For the Love of Reading

 

I have ALWAYS loved to read.  Reading is a huge part of my life and one of my favorite things to do is sit down with a good book!  I have always had a soft spot for children's books and love writing... frankly, I'm not sure why I haven't started writing them myself!?  When I was a kid, the highlight of my school days were the Scholastic book fairs.  No, I'm not kidding!  When we were handed Scholastic packets to take home to our parents, I would get SO excited I could hardly stand it!  My mom says every time she saw those she knew she was about to have to spend a small fortune on books.  Haha!  So, you can imagine how happy I was when Jade brought home her first Scholastic order form last week.  ECSTATIC!  We went online and picked out 7 books together.  7 books for $18 I might add... GREAT deal!  She didn't understand why we couldn't read them RIGHT NOW.  I can't wait for them to arrive, so we can have a read-a-thon!

 

 

In light of all this book ordering fun, I started thinking it would be nice to have book recommendations from other parents.  When we take a trip to the library or go book shopping, it can take HOURS to find a good one.  There is a sea of options and a lot of the time you find yourself thumbing through many, many mediocre books before you find the one you'd like to take home.  SOLUTION!  I am going to start a weekly series of children's book recommendations!  Not just for all of you other parents out there, but for me too!  PLEASE let me know if there any books you and your children absolutely love, so we can expand our book collection as well!  We are always on the hunt for new books.

 

 

I am going to kick start this series with dun, dun, dun....

 

Little Blue Truck

by Alice Schertle

 

This is a preschool level book and is one of my favorites for the girls' story time!  It is a fun, flowing, rhyme-y book that teaches the importance of kindness and helping others even if they have not been very nice you.  The illustrations are great!

 

The pages are packed with colorful pictures full of farm animals.  Jenna loves to point to each animal and make their sound.... oink, moo, wibbit!  Notice the worn edges on my copy.  This little book as gotten much use!  We love it and hope you love it too!

 

HAPPY READING!



 

 



MamaHood

  It seems like yesterday we were expecting our first baby girl.  We were excited, nervous, and unaware of the emotional journey parenthood was about to bestow upon us.  I still clearly remember going in for our first prenatal appointment and seeing her little heart flickering on the screen.  It was magical.  She was a gift to us from God and we would name her Jade Olivia.

This is me, at about 30 weeks, carrying our precious cargo!

On August 11, 2009, Miss Jade O. made her grand entrance.  She was a whopping 8lbs 15.5oz of squeezable baby girl.  We were in AWE.

 

 

Jas and I would sit and stare at her for hours.  Memorizing her features, running our fingers through her mounds of gorgeous, dark hair.  Kissing her nose and snuggling her every chance we could get.  Ahhhh, baby bliss :)

 

 

 

Tomorrow my little booger starts pre-k.  Pre-k!?  Wasn't I just rocking her to sleep a few months ago?  Sigh.  Time goes by so quickly.  This little girl is beautiful, smart, kind, and loving.  She is everything I ever dreamed of in a daughter and then some.  And the best part?  I was blessed with TWO daughters like this.  My angels straight from heaven. 

 

I know, I know, stop with the mushy mushy already!  I just love these girls so much and as hard as parenthood is (believe me, it is not all rainbows and butterflies), I would not trade a single day for the alternative.  So, here she is.... my pre-k baby... SO ready to start school.  SO eager to learn.  SO excited to make new friends.  And SO determined to please her teachers.  Keep up your determination and will to do your best and you will go far, baby girl.  Mommy and Daddy are and always will be your greatest fans!

 

 

 

 

In Memory of Mavis Jo Chaffin

I feel my grandmother everywhere. In every aspect of my life, she is present. Not in the physical sense, of course, but in my being. Since she has been gone, I have realized the impact and influence she has had on me as a person. I think about her multiple times a day. I see her in the things I do and sometimes even staring back at me in the mirror. My mother and I often joke and say, “Oh god, I’m turning into my Mother.” Or in my case, Nanny. In truth, I am glad that many pieces of her have imbedded themselves into us. It is a constant reminder of the precious time we spent with her.

