Proud to have been a Mean Old Mom

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

• I loved you enough...To ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
• I loved you enough...To insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.
• I loved you enough...To be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
• I loved you enough...To make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."
• I loved you enough...To stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
• I loved you enough...To let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
• I loved you enough...To let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
• But most of all, I loved you enough...To say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won too.

And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them...Was your Mom mean? I know mine was.

We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

• While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
• When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
• And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
• Mom insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.
• She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them.
• She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or LESS.
• We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work: We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
• She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
• By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds. Then, life was really tough!
• Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
• While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
• Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
• Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents... just like Mom was.

Hold your babies tight, no matter what their age

PFC Thomas "Tommy" Tucker went to school with my nephew. He was a year behind AJ but they played together and grew up together...that is how it is in small town America. Everybody knows everybody and when one hurts everyone else hurts too.

I spoke with my sister after Tommy came up missing, I spoke with her again this evening. The town is banning together, drawing comfort from each other. Their little town is decorated with flags, yellow ribbons and signs all supporting Tommy's family.

This picture is of the lights illuminating a row of flags outside the Tuckers' home Monday evening. The family is holed up inside, the sherriff's dept has been guarding the house, protecting their privacy.






Tonight hold your children tight, call them if they are not where you can see them. Life is too precious and we don't always remember that until we hear about families like the Tucker's, the Menchaca's, the Babineau's and many other families who are dealing with such tragic loss.

Vacation Video

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video SharingCalifornia Adventure Block Party

THANK YOU BOY-O

Thanks Ryan, my status bar is visable again...I appreciate you.

Enjoy your camping trip this wknd...laugh, laugh, laugh

And tell me all about it when you get home.

Home again, home again

Our vacation was wonderful...here are a couple of pics, which only just begin to tell the stories Ed, Angela, Me, Kaitlyn, Tristan, Albert and Rex

Not sure who the little guy on the left is....not one of our gang...

This is just one of many pictures I will post in the next few days,

we took 65 quilts into Mexico and delivered them to

an incredibly poor little community.

Each of these children received a quilt.

The smiles and laughter brought joy to our hearts

while shattering them to pieces.