September 30, 1971

Posted on by

I want to wish my ex-husband, Rob, a happy 46th birthday. We’ve been divorced for 14 years, but I still consider him one of my best friends. He’s a good dad, a good man, and a good friend and I wish him all the happiness in the world.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Rockin’ Out

Posted on by

So, who has been getting into this rock painting phenomenon? If you haven’t heard 5db2d0e406d8062c9c283f0e5ca611f3--a-rock-painted-rocksabout this, let me give you a quick explanation. Different towns across the country have begun painting rocks (just normal rocks you find anywhere). Here’s the lowdown:

1. Find a rock.
2. Paint the rock (Pinterest and Google has a lot of great ideas)
3. Put a tag on the back of rock with instructions and your unique #. (Mine is #MonkRocks) Your unique hashtag makes it easy for you to follow your rock. (glue it then spray with a clear coat of Mod Podge to seal front and back of rock). It’s about $3 a can at Pat Catans or Walmart. (We’ve written our hashtag and everything with a sharpie, so don’t think you have to print out custom labels or anything like that!)
4. Take a picture of rock and post on (your town’s facebook page; trust me, I’m sure they have one) with a hint of where it’s hidden.
5. If you find a rock, post a picture and include the artists hash tag in the post so the artist can follow their rock, then re-hide it again for someone else to find.
6. HAVE FUN 

(Those instructions were courtesy of Ann Weisent-Page, from her Knox County Ohio Rocks page on Facebook)19399793_1742909605738157_4339511131298441639_n

So, you and/or your children spend some quality time together painting rocks. How could that be bad? And then, you and/or your children go out into the fresh air and hide the rocks somewhere in public. In my town, the various parks are popular hiding spots. While you’re out, you can also hunt for other people’s painted rocks. Basically, it’s like a year-long Easter egg hunt…..for kids of all ages.

You down?

I bought acrylic paint and some cheap paint brushes. Each bottle of paint was $0.95, and the package of brushes was a buck. Cheap entertainment, for the most part. I just love how it gets kids OUT of the house and has nothing to do with video games!! (Can I get an amen??)

Here’s some pics of Nichole and Tessa getting down and dirty painting their rocks…

8.10.1998 ~ the Fourth

Posted on by

Labor and delivery for my second baby was easier than the first, for the most part. I remember at one point my labor just slowed to a stop. The doctors finally came in and told me that I had two choices. I could stay at the hospital and they could break my water, which would kick start labor back into gear. Or I could go home and wait for labor to restart on my own. This choice was given to me at about 8am.

Rob and I discussed the options and decided that since we were already there, and we already had Darcie firmly with a babysitter, we might as well just stay put. So, the doctor broke my water at 8:45am on August 10, 1998.

That definitely worked. Labor returned with a vengeance. My son was born at 9:17am….32 minutes after they broke my water. My sweet baby boy was the only child I had that was born in the morning. Gorgeous baby boy. Robert Scott Stewart IV.

47665_467847530924_5394998_n

Nineteen years later, my son isn’t nearly what I expected when I dreamed of what he’d be like as a grown up. But who is?

Happy Birthday, Robbie!

What??!?!

Posted on by

20526842_10154631030345925_86032382_n

I just got a notification that I reached 50 likes on here! What??! I was so surprised! You all are just awesome! Who knew people liked hearing about my weirdo family and all our psycho problems! Anyway, thanks so much for supporting my need to file away my memories. Much love to everyone!!

images

Belly Buttons and Teddy Bears

Posted on by

Belly Buttons

17990954_10154343572890925_7132862629691154225_n

When Cassie was little, she was completely obsessed with her own belly button. Now, I’ve seen various kids play with tags on blankets or pillows or toys, obsessing until the tags would become frayed and worn out. Children have security blankets, sure. Children need ways to feel secure, any way they can. I’ve just never seen a kid obsess over their own belly button until Cassie came along. She was worse than Linus and his blanket! But she was so freakin’ cute that the belly button thing wasn’t really a big deal, and she eventually quit.

Draw-Linus-Van-Pelt-Step-7

Years later, she had her belly button pierced and now has a variety of jewelry for that specific piercing, so maybe her obsession over her navel isn’t over?

 

Teddy Bears

Nichole has had her share of obsessions over the years, but that kind of goes hand-and-hand with Asperger’s. Her very first one was over teddy bears. Even as a baby, Nichole loved her bears, but most importantly she used her bears as pillows. I’m not sure she ever used a real pillow until she was 10. She preferred to sleep on her bears!

39232_415600575924_3306633_n

She was so obsessed with her bears that she named and numbered them! “Oh, this is Beary 4!” And she could tell you which one was what number without blinking an eye.