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Family, My Anchor
My anchor in life has been my family.When I was a minor, I must say that my family anchored me, or at least gave it their all to do so.
As parents, they had a rather difficult job to accomplish this, but they did the best they could, and I feel they did a pretty darn good job. Then, to complete my family and further my grounding, came my two sisters, Kathy and Judy. This family of four was my anchor. I depended on them for my happiness, health, security, and above all, love.
Then, when I became a teenager, I still appreciated my family as those to keep me grounded. At that time, I also met my life partner, Art, and had yet another grounding factor. I must say I depended heavily on these people as my anchor. I had many decisions, such as what direction I would be best fit for in a job, whether or not to participate in school activities, and later on, whether or not to go on to school. Because of these people in my life, my decisions were influenced by them.
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Survival Lifeline
It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. I agree with this, but it also takes having a lifeline of both friends of friends and relatives to survive in life. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a good support system such as a lifeline, but it sure helps and makes things a lot easier. -
The Naked Truth
Picture this, I am a small child living at home and it is the middle of the night and I need my mom. She was one of those moms that was always there for you. Unfortunately, when she came to take care of you or to take care of whatever you needed, she would show up naked. Yup, I said naked. God she would kill me if she could read this!!! I don’t know why she never wore a robe or a coverup, but she didn’t. This turned me off, so that in the future whenever I needed her I would grin and bear it and try to fix whatever I needed myself. -
Treasures of the Heart
Heirlooms can take many forms. Some are very expensive items that have been passed down through generations. Our family heirlooms are more about sentimentality than value. In my family, we have items that carry meaning. When Mom passed away in 2004, she had told each of us girls which of her rings she wanted us to have. Mine was her cameo, Sandy’s was Mom’s grandmother’s ring, Michelle’s ring was a blue tiger’s eye and Lisa’s was Mom’s engagement ring. -
Escape Room Adventures
This past weekend, my kids, their significant others and I went to an escape room in Wisconsin Dells. It was a Christmas present from me to all of them and we wanted to do it before a couple of them went back to school. Last year, for my birthday, they treated me to an escape room adventure in Madison and we had so much fun that I knew we had to try it again. -
Take Me As I Am
I can’t imagine my life without my family. They can appreciate the good and overlook the bad in me. For example, I asked for a set of kayaks for my birthday. My daughters must have thought this a good idea as they both purchased one for my husband and one for myself. But, being who I am I felt they were too small. So, being the sweet things they are they loaded them up, not without trouble, and purchased the larger ones. Not to mention the cost was more also. They weren’t surprised as they knew me too well. -
Family is Everything
To some people, the presence of family brings stress, challenges, and dread. They don’t like to be around family because of differing opinions or hard feelings. I have difficulty relating to those people as my family is the exact opposite. I couldn’t imagine life without them. -
Family History Shared
When I turned my key in the apartment door, I always felt the same sadness. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my family. The move to Colorado back in 2005 had seemed like a good idea. It checked all the boxes. A good job for Michael, and a great school with a hockey team for Matt’s Senior year. It felt right since they had both helped me take such good care of my mom. Now, she had passed. Still, my gut was telling me “Don’t go”.
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Thankful for Tradition
Our family has divided holidays between Mom, Lisa, Judy, and myself. We celebrate Christmas at Mom’s house, Judy and I alternate Easter at our homes and Lisa gets Thanksgiving. Because of this, when someone asks me how I’m celebrating the holiday – I gratefully get to say “I don’t have to host or cook – I just get to enjoy the day!” -
Trading Spaces
Having moved from a tri-level home to a larger two-story house was a bit of a challenge to get used to. You learn to live one way and then have to refigure a new environment. We had our family room on the lower level and grew to love that idea. -
I Am My Mother After All
I was 18 years old and sitting at Mom’s vanity doing my makeup. Mom came up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. I looked from my face to hers and back to mine again and I started to cry a little. I said, “Oh My God… I DO look like you!” Boy, I sure know how to make someone feel like a million bucks! That’s just one way that I’m like my mom. -
All the Feels
What makes you feel a connection with another person? Some people make you feel cared for and seen. Others, not so much.Let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean.
A while ago, Michelle and I were talking about our parents and we found out that we have completely different takes on a common occurrence.
