Pat Down from Hell

In the Tree House: Pat Down from Hell

By: Samantha S. Daviss

Another adventure, another trip, another encounter with TSA under our belts…so it’s time once again to sit back be oh so thankful you weren’t with us!

Our family decided to take a quick trip up to the Rocky Mountains recently, to try and beat some of this Texas heat. But by family trip I mean, I got to travel with all three kids, all by myself for the very first time…so you see, this is going to be a good one…

 Our daddy/my husband was working, but he was flying into Denver later that evening to meet us there, but in the mean time “Good ol’ Mom” braved the adventure on her own.

So everything was going great. The packing went smoothly; I got myself and the two babies in one large duffle bag for five whole days; and our oldest in a smaller duffle bag. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

                Sidebar: I think if there were a degree from a university in packing, cramming, sitting, stretching, and all together maneuvering luggage so it will hold everything you need…I would have a gosh darn PhD in it.

And I did it all in a timely manner, I started about four days before our trip, so I wasn’t stressed or panicked, and I knew everything was washed and ready to go. And trip day finally arrived!! We had a fairly early flight; it was around 9:30 that morning. So for most normal people, that can just throw their clothes on, grab their bags and head out the door, that’s not too much of a challenge—but a mother of three boys, who all they want to do is sleep and eat…it’s a challenge. So I got everyone up and charged at around 6am for a 6:45am departure from our driveway. Leaving us plenty of time to park and check in at Love Field, which is just an hour from our house.

We were all so excited. One last fun family vacation before the end of summer, and we were getting to see our daddy that night. So everyone was in a great mood and super excited. Once clothes were on, breakfasts were eaten, we were on the road. We missed our departure time by about 10 minutes, so not too bad for a dumb ol’ girl and three monkeys.

All was well until we hit the outskirts of downtown Dallas. As my oldest used to call it when he was younger…”stinky town”, because of the sewage plant just as you enter the city. And that is my landmark reference, which is where the traffic was stopped!!! So needless to say I had about another 30 to 45 minutes until I reached the airport. And the clock was ticking.

We finally arrived; and what seemed to take an hour, found a parking spot in the garage; with only 45 minutes to spare until our flight left. So I was frantic. I strapped everyone into their strollers, and car seat carriers. My middle son was in this really cool device that you could attach his car seat to, and it turned it into a stroller. Well is wasn’t so cool, when my oldest was running to keep up with me and the poor baby got tumped out onto his head on the concrete of Love Field’s parking garage. But he took it like a man and the motley crew kept running.

Now picture this…it’s not just me and three boys running; it’s me;  three boys; one double stroller; another in a car seat stroller;  a huge diaper bag; another huge carry-on bag for snacks, toys and games; the youngest baby’s car seat; and two pieces of luggage. (Seeing the picture yet—still glad you aren’t with us, huh?)

We make it to check in. I am sweaty like a pig (yes folks sweating, not glistening like some Hollywood starlet, SWEATING). I check us all in, and the guy doesn’t see the baby (who is a lap child) to check in, because he is blocked and hidden in the stroller by the two massive bags. So after TSA sends us all the way back to check-in, to retrieve our boarding pass for the baby, we now (literally) have 10 minutes to get through TSA and R-U-N to our gate (still with a stroller, two big bags, and a car seat in tow).

We send our bags through the X-ray machine and of course as usual they have to check my diaper bag like 100 times. But that is no surprise to me.

But there has been a turn of events, the TSA lady pulls me to the side, and literally starts patting me down in places, I didn’t know I had (because I look pretty dangerous with three kids, two diaper bags, and a stroller). At this point I was balling crocodile tears down my face because we were going to miss our flight, and I kept telling her over and over, but she kept going slower and slower.

So she continued with my pat down, and by the time she finished, I felt like I needed to smoke a cigarette, she got that personal with me.

But while I was being rubbed down like Ana in Fifty Shades of Grey, the sweetest lady asked me what gate we were leaving out of…and she said she would tell the flight attendant we were stuck at TSA, but we were coming.

Once I was released from the jaws of TSA hell, we were all four on the move again…running like I have never run before. And as we arrived at the gate, the sweet lady that told the stewardess we were coming, met me back halfway down the hallway to tell me the flight had been delayed an hour!

I had never been so happy of a late flight in my entire life. I started crying all over again, like a baby, and she and I embraced in the middle of the Love Field terminal (yep, never seen her before in my life; and we are hugging like sisters). So after we collected ourselves, changed into fresh diapers (the babies, not me); it was time to board.

