tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68913265489536180802024-10-06T23:40:33.924-05:00My journey through struggles, inspirations, realities and enjoyments in this mixed-up family!Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-6735448540837884462011-04-25T00:30:00.000-05:002011-04-25T00:30:40.562-05:00

Home alone....no one asking me for anything.... No one telling me they need something, for me to do something, take them somewhere, buy them something that they "have to have now" No one complaining about not getting something or especially, telling me I'm not doing something for them.....no one slamming doors, rolling eyes, staring at me with blank faces wondering when my mouth is going to

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-57131576568403302892011-03-10T10:19:00.000-06:002011-03-10T10:20:16.123-06:00

They’re fabulous, yet frugal…….they’re crafty and creative…….they’re bold and opinionated……..and most of all, they live in a world that can be accessed as quick as you can open your laptop! Welcome to Blogland! This is a world, a life, that one (like myself) finds intriguing and attractive. This life, this blog life, captivates me because of the wonders that it offers, the mesmerizing

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-14836228092728128712011-02-17T14:02:00.000-06:002011-02-17T14:02:05.311-06:00

Is this where you want to be at this time in your life?  Is it where you thought you'd be?  I know everyone has that season in their life where you begin to look back at choices/decisions that you've made and get caught up in the "what-if" stage.  I know every choice has made us the people that we are, so despite the "no-regrets" mantra of the day......let's talk.......or shall I

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-8441336251903327552011-01-21T16:04:00.000-06:002011-01-21T16:04:27.069-06:00

lighten up”, “you’re so serious”, “are you mad?”, “what’s wrong?” Comments, statements, so-called advice that I have heard all of my life. Passionate, intense, introspective, analytical…words that I would use to describe myself. 2 completely different ways of looking at me – others vs. myself. I have always been told by my parents that since I was a little girl, I have been a “watcher” a

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-46571350850056984862010-12-27T17:40:00.000-06:002010-12-27T17:40:51.248-06:00

Christmas means making memories and continuing traditions and enjoying time together. And I go into my favorite season looking forward to the excitement of it all! Yet the holiday experience seems to change as kids get older – leaving a different reality than the one I find myself fantasizing. It seems that the enthusiasm seems to dwindle and the excitement for each Holiday idea gets met with

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-78770630473455735932010-11-23T20:06:00.000-06:002010-11-23T20:06:33.548-06:00

 When did a thank you become a request instead of an automatic response to someone giving us something or showing an act of kindness? Have we become so accustomed to receiving that we take for granted the every day work of others? And how is this played out in our families, with kids showing no appreciation for the blessed lives they lead? I think the only time I ever hear a thank you in

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-50754967374788434912010-11-04T23:06:00.000-05:002010-11-04T23:06:11.430-05:00

  Ever feel like you’d like to carry parts of your past into your present? Or stop yourself mid-action because it just came straight out of your childhood? Well that sort of thing happens to me a lot, especially when I’m starting a mind-numbing task like cleaning (!!) or actually the lack of it! Hah! I caught myself just this morning, walking into the bathroom, getting ready, and then

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-15217332649543294922010-10-22T10:21:00.000-05:002010-10-22T10:21:04.959-05:00

 On my quest to find contentment (hah!!)...due to the fact that the attitudes and behaviors exhibited by my oh-so-grateful children have left a lot to be desired..I figured I may (or may not) have something (just a little) to do with it. I KNOW! CRAZY HUH?? So trying to get to the bottom of why the young people in my house have had terrible, nasty, rude, obnoxious, and irritating

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-37932144071507694382010-10-07T11:45:00.000-05:002010-10-07T11:45:24.576-05:00

 > No, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life! OK?? I feel as if my life has taken on multiple paths, all going in different directions, waiting for one of them to become solid and that has not happened yet... Those all too familiar questions keep popping up: Am I doing the right thing? Did I make a mistake giving up my career? Do I want to continue as a business owner solo now

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-78576196410043279252010-09-19T22:55:00.000-05:002010-09-19T22:55:46.441-05:00

 Entering the grumpy stage... the crabby stage... the mean, nothing-will-satisfy-me stage... I don’t wake up ready to fight or ready to yell, but lately, it just seems that when it comes to managing this household of mine and hearing 2 pre-teens and 2 teenagers go at each other and at me, I just can’t help myself when the words come spilling out... I have never called myself the most

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-91322506022210538362010-09-09T12:03:00.000-05:002010-09-09T12:44:57.610-05:00

 Differences in boys and girls, to me, is astounding! I am always surprised how the distinction is so obviously played out right in front of me, day in and day out. It’s kind of like having my own experimental box where I can observe the incredible variations between my 2 girls and my 2 boys……..and the fact that they are 9, 10, 12, and 14 just add to the bizarre observations! Here are a

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-39094601697991493472010-09-01T11:00:00.000-05:002010-09-01T11:00:39.103-05:00

 The Guilt-aholic is having a relapse and is in desperate need of a sponsor!! It's as if the takeover of school schedules, events, papers, and whole lot of crap on my desk has essentially pushed me over the edge. The crabby neurotic has come out ensuring that the faces of my children have taken on that "knowing" look....the look that says "here she goes again, just wait for her to get over

