Oh man. B woke up with the most bloodcurdling scream I've heard in a while. He has no clue what his dream was about, but it was bad enough to where he was shaking and crying for almost an hour at 4:03 this morning.
So, what did I do? I let him get in bed with me, and slept fitfully for the next three hours while he kicked me, repeatedly, in the kidneys. Poor kid...but poor mama, too!
N was supposed to go out to his great-grandparents' farm in Roanoke, so he left with his dad around 8:15. B was still snoozing away, so I crawled back into bed, and we snoozed straight through church. It was not part of the plan. We were both pretty bummed about missing it. B was easily consoled when he realized there were Easter eggs hidden throughout the apartment, so he raced off to find them all.
He felt bad after finding them all and leaving none for N, so he went back and hid half for N to find once he got home. How sweet is that? We got dressed and went over to my mom's for Easter dinner with my mom, grandma, and one of my uncles. It was pretty quiet, so B decided to entertain us. He climbed trees, yelled at the dogs next door (I'm sure they missed him), and he and I teamed up against the others to play Phase 10. It's kind of like our unofficial family game...and my mom can't stand it. It's too long, and it drives her crazy because it never seems to end.
I got out the cards, and my grandma made me put them back. She'd brought her own deck, where each person completes phases in a different order. She likes it. I think it's a huge pain in the rear. Either way, I won. I don't typically lose; in fact, I've been known to start several rounds into it, and still win. B hung in for the first few rounds, then got bored and entertained himself with a wide variety of things.
After I won and the company left, I shopped in my mom's closet for my interview at Baylor this week, and then pretended to sleep on the couch while B and my mom played a quick game and B tried (successfully) to locate and eat the majority of my grandma's homemade beef jerky. That stuff is crazy addicting.
We got home and showered for bed, but then I got a call to come pick N up...so I grumbled the whole way there, still cranky from not getting any sleep last night, only to find that N has lost his baseball glove. And he has practice tomorrow. And games on Saturday.
The evening didn't have the greatest ending...especially since they were both hyped up and awake an hour after I put them to bed.
N has stupid STAAR testing this week, so I'm really hoping we can have some restful evenings...you know, aside from the fact that we have late practice two nights this week.
Super.
Aubs
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Crazy tongue tricks
Catchy title, huh? Stick around...first I have to get through the craptastic part of my day.
I'd say we got up on a better side of the bed this morning. Was it the right side? Not necessarily...BUT, it was progress. And I'll take progress. B came and snuggled with me, saying, "You're always so warm and cozy, and I just love you." Well, I just love him, too. N was in his room, on his iPod. Shocking.
Breakfast happened, and then the fun began. There was a lot of smart mouthing and disrespecting and not keeping hands to selves. When I told the boys that they needed to step up and pitch in to help with household chores, N lost it. He blew up. And I took his iPod. For a month. Because it wasn't the first time this happened. He'd been given a lot of chances over the past few months, and his attitude has just gotten worse. SO, I sent him to his room to make a list of ways he can be more positive and change his attitude. He came up with several good ones, and as we went over them, I explained that these were all things he needed to do all the time...even as an adult.
He looked horrified.
A little later, he was being super disrespectful again (read: sullen pre-teen, I guess) and I said, "Forget it. No video games either." Cue explosion! And in that moment, the television privileges went away, too.
"What am I allowed to do, then? There's NOTHING to do!" His options? He was allowed to play outside...with his brother. He was allowed to play inside...with his brother. He was allowed to read or draw or write or color. He started yelling about how he was a horrible kid and he hated himself, and he wanted to die.
And then it got real. I reminded him that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that was exactly what we were celebrating this weekend. He died for sins we hadn't even committed yet, and God has planned each and every single one of our sins for us to learn from them. I told him he needed to use this as an opportunity to wipe his own slate clean, just as Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. He thought about that for a few minutes, and then went to go read.
I went in there a little later, and we discussed the fruits of the spirit that hang on their wall. We talked about the ones he does really well, and the ones he should look at a little more carefully. And just as I thought he was getting it, he mentioned that he was really hoping to have his iPod back by Easter so he could play with his cousins.
I declined his request, and reminded him that it would be April 30 before he received his iPod. He will carry out his entire punishment. There is no possibility of parole. The video games/television privileges were not given a time frame, so he's forever hopeful.
We ran to get a couple of things for lunch tomorrow with the family, plus drinks/chips for school lunches, and when we got back, I turned on March Madness. Of the three sports I will watch, basketball is my least favorite. I enjoy it, but give me college football or baseball. Yes, please! Anyway, I lived in Kansas as a middle schooler (and my first year of high school), specifically, Wichita, so I know about the Shockers. And SHOCK & AWE, they did. It was the most excruciating and exciting game I've seen in a while. In fact, I'd probably watch college basketball more regularly because they play for pride and honor...not a paycheck. And I appreciate that.
Anyway, the last 5 minutes had me screeching at the television at decibels I'm not even sure dogs could hear, but in the end, the Shockers defeated the Buckeyes, and they're in the Final Four for the first time in 50 years? I think. After the Kansas upset last night, it was awesome to see the Shockers win against the number 2 ranked team. I can't wait to see who they face next.
And that's when B brought me a cherry stem from his drink to see if I could tie it in a knot with my tongue. After I did, he ran into the living room to show N, "LOOK! Look what Mom did!" Just as I was taking a drink of water, N says, "Yeah, Mom is known for doing crazy things with her tongue."
Hahahahahahaha, needless to say, water went everywhere as I burst out laughing. N, realizing what he'd just said, burst into laughter, and B was left yelling, "What's so dang funny? You guys never tell me ANYTHING!" Oh man.
Every. Day. Life.
I really can't make this stuff up.
Aubs
I'd say we got up on a better side of the bed this morning. Was it the right side? Not necessarily...BUT, it was progress. And I'll take progress. B came and snuggled with me, saying, "You're always so warm and cozy, and I just love you." Well, I just love him, too. N was in his room, on his iPod. Shocking.
Breakfast happened, and then the fun began. There was a lot of smart mouthing and disrespecting and not keeping hands to selves. When I told the boys that they needed to step up and pitch in to help with household chores, N lost it. He blew up. And I took his iPod. For a month. Because it wasn't the first time this happened. He'd been given a lot of chances over the past few months, and his attitude has just gotten worse. SO, I sent him to his room to make a list of ways he can be more positive and change his attitude. He came up with several good ones, and as we went over them, I explained that these were all things he needed to do all the time...even as an adult.
He looked horrified.
A little later, he was being super disrespectful again (read: sullen pre-teen, I guess) and I said, "Forget it. No video games either." Cue explosion! And in that moment, the television privileges went away, too.
"What am I allowed to do, then? There's NOTHING to do!" His options? He was allowed to play outside...with his brother. He was allowed to play inside...with his brother. He was allowed to read or draw or write or color. He started yelling about how he was a horrible kid and he hated himself, and he wanted to die.
And then it got real. I reminded him that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that was exactly what we were celebrating this weekend. He died for sins we hadn't even committed yet, and God has planned each and every single one of our sins for us to learn from them. I told him he needed to use this as an opportunity to wipe his own slate clean, just as Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. He thought about that for a few minutes, and then went to go read.
I went in there a little later, and we discussed the fruits of the spirit that hang on their wall. We talked about the ones he does really well, and the ones he should look at a little more carefully. And just as I thought he was getting it, he mentioned that he was really hoping to have his iPod back by Easter so he could play with his cousins.
I declined his request, and reminded him that it would be April 30 before he received his iPod. He will carry out his entire punishment. There is no possibility of parole. The video games/television privileges were not given a time frame, so he's forever hopeful.
We ran to get a couple of things for lunch tomorrow with the family, plus drinks/chips for school lunches, and when we got back, I turned on March Madness. Of the three sports I will watch, basketball is my least favorite. I enjoy it, but give me college football or baseball. Yes, please! Anyway, I lived in Kansas as a middle schooler (and my first year of high school), specifically, Wichita, so I know about the Shockers. And SHOCK & AWE, they did. It was the most excruciating and exciting game I've seen in a while. In fact, I'd probably watch college basketball more regularly because they play for pride and honor...not a paycheck. And I appreciate that.
Anyway, the last 5 minutes had me screeching at the television at decibels I'm not even sure dogs could hear, but in the end, the Shockers defeated the Buckeyes, and they're in the Final Four for the first time in 50 years? I think. After the Kansas upset last night, it was awesome to see the Shockers win against the number 2 ranked team. I can't wait to see who they face next.
