Mirror Mirror on the Wall

One of the first things I do in the morning is look at my body in the mirror. I'm checking to see if I appear to have gained weight, lost or stayed the same. I've done this for so long ( since my teenage years ) I can see it right away. I'm a pro. I'm so good at it that if I choose to get on the scale I can guess within a few pounds what my current weight is. My clothes are a sure sign even more so than the mirror check. As I slip on a pair of pants, slide them up over my hips and before I even zip or button....I know!!! I think about it every morning. I try not to worry so much about my weight. I really do try. Is it a lifelong habit, am I just cautious or am I obsessed? I'm not considered over weight by today's society,( I think, Hmmm). I am 5.9, about 168lb. and a comfortable size 12.  Plus size, a big girl, thick, curvy, blah blah blah. The strange thing is I have more confidence in myself today than I did 20 years ago when I weighed 15lb less and everything was firm.

 My Mom and me about 15 years ago. I was 150lb here and thought I was HUGE!



 Today I have cellulite, sagging skin, wrinkles, and female parts heading south. When I did the mirror check 20 years ago it dictated my whole day. Wider hips = bad day. Flatter tummy = good day. Sad huh? This mornings mirror check for instance.... I would prefer to be about 10lb lighter but it's not going to spoil my day. I'm feeling pretty good. My husband thinks I'm sexy. When I get all dressed up...I think I look pretty good. So, the answer to my own question? I feel like it's a habit because I've done it since I was  teenager.  But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Because somewhere along the way I became more accepting of my body.  So when did my feelings change?  That is a good question. I don't know exactly just somewhere in my mid 40's. How did it happen? Now that is a even better question. This is my answer.... I care more about being healthy as I'm aging than I care about being skinny. I want to live to be a ripe old age. I want to see my great Grandchildren. I want to pass on wisdom and family history. I associate keeping my weight down with being healthy. I don't have to be a bean pole ( the way I used to think) to be healthy or beautiful for that matter. I began to realize there were more important things to worry about than looking like a super model. As I get older, continue to learn and go through trials and tribulations I realize what is important and what isn't. Being a size 8 or smaller just doesn't concern me anymore. I don't have it all figured out believe me. After all I'm still doing the mirror check and the clothing test. Maybe one day I won't care about those things either. For now I'm thankful for my health and for the opportunity to learn something new about my life everyday.

This is me now. I love my front porch

My Boo Boo's

I have a question..... How can your sinus' be clogged and stuffy and your nose run like a faucet at the same time? I can't breath through my nose but it runs like it's wide open. I love the country but one of the downfalls is lots of pollen!!! Ugh I feel like poo. Okay enough whining. It's not going to make me feel better. Well maybe a little.
This post is about my Boo Boo's and I don't mean bumps and bruises. I'm talking about my grandsons. Don't ask how they got that name. I don't know. It just sort of happened . Anyway I have the opportunity to see the boys once or twice a week. My co-Grandma is Jason's Mom, Susan a.k.a Mamaw. Susan and I actually share in caring for the boy's every week. It works out perfectly for everyone involved. Mindy and Jason don't have the expense of daycare and they have the security of knowing their children are being well cared for by two people who love them. Susan and I get to see our boy's just enough. Meaning it doesn't feel like a full time job, or something we have to do. We GET TO, and the boy's know who their Memaw ( that's me) and Mamaw are.

Introducing Landon on the left and Brantley. 

 

 

 

They're obviously not identical. One is bigger than the other. One is more active than the other. One minds the rules better than the other. One talks more than the other. The list goes on. They are truly individual little people.

Brantley ( Bud)

Landon ( LJ )

I'm one proud Memaw. Can you tell? Being a Grandparent is the best. I get to enjoy them without having to raise them. It's the bomb.

Housewives Rock

I dedicate this post to my Mom and Daughter.

When I was a young girl trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. I wasn't sure. But I did know for sure that a wanted to get married one day and have 3 kids. Two boys and one girl. I wanted the boys first and the girl last so they could take care of their little sister. That was my plan. I grew up in a home where my Mom was a housewife and my Father the bread winner. That was the norm back then and it was totally acceptable. As it worked out I didn't get to attend college and I became a mother and housewife at a young age. It didn't take me long to figure out that my friends where going to college and planning their careers. I was looked down upon because I wasn't working outside the  home and I didn't have a college degree. Being a housewife was no longer cool. I felt ashamed. I felt like a lazy loser. Even though I was good at being a homemaker and Mother ( I give all the credit to my Mom) it was no longer acceptable.

My Mom and me. I was the 6th child. Look how put together she is. She had it going on in 1964. Nine years later she had her 7th child.

 I tried to avoid my career driven friends. I went as far as pushing my own daughter to have a career first. Which isn't a bad thing but I insinuated being a housewife was bad.  At 5 years old I remember telling her,"You don't need a man to take care of you." I began to look down on my own Mom. Why didn't she push me to have a career when I was growing up? I was mad at her. Years went by, my children grew ( by the way I did have 2 boys, Nicholas and Tyler and 1 girl, Mindy, except Mindy came first) and I continued to do what I did best. When my youngest, Tyler was 9 years old I chose to go to school and become an EMT. It was a short career due to an injury ( eight years). It was gratifying to care for people who were sick or injured. I learned a lot about life and myself. After my injury I had no choice but to stay home and become that dreaded housewife again. Yuk! I still hadn't learned that being a housewife was one of the hardest and most rewarding careers a person could ever have the privilege of doing. Mindy grew up and married my favorite son-n-law Jason. They both worked. It was the norm.

Mindy and Jason on their wedding day. He was so handsome and she looked like a princess.

 Eight loooong years later Mindy and Jason gave me, not one but two precious grandsons. A few months after the twins were born Mindy went back to work. She quickly realized the challenges of being a working Mom. She shared her feelings of how she used to look down upon me for not having a career. Her own Mom. I could not be upset with her. I did that to her and myself. Now that Mindy is a Mom her feelings have changed about me and my chosen profession. My daughter shared with me how she wished she could be a stay at home Mom and housewife. Suddenly I felt important and appreciated. She would love to stay home with her children. Right now Mindy doesn't have that option. She has adjusted to juggling a career and caring for her family. I applaud her. She is one tough cookie! This is when it finally hit me. It took my daughter to help me see the light. I love her dearly.

Mindy was preggers in this photo. She's glowing. So pretty.

I am finally proud to say that I stay home and take care of my family. I am the glue that held us together then and holds us all together now . I thank God everyday for the wonderful opportunity to have such a rewarding career. So, for all you stay at home Moms and housewives out there......YOU ROCK!!!

I receive daily devotionals from this awesome website "Proverbs 31 Ministries" . It spoke volumes to me this morning about my above post. Check it out.



http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/

It's Sunday Morning

My Sunday morning usually consists of making coffee for me and my husband as we spend the good part of the morning procrastinating on yard work. Its our only lazy morning of the week so we push it as far as we can. It's a bit cloudy today so it's a good time to get started on our routine of mowing, edging, etc, you know how it goes. We've had three digit temps in Texas for the last couple of months so there's no time to waste while we have somewhat of a cool morning. Believe me 85 degrees in August is a cool morning. Aw, I hear my husband cranking up the mower. Pray for rain, Please.

There he is. My husband Russell Bates aka Master Bates, The big kahuna, The boss man. He likes to believe he is the boss man. I let him think he is. It's one ingredient to a happy marriage. I have a list of ingredients. A full recipe. But that's another post on another day.

This is the view from my front porch. Aw serenity