The Johnson family tales

the day I became another statistic

2011-10-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

If I thought that anyone out there really cared about why I have allowed my blog to grow cob webs, my explanation would start with.....here's a little ditty about a woman who needs 5 more hours in a day. And you (all being crazy busy people yourself) would say yeah yeah welcome to the club lady, the line starts back --------------->there.

So instead of bitching about how blessed I am to have such an active and full life, I'm going to tell you how I have gotten it (semi) under control. When I say control, I mean me, as in me not feeling like I'm losing the last few shreds of nerves, patience, sanity and non gray hairs that I have left. This doesn't mean that I'm going to blog regularly again, or become Paula Dean in a smaller body. What it does mean though is that I have noticed in the last 2 years that I am not myself. And I want me back.

It started off very slow and gradually over time has gotten worse. On the outside most people don't notice. I still act, love and pray the same most of the time. But things that have never stressed me out were starting to bother me.
More and more.
Bit by bit.
I've been home with 3 kids all under the age of 6 before, a husband traveling constantly and a bank account that left any entertainment up to my imagination. That was no sweat.

As my kids have gotten older certain things have gotten easier and some things have gotten more deliberate. That's to be expected. When I added college student to my repertoire of things to do in a day, I think I threw myself into an unhealthy cycle that (at times) had me feeling like I was drowning. It took me a while but I sent out an SOS call and got some help. My kids and husband are awesome people, so I think that it was even that much harder for me to vocalize certain feelings, because I know it could be so much worse.
But I did speak up and what I learned is
I can't do it all.
There I said it, dammit.
I want to do it all.
I want to be an awesome mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, scholar, citizen, Catholic, you name it and I want it. I'm realizing that by trying to be it all, I was slowly loosing me.
And-well-I like me, and I decided to get me back.

Through talking with my husband, children, friends and doctor; I've come to terms with-dusty baseboards are ok, not being at everything at my kids schools is ok and sandwiches 2 times a week isn't going to kill anyone. I believe that I am now on a path to less anxiety and more of a path that appreciates achievements. It doesn't mean that my life has gotten any less crazy, but it does mean that I am choosing to
stop
breathe
and decide
what I'm going to do, instead of just reacting.

And awesome or not, I'm still going to be me.

And that feels pretty good.

Peace, love and back roads

2011-08-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

On my quest for better physical fitness (aka: torturing myself) this year, I also decided to try and set my brain and spirit up for a little spiritual boot camp challenge. Letting go - or at least trying to - of silly miscellaneous things in life that sometimes weigh us down for no reason other than because it can. Some days I feel like my tank is on E and I'm on the back roads with no Shell stations in sight. And other days I find my center and everything in the world is right. I know it sounds all Gandhi like, but trying to get to a place in your head that you can find peace and clarity (even if for only a few minutes a day) is a huge task. And once your able to find it, you realize how much you have been starving for it and crave it in your life.

Awhile back as I was out on a long run (see above aka: for details) I started to have a feeling of warmth come over me. Of course it's summer in the South so I was sweating like a pig and 5 shades of blood red, but it wasn't that kind of warmth. It was a different feeling all on it's own. After I realized that I was not having a heat stroke and the baby Jesus was not coming to take me away, I started to embrace the different feeling. I had come to a point in my run where my body and mind were working together, as opposed to every other run where the battle in my brain always short changes my body. Early that day, I tried to reflect on the pains that my body was battling with, the bruised toe nails that apparently I'm going to have to learn to love, and the voice in me that always screws with me when I get to the bottom of another hill. On that day, just that day, I had beat the voice. Each day after, has brought it's own share of conflicts and moments where I wish that warmth would come back over me. Sometimes it does and other times I'm to distracted to even notice.

I joined a local gym recently and have embraced the work out classes they offer. A few years back a friend and I started yoga. We would laugh and cut up and have a good ole time but never really took it seriously. I wanted to go into the class this time with a fresh outlook and really try to take it seriously. I'm so glad that I did. I need the peace and quiet a few times a week all the while while having an amazing workout at the same time. As I feel my body getting stronger, I feel my mind at ease. And believe me, with some of the bat shit crazies I deal with in a day I'm thankful for the relief. I know that comment wasn't very nice but I did start this off by saying that I was TRYING......and I am. But just like everything else I've ever done I'm taking the scenic route to get there.

Peachtree Road Race take 5!!

2011-07-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

We're tagged up and ready to go!

Alex, Brian and me

me and my hubby

Alex and Brian

(how's the weather down there dad :)

I LOVE the start of the race!

BEAUTIFUL!!

here we go!

the sights

the Bald Eagles were a huge hit!

This gentlemen was my motivation to get up cardiac hill.

And believe me, it worked!

SWEET SWEET SUCCESS!

This was Brian and I's 5th year of participating in the Peachtree Road Race. This 10K has become part of our 4th of July tradition. Although I've done the race in previous years, I've never run the whole thing. I was determined this year to run the full 6.2 miles. My son Alex stayed with me and helped me over my 4 mile hump. He was such a good motivator and kept me laughing all most the whole time.

(except for the one part around mile 5 that I thought I was going to throw up, that was SO NOT funny)

I finished the race in 1 hour and 6 minutes.

My superman hubby wanted to beat 44 minutes and he did, with a time of 43 minutes and 55 seconds.

Yes he does ROCK!!

this little piggie

2011-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Super cute matching flippy flops and freshly painted sun kissed toes, just another reason why I LOVE summer!!

me time

2011-07-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

At the end of a long summer day - after all the watermelon has been eaten, the battles of the day have been extinguished, the fifth round of sandwiches have been devoured, the sunscreens been washed away and bodies have been (at least half way) showered, that's my favorite time.

I grab my latest magazine - titled something about cooking - my cocktail of choice and sit on my porch and thank the lord for the crazy day he has given me and for the strength to do it all over again the next day.

Run Heidi Run!!

2011-06-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Back in February when our frozen tundra was finally lifting and I was coming out of my gumbo, chili, and potato soup coma I decided that this year....2011.... was going to be the year that I get into shape.

Like real shape.

Like when I blow dry my hair my arm flags don't slap me in the cheeks and my behind gets back to it's natural resting place, you know off the backs of my legs.

I've always enjoyed walking and can walk for miles. The problem is walking doesn't really do for me what I need to be done. Another problem is I don't like sweat or sore muscles or pushing myself hard or at all for that matter.
So what does a person that doesn't like any of those things decide she is going to do?

She decides to become a runner....

Your laughing with me, RIGHT??

This is (as is most things) all my husbands fault. The man is one of those effortless looking runners. Only I know it's not effortless. I know the pain he is in, the ice bathes he soaks in, the blisters he shaves off his feet, the leg spasm isms he has, but still while he is running, he is smooth, and graceful and he makes me want to punch him in the face. He pushes through everything and always keeps on going.

I've tried for years to run. My knees hurt, my back hurts, my ear lobes hurt, you name it and it hurt.
Never once did I think, well, it is RUNNING and it ain't suppose to not hurt!!

But for some reason I decided this year was going to be different. No matter what body part hurt, I was going to keep trying.

And I have....
And I'm doing better.

It's not pretty at all, but I'm not quitting. The first week in June I started doing a boot camp, three times a week and that has motivated me even more. The first week was rough but I feel better and stronger at the end of each week. And not only better and stronger in my body but in my mind. I'm pushing myself harder than I ever have, lord help me I'm sweating like a whore in church on a regular basis. I have 3 running days a week, and I'm learning that my progress is only going to go as far as I allow it.
I really am the captain of my own ship Mr. Morgan Freeman!!

I told my girlfriend the other morning (the same girlfriend that I talked into doing the butt crack of dawn boot camp with me :) I don't know what's going to kill me first, being a 35 year old college student or trying to be a runner. But just like my first semester at school, yes it was hard, yes it sucked some times. But it was all worth it when I registered for my next semester of school. And not for any other reason other than I accomplished it. I know it's silly, but silly seems to be my new middle name.

Oh and did I mention I signed up to do a half marathon in November?? There was no alcohol involved when making the decision and I'm actually really excited about it. Probably more excited about my 13.1 magnet that I can't wait to sport on my car :)
I'm up to 3-4 miles straight, at an eleven minute pace, like with no oxygen masks or ambulances involved!
I know I have a long way to go but I'm ready, well at least I think I'm ready.

I'll keep you posted.........

my own paradise

2011-06-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

For some reason my imagination takes me away in the summer time.
I start to think, could we really move to a beach/ocean front area? Where my kids go to school shirtless with sand between their toes; surf during lunch and say things like hang ten and dude?
Could my hubby and I set up a little tiki stand and sell smoothies and sophisticated frozen beverages to the locals and have cool names like Leilani [lay lah nee] and Mano [mah no]? Could I trade in Ann Taylor Loft for a swim shop and walk around in a bikini and not worry about cellulite and stretch marks everyday?

I think I enjoy the laid back aspect of summer more than I realize. We all have activities going on all through the summer (boot camp, track practice, swim team practice). Sleeping late means 6:30 in our house and our days are full; but there is no homework, no last minute supplies needed, and dinner at 9 o'clock with a side of watermelon is fully acceptable.

More than anything I like that I get to enjoy the longer days with my kids. By the end of some days I'm ready to strangle all 3 of them but I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Could I trade in suburbia for paradise? Nah, I'm a city girl through and through, but a little day dream never hurt anybody. Or an afternoon cocktail for that matter, excuse me while I enjoy my summer :)

That's What Thinking Gets Me.

2011-04-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

I thought this year they (or one) might complain about yet another tradition.
I waited for the moans, for the REALLY mom I'm so not doing that.
I prepared myself for the heartbreak to come if (the one) offspring decided this was the year that he was done.
I rehearsed what I would say and how I would remind him of stretch marks, and leaky bladders and dammit just do it and like it!

But instead of all that, I got this....

No arguing, no eye rolling, and by lord there were even a few compliments about color choices and patterns that were thrown out there. I just sat back and listened and didn't say a word.

That boy and I have been dying eggs together for 16 years, and I'm so glad he isn't sick of me yet :)

Does That Make Me CRAZY?!!

2011-03-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

We're now ending the second full week of our kitchen remodel and I am S L O W L Y losing my mind. Or maybe after you read this you will say, "um hun you have ALREADY lost it."

We have had 3 different delivery dates for our appliances, each time it has been pushed back by a week or so and the two appliances that I need in order to have my kitchen at least half way livable are of course the ones that are STILL on back order.

I haven't seen my husband in what feels likes years. Between his travel, the activities of the 3 humans that wrecked my bladder and my classes, I don't think I could pick the man out of a police line up.
I informed him via text message the other day, that I am in need of hotel sex.

Preferably with him.

If he was interested to make arrangements and write it on fridge calendar. I then began answering some other texts that I had gotten that day.
A short time later I got a message back saying "he looked at his calendar and he couldn't make the first one."

All righty then.

Then another message that said, "he was right on it."

"Right on what?" I messaged back.

"Making hotel arrangements for the race", he said.

And that was when I realized I messaged my girlfriend, that I wanted to have hotel sex with her(and she hadn't seen it yet); instead of about 2 races we were talking about doing, one in which we needed a hotel room.

