The Latta Family

Doug travels a fair amount in the summer.  He just got back from being in Greensboro for 4 days. For a few days before he leaves, he sighs a lot.  He acts like this is such a burden to "have" to go.  He ain't foolin' nobody up in here.  He's up there, in a hotel, eatin' dinner out every night, with all his buddies- no wives, and no children around. Does that sound like a work trip, or a vacation?  Anyway, this year I did something sort of dumb on the day he left. The day before he left, we had a tremendous storm come through.  The neighbor behind us had some tree damage, and apparently called his "tree dude" to come clean up the debris, and cut any damage out of the trees, on the day following the storm.  Well, the tree dude saw our dead trees, and came over to quote me a price to take them down.  Doug and I are fully aware these trees are dead.  We've been debating for months what to do with them because they're too dead for someone to c

Lately I feel like my kids are constantly "wanting" something.  If we go to a store, I must hear a bazillion times . . . "Can I have . . . "  or "Oooh, I want . . ."  I'm sick of it!  I constantly respond "NO!" Or "Sure, use your own money."  And while they never use their money to buy the junk they think they want . . . they never stop asking either. I came up with an idea, which I hope will help them realize how we have to make choices with how we spend our money.  Prioritize what we spend money on.  Instead of taking them shopping and me paying, I decided to give them a set amount of money and a list of things they had to buy with it.   I am pretty sure the lesson went completely over Alexa's head.  She LOVES shopping and has already spent all of her money.  She bought things that were pretty to her.  She bought her sneakers, a few clothes, and this ridiculous, impractical pair of wedges.  She saw them in a catalog.  I ha

Andrew's travel baseball coaches are college kids.  Wait.  That's a lie.  One is a college kid.  The other one just graduated.  So same difference.  But Andrew corrects me all of the time about it. Up until this season, Andrew has always had a dad coaching.  However, now that we've had young men, I hope Andrew gets a few more seasons with college kids coaching him.  Dad's relate to the players in a completely different way.  They relate like . . . well, like dads. They think the boys do silly, weird things.  Dad's tend to correct behavior. The kids act like kids.  College coaches hang out with team in between games, or during weather delays.   They bond, and talk trash, talk about favorite professional teams. They don't have to correct behavior because the players want to be cool. The players act cooler, tougher, and are less whiny when they have college kids coaching them. Andrew's coaches are so stinking cute to me.  Not in a "hunka- hunka" k

Back at the end of May a friend posted on Facebook that she needed someone to come swim with her, so doing laps wouldn't be so lonely.  I said, "OOOH! Me, me!!!  I love to swim.  As soon as the school year is over, I'll be there!" Yesterday I went and even though I was determined to get a mile in and I was tired, I enjoyed it.  I was thinking (cause what else do you do?) how I don't actually hate exercising.  I really enjoy swimming, I really enjoy walking, and I really enjoy hiking.  So if that's all true . . . why don't I?   My friend was saying that we have to figure out a way to make this happen during the school year. Waking up at 4:45am to be at the facility and swim and be done with enough time to shower and get home to get my kids ready for school really doesn't sound appealing.  After school can get tricky because my kids have extra curricular stuff, but I have got to figure it out. The first 20 laps yesterday were exactly what I love.

I've talked about it before, but I get bored fixing dinner. We so easily get into ruts of eating the same things week after week.  I've done pretty well the past few months, but the old "lack of inspiration" was coming back.  In addition, there was a fair amount of frustration that my family doesn't do much to help with the whole process.  If I ask, they'll tell me something they'd like for dinner, but otherwise, they arrive at the table, eat what's served, move plates to the sink, and go about their business.  No one contributes to the planning, shopping, preparation, or clean up. I decided instead of getting mad, and being passive about it, (as I tend to be about most things related to household chores.  It's an ineffective method of getting them to help, I know. Plus it makes me feel super dumb, but it's a habit I struggle to break), I assigned Andrew one night to plan and prepare dinner. Alexa . . . one night to plan and prepare dinner, a

So a few months ago I gave up Diet Coke.  I did go without it for 30 days.  I realized while I was going without, what Diet Coke was for me.  It was a treat.  The times I craved it and needed  it the most were days that were stressful.  A Diet Coke for me, is what a beer is for others . . . I guess. I don't really drink beer.  It's not something I usually want.  Unless I'm at a professional baseball game.  Then I do.  It's just the right place for one. I haven't completely given it up.  I drink it every now and then.  I might have one once a week?  I'm struggling to find a replacement favorite drink.  I do love a Starbucks Green Tea lemonade.  The trouble with that is, I can't go to Starbucks with my kids . . . and not get them anything!  But I don't want to start a habit of getting them anything. Anyway, today is Wednesday.  I have wanted a Diet Coke since Sunday.  I haven't been to a store since, in order to get one.  I thought about it yesterd

My mother once said, it was okay to spoil the dog because she doesn't have to grow up to become anything.  She was justifying her actions as she spoiled her dog shamefully.  Except, as with most things in life, I shouldn't have judged her, or made fun of her because . . . I spoil my dog. It's just so easy.  It makes me happy to make her happy.   Sometimes she's a little sassy about it though.  For example- say someone is fixing scrambled eggs.  If she doesn't get her portion as quickly as she thinks she should, she pouts.  She sighs.  She flops down, and lays her face in between her paws.  She is in the depths of despair.  Then her eternally hopeful stomach tells her to get up, and look again.  Maybe, just maybe, her people are ready to give her some of those delectable eggs.  She peaks around the corner of the island . . . are they ready now? Lately she hasn't been eating as much.  She would leave her casserole- I mean, her meal, untouched for hours.  At f

The trouble with a new house. . . you have to start from scratch with your landscaping to make it yours; to give it your stamp, your mark.  Landscaping this house is . . .WAY harder than it was when we were landscaping our first house. Two things make it harder: 1) we have kids.  Shockingly, they are not really into hours of manual labor.  "Our" ideas (really they're my ideas and Doug is grudgingly going along with them) are taking us days. 2) age.  I'm not as good as I was in my twenties. The first spot we landscaped in our yard, was a breeze.  It took a few hours, a few plants, and a few bales of pine needles.  I don't even think we broke a sweat.  However, it was so satisfying because FINALLY I had azaleas back in my yard.  I learned to garden in the south.  We like azaleas.  I've only just gotten started.  My side yard is going to be FULL of azaleas.  Slam full of them! This spot . . . well, here's the before. We have drainage issues.  An