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-42276114283494877282010-08-27T10:49:00.000-05:002010-08-27T10:49:06.673-05:00

 Shopping is a woman thing. It's a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase. -- Erma Bombeck This quote came to mind this past weekend as I took my Samantha and Madison on a mommy-time outing while the boys were at the golf course for the day. I had a picture in my mind of how this day

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-9470694411015078242010-08-14T01:44:00.000-05:002010-08-14T01:44:43.826-05:00

You ever have times in your life when you feel you're watching a movie about your life and your body is somehow part of the movie but your brain is sitting back thinking, "there's no way this is real"?? Ever have one of those? Well, it seems to be happening quite a bit lately and I'm getting a bit freaked out! To the point that now, each time I'm walking outside, I actually look up to see if

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-87756107364710886432010-08-09T23:27:00.001-05:002010-09-01T10:52:20.155-05:00

 Well, it's time......to be honest with myself.....to be honest with those around me......it's been a long time coming, to look inside and truly evaluate what I know of myself.....how I have come to this place in my life.......... We can only keep going on until one day.....we hit bottom! We tell ourselves that we just can't keep pretending anymore! So, here I go: Hello, My name is

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-69631530798543599212010-08-06T13:55:00.000-05:002010-08-06T13:55:28.575-05:00

 Yep, it's time......time for me to get serious.....really, down-to-earth serious.....about that one thing that has somehow made it's way out of my daily routine and out of my life as I know it in my world of today. And that would be.....ugh.....organization, you know….having my “ducks in a row” See, I am an all-together, organized, everything-has-its-place type of woman. After all, I

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-70738425885796645782010-07-28T17:57:00.000-05:002010-07-28T17:57:59.688-05:00

I'm beginning to see a pattern in this psychotic train wreck of blogging that I seem to be obsessed with! And the pattern is....when I begin to think of topics and random thoughts that I want to write about, I end up with the daunting task of actually choosing which topic or thought I would like to delve into.....which brings me to the inability to choose (because I have this brain of mine that

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-9348048980782779912010-07-15T02:09:00.000-05:002010-07-15T02:09:04.466-05:00

 I am not lost. I have not fallen off the planet. I did not decide to abandon all aspects of socializing, or in this case, writing. I simply have paused.....because the reality of my situation is pressing in on me, leaving me in a fog. The reality is.....an incredibly hard work schedule that I, mom....partner....self, have to deal with! Yes, I'm whining! I'll explain....for those of

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-36469975831105520522010-07-08T20:20:00.000-05:002010-07-08T20:20:50.005-05:00

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-51843106632087094922010-06-28T16:17:00.000-05:002010-06-28T16:17:06.656-05:00

  There are many things that I have enjoyed about living in Texas. The true southern hospitality, the quirky sayings for just about any event or situation, and the incredibly laid-back demeanor of people......of which, I have had to adjust my temperament accordingly.....what? no one else is constantly late and in a hurry? what? I have to find out your life's story when all I wanted was

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-24281005158872380642010-06-20T10:15:00.000-05:002010-06-20T10:15:18.718-05:00

I can get completely lost in my own thoughts when it comes to my dad. My mind jumps from memory to memory and I find myself flooded with a wide range of emotions. To say that my dad made an impact on my life and that I am the person I am today because of the influence he had on me, is to say the least. I am what you would call.........daddy's little girl......or at least was, in various stages

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-61115283308199400772010-06-05T11:46:00.000-05:002010-06-05T11:46:13.612-05:00

 I love reading other mom's blogs to hear what other moms think and their creative thoughts surrounding their families, kids, problems, etc. But through the string of blogs that I subscribe to, there has been (or probably has been, I'm just late showing up to the conversation...no surprise) a discussion on "free-range" kids. The idea that as moms, we need to learn to cut the cord and be

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-78133164180305898602010-05-27T11:09:00.000-05:002010-05-27T11:09:48.428-05:00

 Have you ever offered to help cook when you go over to a friend's house? Or when you were younger and your mother asked you to help after she already had started dinner? That's what I liken to blending a family......starting in the middle when no one has let you know what the dinner is supposed to be. It's left up to you to continue where someone else has left off.....it has already

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-26570209757853765122010-05-19T13:30:00.000-05:002010-05-19T13:54:17.107-05:00

 I recently enjoyed an overdue night of dinner with a dear and new-found friend. I was looking forward to this time because I wanted to get to know who she was and how she had come to this place in her life....I know, deep, right? I guess the reason why I was looking forward to it so much was because in our past conversations, I had noticed that we seemed to have more to talk about than

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6891326548953618080.post-84650182177762356032010-05-13T10:30:00.000-05:002010-05-13T10:30:11.738-05:00

  It's that time of year again.......the time in which I walk into my closet and begin to stare down my clothes as if to say "I'm ready for a fight!" And it doesn't matter what type of mood I walk into my closet with, undoubtedly my mood will become frustration, hopelessness, or downright anger. I can't help it. It's the time of year when the summer clothes start to come out and I have

Candacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08923022938918782870noreply@blogger.com2