Mother & Daughter

Sweet mommy! She is undergoing chemotherapy, so we went with her to get her head sheared today. She was so strong and didn't cry while we were there. I think she looks marvelous!

There are more photos of her haircut here in my Flickr Photos.

Chalk it up to heredity

I suppose our child is destined to become a very creative individual. I mean, it's in her genes. Her father and I are both artistic. She sees me creating things almost every day. We look at my friend's Flickr photos together sometimes, so she sees other people's creativity as well.

She asked me for some bread this morning so she could use her cookie cutters. I walk in the dining room to find these sitting on the table:





She loves playing with the little felt strawberries that I got for her in a Craftster.org swap.

Maybe she'll end up being the pastry chef that I always wanted to be! Who knows. Whatever she does, I know she'll be great at it.

Later!
RM

Check your local LISThings.

So...here's a list of things that make me sad, each followed by something to be grateful for. (I like to try to end on a good note most of the time.)

1. I got a sunburn last week and I'm starting to peel. However, I have really great memories of the time I had with my daughter at the pool while I was getting the sunburn.

2. I skipped lunch and it's too close to dinner to eat now. However, my husband is taking me out on the town tonight while my daughter sleeps over at my In-Laws. Woo-hoo!

3. My mom has Stage 3 Cancer. However, she is such a young, strong, positive soul that she ends up encouraging me every time I talk with her.

4. I feel like I have a million things to do and I'm too overwhelmed to do them. However, I know my daughter won't be this little forever and it will get easier as time goes on and she starts school...so I will just enjoy every minute of her childhood.

5. My step-son is now 13 and it's hard to watch him make mistakes. However, he really is a good kid at heart and I believe he will always learn from the mistakes that he makes.

6. I miss my far-away family. However, I'm glad that I'm an independent and capable woman.

Okay...that's enough for today. Lists are fun. More to come later.

RecycleMicol

What a day!

Well...here is our precious darling before the dentist visit this morning:
















And $5 grand later:














Needless to say...as parents, we're both exhausted by the whole proceedure. Sixteen cavities taken care of at once. Multiple caps, crowns, nerve treatments and extractions.

My advice, with one heck of an experience to back me up, is...take the kids to the dentist within the first month of the first tooth like the books say! FORCE them to let you brush their teeth if you have to...don't let them brush on their own and finally, help them floss like there is no tomorrow!

Stay away from sticky sweets like gummy snacks (worms, bears, jelly beans, etc.) caramel and fruit roll-ups unless they brush and floss immediately afterwards. Soft drinks corrode the enamel very quickly as well.

All stuff that we should have known, but unfortunately ignored in the past. Not anymore!!! So...parents, consider yourself officially warned.

RM

Godly Right?

This is usually a light-hearted blog, but I may make a few folks mad here.

People...please understand that young, impressionable children hear the lyrics in music and it often effects their belief system. Believe me, I know. I grew up listening to secular-turned-Christian music star, Gary S. Paxton. As one of his titles read, "Terminally Weird, but Godly Right"

I will say that I have gotten some good from hearing his records. I have always loved his song Whiskey Wet, for instance because I can really hear the honest angst in his voice and he is speaking in the first person about his regrets.

This is not really a 'Gary-bashing' post. However, Paxton fans will probably not approve of this post, either. Hey, I'll admit...there are several songs of his that I do still like for nostalgia's sake, but others that I would certainly not want my children to accept as the Gospel truth, or "Godly Right". I'm just saying that kids are so impressionable and I see the wisdom in teaching them to be more open-minded and kindhearted, rather than cynical and sarcastic.

So, if you've developed a multi-phobic, hypocritical, judgmental, intolerant, fault-finding, condemning personality, finding it hard to pinpoint the cause, and realize that you grew up listening to these albums as I did, just bring copies of Gary's records to a good licensed counselor. It should clear up a lot of confusion. Ha-ha!

For reference,THIS site has quite a few of his songs, in their entirety, in streaming audio. Click on all of the pages to see the whole list. His Christian music discography is HERE, along with excerpts of all his songs.

By the way, I don't blame you too much for playing those records, Dad. You were an awfully strange hippie in those days too, after all. Ha-ha.

Later!

RM

Lizzie's Bird's Nest

Lizzie's Bird's Nest
Originally uploaded by RecycleMicol

I opened the blinds in the kitchen this morning while Lizzie was eating her breakfast and in our usual manner we said together,

"Good morning Mr. Sun!"

Today Lizzie made a very thoughtful observation and added,

"He always wears the same thing every day."

Daughter Days

Micol & Lizzie February 2008
Originally uploaded by RecycleMicol

Here we are...sharing a Big Red in a local diner. They have left the soda fountain and interior pretty much as it was back when our town was young.

The photo was taken last February by my Mom. I just thought it was a really cute shot!