"Little boys should never be sent to bed.  They always wake up a day older." - Peter Pan I've never been a sports person.  I've never walked onto a field or a court.  I've never thrown a ball, swung a bat, or taken a shot.  I don't have a favorite sport or a favorite team, and I certainly can't tell you the name of any famous player outside of Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan.  I never know the rules and I understand very little about the game. But somehow, this little blue-eyed blonde changed all of that when he picked up his first bat, put on a tiny glove, and started swinging a little-bitty bat at everything in sight.   He stole my heart, and I melt every time he walks onto the field or the court; every time I catch a glimpse of him shooting in the driveway or hitting rocks over the fence. Thanks to him, I have lots of favorite teams now - the Rays, the Mets, the Cardinals or whoever he's playing for.  I don't worry about knowing...

I have debated about whether or not I should post this story, but in the end I decided that it’s too funny not to share.   Plus, I’ll want to remember this one day in future, and we are all adults who could use a good laugh. Before we start, let’s just get everything out on the table.   I am of the mindset that honesty is the best policy when it comes to approaching the tough stuff with our kids.   For example, when our dog died last month, there was no beating around the bush or talk of “doggie heaven.”   Nope…the dog died.   Let’s cry our tears and move on with life.   The same goes for anatomy.   I’m getting to a point on my parenting journey where I’m just calling “it” what “it” is.   It won’t be so cute when the kids go to college with weird names for their “you know whats.”   I’m cracking myself up right now because I can talk about it all day long, but I can’t bring myself to type the words…oh, double standard! Anyway,...

Last night we attended a beautiful wedding for Eric’s cousin, and ya’ll know I just melt into a pile of gushy mush of sentiment at weddings.   Eric loves it when I get in this state. Ha!   That is a false statement…so, back to last night, I had all the feelings that I always have at a weddings, but in honor of my hubby who prefers humor over sappiness, I thought I would digress a bit about how marriage is nothing like I thought it would be. The Dream: When I walked down the aisle, I envisioned our mornings would start with a sweet little peck on the cheek, because I was realistic and knew that we would have to contend with morning breath.   Then, we would chat over a nice breakfast that I whipped up while the hubby was showering.   We’d then embrace as he headed out the door to work.   I have no idea what I envisioned myself doing at this point, but the daydream stopped there. The Reality: I wake up an hour before anyone in my house so that I ca...

When you were a child, did you ever experience growing pains?  I sure did, and to this day I can remember both the physical pain of the experience and the emotional comfort that I found in my mother when I ran to her for relief.  No matter what hour of the day or night, I knew that I could cry out to her in my time of need, and she would come to my side.  First, she would administer a hefty dose of grape Motrin, and then she would rub on enough Absorbine Junior to make the geriatrics unit of the hospital cringe. Finally, she would wrap my leg in a towel and sit with me in the darkness, wiping my tears and comforting me until the pain was gone.  Sometimes the discomfort would last for days, sometimes weeks, and sometimes it would linger for months. But eventually the pain would subside, and that’s when I knew it was time for a new mark on the growth chart located on the doorway inside the pantry.  No matter how long the pain persisted, I always knew that on...

Exactly 10 years ago today, I met Eric!  Ya'll know that I love a good story, and since this one has never graced my blog...here we go. It was a beautiful Thursday evening and the last few days before finals began, so a group of girlfriends and I decided to eat dinner on campus at RedZone.  I'm not sure if that's even still a place, but it once existed.  Anyway, the wait was forever long, so we sat outside on the patio until it was our turn to be seated.  About halfway through dinner, my best friend's (Alex) phone rang, and it was my Mom.  I had apparently forgotten my super nice and expensive pink Razor phone on the bench we had been using.  I know, I know...some things never change! You may be wondering how my mom knew this.  I had her listed in my contacts as "ICE" for In Case of Emergency. Clever, I know.  The person who found my phone called my mom, who then called my bestie.  I don't remember the specifics of the conversation, b...