Operation Birthday 8.0 or {my frogboy baby is not a baby anymore}

Hey Hey Hey!!

Sorry this post is a wee bit hate, but y'all know me and how this caddy girl rolls...

Anywho Operation Birthday 8.0 has commenced (for about two weeks now - I don't the year I've been thinking about it in my head). This year Buckaroo choose Nascar, surprisingly it wasn't Duck Dynasty, more because I think I told him "No more changing your mind, pick a theme and stick to it. Momma needs prep time son" and all the DD theme stuff wasn't out when he choose. Next year I KNOW what will be the them, haha!

Of course it will be City Mouse and City Mouse's wives house, more affectionately known around here as Papa & Gma. I call them city mouse because of the children's book City Mouse and Country Mouse, although they live in the country. We will once again have a swim party, yay for grandparents with swimming pools. He's loves cars, especially race cars which led to his theme choice Nascar.

I've bought the goody bag stuff, which really has NOTHING to do with Nascar, but he liked the stuff so yep, it's what we bought. This year momma bear is getting all fancied up, and the main playing theme throughout will be the checkered flag, the green finish flag and the number 8. The goody bag "pit stop" will have 8 parts. All parts will have a checkered flag numbered 1-8 with 8 being the green finish flag showing them what to do. Station one will be getting the bag, there will be six goody bag fillers stops, and the eighth station will be for them to sticker their bag shut and write their name on the bag.

The food layout will be the same as above except it will be known as "filling station." Station one will be plates, buns will be station 2, condiments are station 3, hotdogs will be station 4, chili is station 5, toppings are station 6, chips are station 7 and drinks are station 8.

The cake will be made by yours truly, I have always baked every birthday cake Buckaroo has every wanted for his birthday. This year he wasn't the Nascar race track, a lot of work but absolutely worth every moment. On  the cake table I want seven different sweets but I can only think of 3, to include the cake. I'm going to have chocolate donuts labeled "Black walls" and powdered donuts labeled "white walls". I thought about something round, maybe gumballs or something, and labeling them "ball bearings".I need a nifty name for the cake and some other sweet stuff. I need a nifty name for the sweet table too!

I've thought about getting some tire floats BUT I worry about that since there will be a large number of kids in the pool. I worry that it will be more trouble and stuff for them to horseplay with. So I will more than likely NOT go with them.

I've also thought about having eight different 'locations' for the event, but I cant think of any. I was thinking gift table #1, goody bag table #2, cake #3, food#4, eating area #5, swimming pool #6, playground #7. I've gone completely BLANK for an eighth!!  If you have ideas PLEASE share them!

Did I mention the party is THIS Saturday, and it's his actual birthday!!

Please send me your ideas!!

Much Luv,
Michelle

Status Report for the !st day of 2nd grade

Alrighty Friends!

So our 1st day back was great! He really likes his teacher, and he was really excited that they played games "that helped us know each other!"

His most excited moment was when he told me that since they are older they get to sit with anyone they want to on Fridays at lunch. He was so happy as his best buddy is in a different class than him, as well as his cub scout mates and friends that we still have 'friend time" (aka play dates BUT he informed me about a year ago that he was too old for playdates) with outside of school since they haven't been in class togather in two years!! We (the other momma and grandma and I) would call them the three musketeers, where one was they all were!

He was a grumpy guss by the end of the day and thus allowed no photos. I can't really blame him, he's up at 7, at school by 8, learning at 8:30, end of school at 4, pick up at 4:15, home at 4:30, ready for football practice at 5, leave for practice at 5:30, actual practice from 6-8, home at 8:20ish, dinner at 8:30 (he refuses to eat before practice and I don't blame him), bath at 9, bed at 9:30. We're trying to fine tune and shave time off somewhere so we can have bed at 9, he's used to being in bed at 8:30. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, competitive sports are grueling!!

But all in all he had a really great first day! I hope everyone else did too!!

I was able to sneak this one in as he didn't know I was taking it, lol!

 He's the green and yellow guy!

 

Much Luv,

Michelle

1st day of 2nd grade or {When and How Did This Happen?}

Morning Friends!

Hope today is a great one for you! It's our first day back to school here, how about y'all?

