Pictures and The Digital Age

For my daughter's upcoming Quinceanera, I have decided to take some of her baby pictures and beyond and put them into a digital scrapbook. I thought it might make a nice presentation for her guests to look at, plus it would be nice for her as a keepsake. As I was sifting through the suitcase and plastic container of all the pictures and memories, I found alot of pictures. I, of course, took a stroll down memory lane and remembered all the great moments. Last night, I decided to start scanning them so I would be able to use them for the scrapbook. As I carefully laid each picture out, one at a time on my scanner, I noticed how so many things had changed. Not only had my baby changed, but I only had real live pictures up until a certain age, and then I went digital for the rest. I have alot of pictures still to look at but they are all on cd disks. Time has certainly changed things.....not only is my baby growing up, the photo industry has changed drastically too!!!

When Your Teen Becomes Secretive

Although I have 4 grown children and 1 teen left, I am still puzzled by the many differences they have. Raising a teen has just gotten so much harder than it used to be, due to the many dangers in this world today. I do have to say though, that my daughter is a very strong young lady and she is head-strong in what's right and wrong, which is a very good thing. Now that she's getting a little older, I have noticed that there are times that she seems a bit secretive, especially when she's on a phone conversation. I know that this is part of growing up and asserting some independence, but what do you do if it's a bit too much? Would you try to listen in on the conversation? Or do you just go about your business and pray that all is well? I think alot of the answer lies in the actions of your child. If you have laid down your boundaries and they are followed, should you let them have their privacy? Do you talk to your teen about what's going on in her life? Luckily, mine does share some things with me, but I'm sure there's still other things that I don't know.

Finding A Quinceanera Doll

Oh, I have been ever-so-busy these past months trying to get everything ready for my daughter's quinceanera in August. I have been numerous places and have yet to find a quinceanera doll with the royal blue dress. I have decided that I am going to buy her a porcelain doll and make the dress myself. My only alternative is to find a doll, perhaps on the marie osmond doll site that has a blue dress on......ha! That's not easy and so far, I have found nothing in the royal blue color. Why did my daughter have to have royal blue? Well, out of all the different colored dresses she tried on, royal blue looked the best on her. Not only having to make the royal blue dress for the doll, the bouquet is having to be made as well. Remember that choosing quinceanera colors isn't always as easy as just stating the colors because the dress is what holds the color choices. Here are a few sites that I have found helpful.
www.uniquelyquince.com
www.quincegirl.com
www.quinceaneraconnect.com

Quinceanera Tabletop Decorations--Also A Tackle Project

Finding decorations for your daughter's quinceanera can really be a chore. First, you must start with the colors of her dress and work with that. You must also be able to work in the "theme" of her party. We have chosen "Hearts for a Sweetheart" as our theme, however, her dress is royal blue. They don't make blue hearts but her damas dresses are baby pink so that works perfectly for the heart part of it. I went out and purchased ivy bowls for the table top decoration and will be decorating them with royal blue stones which will surround a pink candle on the inside and a bow and small flowers around the outside rim. I have heard about many people putting goldfish in the bowls but I figured this would be quite messy, having them filled with water. Anyways, I will also be adding heart-shaped boxes which will be filled with some mints, a small purse that will hold candies and I have picked up some heart frames for pictures. I have yet to put them together, but will soon. Anybody have any other suggestions for the table decorations?

Quinceanera Update Again

Well, we are only 3 months and counting so here are more of what's going on. I have decided to make the bouquet myself since I know how. All the crystal bouquets are running $120 and $150 and my daughter has decided that's not necessary. I have also decided to print the invitations myself and was able to find them for half price at our local Hobby Lobby store in the wedding section. Really nice invitations and envelopes orig. $24.99 but since it was half price, I got 2 boxes of 50 for that price. I am also working on the table decorations. Royal blue and baby pink are her colors so I am having a heck of a time finding silk flowers in the blue. Anyways, for the tabletops, I am using the ivy bowls and will decorate those with blue marble stones in the bottom and a candle. I also have purchased heart shaped candle holders and will cover those up with tulle in her colors. I have also thought about cutting out some heart shapes like confetti and spreading those on the tables. Pink hanging hearts in the wedding section of Party City will also help decorate. Her "theme" is hearts so I told her it's Hearts For A Sweetheart. She liked that for sure.

