Just a Photo Blog Today

I usually do not do this, but today I just want to share a few pictures! Saturday we took Regan and Samara to the New Iberia Humane Society's 2nd Annual Walk in the Park. It is their yearly fundraiser. Regan go to ride a pony and pet animals from The Goat Lady, Met Rouxfus from The Dawg, and even got to sit in a firetruck and set off the sirens!! We had a great family day!!

Here are a few of the highlights of the day! Enjoy!

Labeling People with "Disorders"

Why does our society this day and age think that everything needs a label or a name?! Take OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) for example. Why does this negative label even need a place in the world?!

When I was young, children or people in general who did things a certain way, preferred things organized just so or liked to keep things neat and tidy were......well....... picky or organized. Finicky even. They didn't have a "disorder" to speak of.

So really, what is wrong with developing a personality of your own? At my age, I have been doing things a really long time. Long enough to develop a system. A system which helps me complete tasks more efficiently and that are within my means and time restraints. One example is how I load my dishwasher. By doing this task in a certain order, I am able to make sure everything gets clean and in addition I am able to get everything to fit in one load. Somehow, this makes me "compulsive". And too, the fact that a cabinet door being left open driving me crazy, or my silverware not stacked just so bothering me is just no reason to tell me that I have a problem!

All I know is that I don't have a disorder or an issue. What I have is a system in life that makes tasks and life in general easier. And if preferring a simplistic and easier life means I have to carry a label, then I want to make up my own!

I hereby declare that I am an Adept Fastidious Matriarch. And the things I choose to be picky about can further be blamed on those three words! :o)

Have a great night my fellow Adept Fastidious Matriarchs (or Patriarchs).

Things I Need and/or Require in Life

Tissue boxes in each room and each bathroom!

Positive, encouraging people around me!

Music! It's is a staple in my life!

My family! I cannot live without them!

My friends/playgroup. They are just like family to me!

Laughter, I cannot go a day without it.
Lucky for me the people around me make are hilarious and fun!

Honesty! Without it life gets complicated and evil.

To Cook! I love to cook and I love to feed people!

Hope! It is what allows me to see things for the better!

Rice with my Chili - it is a must!

Modern Luxuries! Driving a car, having a cell, a computer, cable
TV.......it makes life easier!

Love! It is an amazing thing! I could not live with the love of
my husband, my child or friends & family. It completes me!

Comfort Foods! There is nothing like eating something that
reminds you of old times and warms your belly and your soul!

Faith! Having faith in God and in people I care about is what
carries me!

Self Worth! My success in life and what I leave behind is
important to me!

Memories! Everything changes and people pass on. I need
something to hold on to!

Dancing! I feel released when I dance - even if just around the
house with my daughter!

Critters! I love my cats and dog! Life would be lonelier without them around!

Confidence! Knowing and loving myself helps me to be a better me!

Wordless Wednesday

Regan is Going to be a Cub

Yesterday, March 23rd I did something I was really not ready to do! I had to go register Regan for Kindergarten. Yep, you read it right! My little girl will be in big girl school in just a little over 4 months!! Eeek!

About 10 am Regan and I headed into Youngsville to G.T. Lindon. I sat down in the tiniest of chairs and filled out the largest stack of papers. The amount of papers wasn't bad, it was the fact that each sheet required that I fill out a lot of the same information I had on the previous 2 papers! It seemed to take forever, especially with a very excited not yet 5 year old squirming next to me.

As usual, Regan wasn't shy at all. About halfway through our time there she started chatting it up with one of the teachers. She asked her what her name was, asked the lady if she knew her name and how to spell it. She then chatted about how long her hair was and that this was going to be her school. That she would be 5 soon and would come there to go to Kindergarten.

I also had a glimpse of what I am sure will happen for a while! Once I gave my stack of forms to the teacher to check over them, she wrote Regan's name on a ledger. After looking at her name on the paper AND Regan spelling it for her, she spelled it wrong! Sigh! I corrected her and she comment that she did it even with Regan spelling it for her. I have a HUGE problem with people not taking the care to spell her name right! I will definitely be upset if Regan arrives home with papers and her names is misspelled!

Once we were done I was told we would be getting a notice in the mail regarding a date they are scheduling Regan for her entrance evaluation.