This morning I woke up wondering how the heck did my sweet baby frogboy become a 2nd grader?! I mean seriously I know it's cliché, but seriously it is going to fast, in 6 days he'll be 8. I suppose I should just be grateful that we decided to hold him back a year because his birthday is so late or I would be here saying the same thing except it would be 3rd grade!!

He was nervous, just like momma and daddy, new things are hard for him. Yes it's the same school, he has some of the same kids, but his best buddy isn't in his class this year and we've been out for two months.

So we took crazy pictures, good pictures and "so us" pictures. We talked about how I knew it was hard, nervous and scary but it WILL get better, soon it will all be gravy.

So here's some pictures from the first day of second grade.

 Cor and momma 2nd grade

 He's all "check it out i'm 2nd grade homies" while I'm all "What the heck?! you're my baby!"

 Me still freaking out, him thinking 'yep my momma's gone off her rocker...again'

 In front of his classroom, he was so sweet letting me walk him to class still!

Buckaroo and his teacher Mrs.Barron, she seems like a sweetheart.

 our "official" 1st day of 2nd grade picture

 but this is really how we roll

 or this....

ok well really like this because he was done with the 1st pix, this was his "i'm done momma."

 

Sweet boy, I just want you to know that Daddy and Momma are so very happy, proud and grateful that we were given you by God to be our sweet baby and to raise. Everything you do brings us joy, while I am sad that the years seem to go to fast I am grateful that they do as that is what you are made for and you give meaning to my life. Thank you for being you and allowing me to be your momma.

 

Much Luv,

Michelle aka Buckaroo's momma

It's ok too.....

Hey Friends!

So to continue on with "What I Learned"  I want to talk about something that has been weighing on my heart a lot since my last post.

I also learned it's ok to be 'weak' and to show it. I think part of being strong is knowing how to acknowledge that weakness. I don't ever want anyone to read that post and be discouraged that they have 'weak' moments, or even weeks, and think they are "wrong".

Friends, I have weak moments, a lot of them. One thing I learned for MYSELF is that I can't let it overwhelm and consume me. Sometimes the littlest of things will get me, some days is the 15 passenger van that I see on the road and it triggers a flood of tears. We talked about getting one of those as we had full intentions of adopting at minimum five kiddos, even more if they ended up with siblings down the road. Sometimes it's just the complete silence of the house when Buckaroo and Papa Bear isn't at home. And others is just the thought of them.

My point is that it is absolutely 100% OKAY to be 'weak' and have those moments.

If you notice every time I use the word weak its got those marks, because in all honesty, I don't think it is being weak. I think it takes a strong person to acknowledge those feelings, work through them, ask for help and to show those feelings.

This is coming from a person that did NOT cry in front of people when I was hurt or hurting. I would sometimes cry when I would be angry, but never when I was hurting, either physically or emotionally. I have no idea why, I just didn't want people to know my 'weak points' and use them against me.

I've learned in admitting my "weakness" I *am* stronger.

Much Luv,
Michelle

GoodWill Treasures

So to try and get back to normal, I'm showing what I purchased at Goodwill or known around here as GW.

We've been wanting to do some stuff around the house and well that takes moolah. Every time I go to a store, thrift or regular (ugh!), I think 'oh, this could get me 1/4 piece of plywood'. Most of the time this leads to me putting a ton of things back, LOL!

This is seriously all that I purchased for 1.5 months!!

 

 

Now, I know my kid needs another book like I need more jewels, but I also think of books like I think of jewels - One can NEVER NEVER N-E-V-A have enough!

 

Buckaroo loves Santa Paws series so I snatch them up whenever I see them.

 

The Berenstein Bears is another favorite and it was the Bear Scout series and since Buckaroo is a cub scout it's a two-fer.

 

The NatGeo book is about traveling in Australia, he has a wide palate for books.

 

The last and greatest is Flyguy - if you have a younger kid you know how much they love Flyguy.

 

All of the books were just $.99, which is higher than normal (usually paperbacks are $.49-$.79) but still much better full price. The Flyguy book was also $.99, but it was hardback, hence I think someone just didn't wanna change out their pricing gun.

 

The little nightlight is a Christmas themed gingerbread house, it was $.99 and worked. I've looked at similar ones before and they run $10-$25, depending on the maker and how intricate. Well this momma don't pay that for a regular light fixture much less a NIGHTLIGHT! I was really happy when I found this and I could actually check it since it had a working bulb.