And yes again folks, I had my typical 10am (airplane) cocktail to start my trip out right. Here’s to travelling with the Daviss circus.

Moms vs. CEOs

In the Tree House: Moms vs. CEOs

By: Samantha S Daviss

It dawned on me the other day that as a mother I do more before 9am than a CEO of a multi-national corporation does before he has his first cup of coffee in his high rise office overlooking Central Park.

I would pay good money to see a CEO balance and manage half the stuff a mother has to balance and manage on a daily basis, without loosing his cool (or having a cocktail before noon).

A normal day is to get the oldest up and ready for school, while making his breakfast and emptying out the dishwasher for the first of three loads that will occur that day. Then heading in to the laundry room to make sure all the clothes are dried and folded and put away where they belong. Then somewhere in there the little one gets up and is immediately ready for his breakfast, after changing his dirty diaper.

So while he is eating his breakfast in his hi-chair, I manage to start the coffee pot, so I can savor my cup of coffee while running out the door to take the oldest to school. But in the meantime, I am running back to my room to make the bed, start the laundry, pick out my clothes for work that day, and plug in my hot rollers.

Then moments later the sounds of the third set of feet sneak around the corner, wanting his sippy cup of milk and breakfast. So his diaper is removed, where again the potty training commences for that day, then a fresh pull-up is put on him. And he too is set in his chair for his breakfast. All the while, I am reminding the oldest if he brushed his teeth, brushed his hair, made his bed.

Then once everyone is done, we load up in the car to take Big Bubba to school for the day. And on the way home I manage to make a phone call to the doctor to schedule the youngest’s regular check up; return the phone call from the dentist verifying that we will all be at the dentist appointment that afternoon; then send myself an email to call the vet to make an appointment and to call the plumber for the leaky faucet.

And at this point in my day it’s only 8am. So we have many, many more hours to go. Once Bubba is dropped off then the babies and I head home to enjoy our ritualistic morning walk, so mommy can try to have a little personal time and lose some of the baby weight still looming on her bones.

After the walk we get home and mommy finishes up all the laundry that is slowly piling up; quickly changes into her work clothes, and readies the babies for their days.

Then once in the car, I think maybe I get to sit and relax and enjoy some alone time and a little music on the way to work; but then my reminder alarm goes off that I need to call the plumber and the vet. But in between those calls, the husband calls and reminds me to run by the dry cleaners to pick up his clothes for work. So I guess so much for a relaxing ride to work.

Then I realize that I have about three pending work phone calls that need to be made before I actually step foot in the office, so as I am unloading from the car and riding the elevator up to the office, I am still doing work.

And look…it’s only 9:30am….whewwww. And this doesn’t include the list I have made for myself to do at lunch to round out the family’s needs for the rest of the week, or the birthday parties on the weekend, or the out of town plans we may have coming up.

So take that multi-national CEO of one of the largest corporations America has to offer…I’d like to see you keep up with M.O.M.

The joys of raising kids, working, being independent and self-reliant are all worth it…if you can do it with a smile. And that’s just what I do…I take it all with a grain of salt. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I actually did get to slow down.

Just Say Thank You

In the Tree House: Just Say Thank You

By: Samantha S. Daviss

Well we had another exciting airport adventure. This trip was short and sweet though, nonetheless, we got to battle TSA, again.

I’m thinking I am going to create signs to pin on my family that say “One year old with sippy cup, blanket, and pacifier, no drugs or bombs in his diaper or milk”; “Two year old with sippy cup, cowboy boots, and no explosives in his milk or boots”…you get the idea. I think it would make the line and process go much smoother, what do you think?

I feel like sometimes it might just be easier to lay the kids down on the conveyor belt and send them through the X-ray machine and get it over and done with; and not to mention the fact that they have to wand my entire body, and rub those little clothe things on my hands to see if I have handled any explosive devices. Only device I have handled that may explode is my mind.

However, after TSA scanned my diaper bag 4 times, yes 4 times, and ran the milk through the X-ray 3 times and tested the contents we were finally sent on our way. I really am not complaining about the job TSA has to do, I just find it humorous that it is about a 30 minute process for me every time I go through. So I go in with a positive attitude and stay friendly with all the agents, because there is nothing I can do to speed it up. But like they say “Better be safe, than sorry”; and after 9/11 I am willing to tolerate anything these days to keep my family and country safe.

