Peanut Butter as a Styling Gel

My toddler has never enjoyed it when I play with her hair or attempt to style it. Ginny's hair has lots of curls and wave. Combing her hair merely untangles it; it doesn't control it or make it look nice. Her hair has also reached that milestone of growing out where her bangs get in her face. My solution, particularly when we are going to be out in public, is to pull it back. Sometimes I wonder why I even attempt this feat. Often, whatever I do disappears in a matter of minutes.

Her hair can turn into a mess so quick that I am convinced that strangers at stores or church believe that I do not take care of my child. She often looks like such a ragamuffin with that mop of hair. Part of the problem is she loves to play by rubbing her head on objects. Obviously, Ginny does not make it easy for me.

Ginny after cleaning the peanut butter out of her hair!
She really looks way too pleased with herself.

Today she decided to give me a new challenge. She took things a bit further. After she woke and I got her dressed, I combed out her hair. Then, I pulled back the front of it and put a hair clip. We then went to the kitchen to eat. For breakfast, I gave her waffles with peanut butter and a sippy cup of milk. She adores this breakfast treat.

After the events of this morning, though, it may be her last time eating anything with peanut butter. For some reason, unknown to me, she decided to run her sticky peanut butter fingers through her hair...repeatedly. Sigh. I kept telling her to stop, but she couldn't understand what the problem was and continued. Her hair looked like a peanut buttery mess. Out came the wipes once breakfast was done, not for her face, but her hair.  I will say this, after having the peanut butter in her hair, it stayed in place.

At least I don't have to worry about this issue with Grace.  She barely has any hair. Then again, she is only 12-weeks-old and doesn't eat solids.

A Man Cave?? WTH?!?!?!

I have to admit that I do not always go with trends, much less understand them. 

Right now, I am having an issue with the current trend, the "Man Cave." Every 

time I hear the phrase I get greatly annoyed and my blood pressure goes up.

You see things about the "man cave" and hear about it a lot right now. Even
DIY Network has a show called "Man Caves." If you ever watch "House Hunters"
on HGTV, you will often hearing the man saying he needs his own space, his
own "man cave." And, each and every time I hear that, I think to myself, "What
the heck?"

Isn't the home and all the rooms in it for pretty much everyone? Since when do
men need their own special place in the home? I do not understand this concept
in the least. They are basically saying they need one whole room to themselves
so they can play, but it is only for men. It reminds me of being a child and the
boys building a fort and saying, "No Girls Allowed." Apparently, when some
men grow up, they don't get past this stage of development.

It seems quite selfish to me in so many ways. I share my home with my
husband. When we buy new furniture and decorate the home, we do so
together. If I had my way, I'm sure our home would look much more feminine
than it does now. Additionally, if my husband needs time to himself or wants
to watch a particular program, I make sure that happens for him, just as he
makes sure it happens for me.

Why is a cave necessary? Will this trend hopefully die? If not, then I have a
solution. I think us wives need to demand our own space if our husband comes
home and asks for a man cave. Fair is fair. Although, I'm not sure I like the
sound of that. I prefer a Female Haven. I've already got ideas on how I'll
design mine, if my husband ever demands his own Man Cave.

Female Haven by jayhawkmommy on Polyvore

The Single Friend

My Sistatwin and I nearly 5 years ago.
She is now the Godmother to my oldest child.

Almost daily, I pinch myself in wonderment over the fact that I am happily married with two beautiful daughters. If you had asked me just 5 years ago to imagine myself in this place now, I would have laughed and said it was not likely to happen and that I had no clue where I would be in five years. Five years ago, I was single, 36 years old, and had only been on one date in 9 years.  Pretty pitiful, right? I desperately wanted to be a mom, but had finally come to the conclusion that it would not likely happen for me, and had come to terms with that thought.

I was the single friend, the single family member. I was the one who was alone. No partner in life, and, honestly, only a couple of friends. It wasn't that I hadn't tried to make friends, but for some reason I had difficulty making connections with people. Part of the issue I had was the fact that I was single and in my mid-thirties heading into my late thirties. Most everyone else I knew at my age was, at the very least, married and had children. They were not interested in being friends with a singleton, to steal a phrase from Bridget Jones.

Being single in your thirties and older is not easy, especially if you want to be married someday and have children.  One of the hardest aspects to being single at that stage in your life is that many of your old friends have "moved on" from you.  They get involved in their lives with their spouse and kids, and seem to seek out friends with similar situations. Suddenly, you find yourself unceremoniously "dumped" because you don't have a partner or kids.

Then, there is the situation with your family too. A group of women I know,the Pinkies, recently discussed this very issue. Many of them are single, and quite a few in their late-thirties and forties. In their families, the married family members seem to make all the choices and decisions regarding family events and holidays. Apparently, the single family member is not seen as meriting any input because they don't have children. Their input is not expected, nor wanted. I know I felt that way at times. Sometimes, I felt the loneliest when I was with my family. I know it wasn't their intent that I feel that way, but I did. My moments of loneliness came when a new baby came into the family. I remember my parents being thrilled with the arrival of a new grandchild and holding the baby.  I enjoyed watching them hold their new grandbaby.  However, I noticed that once one of them held the baby, my mom or dad would make sure to take a picture of the person holding the child. When I would get the opportunity to hold the baby, no one took my picture with it. Had I asked, I'm sure it would have happened, but with my parents, it was automatic. No asking needed. The loneliness happened when I realized I didn't have someone to do that for me, that I HAD to ask to make it happen.

Here I am, now though, five years later. I have that person that will take a picture, even if I don't want it taken, without me needing to ask. I don't feel lonely anymore.

I do have the single friend though. I have a few of them.  It is important to me to make sure they know that they count in my life, and that my marital status and familial status has not changed their importance. Granted, I am not always the best friend out there because I hate talking on the phone, but how I treat my single friends has not changed.

Another fabulous single friend of mine holding my daughter.

If you are married, in a relationship, and/or have children, please do not forget your single friends or family members. Try to be that person for them at an event who remembers to make them a part of their time with you so they don't feel alone, even when surrounded by others. Be that person to them who takes a picture or spend special time with them.

My single friends mean the world to me. They may not always be single, then again they may never marry, but they will, hopefully, always be my friend.