Man this parenting thing is hard

I volunteer in my daughters’ classrooms on Wednesdays; it is only for an hour but definitely one of the best hours of the week.  I usually am helping the teacher with filing, stapling, whatever work they have for me I am not particular.  I have been volunteering at their school since Kindergarten and every year it is a new adventure, the time is meant to make sure my girls know that I think education is important and that I am there involved and always willing to help.  I get to do whatever task the teachers have for me all the while watching my girls interact in the classroom, with friends and just being whatever grade and age they that particular year.  This year happens to be 3^rd grade, now my 3^rd grade year may have been long ago to some but to me I remember it like yesterday.  That was the year I met the most amazing teacher.  Ms Hansen was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, AMAZING!!!  She was so dedicated to her students her job, she truly loved it and she showed it in every lesson, thought and gesture.  This all leads up to me having high expectations for my daughter’s 3^rd grade year, which has been AMAZING so far, until yesterday.  I was volunteering and at the end of my time it is time for recess for my girls so I usually walk out on to the playground with one of them to find the other one of them to say goodbye and I will see you after work.  Well I walked out on to the playground to find my Kaleigh very upset, like crocodile tears ready to spill over really upset.  I was instantly heartbroken; she explained that her friend that she plays with every day had given her a note stating they were no longer friends.  Why was my first question, had they had an argument?  Nope Kaleigh couldn’t think of any reason for them to not be friends she just said that at the last recess she was being mean to me and then she had her other friend give Kaleigh the note.  Well I read the note it did very simply state in crayon on a corner of black construction paper “Were (I think meaning we’re) no longer friends”.  Ouch, mean and hurtful.  Well I had to go back in to sign out in the volunteer book so I decided to check with her teacher to see if he had witnessed anything that might explain this better to me.  The determination was Kaleigh had said something about her being mean but he didn’t know anything else but he would intervene because there was a note written and that is not a place we need to go.  I was thankful for his ear to listen and his calm approach, I didn’t want the little girl to get in trouble I just wanted to be able to better help Kaleigh work through this situation so she better understood and could learn to handle things like this and be a better person in the end.  I took Kaleigh home after I got off work and we talked some more about it, she started crying and that broke my heart because I knew she was hurt.  Kaleigh is my follower she isn’t as sure of herself as her sister and she goes along with the crowd a little more, but after last night I think, I at least relayed the message that I love her and there is no reason for her ever to put up with someone being mean to her she is a unique and wonderful kid and she should take a chance and try to play with other kids too.  Well I got an email from the teacher this morning stating they appeared to have made up with each other so I hope this is true but I am also hoping it isn’t because Kaleigh gave in and went along with the crowd.  Man this parenting thing is hard.

Check out a Few...

Here are some blog posts that have caught my eye over the last week I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

The Bloggess

The Mommy Blog

My Mommy's Place

Girly-Girl

What is your favorite girly-girl thing to do?

This was a question I had to answer to enter a giveaway.  It is a great question for any woman but I read it and immediately the mom in me came out and I was like oh I know I know like a kindergartener with their hand waving wildly in the air.  I have two little tomboys if you know my twins they are their daddy’s girls for sure.  While most of the time I am thankful that my husband has such a great relationship with his daughters I am other times jealous and feel a little left out of this specialness they share.  My girls would rather be outside on any given day and the task at hand can be anything as long as it isn’t sunbathing J.  They love to ride dirt bikes, play monkey in the middle, toss a football, bait a hook, or anything else that their daddy might be doing and I mean that they have been known to ditch a trip to town with me to stay home and help their dad with any task such as fencing in the dog kennel or moving sandbags.  I love them so much and I really do on most days love the relationship between them and their daddy but I am human and I have my days where nothing would please me more than them picking me and going shopping. J  What is even funnier about this that their daddy knows this and sometimes will help me out a little and tell them that he is leaving and that they had better go and help me, God Bless that man he truly loves me.  Well onto the question at hand, my favorite girly-girl thing to do with my girls is nail painting parties.  Oh yes even the most rugged tomboys like to have their fingernails and toenails painted and it turns into a party when you have more than one person!!  So into the master bath we trudge to sit on the cold linoleum and pull out the tub of paints, files, and decals and we make our nails all beautiful.  If you ever walk into my master bath and look at the floor you will know why there is linoleum in there because there is some gold, silver, pink and many other colors of drops of fingernail polish on the floor from a couple of oops and oh my gosh are their fingers under that color moments.  But even though I have made a couple of late night runs to the store for more polish remover and I have definitely freaked out a couple of times at the mixture of paints happening.  I love every memory we make sitting on that floor making rainbows on our fingers and laughing because daddy stays far far away from there for fear he will get trapped into some finger painting of his own J  

Kindsight

Had to share this today. Saw it on a friends Facebook wall and loved it.