So with that said, the boys and I wander down to our gate where we settle ourselves in by the window so they can observe all the planes coming and going and all of the trucks loading and unloading the airplanes. The baby is in that stage of life where he walks up to people and just stares at them; doesn’t really say “Hi” or wave to them, just stares as if he is taking in their presence, and just observing them in general.

After a few minutes of occupying the entire area by ourselves, a nice quiet young man comes and sits down next to me. I really wasn’t paying attention to who he was or what he was wearing, due to the fact that my head was on a pivot trying to wrangle my boys and keep them near me. When all of the sudden the baby comes running up to me, and passes me by a few steps and just stops to stare at the young man sitting next to me; which of course caused me to turn and look at him.

He was dressed in full military camouflage with his assigned military backpack resting at his feet. As the baby just stared at him, I told him to say “Hi” to the young man, but he just kept staring, which in turn made the soldier smile and giggle a little to himself.

A few moments later our seating area was called to board the flight, so I gathered all of our belongings together and loaded the boys on the plane. And home we went.

That evening as I was lying in bed, and I’m not sure why, but the vision of that quiet young man popped into my head. So I started thinking to myself, where was he headed? Was he getting to go home? Was he being shipped out again after time spent with his family over the holidays? Was he starting basic training? I wondered what the future held for him.

Then I became very disappointed in myself. I couldn’t believe I missed such a wonderful opportunity, to teach my son the value of what that young man is doing for his (my son’s) freedom and way of life. I was so upset that I didn’t tell my one-year old to say “Thank You” to that soldier instead of “Hi”. And I was even more disappointed in myself for not saying “Thank You”.

If you think about it, it really is such a simple gesture. Really no other words or follow-up explanation is required. Our soldiers know exactly what you mean when you say a simple “Thank You” to them.

They know you are thanking them for laying their lives on the line for total and complete strangers all over the United States, daily. They know you are thanking them for spending months, upon years away from their families and loved ones. They know you are thanking them for all the early mornings of training and long days of preparation that they endure on a constant basis. But most importantly, they know you are thanking them for who they are and the sacrifices they are making for every single one of us.

It would have been so simple and selfless of me to tell my little boy to thank the nice soldier man sitting next to mommy, instead of “Hi”; because that “Thank You” would have meant the world to us all.

So just remember, when you pass one of our military personnel on the street, in the airport, or in the grocery store…it’s simple, just smile and say “Thank You.”

Aging with dignity and a lot Less Sleep

In the Tree House:  Aging with Dignity and a Lot less Sleep

By: Samantha S. Daviss

As we get older, we all start to realize that some of the funny stories we heard as kids from our parents, are starting to come to fruition.  Call it wisdom, laziness or just pure exhaustion…there are a few short cuts you take in life to keep you going, or to make life a little easier on you.

Especially after this week, you are going to be extremely exhausted; what with friends and family coming and going all week through your house, it will feel like you have a revolving front door. We realize we are blessed to be surrounded by so many friends and family over this holiday season, but nonetheless, we are still tired.

What made me think about this was just the other day I saw a “spoof ad” that had soft floor mops on the arms and knees of a baby’s pajama outfit, so as it crawled around the house it could buff the floors. At first I thought, “How awful”, then I started thinking it was pretty brilliant; definitely killing two birds with one stone.

Whether you want to admit to some of these idiosyncrasies or not, you know they are true, and you  know you have done at least one or two of them in your lifetime, or at least thought about doing them.

1.      You restart the dryer because you don’t want to fold the clothes at that moment, so you figure you can dry them once more to make sure all the wrinkles are out.

2.      You make a toast to yourself, for those 12 minutes, all the laundry is finished in your household.

3.      You restart the dishwasher, because…”OOPS, there’s a spot on a glass”, when in reality you just don’t feel like unloading it, and maybe someone else in the house will do it once the second run is complete.

4.      You know you put comfort and age before style and beauty when you are all geared up to go out for a night on the town, and the finishing touch to your outfit is to make sure your Dr. Scholl’s gels are in the bottom of your heels.

5.      Leaving the leaves in your yard just an extra day or two, since you don’t want to rake them up; but all the while thinking “Hmmmm, it just makes my yard look a little more festive for the holidays.” When truthfully, you’re just too lazy.

6.      Crawling into bed after a long hard day in your comfy clothes, just to be ready to spring out of bed in the morning to get the kids ready for school—to avoid that painful process of getting ready in the morning for a school run.

7.      Putting your workout clothes on in the morning rather than regular clothes, even though you have absolutely no intention of working out, but you just want to be comfy that day, and maybe let folks think you worked out.