Thank the lord our husbands work together and she knows how crazy everyone has been lately. When I spoke with her later she told me she laughed so hard and so long that she peed her pants and couldn't stop.

Then she said, "so then should I cancel the room I booked us?"

God I love my girlfriends!!

ID please

2011-03-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fan of the library. I've always thought it was like this secret club for all the smart kids. Where you have to knock a certain amount of times and I can never remember it's 2 or 4 and then the librarian gets aggravated with me (quietly of course) and says, "ID please"and after its been scanned they point me over to the Nancy Drew books and say, "well good luck with that."

After I had my first child I embraced the library; we would go to story time twice a week and check out numerous books every visit. I never ventured past the young readers section, and I was totally fine with that.

My first semester at KSU dropped me right back into the knocking 2 or 4 times dilemma. I needed the library for a project on South Africa, most of my sources came from on line sites but for the sake of presentation (and my grade) I needed a "real book" source. When your not familiar with libraries in general, having your first real experience in a college one is a little nerve racking.
Which floor are the TR books located?
Why are the references books always so far away from the bathrooms?
And where in the hell is the card catalog?!!

This semester my English class has been as hard core as they come(well for a non-English major anyway). We've had a paper due every week, sometimes 2 in a week. 40% of our final grade will be based on a 4 page-10 source annotated bibliography that's due on Monday, followed by (a few weeks later) a 12 page research paper on a topic that we had to come up with based on the book the Omnivore's Dilemma, that we've been reading this semester.

Needless to say, I've had to find my "hidden inner love" for the library. The first time I ventured in to get some research done, the kids at the information desk were a tremendous help. They might of been laughing at the old lady with all the questions but they at least pointed me in the right direction and NOT towards the Nancy Drew books.

I found myself today needing to add a quote to my paper that I found in one of the millions of reference medical books that I've looked through in the past month. I walked to my aisle, dropped my bag on the floor right in front of my book, popped a squat and started writing. When I was done I looked around and chuckled to myself. I laughed because, the old lady was feeling pretty good in the old smart kids hangout. I realized that there never was a secret knock, it was (once again) my own insecurities holding me back all these years.

Then I looked around again to make sure no one was watching me because getting down on the floor that I was now so comfortable on, was so much cuter than getting up off of it :)

Herding Cats

2011-01-31T04:31:00.000-08:00

The very first time I heard this I thought to my self, what a cute little catchy phrase. I immediately googled it to make sure that my interpretation of what I had just heard was indeed the correct one.
Herding cats as defined by Wikipedia is - a saying that refers to a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, due to one or more variables being in flux and uncontrollable.

When I heard this saying years ago my kids were little and cute and 2 out of the 3 could barely talk. As time has evolved, my children have slowly started turning into those said cats that were in the saying I heard years before.

No, they don't walk on all 4's or purr and hiss at people.
No, they don't potty in a litter box, then walk in it, then walk all over my counters and furniture.
And no, they don't lie around and paw and lick themselves all day either. With puberty on the horizon though, who knows how long that last one will stay an untrue.

15, 11 and 8 are my offspring's ages as of today. A teen, pre-teen and a wanna be teen are the (task) part of the definition. I also believe that those same three ingredients could stand for the one or more variables being in flux and uncontrollable.

I'm not saying by any means that my kids are unruly and uncontrollable. But I do feel sometimes that the pulse that I thought my finger was just on, jumps around on me when I'm not looking and I need to re-position the fetal monitor to find it again. In plain mans terms, right when something starts to fit really well, the size changes on me.

In recent days 1 child has acquired a driver's permit and now believes it is his job to take out every single curb in my neighborhood, 1 child that is starting to have girls ask him out and he JUST DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, and another one that wants me to make her division flash cards and quiz her just for kicks :)

Herding ANY amount of children is a challenge. Trying to keep up with their everyday lives and living to tell about it, is the stuff that legends are made of. In the end if I don't feed them to many trans fats and give them a little less material to tell their psychologist about then my job will have been done, RIGHT? And after all is done and they still like me after all the herding is finished and Brian and I get invites ~~every week~~ every so often for coffee and Sunday dinner; then that my friends is whats called Lagniappe. And Lagniappe is what any good ole New Orleans girl is all about.

economy pack

2011-01-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is why I've had to add Pepcid AC - 100 count box, to my grocery list.

what day is it?

2011-01-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

The day after New Years I packed up Christmas tightly and put it away until next year. I proudly set up my Mardi Gras decorations and once again had to remind people what exactly Mardi Gras means.

I always get the typical.....What is boobs and Bourbon Street Alec, for $800?

Sorry stupid, that's not the right answer, try again next year or just google it!

The kids returned to school on a Tuesday and the craziness began to circle all around us again. I fired up the printer downstairs and started to print my syllabus's and schedules for my upcoming semester. Life had returned to normal after a peaceful 2 weeks off for Christmas break.

Sometime on Thursday right when I was embracing the whirlwind that is my life, we heard the first talk about SNOW yet again in Georgia. Yes, after being blessed with a VERY WHITE Christmas, we were apparently going to be blessed yet again. Over the weekend it was a mad dash to the store to stock up on supplies- milk, bread, brownies, cookies, beer, you know the essentials to make everyday life bearable. I had my menu planned, and we were ready to bring on the snow. Sunday night it came through and wouldn't you know it we had a SNOW DAY on Monday, YIPPEE, for day 1!

Of course the red neck sledding began before the biscuits were even out of the oven, well at least only a little red neck sledding. A friend of ours picked up a toboggan thing for the kids to use. But of course the boogie and skim boards still made an appearance.
I found myself saying OVER AND OVER again, if you crack your head open on the pavement that is under the 6 INCHES of snow, I've got nothing but a band aid, neosporin and a prayer for you, sorry but the roads are CLOSED!
But fun was had by all in spite of my barks :)

this is AWESOME!

this is the elementary school by our house, what a FUN DAY!

yes that's me, in all my gracefulness, I did have my band aid's handy!

and that would be my child standing up going down a hill on a boogie board. Did I mention I had neosporin?

my snow babies!

Snow day #2 came and it was very much like the first one. Sledding in unsafe conditions, snow flurries, wind burned cheeks, hot chocolate on tap and lots and lots of food. On the second day I took a ride with one of my neighbors to the store and,all though, the main roads had been plowed and looked like they were in good condition, the secondary roads were a snowy, icy mess. I told my neighbor, these kids are going to be out all week long.

And guess what blogging buddies, Tuesday turned into Wednesday, Wednesday into Thursday and Thursday into WHAT IN THE HELL DAY IS IT and why are all these kids in my house and by lord who left their snow covered boots on my hardwood floors AGAIN?!

The kids are off on Monday for MLK day and then it's back to school on Tuesday! I have thoroughly enjoyed an unexpected week off of the craziness. And I will thoroughly enjoy waving to the big yellow bus as it pulls away on Tuesday. The kids have a superstitious thing they do when hoping for a snow day around here. They wear the pj's backwards and flush an ice cube down the toilet. Well just to make sure Mother Nature or Old Man Winter know that we're done with snow days around here, I'm sleeping naked until summer and I have banned all flushing of toilets in my house before bed. If that doesn't scare the BEJESSUS out of the winter gods I don't know what else will!

Merry and White!

2010-12-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

We did receive more than just a bunch of fancy electronics for Christmas this year. We were also blessed with a WHITE Christmas this year. And for us Southern people, the 5-6 inches of snow we received, was like our own little blizzard Christmas present wrapped up in a pretty blanket of white.

I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the movie A Christmas Story, right? My favorite scene from that movie is at the very end, after all the craziness of the day was done and the mom and dad sit at the window with a nice cozy drink in their hands and just watch the beauty that has fallen down around them. That was how I ended my Christmas this year. And I have to say, I sure could get use to that feeling every Christmas :)

HO, HO, HIGH TECH

2010-12-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Laptops, cameras, fancy Xbox headphones and karaoke machines OH MY! There was not one item that had "some assembly required". There were no baby dolls that sound like Chuckie when they talk or leak any kind of bodily fluids on you. There wasn't even a pack of Yu Gi Oh cards that I need to sneak out of someone else's shopping cart when they weren't looking, not that I've ever done that before :)

It was a high tech, hp, 2GB, play that funky music white girl kind of Christmas this year. And that's okay. It fits us this year. We've had more video game battles and computer sharing issues than I care to count this year. But I know that all comes with the territory of their ages.
They're another year older, another year closer to more independence. As are Brian and I.

And I think we all like it here.

Yep, I would say it suits us all just fine :)

early morning monkey business

2010-12-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning we always cook the same big breakfast; eggs, bacon, biscuits, throw in some fresh fruit and we're done. I was thinking of trying something new this year. Hannah and I have been going through some different recipes and we've decided on Monkey Bread. Of course being from the land of beignets, we will be sprinkling ours with powered sugar.

My daughter has a sweet tooth that is as big if not bigger than Texas. She is all about the icing, powered sugar and sprinkles on her food.

Me, I'm more of a comfort food gal. If you invite me over for dinner and serve me anything that has been simmering in a pot for a few hours, that you put over either rice or pasta with a side of either french or Italian bread, host or hostess beware, because there's a good chance I will open mouth kiss ya :)

This monkey bread thing sounds like it will satisfy the sugar junkie and the carb junkie.

I'll keep you all posted......

another one bites the dust

2010-12-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

As we were driving home from our latest road trip this weekend, Brian and I were talking about the amount of miles we've put on our family vehicle aka "the beast" since September. Between the road trips, cross country meets and every day life we've have put more than a few thousand miles on it just since September. Some were painful, some more pleasant than others but ALL were full of memories that the five of us won't forget anytime soon....

riding the Metro in DC

looking for Obama

we enjoyed beautiful National Harbor,Maryland

We said goodbye to an Atlanta icon

we've cheered and screamed and watched the boys understand what it means to work hard and to achieve a goal inside yourself that no one can ever take away

we've partied like rock stars, okay maybe not REAL rock stars but as G-rated ones anyway :)

we loved Maryland so much the first time we decided to go back again

(it was also because my boys placed in the USATF regional cross country

meet but we decided to add an extra day of fun to it)

we've had lots of smiles along the way

we've also had some not so smiley moments.

We're preparing for Christmas and to ring in the New Year.

If our 2011 is half as exciting as our 2010 has been,

I'm going to have to start playing the lottery. Because we're one lucky family.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Johnson's

Riding shotgun

2010-12-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

My oldest offspring is in preparation mode to acquire a piece of paper that is as sacred as his first game winning ball and as exhilarating as the first time he got the mail when the Victoria Secret catalog arrived, that golden ticket would be, DUN DUN DUN DUN.....his driving permit.

Alex has been "practing" his driving skills with Brian for the past few months now. Now that statement right there actually cracks me up for a number of reasons. The first one being, my husband, god love him, isn't known for being the best driver :) And the second being that it's my kid we're talking about behind the wheel of a car and if I don't laugh out loud, I will probably break out into an ugly cry! His birthday was this past weekend where we celebrated with his friends and had a really nice time. I asked him the day before to PLEASE not bring up the P word on his birthday. To respect his old mothers wishes and give me some time to swallow up my memories of him as a baby. He did as I asked, he waited until midnight that night and then asked :)

During the Christmas break some time I will bring myself, the boy, my happy pills w/ 1 refill and my kleenex over to the DMV. I will wait in line with him and show all the proper documentation that he needs. An as this is going on I'm sure I will be playing a slide show in my head, of how we got to this day.
Colic, kindergarten, wiggling teeth, skinned knees, pubic hair, high school and now driving......
Lord, what's next?
College?
Marriage?

