girls

All posts tagged girls

A Failure to Communicate on Your Part…

Published June 6, 2014 by Angela

…Does not make the situation an emergency to me.

I am constantly asking my girls to let me know things that involve me as soon as they learn about them. I could not even begin to count how many times I find things out, sometimes hours before I am supposed to be somewhere, doing something, that I was unknowingly volunteered for. My payback right after my 16 year old did this to me? I let her know Saturday morning that we had a surprise Birthday party to be at in 3 hours. What was her response?

“I hate finding things out at the last minute!”

WHAT?

So I told her “Surprise!”

Last night at 10 pm, while I am at work, I get a text message from said 16 year old letting me know my 9 year old needs plates and cups for school the next morning.

“For what?” I asked.

“A surprise party.” she texts.

“Was I supposed to be surprised too, because this is the first I have heard about this?” UGH.

So, I get to do my least favorite thing I could possibly do after work. Go to Wal-Mart. There is never, EVER, a good time to be in Wal-Mart.

So as I am rushing through the store, trying to get her the 50 cups and 50 plates she needs (Which all the cups came back and only a couple plates got used; the rest of those came back as well 😦 ) she is ringing my cell off the hook.

“What is the issue?” I asked her.

Her friend was leaving and could I bring the plates and cups to school? Um, no. You do not need to leave for school yet, and if you do not wait, I will not drop them off. Your friend can wait.

So I get home, and she is gone. I call her friends house, and yes indeed, they already left. So like the push-over Mom that I am, I take the damn things to school and track her down, letting her know she is grounded for the weekend. I didn’t want the teachers to have to scramble to come up with plates and cups because my child had an irresponsible moment. I am so glad I completely stressed myself out, so they could use 7 plates.

And how has your Friday been?

What the Heck?

Published June 4, 2014 by Angela

THIRD TRY on posting on this blog…….

Every time I post on this blog, it disappears when I publish it 😦 It does not happen with the 2 other blogs I run from here. I would like to say that I hope the changes WordPress made to their website would eliminate this issue, whatever it is. But since it just happened, again, I will take that as a big fat NO.

So, I am hoping these WordPress changes will not make that book I bought last year on how to use WordPress invalid. Because I was going to read it. This weekend. Really 🙂

School is winding down this week (for my girls, not me) and I hope they can behave as well as they did last year and let me sleep during the day. I also hope they do their chores and help around the house so I can lighten this load on my back a little bit.

6 Month Check-Up

Published May 31, 2014 by Angela

I figured it was time to check back in with my 2014 to-do list, and see where I am at. My original list can be seen here: https://parenthoodandotherhorrorstories.com/2014/01/02/my-2014-to-do-list/

1) Go to church a lot more – I am pretty successful with this one. I don’t miss too often, because I can really tell when I do; my attitude pretty much tanks.

2) Tithe a lot more- Success

3) Stop swearing – doing pretty well. I still swear, but nowhere near as much as I did. I wonder if it counts if I am still thinking the words, and just not saying them?

4) Stop yelling – Better, but I still have my moments

5) Make and take some “me” time – This made me want to cry when I read this. Literally, I felt the tears behind my eyes. This has not happened, and with my kids going non-stop, and me working and going to college, it feels like it is not going to happen anytime soon. I get a 6-week break from college at the end of June, and the girls will be out of school so hopefully I can make this happen!

6) Patience – yeah. Next…

7) Exercise – LOL. Still. Next…

8) Read the Bible – I am up to 1 Samuel. I have gotten through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.

9) Improve my photography skills – I have not had the camera out very much, at all. I am trying to focus on taking it with me when I go somewhere so I have it handy all the time.

10) Allow myself to be happy – I have been feeling kind of crummy for the last couple of months. As the weather gets nicer, my mood gets more crummy. I think it is just all of the running I have been doing, along with school work. I have been Blessed with so much, and have been focusing on Thanking God for that on a daily basis 🙂

Did I Raise Her Too Well?

Published May 21, 2014 by Angela

I was thrilled to hear from my oldest today, who is in South Africa until the middle of June. It seems that she is starting to feel guilty about being there helping one little girl, when she feels like she should be here, helping her three little sisters.