8.      Getting your clean clothes out of the laundry room to wear rather than taking the time to put them away in your closet. Same difference, they are clean and ready to wear, just not put away.

9.      Thinking to yourself, alone, late at night on the couch…  “If one glass of wine is good for my heart, imagine how great an entire bottle is”.

No matter if it is the holiday season, or just a regular day on the crazy farm…we all need a little “help”, so whether those aides come naturally or a little self-induced; any shortcut or antic dote  you take doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad mother…it makes you witty and crafty.
Because the anxiety of “Go Time” perpetually builds daily, regardless of how many lists you make or how “prepared” you think you are for that afternoon’s activities…you are never ready for four o’clock hitting, in anticipation of the 5pm frenzy, cooking dinner while you use various body parts to simultaneously stir the pasta sauce, help your 8 year-old with his homework and keep your toddler from practicing his party trick of spinning the plates he filched from the dishwasher earlier while you chop the garlic.
The thing I always remind myself…is it will all be over in the blink of an eye. So for those who say they have lost themselves in their children and don’t know who they are any more as people…you haven’t lost yourself, you’ve just evolved into motherhood. That’s who and what you are now…a mommy. And pretty soon, your house will (sadly) be quiet, empty and all those years of picking up toys and dirt off the floor are gone. Now it’s just you, your spouse, and an immaculate house.
My philosophy since I became a mother is “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, I actually relish in the fact that at the end of the day my house is covered in toy guns, hot wheels, and puzzle pieces…means it was a great day in our house!

It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear. ~ Dorothy Evslin

Let Freedom Ring

In the Tree House: Let Freedom Ring

By: Samantha S. Daviss

Well today is the day! I am writing to you on Election Day for all public offices running, but of course as we all know the primary focus is the presidential election. This privilege only occurs once every four years, and as Americans it is our right, nay, our sole responsibility to VOTE, so I hope you did just that.

Democracy is defined as the following:

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.
The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people",^[1] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (kratos) "power" in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens; the term is an antonym to ἀριστοκρατία "rule of an elite". The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin equivalents.¹

No matter how you voted or what the outcome may be, you have the right and allowance to voice your opinion, state how you feel, and complain if the outcome was against your wishes, ONLY if you voted! If you didn’t take the time or the effort to fill out your ballot, then your opinion is silent; therefore, your voice should remain silent as well.

Our fore fathers diligently put in place our constitution, and therefore our constitutional rights. But if you aren’t going to exercise those rights, then it is no one’s fault but your own of what the outcome may be.

Our country is an incredible place to live, and the pride that Americans hold is astounding. Now I don’t claim to be a political guru by any stretch of the imagination. I know what I believe in, I know my rights, and I know that my constitutional duty is to vote. And with having done that, I now have allowed myself the freedom to discuss, or not to discuss, my political views.

We need to recognize and stress the importance of what those before us fought for, risked their lives for, and effectively made their dreams become our realities. We salute all of the fallen soldiers that have, are, and will put their lives in danger to maintain our structural freedom and liberty to vote through democracy.

With this gift that has been bestowed upon us, we hold our destinies in the palm of our hands.

"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost." -- Aristotle

Now let’s play a little game, to see just how much of an American you are. Name the author of these quotes:

1) "...Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

2) "Information is the currency of democracy."

3) "The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself-always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested by adversity."

4) "I say that democracy can never prove itself beyond cavil, until it founds and luxuriantly grows its own forms of art, poems, schools, theology, displacing all that exists, or that has been produced anywhere in the past, under opposite influences."

5) "Democracy is a constant tension between truth and half-truth and, in the arsenal of truth, there is no greater weapon than fact."

Answers to quotes:

1)     Abraham Lincoln

2)     Thomas Jefferson

3)     Jimmy Carter

4)     Walt Whitman

5)     Lyndon B. Johnson

¹Wikipedia

Enjoy them while you can

In the Tree House: Enjoy Them While you Can

By: Samantha S. Daviss

This past week has been extremely trying on our family, but I must say we have pulled together and battled through all the difficulties that we have endured.

My sweet, sweet mother in law, whom I adore, suffered a massive heart attack; but she is doing better, and her spirits are high and hopeful. But through all this, if I haven’t taken anything from it, I have certainly taken away the fact that you need to enjoy your loved ones while you have them in your life.

