Don't text and drive

Today I had a crazy experience.  It was so close to being so disastrous.  I was on my way to pick Riley up from school when this Lincoln in front of me veers out of his lane and in to the opening in the concrete median.  I thought the car was turning but it never slowed down and plowed in to the divided median sign and entered oncoming traffic.  The car then crossed back in to traffic heading straight for my lane.  I swerved  and was able to safely maneuver out of the way. 

Here's the poor sign all smashed in the median!

It all happened so fast.  We were approaching a very busy intersection where the car proceeds to drive down a few miles before pulling in to a gas station.  As soon as I realized that the car had no intention of stopping, I dialed 911.  While I was on the phone with the dispatcher, the driver exited his vehicle.  He must have been 80+ years old and was shuffling his feet to walk.  As I was finishing with the dispatcher, I watched him struggle to get his card in to the slot to pay at the pump. 

So I did what any proper southern girl would do, I got out and helped!  After getting his gas pumping, I asked him if he was okay and explained that I witnessed the collision with the sign and the median.  I then asked if the damage to the front of his car had been there before and he said no.  I told him he would need an accident report to file with his insurance to get the car fixed. It did significant damage to the front bumper and hood.  The man told me he was planning on "dodging" the report (unlike the sign)! Thank goodness they were already on their way!

About that time the police officer arrives and another young mom stopped to tell him about the accident.  She was also a car he ran out of the lane. She was traveling behind my SUV.  She told me she was thankful that I called in the accident and she was terrified because she had her kids with her in the car.  I was terrified and it was just me!  I gave the officer all of my info and expect I will be hearing from an insurance agent soon!

Why did I share this and what does it have to do with texting and driving?  Let me explain.  I am an exquisite multi-tasker and I have been known to text on few occasions while driving. (Yes, bad I know!)  I always thought of my impact of me texting only as it related to me being a bad driver.  It NEVER occurred to me that I needed to be fully aware of the craziness going on around me!  If I had been texting I would not have been able to take proper evasive action at the exact moment I needed to and this would have been a very different post.

I am sharing this with you with the hopes that you have a similar awakening without the near collision experience!  Be careful out there!

Stay Fabulous,

 

 

My Purse: Group post at PSMB

Hi everyone! I hope your Tuesday has been awesome and made even more productive if you are taking my Manic Monday challenge!  I enjoyed chatting with a few of my readers in real life and online about what an impact this simple change can have!  I look forward to hearing more about it!

Today I participated in a group post over at Peach State Moms Blog with my friends Rachel, Wendy, and Julie about our purses! 

I wanted to add that I don't go anywhere without my purse.  Ever.  And I have won almost every "purse game" I have ever played.  You know the ones, where people ask if you have something random in your purse that most "normal" people wouldn't have.  Like a tape measure.  I always travel with mine!  What's the thing you always have in your purse?

Be sure to click on over and check it out! See you there.

Stay Fabulous,

 

 

Manic Monday: Part One

Last week I introduced a series called Manic Monday. A series that will share the tips and tricks I use to keep my life as stress free as possible. I go in to more detail here so be sure to check it out.  In that post I promised to share a simple change that literally revolutionized my entire life.  So simple yet so profound.  Seriously. 

My simple change was getting dressed completely before Riley ever woke up.  A lot of Moms automatically dismiss this suggestion.  The responses I get vary greatly and it all ties back to how they define "completely dressed."  I define it as hair done, full makeup, jewelry and any other accessories, and a nice presentable outfit.  Something I would not be embarrassed to be seen in if my car had a flat tire and I was stranded on the side of the road. 

From this simple change many other changes have occurred and I will expand on them as this series progresses, but what I realized right away is how much better I felt.  I was ready to go out and do things and have interactions with other adults. 

Before this change I was that mom from the old Suave commercial.  Remember the one?  The mom looked disheveled in sweats, spit up on her, hair a mess and kids hanging off of her and they ask something like "Let yourself go?  Take back control of your hair with Suave."  Or something close to that! 

That's exactly how I felt.  Gross.  And it was because I didn't make "looking presentable" a priority.  It's easy as a Mom to put the needs of everybody else above our own.  When I became aware of this, it really did start the journey of a profound change in my life.  I started evaluating what I wanted and gave myself permission to make me a priority.  And it started by getting up before anyone else did.

I can hear the groans now, waking up earlier seems awful to some.  Believe me, anyone that knows me well can attest that I am NOT a morning person.  But I am a Mom who wants to feel good during the day!  So it was worth it to me to try. 

And what about your husband or significant other? Don't they deserve to come home to you looking nice?  I admit I was not looking like someone I would want to come home to at the end of the day!  Something to think about.

This week I am challenging you to get up before the kids and get completely dressed.  You can do it!  It will make all the difference in the world.  It did for me!  I would also love to know how you are doing with it and I will be happy to answer any questions.  So feel free to comment below or send me and email. 

Stay Fabulous,

Happy Friday: Parents Rap

Happy Friday!

 

I came across this video today and knew I had to share!


Parents rap about maintaining their household by videosonlytube

Stay Fabulous,

 

The things we do for our children!