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Show Me The Love
Candlelight dinner from Nathan – Valentine’s Day 2011 When trying to think about what makes me feel loved or what gives me warm fuzzies, the first thought that comes to mind is when my kids remember to thank me for something I’ve done for them.
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Hop Aboard the Wine Train
Hop aboard the Wine Train – We were in Napa, Ca. Mom and her sister Hyacinth were visiting from Wisconsin. They had arrived by way of the Golden Zephyr out of Milwaukee and I had picked them up at the train station in Alameda, Ca. -
Middle Child Syndrome
Sandy and Kathy I was the second born in a family of three girls. This, of course, made me the dreaded “middle child”. From experience and observing other families I can say the problems of the middle child seem to be true.
The first child in our family was my sister, Kathy. She was born four years before me. She was the first child, grandchild, and niece. She seemed to be the favorite of everyone from my standpoint. Then I came along. I was told that since my parents already had a girl it would have been nice to have a boy. Oh well, it didn’t turn out that way, but they adjusted. I remember our home life being normal and pleasant. My dad was in the service and I was two days old when he was deployed. So, having no males around I didn’t like them very much. I have been told that later in life I made up for that! Whatever that means!!! Then it happened, another girl was born into our family five years later. This now made me a middle child.
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The Power of Red Nail Polish
As a child, I spent late afternoons during the school year and long summer days with my grandma Is. She wasn’t a teacher by trade, but she taught me what was important through constant example.
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Family Means Everything
Gma Is, Uncle Lloyd and Gma Doris at my wedding Both of my grandmas taught me many life lessons as I grew up and I was so very lucky that they were both with me until I had my own children.
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The Birth of My Princess
I had always said that I wanted 4 kids. My hubby said, “No – 2 is fine”. I offered a compromise and said “How about 3?” He again was adamant that 2 was fine. But for some reason, my family didn’t feel complete. -
My Birth of My Pumpkin
I was pregnant again and my doctor had told me that my due date was December 13th, but that this was going to be a big baby. I remember during one appointment, my doctor did an ultrasound and said, “You’re going to have a boy and he is NOT shy!” Our little boy was in my belly, arms and legs somewhat outstretched and his privates were very obvious! -
Drunk on the Beach
Self-care is actually a way of life for me. I tend to do the things I like even when there are many things on my agenda that I put off as I don’t enjoy them. So, while looking over the list of topics that I have written down that is my self-care I feel that I mostly do self-care on a regular basis. -
Losing Loved Ones
In contemplating what my greatest fear is, I’d have to say it’s the fear of loss. The idea of losing a member of my family is unbearable to me. Whether it’s my sister, my mom or dad, my aunt, any of my kids, or any of my family, the thought brings me to tears. -
Easter Hunting
There are lots of things to love about Easter – from the candy to the family dinner, but my favorite part has always been the Easter egg hunt. -
The Queen, The Princess and The Frog
To say having siblings is interesting, wonderful, and memorable is, to sum up, my life with two siblings. Our family consisted of three girls. Kathy was the oldest, I was the middle child and Judy is my younger sister. We are four and five years apart. -
My Sister – My Hero
My sister was always my hero growing up. This is not a new thing for me to reveal by any means. She played the flute, so did I. She was a cheerleader, so was I. She went to UW Eau Claire, so did I. There are many more examples, but you get the idea. -
The Day It All Began
It was just six days before Christmas. I was eight months pregnant, it was the holidays. A lot of the presents were not yet purchased or wrapped, to say the least. The Christmas tree was up but not trimmed. More importantly, the nursery was a skeleton of what it was supposed to be. After all, we had a whole month to go before our little cherub would be born. -
The Birth of My Peanut
I remember the birth story of each of my kids very well. Many people will tell you horror stories about childbirth, but I’m not one of those people. I loved being pregnant and having my kids. I never had a day of morning sickness and each of my labors was pretty easy (compared to some). -
Are Grandparents Obsolete?
Women over fifty (and of course, men also), are all so excited with the prospect of being grandparents. I go along with this as it gives us a second chance, or tries to make up for some of the mistakes that we made with our children. Most of us were probably young and did the best we thought we could, but as our children will most often advise us we often screwed up at some point. -
My Dog is Family
What is it with dogs? Are you one of the people that celebrated National Pet Day earlier this month? Do you love a furry friend?
