Family Musings

Purple highlights were something I had been considering for a while. And finally, I did it. They make me happy every time I see them. Even though they seem super obvious in these photos, I don't think they are. It was just really bright outside when I took the pictures. To get these highlights done so they would be a bit subtle, I had the rest of my hair dyed back closer to my natural color. It looks darker than most people are used to because I had all over blond highlights before. To get such an intense purple (the color you see is after 5 washes), Elysia had to first stripped the color out. I am very happy with these highlights and definitely will be brave enough to experiment with color some more. Who knows, maybe I'll get a tattoo or some piercings next! Who says 32 is too old to have fun?!

For those of you who read my blog solely for stories about Charlotte and Mary (even the ones about potty training ), I wanted to let you know that in a couple of weeks, there will be a pretty big birthday event on this blog. It will focus on toddler/preschooler birthday ideas and so far there are 16 giveaways planned, with more in the pipe waiting for the details to be ironed out. It will roughly run for the first 2 weeks in August, but there will be some Charlotte and Mary stuff in there, because they will be helping me review the products. I need a 3 year old's opinion on some of these things! For those of you who read my blog because you like the stories about my girls AND you like the chance to learn about new products and possibly win free stuff, then stick around! Share it with your friends! Subscribe in a reader or by email (links in the sidebar)! Leave a comment! I really am excited about what is coming up... and I think you should be too! More sneak previews to come!

Yesterday in my post about potty training Charlotte, I mentioned that I think her love language is Words of Affirmation. I am only assuming this based on experience as I haven't read the book about children's love languages and how to determine what they are. But I do know that understanding the love languages of the people in your house is so important. Knowing which love language my husband speaks helps me serve him better. The fact that he also knows my love language is primarily Words of Affirmation also helps our marriage be stronger. He can speak to me in my heart's language instead of watching me languish, feeling unloved. I know a couple that has completely opposite love languages. They have to work VERY HARD to speak one anothers language. Their love for one another comes at a personal cost. Fortunately, they are a dedicated couple and have a strong desire to see their marriage not only survive, but thrive. Do you know your love language? (Your choices are Wo...

Way back in January, we gave potty training Charlotte our first serious go. I was even naive enough on Day 2 to begin declaring victory over diapers. Ha! I made moms all over laugh out loud with that one I am sure. Now though, as we near Charlotte's 3rd birthday, it was time for us to begin again. Charlotte was missing out on some things because she was still wearing a diaper. (Yes, you read that right - a diaper. I gave up on Pull-ups since they are so expensive and we just went back to a diaper 24-7.) And I really thought Charlotte was ready this time. Let's fast forward from January's dismal results to 2 weeks ago. We tried again and this time, there were no pull-ups involved during the day, just big girl panties. (Can I just pause here to say how cute her tiny hiney looks in big girl panties? She thinks so too because her new favorite pasttime is to look in the mirror and slap her bottom. Don't ask where she got that from. I have no idea!) She only had a few a...

I suppose you could say that one of the perks of having a blog people read is that companies want me to review their product and share my opinions about it. It happened again last week when I was offered a chance to review a birthday basket from ProFlowers.com . After looking over their site, I decided that if someone was going to send me a basket for my birthday, I'd like One Sweet Mix . The box waited for me when I came home from a playdate, just a couple of days after I ordered and exactly on the day they promised. I love fresh pears and chocolates so didn't waste any time getting it open. Everything was securely packed and the fruit was perfectly ripe. None of it really lasted very long (because we ate it!), though we do have the caramel popcorn still because I am saving that as a bribe for Charlotte, for when I really need it. I even got to teach my husband how to eat a pistachio and remember how much I enjoyed their flavor. Seeing as I am back on Weight Watchers, I really...

I was just reading my previous post about Random Happenings at the Family Musings House when I realized the irony from posting these two pictures right next to each other. I guess these pictures are kind of like my weight loss efforts... I operate in the extreme baby!