And that's when B brought me a cherry stem from his drink to see if I could tie it in a knot with my tongue. After I did, he ran into the living room to show N, "LOOK! Look what Mom did!" Just as I was taking a drink of water, N says, "Yeah, Mom is known for doing crazy things with her tongue."
Hahahahahahaha, needless to say, water went everywhere as I burst out laughing. N, realizing what he'd just said, burst into laughter, and B was left yelling, "What's so dang funny? You guys never tell me ANYTHING!" Oh man.
Every. Day. Life.
I really can't make this stuff up.
Aubs
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Every side of the bed is the "wrong side of the bed" sometimes
All three of us seemed to find the wrong side of the bed this morning. Because of that, the boys were grounded from video games/iPods by 10:45 this morning.
I just knew it was going to be a great day. I sent them outside after that...and I didn't see them again until 2:20, when they came in to eat lunch and cool off.
Apparently, playing soccer on a hill really takes a lot out of a person.
They watched a couple of episodes of The Regular Show (which I canNOT STAND, by the way), and then started arguing again, so I sent them back outside. Were they arguing at the playground or while riding scooters? I don't know. I couldn't hear them, so it doesn't count.
I did laundry. I washed dishes. I thought about finishing cleaning the apartment (my side is left), and quickly opted out of that one.
I called them inside to get ready for B's make-up baseball practice, and N made plans to go to his friend's house instead of coming along. Smart kid.
Baseball practice was quite entertaining. They were having so much fun...between one kid watching the airplanes fly overhead, some at insane angles (practice fields are just barely north of DFW), and B doing cartwheels, I'm surprised they didn't get annoyed. They're way more patient than I am. I made a friend...so that's always fun.
After practice, B comes running over with his right pant leg covered in mud. He said, "Hey Mom! I just had the best idea...can we..." and I finished his sentence, because I already knew, "...go to Chipotle?"
"Hey! How did you know?"
Oh, B. I'm a genius. The sooner you learn that, the better. So we did. Because he was muddy, and I didn't want to take him upstairs until he dried a little. I made him lose his pants outside the front door, as the mud rained down off his pants.
Awesome.
Add horrible Disney channel programming: Dog with a Blog, Austin & Ally, and Jessie, and you have my worst nightmare.
I hope I find the right side of the bed tomorrow.
Aubs
I just knew it was going to be a great day. I sent them outside after that...and I didn't see them again until 2:20, when they came in to eat lunch and cool off.
Apparently, playing soccer on a hill really takes a lot out of a person.
They watched a couple of episodes of The Regular Show (which I canNOT STAND, by the way), and then started arguing again, so I sent them back outside. Were they arguing at the playground or while riding scooters? I don't know. I couldn't hear them, so it doesn't count.
I did laundry. I washed dishes. I thought about finishing cleaning the apartment (my side is left), and quickly opted out of that one.
I called them inside to get ready for B's make-up baseball practice, and N made plans to go to his friend's house instead of coming along. Smart kid.
Baseball practice was quite entertaining. They were having so much fun...between one kid watching the airplanes fly overhead, some at insane angles (practice fields are just barely north of DFW), and B doing cartwheels, I'm surprised they didn't get annoyed. They're way more patient than I am. I made a friend...so that's always fun.
After practice, B comes running over with his right pant leg covered in mud. He said, "Hey Mom! I just had the best idea...can we..." and I finished his sentence, because I already knew, "...go to Chipotle?"
"Hey! How did you know?"
Oh, B. I'm a genius. The sooner you learn that, the better. So we did. Because he was muddy, and I didn't want to take him upstairs until he dried a little. I made him lose his pants outside the front door, as the mud rained down off his pants.
Awesome.
Add horrible Disney channel programming: Dog with a Blog, Austin & Ally, and Jessie, and you have my worst nightmare.
I hope I find the right side of the bed tomorrow.
Aubs
Friday, March 29, 2013
How much can one possibly fit into an afternoon?
Today was a "Saved by the Bell" morning. We overslept, and had to rush around to get everything ready to go. The boys still made it to school in plenty of time, but a rushed morning plus a whiny B did NOT make for the most pleasant experience. Obviously, the day had to get better...right?
Right. After they went to school, I took a little while to just "be," and then mustered up the _____________ to go grocery shopping. Why? Because my boys have eaten pretty much everything in an incredibly short period of time. And they're not even teenagers yet. Oh, yay! I did some quick damage, then got home with about 20 minutes to spare. My day? Well, it wasn't quite done being a pain in the rear. Literally every single bag split open in some capacity between the trunk of my car and the front door. I got really annoyed at first, but after the sixth or seventh bag, I just started laughing.
And then my phone rang...just as I had finished reorganizing the freezer. It was 3:03, and the caller i.d. said, "Denton Creek Elementary School."
N: Hi, Mom.
Me: Really?
N: It's not like I meant to miss the bus.
Me: Really?
N: The door was locked so I couldn't get inside to get my backpack.
Me: Really?
N: I'm sorry, Mom.
Me: Really?
N: Would you STOP just saying 'Really?' Are you going to come and get me or not.
Me: (silence) I can't come get you until your brother gets home. On the bus. You know, the bus you were supposed to be riding? Where will you be?
N: Really? At school, Mom.
Me: Now would NOT be the time to be a smartass. Really.
And I hung up, grabbed my keys, and went outside to wait for B. I yelled for him when he was headed to the door, and he looked confused. He asked where his brother was, and I explained we had to go get him, and then, in true Craig Williams fashion, I busted out with the Kris Kross classic, "I Missed the Bus." I wish N had been there to be mortified. B just laughed. So, I'm already annoyed because school traffic is not my favorite, and I'm trying to figure out which circle it is I'm supposed to be in, because it's apparently divided by age group, when my phone starts beeping. I give it to B to read, and it's N. Texting. From his iPod. "Where are you? Did you forget about me?"
Seriously? Let's just say it was not pleasant when he got in the car. We had to go to Market Street because I forgot frozen vegetables, and we need a little veggie in our lives. When we got home, I sent the boys outside to play, while I did laundry. They came in, they went out. On repeat. A kid was fighting B for the football at the park, so N stepped in to defend his brother...by way of trying to choke the kid to death. Awesome. How did I find out? My kids sure didn't tell me. The kid and his mom came over to let me know.
I was upset with N, but also impressed that he actually defended his brother. I never thought I'd see the day... I made dinner, we ate, and then B started hinting around at dyeing eggs. 'Tis the season and all. I pointedly ignored him, which I think made him mad, but I'd already warned him not to pester me. I made the Kool-Aid mixtures (WAY better than the stinky dye, I think...we'll probably do it again), and called them into the kitchen. For an hour, they made eggs in various shades of the rainbow...and B made a few brown eggs. He thought they were awesome. In fact, he wants to keep two of them. Forever.
After that, I sent them to the showers, made paper bag popcorn, and we settled in to watch whatever Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is the newest. I swear, that movie had to have been 4 hours long...and it had entirely too many actors from the cast of "Jessie" on the Disney channel, which I'm forced to watch on occasion because B deems it "quality television."
On the upside, I had Pineapple Coconut ice cream tonight, and it was fantastic. Haagen Dazs, I salute you.
Aubs
Right. After they went to school, I took a little while to just "be," and then mustered up the _____________ to go grocery shopping. Why? Because my boys have eaten pretty much everything in an incredibly short period of time. And they're not even teenagers yet. Oh, yay! I did some quick damage, then got home with about 20 minutes to spare. My day? Well, it wasn't quite done being a pain in the rear. Literally every single bag split open in some capacity between the trunk of my car and the front door. I got really annoyed at first, but after the sixth or seventh bag, I just started laughing.
And then my phone rang...just as I had finished reorganizing the freezer. It was 3:03, and the caller i.d. said, "Denton Creek Elementary School."
N: Hi, Mom.
Me: Really?
N: It's not like I meant to miss the bus.
Me: Really?
N: The door was locked so I couldn't get inside to get my backpack.
Me: Really?
N: I'm sorry, Mom.
Me: Really?
N: Would you STOP just saying 'Really?' Are you going to come and get me or not.
Me: (silence) I can't come get you until your brother gets home. On the bus. You know, the bus you were supposed to be riding? Where will you be?
N: Really? At school, Mom.
Me: Now would NOT be the time to be a smartass. Really.
And I hung up, grabbed my keys, and went outside to wait for B. I yelled for him when he was headed to the door, and he looked confused. He asked where his brother was, and I explained we had to go get him, and then, in true Craig Williams fashion, I busted out with the Kris Kross classic, "I Missed the Bus." I wish N had been there to be mortified. B just laughed. So, I'm already annoyed because school traffic is not my favorite, and I'm trying to figure out which circle it is I'm supposed to be in, because it's apparently divided by age group, when my phone starts beeping. I give it to B to read, and it's N. Texting. From his iPod. "Where are you? Did you forget about me?"
