What a "cool mom" takes to the beach...

photo.JPG, a photo by Shabbychicks on Flickr.

Cowboy hat, black coconut lotion, people mag, flea market mag, rock star energy drink...and an iPod, of course, with country music!
Happy Saturday!
Enjoy life and have FUN with it;)
Suzanne

Do you remember...

....friendship bracelets?

i used to LOVE them.

confession # 1...
i STILL love them:)
my girls were so into these...
i loved those days.
 we wore our bracelets until they fell apart.

confession # 2...
i even remember wearing one of them to a charity Ball:)
oh yeah...there i am ready for a ball...
long gown, glitzy earrings, husband in a tux...
and i wore my bracelets, custom made by
Taylor and Jordie.

and i will NEVER forget how proud they were
to see me wear their beautiful creations.
i wouldn't trade jewelry like that for all the diamonds
in the world:)

on that note, have you seen some of the
friendship bracelets that are blinged out?

OMG...I would SOOOOOOOOOO wear these:)
friendship bracelet + vintage jewelry = BEAUTIFUL!

 thanks for stopping by
Confessions of a Cool Mom:)
have a good one!

Suzanne

There's ALWAYS a Reason to Celebrate Someone Special...

Okay, so let me start by saying that I do believe I have neglected this blog long enough!
I mean, not to make a lame joke but it COULD be really cool;)

So here goes...
Today is my sweet Jordie's half-birthday.
Happy Birthday Girlfriend!!!!



Yes, I admit it...we celebrate half-birthdays.
But, it's a fun, special thing to do and I highly recommend you try it
With your family. Trust me...they will love it and I promise it won't be too
Painful for you;)

When my oldest was born near the Holidays, my sister gave me the idea for this.
It just so happens that her half birthday is July 4th so she gets fireworks for
Her special day;)

But in a nutshell, we keep the day simple. We bake or buy a cake...
And serve HALF of it. (You can always freeze the other half for a rainy day;)



There are no major gifts. Sometimes we even just have silly gifts.
Other times, we give little things like a new lip gloss, pair of earrings, favorite treat...



When they were little, there was ALWAYS a balloon. (you DO know you can get a nice balloon at the Dollar Store, right?)

A special note and tiny little gift in their lunch box...eraser, new pencil, that juice box they're always asking for that you say no to...or maybe a donut with sprinkles on it;)



And at our house, their meals are served on the "special" plate.

See...simple stuff!
BUT...I PROMISE you they will LOVE this...
Always REMEMBER it...
And think you are the coolest Mom EVER!
(Their friends will too when they hear about it. Their friend's moms, on the other hand...may hate you;) Just kidding. But I did have to explain to a few moms that we keep it simple. They ended up adopting the tradition themselves.

I mean, life goes so fast. Childhood goes even faster!
Before you know it, they're wonderful young ladies...



Who still love birthdays...
Not babies any more.
Why NOT throw in one more day to celebrate the ones you love, right?

So there you go...my very first "cool mom" tip.
Hey...I never claimed to be a brilliant mom or anything...
Just a cool mom...sometimes;)

Thanks for stopping by! I think we're gonna have a great time here once I get my act together;)

Smiles,
Suzanne

Me...A Cool Mom?

Well, it is a badge I wear happily...

even if I don't feel so "cool"

these days.

Before I get into that, 

let me tell you I did not go into motherhood

with the goal of being a "cool" Mom.

(I mean, come on...I just look like a Mom, right?)

I have 2 beautiful girls, 13 and 15, 

and ever since they

were little their friends would come over for play dates

or we would meet at places such as
the park, beach, mall for a play date...

...and many times their friends
throughout childhood and the school years

would make the remark 

"Your Mom is SO cool!"  

Hmmm...me?

Cool?

I'll take it!

Because it isn't something I went after,

it isn't something I "did" to the harm of raising my children.

I was just being me!


I didn't try to "buy" them or their friends...
there were many who had bigger houses, 
more money,
cooler clothes and fancier cars.
I didn't look like a supermodel...
never have...never will.

There were so many things as a Mom
I felt I wasn't as good at

as other Moms were(or still are)...

but it doesn't matter...

Because in the eyes of my girls and their friends,

I managed to be cool...

all while setting rules, examples and having fun!

( I was and still am kind of "strict"...

which proves we CAN be a parent to our kids

if we aren't afraid to:)

And most importantly...

I love Jesus...

so you see, even so called "cool Moms" 

get it right sometimes:)

What made made me so supposedly "cool"?
(You might be surprised.)

I guess they thought I was creative
(I mean, we make Tutus and Jewelry to name a few...not bad, huh?)...

