Before

Totally Gonna' Do It

Okay.

This is it.

I've made up my mind and am going to do it.

I've already told people about it. So, I have to do it. (My personal secret for making myself really do something: tell someone. When I don't tell anyone, I never end up doing whatever it is that will be hard to do!).

Man, I am scared.

But, it's just hair, right? It will grow back, right?

Afterall, my mom's been bald since about mid-January and she's handling it great.

What is it? Have you figured it out?

No, I'm not going to pull a Brittney and shave my head.

I'm going to cut off 10+ inches of hair and donate it to Locks of Love. More specifically, my wonderful, amazing stylist--whom I admittedly don't visit often enough, hence the ability to cut off 10 inches and still have hair left!--is going to do it. Tomorrow night. The appointment is made. The form is filled out. The envelope is ready.

Pictures coming soon!

P.S. Please, God, don't let me look hideous.

Camp the Next Generation

I've never been to Disney World. Our family never made the requisite family vacation trip to the Grand Canyon. We most certainly never went to Europe. Instead my "What I Did Over Summer Vacation" back-to-school essays always talked about Camp. That was our family vacation. A solid week at Camp with grandparents, aunts, uncles and about a dozen cousins. Camp fires. S'mores. Kick-ball. Nature walks. Sing-a-longs. Swimming. Life was good at Camp. Of my 18 first cousins, about 9 of us are in a 6 year age range. They are more than cousins to me, they are close friends. As cheesy as that sounds it is the truth. And, every single one of us feels so lucky that it is true. Now that a few of us have kids of our own, we got together for a long weekend at the house of a semi-centrally located cousin (who just happens to have a pool in her backyard). Not only did we have a great time. We knew our grandparents were smiling down on us. Family is the best!

Just the beginning

I discovered "mom blogs" about 6 months ago and became obsessed. There are numerous blogs I check multiple times a week and yet I almost never write a comment feeling that I really don't have much to add to the conversation. And yet, here I am, venturing off onto a blog of my own. Will anyone read me? And if they do, will they comment? Who knows. As for now I'll be content practicing my writing and keeping track of the craziness that is life with a toddler. Welcome to Smiling Mama!