Random Gal

My newest pet peeve is....drumroll please I know you are dying to know....
DIRTY HOUSES!

Now listen I know that it is hard with kids, a messy husband, pets, a small condo. I know that once and awhile your house could just have stuff sitting out, really need a vacum, a sweep of the floor, pile of laundry... BUT there is no excuse for a house to be FILTHY! I have been in so many houses latley where it really looks like a house that has been abandonded and had vagrants living in it.

I work so hard to have a clean house because I want people to be able to feel comfortable in my home. It is not fair to your family, friends, others to come into a home where they are scared to put their baby on the couch or the floor, to be overcome with such foul smells. I just, isn't it embarassing for you?

If I have one more interview for a nanny job in a filthy house, I am going to walk out.

Is this to much to ask? Please Please, clean, clean your house!!

Some of my favorite smiles of course include Abby
~ When I wake up open my eyes and she is staring at me and smiling
~ When she sees her Daddy and just grins ear to ear
~ When Rocco licks her feet or when Honey rests her head on her tummy, she gets this relaxed just so content looking smile, it's a hard one to explain

At Home
~ The smile I get when Tyler thinks I'm being "so cute"
~ The smiles I get when I rub the dogs bellies (yes dogs have smiles, you didn't know that?)

At Work
~ When I call Brooklyn a pretty girl, she thinks she is so speical and gives me the biggest smile
~ When I act silly with the kids, they think that is pretty funny and just giggle and giggle
~ When my teenage cousins actually laugh or smile at something I say, and that is hard to get out of teenage boys!

Family
~ When Jonathan is having fun with Abby, she really loves him because he can just be silly!
~ My parents, when they are being sweet to eachother and just smile at eachother
~ When you finally get a smile our of a shy niece, that is a good smile

Friends
~ When you haven't seen a friend in awhile and you are so excited to just relax and chat!
~ When you see them happy with their new spouses, new babies

Strangers
~ Ok best one, when they just smile at how darn cute Abby is!
~ Teenage daughters, out shopping with their moms, just having a good time, smiling at eachother
~ Kids playing outside, having fun, not worrying about anything

Smile!

Being A Mommy...
I get this question quite a bit, "So how do you like being a mommy?" Such a loaded question to ask so casually, so I usually answer just as casually, "It's great!"
I have been a mom my whole life. When I was little every night when everyone was sleeping I would go check on all of my brothers and sisters in the house. I would sing to Jonathan and Bryan while they were sleeping. I have always had a hard time sleeping, even when I was young. I was so intent on making sure that my little brothers were okay in their beds, I would constantly go to check if they were 'still breathing'. I remember when my cousin Dallas was born, I got to watch him quite a bit for my aunt while he was very little, I would just lay him on my chest and let him listen to my heart beat, I fell in love instantly.
Truth be told I would much rather be surrounded by children than adults, I just relate to them much easier. So simple, they love to laugh, play, just want to be lazy and cuddle when they are grumpy. You don't ever have to really wonder what they were trying to say, or worry about what they 'really' think about you. During church I would always want to go help in the nursery, every new place we moved I would find families I could baby-sit for. Being around children make me, well me, I am so happy and content. I just think I am pretty simple, flying a kit and sipping a slurpie on a spring day, thatÃ?s my idea of my "perfect" day.
I loved being a nanny, I gave my all to the families I worked for. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Sarah, Rachel, Dylan, Dallas, Tyler, Keithie, Parker, Matt, Tedders, Alex, Sophie, Mr. Max, and Nick. I miss them so much, I was heartbroken to have to move away from them. I have been waiting to have one of my own my whole life. I would always see how much they loved their moms, such a pure love. Whenever their feelings were hurt, they felt down, they had another kid call them a bad name, who do they look for? Their moms. I always wondered what it would be like to have my own love me that much.
ItÃ?s amazing, my favorite part of the day is when I wake up. Sometimes Abby will wake up at about 4am so she will just sleep with me for a couple hours. When I wake up and open my eyes the first thing I see is this beautiful baby girl with big eyes looking up and me with such love and happiness. Every day I wake up I am so thankful. She is so happy to see me, when I get down on the floor and giggle and laugh with her, when I read her stories, when I sing her songs, when I tell her stories. Being a mom has made me, me. I feel so complete. Sure I have goals that I would like to accomplish in the next few years. But I have completed the one that means the most to me. I want to become the best mother I can and the best woman I can for my children to look up to. I have a lot of work to do and I am looking forward to it.
So how is it to be a mommy?. This is the reply I should give, "The most amazing, beautiful, pure, lovely thing in the whole world."