Whoever said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend…obviously never had a dog!
Do you need unconditional love, something to love you forever and ever (sounds great, right!)?
Do you love having something warm and fuzzy to cuddle with, share a bed with?When Mollie, a liver/white tri English Springer Spaniel that was with us for fourteen years died, I said it would be my last.
I just couldn’t put my heart through another heartbreak.
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Helping Your College Student with Homesickness
When my youngest kid left for college this past fall, we went through some significant homesickness. She has always been my “velcro” kid and loves to be home and a part of things. There were a lot of tears and feelings of “I don’t want to go” happening. As a parent that likes to always see her kids happy – this broke my heart. I didn’t know how to help – so I resorted to the Internet to guide me in what to do. After reading a few posts – I decided on my own methods.
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Join Us!
On April 8, 2014, we started this blog.
Almost 7 years ago, we began by introducing ourselves, “Sidetracked Sisters are Sandy & Judy (sisters) and Lisa & Michelle (sisters). We are 4 sides of the same coin…(hmmmmm – how is that possible?). Some say we are very much alike, yet others say we are as different as they come. We are family and LOVE to torment each other.”
But you probably know that already if you’ve been following us for a while.
Sidetracked Sisters started as a home-based crafting group. After several years, we began writing our blog where we shared thoughts and 178 writings on random topics.
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Developing Relationships with Your Mother-in-Law
Here are six tips for having a good relationship with your mother-in-law. -
Parenting Brings Many Happy Memories
‘Chelle’s college graduation Well, I have had many happy parenting moments. Where to start? How about at the beginning.
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My Happy Parenting Moments
Attempt #1My attempts at “parenting” have taken many forms. My first hint of what parenting looked like was at a distance with my two nieces. I lived out of state. I always made sure birthday gifts were received on time and was always available by phone but unlike the real thing, their parents did the heavy lifting. As the girls grew older, I had the wonderful experience of being a confidante and a mentor. I enjoyed this relationship with all my heart and still do. I do understand that this was not “real” parenting.
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Becoming a Mom
I have lots of happy parenting memories! There was no question in my mind growing up that I wanted to be a parent. I loved babies!! It was when they started getting a little older that I started to question the idea. I was never the greatest babysitter. I wanted the kids to cooperate and listen to me obediently, but as any parent knows, that’s not what kids do!! -
How Does This Work?
How do you downshift or relax after a sometime (most of the time) stressful day, or just an ordinary, could be boring day.I would like to say that I would leave work, go for a nice casual walk, come home and have a wonderful dinner and then relax for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, this doesn’t ever seem to happen, so when I come home after a very stressful day at work, I like an old-fashioned drink, then I love to (weather permitting) sit out in my patio and just read or listen to the crickets and chill.
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Doing Nothing
The question is how do you downshift at night? How do you relax?
Well for me – it’s very easy. I am not a big drinker, so it’s just a matter of sitting down and doing… NOTHING!!
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Lifetime of Pets
I’m kind of at a negative point as to the need for furry friends in my life. My family has always been a lover of having pets which include dogs, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, including fish and chameleons (which are not so furry).
I started when I was very young by begging and begging for a dog. My first dog was a chocolate lab named Ginger. At a very young age of, I believe three, we ran away together, got into trouble, and I loved him very much. When he passed, I wished on every birthday cake candle, the first star in the night, etc., for another dog to fill the void. -
A Dog That Loved Me
When I was little everyone around me had dogs. Dogs never liked me much. Our first dog, Trouble, used to growl at me but she loved my sister. So, I decided to adopt a cat. I didn’t know that my mom and dad disliked cats so one day, when I was in school, my white cat disappeared. -
Escape Artist Dogs
I have the greatest furry family members, but also the most obnoxious. I have two labradoodles. The black/grey one is 4, the other apricot/tan one is 2. I always say that they are the smartest dumb dogs I’ve ever met.Both girls are like Houdini. We have a fenced in backyard, but they can ALWAYS figure a way out. Every time I fix one hole, they make a new one. Lily (the baby) is the best at this. We’ve had up to 10 neighbors helping us locate her after she has “disappeared”. She’ll come close to us, but stay just out of reach.