Seriously? Let's just say it was not pleasant when he got in the car. We had to go to Market Street because I forgot frozen vegetables, and we need a little veggie in our lives. When we got home, I sent the boys outside to play, while I did laundry. They came in, they went out. On repeat. A kid was fighting B for the football at the park, so N stepped in to defend his brother...by way of trying to choke the kid to death. Awesome. How did I find out? My kids sure didn't tell me. The kid and his mom came over to let me know.
I was upset with N, but also impressed that he actually defended his brother. I never thought I'd see the day... I made dinner, we ate, and then B started hinting around at dyeing eggs. 'Tis the season and all. I pointedly ignored him, which I think made him mad, but I'd already warned him not to pester me. I made the Kool-Aid mixtures (WAY better than the stinky dye, I think...we'll probably do it again), and called them into the kitchen. For an hour, they made eggs in various shades of the rainbow...and B made a few brown eggs. He thought they were awesome. In fact, he wants to keep two of them. Forever.
After that, I sent them to the showers, made paper bag popcorn, and we settled in to watch whatever Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is the newest. I swear, that movie had to have been 4 hours long...and it had entirely too many actors from the cast of "Jessie" on the Disney channel, which I'm forced to watch on occasion because B deems it "quality television."
On the upside, I had Pineapple Coconut ice cream tonight, and it was fantastic. Haagen Dazs, I salute you.
Aubs
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Pod people and hide & seek with a baseball glove
Thankfully, this morning was extremely smooth, which is something that hasn't happened in a long time...especially when both boys are home. They were kind, courteous, and helpful to each other. I might've checked under their beds for evidence that pod people had been there. I'm not kidding. About halfway through breakfast, Justin called to see if he could come get N for breakfast. All of a sudden, N was "full" and ready to go to school. Imagine that.
B and I finished getting him ready for school, and then we took off. He even took the trash out for me. I checked the hall closet on the way out the door. Pod people keep their pods in the most obvious places sometimes. B kind of took his sweet time this morning, so when I dropped him off, he had about 10 minutes to get to class. N had been gone for half an hour, so I was sure he beat his brother to school.
I was totally wrong. As I was headed home, I saw Justin and N pulling out of our friendly, neighborhood Market Street, where they had been eating breakfast. Again. Two breakfasts. Growing boy, I guess. Anyway, at this point, he had roughly 5 minutes to get to his class, which is exactly why I don't like these breakfast dates. They need to begin earlier so they can end earlier. Or not at all. I know, I know...at least he wants to see him. True. I'm not complaining, but I dislike being late or being rushed, and I now N does as well.
I went home, ready to crawl back into bed, but I decided to be a grown-up instead, and started deep cleaning certain areas of the house. It can be overwhelming, so today was the kitchen/dining room, hallway, laundry/entry, and the boys' bathroom. Tomorrow, I'll tackle some more. It's good to have goals. So, I cleaned for several hours...THEN I decided to rest my eyelids. It was warranted, right? Right.
When the boys got home, I asked N if he was rushed this morning, and he lied. When I told him I saw him, he said, "We would've had no trouble, but then Courtney was at Market Street, so it took forever." His stepmom came to be a part of the little one-on-one time they get. And he was not happy about it...it's not that he wants to completely pretend she doesn't exist, he just wants a little time with just his dad. And I don't blame him one bit.
Meanwhile, B had decided to play catch with the 8 year-old who lives in the next building, and then came in to see if N wanted to go to the playground to play. So, off they went. When they came home a little later, they played Xbox for a minute while I made dinner, and then, since we had dinner pretty early, I sent them outside again. At 6:20, B comes in, with a terrified look on his face. Where's his baseball glove? He has no idea. It's not anywhere in the house, and someone took it. Who? He has no idea.
He retraced his steps, and I told him he was grounded for a month if he couldn't find it. Nothing like fear to motivate a kid...I have to hand it to him. He asked the boy he'd been playing catch with, and he directed him to the other boy who'd joined their game. He said the fourth boy had it, but he didn't know which building he lived in, but another boy did. I told B to handle it, and then I didn't see him for a while. He'd met up with N at the playground, and when I tracked them down, B had the glove in hand. He was elated, but he's still grounded from video games for a few days.
Why? Because we must learn to keep up with our belongings. We must take care of our baseball gear. And because all they do when they play video games together is fight...dirty. So, by eliminating privileges, my life is easier. Plus, tomorrow's the last day of school for the week.
On the agenda: tacos, dyeing eggs with Kool-Aid, and movie night.
B's been begging to dye eggs for a week...and he doesn't even like eggs.
Period.
Aubs
B and I finished getting him ready for school, and then we took off. He even took the trash out for me. I checked the hall closet on the way out the door. Pod people keep their pods in the most obvious places sometimes. B kind of took his sweet time this morning, so when I dropped him off, he had about 10 minutes to get to class. N had been gone for half an hour, so I was sure he beat his brother to school.
I was totally wrong. As I was headed home, I saw Justin and N pulling out of our friendly, neighborhood Market Street, where they had been eating breakfast. Again. Two breakfasts. Growing boy, I guess. Anyway, at this point, he had roughly 5 minutes to get to his class, which is exactly why I don't like these breakfast dates. They need to begin earlier so they can end earlier. Or not at all. I know, I know...at least he wants to see him. True. I'm not complaining, but I dislike being late or being rushed, and I now N does as well.
I went home, ready to crawl back into bed, but I decided to be a grown-up instead, and started deep cleaning certain areas of the house. It can be overwhelming, so today was the kitchen/dining room, hallway, laundry/entry, and the boys' bathroom. Tomorrow, I'll tackle some more. It's good to have goals. So, I cleaned for several hours...THEN I decided to rest my eyelids. It was warranted, right? Right.
When the boys got home, I asked N if he was rushed this morning, and he lied. When I told him I saw him, he said, "We would've had no trouble, but then Courtney was at Market Street, so it took forever." His stepmom came to be a part of the little one-on-one time they get. And he was not happy about it...it's not that he wants to completely pretend she doesn't exist, he just wants a little time with just his dad. And I don't blame him one bit.
Meanwhile, B had decided to play catch with the 8 year-old who lives in the next building, and then came in to see if N wanted to go to the playground to play. So, off they went. When they came home a little later, they played Xbox for a minute while I made dinner, and then, since we had dinner pretty early, I sent them outside again. At 6:20, B comes in, with a terrified look on his face. Where's his baseball glove? He has no idea. It's not anywhere in the house, and someone took it. Who? He has no idea.
He retraced his steps, and I told him he was grounded for a month if he couldn't find it. Nothing like fear to motivate a kid...I have to hand it to him. He asked the boy he'd been playing catch with, and he directed him to the other boy who'd joined their game. He said the fourth boy had it, but he didn't know which building he lived in, but another boy did. I told B to handle it, and then I didn't see him for a while. He'd met up with N at the playground, and when I tracked them down, B had the glove in hand. He was elated, but he's still grounded from video games for a few days.
Why? Because we must learn to keep up with our belongings. We must take care of our baseball gear. And because all they do when they play video games together is fight...dirty. So, by eliminating privileges, my life is easier. Plus, tomorrow's the last day of school for the week.
On the agenda: tacos, dyeing eggs with Kool-Aid, and movie night.
B's been begging to dye eggs for a week...and he doesn't even like eggs.
Period.
Aubs
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Baseball movie night strikes again...haha, get it? STRIKES?!
I need a vacation. Or a nap. Or less caffeine in a 24 hour period. This morning was horrendous. I love that word. Horrendous. It just sounds terrible. Or even...worse than terrible. Please see sentence #3. I cannot be held accountable for my words this evening. Even I have no idea what's coming.
Both boys woke up, utterly exhausted, and were so pleasant and fun to deal with during the time we spent together before school. That whole sentence, minus the "utterly exhausted" part? Total lie. They were nightmares. Late baseball practice on Mondays will ruin our lives for the rest of the school year. You heard it here first, folks! N was cranky, B was a straight up beast to even look at, and they were both just picking at each other. Separation? Didn't work. They would "accidentally" brush by each other in the hall, and when I say "brush by," what I really mean is they clotheslined each other. Did I ever mention we live on the second floor?
It's delightful.
