"The absense of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw."

It's time that I teach my little girl that beauty is only skin deep- and that appearances are not the most important thing. Not because she's a vain child- quite the opposite actually. The Girl will argue with me if I tell her she is cute, beautiful, pretty, or gorgeous. "I am not gor-us- I'm The Girl!"

So, with a child so lacking in vanity- you might wonder why I feel it is important to teach her the un-importance of looks. The reason is- I cut her hair.

:::hangs head in shame:::

Her bangs had gotten so long that she could barely see- and yesterday I picked up a pair of scissors to trim them for her. Except that, apparently, I have absolutely NO talent with a pair of scissors.

The Girl sat on the bathroom floor in tears as I tormented her. She held her locks of hair in her hands and pleaded with me to re-attach them to her head. She looked at me with big, tear filled eyes and informed me "you made me so sad Mommy". And when she realized that the damage was done, her hair would not be put back in place, she stormed out of the room, slamming doors behind her shouting "It's not nice to cut my hair! Cut your OWN hair!!"

A new pair of earrings cheered her up- and she now seems to be over it. But I have sworn to never attempt another haircut on a child of mine!

"The most exciting and encouraging truth in life is that we can become someone new. We never have to settle for who we are."

I've been thinking a lot about goals lately- where I am and where I want to be. And I've decided to put them on "paper" (kind of!) as a reminder to myself of where I want to be. I'm hoping that writing them out and putting them "out there" will serve not only as a reminder, but as a form of accountability.

Within the Next 6 Months:

• Complete my second semester of school, and begin my third semester
• Find a job without settling on my fall-back plan
• Reach and maintain my goal weight
• Introduce my children to camping!
• Create (and follow through with!) a chore system for both children
• Read at least one book a month for pleasure (suggestions??)
• Take up cross-stitching again
• Quit smoking

Within the Next 12 Months:

• Complete my associates degree
• Find a new hobby that my husband and I can enjoy together
• Learn to cook at least one fabulous dessert!
• Change the spelling of The Boy's first name
• Correct the spelling of The Girl's name on her social-security card!
• Learn to drive a stick-shift
• Visit my aunt in New Jersey
• Start a college savings fund for both children
• Find an organization to volunteer with, and involve the children in volunteering as well
• Keep in touch with friends

I suppose that's it for now. I don't want to make huge plans for the distant future. But I think every month or so I will re-evaluate where I am and where I want to be. Hopefully by focusing on what my goals are, I will stop feeling sorry for myself that I have't reached them yet!

Editing to add that, in the spirit of focusing on my goals, I have created a secondary blog for my weight-loss, healthier lifestyle journey: Mommy in Motion