I let her know she has done more than enough for her sisters, and they are my responsibility to be sure all their needs are taken care of and everything is going well with them. I also let her know that she is changing the life of this little girl, likely in many ways she may never even realize. My children have a solid support system, this girl may not.

I hope she stops feeling blue and absorbs and enjoys every single minute with this little girl, her classmates and their students, and this whole once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As I tell her all the time:
“You make my heart smile. Every single day.”

Helping In South Africa

Published May 16, 2014 by Angela

Helping In South Africa

Beyond proud of my oldest for giving her time, for nearly 6 weeks, to take a trip to South Africa with some classmates to help out those in need. I’m sure she got right to it after playing with this adorable lion cub! Words cannot express how much I miss her right now…

Adult Bullies…

Published May 2, 2014 by Angela

…Absolutely infuriate me. How can we expect our children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, friends and relatives to not be bully’s while we are so willing to give them perfect examples of how to do it? I have 2 children who are not allowed on Facebook or any other social media because of getting bullied and harassed.

Yet I witness online on a daily basis, adults being bullied. Whether it is through Facebook, quotes on online news sites, this immediate access we now have has changed us somehow. We no longer feel the need to mind our words, and watch what we say, especially when we are hiding behind a computer screen and no one knows who we are.

What happened to basic respect, being courteous, polite, and keeping your mouth shut? Is whatever it is you need to say going to benefit anyone else, or are you just being a bully? Are you intentionally saying something for the sheer delight of being cruel and getting a complete stranger riled up?

Shame on you! It is time to be good role models, act how we would expect others to act, treat people as you want to be treated.

And if you don’t have anything nice to say, then for Goodness sake, keep your mouth shut!

OK, I am done now!

Have you been bullied online? How did you handle it?

It Never Ends

Published April 29, 2014 by Angela

The bickering, that is. I was blaming the crappy attitudes my girls have on the extra-long winter here in West Michigan.

Boy was I wrong. Even on the sunniest day, Erin and Cassidy will NOT stop bickering. Over the most ridiculous things.

So now I need to blame it on something other than winter, and figure out how to fix it before summer gets here and I have this going on all day long.

Do you got any good tricks for getting your kids to get along?

Be Careful What You Ask For!

Published April 24, 2014 by Angela

For quite some time now, I have been praying for God to please help me with my patience. Okay. My lack of patience, which is generally a horrible problem for me. Most times I can cope fairly well, but when it is bad, it is really, really bad. When I seem to have 10 things to do and only time for 5, or I need to be in more than one place at the same time (this happens so much to me!), I get short on patience and long on anger.

 

Well of course I am going to have situations that test my patience, I keep asking God for just that thing. So since I am fully aware of what is going on, why can’t I deal with it better? Why can’t I take a deep breath, exhale, hold my tongue, and examine the situation for what it is? Take the situation in as a whole, divide it up into pieces, and work on one thing at a time, because that is really all any of us are capable of doing.

 

Instead, I immediately lose my patience, and Lord help anyone who is in the way of my words. I don’t yell or swear, but I certainly do not talk in a calm, helping manner. I feel mean, I feel upset that I can lose my cool that fast. I feel like this major character flaw I have is getting the best of me, at the worst of times. So, what do you do when you get exactly what you ask for?

 

Make the best of it. See it for what it is. An opportunity to improve, grow, change. To be a better you. To show a better you.

 

Don’t ask for something if you are not truly prepared to handle it. I am ready to handle it. In the worst situations, I can be at my best.

What’s Wrong With the Neighbor’s House?

Published April 5, 2014 by Angela

Why do the neighbor kids all feel the need to hang out at my house? Now, I am not complaining, I really just do not know why everyone always seems to gather outside my door? It’s not like I’m serving cookies and milk and having craft-time at my house 🙂 Once in a while, my girls will go elsewhere, but I would certainly rather have my girls at my house so I know what is going on. I am not a big fan of my kids going to someone else’s house all the time.

Do your kids seem to be magnets to all the neighborhood kids as well?