Little girls and jewelry...yes or no???

While making pieces tonight for my new Collection, Lush, I decided to make something with a little girl in mind (or a woman with a really little wrist if that is the case).  I did that because my oldest daughter, Gracie, who is 7, is getting more and more into jewelry. 

Most kids jewelry is pretty cheap, and any mom can tell you why that is....they break it or loose it easily.  And yes my daughter is guilty of that with both the cheap stuff and some of the good stuff.  But there is one piece of jewelry that she has really taken care of.  It is the "wedding" ring that my husband, her step dad, gave her the day we got married. 

Jed and I got married on a beach in Key West, Florida just this past February.  We were on a Disney Cruise that we took for this very reason.  We were able to take our girls, Gracie and Abby, and have both our wedding and honeymoon all together.  As a special surprise for Gracie, we had the ceremony include vows from Jed to her.  During those vows (him promising to raise her as his own and love and care for her for life) he presented her with a little white gold diamond ring.  The ring featured two hearts with a diamond in each and little diamonds on the sides.  She was so in awe and it made for such a special memory. 

She knows what a special thing that ring is.  She understands what it stands for and she wears it every day.  And I think when something has such a special meaning behind it, even young kids appreciate it and take better care of things. 

That is why I made the bracelet I made today, with that in mind.  My thoughts behind it were no matter what the meaning is to you...be it a wedding, a special birthday, graduation from one grade to another, or just a symbol of love...even little girls deserve to have a special piece of jewelry.  And it doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to have meaning. 

So I'd love to hear you opinions on jewelry for kids...do your girls wear jewelry? What is something special they have? 

Here is what I made today, with my daughter in mind:

 

And here is a very special picture of Gracie showing off her ring on our wedding day :)

Oh these kids of mine!

First let me start by saying that I find no greater joy in life than that of being a mother.  I love my girls with all of my heart and all of my soul.  I wouldn't change the decisions that I've made about bringing them into the world for anything.
With all that being said...there are those times though that I could just squeeze them!  If you are a parent, you know what I mean.  They just seem to know exactly how to drive you bonkers.  At exactly what time is the exact time that you need quiet and they scream their little heads off.  You spend hours cleaning only to have it all done in within 5 minutes of play.  Walking tornadoes.  Hurricanes with mouths. 
With each of my girls I have something different to deal with on a daily basis.  With my oldest, Gracie, I have the attitude of a teenager packed into a 7 year old.  Her red hair is most certainly a sign of her fiery temper.  And add to all of that her ADHD and utter disregard for quite, well you get a big ball of nerves out of me.  With my youngest, Abby, it is want to explore and taste everything.  I never thought I'd say "what is up your nose now" or "don't put stink bugs in your mouth" ever.  She can destroy a magazine in 2.3 seconds (no, it hasn't actually been timed but I bet it would fall right around that).  Bathroom breaks for me have no peace with her around, she has to be right there, trying to get a glimpse of whatever I am doing and then informing everyone in the house, which thank god is just the dogs and cat, what I just did.  And with the frequency with which she spouts out the word "no", you would think that were my name.
But with as much grief as they cause, they are also my greatest joy.  Listening to Gracie sing around the house warms my heart.  She gets her love of music and singing from me.  She is my little drama queen too (also a trait from me I admit) and watching her over dramatics about little things sometimes just tickles me.  She has a smile that goes from ear to ear and is completely contagious.  And when she is being sweet, the amount of hugs and kisses you get from her are just amazing.  Hearing Abby say "oh mama" makes me melt.  Her big blue eyes and ability to giggle a sound that is my most favorite sound in the world just take my breath away.  She is a cuddle bug and how she reaches out to me before going to sleep and touches me on the arm or face is something that I couldn't live without.  She also is learning to sing (her favorite right now is head, shoulders, knees and toes...but comes out as head, eyes, toes, eyes, toes, eyes, toes) and her love of dancing to the free credit report commercials always makes my day. 
But I admit, there are times that I need my breaks.  I think every parent does, stay at home or working.  For me, my outlet and breaks are my jewelry.  It is what helps keep me sane and get me through those crazy times with them.  It gives me an outlet for my stress.  But it also gives me something to talk about and do with Gracie.  She gets to be my model a lot of the time and she gives her input into things.  It lets me be Brandy again for a little while, not just momma.  :) 
And the most recent stress reliever of mine is pictured below.  Took quite a while to make...had to stop several times to be momma...but got it done. :)

3 wishes

I am a firm believer in wishes.  Do they always come true?  Nope.  Should they always come true?  Nope.  Are we happy when they do?  You better believe it.

My daughter loves to wish on stars.  I love driving down the road and hearing from the backseat, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."  Her wishes range from being a princess to being a mermaid...oh to have those kinds of dreams.  I remember those days.  I loved dreaming about being a princess.  Fancy dresses and jewels, just waiting for my prince to come.  Glad to see she gets that from me.  :)

But nowadays my wishes are a bit more practical.  Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love to wish to be a princess, but reality just won't let me anymore.  The other day my daughter and I were making wish bracelets and she was smiling and telling me her three wishes (to be a princess of course was in there) and she looked up at me and said, "Momma, what are your wishes?"  For once I was really at a loss for words.  I felt bad that I didn't want to share them, mainly because they were for her. 

Gracie is 7, and a very sweet girl, but she has some very big problems.  For one, she doesn't really have many friends.  She has had behavioral problems, attitude problems, ADHD, and a major fear of everyone leaving her.  We've been trying to work on all of those things with a mix of her seeing a psychologist, medications, natural things, behavior modification, just to name a few.  So my 3 wishes are for her 1) to make friends, 2) get her behavior back on track, and 3)her to be happy again.

So what did I say to her?  I looked her in they eyes, put my hand on her cheek and whispered to her, "My wishes are for you, and if I told you what they were they might not come true.  So let me keep them here on these beads and when they come true I'll tell you."  To my surprise the child that normally chimes in "why" on just about anything you say sat there all quiet.  Then slowly a huge smile creeped up on her face and she said, "yes mommy, you keep it a secret okay?"  Bless  her lil' heart. 

So I made my wishes, tied on my bracelet, and now wait for it to fall off and hopefully come true.  :)  Now my question for you, and yes, I know I'm new so I might be the only one to read this (LOL), is what are your 3 three wishes????