1 refill!
That's SO not gonna be enough!

freshman 15, old lady 6-pack, same difference.....

2010-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

The freshman 15 is an actual theory that some surveying type person invested time and money into that states a majority of college students will gain 15 pounds in their first year of school. There are a few reasons why this theory seems to be true. One of them being, most of the freshman are away from their parents for the first time and can eat whatever and whenever they want.
Sounds pretty accurate, RIGHT?

Well I have another theory to add to this study.....

I'm calling mine the old lady 6-pack. Mine has nothing to do with being away from home nor does it have anything to do with eating whatever or whenever I want. It does have to do with a non traditional freshman gaining weight and needing someone to give it a ridiculous title. I'm sure it's going to need some fancy surveying person to invest their money into my time to work out the logistics on this one. It is definitely more complicated than an old woman who likes beer and has found that logarithm and continuously compounding interest makes more sense after a few of them have been consumed. There will probably need to be extensive testing done on the reason why World War I and World War II take shape in this subjects mind very clearly after a bag of reduced fat cheez its and a frosty bottle have been opened.

Now where does one find a fancy, surveying type person to do this?
Oh I know!
CRAIGS LIST!

my wish

2010-11-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

When my kids look back on me after I'm gone, I often wonder what will they remember....

~Will my daughter remember me torturing her, armed with a brush and an ALWAYS too tight pony tail holder?~

~Will Alex remember me saying to him 10,232 times to pick up his wet towels off the floor?~

~Will Jakob's memory bank be filled with me reminding him that he is two seconds away from wishing he didn't try and get the last word in AGAIN?~

~Will they all remember the way that one time the 5 of us laughed so hard at this older man's ring tone on his phone, while we rode the Metro in DC, that we nearly peed in our pants with tears running down our faces?~

~Will they remember me asking them every morning of their lives "did you have a good sleep"?~

~Will they remember the way my perfume smelled or the way my earrings almost always hung lower than my hair?~

~Will they remember my short temper and my even shorter tolerance of disrespect?~

~Will they remember that I always tried to be the best that I could be (sometimes failing miserably)?~

~Will they remember my big orange pot that cooked up a whole bunch of heaven?~

~Will they remember the way their heads (whether big or small) always fit perfectly in the arch of my shoulder?~

~Will they remember that I was their biggest cheerleader and their toughest critic?~

~Will they remember that I was their momma and they were my world?~

Lord, I hope so......

afternoon fun

2010-11-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

Me: Alex have you seen your brother? And why is there a chair propped up against the pantry door?

Alex: Well mom, you said that if Jakob and I argued again that we would be punished, RIGHT?
Me: RIGHT?!
Alex: So for the sake of your head and our lives I decided that there really was no other way.

Deck the Halls

2010-11-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

November 16th, 2010.
Really?
November?
the 16th?
2010??
I need to start buying my calendars in bulk. Um yes, Mr. Wal Mart man, can you help me find the aisle that has the bulk pack of calendars, you know the ones that the pages never stop turning, where before I know it it is the holiday season AGAIN and my kids are another year older?

Don't get me wrong. I am a HUGE holiday girl. I'm a marketing persons DREAM. The smells, the lights and don't even get me started on the tingly feelings I get in my girl parts when I hear Christmas music on the radio. I LOVE the holidays.

It just feels that lately my years are flying by quicker than I can highlight them on the calendar.

My baby is turning 15 in 2 weeks, my daughter has had her first round of PMS lately and Jakob likes GIRLS!

All 3 actions are very normal and healthy I know, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
None of that ~~CRAP~~ stuff means I have to like it or act like a mature adult about it!
Does it?

It's funny because I think that Brian and I would both agree that this is one of the best times of our lives right now. The craziness of 3 very active kids, the balancing of school, work, quality time, family dinners and the occasional meet me in the closet moment, all make for a pretty fulfilling life.

But you know I have my moments where I catch a glimpse of a young girl nuzzling a baby on her chest and I have to fight back the urges to scream at the top of my lungs, "hold on to him now because one day he will have pubic hair and a penis, a real penis, and then what are you going to do?!"

Maybe I should look into medication, I mean meditation or maybe both.
Hey Mr. Wal Mart man.....

The Johnson's take on the vineyards

2010-11-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Kaylee (still with her newlywed glow)

the bride and groom

the beautiful view

open candy bar = happy kids

Carol and her girl

Hannah and Carol

I LOVE this lady!

another beautiful view

not bad for two old people

hey kids can you act like you have some home training

THANK YOU!

The Johnson's
(man we clean up nicely)

this weekend we were invited to celebrate another milestone
with my girlfriend Carol's family. Her son got hitched
this weekend, just 5 short months after her daughters
wedding. It has been an emotional year for her to say
the least. But she has handled it with the grace and
elegance that she has in every day life. Oh and did I
mention the alcohol doesn't hurt either :)

Halloween season 2010!

2010-11-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

our pumpkin porch

FUN!!

well at least for a little while

GUTS!

poor pumpkins

they look good!

Halloween party 2010

TRICK or TREAT!

Chloe and I rocking the lashes

you want some CANDDDYYY?!

now WHO'S gonna clean up this mess?

even the big kids had fun!

the Halloween babes!

                                                                           my hubby and father in law,
                                                                          this picture SAYS it all!
                                                                          HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

top 3 reasons to LOVE October.

2010-11-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

#1....boots of course

#2.......pumpkins, DUH

regular pumpkins

light up pumpkins

entry way pumpkins

baby pumpkins

of course boots and white pumpkins :)

#3....an occasional eye ball peeping at you

Homecoming 2010

2010-11-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Dude really, where's my car?!

2010-10-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

This week has been one of those weeks that you, oh so dread is coming and then are, oh so happy to toast away...(excuse me while I open another bottle :)

Each day held 3 activities for 3 different kids at 3 different places and at all the same times....of course. Thursday was the cream of the crop; a very important event for the oldest boy, a very important event for the girl and 2 other almost as important events for the middle boy and the girl. With the help of neighbors and the running of a few red lights we all made it safely to our destinations.

Thursday while I was in Health and Fitness class we were discussing our chapter on stress.....

It was by all means understood and highly acknowledged by me. I had so many other places that I needed to be that day but I was there. In that classroom.
Listening to college students talk about their stress.
It was truly comical but also worth listening too.
I kept my comments to myself. Nobody wants to hear about the real world. You know the stress that doesn't include if daddy will pay the credit card bill again or if my butt REALLY does look fat in my $100 jeans (you know the ones that were on daddy's credit card)
We had to do a relaxation exercise that had as listen to mediation tapes, check heart rates and a few other things. While listening to one of the tapes, the voice said to think of a place that you have been totally comfortable in, that in the moment you wouldn't of changed one thing about.

And then it went on to breathing deep, flexing muscles, relaxing muscles and cum ba ya stuff.

In my memory bank, I went back to my kitchen at my very first house. With my daughter in her baby walker, my son Jakob playing on the floor with his Little People and my son Alex pulling a chair up to the stove to try and help me. They were all so little, had clean finger nails, no active hormones, and had no concept of what life away from momma was.

It was flipping amazing.

In all the craziness that the three of them brought me in those days, that was truly some of my best times. I was totally in my element. And found ease in their wants.

Flash-forward um teen years later and I again love the ages of my kids, I love the journeys we have as an active family, I love the independence that my kids have grown into.

My happy place has always been circled around these 3 beings that I brought into the world.

School makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable at times. And then on the rare (and y'all I mean RARE) occasion..... I get it. Whatever the professor or student was talking about, the country that we're studying, the 20,000th formula I've had to learn, even the "dude where's my car". If for only a second, I appreciate those moments 20 fold.

My kids are my comfort. They are my cushy place to land. My daughter tells my I'm the most beautiful lady in the world and genuinely means it, my boys have told me three times in just this last week that I rock ( and like they didn't ask for money after and they weren't in trouble for anything.)

Me going to these different classes honestly doesn't bring out the best attitude in my head some days. I'm constantly reminded that I'm not good at math, I'm not good at foreign affairs and I will never be able to ace a push up, sit up, pull up and mile running test.

But even at the times that I think GIRL WHAT IN THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF? I always know that my comfort zone is waiting for me. And all their 20,000 things to be done.
Things that I can do blind folded :)

Hey an old ladies gotta get her props somewhere and it sure as hell ain't gonna be as a 35 year old college student!

No cover charge

2010-10-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

a Friday night hop scotch battle in the cul de sac with the hood rats.
These are the days!!

if they only knew

2010-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

As I'm walking from class to class, I'm sometimes surprised by what comes out of the mouths of some of these college kids.....

~true story, I don't remember last night, at all, like don't remember anything~

~ Clara, girl, you know I'm not violent but he deserved it~

~ I mean really the professor is ridiculous, we had to read all the chapters he listed on the syllabus to pass the test!~

~ my dad said no more charges for my nails, he said it not a NECESSITY!~

and my all time favorite which never gets old to hear...

~ dude where's my car?~

procrastination at it's finest

2010-09-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for Washington DC tomorrow afternoon as soon as I get home from my last class. My husband has promised to have the kids and suitcases packed and waiting at the bottom of the cul de sac. Who wants to hold their breath with me?
I have two test tomorrow and have studied so much in the last week that my dreams are filled with every type of theory and formula in the Algebra world and from the Neolithic Revolution until Jesus crucifixion. And I can't help but ask myself, what in the hell are you thinking?! I mean REALLY what in the hell were ya thinking because this stuff is HARD! Like I want to pull my hair out hard! Like 2- 6 packs and a hand full of Motrin hard!
And kind of useless.
I mean in my 35 years of living I've never been stopped and asked to use the radius of an equation to find the center of a circle, nor have I ever gotten into a conversation with a person and discussed the impact of all 32 thousand Chinese Dynasties before.

And really, honestly, I'm okay with that.

If I make it through this semester alive and still with a head full of hair, I'm going to have to reevaluate my class load vs. my volunteer load. I'm learning (and admitting out loud) that doing my best at what I love, might mean learning how to say........NO.

So if you encounter me on the street and you ask me how my day is going and I turn to you with my fist clenched with a hand full of my hair screaming NO, please don't be alarmed.
I'm just practing using my outside voice.

Or drunk.

let me count the ways

2010-09-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

In case I needed another reason to add to my list of why I adore this little creature so much.....

This is my baby girl practing her Student Council speech that she had to present to her class. She read her words with ease and paused at every period. She looked up at us (her audience) twice and then went right back to her words. After she spoke about the business at hand she ended her speech with a little joke and after her joke she planned to do a hand in the air, Gene Simmons type tongue (rock on sign). I was in awe of every syllable that she spoke and of every ounce of confidence in her body. After she was done, she asked if she could practice her speeches on me when she becomes the President of the United States?

I answered as any proud momma would,"ROCK ON DUDE!! "

hitting the right button

2010-09-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

Some times just doing it and not talking about it is really hard.

