My baby isn't a baby anymore

Tomorrow is my only child's last day of kindergarten. Last week, she celebrated her 6th birthday. I swear it was just yesterday that she was born or walking for the first time. I really cannot believe that 6 years have gone by since my daughter made her first appearance on Mother's Day, 2003. Best. Gift. Ever.


We've traded diapers, sippy cups and Dora the Explorer for big girl undies, Capri Sun juice boxes and Hannah Montana. For her 6th birthday, Lauren and Lindsey got her a massive Hannah Montana dress up set. I mean massive...wig, lipgloss, costume, microphone and fake purple nails with "Hannah Montana" painted on them.



Madelyn took it upon herself to unpack all of the HM goods and proceeded to put on every item that came with the set, including the fake nails. Why they put more than 10 fake nails in the "kit" is beyond me. However, being the resourceful 6 year old that she is, Madelyn would NOT let the extra 10 nails go to waste....so smart.



I digress....the point of this entry was to write down the sweetest words that Madelyn said to me tonight. I was holding her like a baby (a 45 pound baby) and rocking her and she said, "Momma, I will never be too big to sit in your lap and I'll even let you rock me when I'm a teenager." I actually shed a tear and told her that not only would I never forget that, I'd never let her forget it either.

The importance of being....grammatically correct

Lately, more so than ever, bad grammar has really grated on my nerves. I can really handle bad spelling, but bad grammar, just does not set well with me at all. I'm not going to preach on punctuation, because personally, I think I overuse commas (my favorite punctuation mark, by the way). I consider this blog entry a public service announcement and I hope many people will spread the word.

Today's PSA is all about correct word usage. Sounds boring, right? Well, it is a little, but it is massively important - especially if you don't want to sound like an idiot or get on my nerves.

The first portion of this entry is about the use of your and you're.

You're is a contraction of you are. Example: You're getting on my nerves.
Your shows possession. Example: Your momma _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite "your momma" joke).

Oh yeah - it's not U R either. Freakin' spell it out, captain lazy.

The second portion of the PSA is about the proper use of their, there and they're.

They're is a contraction of they are. Example: They're coming to take me away!
Their shows possession. Example: Off with their heads!
There tells location. Example: The truth is out there.

Last, but most certainly not least; it's and its. Just break out the contraction, people! It's = it is and its shows possession. Examples: It's about time. Bless its heart!

So, in closing - before you click send on that e-mail to your boss, your friend or your client - don't just click "spell check". Take a quick second to check your word usage too. Trust me, the recipient of your correspondence will appreciate it, especially if that recipient is me!