My husband has always been extremely close to his mom, which is one of the things that I love the most about him; which made it all the more easy for me to love her as well. Even when my husband and I were just dating, his mom immediately loved me, accepted me into the family with open arms, and has treated me like a daughter from day one. She and I have a very healthy, strong, and open relationship.

There was no judgment, no questions, just the fact that if her son loved me, she loved me. And the feeling is mutual, I feel extremely blessed and fortunate to have a mother I love immensely and a mother in law that I adore, so you could say I am double blessed.

But as I mentioned she is doing well and her spirits are high and hopeful, mainly due to the support and love she is receiving from all of her friends and family. Which got me thinking, why do we always go out of our way to visit someone while they are in the hospital, or sick, or even come to their funeral? Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we shouldn’t visit someone while they are in the hospital, sick or honor their life at their funeral; but what I am saying, is that we all seem to get so busy in life, that we forget to visit those people that are important to us, that we may not see on a daily basis, to just stop by for a quick visit to see how things are going in their life, or give them a quick ring on the phone.

The visitors, cards, and flowers are all so wonderful to someone who is sick or ailing in the hospital, because it lets them know that you are thinking of them. That support, I think, is so important not only to their emotions, but to their spirits and recovery as well. However, I think we should all take the time to let the people we love the most in this world know that we love them and care for them on a daily basis.

Don’t let another moment slip by without picking up the phone to that college friend you haven’t spoken to in months, and just let them know you care and are thinking about them. Because my theory is, is if the next time you see them is at their funeral, they won’t know you were there.

I’ve always told my husband, that at my funeral, I don’t want any sadness, I want a party! Why would I want all my loved ones moping around in all black and crying? I want everyone to have a party…wear red, wear jeans, just be comfortable, be happy that I had a wonderful life filled with great friends, family, an incredible husband and three perfect kids. Have some champagne, have some cake, don’t be burdened with the fact that I am gone, be happy that I was here. But that is just my philosophy on my life.

I am not trying to sound morbid at all, I am just trying to remind all of us that the past is the past, the future is unknown, but the present is a gift in the here and now; so why not enjoy and cherish those we love the most, now?

So when you have a loved one that is ill, continue to check on them, visit them and send your love and concern…but also remember to enjoy them and tell them so, while they are happy and healthy too.

Small Town Normalities

In the Tree House: Small Town Normalities

By: Samantha Stroube Daviss

My primary job as a real estate appraiser definitely takes me out of my comfort zone; I have been places, seen things, and encountered happenings that I wouldn’t normally encounter on an everyday basis. But this week being out on an appraisal with my dad, something happened, that made me giggle, and be so appreciative of living in a small town and being a native Texan.

This column is just meant for a quick giggle and to see if you know what I am talking about, and how many of these you can relate to, personally.

You can take a person out of a small Texas town, but you can’t take the small town out of a person…

You know you are form a small Texas town if…

15) When you see the football stadium lights, reminds you that it is Friday night;

14) You are introduced to a stranger as who your “kin folk” are, and what “they did” for a living;

13) You aren’t introduced by your name (or if you are a female, by your married name) you are introduced as someone’s grandchild or great grandchild (and by your maiden name, not your married name);

12) Directions are given by turning or stopping at landmarks that existed some 30 odd years ago at that particular spot;

11) When you see a tractor rolling down a major highway, as a mode of transportation and it’s not considered odd;

10) When the shoulder of a road is considered (or treated as) a “passing lane”;

9) Your dream car is a loaded SUV or pickup truck;

8) Boones Farm and Box Wine is your drink of choice;

7) Everyone gets excited about a new drive thru restaurant or the talk of a new Super Store coming to your town;

6) Seeing a sign on the side of a major highway leading out of town warning you that the horses are tethered with a sign that reads “Ponies aren’t lose”;

5) You wave to a total stranger on a back farm to market road and not even think twice about waving;

4) The first date you had (with your future husband) was a balancing contest on the rails of a railroad track off some forgotten road;

3) When you tell someone you will meet them at “The Y”, and you don’t mean the YMCA, you mean an actual “Y” in the dirt road;

2) If your country club has a little more “country” and a little less “club”;

And the #1 reason that lets you know you are from a small Texas town, love it, and wouldn’t trade it for the world or another lifestyle is…

1)When you are out on a back farm to market road, cattle are loose, so you call 9-1-1 to report it and the operator doesn’t hesitate to answer your request.

Everyone comes from different walks of life…and lives in different places. But it’s what you make of it and how much you enjoy it. Ignore the bad, make the good shine through, and just enjoy what you have been given. Never live your life wondering if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.