Quoting

Nope I didn't forget to post just having a hard time finding inspiration. So here is a quote that I came across that I love.

    Never Mistake my Kindness for Weakness.

Understand my Ability to Overlook Things is not Ignorance.

Have no Doubt, Know that when I've had Enough!

I'm Done!

Forever Friends

We are missing a member, I know there is a picture with all 8 of us somewhere I will find it.

FOREVER FRIENDS

By: Anonymous

We're joined in a friendship
That time cannot sever
With bonds we have built
We'll remain friends forever

We're welded in spirit
Attached by our hearts
And fused by the feelings
That friendship emparts

We're tied by emotions
Connected by dreams
Reinforced by our hopes
Unified by extremes

No longer a function
of time or of space
Our love is a substance
That life won't replace

No matter how distant
We'll always endeavor
To sense the full meaning
of Friendship Forever



We look so good for this year :)



9 Years

2 Weeks Old

My babies are 9 years old this year, YIKES, and double YIKES.  I can’t believe it has been 9 years, I want to cry (more like sob), smile, rejoice, I am just overcome with emotions at this thought it makes me so sad and so happy all at the same time.  How is it that the last 9 years have  escaped me, I feel like I missed it, I know I was there but I don’t feel like it has been 9 years and I want to go back and start over to do all the things I said I would and just savor it more.  I love my girls, I know I did my best at any given moment but I feel like because there were two of them I may have rushed things or maybe just survived some things instead of really enjoying them.  And as I watch my girls and how much they have grown I hope and pray I am doing a good job and they will survive middle school and high school and life in general.  That they won’t be teased and picked on and that they will stick up for others and not tease and pick on other kids.  That life won’t necessarily be easy but that it won’t be so hard that they forget to enjoy it.  I hope we have been teaching them right and wrong and independence and self reliance and all those other things that I wanted and want them to learn.  9 years gone already where did the time go and how do I get it back.  Because although I wished for them to walk and talk and grow and learn, I wish there was a reverse button so I could go back and enjoy the cuddling of two babies again. (Sigh)



3rd Graders!!



Like Mother, Like Father

So my prompt for today is who are you more like your mom or your dad?

I am not really sure I think I am a happy sprinkling of both. I am me that is for sure what that entails is a whole lot of different things. I am loud, talkative, yet quiet and reserved. I love doing stuff with my family but am nervous to try new things. I am a loyal friend and great supporter. I love unconditionally and trust the same way however if you break that it will be a fight for me to give those two things back. I am once broken forever cracked. I love reading, art projects, scrapbooking and working out. I love being outside and I even love mowing the lawn. I love that although it is taking time my yard that was once a field is starting to look like a yard beautiful with trees and grass and even a couple of apples. I love watching my girls enjoy the beauty that is outside the space that they get to call theirs. Riding their bikes, digging, building, swinging and all the rest they have plenty of room to roam and that is how it should be. I guess it is safe to say I am just me I try to find pleasure in all the small things and enjoy every day I try to not hold grudges and I try to treat every one the same because I don't know what others are going thru in their own lives.
To answer the question who am I more like I would say both of my parents because I think I got the best part of both I am independent yet love spending time with my family and living in another state let alone city would be terrible. I am me and that is a great feeling.

5 Moments in Time

So I learned it is National Blog Post Month, and I decided to sign up for the adventure. I normally have lots to say but today not so much so I am using the prompt for today.

If your life flashed before your eyes, what are 5 moments you know would be included?

My 5 Moments would be (in no particular order)...

1. The day my husband proposed. I never in a million years thought he would actually do it, so it was a total shock and very romantic for him. We dated for 8 years before he asked!!

2. The day my girls were born, I know if you have kids you probably said this too, but that was a profound moment in my life, the look on my husbands face I can still see as if the moment is happening all over in front of my eyes. I love that day.

3. The day I graduated high school. Not sure why this day but it came to mind it was a great day all around, so many friends and family, parties to go to, lots happening. I can still feel the excitement the anticipation.

4. The day my grandmother passed away.  Not a happy day at all, but it is definately a day that sticks in my mind. I still remember being in the Dairy Queen Drive thru with my mom and girls in the car, the lady on the phone stated that we needed to head up to the nursing home because it wasn't going to be much longer. Although this wasn't a happy day it was a day of relief.  My grandmother fought in the war, she was a strong stubborn woman and I loved her greatly, but she had Alzheimers and watching her deteriorate was devastating.  Knowing that she was no longer going to be suffering and would be back with my grandpa was a relief.

5. My girls first day of Kindergarten.  This still makes me cry, they are growing at such an alarming speed. Kaleigh won't kiss me good-bye anymore at school just a hug and a quick one at that. Lauryn still gives me a hug and a kiss, I think God knows I still need one of them to do that. I am not ready to let go and thankfully I don't have to just yet but every year they get so much more independent and it breaks my heart that they don't need me for things all the time.

