got this year even though some of them are still packed and boxed up waiting on the new house. One thing we do every year and this year was no different, we got our Christmas pj's. We get them on Christmas eve and usually we watch movies. This year we introduced Mini to the Christmas Story. So the next day she was reminding us that "It will shoot your eye out" it was pretty funny. Santa came and with the knowledge of the big family gift on his mind. He wished Mini a Merry Christmas and gave her what every little girl should have. Yup she got a head. It is like the Barbie heads that we used to decorate and style but this was Monster High. She loved it though she hasn't gotten to play with it to much just yet. All and all I think she had an awesome time. When New Years came it was to me being sick. I know it's a sucky way to end your year but even though we played it low key we are looking forward to this new chapter of our lives.
We are starting this year out with a new house and new job. So I will keep ya'll posted.