One more Day of Summer Freedom

Today is my darling daughter's last day of freedom. Starting tomorrow, she will start band camp, and it will continue until the day school starts. Band camp is the same hours of school so from here on out, all horse activities and swimming, tv watching and other things will be conducted after camp. Today will be a few hours at the stables and then off to Academy for some last minute shorts to wear during band camp and to purchase a new pair of riding boots. We are trying to purchase a horse and were waiting for a pending coggins negative test to arrive yesterday but it didn't come in yet, so we are anxiously awaiting. Purchasing this horse will mean much more responsibility. We will be driving to the stables alot more often and spending much more time there. Gone are the days of resting and relaxing and putting your feet up after work, for me, it will be driving my car here and there, especially with camp. But that's ok, because I know where my teen will be and she will be busy and I won't ever hear that she's BORED!!!! yippeeeee !!!!!!!!

Horses, dogs, responsibilities

Aw, aren't horses beautiful? They surely are. Most families get dogs and cats for pets, but in our household, we have chihuahuas. For the past many years, and I do mean MANY, my youngest daughter has wanted a horse. Now, living in the city, it's very difficult keeping one in your backyard. There's simply no room for one, and of course, our neighbors would complain. But what do you do about a situation in which your daughter wants to persue something that can be very costly? We all know that dogs can be costly.... especially if you get a particular breed. However, horses are double and triple that. And not only do you have to worry about the cost of buying the horse, but the living arrangements and such but the most costly of all, is the upkeep of the horse. This is the direction that we are heading in with my dear darling young teen. To be sure that this was NOT a passing faze, many years ago, we went into a 4-H program where she could learn about horses. We also went to a non-profit place that offered lessons on care of horses and did that as well. My daughter not only learned about horses and riding, but had a very nice lady who gave her that first start with teaching not only riding, but cleaning out stalls and the daily care of horses. That did NOT deter my daughter's want. For a brief while, we were in transition of moving and she was without horses in her life. Now we are back to it again, and have found a wonderful trainer in English riding and my daughter is now in "horse heaven" with all the training and volunteering that she is doing. I believe that when young people go through the WANT of something, you need to test this and not go out and buy on a quick impulse because sometimes the want passes quickly. Such is an example of a child wanting a dog and promises to take care of it no matter what, and then once the new is worn off, the parents end up taking care of the dog. Of course, that dog grows on you and you end up happy that you got it in the first place. But if you are looking at something as costly as a horse, please take the time to educate your child on the ins and outs, the daily care and what all it takes to take care of such a wonderful animal.

Tears of Joy

I really don't like repeating what I have said earlier about fathers and daughters and how important I think it is to have that time together, if that's possible. It has been several months now since my daughter has seen her father. He just doesn't bother to come over, or call. However, he will tell her on occasion that he will pick her up for sunday lunch and doesn't show up, nor does he call. My son, on the other hand, will cut yards with him on sundays and he did so this past sunday. He brought him back home and before our daughter had even the slightest chance to find out her dad was here, HE LEFT !!!! Oh, I was so upset that he did that. And then he called last night on our daughter's cell phone, but not to talk to her, but to my son. Oh, that hurt her feelings so bad and she told me about it on the way to the barn this morning. As much as I hate getting into things with this man, I decided to call him up and I found out that he was extremely close by, actually right there on our way to the barn. He was working and so we pulled off the main road so my daughter could see him. She saw her daddy, and my poor child had nothing but tears coming out of her. She cried and cried. She hugged him and they were facing to where his face was facing me. He had to calm her down from her crying and he was quite stunned at how much she had grown in just a few months. Our little girl is growing up into a beautiful young lady. He has promised to come get her on sunday. I told him that ANY DAY would be fine to get her, if even for a short while.. but, he doesn't have time. He likes to work and said he promised to get her on sunday. I pray that he does. As she got back into the car, we were on our way again, over to the stables. I was hurt by the fact that he doesn't take enough time to spend any time with her. As I left her there for her day of volunteering, I knew in my heart that I had done my best to try and make things right for her. I went to work, and before I came home, I called her to see how she was. She was so happy. I told her that I was concerned about how she was and she said she cried tears, but they were of joy. Now I truely know that by stopping to see him for her was the best thing. I now have peace that my daughter is feeling much better. What a relief.