Justin was supposed to come take N to breakfast so they could have a little face time since they don't see each other as much anymore. This has been a real struggle for me, especially on school mornings because I don't know if he's coming until well after the time N should've already eaten breakfast. In fact, this morning, it was 7:30 (school starts at 7:50), and he was just on his way. I told him to forget it, that I was taking both boys to school because I wasn't going to leave N at home so he could see him for 30 seconds. Where's the quality in that? It got heated...on his end. I was doing my best to keep my cool, but when I hung up the phone, N jumped to his dad's defense, without knowing what had been said.
And that? Well, that made me a little angry. I told him he could be mad at me all he wanted, but it's my job to get him to school on time. He didn't seem to think it was a big deal to be late to school. This is an issue for me since I hate to be late. I'm always early, or at least I do my best to be early. Sometimes traffic around here does NOT get my memo. Anyway, I took both of them to school, and he was mad, and I let him, and we went on about our business. When he came home with a chip on his shoulder, I called him out on it, and told him we needed to talk about it. And that's when it all came pouring out.
Long story, short...he acknowledges that I do everything in my power (and even some outside of my power) to give him what he needs and a lot of what he wants. It's the same way my parents were with me...and let me tell you. I appreciate them so much for not giving me everything I wanted all the time. I didn't get it at the time (who does?), but I totally get it now. And N understands it at its most basic level. He burst into tears, talking about how he has a home here, but he doesn't feel like he has one at his dad's. He still doesn't like his stepmom, and he's feeling jealous of the attention that his baby brother gets (and all the money they spend on him)...which is all of it. I explained that babies take up a lot of time because they can't do anything for themselves, and they are expensive, but he said, flat out, "Mom, I feel like an afterthought. All the time. Even in my own family, and definitely in her family. My papaw was the only one who really wanted to be there with me, and he's gone. Why did he have to die?"
My boy. My sweet, precious boy. There's not anything you can say to that...just hold him, and let him cry it out. Let him know that having a mom who takes you to practice and watches what you do so she knows what you need to work on does NOT make you a "Mama's boy." It makes you a boy whose mom cares enough about you to show up...who's ABLE to show up...who WANTS to show up. I'm not saying his dad doesn't care or doesn't want to, but life happens sometimes. I plan my life around my boys when it comes to something that's so important to them. And baseball is important to N.
After a rough afternoon, I made an early dinner, sent them to shower at 6:15, and by 6:45, we were in their room, watching "Little Big League," which neither of them have ever seen. N's at the age where he's determined not to like anything I tell him he'll like...but I know him better than that. The belly laughs that movie got from him? Totally made all day today worth it. B had a few, too, but there was too much "down time" in the movie for him, and not enough funny. Still...with "Little Giants" and "Little Big League," this mom is two for two.
A winning record is all that matters, right?
Aubs
P.S. I'm so excited about the pictures the parents from B's class have been sending! It's going to be such a great surprise for a really wonderful teacher! More to come on that soon!
Both boys woke up, utterly exhausted, and were so pleasant and fun to deal with during the time we spent together before school. That whole sentence, minus the "utterly exhausted" part? Total lie. They were nightmares. Late baseball practice on Mondays will ruin our lives for the rest of the school year. You heard it here first, folks! N was cranky, B was a straight up beast to even look at, and they were both just picking at each other. Separation? Didn't work. They would "accidentally" brush by each other in the hall, and when I say "brush by," what I really mean is they clotheslined each other. Did I ever mention we live on the second floor?
It's delightful.
Justin was supposed to come take N to breakfast so they could have a little face time since they don't see each other as much anymore. This has been a real struggle for me, especially on school mornings because I don't know if he's coming until well after the time N should've already eaten breakfast. In fact, this morning, it was 7:30 (school starts at 7:50), and he was just on his way. I told him to forget it, that I was taking both boys to school because I wasn't going to leave N at home so he could see him for 30 seconds. Where's the quality in that? It got heated...on his end. I was doing my best to keep my cool, but when I hung up the phone, N jumped to his dad's defense, without knowing what had been said.
And that? Well, that made me a little angry. I told him he could be mad at me all he wanted, but it's my job to get him to school on time. He didn't seem to think it was a big deal to be late to school. This is an issue for me since I hate to be late. I'm always early, or at least I do my best to be early. Sometimes traffic around here does NOT get my memo. Anyway, I took both of them to school, and he was mad, and I let him, and we went on about our business. When he came home with a chip on his shoulder, I called him out on it, and told him we needed to talk about it. And that's when it all came pouring out.
Long story, short...he acknowledges that I do everything in my power (and even some outside of my power) to give him what he needs and a lot of what he wants. It's the same way my parents were with me...and let me tell you. I appreciate them so much for not giving me everything I wanted all the time. I didn't get it at the time (who does?), but I totally get it now. And N understands it at its most basic level. He burst into tears, talking about how he has a home here, but he doesn't feel like he has one at his dad's. He still doesn't like his stepmom, and he's feeling jealous of the attention that his baby brother gets (and all the money they spend on him)...which is all of it. I explained that babies take up a lot of time because they can't do anything for themselves, and they are expensive, but he said, flat out, "Mom, I feel like an afterthought. All the time. Even in my own family, and definitely in her family. My papaw was the only one who really wanted to be there with me, and he's gone. Why did he have to die?"
My boy. My sweet, precious boy. There's not anything you can say to that...just hold him, and let him cry it out. Let him know that having a mom who takes you to practice and watches what you do so she knows what you need to work on does NOT make you a "Mama's boy." It makes you a boy whose mom cares enough about you to show up...who's ABLE to show up...who WANTS to show up. I'm not saying his dad doesn't care or doesn't want to, but life happens sometimes. I plan my life around my boys when it comes to something that's so important to them. And baseball is important to N.
After a rough afternoon, I made an early dinner, sent them to shower at 6:15, and by 6:45, we were in their room, watching "Little Big League," which neither of them have ever seen. N's at the age where he's determined not to like anything I tell him he'll like...but I know him better than that. The belly laughs that movie got from him? Totally made all day today worth it. B had a few, too, but there was too much "down time" in the movie for him, and not enough funny. Still...with "Little Giants" and "Little Big League," this mom is two for two.
A winning record is all that matters, right?
Aubs
P.S. I'm so excited about the pictures the parents from B's class have been sending! It's going to be such a great surprise for a really wonderful teacher! More to come on that soon!
Monday, March 25, 2013
It's Monday? Again?
I went to bed earlier than normal last night, and wouldn't you know it? I tossed and turned for what felt like hours before I finally fell asleep. This morning, however, I woke up raring to go. Or so I thought. Don't you just hate when you think you're ready to tackle the day, and then your brain says, "On second thought, you're really cold and those covers on your bed? They're really warm...and maybe you should just go make sure your bed is as comfortable as it was yesterday. You know, just for a minute?"
Brains. They're dangerous, let me tell you. I dozed right through my notification that would've had me eating lunch with B at 10:30 in the morning (entirely too early...) and opted to go up to see how many parents had remembered to send pictures during the substitute's planning time (read: when the class is in music/art/p.e.) not figuring there would be many. I was right. There were three...until my "sweetheart" (he calls me his sweetheart, and he's just about the most precious boy EVER) said, "Hey, my sweetheart, I have a picture like that of me in my backpack!" I told him to go get it, and he hands me this picture that's been folded in half for at least a month. It's under 6 books, getting flat, right now.
I had received several photos via email, so I emailed the remaining nine parents when I got home from buying eggs and Kool-Aid to dye Easter eggs this week. I'm trying the whole "no smell, no stain" thing this year. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, I was super-impressed that the majority of the parents emailed back with pictures. I'm down to five kids who haven't sent a picture yet, and I know two of them have them ready to go. The substitute teacher told me she pretty much made a career out of being a room mom, so she gave me a bunch of tips.
She thinks I'm going to continue this in future years. She's so sweet... In other news, I applied for (what felt like eleventy) some positions with Baylor over the weekend, and already heard back from two of them. I have interviews scheduled, so we'll see if one of these is the right one for me. Only God knows...and I hope He's pushing for one of these. Although I've broadened my horizons to include positions outside of the healthcare field, I'd prefer to stay in healthcare, if at all possible.
N had practice tonight, and it was cold. Like, stupid cold. I made a double peppermint tea, thinking it would warm me from the inside out. Yeah, it was gone in less than 15 minutes. That left 105 minutes for me to freeze. I had a couple of dads to talk to, which was nice. I sat on my hands to keep my fingers warm, which didn't seem to do much good once they went numb. It was a lot of fun, in spite of the cold. The boys worked hard, and had a good practice, even though their coach was out of town. B had batting practice at the same time. He played catch with the other B and his dad (one of the assistant coaches on his team) and then hit the cages. I feel like a horrible mom for not watching his batting practice, but I was pretty much frozen to my chair.