I have so many memories of Nanny, it is hard to pin point the very first one. It’s like trying to recollect the first memory you have of your mother. You just can’t do it. .. They are vast and never ending. They’ve been around since the beginning of time!

Nanny kept Clint & I a lot when we were children. I’ve always felt blessed that we were able to stay with her when Mom worked. She always tried to make things fun for us. She had an entire cabinet of Merle Norman makeup in the hall bathroom. I would climb up on the counter, so I could see myself in the mirror, and get pretty. On occasion, Clint would get pretty too. Afterwards, I would go dig in her jewelry box to complete my look. Nanny and Big Daddy also kept a large water barrel full of change in their closet. Clint & I would go dump it out to “count” it. There would be coins EVERYWHERE! Nothing was off limits. We could get into anything, make messes, get dirty.. things that would make a mother cringe. And it did! I can still hear Nanny saying, “Sharon, you leave them kids alone!” Apparently, when you become a grandmother, you get to be the fun one. Your worries and frustration disappear and something allows you to let kids be kids. I am now experiencing the same with my own children. When “Ma” hands Jade a pen, make-up, ice cream cone, or anything else of nature, I too cringe. I then remember they are making memories with their grandma and in my head I hear, “Jakki, you leave them kids alone!”

 

We got to go out a lot too. During the summer, Nanny often took us to Bee Creek swimming pool or the Bryan Aquatic Center. She never learned how to swim and was terrified of water. So, she wouldn’t get in. She would just find a place in the shade and sit there in the 100+ degree weather and let us swim for hours. Other times, we’d go out for snow cones. I would get peach with cream or pickle juice. Yes, pickle juice. It was literally pickle juice over ice. Nanny would say, “That’s going to make your tummy upset, but you can get it if you want it.” She was right, it made my stomach churn. But, it was so good and so worth it! I still talk about those pickle snow cones all the time. We’d stop by the Mrs. Baird’s Outlet. Or, as Nanny called it, the day old bread store. They basically stock whatever the factory didn’t sell the day before. We were allowed to pick out snacks. I always got the chocolate cupcakes with the little white swirl across the top. Mmmmmm, I wonder if they’re still as good as they were then. There is actually an outlet down in south Fort Worth. Every time I pass it, I think of Nanny. One day, I’ll have to stop in and get some chocolate cupcakes.

During the school year, we were still able to see her everyday. She worked for our elementary school in the cafeteria. I would get so excited to go through the lunch line to see her. When our lunchtime came around, she would come out and pick out “the best” of whatever they were serving for us. I though it was so cool that she was there and enjoyed being greeted with her smile on a daily basis.

Nanny taught me a lot of things too. She was one of the craftiest people I have ever known. As a child she was always keeping my little hands and mind busy with our next project. By 3^rd grade I knew the basics of sewing, knitting, crochet, cross stitching, and many other miscellaneous crafts. Once, she showed me how to make little roses out of ribbon. I catch myself making them all the time, just to let it come apart and do it again. Sewing stuck with my mom more than it did with me. She has built on what her mother taught her and now can make some really beautiful things. Namely, quilts that will be wonderful keepsakes for her own granddaughters.

Family time was really important to Nanny…. And not the kind where you just all sit around staring at a TV screen. She had a love for board games, cards, and dominos. We always sat around the table playing games, cutting up, laughing, and sipping on our glasses of tea. It is still one of my favorite things to do. Her sisters were always her best friends. She was the baby of the family, and there was always a sense that they were looking after her. I believe she looked up to them all very much. They enjoyed going on camping trips together. When they all went to Garner State Park, we got to go. It is one of the most beautiful places in Texas. There are rolling hills, the crystal clear Frio river, hiking trails, a fun dance hall, and wildlife that will eat out of your hand. The women would all make a different type of homemade ice cream for us to all share after our hamburgers, something they still practice while camping the night before our family reunions. Once, I tried to introduce my husband to the magic of Garner State Park. Due to poor planning on my part, it was an utter failure! I hope to get another chance to show him sometime, and this time I won’t plan on going in November!