Charlotte was in a cupcake eating contest. She came in 4th place. Out of 4 kids. I think she was confused by what she was supposed to do. She just worked on the frosting mostly. If she is going to be a competitive eater, she better practice some more! Mary enjoys eating a wide variety of foods, unlike her older sister who just wants animal crackers, pretzels, or goldfish most days. She tried snow peas this week and really liked them. Oh, and she has 4 teeth now. And enjoyed some blueberries. Daddy was in a pie eating contest. He came in 2nd place out of 8 people. His efforts were valiant but he couldn't keep up with the guy twice his size who won 1st place. We still like going to First Friday in downtown Lakeland. That is where Bruce and Charlotte made their amateur competitive eating appearances. And we check out the old cars every month, even though they are always the same cars. I made an pretty decent at home version of my favorite Buffalo Chicken Wrap. Angela wo...

You may have already read how it took me nearly two months to share Charlotte's dance recital with you. I'm equally behind on sharing Mary's dedication service with you. It happened the next morning and we were blessed to be joined by so many family members in dedicating ourselves to raise Mary in the Lord. Below is the text that Pastor Mark read for her parent/baby dedication, which was written collaboratively by Bruce and me. And below that is the less than 5 minutes video of the service. ********************* Luke 18 tells us of a time when people were bringing their babies to Jesus to receive his blessing. His disciples, however, tried to shoo the people away, probably thinking their busy teacher had more important issues to worry about. But Jesus welcomed the children and used that opportunity to teach about the faith that brings people to God. The parents bringing their children to Jesus understood their responsibility to raise children to the glory of God. As Dt...

Um, so, yeah. Charlotte was in a dance recital. And I'm such a good mom blogger, that I am sharing it with you now, almost two months later. One of the things I love about Florida Dance Theatre (where she took classes) is that their recital for the 'Little Stars' is at the studio and free. There is little pressure on the girls to do anything other than have fun. Charlotte was by far the youngest girl in the class; the only two year old. Ms. Terri was the dance instructor and she was always encouraging to Charlotte, even when Charlotte wasn't as attentive as Ms. Terri would have liked. Ms. Terri's patience with my little girl was special to me. And without further ado, here are the pictures. Before the recital: Loving on her friend Lydia... the one who got us into this class.  Standing like a "flingo," which is what Charlotte calls a flamingo.  Cheesing it up with Lydia. During the recital: (Sorry for the poor quality, this was the night we fir...

Bruce has been telling me for 2 days that Mary was clapping. And every time I came around the corner to see it, she would stop. Finally though, this evening, I got to see it and encourage it. Bruce should feel lucky that he got to view this milestone first since he doesn't usually get to see them before me! Mary is now a clapping fool. That is probably because of how excited we all get when she does it!

I can hardly believe that Mary is now 10 months old! While some days have been painfully slow, these last 10 months really have gone by so fast. I've made lots of new friends and mostly adjusted to being a mom of 2. Mary has been growing in so many ways: She is pulling up on anything we let her get near and even started taking some steps along the couch while holding on to it.  Her pacifier is still a constant companion.  When she sleeps, her legs are tucked under her and her arms go under her body. It is funny to watch her each night as she settles into such an odd position. She can laugh like crazy if you catch her just right. Mary especially enjoys watching other people make a fool of themselves. Crazy faces and noises illicit the best laughs. Turkey and Vegetables is her favorite jar food. She sucked down an entire jar in about 2 minutes just last night. When she drinks her bottle she is all business. It is rare for her to stop until the bottle is dry. But when she...

In June 2008 I wrote about mothering and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator . Charlotte wasn't even a year old and some of the points just didn't play out yet. So I thought it would be a good exercise to see how I stack up against what my mothering type is "supposed" to be. Here is what it says about my type as a mother: ESTJ (Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) “We’re the mothers you like to carpool with. Not only are we on time, we organize the driving schedule for everyone.” Organized and comfortable being in charge, the ESTJ mother knows “how to” get things done, make things happen, and accomplish much on behalf of her children. Whether she is encouraging them to get involved in organized activities or talking with them about their personal concerns, children of the ESTJ mother learn “how to” succeed in life. Upbeat and matter-of-fact, the ESTJ mother is intent on her children having the best. She puts her skills and talents to work to this end, from planning...