Yeah, it was only in the low 50s, but there was a strong wind, and I have less body fat than I did before. That has to count for something, right?
I'm super excited that my Dad is coming for the boys' opening weekend the first weekend in April. It'll be the first time he's been back to Dallas since he moved in 2011, so I'm really looking forward to having him here and spending time with him. I haven't seen him since right before New Year's Eve, and I have to say...this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other in a long time.
I miss my Dad.
Aubs
Brains. They're dangerous, let me tell you. I dozed right through my notification that would've had me eating lunch with B at 10:30 in the morning (entirely too early...) and opted to go up to see how many parents had remembered to send pictures during the substitute's planning time (read: when the class is in music/art/p.e.) not figuring there would be many. I was right. There were three...until my "sweetheart" (he calls me his sweetheart, and he's just about the most precious boy EVER) said, "Hey, my sweetheart, I have a picture like that of me in my backpack!" I told him to go get it, and he hands me this picture that's been folded in half for at least a month. It's under 6 books, getting flat, right now.
I had received several photos via email, so I emailed the remaining nine parents when I got home from buying eggs and Kool-Aid to dye Easter eggs this week. I'm trying the whole "no smell, no stain" thing this year. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, I was super-impressed that the majority of the parents emailed back with pictures. I'm down to five kids who haven't sent a picture yet, and I know two of them have them ready to go. The substitute teacher told me she pretty much made a career out of being a room mom, so she gave me a bunch of tips.
She thinks I'm going to continue this in future years. She's so sweet... In other news, I applied for (what felt like eleventy) some positions with Baylor over the weekend, and already heard back from two of them. I have interviews scheduled, so we'll see if one of these is the right one for me. Only God knows...and I hope He's pushing for one of these. Although I've broadened my horizons to include positions outside of the healthcare field, I'd prefer to stay in healthcare, if at all possible.
N had practice tonight, and it was cold. Like, stupid cold. I made a double peppermint tea, thinking it would warm me from the inside out. Yeah, it was gone in less than 15 minutes. That left 105 minutes for me to freeze. I had a couple of dads to talk to, which was nice. I sat on my hands to keep my fingers warm, which didn't seem to do much good once they went numb. It was a lot of fun, in spite of the cold. The boys worked hard, and had a good practice, even though their coach was out of town. B had batting practice at the same time. He played catch with the other B and his dad (one of the assistant coaches on his team) and then hit the cages. I feel like a horrible mom for not watching his batting practice, but I was pretty much frozen to my chair.
Yeah, it was only in the low 50s, but there was a strong wind, and I have less body fat than I did before. That has to count for something, right?
I'm super excited that my Dad is coming for the boys' opening weekend the first weekend in April. It'll be the first time he's been back to Dallas since he moved in 2011, so I'm really looking forward to having him here and spending time with him. I haven't seen him since right before New Year's Eve, and I have to say...this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other in a long time.
I miss my Dad.
Aubs
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday and "Napday" are synonymous
I woke up to an email from my flex-term professor. What a way to wake up...Not long after that, B's stepmom called to fill me in on the particulars of B's sinus infection and, in the process, attempted to be loyal to her husband and cover up the fact that he blatantly lied to me about B's condition yesterday. I hope she made herself feel better...because I didn't believe a word. N left to go to church as I sat surrounded by books, papers, and my laptop. Spring Break, although it's never really a "break" is over, folks. Bring on piles of homework.
Oh joy.
I did all of the customary orientation steps that accompany any online class, took the quizzes, emailed my professor to let her know I had completed the work, and another email popped up. Different professor, different assignments. Sheesh. When will it end? Oh, right... On or before May 16. Not that I'm counting down.
I looked at the assignments due, noticed the due date was April 5, said, "Forget that!" and turned on the NCIS marathon on USA. I flopped back on the couch, wrapped in my down comforter cape, and did not move. Okay, I moved a little. I made toast, drank a little orange juice, grabbed some water, and then flopped again. And then I felt like I wasn't being productive, so I looked to see what else was due this week.
I showered. I checked my email. I got a call from N, begging me to not make him get a haircut, then told his dad what I expected his hair to look like. I took a nap.
It was wonderful.
Fast forward to 8:00 pm, when I had to call to find out where N was since he DOES have school in the morning. He walks in the door at 8:30, and I'm excited to see his hair.
Only I'm not. Because his dad didn't take him to get it cut after all. And then, before I know it, I'm contemplating letting him go to sleep with gum in his mouth, in hopes that it will fall out and get stuck in his hair and a haircut will be unavoidable.
Choking hazard. Sometimes it's really not the most fun to be the responsible grown-up. Besides, I'm the adult, he's the child...which means, we're getting his hair cut tomorrow. And I don't care if that makes me the meanest mom ever, on the face of the planet. At least he'll be able to see the damn baseball.
I feel a little like Joe Pesci or Robin Williams in the Snickers commercials, although, instead of a Snickers, I think I need my bed and the backs of my eyelids.
At 9:32 p.m.
Aubs
Oh joy.
I did all of the customary orientation steps that accompany any online class, took the quizzes, emailed my professor to let her know I had completed the work, and another email popped up. Different professor, different assignments. Sheesh. When will it end? Oh, right... On or before May 16. Not that I'm counting down.
I looked at the assignments due, noticed the due date was April 5, said, "Forget that!" and turned on the NCIS marathon on USA. I flopped back on the couch, wrapped in my down comforter cape, and did not move. Okay, I moved a little. I made toast, drank a little orange juice, grabbed some water, and then flopped again. And then I felt like I wasn't being productive, so I looked to see what else was due this week.
I showered. I checked my email. I got a call from N, begging me to not make him get a haircut, then told his dad what I expected his hair to look like. I took a nap.
It was wonderful.
Fast forward to 8:00 pm, when I had to call to find out where N was since he DOES have school in the morning. He walks in the door at 8:30, and I'm excited to see his hair.
Only I'm not. Because his dad didn't take him to get it cut after all. And then, before I know it, I'm contemplating letting him go to sleep with gum in his mouth, in hopes that it will fall out and get stuck in his hair and a haircut will be unavoidable.
Choking hazard. Sometimes it's really not the most fun to be the responsible grown-up. Besides, I'm the adult, he's the child...which means, we're getting his hair cut tomorrow. And I don't care if that makes me the meanest mom ever, on the face of the planet. At least he'll be able to see the damn baseball.
I feel a little like Joe Pesci or Robin Williams in the Snickers commercials, although, instead of a Snickers, I think I need my bed and the backs of my eyelids.
At 9:32 p.m.
Aubs
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Target
I have an unhealthy obsession with Target. I make more trips to Target and Market Street than should be allowed. I try not to be wasteful, so instead of going to the store and grocery shopping all at once, I tend to break it up into a few times a week...especially where produce is concerned. With B eating things that don't include dairy, we've upped our fruit & vegetable intake (which was already up there) so we run out of produce pretty quickly. This is all fascinating.
Last night, I posted about looking for 1/2 gallon coolers for the boys, and how I wanted to find them in colors that coordinated with their teams. Most people immediately assumed I went to Target...but I didn't. I'd already been there, and they only had one color. I bought them, but they leak. I would return them, however, I'd already written names on them, so now we have extra (leaky) 1/2 gallon coolers. I've already decided one will be for margaritas and the other will be for wine. If you're a grown-up, and you see me at the ball fields with blue coolers, bring your own cup. It'll be a party!
It was cold and rainy today, so I decided I wanted to make soup. This isn't new...I make soup all the time, but this time, I really wanted some broccoli cheese soup. Guess what. No onion. Super! SO, it was off to Target. While I was making a list of a few things we needed, N reminded me that we needed laundry soap and dryer sheets and batteries. Since B will be home tomorrow, I also needed turkey (for his lunch), baby carrots, and Oreos. Why Oreos? I have no idea. But I felt like they were necessary, and N agreed. He chose the golden Oreos. It's been a long time since I've had any kind of Oreo. This might be dangerous.
Anyway, $100 later, we're home, unloading groceries, and I'm telling N that we're going to have to eat at home all week, even if that means I give B cheese...because we are always so quick to suggest going to grab something on the way to or from practice. And that has to stop. I have to be a grown-up and be all responsible and stuff.