(our etsy shop is called Shabby Tiara Tutus)

maybe I dressed kind of cool
"for a MOM",

 I probably was pretty nice (I hope)...

was always decorating the house and more importantly,

the girls' room or playroom...
threw cool birthday and classroom parties
(Hey...we all have to be good at something...
and I was good at being Martha S. when it came to kid's parties. hahaha)...
ALWAYS decorated the house...
inside AND outside...
for Holidays and Birthdays!!!!!!
 ...Maybe I was kinda FUN...

(did I say that already? lol)

and drove a cute (not fancy or expensive) car

******************************

Cool Mom Confession #1:

I am an overgrown beach bum from way back,

still like sleeping in,

I LOVE blue jeans...

especially faded and ripped ones...

even before they were "in"...so there:)

I am a Starbucks loving mama...

and not just Starbucks...

because I am just as happy drinking "gas station coffee"

or my own version of a "coconut cream latte".

*********************************

Okay, so you get the picture...

I didn't DO anything...

I was just being me.
Simple!
Like my Mom always said...
"You're just a big kid".
The difference is,
I knew how...and when to be a Mom!
Yep...just being ME:)

And to them (my girls),

"Me" was okay.

Thank you girlfriends!!!
If I ever get around to writing a book...
I'll dedicate it to you.  hahaha

Okay, as you will soon learn from this blog...

the last thing I feel right now is "cool"...

There are some serious holes in my "cool Mom" wardrobe...
and I'm not talking about my favorite jeans...

but I have to expect a few holes

since I was just told I am the lucky one (NOT)

to have MS.

Ooh...didn't see that one coming, did ya? :)

Why "Confessions of a Cool Mom?"
A few things...
I want my girls to remember good times and to learn...
hopefully they will have many examples of motherhood...
but here I will talk about a few of mine from time to time.


I have always wanted to share some ideas
we did...and I could get some from you.
because I still love to do things with and for my girls
and their friends.
And I will ALWAYS love being around 
little ones...
and can use the tips with them!

This may all seem kind of "shallow" considering...
but we all need to lighten up sometimes, don't we?
I do!!!

There are so many hurdles women/moms face in life...
some are with their health,
some are with family or marriage problems,
and so many more.


And somehow you are supposed to be a 
"cool mom"?
NO...not supposed to be.
You are supposed to be you...
the mom God intended for you to be.




Which brings me back to my original comment...
I didn't "try" to be a cool mom.
Those who try to do this,
in my simple opinion,
are the ones who mess up their kids.
They are the ones who set no limits,
give them what they want,
fix every little problem they face...
and sometimes compete with their own child.




No, I believe it happens naturally to some moms...
whether you want it to or not...
and completely without realizing it.




When your kids and other kids
WANT
to be around you and your home...
that is a reflection
 on YOU...and YOUR KIDS.
Trust me on this one. :)




I know some of you are way "cooler" than I ever was.
Heck...I'm 46, almost 47...
an OLDER "cool mom".
Uggghhhhh...did I just call myself OLD????? LOL
(A month ago I didn't feel old, either:)


I sincerely hope that this blog is a place for all Moms...
those with young children and those with teens...
like me. 
Or maybe you have grandchildren or 
nieces and nephews.
(There IS such a thing as being a cool Aunt, 
you know.  
Trust me on that one, too:)


I hope I get this going
and I hope we all
make friends with other moms:)
We need each other.
And if you look at my other blog,
you will see that it is possible
to make friends on the internet.


I will intersperse my posts with
"Confessions of a Cool Mom tips"
from time to time.




These will serve 2 purposes...
you get to know me and we might get to thinking
together.




Being a Mom is COOL!

I'm pretty sure we all agree on that.

 And I'm pretty sure about one MORE thing...
and there are days I wonder if I know ANYthing...
In fact, I'm POSITIVE that motherhood 
is not something to endure but to enjoy.




From Day 1 tell yourself that you are going to do your best
as a Mom, 
and you are going to have FUN with it...
and I guarantee your kids will also refer to you as a 
"cool mom".


(And by the way, at 13 and 15, mine are a little less likely
to admit they EVER said this...but they did.  hahaha)



Come along with me and maybe we'll both learn something along the way!

COOL hugs & BIG Blessings,

Suzanne

Add my Blog Button to your sidebar..

I'd love for you to add my new Blog Button to your blog .. Here's the code you'll need.. Just copy and paste it into a new 'html' gadget on your sidebar..

<a href="http://confessionsofacoolmom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.tinypic.com/2udz12w.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

Thanks so much..