Dear Abby, Dr. Phil, Prudence, and Oprah-

I need your opinions please. I have a few things on my mind that I need help with:

Is it wrong to feel relieved when your husband runs over a nest of baby mice when he's mowing?

At what age is it appropriate for a girl to get her ears pierced for a second time? What about makeup and shaving?

What curfew should I give my 16 year old son? He gets good grades and is appalled by alcohol and cigarettes.

Is it bad that I take a nap almost every day while my kids are in school? I go to bed at 2 every morning and get up at 6:30, I think I deserve a nap.

What do you think about placing a hamper in the middle of the bedroom floor or near the bed? My husband always drops his dirty clothes there, so I figured maybe the one in the bathroom is not noticeable. Thoughts?

Hamburger Helper for dinner? I say no way, but my husband and son love it.

How long is too long to go without shaving?

I am trying to teach my 6 year old son how to do an "armpit fart" whenever I should be teaching him to tie his shoes. Does this make me a bad mother?

Any advice on how to get a picky eater to be un-picky? I mean this kid will eat his own fingernails but won't touch a P B & J with a ten foot pole.

I think my 12 year old son is addicted to his cell phone. Is this possible? Is there a cure?

What exactly IS toe jam?


Wondering and Confused in Texas

Tuckered Out

Last night Jon and Hayden went to race BMX for the first time in F*O*R*E*V*E*R! We had loaded up our crusty old futon into Jon's work van so we could drop it at Goodwill and it has been back there for awhile. Anyway, Hayden climbed back there and fell asleep after the races. See his 1st place ribbon? I had a hard time not punching him when I saw this picture.



** for the record, this futon looked awesome and we hoped to make a little $$ off it, but no one wanted it. It sat in the sun for 1 day and faded and now looks awful. Oh well, somebody will want it, it just needs a new cover **

Please-

keep my friends Nona and Jesse and their daughter Hailey (she just turned 7) in your prayers. Little Miss Hailey isn't feeling well and just had surgery this evening. At this time I don't feel comfortable disclosing her condition. As soon as I am able to visit her and talk with her family, I will update y'all. I love this little girl as if she was my own and was very sad to hear that she was sick. As of now, she is doing great, and came through her surgery like a champ. Best of all, she should be able to go home soon. And, Nona and family we love you guys bunches and you are in our prayers as well.

**CONGRATS**

To Shannon and Cheree! You two lovely ladies are the winners of my candle giveaway!! Thanks for reading and entering!! YAY!

Took long enough....

Hayden has had a loose tooth for about a month, and it has literally been hanging there for a week. We have twisted, pulled, even tied a string around it and nothing worked. I have picked up literally hundreds of bloody, wet kleenexes and paper towels for days, and still nothing. I thought for sure today that when I picked him up it would have fallen out at school, but no. Today before dinner, I guess it was finally ready because he got it out. It must have been past it's prime because it was turning gray and it didn't even bleed. I had told him that if it didn't fall out by Thursday, that we were headed to the dentist. That must have frightened him and his tooth, because not 2 hours later it came out. And, we now know what the big holdup was, it had the longest, sharpest "root thingey" that I have ever seen, much like a shark tooth or something?

Proof-

that I DO have a 4th kid. I have come to accept the fact that Chandler is growing up and would rather be with his friends than his family. It bugs me, but what can you do? He is breathing down 17! Gasp!! So, he is almost never with us when we do stuff as a family, like today's bike ride. Sad, I know. But, before long he will be on his own. And, then there's the fact that he HATES having his picture taken. Which means that when I do a blog post he is almost never in the pictures, because he is gone or avoiding the camera. So, the other day in a desperate attempt to take new pics of the kids for the blog, I woke him up and bribed him with a cookie, if he would pretty please smile and let me take a picture. And, this is how that turned out:

Bike Ride!

Back when we lived in Arlington we used to go to Cravens Park and ride the bike trails. We would go about three times a week during the Summer. We have had some fun times on those trails, even out running more than one thunderstorm. The trails weave through the whole park and are about 3 miles long. So, for nostalgic purposes (and nothing else to do) we loaded the bikes in the truck and headed to Cravens. Way back when it took us about a month to build up to riding the whole trail, today we did it in about 2 hours. We took lots of breaks and lots of pictures. Plus, some of us are more out of shape than others... Anyway, we had a blast. By the time we were finished, we all felt like we were gonna croak. So, we went to Buck n Loons for cold drinks and greasy food. Not so good after you have ridden bikes for 6 miles in the Texas sun... We are home now, and we are exhausted!

me and the Chlo-meister


Mommy and Chloe


the kiddos


taking a break


sweaty Jon


family portrait


another family portrait


Hunter


Jon


Hayden