Manic Monday

Okay so it is Monday and to add to that it is the Monday after spring break. Blah, back to school, back to work, back to a routine. You always get a reality check after a week of no alarm clock. It is an even bigger reality check after a week on a tropical island, it was 34 degrees this morning...34!! Seriously people it is almost April...ahhh!!! So as I was dragging my kids out of bed this morning, and I was literally dragging them, I was thinking okay this is not so bad, I am awake, we can make it. We were on track and then everything fell apart. Gigi didn't get dressed fast enough, the little man was trying to squeeze in 5 minutes of TV watching before we had to leave and I was wondering if we were going to make the bus. Pile in the car, race down the street to the bus stop, we make it. Now I am all alone and on my way to work. Ah, breathe. So I drive to the wrong school, realize it about half way there luckily they are close so no biggie. Here is the kicker, I am so hot I have to crank up the AC. I am thinking I over dressed until I look at the temp on my car thermo. and realize it is 34 out. Okay, did my fever return, no I feel pretty good....hot flash! Are you kidding me?! What the heck? So if you happened to see a 30 something gal driving this morning with the windows down, red face, and singing "Just another Manic Monday" it was probably me. If you have no idea what "Just another Manic Monday" is please keep your prissy comments to yourself. You certainly missed a great decade of music and you are so far from hot flashes that I don't even want to know what you think!

~Scarlett

I know I have been blogging about my kids a lot lately but they have given me so much good material lately that I can hardly resist. Here is a conversation between my gigi and little man in the car. Don't you just get the best conversations in the car?!

I asked my little man why several girls from his class were complaining that he was annoying. He said I don't know. So gigi chimes in, maybe they like you. LM says no they don't crazy girl (yes he calls her that sometimes). So I begin breaking up the fight that is about to start. Then gigi says what do you get all butterflyie (have to put the e sound on the end) when they are around. Lm stop it! I tell gigi we are not talking about people liking each other and you are to young to have boyfriends or girlfriends or to be talking about going out. You can talk about going out when you can actually go out so that is when you can drive a car. We have about 6 years before that will happen. Gigi chimes in again, well I am getting married in 21 years. Okay. So in 20 years I would be 1 year away from getting married so there. WOW! What do you say to that as a mom?

I tell you my kids never leave me empty handed when I need something to post about. I just love to listen to their stories and conversations. Last night while we were in the hot tub gigi was telling me all about Saul. Here is how her story went.

Mom, did you know there was this guy in the Bible named Saul? He went walking downtown looking for a church because he wanted to find some Christians to persecute and you know...cuucck sound (slid her finger across her throat) kill. On his way there was a very bright light so bright that he was blinded. It was God telling him to quit killing Christians. His friends that were with him were so scared. So since he was blind he decided to believe in God. Then the light went away and fish skulls fell out of his eyes and he could see again. So he changed his name to Paul. Well, I think it was Paul or was it Paul first and then Saul. Oh, I can't remember. Any way he changed his name and kept going down the road to gymnastics.

So cute! and yes I told her it was the road to Damascus not gymnastics.

Sweetness...

Okay, you get two posts today. I was just sitting here thinking about my gigi and I thought I would share a little of my world with you. Every day I am amazed at my kids. I love, love, love them even when they drive me nuts. Can't hardly stand to be with out'em. The other day we were in the restroom of a local restaurant (we do our best thinking there). It happens to be decorated in a western theme, cowboys, boots, horses, all the things my little girl loves best. Our chat went something like this:

Me: I bet you like this bathroom with all the horses and cowboys. Are you gonna marry a cowboy one day?

Gigi: Nope, I am gonna marry someone who loves to have lots of animals around and who is not allergic to them.

Me: oh. good plan.

Gigi: I am gonna have horses and chickens and cows and pigs and a chiuaua.

Me: Oh, cowgirls usually have bigger dogs than chiuauas. Your horse could step on it.

Gigi: Cowgirls have chiuauas.

Me: really?

Gigi: yeah, there are lots of cowboys and cowgirls in Mexico and they love chiuauas there.

