Growing Up

My daughter is 11 and started 6th grade yesterday. She is my baby and it's really bothering me more than I thought it would. 6th grade!! It seems like yesterday she was starting kindergarten and now she is in junior high (or as they call it today "middle school"). I also have a son that is 16 and a junior in high school and I know that’s why it is bothering me so much. She’s the last one. She’s 11 and I think 7 years and she could leave – 7 years and she’s off to college. I don’t know how this happened. School clothes shopping was different this year. She was pickier than she usually is. She always wears her long curly hair back into a ponytail but hasn’t worn it like that since school started. What happened to my child that just over the summer was happy pulling on a t-shirt and shorts and run around with her hair in a pony tail? Overnight she changed. I knew it was coming when we went shopping for school clothes. Jessi has never been and probably will never be a “girly girl” as she calls it. She plays softball and is a very good fast pitch pitcher so she’s more the athletic type. I’m not sure after school goes on this year if she will retreat back to her old ways or is that little girl gone forever?

Well, when she got home she went to her room and came out dressed like my Jessi in one of her softball tournament t-shirts and shorts with her in a ponytail. I smiled and tears came to my eyes – she’s still that same girl and always will be in my heart no matter what.

Bad Hair Days

I got my hair highlighted about 3 months ago. My hair is brown and I wanted a "few" lighter brown streaks in it but what I ended up getting were a lot of blond streaks throughout. I look like a striped tiger and I really don't like it. My hair was so healthy before and now it is dried out. I wear bangs and they are so frizzy since I got this done and I hate it! It is driving me crazy!

Does anyone know of any hair products that would help frizzy hair? It is mainly my bangs - the rest of my hair is okay, just dry. I didn't even know she was going to do my bangs. I have been looking for something but can't find anything. I was hoping someone out there would know what product is best. You can have a great hair day but with frizzy bangs nothing look right.

School dress code

My daughter is starting 6th grade on Monday and is very excited about it. They have a very strict dress code and I have mixed feelings about this. Any pants with belt loops and you have to wear a belt. All shirts have to be tucked in. Now my daughter is a little bit overweight and tucking in her shirt is harder for her than a thin child. Wearing a belt makes it even worse. She has lost a lot of weight and more than I thought. She is a pitcher in travel ball and at our last tournament one of her pee wee coaches was there. He was sitting and watching the game and someone said, "Way to go Jessi" when she struck out the best batter on the team. I did not know he was there and later he saw me and said, "Rita I watched that whole game and I never had a clue that was Jessi pitching! She looks so different and I didn't even recognize her. She has lost so much weight and is so tall (She's 5'3). I guess when you are around them every day you don't notice as much. Anyway, I'm getting away from the subject of this post. We went school clothes shopping over the weekend and it was so hard to find shirts because most of them were not the type of shirts that you can tuck in. (I also found out she was 2 sizes smaller than the last time we went shopping for jeans!) She was so excited. There I go again getting away from the subject! Anyway, I just want to know what everyone thinks about dress codes. Good, bad? This is for 6th graders. I agree with revealing clothes and the boys' jeans that sag to their knees but tucking in your shirt when the shirt itself is not baggy and always wearing a belt? I just think that's taking it a bit too far. My son is in high school and they don't have to tuck in shirts, wear belts, etc. I would think something is more likely to happen in high school than in 6th grade. Anyway - what do you guys think about this? I would love to get your options on this matter.

Why is he looking?

I have noticed lately that my husband "looks" at younger women more than he use to. I know it's only natural to look, I do it. It bothers me more now than it did 10 years ago because I don't feel like I can even begin to compete with that. I look at these young women and they are so skinny and so attractive, and then I look at myself, "tummy bulge" from having 3 kids, those small lines around the eyes, face sagging just a tad bit, spider veins beginning to creep up on my thighs. When he looks it makes me feel ugly and I hate it! I told him it's okay to look just don't do it when you're with me. Does your husband look at other women? How do you handle this? I am curious to know how other women react to this. Please leave comments and let me know!