And some times it's the best flipping thing in the world.

My girlfriend Lena and I have been talking about taking a trip

to New Orleans for ohhhh about two years.

The logistics were never going to work out.

So we decided to do what any responsible mother

(who needed to get the heck out of dodge would do).....

we left everything and

took a much needed pause

(and a few much needed daiquiris and

po boys and beignets :)

y'all know how we do it!

Corks and Canvas

Lena's face says to me,

"what in the hell did this woman talk me into"?!

what our painting is suppost to look like.

our supplies

(yes Amstel Light is a supply thank you very much)

my finished product

all of our finished products. Not to bad!

This picture signifies my two worlds coming together and is now happily framed and collecting dust in my family room. These two ladies (my Louisiana girl and my Georgia girl)

have both been my rocks when I needed them the most.

They both mean totally different things to me but are both equally part of why I am who I am today.

And what I was on this day was paused and it felt oh so good, if for only a little while :)

laying it all on the table

2010-09-09T03:22:00.000-07:00

This is my oldest son's life in a nutshell. Everything that is near and dear to him in his life right now is sitting on my kitchen table (with the exception of his running shoes which were on his feet).
His gallon jug of water (he consumes about 3 of these a day), his school bag packed with school bag things, his lunch, his phone and 45 pounds of grapes, and then his agenda and every other book that he can't cram into his bag. I told him at some point his biceps will be as big as his head; the next day he added another book to his pile and then checked his biceps in the mirror :)

afternoon snacks gone black

2010-09-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

me: son, make sure you read the directions on the label.

son: MOM, I know what I'm doing!!

me: I'll be outside if you need me.

(45 seconds later)

son: MOMMMMM I need you!!!

(as he stands there calling my name black smoke is billowing out of my front door)

me: SON, what happened???

son: UMMM, I guess I should of read the directions :)

This was one of the days when that boy needed to feel lucky he is so cute and that I've spent a small fortune on his mouth because I caught myself googling how many teens REALLY do make it to adulthood alive......

Do they even know an Ashford or a Simpson?

2010-08-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

There truly is something to be said about every day positive reinforcement when it comes to raising a family. Not saying that there aren't times that I wish I could gently yank the vocal cords out of the mouths of the people that I'm positively reinforcing. But I mean REALLY who doesn't have those days?

My kids think they can move mountains. I mean LITERALLY move mountains. My daughter believes that she can slay dragons with her sparkly barrette and still have good hair and good manners at the same time. Either with their minds or muscles, they know that they have the strength inside of them to do anything they set their minds to. A sliver of that has rubbed off of me.

Inside my comfort zone I am SHE RA the warrior woman who can do everything. Outside of that cushy comfortable spot I got nothing but a sliver. Hey but I take that sliver and build on it, each and every time I see another mountain. I've slowly been fixing my cracked road in life. Most damages have been repaired. Occasionally I come across a pothole or 4 and start the repaving process again.

I've started a new mountain, I mean semester this week. Health and Fitness, World History and Calculus are the enemies that need slaying now through December.

My daughter has graciously handed over her sparkly barrette, the purple one. The purple one sparkles more than the orange one and EVERY ONE knows that the sparkly the better! And as I'm walking around the KSU campus with my sparkly barrette in hand I have to fight the urge to scream at the top of my lungs,"AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH"!

Now were is that damned dragon..........

it's okay my hubby knows

2010-08-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

The early part of the morning and I have become lovers. For years I cursed the morning and any joy that the bright sun streaming into my windows brought me. I fought the temptation, the come hither stares, as long as possible. And then as time went on and kids have to rise early and early, I got use to it. My internal clock has no snooze button, instead of fighting it, I just make the most of it. On most mornings our affair begins with the aroma of my coffee brewing, while we prepare lunch boxes, water bottles, and last minute "whatevers" that we forgot the night before; as you can see we have a very active love life. We've usually gotten a load of clothes done and a dinner menu in our heads right about the time the first child has to be woken up. From 5:50 am on it's an early morning rat race filled with cereal bowls, chopped fruit, half brushed teeth, shaking out wrinkled clothes, shoving last minutes in the back pack and settling in at the corner just as the big yellow bus arrives. My lover and I clean up the remnants of the race and start on our day. Who knows how long this love affair will last. We've been a pretty strong unit for quite a few years now and still seem to be going strong.

This is our favorite spot in the house....(wink wink)

Happy Monday y'all :)

school time 2010

2010-08-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

And they're off......

6th grade for Jakey boy

high school Freshman in the house

my boys

Hannah's first day of school was a little more dramatic than usual. After an appendicitis scare, complete with IV and x-rays, she ended up with impacted bowels :(

you can say we had a pretty poopy first day.

1st day of school TAKE 2!

A day to remember

2010-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Splitting a caesar salad w/ a side of grilled chicken for lunch...check
New dress for mom....check
New shoes for the girl...check
New sunglasses that look MARVELOUS...check
Having 3 uninterrupted hours of hand holding, fist pumps and oooooh's and ahhhh's with my girl...check

Living the good life...check

thank you 101

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

I believe whole heartily that what you give in life is what you get. At the end of the day you only have yourself and God to answer to and one of the two doesn't take kindly to excuses.

On this particular day I wasn't feeling very giving and was trying to make every excuse to myself why I shouldn't be going back out of my house AGAIN.

Two practices for the oldest boy, 3 different stores for school supplies, 2 trips to the grocery, 1 momma who had an aching back and three kids that were on the verge of me proving the theory of why some animals eat their young (and like it!). I was ready for this day's page to be turned and then

***RING***

a phone call from a dear friend needing a little TLC for a car battery. With no excuse to speak of I grab my keys and took my p.j. wearing self to the rescue. And on the way home I saw this......

if this wasn't a thank you for no excuses then I don't know what is!

A beautiful end to a not so beautiful day, you gotta love the Lord!

Crawfish (or shrimp) Monica

2010-07-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

This has become one of our favorite meals. It is super easy to make and is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.

the goods....

1 lb crawfish tails or peeled shrimp

1/2 cup butter

1 pint half-and-half

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 bunch parsley

2 tablespoons creole seasoning (I use Tony's chachere's creole seasoning)

cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 lb rotini pasta

lots French bread

here we go.....

Cook pasta according the the directions on the package. Drain, then rinse under cool water and drain again thoroughly.
Melt butter in a large pot and saute onions and garlic and parsley for about 3 minutes.
Add the crawfish or shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes.
Add the half-and half and creole seasoning.
Add a dash of cayenne pepper and taste before adding more until you have the right amount for you. If you have boiled your own crawfish save the fat and add it in as well.
Cook for 5-10 minutes over a medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Add the pasta and toss well. Let sit for 10 minutes or so over very low heat stirring often.
Serve immediately with lots of french bread.

Happy Cooking!!

Want Ads!

2010-07-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on my back porch enjoying a frosty bottle of goodness and my house is eerily quite. Hannah's at a friends, Jakob is playing video games, Alex and my brother Patrick are watching a baseball game inside and Brian and I are side by side on our computers. He is looking up insurance quotes for our soon to be eligible to drive son (insert frosty bottle here) and I'm bitching to you; life's almost back to normal.

Our house guests packed up their lives and headed back to the real world today....BOO!
Shortly after their departure I stripped all the beds, wiped down the bathroom and swept up the last little bits of memories we made over our short trip together.
And then I cried. Not an ugly cry. But a cry none the less.

Tear of happiness......
Tears of joy......
Tears of not enough time together.....

And then I made my coffee and sat outside in this very same spot and thanked the lord for 4 glorious filled days together.

Of happiness.....
Joy......
And not enough time together.....

We all can be whoever it is we want to be in life, but when your with your family, you just are who you are. Battle scars, roots, unplucked eye brows and all.
No one cares.
As long as you cleaned your plate and didn't let all the air condition out, the world is good. And let me tell you my friends, the world is ALL GOOD here.

Oh my! Hubby just got the insurance quote for the boy. Alex is going to need the classifieds and I'm going to need another frosty bottle beverage!

the house that built me

2010-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

The house that I spent ages 8 to 18 in was the house that helped build me.
When my parents sold that house I was married, a parent and a homeowner already.
None of that mattered.
My old bedroom had long been taken over by one of my younger brothers, complete with little boy stains and smells.
None of that mattered.
If those walls could talk they would say that that house was the place I had some of my best and not so best times.
It was the house that I ever so defiantly laid down my house key declaring I was 18 and to cool for a curfew, oh how later on I wished I could of folded those words back into my mouth.

As my parents packed up that house and prepared to move on with their lives, I mourned.
I grieved for that house. Only later on realizing that I was grieving for my childhood again. As crazy and exhausting as it was, I still had the taste in my mouth and I was craving it. After the papers were signed and new owners boxes were unpacked I drove by that house often. My parents put a lot of work into that house. Work that other people wouldn't appreciate or even know was done for that matter. Blood, sweat and tears. And I wanted to make sure the new occupants were keeping it up to par.

My husband and I are deep into the bones of our present home. Much like we did with our very first house, we have scratched off all most all of the scabs (pink and blue pastels and flowering wall paper) and have begun the healing process (dark browns, reds and oh so scrumptious greens :). Room by room, board by board it is becoming the house that rebuilds me. If we have no surprises with my husbands job, this will be the house that we retire in. After almost 5 years in it, I know every squeak, every hum and every drafty window. What I don't know is how under my sofa in the basement I keep on finding multiple pairs of socks that surprisingly don't belong to anyone with the last name Johnson. Gotta love boys and basements.

I am happy to think that one day my children will look back on this being the house that built them. Their bedrooms being the places they mapped out their dreams. The cul de sac holding more afternoon secrets than a teenagers diary. And the back porch being the place that rejuvenated our family. And if and when they lose sight of where they're going, they can come back and see where they've been. Hopefully remembering their best and not so best times in life. And maybe one day the walls will divulge the secrets to life's mysteries; including the mystery of the lost socks.

Yummy and easy lasagna

2010-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Alex is my lasange kid. He wants lasagne for all his special occasions. Last year for his birthday I found myself awakening an hour early than my normal o dark thirty to prepare noodles and meat mixture so that I could pop it in the oven that evening in between the kids activities. I've since tried to find an easier way of making lasagne. And lucky for my boy who has red sauce and ricotta cheese running through his veins, I have. This can still be prepared early in the day but it doesn't need to be. I love making dishes that I can pop in the oven and leave while I run the kids around all evening.

the goods....

2 pound lean ground beef

3 cups KRAFT Part Skim Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, divided

2 cups light ricotta cheese

1 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 jar pasta sauce

1 1/2 cups water

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

here we go.....

1.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1-1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.

2.Drain meat; return to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Add to skillet; stir until well blended.

3.Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, one-third of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1-1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil.

4.Bake 1 hour. Remove foil; continue baking 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

sharing the love......

Serving Suggestion: I serve this with a Caesar salad.
Shortcut: Adding water to the sauce helps cook traditional noodles during baking, so you don't have to cook them beforehand. This saves you 15 to 20 minutes of prep time.
Easy Cleanup: Placing a layer of sauce under the first layer of noodles will help prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the baking dish.