I ordered N's catcher's gear yesterday, so imagine my surprise when someone banged on my door this afternoon. Someone was the Fed-Ex guy, delivering the gear. Know where it came from? Good ol' Wichita, KS! Man, I love that city. I miss it all the time. (P.S. I don't "do" the whole March Madness thing, but the Shox just knocked the #1 team out of the playoffs...HA!) Anyway, N tried on the gear and then we had a huge fight over his helmet and his hair. I'm copying from Facebook, so if you've already read it there, be prepared to be disappointed.
Last night, I posted about looking for 1/2 gallon coolers for the boys, and how I wanted to find them in colors that coordinated with their teams. Most people immediately assumed I went to Target...but I didn't. I'd already been there, and they only had one color. I bought them, but they leak. I would return them, however, I'd already written names on them, so now we have extra (leaky) 1/2 gallon coolers. I've already decided one will be for margaritas and the other will be for wine. If you're a grown-up, and you see me at the ball fields with blue coolers, bring your own cup. It'll be a party!
It was cold and rainy today, so I decided I wanted to make soup. This isn't new...I make soup all the time, but this time, I really wanted some broccoli cheese soup. Guess what. No onion. Super! SO, it was off to Target. While I was making a list of a few things we needed, N reminded me that we needed laundry soap and dryer sheets and batteries. Since B will be home tomorrow, I also needed turkey (for his lunch), baby carrots, and Oreos. Why Oreos? I have no idea. But I felt like they were necessary, and N agreed. He chose the golden Oreos. It's been a long time since I've had any kind of Oreo. This might be dangerous.
Anyway, $100 later, we're home, unloading groceries, and I'm telling N that we're going to have to eat at home all week, even if that means I give B cheese...because we are always so quick to suggest going to grab something on the way to or from practice. And that has to stop. I have to be a grown-up and be all responsible and stuff.
I ordered N's catcher's gear yesterday, so imagine my surprise when someone banged on my door this afternoon. Someone was the Fed-Ex guy, delivering the gear. Know where it came from? Good ol' Wichita, KS! Man, I love that city. I miss it all the time. (P.S. I don't "do" the whole March Madness thing, but the Shox just knocked the #1 team out of the playoffs...HA!) Anyway, N tried on the gear and then we had a huge fight over his helmet and his hair. I'm copying from Facebook, so if you've already read it there, be prepared to be disappointed.
Friday Reader
Each Friday, one of the parents in B's class comes to read to the class after recess. I've done it a few times, and we always have a blast. They ask so many questions and giggle about the smallest things, and ask me my name and how to spell it over and over. For the record, if you actually spell your name, they laugh and say, "You mean you don't even know how to spell 'IT?!'" They're hilarious. It never fails. Lately, one of the boys has been calling me his "Sweetheart." It's the same kid (super adorable, by the way) who asked me, "Are you Indian or Hispanic?" during the Valentine's Day party. It was so hard not to laugh, as I said, "Um, neither."
Today was my turn again. I'm the room mom now, so I fill all of the slots that were empty. In less than a week, I managed to fill up the rest of the Fridays in the school year. I'd call that progress. Their teacher emailed everyone on Thursday, letting us know she was going to be gone today and Monday, so last night, when I couldn't fall asleep, I came up with a plan. Her birthday is in May, and I've been trying to think of something the kids could give her that would be something that she would be able to keep and remember them fondly.
My idea was to make a book...to have each kid write their favorite thing about her on a page, and then I would attach a picture(s) and a name tag so she would remember years down the road. When they came into the classroom after lunch/recess, they went to the floor for me to read to them, and then I asked if they wanted to make a surprise for her since she was going to be gone. They did such a great job. Seriously. For a bunch of squirmy little puppies, they stayed on task pretty well. The only problem is...14 out of 18 wrote the exact same thing! "My favorite thing about Mrs. Wilkinson is she's the best teacher ever." Fourteen times. The others varied:
"She gives us hugs."
"She reads fantastic stories."
"She is caring and has good manners."
"She teaches us stuff and pushes us harder and harder and harder."
Needless to say, it was 45 minutes of hilarity. She's going to laugh and love it. I just know it. Everyone finished pretty quickly, except for my child who kept disobeying me and writing each letter in a different color...just to piss me off. I read them "It's Not Easy Being a Bunny" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and they were all happy that we'd completed two tasks instead of one. And the substitute? Well...she looked relieved.
I can't wait to put it together and have the kids give it to her. She's seriously just an awesome teacher.
After school, N came home and asked to go to his friend's house, so I agreed. His friend's mom called and asked if he could stay over until 10:00 or so, and I agreed, although I wasn't sure what I was going to do for hours on end.
Answer: Nothing. Until I decided to go to Dick's Sporting Goods to see if I could find 1/2 gallon coolers for the boys for baseball. I got a couple from Target, and they leak like nobody's business. These were a few dollars more each, and I'm hoping they'll leak less. Also, I got an orange one for N and his Giants and I got a red one for B and his Rangers. Yay for color coordination!
When N came home, he started watching "Footloose" with me, then said it was too weird, so he went to watch "The Regular Show" instead. Yeah, I don't get it either. I decided to get rid of some jiggle so I upped my thigh workout and did a new one. After I finished, my legs were super shaky, and I tried to do my 66 squats. I had to split them up into 3 groups. I haven't had to do that in a long time.
Crawling into my super tall bed was a challenge. I have no intention of moving.
It's a good thing tomorrow's Saturday, and baseball games haven't started yet...although, I think I might see if we can catch one of N's friend's select games tomorrow, IF they're playing.
Silly rain.
Aubs
Today was my turn again. I'm the room mom now, so I fill all of the slots that were empty. In less than a week, I managed to fill up the rest of the Fridays in the school year. I'd call that progress. Their teacher emailed everyone on Thursday, letting us know she was going to be gone today and Monday, so last night, when I couldn't fall asleep, I came up with a plan. Her birthday is in May, and I've been trying to think of something the kids could give her that would be something that she would be able to keep and remember them fondly.
My idea was to make a book...to have each kid write their favorite thing about her on a page, and then I would attach a picture(s) and a name tag so she would remember years down the road. When they came into the classroom after lunch/recess, they went to the floor for me to read to them, and then I asked if they wanted to make a surprise for her since she was going to be gone. They did such a great job. Seriously. For a bunch of squirmy little puppies, they stayed on task pretty well. The only problem is...14 out of 18 wrote the exact same thing! "My favorite thing about Mrs. Wilkinson is she's the best teacher ever." Fourteen times. The others varied:
"She gives us hugs."
"She reads fantastic stories."
"She is caring and has good manners."
"She teaches us stuff and pushes us harder and harder and harder."
Needless to say, it was 45 minutes of hilarity. She's going to laugh and love it. I just know it. Everyone finished pretty quickly, except for my child who kept disobeying me and writing each letter in a different color...just to piss me off. I read them "It's Not Easy Being a Bunny" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and they were all happy that we'd completed two tasks instead of one. And the substitute? Well...she looked relieved.
I can't wait to put it together and have the kids give it to her. She's seriously just an awesome teacher.
After school, N came home and asked to go to his friend's house, so I agreed. His friend's mom called and asked if he could stay over until 10:00 or so, and I agreed, although I wasn't sure what I was going to do for hours on end.
Answer: Nothing. Until I decided to go to Dick's Sporting Goods to see if I could find 1/2 gallon coolers for the boys for baseball. I got a couple from Target, and they leak like nobody's business. These were a few dollars more each, and I'm hoping they'll leak less. Also, I got an orange one for N and his Giants and I got a red one for B and his Rangers. Yay for color coordination!
When N came home, he started watching "Footloose" with me, then said it was too weird, so he went to watch "The Regular Show" instead. Yeah, I don't get it either. I decided to get rid of some jiggle so I upped my thigh workout and did a new one. After I finished, my legs were super shaky, and I tried to do my 66 squats. I had to split them up into 3 groups. I haven't had to do that in a long time.
Crawling into my super tall bed was a challenge. I have no intention of moving.
It's a good thing tomorrow's Saturday, and baseball games haven't started yet...although, I think I might see if we can catch one of N's friend's select games tomorrow, IF they're playing.
Silly rain.
Aubs
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Baseball movies
This afternoon, N and I were discussing our favorite baseball movies. This is not a new discussion, and I've introduced him to a few he's never seen before. Sure, he loves "The Sandlot" and "Rookie of the Year," but what about the classics?
A few months ago, we had a movie night and watched "Field of Dreams." He STILL asks me questions about it. He was determined not to like it, but after it was over, he said, "Mom...you were right. This was a pretty good movie."
Success.
Another favorite? "The Rookie" with Dennis Quaid. Since it's based on a true story, and set in Texas, I already knew he was going to love it. It's one of my favorites, for sure. I loved watching him watch it, but I loved hearing, "Mom, this just goes to show you that you should never give up on your dream, doesn't it?" when the movie was over.
