fashion clothes

Some of my thoughts before the new school year begins.


To The Oldest,
Keep being weird. Do what you love and don't let anyone pick on you for it. Have fun with it. Hang out with kids who like what you like, but hang out with kids that are different too. 

Be kind. Reach out to the new kids, to the quiet kids, to the ones who get picked on. Show them what a good person you are. When that little voice inside your head tells you not to do something, listen to it. It's there for a reason.

Write stuff down. School is only going to get harder, assignments are only going to get more complicated, and you're only going to have more to remember. I'm not bailing you out if you turn stuff in late, and I'm hoping you learned that lesson last year.

Try new things. Read a lot. Push yourself. Sleep in on the weekends, but get up on school days without too much of a fight. Take showers and use deodorant. Every day. That stuff is important. 

Remember that you can talk to me, that you can tell me anything. Even that stuff. And if you don't want to tell me, your dad will listen. I promise. We love you.

To Freckles,
This is your last year as a "little" kid, so enjoy every second of it. Things are going to change so much for you in the next 12 months, so hang on tight to what is left. 

Be silly, be goofy, sing and dance and laugh. 

Learn how to keep yourself organized, because you're going to need it. Read whatever interests you. Then read some more. 

Don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't love math or science or sports or My Little Pony. If you don't want to wear dresses, that's okay. If that's all you want to wear, that's okay too. I do ask that you wear socks though. Please.

Stand up for yourself. Stand up for others. You have a strong voice, so use it for good. 

Make good choices. I know you're going to make mistakes. We all do. Remember that your dad and I are here for you no matter what. We love you.

To Mini-Me,
First things first, sweetheart....I love you. Whenever there is anything that makes you doubt that for even one second, I want you to look down at your hands and remember that there is a kiss in there from me, for you to use whenever you need it. 

This year might be hard, but we'll do whatever it takes to get through it together, because we are a team. All I ever ask from you is that you do your best. We'll figure out the rest of it together.

Read a lot and find things you love to write about.  Play lots of games and hone those analytical skills you were blessed with. Have a good time learning more math and science this year. 

Play and have fun, laugh and giggle. Try not to take life too seriously and just enjoy being a kid.

Smile. Be happy. We love you.

To Little Boy,
This year is going to be an interesting one, and even if I worry too much sometimes, I am sure that you will be okay. I promise I'll try not to cry and linger too much.

Try not to climb the walls or jump off of anything. Please keep your clothes on. I know you can sit still and listen, honest. Try and do it there too.

Make lots of new friends and learn lots of new things. Sing songs and make art projects that have to hang on the refrigerator for a minimum of six months. 

You get to decide what you want the grown ups in charge to call you, and if you want to use your real name instead of your nickname, that's just fine with me. 

Be the brave and strong boy I already know you are. We love you.

Love, Mommy

I can still remember with the most vivid clarity the day that I knew. My husband and I had somehow convinced family members to watch the kids for a few days and escaped to Vegas.

Intending to have a few days of relaxation, planning to gamble and drink and dance, we found ourselves dealing with something else entirely.

The first night we were there, we walked to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. The world started spinning all of a sudden and I could smell anything and everything in a three mile radius. It was overwhelming and instant.

I knew I was pregnant.

I couldn't even take a home test for over a week, but by the time I could, I hardly needed confirmation. I was sick. All the time.

I was so sick for most of the pregnancy that I asked the doctor if he was totally sure it wasn't twins every single time I saw him.

It wasn't. It was just one. Her.


She was the sweetest baby girl. The happiest baby. The easiest of them all. She slept through the night by a month old. She wasn't fussy. She hardly cried.

She was so quiet for so long that we started to worry that she wasn't talking. One day, though, she just started talking in complete sentences. She hasn't stopped ever since.


She's fiesty and independent, but wants to know that you're right there just in case she needs you.

She scrappy and could take on her big brother before she was even a year old.


She likes to go fast. All the time. When she was about four, we took the governor out of the Barbie Jeep and she spun the tires bald doing donuts in the driveway. She is her mama's girl.

She's easily my most perceptive child, and I'm pretty sure she's been here before. She has an old soul and a kind heart.


She has a clear sense of style, unlike anyone else.

She still climbs in bed with me most mornings for a snuggle. I have a feeling she'll be doing that for a long time yet.

The past few years have been rough for her. She was the one most attached to my father, and his death hit her hard. Since then, we've struggled to help her find happiness again, and I think we're finally back on that path.


My wish for her is a simple one.

Be happy, baby girl.

I love you.

Happy Birthday.

The last two weeks, I wrote up a list of the requirements for my boys, just in case I make good on that threat to run away someday. Today, it's Mini Me's turn.  My younger daughter.  The one, who for better or worse, is more like her mama than any of the rest of them.


Here's all the things you need to know about her in the event you ever find her in your care.

1) She has always been the best sleeper of the kids.  When she's tired, she doesn't fight it. If you ever wake up in the morning and see her curled up in a ball on the floor, she's sick.  She'll stay that way until she feels better.

2) She loves to write and take pictures.  This makes me a pretty proud mama, and I'm sure you would understand why.

3) She has eczema that flares up pretty regularly.  Start studying up on which creams and ointments you'll need to keep in the arsenal.  The good cream in the jar is almost always the answer.

4) She can paint the nails on her left hand just fine, but will ask you to help with the right.

5) She loves to steal high heeled shoes from other people's closets.  It'll make you nervous, but she can go up and down stairs in them just fine.  Heck, she can even run in them already.

She's my crime fighting partner.

6) If she tells you she wants her chicken, here's the recipe.  Boneless, skinless thighs, marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and ginger for a day, then grilled.  It's the easiest way to her heart.

7) She is allergic to the most bizarre things, so keep an eye on her at all times.  Avoid any penicillin based antibiotics (trust me on this one, she has the one in a million freak reactions, not just hives).

8) Good luck finding sunscreen that she isn't allergic to.

9) She has a freckle in her eye.  It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

10) She always wants to help with dinner.  She does pretty good with most of it, so go ahead and let her.

11) She was born with an uncanny ability to figure out handheld electronic devices.  If you get a new tablet or phone and can't figure it out, just give it to her for a little while and she'll show you how to use it.

12) The girl loves music. LOVES music.  It's always on in the background.  You'll get used to it.

13) She is so sure she wants to skip childhood and go right to being a grown up, but she'll still ask you to snuggle her when she climbs into bed with you in the morning.

14) She has an eclectic sense of style.  Just let her pick out what she wants to wear.  It's better that way.


15) If she thinks she's right about something, chances are she is.  You can try and argue with her if you choose, but I'm telling you now that you're probably going to lose.  She will fight you to the death.  For real.

16) She's a hand holder even though she's almost 8.

17) She generates more laundry than three people combined.  It is what it is.

18) She is my most perceptive child.  She sees things other people don't see, she hears things other people don't hear, and she remembers it all.  I swear she has an old soul and she's been here before.

19) When she laughs, she snorts.  A lot.

20) She seems tough and strong, but she has a gentle soul.  She expects a lot from herself and other people and is easily let down.  She takes things personally, she loves with her whole being, she has more empathy in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies.  Be kind to her.