Mom is another word for love

Its funny. Looking at my family from an outsiders perspective.

"Crazy, Insensitive, Mean"... Just three of the words some people have used to describe my family. Although these are and can be true most of the time... there's a lot more to them than you know.

"Crazy, Funny, Wonderful"... My top three words I would and will use till the day I die to describe them.

Here are the facts. We are blunt, crazy individuals, we wont hold back. Don't expect us to because your expectations will fail every time. My family has had a hand in making me who I am today. They have imbedded characteristics and traits into me that will be with me for the rest of my life. Some good, some bad. All & I, I will love my family and stick up for them till the day I die.

I miss my mother. My family does as well.

My Uncle is up for the week and it makes me miss her more.

Any time really that Im around my family for more than a hot second I miss her. Knowing she'd want to be there, watching the kids swim, laughing at my uncles jokes, chatting and fighting with my aunts, getting annoyed at the arguing my grandparents do.

Before when we hardly spoke there was a gap that was easy to ignore. Now, her being gone the gap has widened it feels like and at times I don't know what to do about it. I can no longer ignore it. She's missing. You take family photos and she's missing. Dinner tables, she's missing, kid counts she's missing.

My grandmother will do this thing where she goes through the names of all of her daughters pretty much before she gets to the right one... Patty, Sandy, Michelle, Rena... She's done it twice in front of me since my moms death and each time she pauses at the mention of my mothers name... Im sure not knowing whether to cry or keep going through the list. I do the same thing in my head... Sometimes I want to mention her cause something someone says reminds me of her but then I pause not knowing if its still to morbid to bring her up.

Morbid... a word I naturally slipped in there... thats how it feels even though it shouldn't... it is.

You can call my family whatever you want. We know what and who we are. I can safely assume that most of us are ok with it. What were not ok with and what you might be sensing is a missing member from our family. That we love dearly and miss greatly.

I love you mom.

Ladies I Believe its About Time That We Get Back to the Basics.

When I was a little kid my mother would tell me that if a boy picked on me or made fun of me it meant that he liked me. Years later for some reason I still believe that. Now I know most of you hopeless romantics have seen "He's Just Not Into You" or whatever that move is called and now believe that they are the exception to all rules of romantics.

I have this friend... she's in love with someone that despite the fact that their love isn't worth her time of day she continues to hang around for the split second that she might get a change to feel it. 

What is it about us women that we feel that we need to have that in our lives? That feeling of love, the butterflies, sweaty palms, beating heart... whole 9? 

Where did we lose sight of reality... when did we fall apart at the seams believing we need men to fulfill our every need and want? 

Well... I surly don't have the answer to that question but I do know this.

 Its time to get back to the basics. 

First of all. There are not even close to enough of us that feel empowered to be women. You are the nurturer without us men wouldn't be men. They would be little helpless boys running around clueless and scared. Feel power from that because you do have that power. I don't care who you are. Women should walk around with their heads held high not insecure, worrying what the boy next door thinks of you. 

Second. Like I have said before the Princesses aren't the reality. Not even close and why would you want them to be? In almost every single one of those movies, the princess is saved by some charming prince on a horse. Don't forget ladies. They don't show you what happens after they ride off into the sunset. 

Do you think Snow White stopped taking care of men? 

Cinderella had to suddenly stop cleaning? 

WRONGO.

Sure they fell in love, Im not condoning falling in love. What I am condoning however are the women that spend their entire lives searching for it. As if its some crazy elixir that creates world peace, ends starvation across the globe and makes rainbows and butterflies appear all day, every day. 

Third. Please lets just stop pretending that we all dress up and doll up cause we enjoy it. I every once and a while enjoy getting all shnazzed up for shits and giggles but the truth of the matter is I'd much rather sleep in until 10 am then wake up at 7 to have the proper 3 hours it takes me to get ready. Lets let men see us for who we are first and what we look like next? Or is that just too much to ask? 

The truth of the matter is that men continue to act like little boys because we continue to let them. 

I'm proud to be a strong, beautiful woman. I know what I want from my life. I know what I need from my life, and although I have a man that I love with all of my heart I don't need to have him. I have gone without him. And if I had to I could again. I choose not to. I don't rely on his opinion of me to know who I am. I don't rely on ANYONES opinions of me to define me. None of us should. Because we can define who we are ourselves. We can be ourselves and be complete. I just wish some of us women would realize that. 

So until we do... lets just get back to the basics when boys were icky, had cooties, and we somehow managed to stand out amongst the crowds without our arm candy.