Tonight, I had him watch "A League of Their Own." He was adamant about not watching it, but I told him he should give it a try. He laughed out loud in all the right places, although we didn't finish it because it got late, and he copped an attitude, but he didn't understand why it was such a great movie. I explained that it was one of the ways our country coped with war...by trying to keep America's past time going with a women's league. He had a total "Aha!" moment when he finally heard, "There's no crying in baseball!" I use that one on both boys all the time. N adapted it to say, "There's no crying in baseball...unless you get hit on the chin by a wild grounder."
Fair enough.
We didn't do much this afternoon. The weather is changing, and the wind's been blowing like nobody's business. It's made my head feel like a balloon and my allergies are out of control. I know...somebody call a whambulance. Whatever. It's a pain. I pretty much can't wait for the rain IF it comes tomorrow. It would be welcomed. N and I have already discussed chili and a movie night for tomorrow night, weather permitting.
As for my melancholy mood yesterday, it's still hanging around...but it's a little better. If I don't think about the things that are hurting or difficult, they don't exist. Right? Wrong. It doesn't really work that way. One of the things I need to do, a way I can feel productive, is to find a job that will fit into my life schedule with my boys. I need something Monday through Thursday, from 8 or 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, so I have time to get home before the boys get home from school. With baseball practice or games pretty much every single day, I have to have evenings and weekends available to be a taxi.
And I realize that's entirely unrealistic, but I'm optimistic that God has a plan for me. I just have to give in and let Him control the situation.
And, even though it shouldn't be, it's really hard to do that sometimes.
Aubs
A few months ago, we had a movie night and watched "Field of Dreams." He STILL asks me questions about it. He was determined not to like it, but after it was over, he said, "Mom...you were right. This was a pretty good movie."
Success.
Another favorite? "The Rookie" with Dennis Quaid. Since it's based on a true story, and set in Texas, I already knew he was going to love it. It's one of my favorites, for sure. I loved watching him watch it, but I loved hearing, "Mom, this just goes to show you that you should never give up on your dream, doesn't it?" when the movie was over.
Tonight, I had him watch "A League of Their Own." He was adamant about not watching it, but I told him he should give it a try. He laughed out loud in all the right places, although we didn't finish it because it got late, and he copped an attitude, but he didn't understand why it was such a great movie. I explained that it was one of the ways our country coped with war...by trying to keep America's past time going with a women's league. He had a total "Aha!" moment when he finally heard, "There's no crying in baseball!" I use that one on both boys all the time. N adapted it to say, "There's no crying in baseball...unless you get hit on the chin by a wild grounder."
Fair enough.
We didn't do much this afternoon. The weather is changing, and the wind's been blowing like nobody's business. It's made my head feel like a balloon and my allergies are out of control. I know...somebody call a whambulance. Whatever. It's a pain. I pretty much can't wait for the rain IF it comes tomorrow. It would be welcomed. N and I have already discussed chili and a movie night for tomorrow night, weather permitting.
As for my melancholy mood yesterday, it's still hanging around...but it's a little better. If I don't think about the things that are hurting or difficult, they don't exist. Right? Wrong. It doesn't really work that way. One of the things I need to do, a way I can feel productive, is to find a job that will fit into my life schedule with my boys. I need something Monday through Thursday, from 8 or 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, so I have time to get home before the boys get home from school. With baseball practice or games pretty much every single day, I have to have evenings and weekends available to be a taxi.
And I realize that's entirely unrealistic, but I'm optimistic that God has a plan for me. I just have to give in and let Him control the situation.
And, even though it shouldn't be, it's really hard to do that sometimes.
Aubs
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Even the strongest falter sometimes
I will be the first one to tell you that I am typically upbeat and optimistic. I have a happy, healthy, positive outlook on life. Most will agree with you, unless they just want to disagree or they hate me for various reasons that may or may not be deserved. Anyway, yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine, as I often do, and I'm not even certain how the conversation took a "Danny Downer" turn, but it did. And when I'm involved in a sad/negative conversation, it causes me to become reflective and introspective, and that may be a hard thing for me.
I like to go on with life, pretending nothing is wrong, making it appear that my life of single parenting is easier than it looks, that I don't miss being part of a duo or partnership. And a lot of days, all of those things are entirely true: I am blessed to have a life that is less stressful than I deserve, my children are (over all) well-behaved and respectful (albeit more so to others than to their mother), and I'm typically perfectly content being by myself. But then there are those days where I feel the stress, my kids are being terrible (or at least that's how I perceive it), and I'm so completely lonely and miserable that it takes very little to make me burst into tears. Usually that doesn't happen until I'm in bed, winding down for the night, and the "aloneness" just hits me. Like a ton of bricks.
Last night, I was in the mood for a chick flick, so I turned on "Something Borrowed." I've seen this movie a handful of times, and I love it. There isn't really any rhyme or reason as to why, but I just do. I was explaining it to my friend...telling him that it's nice (in theory) to be someone's first choice, not their second or third or twenty-fifth. I wouldn't know this firsthand, but I'm sure it's a great feeling. (Okay, once upon a time, I might've been someone's first choice, but for a variety of reasons it never worked, and since then, I've never felt what I felt at that particular moment.) And when I get this way, as I'm sure many people do, I think about the "what ifs" and the "could have beens", and it's just never a good idea. There are people in my past (recent and not so recent) that I completely adore. At some point, I've loved them, wanted to smack them, thought about a future with them, and wanted to hit them...sometimes within the span of 10 minutes. I still love them, but it seems the love has evolved: sometimes it's romantic love, sometimes the love of a best friend, and sometimes a combination of several different kinds of love, but the fact still remains that they're just out of reach. They remain elusive for a reason; one I may never know or understand. I just know that I want to NOT want them...but do I really? Do I really want to not have them around? Is that true? I almost think I need it to be true, but then again...UGH! I used to be adamant in my answer: Yes, I do want them around. No, I don't want them around. Now, I seem to walk a fine line...right down the middle, and it gets me nowhere. On nights like this, I toss and turn as I wonder why they keep popping up in my life. Why, when I've just gotten to the point where I don't think about them all the time, do they suddenly become prominent in my thoughts? Why does this keep happening? Why can't I get it to stop?
I'm human. It gets old being by yourself. Do I NEED someone to feel complete? Absolutely not. Would it be nice to have someone in my corner? Absolutely. But it's not necessary...it's a "want" and not a "need." My boys would argue this...in fact, on the way home from practice, N begged me to arrange for men to show up his games so his mom wasn't the only one there. It broke my heart. "Mom, I'm glad you can be at my games, and I want you there, but can you make sure some guys come? I don't even care if it's Chase (his uncle) or someone who doesn't care about baseball, as long as they know me. Please?" How could one possibly feel adequate after that? I know he meant no disrespect to me...but I'm his mom, and I understand how much he wants to have an active male role model in his life.
Today, B's dad was angry about B accidentally dropping his iPhone, and shattering it. It was new, and although B did not "obey without delay" and do what his dad asked, it was an accident. Because of this, his dad didn't want him to go to his first baseball practice. He didn't want him to participate at all. Essentially, it became a "let's dredge up the past and let me just talk all the crap to you I can because my wife isn't in the car to make me stop and this is how I feel like I can control you." He was unsuccessful. And, when he DID show up at B's practice, he tried to make me feel inferior, but I didn't take the bait. Why? He's not worth it to me. He never was. Did he push my buttons? Definitely. Does he have the power to make me react? Not anymore. There was a time where I would've come unglued anytime he spoke to me the way he spoke to me today, but I kept my cool. I explained where I was coming from, and he's the one who blew up. And, honestly? It was a huge step for me. He has no power anymore, whether he realizes it or not...and I think he did.
Towards the end of N's practice, I spied his coach from last fall, and he came over to talk to me. He nodded towards N's coach and said, "He's in such good hands. I'd let my son play for him, and he has played for him...he's a good one." Immediately, I felt so much better. This guy totally doesn't beat around the bush. I trust him and his coaching advice, and if he says this coach is a good one for N to have, than I'm totally good with it. As for the baseball schedule, it's back to the original hectic schedule. The board voted on the schedule change, and it was denied. It caused too many issues, but I'm so grateful that the commissioner of N's league and several of the coaches went to bat (pun OBVIOUSLY intended) for the parents who have conflicts. It makes me happy to be a part of an organization that wants to make it a good experience for all.
