I miss her.

She's 15.

She's young.

She's vibrant.

She's playful.

She's delightful.

She's intelligent.

She's innocent.

She's care-free.

She's active.

She's healthy.

She's captivating.

She's amazing.

I miss her.

Not in a "I really wish I could go visit her" kind of way.  Not in a "I wish we could sit and chat for a while" kind of way.  Not in a "boy were those ever fun times" kind of way.  I do, however, think all of those things from time to time.

Nope.

I miss her in the "I wish I could walk around in her skin" kind of way.

I miss her vibrant, playful attitude.

I miss her care-free (okay, as "care-free" as a Type-A can get) outlook.

I miss her healthy, active body.

I miss the way she delighted in life.

I miss waking up in her skin every morning.

I miss her.

I miss me.

Life's taken a bit of a toll on that sweet 15 year old version of me.  Life's been unkind...and also kind.  Life's knocked that lovely young lady down a bit...and picked her up a time or two.  Life's been so...lifey.  SO lifey.  And that girl?  

That

young

vibrant

playful

delightful

intelligent

innocent

care-free

active

healthy

captivating

amazing

girl?

She's sacrificed so much of herself in an effort to keep moving forward that she's forgotten, in so many ways, who she was made to be.  She's put on a brave face...often too brave...in order to look like she is still who she's always been.  

She's in there.  I'm sure she is.    She's still playful.  She's still vibrant.  (She's not as young anymore.)  She's care-free.  She's captivating.  She's still amazing.

I miss her.

I think I'll invite her to come back.

God, please be You so I can just be me!

From One Mom to Another- Best Wishes for a Great School Year!

I'm a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, and I LOVE it!  This time of year, Children's Claritin is one of the most important things I stock in my medicine cabinet!  Do your kids have allergies?  You should give it a shot!!

In addition to using Claritin regularly, we do our best to follow a lot of these simple allergy tips:

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your

child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy

during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow

your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing

machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days

can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens

from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the

day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the

day.

What are your best tips for avoiding the nastiness of allergy season?  Share them so we can ALL give them a try!

As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.