Preschool....Here we come!

Today was the little prince's first day of preschool. Wow...preschool, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one (hehe). We've been talking about this all summer long because preparation is key when it comes to this child. So we got prepared by signing him up for summer camp at the same school which went amazingly well. Do I seem surprised? Well, I was - I was completely convinced that he would cry the first three weeks (of a five week camp) and then fall in love. He amazed us all by loving it after just the first week (and an escape from class the first day...Hahahaha).

So here we are, he wakes up and we are ramping it up in our house. Singing how it's "first day of school" and how he will be the special helper - all the things that will get him excited about school and things are looking great! He gets dressed, has breakfast and of course before heading out the door is instructed to smile pretty for all of the first day of school pics. So after the paparazzi moment (lol), with his backpack and lunch box in hand we head to the car to go to school. The whole drive there I'm thinking 'this is great, he's doing so well - this should be a piece of cake'. What in the world is the matter with me? Do I not know who he is??? Of course the moment that I took him to his class he begins to cry uncontrollably, all the while saying "no mommy, I just want to go home". What a heart wrenching moment for any mother that is - while you calmly try to tell them how great school will be and how much fun they are going to have, your child is clamped so tightly to your neck that it can only be described as a "death grip". I give him a kiss and a big hug and leave my crying boy with his teachers and pray for the best. I return three hours later to find that his crying lasted all of 4 minutes (which I hoped would happen) and he was the model student.

Here begins the new phase of our lives.

Natural Hair Journey

Lately I have been thinking about taking the journey back to natural hair. In the late 90's I took the plunge and went natural. My hair was in terrible shape - breakage and shedding that left me feeling like I needed to make a radical change. So I allowed most of the relaxer to grow out, went to my stylist and told her to cut it all off and cut it all off she most certainly did. My hair was so short you couldn't put the smallest curlers in it. Luckily enough for me I have naturally curly hair so having it that short wasn't really a huge issue though it did take time getting used to seeing myself when I looked in the mirror...lol. The plan was to leave it short and natural for a year to give my hair time to recover from the years of damage I had inflicted upon it, but I loved it so much that I left it that way for 7 years!

In 2005 I decided to go back to having relaxed hair. Not because I didn't love the short and natural I had been rockin' for so long but more because I wanted to have more versatility with my hair and the idea of letting it grow longer in it's natural state was more than a little scary for me. So here I am in 2010 with slightly longer than shoulder length hair that I only get touched up ever 4 months and I'm wondering what it would be like to go back to having hair that takes less time to maintain....or does it?

So my research begins. I've been looking at several different websites that carry natural and organic hair products and I must say I am completely overwhelmed by the number of choices. In my previously natural state, I simply washed my hair daily and applied a leave-in conditioner...no combing or brushing necessary but with the length of hair I have now it has become obvious that hair routine simply won't work. After browsing these sites, I've been thinking (not too silently either) that I need a Ph.D. in hair care to figure out what would be best for me. With shampoos, no-poos, organics, protein-free and clarifyers my head is spinning. I don't even know where to begin and the more I read the more confused I become...LOL.

Now the question lingering in my mind is 'how serious am I about going natural?' This decision won't be nearly as easy as it was for me before. Truthfully the more I read the more afraid to make the choice I become. So I continue my research in hopes that I can get a better handle on what might be the best route for me in my journey toward natural hair.

Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July! The boys decided to do fireworks and we watched the neighborhood ones too...that is until the little prince informed me that he was tired and ready to go to bed - LOL.

Hope your 4th was as enjoyable as ours. And let's remember those that are fighting for this freedom that we celebrate every July 4th.

Happy 3rd Birthday Little Prince

I can't believe it but my little guy is THREE YEARS OLD! Where in the world did the time go? With every day and every moment that I spend with him, I am never at a loss on what a miracle his being here truly is. After years of believing that I would never be a mother, God blessed me with the sweetest miracle ever disguised as my little boy.