Did you know I have two daughters? Not from looking at my blog design you didn't. It's sad y'all. Mary turned 10 months old yesterday and I still don't have a new design to reflect the foursome that our family has become.  Seriously, I need to redesign my blog. The task seems huge. I have so many ideas and really no ideas all at the same time. (Ok, that makes sense in my head!) I'd like to know, who did you use for your blog design? I want something simple, that I will still be able to play with and adjust as things change around here. But I don't want to spend a lot of money. Can you help a mom out and point her to some quality redesign companies?

Have you ever met that family that seems to mesh so perfectly well with your own you are just waiting for them to decide to leave the state? You know, the one where the husbands share similar interests? The kids all get along? And you feel like you've known the mom forever? Honestly, I didn't think that family existed. But God decided that the Sabin Family needed to meet the Williamson Family. And boy am I grateful! This weekend we got our two families together for a late night picnic in downtown Lakeland so we could all enjoy the fireworks together. Charlotte and Porter (whom I not so secretly hope she will marry... if her dad ever says it's okay!) Me and Bethany! Isn't she adorable?! Bethany & Richard See how she loves my kids! When she is around I practically have to wrestle her to hold my own daughter! This is Lydia... Charlotte will tell you that this is her best friend. And finally, the crowd we were trying to keep our kids out of!

Just wanted to give you a heads up... I've got something big planned for my blog coming up in just a few weeks. And it may or may not have anything to do with a certain toddler's 3rd birthday and presents for my blog readers! Make sure you are subscribed to the RSS feed by clicking one of these links: Subscribe to Family Musings by Email Subscribe in a reader   You'll need to be subscribed to participate!

This morning was a great morning to run. By 6 am there was just enough light to see where I was going. The day was filled with promise and hope. By 7 am when I was done, it was clear this is going to be an overcast and rainy day. And somewhere between 6 am and 7 am, about the time I hit the end of mile 2 on my run around Lake Hollingsworth this morning, I lost something. It wasn't something I really liked anyway. I won't even miss it. And honestly, I hope it dove into the lake and drowned. It was a little part of the old me. She just decided she couldn't keep up with my new, faster pace. She wanted to walk. I wanted to run. So we parted ways. With it, she took her head first, hunched should running posture. I kept my feet first, push off on the toes running stride. What a difference that made! Saying good by to the old me feels good. Really good. What are you saying good by to this week?

I recently read an article online written by one John Rosemond . It was a response to a husband who was unhappy with how much mothering and how little "wife-ing" his wife was doing. It brought out a seriously strong reaction in me. It made me mad. Go read it. It might make you mad too. In it, Rosemond says no one ever questioned him when he was speaking to a large group, so therefor everyone agrees with him. Most likely, they were being polite and didn't think shouting disagreement in a large crowd was the right place to do it. So, I'll address him here.  He says,"So, at speaking engagements, I say to my audiences, who average 60/40 female, "Raising children is the most stressful thing a woman will do in her adult life, more stressful than running a major corporation." And then I ask, "Anyone disagree?" When no one disagrees, and no one ever has, I up the ante: "Raising children has become bad for the mental health of women. An...

My friend Abby really did a great job, and some of these photos have received a lot of comments on Facebook, so I thought I'd share them here as well.

As a young girl (school aged), I never envisioned myself as a stay at home mom. If I ever even thought about being a mom, I was going to be a working mom. My mom had worked during my middle and high school years and things were fine. We still had family dinners most nights and she was still active in my life (sometimes a little too much, but that is a different post). As I prepared for college, I chose a career in broadcasting. At one point, I even dreamed of owning a small AM station and living in the middle of no where, with a friend and some animals maybe. I was a fairly independent teen and made most of my own decisions. Even about college. My parents were mostly concerned about paying for it and let me choose where to go. It wasn't until my Junior year of college, when I had a serious boyfriend that the idea of working and being a mom really became an issue for me. The guy was a deep thinker so it didn't really faze me that we kept talking about working moms. He also l...