Happy Cooking!

not even a tropical storm

2010-07-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

We're patiently awaiting Tuesday to come at our house. You're probably saying Tuesday, why Tuesday? Why not Friday or 2 for 1 Wednesday? Well Tuesday is the day that our house of 5 and 2 dogs turns into a house of 13 and 3 dogs. The Louisiana peeps are heading into town and get this, there's no hurricane in the gulf or a mandatory evacuation (love you momma :). There here from Tuesday to Saturday and we are so excited! It consists of my momma, daddy, 3 brothers, 1 sister in law, 1 nephew that might just be buttered and devoured before he even makes it into the house, 1 girlfriend who is my sister from another mother and father but who's keeping track and 1 large German Shepard, Bella. They're my family. Some are family by blood, some by marriage and some by the sheer amount of memories and blackmail material we have on each other :)
Family is family and that's what it's all about.
We have a few things planned; mostly meals and what drinks we will serve with the meals but we will also venture out for some exploring time and make some new memories together.

In the crazy ~~cleaning, painting, dusting, organizing~~ midst of trying to prepare I have been also counting my thankful blessings........

I'm thankful to have everyone together (which almost NEVER happens).
I'm thankful to be able to have my parents relax for a few days and let me take care of them.
I'm thankful to have the space that we do to allow everyone to have their own nook in our house.
I'm also thankful to have a fully stocked beer fridge in the garage. Hey I said I love them and I'm very excited about the visit but I didn't say I wasn't getting by without any help from my friends!

Just in case you need to be reminded about where me and "my momma and dem" come from..........
We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much & laugh too loud & live too large, and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't."

— Chris Rose

Bring on the family!!!

Things I know....

2010-07-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

My thighs look better when they have been shaked and baked in the glorious sun for a few days.
I love the smell and sound of rain as it falls.
Garlic and onions cooking on my stove is an aphrodisiac for me.
I thrive on stability.
My faults and hiccups make me strive each day to better myself.
I crave noise, whether it's the outside critters serenading me sleep or my coffee pot singing me a rise and shine tune.
The very first time I soothed my crying baby by just my voice and a touch of my hand, I knew what career opportunities lied ahead of me.
I am very proud of WHO and WHERE I come from. As different and crazy as we all are, it just makes us the family that we are today.
Taking someones hurt away doesn't always relieve their pain.
Potato chips and sweet tea IMMEDIATELY bring me to my happy place.
The difference between being 20 something and being 30 something is, wrinkles, patience, cellulite and KY.
Keeping your mind open to new ideas but still holding true to yourself and your beliefs is something that I hope each of my children digest and never let go of.
Once you have your first hit of living life to it's fullest each day, laughing so hard that it hurts and loving unconditionally without strings or untruths, you will continue to chase that high the rest of your life. Sorry Mrs. Reagan but some addictions really are good.
Taking flight happens for each person at different times; it can't be super glued on (I've tried :). But when it happens and it's genuine, it is one of the most beautiful things to watch.
I have so much more to learn and except the task whole heartedly. I'm ready coach!!

and he's off!

2010-07-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

the roomies

the boy

Operation drop off little grasshopper went off without a hitch. Well without a hitch probably aren't the best words to use (if you know US then you know the Johnson's ALWAYS have a hitch). But none the less it went very well. Jakob and Hannah got to spend the day and night with their maw maw and paw paw and Brian and I got to focus on the task at hand. Alex and his room mate unpacked immediately and made themselves at home. We made our way out pretty quickly; Alex giving me the secret hand shake of "I'm needing you to go before this gets ugly". And so Brian and I made our way out, joking with each other about the day we have the real drop off for college. I reminded him that I needed one milestone at a time please, and that I also needed an Outback fix. Steak, bread and beer makes it all better :)

the countdown

2010-07-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

In t minus 20 hours and counting Brian and I will be driving to drop our oldest boy off for his very first camp experience. He is attending a running camp with a group of his high school cross country team mates. We've made our list and checked it twice.

10 pairs of running shorts
9 shirts
8 pairs of socks and underwear
7 dollars worth of quarters
6 hours of driving time (there and back)
5 days away from home
4 bags of Chex mix (for after hours snacks)
3 bundles ready to be loaded (suitcase, snacks to donate, sleeping bag with pillow and sheets rolled inside)
2 lessons on how to use a coin operated laundry machine, dispense detergent and separate clothes
1 very excited teenage boy leaving home (and his momma) for the first time and he is ready to fly

We've made some wonderful summer memories so far together but I know that Alex will have lasting memories of this experience. If for no other reason than because they're his and his only. And I can't wait to hear all about them when we pick him up in t minus 144 hours......but really who's counting :)

so what's it gonna be?

2010-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in the midst of gearing up for another semester of college. Tuition's being paid, checking out book prices on Amazon and checking out my new classes positions on campus. There's a running joke when it comes to me and college; I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Now I know a lot of people are in on this joke as well, but truly honest to god, I don't want to spend tens of thousands of dollars just to have a piece of paper to frame and dust once every month. I've read over all the majors in my book. I've looked and re looked at every topic that I every felt a flurry in my belly for. And still I sit here on my back porch watching the fire flies dance over my night sky,while sipping my Amstel light and listening to my children argue over who is eating the last Skinny Cow ice cream, and I am peacefully and perfectly content to do just this on this same porch until my last breath.

My husband thinks I should go into psychology or sociology, apparently I'm good at talking (to people) and they listen to me (no I don't know why, maybe because my heart speaks before my brain thinks most of the time). My boys want me to be a chef, so culinary school is always an option. I mean really how many 11 and 14 year old boys would NOT like an all you can eat buffet (homework assignment) going on at their house. Hannah thinks I should be a rock star, not because she thinks I can sing or anything, but just so that she, Chloe and Gracie MIGHT have the chance to meet Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez one day. And me, I'm just wondering how do I do all of those things and get to watch my homies the fire flies each night? When I figure it all out you all will be the ~~first~~ fifth to know........

Peachtree Road Race 2010

2010-07-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

This was our fourth year running in the Peachtree Road Race.
Each year we add more family and friends to the fun.
And each year as I'm running through the city streets I'm reminded again of the beauty this state has to offer. Happy Independence Day!!

Our past races.....2007, 2008, 2009

another sweet treat

2010-07-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

We have perfected the Shirley Temple in our house. 1 mason jar,1 can of ice cold Sprite, 4 cherries, and a shot of cherry juice. Little cute blondie sitting on front porch is not needed BUT highly recommended!

maybe knitting??

2010-07-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

I love being a blogger! What I thought was going to be just a place for me to show my family and friends back home in Louisiana what's going on in our lives, has turned into four years of keepsakes through pictures and emotions that I'm so glad I was able to share. I love being able to write about my kids, bitch about my kids and brag about my kids all in the same place. I scream with pleasurable joy when I can actually capture a moment in words that's happened in my life. Sharing the joys, the tears and the drinks is what blogging is all about to me.

In the last few weeks I've noticed a few of the blogs that I enjoy reading defending their selves in post. Explaining why something was written the way it was or why they posted a picture of themselves the way they did. Apparently some ~~cowards~~ "people" enjoy leaving nasty comments to woman who they don't know.
Get a hobby!! Like what are you missing in life that you need to spread your morsels of negativity around?
Alcohol?
Sex?
Jesus?
All 3 is my guess.

None of us on this round planet are perfect; no matter how hard we try and convince people that we are.
Constantly judging people negatively only enlightens everyone else to YOUR insecurities.
We all have weakness and we all have talents.
We also all have opinions just like we all have assholes and if their nasty you need to keep them to yourselves :)

the hangover

2010-07-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

No I'm sorry there's no Bradley Cooper or Mike Tyson tigers running around a penthouse. It was just me, two girlfriends, a 5th of black cherry Smirnoff and V8 lite peach and mango splash.
What started off as an experiment, quickly turned into "oh my word PLEASE make the earth decide which way it wants to spin". It has been many years since I have needed to sleep with one foot on the floor and honestly there is no part of it that I miss. My girlfriend and I have had a good laugh at each other since and I think we both just needed an evening of silliness. We both learned that our new oh so yummy concoctions should not be consumed on an empty stomach and also that summer time is always sweeter when consumed with good friends.

this is the life!

2010-06-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ready for the lake

happy kids!!

driving lessons

The Dinsmore's

me and Ms. Rona loving life!

the perfect lounging spot!

tubing time

office with a view

2010-06-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

Our school bag spot has been replaced by ice chest coolers, beach bags and an unlimited supply of warm towels. We have popped a total of 15 bags of popcorn and consumed 27 lbs. of watermelon and strawberries. 4 bags of pretzels (some of which became chocolate covered :) and our stash of bubble sticks are starting to run low. The kids finished off yet another sunscreen face stick and they all have beautifully sun kissed toes. We've had rainy afternoons, grumpy afternoons, lazy afternoons, and afternoons that seem to last for days. And I went 5 days in a row with no make up on and a bathing suit top as a bra, man I love my job :)

and he's cute too!

2010-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

we have a yard boy

(well at least a front yard boy :)

What's Yours?

2010-06-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

My husband and I like to play the game, "one day when we" about things in the future. Retirement plans, rainy day wishes, pipe dreams, anything that makes us sit back and go HMMMM and then we give each other a little nod and the look of, "well maybe one day."

One day maybe I'll get up enough nerve to put together some kind of a book, one day he would like to take an early retirement to stay home and teach his grandchildren how to fish, one day the two of us together would like to open a family run business where we teach the love of snow balls and beignets to the lovely state of Georgia, one day we would like to buy a lake house and have the time to ACTUALLY use it and not just drive by it going to another activity. I want to go to Italy and cook, he wants to go to some remote island and fish, as you can see we're TOTALLY on the same page with our ideas!

None of these ideas are totally far fetched but all are just that far enough from the fingertips at this point in life to make you really want them, crave them even. Traveling with our kids is what we want to do right now. When they were little we had enough money to barely pay our bills and that was it, now we want to experience things with them. I would love nothing more in life than to be sitting in Venice at a table for 5 waiting for my bruschetta to be served, and who would help back up Brian's story when the "big one" gets away while he is fishing on his island if Alex and Jakob aren't there?
We probably won't ever be business owners and I'll probably never be on Oprah's book club list, but we will always be parents who love to make memories one pipe dream at a time.....

So what's yours????

finding your happy place

2010-06-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

These are my front and back porches, aka mommas happy places. When we bought this house I looked past the blue and pink curtains, the painted over wall paper, and the badly needing of a DEEP cleaning. I saw the potential. I saw the bones of a house that needed someone to come in and love it. And I also fell in love with the porches. Most days I spend more time sitting in one of my rocking or reclining chairs outside than I do sitting inside. My morning coffee always taste better outside and my afternoon snacks wouldn't be as good any where else in the house. I've had memorable conversations with family members when they're visiting, long winded talks with girlfriends,cocktails, tears and lots and lots of GOOD meals on these porches.

All of these things could of happened anywhere in the house but probably wouldn't of been as meaningful. Southern girl loving life watching the world go by while sipping sweet tea on her porch.

Cliche?

Maybe.

And frankly my dear I don't give a damn!!

Red light, yellow light, green light.....NO!!!

