Glitter and Sparkles

Doing projects with my girls is a great way to spend just about any day. Usually we do a craft at least once a day in our house. My girls can find a use for glitter in every craft. The only down side is we go through it faster than a gallon of milk, so we don't always have it stocked.

I have found that glitter seldom leaves the house. No matter what piece of cardboard, construction paper or Easter eggs they leave on they always find their way home to us. It is as if the glitter fairy collects all of our lost glitter and drops it back off here. A week after using glitter I find it still in the grout in the kitchen. I think the vacuum might be against picking up glitter. Some of the dishes are still coming out of the dishwasher with hints of glitter stuck to them. I seem to always have a sparkle or twenty stuck to my face somewhere.

I like to think that there is karmic retribution for everything we do. Maybe all the sparkles and glitter come back to me because I'm always sending it out there in the world. That's alright because my whole family will always sparkle!

New blankets and names

My eldest daughter and by far the most mature for her age has decided that her name doesn't suit her. Either that or after an excruciatingly long 8 years she has grown tired of it and is ready for a new name. Yesterday she informed me that we will no longer be able to call her Sydney. Her new name is Alice. As in Alice in Wonderland or her middle name.

I suppose you might think that would be worrisome to the parent that spent many hours scouring baby name books and trying to come to an agreement with a partner. It really is not. I admire her strength and think it is a great way for her to express herself at this age. The trick is not forgetting and calling her the name I know her by.

My husband asked if when we are referring to a memory of when she is younger if we should say Sydney or Alice? I thought about it and decided that that if she had sex reassignment surgery we wouldn't disrespect her and call her by the other name, so Alice it is.

I wonder what the Easter Bunny will think of the name change so soon to his departure? Will her basket say Sydney or Alice? Maybe it will just have a smiley face because he thinks it's as cute and normal as we do.

Does anybody care?

I'm so sick of dealing with the problems of others. I know that it's of my own doing since until recently I welcomed people with broken wings in to my life. I wanted to help them, encourage them and inspire them. I've come to realize that it's only the people that truly want to change and be helped that can benefit from it.

I've tried to help some of the people in my life for years. They call and I go running. I'm always bailing someone out of a situation they need help in. Let me ask this, if I continue to help them and they continue to go back, who is really the one not learning? Some people are creatures of habit and seem to have a love of despair or poor treatment. Who am I to stop them?

I've started angling my need to help in to other venues. I'm getting to help people or animals that need and want the help. It soothes my soul much better than watching someone repeatedly getting hurt and wanting my sympathy, shoulders and advice. I don't have the time or the patience to help everyone so I have to stick with the ones that I can actually make a difference in.

Now, how do I stop them from thinking I'll still solve all of their problems? Maybe if I keep being honest with myself and them they will start to step up to the plate or get out of the ballpark.

When stop isn't enough

What do you do when someone you don't want around your children continues to show up everywhere you are? If they only live two miles from your house how do you feel safe bringing your children to the grocery store?

We have family members that were once part of our lives that are no longer considered family. They threatened to hit our children and continuously put our oldest in dangerous situations. When a son's feelings and point of view aren't enough to stop and they continue to threaten there aren't many alternatives left. We had to tell them if they couldn't agree to seeing our children at our house under our conditions then visitation wouldn't exist for them anymore. They chose not to see them. They still five years later feel we wronged them for not wanting our children hit like their own children were.

Today while playing with the girls outside Syd's school I was confronted yet again with this past I'd rather just forget. We were walking the puppy and playing while we waited for Sydney to get out of school. I noticed a car crawling next to us and I turned to look. It was someone from the past. She looked the other way when I saw her and sped off. It's not the first time I've seen her in my inner sanctum. I've spotted her driving by our house, trying to peek in to my truck in the parking lot to see my children, or coming too close in a grocery store when I wasn't looking. How do I protect my children from this? Is she a threat to their physical and emotional state? Or only their emotional? Is she even considered a threat to the younger ones if they have never met her? What if Sydney was with us and recognized her?

I know there are stalker laws in place in our state, but does it need that? Am I protecting their rights without reason?

I have a lot to think about tonight.

It's the everyday things...

After spending an entire Sunday morning doing errands with the whole family, I'm especially proud to say they all behaved brilliantly. It's been a long time since we've been able to go out and do something as mundane and long as errands all morning and have everyone still keep some part of their sanity. Chloë's behaviour has been stellar. We made an agreement and she held up more than her end of the bargain. She was supposed to control her anger and violence towards others for a full week before I let her get her ears pierced. She went above and beyond. Today is day 7 of not throwing a fit, but her ears got pierced yesterday anyways. She has not only stopped screaming at everyone and trying to hurt us, but also volunteering to help clean or do whatever needs to be done to help out someone in her family. I give her 5 stars for the weekend!

To add to our growing need for good karma, we found a purse this weekend in Walmart. I peeked inside to see if it was one they were selling or one that someone had left behind. I saw an inhaler in side. :( Kevin volunteered to bring it to Guest Services, but spotted the old woman on his way there. She was very grateful and admitted it was the second time that day she had misplaced her purse. She covered Kevin in "God Bless You"s and continued on her way. He says he's immune to hell now. :)

Signs signs everywhere are signs...

Spring is coming! While I was driving up the ramp to the highway I saw a small square sign stuck securely in the ground. It had a square patch of earth and grass around it and the rest was snow as far as the eye to see. The sign said "Christmas Trees and Wreaths. Take Airport Exit." It's been stuck under these giant snow banks for at least three months. I love winter, but it's nice to see signs of spring coming. The dogs and kids and I are able to get out more now and before we know it winter will be back and welcomed. :)