What is the craziest thing you have ever done for your child? or children?  I have not had too many moments in my life where I think to myself, I would totally NOT being doing this if I wasn't a Momma! However, yesterday was one of those days where I feel like I earned a place in the Motherhood Hall of Fame. 

Yesterday started out like any normal day for me.  I had a meeting early in the morning and then had to swing by the store to get cookies for Riley's birthday celebration at school.  I started to get a headache in my meeting. No big deal, right? WRONG.  It started as a dull ache and quickly turned in to a full blown Migraine.  Still I thought no big deal. I have time to take some medicine and lay down for a little while before I have to be at school.

 That's when the nausea started.  Very few times have I ever been in so much pain that it made me physically ill.  But as time went by and I had no relief from the migraine, I began to get a little worried.  I had to show up at school with everything I had promised to deliver for Riley.  She was expecting it.  She was depending on me.  Letting her down was not an option.

So I drag myself get out of bed and decide to take a stronger dose of a different migraine medication.  This is where bad goes to worse.  As I am driving to school, I am in so much pain that as I am stopped at the red light I get sick.  So glad I had a lot of plastic bags handy in the front seat! (TMI, I know but it's relevant)  So I do what everyone does when they are sick regardless of age, I called my Momma!  I admit I was on the verge of tears.  I needed something, anything to get rid of this pain and I knew my Momma would know what to do. All the best ones do right?

And she did. She told me what I needed to take to get rid of the horrible Migraine.  She also told me that I had to just deal with it and get to the school.  Mother's don't get sick days.  They also don't have the luxury of their 4 turning 5 yr old understanding why they couldn't come to school to celebrate their birthday.  I figured as long as I didn't eat or drink anything and kept my sunglasses on, I might could survive.

And I did.  She has the most fabulous teachers this year.  They rescued me when I arrived clearly a bit shy of fabulous.  Riley was none the wiser.  And I didn't die.  I admit for a minute there, I thought it was a possibility.  And all the kids enjoyed their cookies and had a great time.

I write all this to say, I learned a few lessons on Motherhood yesterday. The most important being the sacrifices my mother made.  She has suffered from chronic Migraines my whole life.  I do not know how she did it and so gracefully.  And growing up I was just like Riley, blissfully unaware.  I am oh so thankful for every sacrifice she made and all the things she did in pain for us.  Oh the things we do for our children...

I would love to hear your less than fabulous motherhood lessons!  Be sure to leave a comment and share.

Stay Fabulous,

Manic Monday Series

You don't have to feel like this!

Hey everyone! Today I am introducing a new series...Manic Monday.  What's that you ask? Well let me explain.  I get asked all the time how I have things so, "together" or how I have time to do everything.  And it's simple really. Or, it seems simple to me, which is why I think I will share the tips and tricks I use on a daily basis to keep everything flowing smoothly. 

Every Monday I will share a new tip or trick to help you get on top of your Manic Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays....you get the idea!  I would love your feedback and to hear about what things you are struggling with the most.  What is that impossible task you never seem to have enough time for?  Do you never have enough time in the day to shower?   Are you constantly getting the kids to school late or to work late?  I would love to hear about it! 

Now, as a disclaimer, I am not perfect.  I am not claiming to be perfect.  I don't live in a perfectly clean house all the time or arrive early to everything.  I am not saying that I am never late.  I am sometimes.  It happens.  Ask anyone in my Sunday School class at church.  For the first 6 months or so I thought the class started at 9:30 and not 9:00 am when it actually starts!  :)   I still haven't lived that one down! 

Nevertheless, we don't rush around the house crazy and I don't yell to get everyone out the door in the morning and I am not stressed out.  That's the beauty of what I have discovered over the last year and a half.  There are simple routines you can do every day that makes life easier for everyone.  On the crazy days where we miss an alarm and oversleep or something starts our day off late, we are still dressed and out of the house on time.  It's possible. It's all in the planning.  The details.  And those two things happen to be my specialty. 

Starting next Monday, I will talk about the smallest change I made which had the biggest impact.  Till then, I would love to hear from you.  What are you struggling with?  What makes you feel like a crazy person before your day has even started?  Leave me a comment.  I can't wait to hear from you!


Stay fabulous,

So, who is Riley?

Meet Riley.  My wild and uninhibited daughter.  She's 4 going on 24.  And everyone knows her.  Even people we don'tknow.  When I describe her to other people, especially at our church, they automatically know who she is.  To which I reply "everyone knows Riley."  In fact, I say this so much on an almost daily basis, it seemed natural for me to name my blog after it.  So here's Riley:

"Momma, Take my picture with this boy!"

 

 

She loves to have her picture taken.  As long as it is her idea of course.  She makes me take her pictures with all of the iron statues when we are shopping at The Avenue. 

 

Here she is on another trip: 

 

     {No special instructions from her on this picture}

 

Taking random photos with the statues is her second favorite thing to do after she empties all of my change in the fountains. I'm pretty sure she thinks the only purpose for change is to be thrown in to fountains.  And that's okay with me. 

 

We have a lot of fun together and a lot of challenging times together.  I look forward to sharing our fun and fabulous life with you a little at a time. 

 

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