One direction, then another.....

While I do not like the candy peeps, I love this shirt. I think it is absolutely adorable! "Hangin' with my peeps" is something that we do best in the busy bee's family. There are times when the busyness of the world seems to get out of hand and it is nice to just sit back and breathe. My husband has been working for the last (almost) four years to teach me how to "just be". I will tell you that it is not easy for this type A personality. Every now and then I want to pull my hair out, but, all in all it has been a great learning experience for me.

Today my co-teacher and I were talking about life and she brought up the fact that while it would be great to be able to skip the bad times, we would miss the learning experiences that those bad times bring. With bad always comes good. Keep that in mind, especially if you are going through a rough time right now. It is always worthwhile to sit back and relax. Life zooms by. Before you know it, you are one year older and you wonder where the previous year went. Kids grow up really fast. You know something? I really did not believe that last statement until I became a mother. Now, my "baby" is almost seven years old! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was making bottles, changing diapers, and lugging around a diaper bag. Of course I miss the baby stage, but this curious little boy stage is awesome as well. Would I go through the rough times of teething and diaper "blow outs" again? Absolutely, one thousand times, yes. My son had to go through those not so fun times to grow and mature into the little boy that he is today. I had to go through those times right along beside of him because, well, I am his mother and that is what we do.

Do you ever stop to think about that is how God is with us? He sticks with us through the rough times (even when we think or feel that He has deserted us) because that is what He does, and He is oh so proud when everything turns out for our good. God is a god of love and joy. I believe that He is saddened when we have to go through our not so pleasant experiences because He only wants the best for us. Think about that this evening and I hope and pray that it speaks to someone out there reading my words.

I started this post thinking that it would go in one direction, but, it went on a direction of it's own. Thank you for taking time to read.

As always,
- the busy bee

Talking to yourself is perfectly normal!

How many of you talk to yourself? It is safe to admit, no one will judge you. I will be the first to proudly stand up and say that I talk to myself on a regular basis. Why? Well, because it is perfectly normal to express one's inner dialog. Of course, it is not socially acceptable to do this one hundred percent of the time. It wouldn't be "nice" to see someone that you may not like and say aloud, "Geez, there is that jerk, _________. I really can't stand him/her!" So, there is a "fine line" that must be walked in expressing your inner feelings.

Years ago, a Russian psychologist studied the importance of children talking to themselves. He discovered that children often talk to themselves when making a decision or when trying to remember something important. It really makes sense. If I try to remember something important, I need to say it aloud to fully commit the tidbit to memory. As a teacher, I notice that many of my students walk around repeating specific instructions that I have given. They also "talk out" problems or feelings that they are experiencing. Some of these "conversations" are absolutely hilarious but, then again, I am sure that my "conversations" are funny to the person listening.

So, despite the t-shirt shown above, talking to yourself does NOT mean that you are crazy.

- the busy bee

My new furry daughter!

Hello,

Here is my new, furry daughter. Her name is Sable and she is the sweetest thing. It's been a while since I have been around a dog this gentle and loving. All she wants to do is to be around her people. David adores her and he even gave his new sister one of his teddy bears so she wouldn't be lonely while we were at school. Now she carries it around like it's her puppy and she sleeps with it at night. I told my husband that it was just like having a little girl that has to carry her baby doll around. What a blessing she has been to our little family. Thank you, Sonia, for loving Sable and allowing her to live with us.

- the busy bee

Looking out my back door...

Hello,

This is a picture of the view from our backyard. We were heading out of the boathouse for an afternoon of exploring and family fun. It was such a lovely day. David, Robby, and I saw some beautiful landscape and we found an abandoned boat in the mangroves. We assume that it was washed back there during one of our famous hurricane seasons here in central Florida. That area seemed to be a catch all for all kinds of "treasure". My mind conjured up all sorts of interesting stories and possible movie plots. I guess we watch too much "Criminal Minds" in our house. hahaha

I just wanted to share our lovely view. It is truly beautiful.

- the busy bee