Holidays were one of the things Nanny was great at. For one thing, she was an amazing cook and baker. Thanksgiving was always delicious. And since there weren’t presents involved afterwards, we actually ate and savored the food. Christmas was a different story. We’ve always celebrated with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve. So, we start out with dinner that evening. To change it up, we have Mexican food instead of the traditional turkey dinner. As a kid, I don’t think we even ate. We would rush through our plates as fast as we could, so we could get on with the gift exchange. Clint, myself, and all my cousins would impatiently wait while the adults finished their meal. Then, they would tell us we had to wait while the kitchen was cleaned up. I’m pretty sure they went as slow as possible. It was pure torture. Then, Santa would show up. Seriously, the real Santa.. Complete with a real, white beard, white hair, a big jolly belly, rosy cheeks, red suit, gifts and all. I was terribly shy and it was literally like I was meeting a celebrity. Out of all the years he showed up, I can’t say for sure If I ever even spoke to him. But, I will never forget how amazing that was!

Nanny contracted Hepatitis through a blood transfusion she received after giving birth to my Uncle Albert. For about 50 years she endured the disease as it slowly broke down her body. She took medications and/or injections daily. Though she had some bad days, weeks, and months, she was a fighter. She suffered many side effect from the disease itself as well as many of the medications she was required to take. Even so, she made the best of things and still made every effort to help those who needed it. She assisted many of the people living in her community. I am certain she left an imprint on their lives with her generosity and caring heart, just as she did ours. Over the last 5 years of her life, her health began to rapidly deteriorate. She started looking sickly, tired, and ran down. A lot of the time, the way she felt could be seen in her mood. On Christmas Eve of 2010, she showed up looking the best I had seen her in years. Her hair was perfect, she had her nails and makeup done. She was wearing a beautiful red sweater. I always thought she looked so pretty in red. You could tell from the way she was smiling that she felt great. She was absolutely radiant. I couldn’t stop talking about how good she looked for weeks.

On August 1^st, 2011, Nanny passed away peacefully in the night. I truly believe God gave us that last evening with her, the way we all wanted to remember her, before he called her home. Whether it be a hummingbird passing by, hearing an old song she used to sing, having a scotcharoo or a glass of milk and cornbread, I am so thankful for all the little things that remind me of her. I am looking forward to telling my girls stories about her as they grow, just like my mom shares with me of her grandmother. She will always be greatly missed and impossible to forget. 

 

The Big Two Nine

This Tuesday, March 6th, I celebrated my 29th birthday.  It was a fantastic day from start to finish.  Everyone really went out of their way to make it special.  I learned a few things about myself that day...


1.  I am now the same age as my mother-in-law. 


2.  I am incredibly, ridiculously spoiled by everyone I am related to.


3.  Chocolate sheet cake is definitely my new all-time favorite dessert .... sorry cheesecake, you're a close second!


4.  I actually came very close to losing my life when I was born.  So did my brother.  That must have been incredibly scary for my Mom!  She is such a strong woman.


5.  I am not worried at all about turning 30. 


I have one more year left in my 20s... then it's on to the 30s!  The way I see it, it just means there are bigger and better things accompanied by a few wrinkles, maybe a few gray hairs, a sag here and there... hahahaha!  But hey, 30 is the new 20, right??  I am going to have to welcome the 30s BIG next year.  Maybe the hubs and I can take a trip somewhere.  Until then, suck it DIRTY THIRTY!  I ain't scarrrreed.

