No Guilt Here!

I tried before, but couldn't go through with it! I felt too bad for the kids. It's not right to make a bond, and then just rip it apart. That's what I thought about giving our little Maltese away. When we got her, she was pretty good, but just like with my children, we transformed this dog into not such a good one. She was peeing all over the rug, barking every time the door rang, jumping on everyone that came to the door, and licking my legs constantly. I was reaching my limit. About a month ago, my niece was going to take Lexi home with her, but the boys were so sad about it, it broke my heart. So, I backed out, and I felt really bad for my niece Ashlee, but I felt like a horrible Mother taking their pet away from them. Anyways, after washing the rug for the millionth time, I begged for Scott to find a new house for her. A lady from his work really wanted her. So, last night, without telling the boys, Scott took Lexi and gave her to this lady. My children went through the rest of the night, this morning, and now this afternoon without even notice Lexi is gone. They don't even realize that we no longer have this pet anymore, and it's not like she was low profile. Like I said, she ran up to everyone that walked in....the kids had to change her pee pads, pick up her poop, fill her dish with food, etc. So, needless to say, I am feeling no guilt for getting rid of her! Scott and I are going to see how long it takes for these boys to even notice. It really cracks me up that I actually was feeling bad for these people! I guess I'm not the only one that does not love dogs.

I also don't feel guilty about dropping my precious children off at school today, and heading for the beach. It was perfect! I actually got a little burnt, and it's kind of nice to have a little more sun on my fading skin. It was really nice going with only 1 of the 5 boys. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the beach with my kids, but I got to park for free, carry one chair and light bag, and keep an eye on KC. There were no fights to break up....very peaceful. I went with some friends from the ward. I told Pam, aka "The Kid Whisperer" that it would be nice for her since Charlie wouldn't be all over her.....this is what Pam gets when she goes to the beach with us.....

Unfortunately, for Pam, it seems that KC has the same affection for her that Charlie does, and was on her for the most part of the day.....sorry Pam! Anyways, it was a fun day, and really nice! We will definitely have to do it again.

I understand that I am not the most normal Mom in the world.....let alone normal person in the world. Anyways, if you know me, you know I love my food, and have a fear of not having a food accessible when I am craving it. So, I keep a lot of yummy snacks on hand. I would think that my kids would appreciate it, and I think they do, but they actually crave healthy food, which is great, just kind of foreign to me. Here are a couple of examples.....when I take the kids to the beach, my staples are licorice, chips, and oreos. My poor children beg everyone for their grapes, apples, melons, etc. Charlie was heard saying, "Mom, why do you always bring junk, we need healthy food!" So, when they started school, I always put at least one serving of fruit in it. For some reason I didn't have any fresh fruit on hand and ended up giving them all processed stuff. Charlie told me that day that he traded his chips for some kid's apple......how pathetic am I! I know, loser Mom. So, I learned my lesson!

Goodbye Summer

I had it all planned out. Get all of the school preparations out of the way so we could get as much beach time/fun time as possible before school had to start. School started on a Wednesday this year, so we were going to take the boat out Monday, and say our goodbyes to the beach on Tuesday. Things sometimes don't work out as planned. The Thursday before, we went to the beach (of course). When we got home, I found out that my sweet Grandma had passed. I knew Grandma (Grammy as I called her) was not doing well, and was suffering greatly from Parkinson's. She had a calm passing, as my grandfather was putting her in bed for a nap, she gently laid her head back and took her last breath. I did not think I would be as sad as I have been. Sad, just because I miss her. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but she is the best Grandma EVER, and I am not sure what I did so great to be rewarded with her! I can not recall one time I heard her raise her voice (a trait I did not get from her). I remember when I was little and would get in trouble by my mom, I would cry for my grandma. I know my grammy has always loved me, she showed me constantly, and I could feel it all the time. Here are some of my fun memories with my sweet grammy.You can tell by this next picture that she didn't love the style I gave her, but I remember being so proud of it, and she acted like it was great!Here is a copy of a paper I had to write in Middle School. I think the topic was "Who Do You Admire?" My paper was about my grandma.Here is a picture of her doing my Jane Fonda workout video with me....
Grandma loved to play the piano, and one of my favorite things to do with her was to sing while she played.....one of my most favorite memories......
I had no idea that this picture was taken, or that she had done this. I was probably about 15 or so, and there she is "loving me"....typical....So, instead of going to the lake and beach, we packed the car and headed to Orem, Utah. I was grateful that Scott could take the time off of work and take us. Grandma's funeral was very nice, and you could tell that she made friends easily. Here is a picture before the funeral with one of Grandma's paintings (another talent I did not receive from her), some of her pictures, and a huge bowl of cinnamon bears, her favorite...... The next picture is of my mom, her brother, some guy (I have no idea who he is) and two of my Grandma's sisters......Grandma looks an awful lot like both of them, so when I saw them at the funeral, it was like seeing my grandma, they are beautiful women with gorgeous skin (hoping I get that!)
The song that I have on my playlist right now is a song that my grandma listened to over and over again on the busride she took to marry my grandfather (he was in the military during the war, and she had to travel to him) . It is called "Sentimental Journey", and I got to play it on the piano as they took her casket out of the chapel. Even though I had not visited Grandma for a while, I miss her everyday, and can't wait until we hug again.


I forgot to mention that Grandma is 1 of 11 children, many of her siblings have already left this earth, and I know their reunion was very sweet!