My amazing honey

So yesterday was my long day.  Twelve and a half hours, thank you very much.  And it happened to be my husband's only day off this week.  I came home for lunch and found that the dishes were done, the laundry had been started, the kitchen had been swept AND mopped and I could hear the vac running.  By the time I got home all the laundry was DONE, the kids had been fed and Zach had his homework completed.  Way to be on top of things honey!  I'm thankful that you are mine!

Mixed feelings...

Got to hang out with Ryan's girlfriend tonight.  Well, not really hang out but...get to know her a little better I guess.  He told me that she was kind of loud and I have now figured out that what he meant was "outspoken".  She really does say what's on her mind.  She certainly isn't afraid to tell me that she really likes my son.  I guess I'm glad for that. :)  He's a good kid and I trust him.  Not so sure about her yet though.  Not saying she's not a good kid, I just don't know her well enough yet to determine that.  Anyway, right now they are in the living room watching a movie.  Ry also has another friend over so there is a "chaperone" so to speak, but they still don't have a parent hovering.  So it's a win win.  She's bold enough to say that she wants to sit with him on the chair and bold enough to do it right in front of me.  It's a big chair by the way.  I'm not sure if I like her being that bold.  Like I said, I just don't know her well enough.  Hmmmm....

Today I saw pictures from my cousin's wedding.  It made me think of Ben, the beautiful son she lost in a tragic accident a few years ago.  She got remarried and in one of the pictures it shows a rainbow in the background with a caption that says something like, "Ben was letting us know he was there with us and he approved!".  It made me tear up a little because it was just so perfect.  A hot August day in Arizona and all of a sudden, a beautiful rainbow right as his mom is taking a picture.  Atta boy Ben! But it makes me sad to think about her and her sadness of missing her son.  He was about the same age as my oldest almost is now and I can not imagine my life without this wonderful kid in it.  Forever Ben will be 15.  Forever Ben will not have had an opportunity to get his driver's license.  Forever Ben will not be married or have kids of his own.  And my heart aches for her for all those things that will never be.  So I'm glad she is finally seeing some happiness in her life. 

I'm also trying not to drive myself crazy thinking about the holidays already.  Maybe I should just save that topic for another time.  I think it's time to get Ry's girlfriend home anyway.  I'd hate for her to miss curfew and not be able to go to the homecoming dance tomorrow!  It's also time for me to just shut my brain off and let it rest and recharge for tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow, then......

Week of Monday's

I had 3 Monday's in a row this week.  I'm tired of Monday's and they suck anyway.  The first Monday we were short staffed.  The second Monday we had 2 kids drop from our enrollment.  The third Monday we sent 2 kids home (same family) with lice.  AGAIN!  First, I want to know why it's so hard for this family to get rid of it when they have been given all the information and materials on how to get rid of it.  Why the reinfestation over and over and over again???  Second, I'd like to know why just the word LICE makes me go crazy.  The minute the teacher says "hey, I need to check so and so's head", I get all twitchy.  My eyebrows start itching.  So not kidding.  
Ok, that's the end of the gripe session.  I just want a normal week next week, only one Monday please.  Is that too much to ask?  
Football game tonight.  Homecoming parade and homecoming game tomorrow.   Saturday taking my oldest and his girlfriend on their first date to the movies.  Dropping them off, that is.  I would never go in with him! lol  He'd be mortified for life! Sunday another football game for the youngest.  And then it's Monday all over again. 

Crouching mom, hidden chocolate

Not sure what happened but somehow I ended up with a kid with a major sweet tooth.  I'm not just talking a few sugary snacks a week, it's on a daily basis.  I know, I know, it's probably all my fault, I never breastfed him.  No really..... I buy it and keep it in the house.  I've tried to teach moderation but it never seems to work on any of my family.  I think I will just stop buying it.  Biggest Loser is back on as of tonight so I will be sure to watch and get motivated to be healthy!  Anyway, about this sweet tooth.  This kid can sniff sugar out anywhere.  I hide stuff every where.  In kitchen cabinets, in pots and pans, even in my underwear drawer.  With the underwear drawer my theory was, there is NO WAY kids will go through their mother's underwear drawer just to find candy.  Mine did.  He's only 10 but has this uncanny ability to find chocolate and sugar stashed in my underwear drawer but most mornings can't find his own shoes.  I might have found the perfect place though, finally.  I've had a Hershey's bar hidden in the freezer stashed behind the zuccini for over 2 weeks not and he hasn't found it yet.  Considering I'm about to eat it he'll never get the chance to even look for it! :)

This midwestern life...