Home Birth vs Hospital Birth

Jumping right into this blogging thing with a hot topic!!  I just finished reading an article about home birth nightmares.... and it just got me thinking... things can go wrong no matter how you choose to bring your child into this world.  (Although, most supporters of either side would like for you to believe otherwise.)  Lately more and more women are choosing to ditch the hospital to birth their children at home.  As with everything else relating to parenting/ pregnancy/ childbirth, it seems that home birth advocates and hospital advocates are constantly at each other's throats telling the other they are wrong and what is best.  I believe that every woman should be able to choose a birthing plan that suits her and her baby without being criticized for it.  No matter what you choose, EVERY little thing will not be perfect and there are pros and cons to both choices.


Everyone has heard the reasons you should have your children at home and avoid hospitals and doctors like the plague from the "crunchy" if you will..... but you don't hear much from the likes of me.  I am pro hospital.  I believe and trust in doctors and our health care system.  And, I HAVE been judged for it.


With my first child the decision to birth in a hospital was automatic.  I had never even given the idea of delivering at home a thought.  I was induced at 40 weeks.  Contrary to what most believe induction is like, my labor was quick and relatively painless, delivery was even faster, and we welcomed a healthy, alert, 9lb baby girl.  With the news of my second child, I briefly considered a different route.  I simply asked myself when it comes to the birth of your child, what is the most important detail?  The answer was a healthy baby.  Surprising?  Probably not.  That meant that if my child needed any medical attention, I wanted her to be surrounded by experts with the necessary equipment and means to help her IMMEDIATELY.  I did not want to be in a situation where something went wrong and found myself in a panic waiting for paramedics or rushing to the hospital and praying that we can get there in time to save her life.  These pre-delivery fears were confirmed to be very real in the article I just read... many stories ending in the unfortunate death of their newborn baby... all likely preventable had they been born into a hospital.  I realize that these circumstances are "rare", but there was a chance... and that small chance is all I needed to confirm my decision.  My second child decided to make her appearance 3 weeks early.  The labor was PAINFUL, and again in a "doctor friendly" environment.  I was exhausted, irritated, and screaming inside.  Between contractions, I was privately cussing out every person present inside my head.  Sure, I would have been more comfortable on my own couch or in my tub, but my child and I were in expert care and everything we needed for a safe and healthy arrival was within reach at the drop of a hat. If she needed assistance moments after her birth, it was there. That is what I found comfort in. 


So, there you have it!  Why I chose a hospital and an OB/GYN... in a nutshell.  To me, logically, there is a reason death during childbirth has declined in conjunction with the advancement of medical technology and experienced/educated medical personnel.  Babies are lost in hospitals too... but they have a much better chance should a problem arise.  I do NOT think home births are a bad idea or that mothers who choose to deliver at home are in any way negligent or ignorant.  I knew in my heart it just wasn't for me.  Mostly, because I am a paranoid control freak.  If you know me, you know I am not a risk taker... even more so when it comes to the lives of my children.


For all of you preggos out there, be sure that whatever you choose is right for YOU and YOUR BABY.  Do not listen to the one-sided, overly opinionated who believe it is their way or you're a terrible mother.  Do your research.  Make your own educated decisions.  There are phenomenal doctors, midwives, nurses, and doulas out there who truly have your best interest in mind.... find them!  I love my OB/GYN.  I will never ever never go to another until she is out of practice.  Experience is key.  Explore all of your options.  Regardless of the environment you choose, things can and will go wrong.  Be prepared.  Follow your motherly instincts...believe it or not, they are present from the very beginning :)

Virgin Blogger

Well... here it goes... I have decided to enter the blogging world.  I've always loved to write and of course, am extremely opinionated.  So, for anyone that will read/listen, I will now be posting my random thoughts, opinions, and tid bits of information for all to see.  I'm sure you will love some of it, hate some of it... but eh, that's me!  Take it or leave it as "they" say ;)