Creating Mother/Daughter Memories

Yes, we are in July. I know it's early.... however, it's now time to start thinking about Christmas projects. Have you thought about what you are going to get for everyone? Are you someone that has alot of family to buy for, but not alot of money? Believe me, I am. Not only do I have 4 grown children, 1 young teen at home, a hubby, but I also have 4 grandkids, and my grown children have their spouses as well. I thought that I would give some suggestions here. How about making up a family cookbook for some of the new daughters-in-laws? This is something that you can do with your daughter, providing she is old enough to get on the internet and search for new recipes to add to yours. She can help you print some of these out, and you and her together can go and have these laminated and put into a notebook or binder. Or in our case, we are going to sit down together and go through some old pictures and some new ones, and put them together in a 3 ring binder and make a scrapbook for my mother. My mother already has everything she needs and it's hard to find just the right thing. This is also something you can do with your daughter or even your son. This is time spent together that will good memories and alot of fun doing together.

Shopping for School Clothes

With school starting up again at the end of next month, I am starting to think about school clothing. Does your daughter require designer jeans? Some do. My older children were into the more expensive jeans for high school, but my youngest one just doesn't care about it. She would rather find a brand that fits, especially due to her figure being so tall and thin. Where do you go to shop for bargains? In my experience, I have found that Khols Dept store to always have something on the sales rack. They often have really great sales as well. My second choice is Ross. They have alot of things that are really marked down and really good prices. My last choice here is JCPenney. They are a little more pricier, but they often have great sales going on, especially in the jeans dept. We are going to start our school shopping soon, so wish us good luck... .happy shopping !!!!! Now this is a really great time to spend some mother-daughter or father/daughter time.

French Toast anyone?

Yesterday, I was sitting in the Dr.'s office and I get a phone call. Geez, I already told my daughter that I was going to be there. I had only been gone for like 10 or 15 minutes. My darling daughter asks me "mom, how do you make french toast?" so here is the recipe....although extremely simple, it's something that teens can learn how to make for themselves.
white bread, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon
combine the egg and milk together, beat. add the sprinkle of cinnamon
dip your bread into the mix, coating it on both sides.
place this into an oiled skillet, medium heat. cook on both sides
You now have the choice of pancake syrup and butter, or you can try adding some ole and a couple of teaspoons of powdered sugar on top.. yummy.

Teens and Myspace

Yes, there's that dreaded thing called "myspace". I have heard so much controversy about it, and yet it's more popular than ever. Does my dear daughter have one? Yes, you guessed it. However, it is really possible to have one and NOT have any problems. My daughter has made up a really nice profile, and in order for me to kind of keep a handle on things, I have one too. But all of my grown kids(4) have them too.. so, I have all of my 5 kids on my-myspace. It's much easier to keep track of who is on their friends list. It is better to monitor who's saying what. I believe that teens need to have a place to talk to their friends, as long as they aren't getting into any trouble. Now, I am not talking about spying on them or anything, just keeping a watchful eye on things.

My Daughter

Well, here it is, Thursday morning. My ex was supposed to come and pick up our daughter on Sunday but he was a no-show. No phone call, no nothing...just plain and simple, did not come. When she tried to call him, he did not answer his phone. Now, this really makes me angry that he cannot even give us a courtesy call. My dear daughter seems to show some sort of understanding, however, I am just tired. I am tired of trying to shield her from how her dad really is, and I have decided to let her find out on her own, without my saying anything against him. I know how this must hurt her, to be stood up by her own father, but what can I say? I have to bite my tongue and be pleasant about it, so I won't upset her. Right now, she is at the tender age of innocence and I don't want to rock the boat. What does a mother do to help her daughter get through times like this? I am very supportive of her and I always try to help smooth over those hurt feelings when he doesn't show up. This just gets my "goat" when he tells her that he's working on a holiday or on a Sunday instead of picking her up for just a quick lunch. That's not much time to have to give up.. I don't understand. I have always felt that children need both parents in their lives, if possible...but what can you do if he doesn't show much interest?

