Rain Dance

We need rain.  We are dying here.  We are in one of the worst droughts for the state since 1865.  Yikes.

And today?  We're predicted to hit 108.  Uh huh.

What am I dreaming of?  R.A.I.N.

 we saw rain this summer.

 but not here.

 we hadn't seen it for so long, that the kids went crazy out in it.

 and this mom let them.

they went crazy.  as if they had never seen rain before.

funny how a little bit of water falling from the sky can make you nutzo.

i'm ready for a little crazy.

Friday Daydreamin': The Sweet Smell of Vacation

I'm linking up for another Friday Daydreamin' with R We There Yet Mom?.  Last week there was only 5 vacation photos to visit - so I am really hoping to see more this week - I have my cup of coffee sitting here ready to dream away........

So, take a minute to admire my lovely vacation photo below, add a photo to your blog and link up!  I promise you, it's the easiest Friday post you'll ever do!!

Now, let's take a trip down to Mexico......

I cleaned out my closet today. (just hang with me) And on one of my shelves, I found this perfume set that I had been given as a gift on a trip a few years ago.  I had never opened it.  I wasn't wearing much perfume at the time, I guess.  

When I opened the gift set and smelled the scent, it took me right back to where I got it - this heavenly resort in Cabo San Lucas smelled of this scent.  I probably sat on my closet floor for a good 20 minutes inhaling this scent and remembering this wonderful trip Matt & I took there.  Margaritas by the infinity pool.  Sleeping with the terrace door open to hear the waves crashing.  Lobster dinner by the bay.  Deep sea fishing.  Many spa treatments.  And this scent.  This heavenly scent.

I am so incredibly happy that I have this perfume gift set.  What a fantastic way to remember an awesome trip!!

It's the First Day of School!!!!!

Whoo-Hoo!!  As much as I enjoyed my summer with my babes, I was thrilled to see School starting up again. Thrilled to have routine back.  Thrilled to have one-on-one time with Bubba.  Thrilled to have a quiet house.

Wait.

Does that make me a bad mom?

Many moms were saying yesterday how much they missed their kids when they went back to school.  Try as I might, I just couldn't find that feeling anywhere.  

Miss their constant bickering & fighting with one another?  Miss their enormous appetites for junk food? Miss their zoning in front of the tv, ignoring my requests to turn it off?  

Nope.

They were ready to get back to school - they both had an AWESOME day, chattering about thier friends, the rules of P.E., their teacher's expectations ("can you believe I might have 2 nights of homework?"  gasp!!).

We had an awesome summer filled with travel, family, and fun.  But this family is ready for routine.  And the school year provides us with learning, schedules, better habits, and so on. 

So, the 2 olders are back at school.

Amen.

The First Day of the Last Year

Today was our last "official" day of summer.  And as I lay in bed thinking about that, a horrible thought struck me.

 Tomorrow marks the first day of Sissy's last year of Elementary School. Yeah, I'm a sap. I know.

Just look at this precious baby girl starting her first day of kinder 5 short years ago.  She was so excited.  So happy to be starting school.  SO ready to pose for the camera and tell me she was going to "school"!

 Kinder was an awesome year - she was in a tiny class of 12 kiddos in a small private school. They were a sweet little class that got a long so well.

And she was such a big, independent girl.  All ready for what the world would bring her.  She made sweet friends that year.  And strengthened her love of reading.  

I look at these pictures now and all I can think of is how sweet, confident, and loving she was then...and still is today.  She may have her head crammed full of a lot more things.....geometry, scientific methods, states & capitals, student council, and more....but she has not lost that sweet disposition and helpful attitude.

Sis, get the most that you can out of this last year of Elementary!

Have an awesome 5th grade year!

I love you to pieces.

Friday Daydreamin: Hold on to those Beach Memories

I think Friday is starting to be one of my favorite days of the week in Blog Land!!  I have so enjoyed viewing all the Friday Daydreams over at R We There Yet Mom?.  It has been a fun "escape"!!

This week, I am daydreaming about this past summer.  Our summer is just about over here in Texas.  We had our Teacher Welcome Walk this evening and school starts on Tuesday.  We are going to take a quick trip out to the lake for one last hurrah, and then we are back to the "Darling Routine".

This was our first trip to a real beach as a family.  We spent almost every day (except when we were chasing after gators) playing in the sand, leaping through the waves, and spending every single minute together as a family.  We had such a wonderful time.  We took home cherished memories of our kids that we will forever hold onto.

And as I sit here this morning, drinking my coffee in the quiet, I have a sense of peace knowing we made those special memories for our kids this summer.  

Get Ready for Back to School: Top 5 Ways We Celebrate!

I'm sitting here, trying to figure out if I am excited that the kids are going back to school next week, or am I sad that the summer is over??

When I'm at the grocery store and the 2 olders are whining because "she punched me" & "he tripped me", I am most certainly HAPPY that school is about to start.

But when I look back on all the fun things we did this summer together as a family, I long for more time with them......