Me: hmm, good point. I guess you can get a chiuaua and still be a cowgirl.

Live like you were dying...

cuz you are. Pretty profound huh? This week was the wrap up of our 30 days no regrets. I wish I had been better at blogging about it but life just got in the way. That is okay because I have no regrets about not getting around to my computer. I was having to much fun living. I will say as soon as the service at church started this weekend I felt a blog post coming on. It started with the song "live like you were dying" by Tim Mcgraw and the story of Tim Mcgraw's life and how he found his father. He wrote that song after he sat with his father and watched him pass. I began thinking about this past month and all that has happened in my life. I know we all know that some day we will die but I really don't think we think about it much more than that. Oh, when we hear the story on the news of someone dying young or watch our grandparents leave this earth we might think about it a little more. Maybe we hug our kids a little tighter or tell our hubby that we love him a little more but after a few days we are right back in the rut of life taking every day for granted. So how do we keep that passion for life alive, how do we keep our focus on what really matters? In this world it can be hard. When everything around us tells us that it is all about money, power, stuff, status, looks, and who knows what else, it can be very easy to take our eyes off what really matters. So how do I keep focused...a lot of prayer. That is it. Simple huh? Well not really. Despite all my prayers I still get tempted to take my eyes off my goals, to get discouraged, to forget what matters. There are a few things that I have done to help me keep that passion alive. One of the things that I think has changed my life the most is marrying my husband. He has the same passion and goals that I have. Although we are completely different in our thinking we have the same goals. We are passionate about our family and we love to live life to the fullest. I love when we have an opportunity to do something and he says, if you don't do it now you never will. That has pushed me to do things I never would have otherwise. He does the same things with our kids and now I see the passion that they have for life. We have a bucket list and we are checking things off. We both agree that we don't want to look back and have regrets. No regrets about the time we spent at work instead of with our kids, no regrets about putting off vacation, no regrets about not being involved in our church and community. Yeah, I'm tired and sometimes I am over scheduled but it is tired in a good way. I have no regrets and I hope to keep it that way!

Wicked Weekend

Most of you know that I spent the weekend in Portland with some friends. We went to see Wicked. What I was amazed to find out is how many people on facebook probably think I spent the weekend in Portland doing something entirely well, wicked. It is a musical people! and a very good one at that. Loved it and desperately want to take my gigi who saw the program and was very interested. We had to go online and look at pictures of the Broadway show. I had to explain every scene and tell her the entire story. She wants to go now. So I am putting that on my bucket list, that and Thanksgiving weekend in New York and the Macy's day parade! Yep that is going on there too. I would love to tell you all the details of the weekend but that would take a while and you may not understand everything anyway especially if you are male. You know a group of girls, no kids, no responsibilities...fun. We had tons of conversation, well pretty much non stop talking. I think we scared a few waiters...especially Addison... and a few restaurant patrons. Some pretty interesting shopping, downtown Portland has some very eccentric shops and we managed to stay out of trouble which is saying something for some of these girls! So if you ever have the opportunity to spend a little time with all the gals that went you will probably hear some funny stories and you will make some new friends very quickly. These girls are awesome, fun and the best part...they are real!

Chaos

Okay people, if there is still anyone out there, I have about a million little things floating around in my head to blog about. I always seem to think of them when I am driving. Seems like I do a lot of that lately. Burning up the highway between here and basketball or gymnastics or cheer or football or awana or 4-H hmmm, sounds a little busy huh? Well it is, that is why all I can seem to muster lately is the few little lines I squeeze out on my facebook page. I am afraid if I go all deep and dark on facebook some how the few friends I manage to have will unfriend me. So here is my two minute update. More to come on this sad little blog of mine. It is neglected, I know. Oh and by the way, disregard my previous post. It was snowing here today so somehow I think spring is long gone. Blah! Oh and I am off to the #1 unhappiest city tomorrow....Portland. Yep heard that on the radio today. It is the unhappiest city in America. Hopefully I will make it a little happier. 7 girls, no kids, no husbands, Wicked, hotel, shopping, sleeping, eating.....how could that not make it a happier place!

~Scarlett