Easy Cheesy Nachos

Most kids and teens love eating fast foods.. I have posted a very easy recipe for you to try. My teen daughter has learned how to make this very simple dish. And then as she sits down to eat it, she brags about how wonderful it is and how SHE made it.... I love it when she's proud of what she's done. Here's a link to the recipe http://grannyhomemaker.blogspot.com

Fathers and Daughters

What do you do when your daughter's stepdad is more than her own dad? Such is the case here and I am here to tell you, I have been through it myself. I know that having a stepdad can be such a rewarding thing to a girl, but having your real dad around is so important. My Ex has decided to only come and see our daughter when he feels like it. He was never much a family man when we were together, but now he is really showing it. I have given him actually cart blanche here, allowing him to show up whenever he can, or take her out when his work schedule permits, but he doesn't take much advantage of it. He is self employed, only lives 7 minutes away, and refuses to take her over a weekend, much less one night, so I have allowed him to come and take her to dinner, or shopping, or whatever, WHENEVER he feels available. He gets along with my present hubby but just doesn't take the time. When he DOES have the time, he picks her up for dinner, and brings her right back. I feel so horrible for my daughter, especially since I have been through it myself, but what can a mother do? My hubby has more than stepped in the role of being a step-dad, and they get along wonderfully. I just have to wonder what in the heck is her real dad thinking? She is such a wonderful person to be with and she is growing up so quickly. Makes me wonder why he can't stop and take the opportunity to be a real dad.

Spending Time with my Teen

My daughter is having a great summer. She hasn't told me once that famous saying that I've heard so many other times "I'm Bored". Thank goodness for that. She has even started helping more around the house without my asking for it. Wow, miracle. She has started showing even more interest in taking care of her clothing and we went and bought some woolite for her delicate things. She has started showing more interest in cooking, and has even made homemade banana cake that we found the recipe for online. I believe that spending quality time with my teen has really been good for both of us. Sometimes after I pick her up from the horse stables, we will go and have some "us" time and grab a bite to eat together, and I let her choose where she wants to go. I am really enjoying the summer this year. My teen is really been good company, despite the moodiness of that monthly time in life.

Mid-summer

Well, since Sunday's "meeting at the mall" is done, things are going pretty smooth. My dear daughter seems content in the fact that she got to go and see a movie with "her best friend". He is busy this summer helping his family at a job site and she is busy with her horse volunteering. It's going along very nicely and next week, we will start some beginner tennis lessons.My daughter has been doing some sewing and is enjoying her summer. Seems like now, that the summer is chugging right along. Normally we would have taken an out-of-state vacation but we have decided to let that go until next year. So, how are you all doing and how is your summer vacations going for you?

Was This a Date?

My dear daughter is growing up quickly. Maybe because she's my youngest, time sure seems to be flying. All of her chores have been done, and she has been such a help around the house, she asked me if she would be able to go to the mall to meet an old friend. I knew that it was a guy, but someone that she went to school with years ago. We said yes because she knows not to leave the mall and knows all the "rules." They went to the movies, that was inside of the mall, and walked around and watched the magic show in the court of the mall. They were supposed to eat something but when we picked her up, she had not eaten. My daughter will be 14 next month. She does not wear make-up or fancy clothes. She is such a beauty and is very interested in playing her flute and riding horses. Not much into boys....but is this about to change? I asked her later if he tried to kiss her, and she laughed and say "oh mom, we are best friends" and that meant no. I don't know about all of this, and yes, I have 4 grown kids before her and have been through this HOWEVER, she is my baby.