Happy Birthday Tyler

Fourteen years ago, my precious Tyler made me a mom for the very first time. I remember not knowing what to feel. I was so young and scared. I had decided to give him life against the advice of some credible others in my life. I found myself pregnant with Tyler during my freshman year in college. His father nor I had a job and really no way to provide the essentials in life for him, but I knew he would be special. The first night I brought Tyler home, I watched him all night. I could hardly sleep because it hit me that I was responsible for shaping and caring for the little baby that slept in the bassinet next to me. He would wake up at night and wanna look into your eyes for hours. Wow, he carried that one for the first 6 months of his life....can someone say sleep deprived! The big, little baby that I gave birth to 14 years ago has developed into the most handsome, respectful, helpful young man I know. He is so mature for his age. He is a little camera shy so I'm gonna have a time digging up a picture of him. Tyler is one of our star athletes. He excels in track, being nationally ranked, and football. But what I can honestly say I am most proud of is his character. He is that young man that everyone loves and wants to be around but he is always rooting for the underdog. It isn't uncommon for us to find Tyler defending someone else. I can still remember a very tall 2 year old Tyler running through my mom's house kicking and hitting things just because. Awww, now I'm getting teary eyed as I realize that I have gone through the majority of years that he will be in my home. In a few short years, I will have to release him to the world to fly and impact the lives of others. I watch as the little girls grin at him and I think, thats my baby, knowing that sooner than later, I will no longer be the most special lady in his life. Ok, I'm gonna have to stop here, cause I'm getting teary eyed, but Happy Birthday T-Will!

The World of a Working Mom

So everyone has been asking why I just haven't been posting as often as I used to....well, I have entered; or re-entered the world of being a working mom..but for real this time! For months now I have been working tirelessly to build my business. Of course you didn't think I had picked up a regular JOB, or 9-5...I'm too stubborn with too many kids to be punching the clock. I am a free spirit that requires freedom to sleep during nap time and chat with my girlfriends on rainy days, but I still love MAC makeup and shoes, Jimmy Choo designs for me( shhh, don't tell anyone, its a secret to even him right now), and here lately the travel bug has bitten me. I have this overwhelming desire to drag, fly, pull all 6 of my kiddos across the world and experience new cultures and lands. I want them to really know something outside of North Carolina. There is so much of this beautiful world to see and I want to teach them to give to others, always. So needless to say, all of those things require additional financial resources....so I have started my own business, and I have a product for each and every mommy that surfs upon my awesome blog. So take a moment....Please, pretty please, and visit my new website. Put your info in...I promise not to bite or harass you and then look around. I'm sure you'll find something you love. And if you have questions...call me or email me. And just in case you're wondering do the products really really work, take a look at my before and after photos. A picture is worth a thousand words. Happy Shopping from the comforts of your computer and pj's! www.shopartis.com

Party Like a Rockstar

Wow! I am exhausted from one of the most rewarding and entertaining weekends the Artis 6 has had in a while. This weekend we set out 6 hours away from home to visit my hubby's grandmother. I feel so ashamed to say this, but its been years since we visited her and the visit was well overdue! So the drive went much better than I even prayed for. We drove during the night, praying that the kids would sleep and not fight. No fights with six kids is impossible so only a few spats here and there was remarkable. We arrived at the hotel around midnight. We settled into 2 rooms. The boys were across the hall, my oldest is a teen so he usually crashes with the 5 and 3 year old. The girls stayed in the room with my hubby and I. After about an hour I was feeling like I was trapped in a never ending sleepover. Giggles and whispers surrounded my head as I searched and yearned for sleep...and just when I thought sleep would be captured (around 3am) I hear a faint knock at our door followed by laughter. I vaguely remember my hubby answering the door and leaving the room for a few moments...and off to sleep I went. I woke the next morning and walked across the hall to wake the boys. I opened the door and thought I had been dropped into the aftermath of a toddler frat party! The floor was covered with fragrant coffee grains, water, sugar, tissue, clothing, and toys and sprawled across the floor were Ike and Drew. My oldest informed me that he tried to stay awake but he must have dosed off and it appeared that the toddlers decided to party like rockstars! They later told us that they tasted the coffee and danced to the TV and threw tissue up in the sky like stars. Boy was I thankful that we were in a hotel and not at home. I could laugh about it because we were in a hotel. And yes we did make them clean it up....

Just a little thought

"Nothing encourages creativity like the chance to fall flat on one's face."
- James D. Finley

I am learning that it is in those times when I risk it all that I birth forth some of my greatest works and ideas. Fire and pressure shapes you. Either it will break you, or it will shape you into that stronger, smarter, more creative person that you yearn to be.