Dare to be Different

I started thinking the other day about how funny life is. You spend your whole adolescence trying to blend in. Trying to look like everyone else, and trying to not stand out. And then a switch flips and if you are me suddenly you don't want to blend in anymore.

I got a hair cut on Monday. I'm really really trying to grow it out, but it needed a trim. I got it cut at school (yay for school!) and my teacher asked me to straighten it. She used me as a demo in front of other students. As she was cutting on my hair, she commented on how pretty it is straight. She even said I should wear it straight more often. I really like this teacher. But this rubbed me wrong. I told her that I liked my curly hair. And I do.

It only took 28 years, countless hours of grief and pain and heat and straightening systems to get me to this point. But here I am. What's funny is I don't think anyone else likes my hair better curly than straight. Not even Jimmy. He says I tricked him by dating him with straight hair, and then breaking out the curly hair afterwards. He is totally right. It was all part of my plan. Hook a guy with my straight hair and then bear the bad news that it costs $500 every six months to make my hair that way. Men who like curly hair are really far and few between. Trust me. I know. I've only encountered a handful. Too bad Jimmy, you are stuck with me now! Ha!

I'm going to even say that I think I look better with straight hair. But, God did not give me straight hair. He gave me curly hair, and I'm embracing it. Chia Head, Puff, Fro... all these names haunt me. Names I was called in my youth when I was so desperate to fit in and look like everyone else. But those days are gone. I like my curly hair because it's different. It makes me different. It makes me stand out. And I don't even have to try.

I read a magazine article a while ago. I cannot remember the magazine, but it was an interview with 4 black women. They were all talking about beauty stuff and one said that everyone always tried to get her to relax her hair. To make her hair more manageable. Well, she wouldn't do it. She said she had no reason to. If no one else liked it, who cares. It's her hair and that is how it grows out of her head.

I really liked that. We are always so busy trying to fit the mold of what we are told we should look like. Why? Who says? Big hair, small hair, big hips small hips, big thighs small thighs. Tall, short, thick, thin. They can all be beautiful in their own way.

I like my haircut. My teacher did a good job. But I like my curly hair even more. And I like that uniqueness radiates out of my head best of all.

2 Years Old and Wiser Too

Happy Birthday Brynlee!

Ta Da!

Homemade cupcake toppers-not by me. But by my very crafty friend Carla.

Below see my homemade 2! As cute as this turned out, it probably will not happen again. That 2 took me almost two Laker games to make! Ugh. Way to much work. You better believe I pointed that out to everyone who came through the door!

I made a picture timeline for each of Brynlee's 2 years-

I made tissue paper Poms and spent way way too much time trying to hang them. Way too much time. In fact they are still hanging becuase I can't bear to take them down! My friend Chloe was at my house for like 6 hours friday night helping me clean and decorate. I owe her big time.

Of course no birthday is complete without some balloons.

And after the party trying out her new bike

Umm, Jimmy I think you might be over the weight limit for that...

It was a very long but very fun day. Now I get to dress Brynlee in new clothes everyday and it makes me really happy. Happier then when I get to dress myself in new clothes. Funny how that works.

The Phantom

The weather is warming up, and this means several things:

1. I get hot and sweaty, therefore not very happy. I HATE sweating... yes I'm a girl about it.
2. My electric bill reaches new heights. Joy. Last year we broke a new record in the month of September. I'm hoping to not repeat that.
3. No more colds!

Turns out the 3rd one is not so true. On Thursday I started not feeling real great at school. Not terrible, but not very good. By lunch time I had chills and a pounding head. I didn't want to freak anyone at school out, so I decided to go home. It's a good thing I did, I had a fever of 102! Yikes! I haven't had a fever in a long time. I felt like death was knocking on my door. I felt terrible! I'm sure I probably picked it up at school, people are sick there all the time and we are all right up in each others space.

Jimmy was the perfect nurse. I'm so glad he was home last night. He took care of Brynlee, brought be medicine and made me dinner. He made me a can of chicken noodle soup, but didn't add any water to it. Oops. Hey at least he tried right? Ha ha, men are so funny. I slept and slept and slept. I didn't want to get anyone else sick, so I stayed home from school today too. And slept and slept and slept. By 3pm I felt fine. So strange. Like a phantom fever. I'm glad it went as quickly as it came.

I'm even more glad that I had someone to take care of me. Hopefully no one else catches the phantom fever, it was unpleasant for sure!

I Do It

I hear this phrase about 10 times a day. And on weekends about 200 times a day. Ok Little Miss Independent, you do it. Except I do it so much better than you, and definitely do it much faster than you. I might say " I'll help you". To which I get " I'll elp you!". Ok. Whatever way you need to think of it that is fine.

Yes. I have a 2 year old now. And it seems most day is non stop battle. A cute battle though. And sometimes a funny battle.

The Birthday post will be up soon...

Super Mom

Since Brynlee's birthday is around the corner I've been planning a b day party for her. Nothing too fancy. But you can't turn 2 without having a party! I was chatting with my friend the other day who is a stay at home Mom. She was showing me the stuff she is planning for her son's birthday party. She is super Mom. Literally. She is also a stay at home Mom, so I guess I can't compare.

But she has a garden ( in which she manages to keep things alive), she sews, she coupons she play groups. She does everything I wish I could basically. She is super organized and super on the ball. The stuff she is planning for her son's birthday is nuts. Crazy nuts.

This is not a post where I ramble on and on about feeling sorry for myself. But it's times like this when I think "Oh boy". Sorry Brynlee, I guess you pulled the short straw getting stuck with me. Because my flowers are dying slowly but surely, I clip coupons and then lose them, I just about lose everything due to my lack of organization, and am lazy when it comes to things like birthday party planning. If my friend is Super Mom then the name Space Mom (because I'm more often than not out to lunch these days) or Messy Mom (because my house like my car like my room like my mind is one giant mess) applies to me.

Well not with this party. Not this time. Limited by financial issues but nevertheless determined, I'm actually working diligently on Brynlee's party. I'm making decorations, I'm planning things out. I'm trying to be organized. Yes miracles do happen. Don't expect this party to look like something out of Martha Stewart magazine or anything. But I'm hoping a few personal touches will bring things together. I don't have a lot of space, and I don't have a lot of creativity with this kind of thing. But I'm trying. And it's actually pretty fun.

IF I ever actually become a stay at home Mom, I wonder if I'll ever get it together. Probably not. A zebra will never change his stripes after all. But maybe I'll be a little more on it. Maybe.

One small step for moms in school, one huge step for me!

Getting Down on the Farm

May is going to be a crazy month for us. I have something going on every saturday from now until June! We decided to celebrate Brynlee's birthday a little early by going to Underwood Family Farms yesterday.

Brynlee loves animals. A girl after my own heart. There are lots of fun things to do a this farm:

Wearing her new shades on the way there-

Posing with Dad-

Loving on some goats in the petting zoo-

Driving some tractors-

First pony ride! She loved it!

Relaxing by the Sandbox-

There is nothing like an ice cream cone to finish the day off-

Somewhere along the line I blinked and my baby turned into a little girl. I can't believe she is going to be 2. It's nuts. Sometimes I think the best part of being a Mom is to be able to be there front row while someone grows and matures. Happy early Birthday Brynlee Rose!