As we are heading down the hall toward the front of the building I saw the cafeteria. There are kids all lined up waiting for their little trays of food! It really was cute. I walked Regan closer to the door and told her that she would be eating lunch here next year. That is when the lump rose in my throat and it hit me, my daughter is far too young to be going to lunch like this. She is just not big enough yet! But before I could say anything else I lead Regan out the doors of the school before everything really sunk in and I was the dorky mom standing in the school hallway crying!

I am really not ready for this! As big as she is, this is just such a big step. This changes everything! Nothing will ever be as simple as it has been in the last 4-ish years! Starting in August my child will be away from me for 7 hours a day......FIVE days a week! It will be like I will hardly see her! Sigh! Granted, I do really enjoy the 2 days a week she is in school. I need those days sometimes to regroup and accomplish a lot of things. But 5 days?! And this is practically for forever! .....do you detect a slight hint of me freaking out?!?!

Well, maybe by August I will be more prepared for the huge changes. I guess the one bonus is that Regan is very ready. She really is ready to start learning and I am sure she will love everything about school. So I guess now it's time for me to "man up" and stop being so sad about all of it!

Self Portrait of my big not yet 5 year old!

Komen Acadiana's Race for the Cure 2009

Well, the 2 months of hard work, volunteering and pleading for donations and participation finally came to fruit yesterday! Acadiana's 10th Annual Komen Race for the Cure was yesterday morning.

This year I started my own team, with my playgroup - Active Moms. Last year I walked with Acadiana Moms, but this year decided to just make it one of Active Mom's yearly fundraisers. I signed us up with a goal of 10 team members and to raise $300. To my delight and surprise we raised $895 and had 33 team members! It was awesome and I am so pleased with my team and my friends and family!! We were also able to acquire sponsors for our team through the generosity of Chad Pellerin at C-n-T Productions (Professional DJ Company) , Don Johnson at Kart Ranch , Daisy Kerne who sell Gold Canyon Candles & Tupperware and PE Rentals.

Because of their generosity, our team was able to make T Shirts with the names of our family and friends who suffer from or have passed away because of breast cancer! This meant a lot to us to honor these ladies this way!! So another huge THANK YOU to all of these companies for caring so much and for supporting our causes!!

Here are our shirts!

The front - Team Active Moms - 10th Annual Race for the Cure


The back, proudly displaying the names of those we love and miss and also our wonderful sponsors!!




The actual day of the race was wonerful! I decided to volunteer prior to the race, so I was at Parc San Souci for 5:30am. The amount of volunteers they had this year was awesome! They said previous years there was lots of work to do and not enough hands to get it all done! I was happy to be a part of it all this year!

I stopped volunteering a little before 8 so that I could change out of my Volunteer shirt and into my team shirt and then meet up with my team. Not many were able to walk this year, though I know some signed up to help and donate! But it was a pleasure to walk with those that could make it!!

I didn't stay for the festivities afterwards, as getting up at 4 am made me pretty tired come 10 am! lol Regan was in New Iberia with Papaw and her Aunt Boobie and Uncle Chad at the Festival of Live Oaks, so I headed that way after the race.

All in all it was a great day! And all of the hard work the previous 2 months made it all worth it!

Again I want to thank each of my Active Moms ladies, my family and friends and our sponsors! Each of you made this event wonderful!

Komen of Acadiana raised over $183K and there was over 10,000 registered walkers this year!! It was an amazing year!!!!

Points to Ponder #2

When do people learn the difference between right and wrong? Moral and immoral? Being true to yourself and just being an idiot?? I am starting to thing some people just don't!

Rebecca told me the other day that 'You are who you are going to be by the age of 6'. ....meaning your personality, your passions, how you relate to people, problem solve, etc.... I think this is so interesting. I am going to have to write down everything about Regan during her 6th year and see! Should be interesting!

Did you know that women tend to blink nearly twice as often as men? I wonder if it's because we are twice as active or twice as observant?!

Supposedly, if you are right handed, you probably chew your food on the right side of your mouth, and vise versa. I am a ride sided chewer......hmmm.

Regan really loves to dance! She is so passionate about it, even at 4. I sometimes find myself watching her and thinking, is this going to be that moment I remember when she is on Broadway or in shows? Weird, huh? Can a child really take a love to something so young a pursue it all the way into adulthood? I know people do it, but does anyone "know" the people who have done this??