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My Spirit Animal
Stella, Huey, Eli…I am partial to golden retrievers. It is my personality. I guess my spirit animal. I have a friend who channels turtles. There is another who has a “monkey” daughter. I have a passion for golden retrievers. There is a sense of peace, calm, focus, with a hint of unpredictability that appeals. -
A Vacation Story
Lik-M-Aid ……..checkDots on a page ……check
Bag of Brach’s Candy …….check
Why am I writing a vacation story about candy? Because, when we went on vacation, it was to see Grandma in Black Earth and the only time we were given permission to eat candy.
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Vacation Thoughts Down on Paper
It’s been months plus since I’ve written for our blog. Life has been hectic and time scarce and the writer lazy. It’s time to reconnect and get back to putting thoughts down on paper.The last 10 days have been spent in Door County with the other Sidetracked Sisters and our families. It reinforces for me that family time is a heavenly time and being at the cottage in Door County makes it even better. Some went horseback riding; there was girls’ day spent shopping, lunching, and enjoying each other; some of us played mini-golf; there were daily swims and time at the beaches; dog walks, and much-needed downtime to read, rest and relax.
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Playing with Others
My family tells me I don’t play well with others. Well – here is an example of why. -
Lifetime Vacationing
In “My day” I never thought of going to Europe, Mexico, Alaska, or wherever for a vacation in the summer, not to mention in the winter months.
My family only took a “vacation” to either paint the house, do the lawn work, or go to the big metropolis of Black Earth, WI, to see my father’s parents. My father was a salesman and when he was home you couldn’t get him out of his recliner to save your soul, much less leave in a car for a family vacation.
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Onion Sandwiches
When I was a child, we went camping every summer. Camping as in TENT camping… The dads were responsible for breakfast…bacon, eggs, hash browns on a little propane camp stove for about 10 people. The smell…aaaahhhh. (Close your eyes and smile. Pause.) The best alarm clock ever. The kids would then take off for a day of bicycle adventures, tanning at the pool, mini-golf, and gift shop exploring. The dads hung out at the camp site. The moms went shopping…antiquing, I think. Around 2ish, we kids would start to get hungry. VERY. HUNGRY. Going back to the camp site, we pillaged the Twinkies, chips, and (if we were lucky) onion sandwiches. -
Childhood Camping Memories
When I think of my childhood vacations, I always come back to the visual of camping with our family and another family. When we would arrive at the campsite, the parents would throw the kids their swimsuits and then we would disappear while they set everything up. When we came back a few hours later – nirvana in the form of a campsite was arranged.We had a huge 14-man canvas tent with an orange and green striped top. The other family we were with had a camper. Everything had a particular place and was always organized the same from year to year.
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Wonderful Grandma Memories
I have some wonderful memories of my Grandmas… They were two very different, yet very special ladies.
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Can You Do It All In a Day?
What would you do if you found out that you were going to die today? -
Savor Each Bite
If I were to die today… I’m assuming it will be in the evening, I know that this is coming since morning. I wake up and know….
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No Regrets – Just a Tapestry of Memories
I’ve always said life should be lived so there would be no regrets…and still if the moment came that I knew this breath was my last how would I feel? -
I’m Just Not Ready Yet
I always say that “I can’t imagine life without me”. This is a really true statement and feeling. Perhaps we all feel this way, but how can life go on if I weren’t here???? -
Camping with OCD
As a kid, we always camped in a huge 12 person tent and it felt like the lap of luxury. -
Smokey Smelling Sleeping Bags and Campfire Songs
Camping…growing up, I lived for tent camping every summer. I like the smell of a smoky sleeping bag, the feel of a squishy air mattress protecting me from the bumpy ground, and the sound of a zipper closing for the night. -
Raccoons Don’t Eat Dill Pickles
Whenever I tell people that I love to camp they look at me strangely and say “you don’t look like the camping type”. Then they ask “Do you have an RV?” to which I reply “No, we sleep in a tent!” At that point my credibility is suspect. No matter. My happy memories are amazing. -
Camping Memories
I absolutely love camping.
