Please Don't Take Me Seriously

     Earlier today one of my daughters and I were at Costco eating churros(not me, though, I'm following my diet very carefully) and drinking a latte mocha freeze (a diet coke for me, however).She mentions that one of her friends has not had "The Talk" yet with her mother. This piques my attention. I respond: "I haven't had 'The Talk' with you, either." "Yes you have." "I have?! When!?" "Like at the breakfast table when I was seven. And you gave me a book !" "Really?!" I burst out laughing. "What did I say?" "Oh you know, just all that stuff" was her curt, wave-of-the-hand response.      So we proceeded to talk about "all that stuff" somewhat and about my approach to "The Talk." My first thought, though, was what kind of mother am I that I didn't even KNOW that I had "The Talk" with my second-born daughter? Yikes! As I thought more about it I...

     I arrived home just minutes ago from an overnight getaway by myself that Tim kindly encouraged me to take. Thank  you, Tim! As I walked through the front door I started laughing. The house was a real d*i*s*a*s*t*e*r. Lights were left on, the fan was on, clothes were all over the living and dining room floor, but there was a game of Twister on the floor that hasn't been out for years. And a load of laundry running in the washing machine. Good for Tim.           I arrived, of course, to an empty home. On purpose. I had to ease back into being at home after having been gone for about 30 hours. I so enjoyed the peace and quiet. Tim is teaching my Spanish class at our home school co-op classes at church right now. He's never had my job for a whole, uninterrupted 30 hours before. The look of relief on his face when he sees I'm home a little early will be p*r*i*c*e*l*e*s*s. Later on, we're all going to my Dad's for dinner....

     My enthusiasm for losing weight at the beginning of December was derailed. In fact, after learning how to make yeast breads, I gained weight! I was dismayed at how heavy I had become and how I have stayed at that weight. I still enjoy making tasty, nutritious bread for my family and friends, but I need to figure out how to acquire more self-control when that bread is baking and I have to take it from the oven piping hot and fresh. Yep - a real challenge, but not beyond my determination to figure out how to manage this new temptation.      In reality, I hate talking about weight loss, diets, body issues, etc. REALLY HATE IT. My weight has fluctuated so much throughout my life and is such a source of discouragement that I tend to avoid the topic all together. Writing about it seems easier.      So, I've come to the conclusion that I am a statistical norm. And statistically speaking, people who lose weight and keep it off ...

Elena had fun at her concert last night. So, tonight was another concert that I took her, Camille, and their friend Madeline to at the Roxy in West Hollywood. This is not a place I usually frequent (ever), but I was going to support some boys from church, The Graves, (check out this song - it's so catchy!) who were playing in front of some record executives. The bigger the crowd, the more impressive for the record executives. I've known these boys since they were babies, the twins, Chris and Kevin, and then their younger brother, Sean, since before he was born. So, I was happy to go and see them in concert. They had some really fun, entertaining songs. They have an engaging sound and Sean, as lead singer, has a dynamic stage presence. I was enjoying myself  - and then I went to the bathroom. I was standing in front of the sink in the tiny, dirty, ugly bathroom reapplying lip gloss when these two older teenage-looking girls walk in. The one girl went into the stall while th...

She just called me from the Fox Theater in Pomona to say that her cell phone didn't charge properly and that she might need to use her friend's cell phone later to check in with me. "No problem, " I say as I tell her to have a fun time. Before she left earlier I got a little nervous about this band she was going to see with a 21 year old friend and two of her best friends. This is the extent of the drug "education" I have given my eldest daughter:  "Don't do drugs, OK?" She looks at me with her classic Give me a break, Mom look and I smile at her.   "Don't talk to strange boys, either, OK? I mean, don't be rude, but you don't have to be that friendly either, OK?" And again, Give me a break, Mom . "And don't go to the bathroom by yourself. Go with one of your friends, OK?" "I will Mom."      Can you feel my worry? My fear? My anxiety? I didn't think so. It's not really there. Not much, that...

     Really, though, I have very little to say these days in the blogosphere. Easter was lovely. My big crowd was a little smaller than I originally expected - about 21 or so people. It was enjoyable spending time with my stepbrother Ethan's wife Ashley. They had their 5th baby about 4 months ago and she is adorable. Of course, I love talking about child birth stories and we did! Her last labor was surprisingly more difficult than she had anticipated. " Um, yeah, sometimes that happens ..." At any rate,  I gave her some suggestions for avoiding some of the problems she had with this last delivery. That is, of course, if they decide to have another baby. This 5th baby of hers, much like mine was, is easy. That frequently makes a woman more likely to seriously consider having another baby.      In fact, because Daisy was fairly easy and I didn't feel quite done, I decided to have Julia. Well, lo and behold, just like I anticipated, she has bee...