There have been a lot of changes in our lives and how we do things since we've moved to the midwest.  The boys joined a 4H club shortly after we arrived in town.  They've learned many skills and made many friends.  Tonight we had our awards banquet and I saw Ryan hanging out with his friend Alex.  They just have this 14 year old boy way of doing things.  It's alternately annoying and heart warming.  But, as usual, I digress... 4H gives kids opportunities to learn new things, things they probably would never try.  It gives them leadership skills, communication skills and people skills.  When they turn projects in to the fair they often have to interview with a judge about their project.  It's a little intimidating for a kid, but the more they do it the more they learn and (usually) the better the ribbon placing.  If you have a 4H chapter in your county I encourage you to check it out! 

They've created a monster!

So I've never been a big football fan.  One of my brothers played Pop Warner and kept playing until his sophmore year in high school.  At one point I was even a cheerleader for his Pop Warner team.  But I had no stinkin clue about the in's and out's of football, didn't know the rules, didn't even know what the heck first and ten meant.  My boys play now and I am finally figuring out how this game is played.  Our oldest is in high school and our youngest in 5th grade.  They both play.  Being in a small town means our oldest, who is a freshman, gets to play a lot of football.  He's on the 9th and 10th grade team, the JV team and sometimes even gets to play varsity.  Our kid in 5th grade plays on the 5th/6th grade Optimist team.  This means we go to a lot of practices and a lot of games.  It's not unusual to travel more than an hour one way to watch a game.  Last Sunday we sat in 90 degrees, getting sun burned, sweating.  Today we will sit with blankets covering our legs and umbrellas covering our heads.  It's not just my kids that I enjoy watching now, though.  It's not unusual for me to be the one to check nfl.com to find out who is playing whom and when.  We aren't huge college football fans, even being here in Nebraska.  And the boys have a definite favorite nfl team.  I don't have a preference but I have started making wild predictions.  My husband just laughs at me, thinks I'm crazy for predicting that the Cowboys will do better than everyone thinks.  I don't think they will win big this year, just that they will do "not bad".  Anyway, gotta get a move on, get ready to drive an hour and 20 minutes one way to watch a game in the misty rain.  Go Raiders!!  (Optimists Raiders, not Oakland - no crazy predictions for them this year, I'm afraid!)

Reality Beef

I have a beef with so-called "reality" shows.  I think they show just how low our society has sunk.  It used to be that you could tun on the TV and not worry about hearing bad words or seeing bad things.  IF you were going to see something that was deemed too violent or too sexy it was after the kids were already in bed.  With so many choices today you can see anything, anywhere, anytime.  Paris Hilton is a role model?  The Kardashian's too?  That's just a damn shame.  Television executives are to blame but so are we.  Parents need to keep a better eye on their kids and their viewing habits.  Parents also need to just turn the channel.  If there is no audience, there is no show.  I know my opinion may not be popular but I also know that I am not alone in feeling the way I do.  Agree?  Disagree?  Let me know!

Pus and Custard

Both of my kids are pretty random but my youngest boy really cracks me up.  The other day out of the blue he says, "Mom, ya know what word I hate?  Pus.  And custard.  Just say them.  Pus.  Custard.  They both just sound disgusting."  This is also the kid that asked if Yoda wore shoes.  Love him!

Why is batter better?

I like cookie dough better than the cookie.  I like brownie and cake batter better than the finished product.  Not sure why, but I prefer it that way.  Anyone with me on that?