My Only Sunshine

Something New

This morning, Bob (my Mother) emailed me a picture that I sent to her a while back and suggested I post it to my blog.  The reason I haven't posted this, and many other pictures, to my blog is because of the quality.  I have a digital SLR (which isn't in great shape, but that's another story) that I love.  I don't take the best pictures but I do try to post good pictures most of the time.  I also have an iPhone that I adore.  I always have it in my pocket and find myself taking quick candid photos with it all the time.  I love that I can catch things as they happen, but I wish they were better photos.

Having said that, the photos I catch with my iPhone are precious to me just like any other photos and I'd like to share them.  So I have decided to start sharing my iPhone photos every week.  Come check in with me on Thursdays and you can see what pics I'm catching on the fly.  Here's the first one.

I came out of Bug's bedroom one day to find the Webkinz queuing up for some kind of big event in Bitty's room.  I never did quite figure out what it was they were in line for and if they needed a ticket.  I can tell you that this line went from Bit's bedroom to the stairs, all the way down the stairs (2 Webkinz per stair) and around the corner.  It then stretched all the way across the den.  Yes, we probably have too many Webkinz.

Do you have camera phone pictures?  I'd love to see them.  What I would really like is to get your camera phone pics to my email so I can post them here and share them with everyone. 

Stir It Up... Little Darlin'

Guess what!  I'm organizing my craft stuff!  Want to see?

Ok, I know what you're thinking, it doesn't look like things are getting MORE organized.  They are though, I promise.  I even have proof.


See all the pretty little brads?  They are all neatly broken up into color families now.  That's a vast improvement over the jumble in the torn up original packaging. Yes I know that the orange ones have the largest area and the smallest number.  I can't help it, I love orange.

While I was cleaning out the cabinets Ty the cat decided I must be doing it just for him.

He climbed in and no matter what I tried I couldn't get him out and keep him out.  I even tried closing him in.  He was just fine with that.  I really like this picture.  It looks like I am a magician and he is my lovely assistant.  The only problem is that now that I have sawed him in half I don't know how to put him back together.  Oh well, that'll teach him for getting into the craft cabinets.

Ty isn't the only one having issues with the organization going on around here.

Bitty had to find a spot between the trash can and the chair covered with markers and staplers to play her DS.  Maybe tomorrow I can get this finished up and she can go back to sitting at the bar in the kitchen.  Right now it is covered with glitter (in their cute little bottles) and hole punches.

Bella cat and I went outside to get away from the screaming of the poor cut in half cat to look at the Lantana.  It's blooming like crazy.

Swinging back the other way

The post before last was all about how totally crazy I am for my kids.  I really really am.  Then I posted about being at a loss for how to deal with Bug and her mood swings and fits.  I got some really good advice from my wonderful readers and things have been better this week.  I do have to admit that Dude and I have been tip toeing around Bug a little because we would rather do anything than set her off again.  We need a break.  Now it's time to swing back the other way because I want to make sure the balance on my blog is right.  My girlies and the most amazing children you can imagine and are happy and well adjusted far more often than they have issues.  Let me show you.

Two months ago, give or take, Bug came home with a folder full of weekly assignments that would lead to a "Brown Bag" presentation for her REACH class.  REACH is the talented and gifted program for our school district and Bug loves it.  They have spent the entire year learning about different people who have influenced our lives.  People like Walt Disney, Nancy Brinker, Eunice Shriver, Mae Jemison, and IM Pei.  The final big project of the year was to be each kid in the class picking a person they hadn't studied and teach the class about them.  They were required to use a brown grocery sack as a visual aid and to write and present a report that was at least 5 minutes long.

Bug chose her favorite artist, Vincent van Gogh, for her report.  She did research, we went on a field trip to the museum to see van Goghs in person, and she painted her own version of Starry Night.

Today she presented her bag and it was amazing.  The teacher asked that they memorize their presentations instead of reading them to the class so they could interact better.  Bug decided not to write a speech to give and memorize but instead to talk about her favorite artist as things came to her.  We helped her figure out what the important topics were so she would make sure she got everything.  She worked off the bag and spoke from her own knowledge of van Gogh.  It was very impressive.

I was so very proud of the poise she showed in doing her project her own way.  She's an artist in her own right and she learned more than I expected her to about her subject.  I learned something too.

My only other comment about her project...  next time I hope she chooses a subject that isn't quite so dark and tragic.


Hey, Happy Earth Day!  Go take a look at my first joint article for Craft Critique.

A tough weekend

It's rare that I look forward to the weekend ending.  I love having time with my husband and Girlies.  This past weekend left me needing a vacation.

Bug is 9 years old and a lovely kid, inside and out.  This weekend it was like she was possessed.  She was angry, frustrated, and impossible to deal with.  I am not at all used to this kind of behavior from her.  I'm not even sure how it started but she got very frustrated with herself over something and would not tell us what was making her so upset.  When she gets very frustrated either she can't or won't find the words she needs to tell us what is wrong or what we can do to help.  This is VERY hard on a Mommy who would do anything to make her kids smile.  Any of you parents out there probably remember what people call "the terrible twos" which is often caused by a child who is developing faster than their ability to communicate.  Toddlers can get very frustrated when they have a point they want to make but nobody can understand them.  This is the same problem I think Bug is having.  She gets upset, frustrated, and angry and it keeps her from being able to work it out at all.  I really don't know what to do to help her.

When Bug gets upset she does things she shouldn't, sometimes even throwing things or hitting herself.  I can't begin to describe how hard that is for me to see.  When she does things like this it compounds things because she feels very bad about what she has done and the cycle starts again.  One of the worst parts of this weekends issues was the fact that it didn't happen if we weren't at home.  On Saturday she was "pitching fits" until we left to go to lunch.  We met my Dad and his wife for lunch and then a little shopping and Bug was her delightful self the entire time.  After getting some new clothes for the girls we headed home and as we pulled into the driveway Bug changed.  She started getting upset and worked up all over again.  It made me want to leave her in the driveway.  I was exhausted and had no idea what else to try.  The rest of the weekend wasn't as bad as Saturday morning, but it wasn't good either.

I'm not writing very well about this.  It's just so hard to put into words the weekend we had.  I'm hoping that we will have a few days away from the torment so that I can come up with some options.  I need something new to try.  If any of you have any ideas, I could really use the help.

Five Things

My friend Donna posted last week about the Five Things she loves about being a Mom.  It was a lovely post about her sweet little B who is 2 and a very precious little handful.  At the end of the post she tagged me to share my five things.  I've been thinking and thinking.  After all that thinking, I realized I could only come up with two things I love about being a Mom.  Those two things are Bug and Bit.  Yes that could be a cop out, but let me explain.

1. Bug - She's the kid who made me a Mom.  I carried her in my body and loved her long before I ever saw her. 

2. Bit - She's the kid who completed my family.  I worked hard to bring her into the world and once she got here I knew that my family was just how I wanted it.

Bug is smart, witty, and so deeply caring that sometimes it hurts her.  Bit is sassy, clever, loving, and totally hilarious.  They both love me, which is the most wonderful feeling I have ever experienced.  I see the world through their eyes and it looks like a more beautiful, fanciful place.  They make me proud for the job I have done being their Mommy and they make me look forward to see where we will go next.

My Girlies are all Five Things I love about being a Mom and so much more.

I'm hoping to find out what these Moms love about being a Mom.
Boogie
The Keyboard Biologist
ScoutJ
The Yarn Harlot
The Purling Pirate

That Face