Knowing that we can't stop time, I have to make the most of what I have in front of me.  So, to make the most of this last week of summer, we traditionally do some fun things to celebrate the end of a fun season and the start of a new school year:

1. Make the last week FUN!!  Do somethings that you didn't do all summer - take them to their favorite restaurant (my kids love CiCi's - blech - but it's cheap!), to a different swimming pool, to the 99 cent movies - just get out of the house and make it fun.

Last year, every morning of the last week of school, the kids we given an envelop with a clue of what we were doing.  For example, "Happy Tuesday!  Let's remember what it's like to have recess by playing outside at the Rockin' R Water Park!"  We went to Gattiland, had doughnuts at this well-known bakery, and had a family game day.  We had an awesome week filled with fun!! I enjoy the time spent with them doing something they loved doing.

This year, I let each one pick an activity with a friend - Sis choose an Mall Scavenger Hunt & Brody choose a trip to the Lego Store.

2. Count it Down.  We like to find ways to count down the days of summer - this is great for the younger kids to "see" how long they have until school starts.  Last year, we did this with a paper chain.


3. Make a Back-to-School recipe with the kids.  There are so many ideas floating around out there for fun cookies, cupcakes, meals, etc. that celebrate school.  Some of my favorites come from the Family Fun website.  We have made treats for our teachers each year, as the teachers at our school come to each house the week before to introduce themselves to the kids.  This is how the kids find out who they have - it is so fun!!!

4. Last Day of Summer??  Make it meaningful. Our school district starts school on a Tuesday and I love that because it gives me a day after the weekend to relax them.  Traditionally, we spend that day at home, quietly playing, with no friends over.  Sis and I have made a scrapbook of our summer and watched our favorite movie together (the past 3 summers, it has been Hairspray, wonder what it will be this year?).  It is a wonderful last day to love on my kiddos before sending them off for the year.

5. Packed & Ready to Go! My kids are not the anxious type and they are used to me making a fuss over the littlest things in life.  So I like to make a "last summer vacation" meal that all the family will enjoy - and y'all know my troubles with getting Brody to eat "regular" food - so sometimes this means we mix it up - hamburgers for the normal people and a grilled cheese for him.  This saves the fighting at the dinner table, he fills his belly and we all have a nice family meal together.

I also ensure that they are a part of planning lunches & snacks by taking them shopping for what they want (as long as it gets mom's approval) and packing their lunch the night before.  When they were little, I made a check list of all the things they needed to do to get ready for school and we walked through it.  As we have gotten older, I have given them a lot more independence - this is the first year I have completely let them pick out their own first day of school outfits (and it's not at all what mom would have choose - no more skirts and cute boots for my girl!! sniff sniff).

These are a few of the things we are doing this week - I know there are many more fun traditions out there that all of you amazingly creative moms do - tell me some of them!!

WOW! What a debate we have going on here.

So, before we get to the topic at hand, I need to ask all my regulars a BIG favor!!!  After it's first post 2 months ago, R We There Yet Mom? is hosting it's first giveaway today!!!!!!!  We are giving 2 (TWO!) vouchers to Eversave Deals going on in Texas. DOn't live in Texas?  No problem - if you are an out-of -state winner, you will receive $20 in EverSave rewards!!!!

So take a quick second, hop over & sign up to win, then come back and read on.

K?  Thanks.

On with the show........

I'm assuming everyone knows the drama going on with my blog - if not, read this first.

Moving forward, I have had a huge outpouring of support from the blogging community in regards to the plagiarism.  While the majority of blog comments, facebook comments, and tweets are in support of the fact that my words were stolen, there are a few that see things differently.

Today the story was even picked up by another blog, My Favorite Hate Mail and the comments have been enlightening. I love the debate that has been going on........

Some feel that the person who stole the post was apologetic in her comment back to me.
I do not feel this way.  I think she was embarrassed that she was caught.

Some feel that she is getting flogged by the blogging community.
Possibly - she is getting flamed.  This stems from the overwhelming passion that comes from bloggers who work hard putting their words out there for the world to see.  They are protective of what is theirs.  They are supportive of other bloggers when someone "does them wrong".  And if you are not an active blogger, you may not be able to relate to this.  That's ok.

Some feel I/we are making a big deal out of nothing.
While I appreciate their concerns for the other blogger, they need to reflect on how they would feel if something they worked hard for was taken from them.  I was initially very upset by this discovery on Saturday night and immediately posted my anger.  I don't regret what I said.  I am glad that I brought this issue to light.

Some feel I need to "let it go."
I have.  Really. I don't hold a grudge to this blogger.  I forgive her for what she did.  She made a silly mistake and I am sorry that she finds it unnecessary to apologize for it.  But it is what it is.

In all honesty, it has been a fun last few days - I have met a ton more people in the bloggy world and brought more attention (and traffic) to my 2 blogs.

So if you are new to The Texas Darlings or R We There Yet Mom?,  thanks for visiting.  Hope you come back again.

Just don't steal my post. K?