I can see you doing the math!

I am 35...

My son is turning 15 this week...

I have been married for 10 years...

I know, the numbers don't add up.
But, add up to what?
Why is everyone so concerned with the numbers?

My backstory is not picture perfect....But I think that it is a sort of fairy tale....

Once upon a time, a pretty little princess was born to a wonderful mother and a doting father. They lived in a great big house in the land of Chalmette and they were very happy. But, someone was jealous of the happy family, so they cast a spell on the new mother. She drifted off to sleep, and never woke up again. They father was very sad, and he found it very hard to raise a baby girl by himself. The baby girl's grandparents thought that she would be better off with them in Florida, but the father would not let his little girl go. He won the battle, but it cost him all of his wealth. He and the baby were forced to move from the big house, to a small one just big enough for 2.
As the baby girl grew, she and her father moved from place to place...never staying in one spot for more than 1 or 2 years. There were also plenty of "new" mothers around trying to help the father raise his little girl, but none could replace the one she lost.
As a young lady, she met a man who she cared for, but she soon found out that he did not care for her. She became pregnant and he vowed never to see her again and never to lay eyes on the child. She was very sad, but she was also very strong. She had been through many hard times before, and she would get through this.
She gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy with magical blue eyes. He could melt even the coldest hearts with one blink of his eyes. He was adored by everyone who met him, and he and his mother lived by themselves for 2 years.
One day, the young lady met a charming young man who she instantly adored. They were able to talk for hours, they made each other laugh, and the minute they said good night, they would immediatly be counting the time until they talked again. He made her feel more special then she had ever felt before. He truly cared for her and her son, so much that he married her and took her son as his own. He lifted them up on his horse, and carried them away to a life filled with love and happiness.
And they all lived happily ever after.

Corny...I know...and to tell you the truth, I couldnt stop thinking about Shrek the whole time I was writing...But I do feel like I have lived a sort of fairy tale life.

So do the math all you want...as my son says.."its not about how you start, its about how you finish!"

judge ye not....

I just recieved an email from a friend that really upset me. This friend, who I know because our kids went to Catholic school together, sent me this email to "warn" me that kids in some highschools were trying to coordinate a "day of silence" to raise awareness about homosexuality and the constant hate and harassment that these children go through daily. If you are a "child of God", wouldnt you want to stop the hate? I believe in God...I believe in, "treat others as yourself", I believe that God made all men in his own image...So why would I not think that a homosexual HUMAN BEING would not be included in that?
Gay people do not choose to be gay, anymore than I chose to be female. They choose whether to live an open lifestyle, or whether to hide. Why do they have to choose that? Because narrow minded, bible thumping, stone throwing bigots make them out to be evil.
Bigotry is the same, whether it is race biased, gender biased, age biased....God's message is love..."Love thy neighbor" ...not "Love thy neighbor, only if they believe and act exactly like you think they should!"

big ego or just cheap?

I cant stand to pay money for something I can do myself! I say this as I wait for my d.i.y. dye job to dry. Am I cheap, or do I just think I can do it better? I think it is 75% ego. I love the satisfaction of knowing (and bragging) that "I did it myself!" I cut my kids' hair, I dye my own hair, I paint my own paintings, do my own floral arrangements, sew my own curtains, make my own homecoming mums (my N.O. peeps wont understand this one)....I first see it as a challenge! Anyone who has ever been shopping with me can testify to the fact that I always say.."I can do that!" and then try it.

The other 25% is definitly that I am cheap. Why pay $50-$80 to get my hair colored when I can do it for $13.99??? Why pay a tailor to hem pants, when I can do it for free? Most people pay for the time that they save....well I have way more time than money.

I always said I wanted to be rich enough to hire people to do things for me...however, there is very little satisfaction in that. Aren't you more impressed if someone did it themselves, than if they hired someone to do it for them?

Maybe its insecurity or maybe it is ego....but I love the feeling I get when someone compliments one of my d.i.y. creations...I do know that it is validation!

is this a milestone?

As a parent, you treasure the milestones your children reach...their first step, their first word, the first day of school, their first crush, their first porn site??????/
Yes it is true, my 14yr old has stumbled upon cyber-porn! The problem is that he keeps on stumbling, even though he knows that we know! Is it some compulsion or just curiosity? When we were his age, you really had to work hard to even get your hands on a faded, wrinkled picture of a playboy centerfold. But now, a few key strokes and you are open to a world of amateur and professional movies from around the globe....for free. (No, I am not telling you the website) I know the curiosity is innocent, but the things that our children are finding are far from it! We put a parental block on the computer, and then he couldnt even get on his own "myspace" page. The only answer is constant supervision and letting them know that the images the are seeing are not real relationships and not real love. You need to interject morality, every chance you get to battle the onslought of the easy-access porn.
Be strong!!!!