And so I begin again. Again.

Well, hello there!  I have stepped away from this blog for a long time. A VERY long time.  I actually had barely dipped my toes in the blogging pond before life got super crazy and busy, and I stopped.  I mean, really stopped. For years.  But blogging and sharing is on my mind a lot, so I am going to jump back in and make it happen this time. 

  This will be basically like starting all over again. Let me introduce myself.  I’m Sandi, a 50-ish, married mom of four.  I have spent the past 28 years (yikes!) as an elementary school teacher. I am currently a literacy support teacher for children in grades 3, 4, and 5 and it is pretty much a dream job! I get to promote the love and importance of reading all day.

  So… I hope that you will find something entertaining or valuable here and keep coming back.  My kids are older now, and I would like to think that I am older and wiser as a mom and as a woman.  I have survived some of the most difficult stages of motherhood and lived to tell about them.  I am here to tell you that if I can do it, you can certainly do it, too!

  My plan is to offer a mix of my favorite things mixed with my “wisdom”.  I hope that you will find here a community of supportive souls who encourage and uplift you. 

Going Through Some Changes...Stay Tuned!

After a very long hiatus, I am back!  My kids are older and I am, perhaps, a bit wiser.  Please stay tuned as I get this rolling again. And in the meantime, check this out:
                       

Why I Love Rainy Days

  It's a rainy spring day...I love rainy days.  I love the sound of the rain as it softly taps a lullaby on the windows.  I love the clean smell of the rain soaked air.  I love the memories of my kids dancing in raindrops and splashing in puddles.  I love the excuse to cuddle up with a good book and take a little snooze. I think maybe rainy days are God's way of reminding us that everything is washed clean. 

Has anyone seen the scissors?!

 My 8 year old son has been invited to yet another birthday party.  And I find myself in the seemingly perpetual hassle of trying to locate the scissors and tape to wrap the gift.  This made me stop to ponder a bit on all of the things that my kids (ok, let's be honest, my husband loses a lot of stuff, too) lose (but, of course, they deny it!).  I pride myself on being somewhat organized.  Honestly, you may not get that on your first glance through my home, but I really do know where things are supposed to go! I try and try to put things away, but I get no cooperation from my husband, twin teenage daughters, and two young sons.  One of my biggest pet peeves is losing track of something, so I am careful about putting objects away so that I may find them again when needed.  It has been ages and ages since I have misplaced my keys, cell phone, purse, or any other necessary item (except maybe my sanity is lost from time to time! Oh and that one time I lost my underwear in college, but that's a whole other post. And they weren't really lost.  I threw them at someone. But it was a dare.).  However, I seem to always be the one who bears the brunt of locating things that my family members have lost.  For awhile I tried to hide spare rolls of tape and pairs of scissors around the house.  Problem is, I would forget those hiding places before one of my darling kiddos would discover them.  

  Scissors and scotch tape are probably commonly lost things in many homes, right? Please make me feel better by nodding your head.  But how many of you have to deal with missing spoons?  (That was the boys digging for worms in the backyard.)  Or missing forks?  (Found under both teenage daughters beds.  Don't worry.  They used paper plates.)  Now here's a real stumper....missing screwdrivers.  I swear we must be missing about 17 of them by now.  And those never seem to turn up during my I'm-going-to-find-everything-even-if-I-have-to-turn-this-house-upside-down missions.  I mean, statistically I should be able to find one screwdriver every now and then, right?  If I knew very much about math, I could figure out the probability...but I probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than of finding a screwdriver in my home.  

  I would love to hear from you about the usual and unusual things that you seem to be constantly searching for at home.  

Winning the Weight Loss Battle:Hiding those Extra Pounds

  Have you seen the infomercials for the amazing fat-sucking-in undergarments? They look like something someone found in an ancient torture guide. This is not your basic super strength granny panty, it's like a fat sucker on steroids. It goes from just under "the girls" down to the thighs.  Ouch!  I can tell you for sure that this thing has to have been invented by a man! Because what self-respecting woman would ever wish such total-body-squishing pain on another woman?   Now, I'm all for hiding a roll every now and then, you know, for a special occasion or something.  But honestly, my loves, if you are wearing one of these things regularly you need to give your internal organs a break.  

 I want you to love you for the beautiful person you are. But, if you want to hide some extra pounds, here are a few tips (that don't involve cutting off circulation):  

     1)  Wear black.  This really does help, but you want to be careful about looking too morose. You don't want to look like a teenager going through an emo phase.  So add some splashes of color in your layering pieces and accessories. 

     2)  Wear clothes that fit properly.  Because if it's too tight, it doesn't really matter what color it is. And if it's too loose, it makes you look bigger, and that's just not fair.

     3)  Wear jewelry.  Earrings and necklaces draw attention to your gorgeous face.  

     4)  Wear a bra that really fits.  If the girls are in the proper upright position, who's gonna notice the love handles?!

     5)  Wear a smooth layer underneath.  Wearing a cami underneath creates a smooth line without causing pain. Go for one with some Lycra in it.  Lycra is our friend, girls! 

     6)  Wear a smile.  Make a mindful effort to smile and it will warm your heart to see how many people smile back. Smiles look good on everyone! 

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to the first edition of Mamzy's Blog.  I hope that you will find this blog to be informative and entertaining.  I'm going to impart my wisdom on a variety of topics including: marriage; parenting; weight loss; money-saving tips, and more!