All of these are great memories I hope I never forget.

Art for Wounded Warriors

I just read this on a fellow bloggers blog and had to share. What a wonderful idea!!

http://mymarineandme.blogspot.com/2011/10/art-for-wounded-warriors.html

We are so DONE (Late Post, Very Late)

Time to let out a sigh of relief, it is DONE!!!

Ok so when the race season starts up I am excited and when the race season ends I am excited, and usually I am equally excited for both, however this race season has seemed very long and this mama/wife needs a break.  A break from the list making, list following, packing of gear, packing of camper, packing of kids (because although they pack their own stuff I have to make them a list to work off of), and a break from all the work racing really is when you are a race mama.  There was a lot of fun had this summer, and great friends and memories made but I need the fall and winter months to come. The slower pace that the cooler weather brings, where I clean house on a Saturday and Sunday we (rather I) watch Lifetime Network movies and football and eat something delicious out of the Crockpot.  I long for sweaters, thick socks and warm blankets.  I love fall and winter even too, but mostly fall.  So a little recap on this weekend because not only was it the last race of the season but it also marked a great day in my history.

To start our weekend adventure Billings Montana was our destination and with two little girls who are impatient and want to see their friends and get out of the truck already it was a long four plus hours, as there were potty breaks.  But we got there Saturday night around a quarter to five and as a surprise for the girls dropped them off with Papa who was staying at the Bighorn Hotel.  He had planned this drop off and took the girls to The Reef for a couple of hours and then to dinner at Burger King.  Oh yeah you could easily say Papa and Nana rock!!  While the girls were soaking up the water and fun Shane and I set up the camper, unloaded dirt bikes, walked the track, got everyone signed up to race the next day with check cards taped on to helmets and then I did a quick change and it was off to dinner for us.  Because the other important part of this weekend was that Sunday was our 2 year anniversary.  Oh yes people we made it 2 years, and we are a month shy of being together for 11 years!!!  We tried to get into a little Italian place we keep seeing but the line was out the door so far there were people sitting in the grass lounging and I was starving here so that was not happening.  Next stop Outback, I know some of you are thinking that is not a romantic dinner, but I didn’t need romance at that moment I needed food, and my only conditions were good food, and some place we don’t have in Helena, Outback fit the bill perfectly.  We got a buzzer thing because the wait was 20-25 minutes and headed to the bar to have a drink.  Oh yeah we are romantic I know, while sitting there the very nice bartender asks us if we are eating or waiting for a table, I almost attacked him at the thought of food, and told Shane we could eat at the bar that was fine with me.  It was delicious food, great company and I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary dinner.  I will mention before we left Helena my hubby surprised me with roses so I was already in dreamland as he doesn’t get me flowers very often and when he does they are gorgeous and well thought and planned out flowers.  Also he gave me a card Sunday morning that still melts my heart when I think about it.  After dinner back to the track to get two little munchkins and ourselves off to bed as it was race time in the morning. 

Race number one was the girls, and they did pretty well on a hard track, 7^th for Kaleigh and 9^th for Lauryn, the track had been groomed and was well soft and wonderful for big bikes but was swallowing the little bikes, oh well they had so much fun and there were no major injuries.  Lauryn had to finish in front of one little girl and was looking like she was going to do just that when she wrecked and the little girl got by her.  They got to the finish line and the mom of the other little girl looked at Lauryn and said that was a terrible way for her to beat you and Lauryn looked at her put her hands in the air and said That’s ok we all had fun.  I have been a beaming proud mom before but I am pretty sure my chest filled with pride at how big Lauryn was at that moment.  She was so confident and sure of herself and there were no underlying hard feelings she truly was ok with losing that one and was just happy to have raced and had a good time and she was sure her fellow competitors felt the same way it was amazing.  Next up was daddy, and he got the tough course, but he had a great time, he ran over a snake and took a couple of spills but no major injuries and he ended up in 7^th.  Another race completed and the end to a season.  The end of the year awards ceremony was after the races so we decided to stay the night and save ourselves the long drive home tired and worn out.  Kaleigh took 3^rd in the 50cc class the top ranking girl, Lauryn took 5^th in the 50cc class and that made 3 girls in the top 5, I couldn’t be more proud.  Shane took 5^th in the Open A and was very happy about that finish.  We had a nice dinner at the track a potluck and got to hang out with our friends for the last time for the race season.  It is always bitter sweet saying goodbye after you have seen each other at least once a month, and your kids have been hanging out staying at each other’s campers and getting into mischief together.  So while I am glad some the traveling is done I hope that we can get together over the winter maybe for some skiing and catch up. 

Bring on the sweaters and slower pace, this race mama is ready!!