Today was his birthday party and though mother nature was a pure witch to deliver us almost 100 degree weather (didn't she know his birthday party was in the backyard???), his friends showed up to help him celebrate the occassion. As miserable as it was (and YES, it was miserable) the kids seemed to enjoy the activites that I had planned and thanks to a semi-cool basement to go to after about 35 minutes in the sweltering sun, the remainder of the party was not only pleasant but enjoyable for all.

My big boy had a great time and in the end that's all that really matters. I'm grateful to have met some wonderful families who were willing to brave the elements to come celebrate with us. Now, a 6 month rest before the party planning begins again....wonder what next year will have in store for us. Whatever it is I'm sure I'll be crafting up a storm to make it happen...LOL.


The back of the placemat


The front of the placemat


The microphone cups


The gift bag


The music CD


The notebook & pencil


The red carpet and stage


The craft table


The final craft project

Food for the Soul

We have all faced moments in our lives when the pressure mounts beyond what we feel we can handle, and we find ourselves thinking that we do not have the strength to carry on. Sometimes we have just gotten through a major obstacle or illness only to find another one waiting for us the moment we finally catch our breath. Sometimes we endure one loss after another, wondering when we will get a break from life's troubles. It does not seem fair or right that life should demand more of us when we feel we have given all we can, but sometimes this is the way life works.


When we look back on our lives, we see that we have survived many trials and surmounted many obstacles, often to our own amazement. In each of those instances, we had to break through our ideas about how much we can handle and go deeper into our hidden reserves. The thought that we do not have the strength to handle what is before us can be likened to the hard surface of a frozen lake. It appears to be an impenetrable fact, but when we break through it, we find that a deep well of energy and inspiration was trapped beneath that icy barrier the whole time. Sometimes we break through by cutting a hole into our resistance with our willpower, and sometimes we melt the ice with compassion for our predicament and ourselves. Either way, each time we break through, we reach a new understanding of the strength we store within ourselves.


When we find ourselves up against that frozen barrier of thinking we cannot handle our situation, we may find that the kindest choice is to love ourselves and our resistance too. We can simply accept that we are overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched, and we can offer ourselves loving kindness and compassion. If we can extend to ourselves the unconditional warmth of a mother's love, before we know it, the ice will begin to break.

Preparing for a party

I know that some will think I'm crazy (and perhaps I am...lol) but I begin planning my son's birthday parties 6 months out. Since he's so young he isn't really able to pick his own themes. I, like most parents I guess, pay close attention to who he is and what he's interested in and make the decision from there. This year, his theme will be "music".

Picking this theme was a pretty easy choice since he has been my little maestro since he was a year old. His favorite instrument is the guitar but the drums come in a close second to his first passion. Last year I went with a "cars" theme because he loves those probably as much as he loves music. But this year I wanted something different and something that stood out. So here we are, a week away from the big day and I still have so much left to do. Being the crafty mom that I am, I enjoy "getting my hands dirty" when it comes to planning his party. I always personalize the gift bags for the kids but for the last two years that's all I've had to do since his parties were held at party places. This year the party will be at our home and I will be creating personalized gift bags, personalized place mats, music CD's along with a 'stage' for the kids to have their picture taken on. All of this of course sounded fabulous in theory...now comes the time to turn the dream into reality and I'm starting to feel the magnitude of what I've committed myself to. Yes, some things on the list have been crossed off and though the items that remain are not that life shattering, I still only have one week to pull it all off (wow...just 7 days - OMG!)

I do have to ask myself will it matter in the end if I get it all done? The truth - probably not. I'm throwing a party for a 3 year old and the kids that are coming to help us celebrate range in age from 2 - 5. For them, I'm sure the most important will be the chicken nuggets, cupcakes and any candy they can grab when that pinata breaks. So, I guess I need to just take a deep breath and remember that as long as my baby boy is sharing his special day with mom and dad that's all that really matters...the rest will be a piece of cupcake!

Craft Time

Even though I have been working on the little prince's birthday party, I put those plans on hold this week to do a little crafting. Baby McClary is due in July and I went to the babyshower today. Here are the pics of the gift....



This is the box after I painted it.


The final product.