2010-06-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

How does one (of the auburn hair color with gray stripes every 6 weeks) mentally prepare for the growing of her offspring? I remember when I first had my children, I was told almost every other day by a family member, friend or stranger in the Winn Dixie, that it wouldn't always be this way. One day that little boy, and then those little boy's and then those 2 boys and that cherub faced little girl were going to grow.
It all sounded like BLAH BLAH BLAH to me back then, and yet lately I catch myself watching my children transform in front of my eyes; all they seem to do is grow and eat and argue about who ate the last Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, and grow some more.

Every parent has joked at one time or another about being giving children without manuals. We all at one point have felt liked we've jumped into the deep end without our floaties, flippers, goggles and ear plugs. For some people it's a feeling that they never shake, for others it comes and goes. The first time I dropped my son off at the movies to meet friends, I drove to the back of the parking lot and started to laugh so hard that I began to cry. I wasn't nervous or sad or intoxicated, I was just so full of emotion that I needed to let it out. Each time after that first time it has surprisingly gotten a lot easier. I'm assuming (and praying) that just like that first outing without adult supervision every other "first time" will get easier.

Have I mentioned that in 6 short months my oldest child COULD possibly get a driver's permit?

Some "people" that I know joke about needing to be medicated, some joke about investing in Jimmy Buffet stock since their frozen drink tolerance will be tested and some poor poor souls I know have started to dabble into the mean unforgiving ~~thighs~~ streets of brownie bottom cheesecake.

As a mother of 3 growing children I haven't figured out which category I'm going to fall into. So far I'm good, a little more freedom for the kids means a little more freedom for mom. But you know if you by chance happen to see a lady who looks like see missed her appointment with Lo real Nice -n- Easy laughing uncontrollably with chocolate flavored cream cheese on her face, please don't stare and point, she is probably just driving around looking for the nearest pills, drinks, cheesecake and place to park.

a few of my favorite summertime treats!

2010-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

afternoon painting projects that

turn into office wall masterpieces

my daughters mouth being dyed blueish purplish since

Monday May 31st the first official day of summer.

Between popsicles and Powerade and 42 more days of summer,
I'm pretty sure she is stained until the fall. homemade telescopes that "really work mom!!"

afternoon lunch dates on the back porch

that don't start with, "mom do I have too?"

afternoon lunch dates that end with the 3 of them

still on the back porch because they want to be.

and of course last but not least

rescuing turtles on the side of the road at 7 AM.

Would you expect anything less from the Johnson's :)

okay, maybe more than just a few

2010-06-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

our kids Track season is ALMOST in the home stretch. After this weekend we have (possibly two more meets) and then we're done for the summer! THANK YOU JESUS,MARY, AND JOSEPH!

All three of the kids have improved so much since January, knocking off tens of seconds at each meet.

All three of them are running long distance; Jakob doing a 3000 meter, 1500 meter and 800 meter, Hannah doing a 1500 meter, 800 meter, 400 meter and 4x400 relay and Alex doing 1500 meter, 800 meter and 4x400 relay.

This week Alex has started his high school (breathe in) cross country track season. He has three 7 AM practices and two 6:30 in the evening practices. This stuff is no joke! But in one week he has already improved tremendously.

I'm happy for this track season to come to an end and have a little break in July.
Hannah's swim will also be finishing up in July and that will leave only Alex with practices.

I haven't had my country time lemonade yet, have you??

But I have had a few cocktails at the pool and on my back porch, so I guess I can't complain :)

great start to the summer

2010-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

you know if there is a Coca-Cola sign I will find it!!

sting rays

hey tootsie what'cha looking at?!

butterflies having a snack

penguin fun

the things I do for my daughter :)

my 3 goof balls

me and my hubby soaking up the beautiful weekend memories

We love downtown Chattanooga. Brian and I and the kids have been there a few times and just adore the area. We love being able to walk almost every where and take in the scenery at the same time. We stayed the night downtown after the wedding and took the kids to the Chattanooga Aquarium. We stopped in at some of our favorite shops and then Ben and Jerry's ice cream stand, you know just to make sure they're still making the ice cream correctly and then headed home. Beautiful wedding, fun family weekend and I'm happy to report that the Ben and Jerry's Around the world is just as good as it was last time :)

neighbor of the bride

2010-06-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Mr. and Mrs. Klewein

mother and father of the bride
(aka one of my best friends and her hubby:)

me and my hubby being photographed
by one of the short people in my life

my babies being slightly annoyed by their mother (again :)

it's my kind of wedding when the beautiful bride

walks down with a beer in her hand!

their first dance as old married lady

and bearded married man

Kaylee and her daddy (Jay) taking their turn.

They started off all teary eyed and stuff

and then got all

BRICK HOUSE ON US!!

I love the look on their faces, they were ready to turn it out!!

Carol and Jay

the GORGEOUS setting on Lookout mountain

look at my babies eyes, she ADORES this man :)

Brian and Alex do not like to dance.
DO NOT as in NO WAY, NO HOW, NO CHANCE.
As you can see from these pictures, those two can't say no to Hannah :)

me and Carol's baby girls

I love this lady :)

they were having the time of their lives!

and these two were still dancing having the time of their lives

howdy there partner, you look like my ole man.

My girlfriend next door Carol is having a double whammy this year. Both of her children are getting married. Her daughter got married over Memorial Day weekend on top of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tn. And her son is getting married in October here in Georgia at a winery. Carol and I have shared lots of good times and memories together in the last 4 and a half years that we've been friends (and neighbor's). This night was by far one of the best. She is at a time in her life that I DREAD. Everyone moved out, starting on their own as adults. She comes to my house sometimes just to sit and listen to the noise.
She is like me, she functions better in organized chaos.
We started "cocktails on the porch" last year, sorry it's an exclusive club not open to the public.
I told her the other day, we need to have a club meeting ASAP. There's lots to discuss. The first order of business is, how in the hell she held it together the whole evening?!! I had an ugly cry headache for two days!
Second order of business is how to grow old gracefully, being an amazing woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister and FRIEND, and making it look effortless all at the same time.
I love you girl and we were so excited to share in this day with you all!!

take a hike

2010-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

my up and coming high school freshman

Alex's 8th grade class had their official walk over to the high school ceremony on last Thursday. His principal hands over the next group of freshman to the high school principal.

It's a walk that was short in length,monumental in meaning, but yet oh so subtle at the same time. In eight short weeks I will have a high school freshman, a 6th grader and a 3rd grader.

I will also have a few 100 more gray hairs, laugh lines and not nearly enough time to soak up everything that I would like.

Our time is like the walk was; short, monumental and subtle all at the same time.

The good times and the bad ones are also like the gray hairs and laugh lines and they're worth every memory......

A Green Thumb

2010-06-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

6:30 in the morning is drinking time for my garden and porch plants. One afternoon as I sat on my porch waiting for the biggest boy to get off the bus I noticed a drop of water resting on one of my caladium leaves. It was calmly, lazily just waiting to be absorbed into the plant.

Taking a moment to soak up the rays is good for us all, I plan on being a big fat water drop on a caladium leaf for the next 8 weeks :)

It's right around the corner

2010-05-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

Jakob's field day
muffins with mom
Alex's final curtain call

he has decided NOT to play in the band during high school.

I'm hoping that after a year off he will go back to it, only time will tell.

class room fun!

A snow cone break for Hannah's class during field day

my baby

me and my girl on Market Day

she decorated each cookie all by hand by herself

Alex's community during field day

this was as close as I could get without him noticing me taking a picture on my phone.

He did spot me trying to find him when I walked in the gym and he stood up and waved at me. My heart melted when I saw the smile he gave me. That was my stay at home mom raise for the year. A 14 year old actually happy to see his mom :)

What would the last weeks of school be without field days, band concerts, market day, muffins for mom, sundae parties for no good reason, multiply trips to the grocery for last minute donations and lots and lots of checks being written for gifts, parties and whatever else they need from me. Gotta love it! We just finished up with the last field day events today, next week will be the parties. T minus 5 days and counting friends.......

20 + 14 = 33 I mean 34

2010-05-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of one of my classes this semester we had to right a little something about our selves answering specific questions and put them all together to make a biography flow. The professor picked two to read at the end of the semester and we had to pick who they belonged to. My paper was one that got picked. Of course they all knew whose this belonged to. I think my thighs gave it away :)

I have a soft spot for potato chips, any kind, doesn't really matter, as long as they are salty and crunchy. I'm also weak when it comes to frozen candy bars snickers, twix, reeses; there might also be a part of me that craves right out the oven bread or not right out the oven bread for that matter, as long as it's....bread.

I forget how old I am on a regular basis. Is it 33 or 34? I do the whole Alex is 14 and I was 20 when he was born, then I kick off my flip flops to count and forget what I was going to count! Today I am still 34, but for some reason my brain will say 36. I don't mind getting older, I just wish I could remember how old I really am, still 34 old lady. I do know how old my kids are, my dogs are, my house is and which day of the week is garbage day. That's gotta count for something.....RIGHT?

I try and be as true to myself and my upbringing as possible. Standing strong for my beliefs, while also being the best role model for kids that I can. I try to find the good in each person I spend time with. I don't like to surround myself with negative things, people, colors, anything. If you spend to much time around negative energy you become negative energy and for some reason my hair never looks right when I let my brain go to the dark side. So cute hair is staying and so is good positive fun.

I can't start my day without the kitchen sink empty, my bed made and the washing machine running; there maybe a little OCD going on in me but, what'cha gonna do.

I hate the top parts of my legs (thighs) but not enough to stop indulging in the treats in the first paragraph.

The most important lesson I've learned in life is: just when you think you've got it all figured out and your check list is done, God turns the page on you and you have to start all over again.
When that happens I think to myself, I'm too old for this shit!
How old am I again?

the pink kind please!

2010-05-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

My second semester of college is a wrap. 3 A's, compass math test passed, and I'm off! The last month of school got a little crazy. Finishing projects,dreaded group projects, studying for finals, preparing for my Disney duties and keeping life at Casa Johnson's running smoothly took a lot of patience and a few Peroni's, but we made it through. The kids are in the home stretch of their school year and life is about to get all "old time lemonade" around here. Lazy days, mixed in with a little swim and track practice, Chick fil a lunches and afternoon peanut snacking at Ms. Lena's pool. During the summer our family gets to strip it all down to the simplest of things.

I always give myself projects to do, sometimes they get done, but most of the time not. Keeping 3 kids (and their friends) happy, fed, alive and not have their brains rot from video games and T.V. should be a big enough project. I do enjoy a good challenge every now and again.

I have two books that I need to read for next year's classes and 27 tubes of bubbles that I plan on blowing with my daughter. The boys will each remind me (daily) of how much the other one gets on their nerves, and I will ignore them just like any good mother of 3 does.

The kids and I will do a Louisiana trip and then we will all do a beach trip with my family, after that it will be alarm clocks, back packs and a high school er (deep breath in). In 4 more summers I will be packing up my first born to start his college career. Maybe that's why this summer I don't want to rush anything, don't want a project, I just want to enjoy the long lazy days with my kids. We get to re energizes, drive each other crazy and then start over again. That sounds like the best summer job to me :)

Happy Summer!!

hair today, gone tomorrow

2010-05-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Not only has he grown as tall as me, losing his hair shows how much of a young man he really is!

