Disco Fever

Bear went to his very first official school dance. He just went. He had no idea which of his friend would be there. He just wanted to hang out, mingle, and dance, baby!The boy loves to dance and to pose, so he wanted to let ya'll in on some of his moves.

The ever popular Sprinkler.

A new fad called the Jerk. Takes skill and concentration to skip backwards.

The silly Stanky Leg.

He wanted to do the Michael Jackson crotch grab, but changed his mind when I told him it'd cost him $50.

Some things just aren't worth the money.

Let's Talk About Boys

No, not this boy.Or, this one.

And not this fine lad.

I want to talk about this boy. And maybe your boy, too.






I am in the midst of finding a new doctor for Bear. I will never again take him to the one he's had since we've moved here. We all talk about girls' self esteem. But, I think, at times, we forget that boys are just as prone to self doubt as girls.

I am going through that right now. Back to the pediatrician. She messed with my mind. When Bear was a baby, we moved here. We had to leave our beloved pediatrician behind. Try as I might, he just wouldn't move with us. Not knowing anyone, it was luck of the draw.

On our first visit, she mentioned that Bear did not get his height gene from his dad. And she would mention that several times throughout the years. I come from brothers who are well over 6 feet tall. Big D is 6'1". I just assumed Bear would be over six feet. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, I started obsessing. I would compare Bear to other children. I would constantly check his height against that archaic curve chart.

I lost sight of the fact that he was healthy. That he was growing. That he was happy. As soon as I got over myself, I realized that no matter his size, he has a lot going for him. I started noticing that while he's certainly not taller than anyone, he is not, by any means, abnormally short either.

All was right in my world. Then, it happened. We took Bear to the doctor to have his spine checked out for scoliosis. And I'll be danged if the doctor didn't make a comment about his size IN FRONT OF BEAR.

Bear is smart, clever, handsome, charismatic, charming, and everything good. But, sadly, he's also like me. He's a worrier. He takes things to heart. He obsesses. And this doctor sparked something in him that he really hadn't paid attention to before then.

What I used to do, he started doing. The first week of intermediate was rough because he felt so small. He was unable to see that he is right there in the pack. He focused on praying that he'll at least be 5'10". Silly things. Because, again, size does not matter. But, in our society, a tall man gets noticed. Girls, generally speaking, want a man taller than they are.

Then a God thing happened. And I will forever love God for many reasons, but this is right up there. Bear was measured at school. Right now, at age 12, he's three inches shorter at 4'9" than I am. His growth has yet to even begin. And, the kicker. Big D was looking at his passport he had when he was five. It listed his height as 3'8". A couple of days later, Bear found the baseball card of his first year, age 5, in little league. It also listed his height. 3'7". Oh, the joy on his face when he saw that he was only an inch shorter than his daddy at the same age.

I'm not sure how accurate either height was at the time. But, my lips are firmly sealed. And I keep reiterating all Bear's positive attributes. And, how, even if he's only a little bit taller than me, he'll be perfect in God's eyes and some sweet thang's eyes. He'll grow up to be amazing. And I'm going to make sure he believes it in himself.

Who said it's harder to raise girls???

Lady Who Lunches

I love to eat lunch with friends. I used to lament over the fact that by working, I never get to go out to eat with my non-working friends. Then I realized that yeah, I may not be eating yummy food. But, I am eating outside of home and with some ladies who I truly enjoy their company. My partners in crime, my co workers. We vent, we talk, we laugh, and sometimes we cry. It just never lasts nearly long enough!

I do still get together for lunch with the friends I first met when we moved here. Moving to a new place is one of the hardest and scariest things I've done. Once you are an adult, it's hard to make friends. I was a stay at home mom with two very young kids. It was quite lonely. Then Lamb started school.

Her best friend was a demanding sort of girl and she always demanded to her mom that Lamb be invited over. They also used to go to the parks. By these invitations, her mom & I became good friends. Then, the following year, we met another mom.

We would hang out waiting for the bell to let the kids out of school and talk. Then, slowly, the kids started to move on to the next level of their education. First, the twin daughters. Then, Lamb and the daughter of one friend and the son of the other. Bear was next to move on. Now, there is only the youngest son of my friend left.

While one of the ladies and I keep in better contact with each other, the moms have also moved on. The three of us didn't all have kids at the school anymore. I started working full time at the school. One friend started working full time at a library. The kaleidoscope turned.

Even though the three of us don't have that daily connection (& except for Lamb and one of the boys, the kids aren't friends with each other), we try to get together for lunch at least once a season on the weekends. Our families know not to expect us for hours. We met just a couple of weekends ago and sat in the restaurant for 3 hours. We couldn't believe how fast time flew while we sat there and caught up with each other.

I wish we could see each other more often. But, I am thankful that we make time for each other when we can. And I am thankful for the two of them!

Save a Life, Feel Your Boobies

I am very fortunate. Breast cancer does not run in my family. But it does run in the family of many people I love. Bubba's Mom has battled it THREE times and fought like a champion and won. Another friend of mine's mom survived it and now her sister-in-law is battling. I could go on and on.

And I'm well aware that breast cancer in families has to start with someone and that someone could be me.

I am boobylicious. And this summer I also discovered that I am getting quite fibrous. That makes the self check a tad bit more complicated. So my doctor recommended the mammos start a year early. Truly, truly not a big deal. It didn't even hurt.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Ladies, please check your breasts. Get those annual mammograms if it's time. And click the link to help fund those who can't afford one. It's worth double this month. :)

Images courtesy of Google Images

The Old Man, The Diva, and The Stalker

My zoo consists of Tyler J. Woofington III, Professor Fluffykins, and Mr. Squeakers. It's a fun place to visit filled with lots of crazy antics. Some fun, some not so fun.

However, we received a notice from our vet informing us that since Ty is now a senior canine citizen, he now needs a more specialized visit. What? A senior canine citizen???? Then we started to notice little things. Our protector has slowly turned into an old man. He still has a lot of years left, but it is obvious that he isn't the spry pup he once was. :(

Then we have our little diva, Professor Cleo Fluffykins. She's actually older than Ty but she still has quite the spring to her step.

And, finally, Elvis. Little did we know when we named him that it was after Elvis, the later years. For such a large kitty, he has a small, high voice. He's a silent cat, unlike Cleo who is a talker. When he speaks, it sounds like a squeak. All the sweet baby does is eat, sleep, and stalk. He goes "to bed" around 10am and we don't see him again until around 6pm or so. His favorite activity, besides eating, is stalking Cleo or even Ty, sometimes. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for Cleo, he can't jump up to high places. Cleo can with grace and agility. She just smirks down at him.

My zoo. I wouldn't trade any of them and would add more if we had the room, money, & time to raise a new baby!