Teens and Education

Here we are, almost at the close of her first year in high school. I have told her to make the best of these last four years because high school really seems to go fast. She has done really good in most of her classes but have had a few struggles in Spanish. Yes, it's an elective but it's really important for her to learn because where we live, jobs pay much better if you are bilingual. She is also gearing up to study becoming an equine vet. I am told that this is really tough, so she needs to keep her grades up. What can you do if your teen isn't doing so well in a class or two? For one, it's crucial to keep up with their grades and secondly, keep a good repoire with the teacher of that class. Many teachers offer free tutoring, depending on the days and times of course, but most offer them right before class or right after. My daughter is famous for not remembering to turn in a particular paper in order to get a grade, so we have to keep up on that. If your school has a program where you can check their grades online like ours does, it's a great program. You can even see daily grades. Education is so important right now, but of course, most teens are thinking about socializing.

Being a Mother On Mother's Day

When I was a little girl, the only hope that I had was to be a mother. I wanted children of my own so that I could love. I wanted to teach them how to be kind, loving and caring. Today as I celebrate mothers day, I have to say that I have been truly blessed. I have five children, four all grown up and one teen. Being a mother has been such a wonderful journey for me. Not only was I given the ability to teach my children, each one of them has taught me something. I learned how to be patient, understanding and thankful. Having children is a really wonderful experience. I am so joyous that I have been given this wonderful opportunity.

Wordless Wednesday--She's Growing Up !

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How Do You Deal With The "Stubborn" Attitude?

Sometimes my dear darling daughter gets into this really stubborn mood. I don't like it at all because most of the time, she is so easy going and sweet. What gets her into these stubborn periods of time? I don't know if it's pressure at school that she's dealing with or perhaps her monthly time. Either way, I don't like it when we butt heads. I have always told her that I am the mother and she is the daughter. If she has an idea, I am very open to hear it and I listen very well, but I don't HAVE to agree to anything that I don't like. Ok, I know, I have to pull the "mother" card out sometimes but most of the time, she knows what's good with me and what's not. What do I do about those rock solid moments when we don't agree? I do get frustrated but I don't yell. I have to let her know my position. Sometimes we can compromise but if not, she just has to learn how to deal with it. I have to say, that teens go through alot during school hours. They not only have to learn, but they have to put up with many other teens as well, and not all teens are nice. Understanding is the biggest key to getting through those "stubborn" moments in this house.

Bringing Home A Boy

What happens when your sweet darling baby girl suddenly shows signs of interest in boys? After all those years of her playing with dolls, riding bikes, taking on interests of anything but boys, and now suddenly, she is growing......getting taller, showing signs of growing into a young lady and wow, the next thing you know, she wants to bring a boy home after school so you can meet him. In our case, her first encounters started with her wanting to meet him at the mall. I was so afraid because once they get into that boy stage, beware! I have already raised 2 daughters and I knew what was headed in my direction next. I allowed her to go to the mall but she had to have a friend with her, someone that I knew already. That worked out wonderfully because she knew that once I dropped her off, she was not allowed to leave. Good thing here too was that he couldn't drive and turns out, his mother stayed at the mall to shop while he was there. I am very lucky, I have to admit, that his mother and dad are very caring, consiencious people. Letting your daughter go out these days has to be thought out about carefully. I have not allowed her to go to any "parties at so-and-so's house". I have let her go places but with friends of hers that I know, and know their families as well. What works for you with your daughters? Anybody got anything they would like to add here? I welcome your comments!

Driving at Age Fourteen

Driving is a good thing, but a 14 yr. old is really not mature enough to get behind the wheel on a regular basis, day in and day out. Not that my daughter can't drive, as I have let her practice around the block or on a back road, but today's drivers can really be dangerous. I have found that many people don't turn on their turning signals when turning, nor do they practice politeness. Not everyone, but a good majority, and really, that's why I feel that it takes some maturity to get behind the wheel, and knowing how to react to someone that's in a hurry while driving. It's not you, my dear daughter, it's the other guy that I worry about. When you get another year older and take drivers ed, then I will feel more comfortable about the driving thing!