The Johnson's got talent

2010-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

When Brian is out of town for more than 2 days the kids and I have a deal, we try a new restaurant NO MATTER how crazy the evening is. I must of been in a Claritin induced coma when I agreed to this, but never the less, I agreed so a eating we will go. We had dinner a few weeks ago at Carrabba's, besides for the fact that it was SUPER yummy, it ended up being a beautiful evening to eat outside and a laugh fest for the kids and I. After dinner the kids had a dance off in the parking lot and I was glad I pottied before we walked to the car because I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. It was one of those evening's that I wish I could bottle up and carry with me, just another day in paradise :)

M I C K E Y M O U S E

2010-05-10T04:24:00.001-07:00

me and my boy ( that fake smile didn't last very long)
Alex made a new friend

our group

there's a real smile

there's always a Coke moment!

Alex and his bud Andrew (the 2 goof balls)

right before their band performance

Gina and I (the two best looking chaperone's in Disney :)

I love this spot in Epcot

Gina and I and our boys

Gina and I with our girls

Mickey Mouse of course!

our band and chorus teachers excepting an award

Alex has been a busy young man in the past few weeks. Besides for all the regular everyday stuff ( school, track practice, band practice, growing 4 inches in 6 weeks). He has also been a traveling man and Brian and I were ~~crazy enough~~ lucky enough to get picked to chaperon. Alex and I spent 4 days at Disney World for his band's competition. I had another chaperon that I roomed with and between us we had 15 kids. It was a little tricky keeping everyone in one group and also keeping the peace between the different groups, but it all worked out and I got to meet and befriend some great kids. Oh yeah and I also got some one on one time with my boy.

and then there were 5

2010-05-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

~This post has been sitting in my drafts for over a month. It has been sitting there just as patient and quietly as would the little lady that I wrote it about. Not complaining, no hands raised going OH OH ME ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT MEEEEEEEE!!!! Yet just another reason I adore her the way I do~

Once upon a time (April 5th 2002 to be exact) Brian and I added another precious moment into our lives, a baby girl. Eight years later I still look at my angel faced girl, and wonder how on earth did I get so lucky. Hannah Marie looks like a carbon copy of her father; from her blond curls, blue marbled eyes, and perfectly kissable lips. Her heart is made of gold, finding the right in everyone. I don't think she ever learned how to walk, she went straight from crawling to skipping. She dots everything she writes with a heart, and puts sparkly earrings on everyone she draws. Hannah dreams in colors, and hopes that one day she can have a rainbow house. She leaves her father and I little notes when we're not looking, that sometimes take our breath away. My baby shoots hoops with the boys one minute and is playing makeovers the next.
When we were told we were having a girl, I honestly didn't believe the doctor. "Look again", I told her, "there's a penis in there somewhere!" We put off painting her room until the very last minute, just in case, you know they found the missing penis in my last ultrasound. Then one Sunday morning I woke up and told Brian, "we're having a girl and she needs a pink room." We happily painted a beautiful pale pink color, it was a color that neither one of us ever thought we would paint. Since the moment I met my daughter she has been changing my life. I wanted to be a better woman for her, a better friend for her, a better teacher for her. In hopes that one day she will look back and say, I had one hell of a momma. Each day that passes brings more and more joy into our lives. Our babies are growing into remarkable human beings, and each one of them have personalities that will one day help change the world.
There is a line in a country song that pretty much sums up what this little creature means to my hubby and I......................... "she's her daddy's girl and her mommas world." More perfect words have never been spoken. I look forward to the future for so many reasons; one being to watch my girl continue on growing into the beautiful lady she is and another reason to tell her the story of how our family of 4 became a family of 5 and we ended it on a pink note :)

Happy Birthday Hannah Marie, you are my skipping little ray of sunshine, and I am truly blessed to be able to call myself your momma.

Watching him soar

2010-04-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended yet another meeting about my up and coming freshman. I really believe they hold quite a few of these meetings so that the women who are in denial (like me) can slowly come to terms with the fact that their babies are indeed starting high school (anyone have a paper bag? Deep breaths). On my best day, I'm a semi half intelligent woman, so you would think that mistakenly giving my 14 year old his father's boxers and socks on a regular basis would have been the real turning point for me. But no, not me, I just think to myself, the boy has really big feet for his age. He just takes after me and is going to be tall! That's it, that's the reason why he wears men sizes and has a squeak in his voice every now and again. It has nothing to do with the fact that he is growing up, nope not one single piece.

And then I go to this meeting, and it's all about Alex's honors classes and what each college is looking for. And how the next four years will fly by. And how making them understand how important each and every day is towards their college careers. And once again, it's going to fly by. In between each piece of important information I received that night, I kept thinking about his very first day of school. The first day I dropped him off and how much of an emotional wreck I was on the inside and how good he was that day. He started Pre- K 4 just as he has every other grade since that first day, a very confident little boy. I was so excited for him when he went to school, yet so filled with the need to be with him. We had never spent 7 hours in a day apart. That was the hardest part for me. Not ALWAYS being there.

So as I look forward on the next four years, I know that my chipmunk cheeked little boy, will look and sound more and more like a man. But in my heart he will always be that little boy that let go of my hand on that hot and humid August morning turned to me with his crooked smile and apple name tag attached proudly to his uniform shirt and said, bye mom see you in a bit." He turned into his class room and I picked up the pieces of my broken heart, my box of kleenex and my 1 year old and walked back to my car.

I don't look at time as flying by anymore, more like soaring through future memories

I'm SO going into the white light!

2010-04-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

don't be fooled, they are really vicious beasts and are just napping in between missions

bye bye carpet

hello hardwoods

Brian has worked on the spindles for the past two Sundays and they are turning out beautifully. Hopefully he will be done this weekend, so he can give his back a break!

new carpet in the bedrooms

we still have some minor details to work on, you know like door knobs :)

We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is a beautiful shade of DONE. My husband, my father in law and I worked on our very first house together back in Louisiana. We got that house just perfect and then within a year sold it. This time, it's all for us. We are going to enjoy every inch of this house for as long as God keeps us in it. Which we're hoping is until retirement :)

she's a sneaky little witch

2010-04-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Pandora's Box or what use to be called the Johnson home.

We started off planning on just painting some rooms in the house and having the outside painted. We threw in some new fixtures to be hung and that was supoose to be the extint of the remodel for now. During the second day of painting my neighbor informs us that he found a hard wood guy who was willing to give both of us a deal on the labor if he did the houses in the next two weeks. So our painting project turned into refinishing our exctisting hardwoods and adding it to our two front formal rooms, up our stairs, into the landing and hall. Okay great, it will be beautiful! Then my husband decides while that's going on, he should change out our spindels from wood to wrought iron.

Sounds good honey. Then of course after the hardwoods were done up stairs (the spindels are a work in progress) we realized how badly the carpet was in the bedrooms. So your never gonna guess what we did next???
Yep you guessed it, recarpeted the bedrooms. We have the painters coming back one more time to paint the bottoms of the steps and the baseboards. After that Pandora's Box is being shut and duck tapped close. At least until after Christmas, that's when the kitchen remodel will begin!
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET OR WHAT!!!

Nice and Easy

2010-04-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

My boys really are very predictable. I guess that's good because their momma doesn't do well with surprises. I like repetition, I like knowing what's next. On most days I know how the afternoon is going to play out just by the way they sit on the sofa. Some days you can see the ominous clouds looming before the bus driver even pulls away from our street. The last couple of days this is the way I have found them

side by side on the sofa flipping the channels between Sports Center and The Weather Channel. They have been banned from video games during the week and I have to say that that was one of the best parenting moves I've made in a long time. Between 3 days of track practice, band practice, art lessons and anything else we can squeeze in, video games had to go bye bye Monday- Friday.

For a few weeks I was thinking that these two little penis toting creatures weren't going to make it to their next birthdays. Their arguing, fighting and just plain rudeness to each other had me seeing stars. In the past week or so I've seen a calmness come over them. Maybe it's because we've opened Pandora's Box in our house and little missy wasn't ready to close anytime soon. One project has turned into....well a whole bunch. And we have all been ready to get back to our regularly scheduled lives. Maybe they realized (after being told over and over again) that I really meant it when I said their allowances were now going to buy my hair color, because lord knows when momma stresses the grays start to popping! Or maybe, just maybe they got sick and tired of hearing their own selves complaining. What ever it was that flipped their switches, I don't really know (or care). All I know is my tired gray hairs thank you!

How do you say, under construction in Spanish?

2010-03-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

our four day outside job has turned into

many many more because of the rain.

Al Roker has promised me days filled

with blue skies and sun next week.
I hope he is right, I had to fill out my census

form last week and almost included the workers

because they have been here so long.

slowly coming along

three Spanish men, one husband and one neighbor = my beautiful new foyer fixture

yes the crazy white lady is taking yet even more pictures

for a minute I thought that was my oldest son up there,
he rocks the holey sock thing like no bodies business!

more dust and mess and fun

by the end of the first week the workers have officially

moved in, bringing their microwave with them.
I hope the census people don't find out.

Monday brought us a brand new week. By the end of that brand new week our house will be half way done it's face lift, our outside fridge will be minus a few beers and I will be merrily driving to the local liquor store to happily stock up for the next week.

Brian and I are do it your selfers, or just cheap, whatever you want to call it. ~~He doesn't~~ We don't like to pay someone else to do something that we are very capable of doing. But the truth is, I'm old and lazy and have already done more caulking, painting, sanding, staining, priming and cursing than most women my age, so I'm sitting this makeover out. I'm paying good money to supervise someone else to do my dirty work. And I have to say, I LIKE IT!!

So far so good, but we still have a ways to go. Good thing we bought that new fridge :)

I'll take all the "cents" I can get

2010-03-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

You know how you have one of those weeks, that are so jammed pack and full of 200 little things that add up to one big headache? That's been this week. On one hand I'm thankful because it means everyone is healthy and happy enough to be super busy and on the other hand, WE'RE SUPER BUSY. I've been dancing with the devil at school the past few weeks and I am determined to have him lay that golden fiddle on the ground at MY feet.

Up until today we haven't seen sunshine, real sunshine, in almost a week. We've had arctic winds, rain and gray skies. Some kind of way in the nasty weather, trees have started to bloom and the Energizer bunny has been banging inside my skull ever since. No matter how happy of a person you normally are, after dancing with the devil in the dark, while the Easter bunny bangs in your head, your bound to need a very long P A U S E.

This morning I realized that I didn't have the right cake mix to make Jakob's birthday party cake. I was going to make his cake this morning before heading to my classes. After my classes this afternoon, we were booked back to back with things up until his friends arrived. Baking the cake in between the activities would have to work. I stopped at Wal-mart before school to pick up the correct cake mix, funfetti, as I was driving to the store my head was still pounding and I was replaying what I needed to do for this day and the next couple of days in my head.

As I pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot, the sun started peeking through the clouds. It was golden and glorious, I got out of my truck and took a short walk around the parking lot. I was stalking the rays. As they moved I moved. I followed them for about two minutes. Until my brain reminded me that we were on a time crunch and needed to get back on track. For those two brief moments my head stop hurting.