 

Now I have to really control myself, but I REALLY want shelves in my lower kitchen cabinets. I'm tired of having a cavernous hole where things must be stacked precisely to all fit.

 

You have to check out my sweet blogger turned real life great friend Amy at While Wearing Heels and see her *AH MAY ZING* trench coat she got for $2.50!! I swear I told her that she is lucky I don't live close to her cuz she would be missing some clothes and coats!

 

Much Luv,

Michelle

i *AM* strong

So yesterday I wrote that the main silver lining I learned through our whole experience was that

 

i *AM* strong

 

 

 

I learned I am stronger than my fears.

 

I had so many fears placed in front of me and not only did I over come them I rocked them to next Sunday!

 

I drove the scary medical center and interchanges BY MYSELF (Amy can you believe it?!), which I get hives just riding usually.

 

I took care of a medically fragile child, I used to be 'that mom' the doctor's office talks about.

 

I realized that I can make the hardest decision of my life, and still be OK (this was an us decision but you get what I mean).

 

I let go of dreams that I'd had since I was a little girl, and reshaped them and realized I will survive.

 

I realized that it's ok if my child doesn't like me, I'm his parent first. I worried so much that his disappoint and dislike of me was going to scar him. I realized and embraced the fact that his dislike for me will be momentary, but his lesson learned will be a lifetime.

 

I found out the old saying 'what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger' is 100% true and accurate. One day the sun will have little peaks of rays coming through your haze and you will feel the fog lifting. At that very moment you will realize that saying is true.

 

I let go and let God, this doesn't seem like much but for a type A personality that plans EVERY LITTLE THING DOWN TO A T it's huge, like H-U-G-E huge.

 

I hope the one thing you take away from this post, is that you are so so so so much stronger than you realize and give yourself credit for. Tap into that now, know it and embrace it. For me, this strongness that I know I am capable of IS my new way of life.

 

Much luv,

Michelle

 

 

 

 

 



What have I learned??????

So with everything I go through I try to find that silver lining and knowledge that accompanies EVERY experience.

My self imposed question?

What did I learn?

i *AM* strong

 

 

Come back tomorrow for a deeper discussion.

 

 

Much Luv,

Michelle

PSA's - Read, take what you will and leave the rest

Here are a few things I've learned recently. Please read, think about it, take what you can, use it and leave the rest.

1) Consul with people when they reach out to you. Seriously, you have no idea how much that person needs to know that you don't judge them. Knowing that people are there for you, wether you agree with their decisions is not the issue, it can make such a hard, gut-wrenching decision some what easier. Your lack of response makes that person think a million different things, yes, it really does.

2) Do not change who you are, your personality - NOTHING - about you to try and make the "in" people like you. Yes, I am almost 37 years old, but NOONE likes to be rejected, everyone likes to be liked. Hell we NEED to be liked, it's human nature, BUT if you change yourself, you will regret it knowing that they don't know the real you. And it is ok, more than ok, to not give a damn when they no longer talk to you. I used to smile, but not anymore, and that is absolutely beyond-a-shadow ok. I've even thought about unfriending some of them, but I'm not that ok with not giving a damn.....yet.....

3) The old saying, "Be kind for everyone is fighting some battle." is so so so true. I know in #2 I said it was ok to not give a damn, but it is not ok to be unkind. We are all unkind at some time and point, what I'm saying is be careful be more thoughtful even if you need to stop midstride and reformat.

4) Be more intentional with everything and everyone. Be more intentional in your relationships, give more hugs and luvs. Be more intentional with people, make and keep those plans with friends; QUIT saying you're going to call use that energy and time and just MAKE THE CALL. This last two weeks, I've stopped short when I tell my son "Oh I'll call so and so later and see if we can have a play date." I immediately stop, text or call, and set up something. I've stopped short when I find myself being bitchy, apologize and let go with what ever is causing me to be a bitch.

5) Sometimes what we think is supposed to be our path, well it just isn't. It's hard, my friends, tear your heart out, hurt more than you ever thought it would hard. For some there may be a different path that takes you to the same destination. For others, it might just be the end of the path, the end of a dream. In order for you to live and move forward, you have to accept that.

Please do not think I'm being condescending or better than though, I'm not. These are all things I've learned about myself during this time.

Much Luv
Michelle