I noticed something on the ground as I walked through the parking lot towards the doors of Wal-Mart. There were little silver rays coming off of it where the sun was hitting it. As I got closer a car passed over the shiny silver thing. The car moved on and the sparkles came again, it was a dime. A shiny, sparkly dime. I walked over it and for some reason turned around to pick it up. My daughter loves to find pennies or any change on the ground. We call them "pennies from heaven." "Finding a dime is certain to bring good luck," Hannah has told me before. I dropped the dime in my pocket and fiddled with it the entire time I was in Wal-Mart. It wasn't scratchy even though it had been rolled over, it calmed me. I know it sounds silly, but it did.

When I'm rushing around doing this and that, I rarely ever look at the ground. I'm focused on the task at hand and working on my next one. I don't stop to pick up a dime because that would just slow me down. I most definitely don't walk around the Wal-Mart parking lot for two minutes stalking sunshine because really, WHO has two minutes? Well today I had two minutes and my paw paw wanted me to enjoy them enough to notice a shiny sparkly dime to bring home to his great grand daughter, and so that was what I did. My headache is still here, but my baby girl is .10 cents richer today and proudly stated that mommas paw paw sent her a "penny from heaven."

I went back through my blog archives looking for another time that I blogged about my paw paw and his helping hand that he lends me from heaven. I found it here and then I noticed the date. HMMM maybe March is the month that I need him the most. Maybe it's all made up in my head. Whatever it is, it feels good when it happens and I welcome that feeling any day the Lord wants to share it or him with me.

I hope you find some "pennies from heaven." I'm sure your "paw paw's" have dropped a few for you, remember you have to stop and look for them. Let me know what you find in your Wal-Mart parking lot :)

And then there were 4

2010-03-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

11 years ago, my families prayers were answered. After 3 months of best rest, needles, specialists, and tears; my husband and I delivered a healthy baby boy. We named him Jakob Brian. He came out letting everyone in the delivery room know that not only was he feisty, he was a fighter. Brian and I were told for many months before this day, that we should expect a sickly, very small baby. My amniotic fluid had been half the normal amount for months with little to no explanation of why. Our babies growth was closely monitored by ultrasounds every other day and wonderful steroid shots for mom. We prayed and prepared for the big day. I wasn't scared of what was to come, I was excited to meet this creature that I had fallen so deeply in love with months before. What ever the outcome, Brian and I knew we could face it.

Jakob was born weighing in right over 9 pounds. When the nurse took him from my chest to weigh him, he had a death grip on my finger and was not happy to have to let go. He picked his head up and immediately started to scream; right then and there I knew I was in trouble.

He is a bonafid self proclaimed mommas boy. My boy doesn't care who knows it, he wears that title proudly. Jakob has more passion in his little finger, than most people have in their whole bodies. Everything that he does he does well, and any obstacle that is put in front of him is only more of a reason for him to shine. Much like me, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Emotions are like breathing, they just happen. Much like his father, he is completely driven to always succeed.

I love watching my children grow into the people that they are. This is the best job that God has given us as parents. Nurturing and loving these little space aliens until one day, when they need us less and less. My son Jakob has taught me that no two children are alike, what works with one doesn't always work with the other. He has also taught me the art of patience or should I say my lack there of. Just as his brother before him and then his sister after him, my passion and love for him is the same.

His love of life, hazel eyes and one dimple smile has always mesmerized me.
He is the baby that I fought for, that I live and breathe for, he is my boy!

Happy Birthday Jakey boy, we love you!!

Cooking Up A Storm

2010-03-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

Last November when Brian and the kids and I went to Louisiana for the Thanksgiving holidays, we made a very special trip to Audubon Zoo. I blogged about it here. During that zoo trip I found a cook book that I feel in love with, within seconds of turning the first few pages. It's title was Cooking Up A Storm. I commented on how much I would love to have it.

My son Jakob put that idea in his little rolodex memory, and on Christmas morning he made me a very happy lady. The book started off just a way for residents in Louisiana to get back some of their recipes that they lost in hurricane Katrina. When your told to evacuate your home, bringing your collection of cookbooks doesn't seem as important as photo albums and clothes at the time. In the areas hit by that dreadful storm, those people lost EVERYTHING they owned, including recipes handed down from generation to generation.

The Times Picayune is the newspaper there and they had a section where people would send in recipes they wanted to share. Through the years the collection of recipes got bigger and bigger in their archives.

After the storm people wrote to the newspaper's editors desperately trying to get back to some normalcy and wanting copies of lost recipes. The newspaper was happy to help. After months of this going on, someone decided why not make a cookbook with all these little jewels and tell the stories of the people that inquired about them.

I read this book like it was a novel. Each page had someone else's story, about what that God awful hurricane did to the city and people that they love. The same city and people that I love. Now when I cook from this book, not only am I cooking a great dish but I'm also cooking with someone else's story. It's like a well seasoned cast iron skillet. The more history the better. On some pages I cried, some pages I laughed, but every page made me even prouder to be a South East Louisiana girl!

Lent started for us a few weeks ago and being the good Catholics that we try to be, we do not eat meat on Fridays for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. I try and keep our Friday menus fun, but sometimes it's hard (when it's not fried) to make fish fun....AGAIN.

I have found a few recipes that have now become staples for us everyday of the week, not just on Friday's.

Here is the first one....

Garlic Shrimp

2 dozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (fresh basil is a nice summer substitute)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the shrimp in a shallow baking dish and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except the butter. Cover the shrimp with the bread crumb mixture, then drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I serve it with fresh corn on the cob and a loaf or two of french or cuban bread

I used a little more than a cup of bread crumbs and cooked them for about 20 minutes.

HAPPY COOKING!!!

It is better in the Bahama's!

2010-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Brian and I were invited to abandoned our kids, our crazy lives and shoes for a few days and join some amazing friends at the Atlantis resort in the Bahama's. The temperature in the islands has been a lot chillier than usual, but the beautiful crystal blue waters and Bahama Mama drinks made up for the weather.

The beautiful sights started before we even landed.

Looking at the water made me think

why anyone would ever question if God is real!

The man that can make me mad as hell

and weak in the knees all at the same time.

3 hard working men enjoying a much needed break.

My hubby's first trip to the spa.

Brian and I weren't the only proud members

of the WHO DAT nation in the Bahama's!

me and Mindy (she's my beer babe:)

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson

We stayed at one of the newer parts of Atlantis The Reef.

BEAUTIFUL!

Some of the unique artwork we saw in the casino.

In this life I would be the person who cleans this boat.

In my next life maybe I'll own it :)

The AMAZING view from our room.

The self portraits begin!

Goof balls!

On our second night there, one of the other couples had an anniversary to celebrate.

Our host Mr.Woolen ordered the biggest bottle of champagne I've ever seen!

Mindy and Todd

On our last day, Brian and I decided to go do a little exploring.

We took a water taxi into Nassau to see what trouble we could find.

The Disney Cruise ship

Senor Frogs

Bay Street and it's straw market was the place to be!

After three days in paradise we left a little sunburned, a little heavier and very very relaxed.

Thanks Ms. C and Mr. J for holding down the fort and loving on my babies while we were gone!!

say it ain't SNOW!!!

2010-03-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

(March 2nd 2010)

I'm really hoping at some point Mother Nature, Old Man Winter, Al Gore and Global Warming or even Brett Favre would just make up their minds! Cold weather and snow are nice in December, January and maybe a little bit of February. But when home boy starts messing with March and my freshly painted flip flop toe nails, that 's when we have a problem! The weekend before this, we had temperatures in the high 60's, sunny skies and sweaty shirts after our morning miles. Two days later.....SNOW! Craziness!

I live in the South for a reason, I like skirts and drinks on my porch a lot more than boots (all though I have to say, I have been rocking a black pair of slouch boots that are oh so delicious:) and electric heaters.
WHERE OH WHERE ARE THOU SPRING!!!!

Little old lady in the shoe

2010-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

On any given day this is what my foyer looks like. Lots of shoes none of which belong to anyone with the last name of Johnson.
Is it the unlimited amount of pretzels that I offer the boys?
Is it the unlimited amount of Crystal Light flavored water I offer them?

Whatever it is, I love that my boys and their friends always feel welcomed.

Those flip flops right there belong to a 14 year old boy, and are a size 11 in men's.

We might need a bigger ~~boat~~ house.

Waking up to a beautiful sunrise

2010-02-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

On more mornings than not when I awake at O dark thirty I find a sleeping beauty in my bed. Somewhere between my husband awaking and leaving at an even early O dark thirty and my alarm going off, this beauty slithers her way under my covers and falls back to sleep after she attach's herself to me as tightly as we were when she was growing inside of my belly. She doesn't use the personal space rule, she doesn't care about mommas dragon breath in the mornings, she just wants to be close to me.

This morning she didn't fall back to sleep.
I was restless and so was she.
So what do two restless ladies do?
They chat of course.
About which planets are our favorites (Saturn and Uranus) and why (because they're colorful).
About why the glitter pink scarf just didn't go with the yellow shirt (because the color just didn't work together) and about why God is giving me and daddy the honor of raising such a beautiful little lady (because we must have done something right).

(pardon the crusty eyes and drool stains, my daughter has been enjoying taking lots of self portraits lately)

The Comedy Of Multiple Mothering

2010-02-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

One of my professors asked us to fill out a little questionnaire on why we think multi tasking is so important now a days. Do we think we WOULD be good at it? Also, do we think that it is harder to balance everything in life because of all the modern technology?

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.

Honey, I should of been awarded the Noble prize of....
Keeping my son from losing a limb
Reminding my other son to brush, wash, and breathe everyday
Saving a little blond child from yet another nasty tango with a roller brush

and that's all before 7 AM.

Then on the afternoon menu it's all,

one child walking in complaining about a teacher who is SO MEAN because I mean seriously mom, we have to pay attention to every little detail of the test material and she didn't even tell us it was going to be on the test (well if it's TEST material, it's safe to assume that's it's going to be on the UMMM test!)

another child needing to know how to google college scholarships and what event in the Olympics pays more with endorsements (go to google and type in, how I'm going to support my aging mother?)

and another child needing help with the color periwinkle because the crayola version just isn't what she saw in her dream last night (I'm thinking that Mrs. Crayola would be really upset if we mess with her colors, so how about a nice shade of lavender)

All this while cooking a delicious well balanced meal, standing up straight as to not play into the illusion that I am a flat chested boy (that is an illusion right?), vacuuming and figuring out why I should care about
8x squared + 12 xy cubed - 14=

Did she REALLY ask if we think we could be good at this?
Well lets see, I haven't had to be medicated yet because of these 3 little beautiful life sucker outers.
So I would say SCORE!!

And no form of technology has made anything harder in my life. If I don't like it or don't want my kids to take part in it, I say a word that is very foreign to a lot of parents now a days because God forbid their kids might not like them for it....it's called NO, have you heard of it??

Some days, I say it over and over again in hopes that one of my little beautiful life sucker outers will be mad at me, like really really mad and not talk to me for a whole 5 minutes or at least until they need to find their socks.

So in the end I put, yes it's important, I kick major butt at it on an every day basics and no I don't think technology has anything to do with it.

As the teacher handed our papers back, she handed mine to me and had a chuckle in her voice when she said my name.

teacher : I like your brain Mrs. Johnson.
me : well thanks I'm pretty fond out it myself.
teacher : your the comic relief I needed this weekend.
me : I got plenty more where that came from :)