This day has been rough, but tomorrow will be better. It has to be. My family is going through some stuff right now...in a variety of ways it is heartbreaking and hard to imagine and has left some of us completely stunned. We will get through it. We are strong in our support for each other, and strong in our faith. God is in control, and we will let Him take the reins here...but it's still hard to understand the logic behind the turmoil. I'm thankful to be a part of a family that sticks together, "whether times are good, bad, happy, or sad." We support each other, but even more than that, we love each other.
And, well...you can't really top that or put a price tag on it, nor can you put a price tag on this:
Aubs
I like to go on with life, pretending nothing is wrong, making it appear that my life of single parenting is easier than it looks, that I don't miss being part of a duo or partnership. And a lot of days, all of those things are entirely true: I am blessed to have a life that is less stressful than I deserve, my children are (over all) well-behaved and respectful (albeit more so to others than to their mother), and I'm typically perfectly content being by myself. But then there are those days where I feel the stress, my kids are being terrible (or at least that's how I perceive it), and I'm so completely lonely and miserable that it takes very little to make me burst into tears. Usually that doesn't happen until I'm in bed, winding down for the night, and the "aloneness" just hits me. Like a ton of bricks.
Last night, I was in the mood for a chick flick, so I turned on "Something Borrowed." I've seen this movie a handful of times, and I love it. There isn't really any rhyme or reason as to why, but I just do. I was explaining it to my friend...telling him that it's nice (in theory) to be someone's first choice, not their second or third or twenty-fifth. I wouldn't know this firsthand, but I'm sure it's a great feeling. (Okay, once upon a time, I might've been someone's first choice, but for a variety of reasons it never worked, and since then, I've never felt what I felt at that particular moment.) And when I get this way, as I'm sure many people do, I think about the "what ifs" and the "could have beens", and it's just never a good idea. There are people in my past (recent and not so recent) that I completely adore. At some point, I've loved them, wanted to smack them, thought about a future with them, and wanted to hit them...sometimes within the span of 10 minutes. I still love them, but it seems the love has evolved: sometimes it's romantic love, sometimes the love of a best friend, and sometimes a combination of several different kinds of love, but the fact still remains that they're just out of reach. They remain elusive for a reason; one I may never know or understand. I just know that I want to NOT want them...but do I really? Do I really want to not have them around? Is that true? I almost think I need it to be true, but then again...UGH! I used to be adamant in my answer: Yes, I do want them around. No, I don't want them around. Now, I seem to walk a fine line...right down the middle, and it gets me nowhere. On nights like this, I toss and turn as I wonder why they keep popping up in my life. Why, when I've just gotten to the point where I don't think about them all the time, do they suddenly become prominent in my thoughts? Why does this keep happening? Why can't I get it to stop?
I'm human. It gets old being by yourself. Do I NEED someone to feel complete? Absolutely not. Would it be nice to have someone in my corner? Absolutely. But it's not necessary...it's a "want" and not a "need." My boys would argue this...in fact, on the way home from practice, N begged me to arrange for men to show up his games so his mom wasn't the only one there. It broke my heart. "Mom, I'm glad you can be at my games, and I want you there, but can you make sure some guys come? I don't even care if it's Chase (his uncle) or someone who doesn't care about baseball, as long as they know me. Please?" How could one possibly feel adequate after that? I know he meant no disrespect to me...but I'm his mom, and I understand how much he wants to have an active male role model in his life.
Today, B's dad was angry about B accidentally dropping his iPhone, and shattering it. It was new, and although B did not "obey without delay" and do what his dad asked, it was an accident. Because of this, his dad didn't want him to go to his first baseball practice. He didn't want him to participate at all. Essentially, it became a "let's dredge up the past and let me just talk all the crap to you I can because my wife isn't in the car to make me stop and this is how I feel like I can control you." He was unsuccessful. And, when he DID show up at B's practice, he tried to make me feel inferior, but I didn't take the bait. Why? He's not worth it to me. He never was. Did he push my buttons? Definitely. Does he have the power to make me react? Not anymore. There was a time where I would've come unglued anytime he spoke to me the way he spoke to me today, but I kept my cool. I explained where I was coming from, and he's the one who blew up. And, honestly? It was a huge step for me. He has no power anymore, whether he realizes it or not...and I think he did.
Towards the end of N's practice, I spied his coach from last fall, and he came over to talk to me. He nodded towards N's coach and said, "He's in such good hands. I'd let my son play for him, and he has played for him...he's a good one." Immediately, I felt so much better. This guy totally doesn't beat around the bush. I trust him and his coaching advice, and if he says this coach is a good one for N to have, than I'm totally good with it. As for the baseball schedule, it's back to the original hectic schedule. The board voted on the schedule change, and it was denied. It caused too many issues, but I'm so grateful that the commissioner of N's league and several of the coaches went to bat (pun OBVIOUSLY intended) for the parents who have conflicts. It makes me happy to be a part of an organization that wants to make it a good experience for all.
This day has been rough, but tomorrow will be better. It has to be. My family is going through some stuff right now...in a variety of ways it is heartbreaking and hard to imagine and has left some of us completely stunned. We will get through it. We are strong in our support for each other, and strong in our faith. God is in control, and we will let Him take the reins here...but it's still hard to understand the logic behind the turmoil. I'm thankful to be a part of a family that sticks together, "whether times are good, bad, happy, or sad." We support each other, but even more than that, we love each other.
And, well...you can't really top that or put a price tag on it, nor can you put a price tag on this:
Aubs
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Scarves & Skin Cancer
Since I didn't do much of anything on my first day of Spring Break, I decided to make today count. I did some work on the computer, trying to get ahead in a class or two since I'm starting a flex-term class next week, and after that, I decided I had earned an hour or so poolside. I normally start working on my tan in February. It's warm enough, and, well...why not?
I'm slacking this year, it seems, so I dug out a swimsuit, sprayed on some sunscreen, and took off for the pool. It was, honestly, the perfect day for starting a tan: mid 60s, a nice breeze, and just enough clouds to give your eyes a break from squinting. I brought a book, but I kept getting distracted by the breeze and couldn't keep focus. That's about when I decided some music would help, so as I punched up a playlist on my phone, I heard the gate slam.
I looked up to see a woman wearing jeans, a long sleeve thermal shirt, and a scarf walking through the pool area with her dog. "Pepper, it's so cold out here. I can't wait to get home and make a nice cup of te..." she stopped abruptly, when she saw my head raised off the chair, looking around to see who had slammed the gate so loudly. Seeing me in my paisley bikini, she stopped, and then started talking to Pepper again, "I don't know how people can stand to be out in the weather on a day like today. I guess some people just really want to get skin cancer, don't they Pepper...but not me. Nope, we're cancer free and we're going to keep it that way, aren't we baby?"
I didn't have an appropriate response, so I pushed "Play" on my playlist, and was thrilled when Eminem came blaring out of the speakers. She walked by outside the fence, right as Eminem dropped the first F bomb, and shook her head in disgust as I smiled and waved. Nobody's raining on my parade! I spent a delightful hour by the pool, enjoying the breeze and the warm sun on my (sunscreened) face...and nobody's taking that away from me either!
I got home, cleaned up, and changed just before the boys got home. They both had good days, so B went out to play while N worked on his homework. When he finished, both boys took off to go play at the playground. I told them I'd be over in a little bit, after I finished getting all of B's baseball stuff together. When I got over there, B ran over to me in tears. I have to say, for the record, that B has become a serious crybaby as of late. It doesn't take much to set him off, and he has quite a flair for the dramatic. I realize some of that comes from his mother, but I feel the majority of this dramatic flair might come from his father's side of the family. It's true. There are plenty of people who are more dramatic than I am. Sobering thought, right?
Anyway, B was distraught. Why? Because nobody would throw him the football...his brother's football. This little kid was being a total jerk to B, and he was just dissolving in tears. I told him nobody wanted to play with "Crybaby B," so he needed to suck it up. I'm so loving and understanding. I sent him back into the mix, and told him to ask his brother if he could play on his team. N agreed, immediately...probably because he saw me sitting there. And things were fine...until someone said they were going to throw the ball to B, and then they didn't.
I told them we needed to go home after that, over the shrieks and howls of Crybaby B. When we got back, B's dad was almost there, so the boys played catch right outside, while I sat on the steps and contemplated the meaning of life. Or maybe I psyched myself up for conversation that I didn't want to have. Probably that.
As I was explaining why I was sending three backpacks with him: One school backpack, one baseball gear bag, and one practice bag with clothes/cleats, the boys continued to play football...until there was a crash and B collapsed in a heap.
I didn't see it, but I heard it, and took off running. There was B. On the ground. In a heap. He had a fight with the wrought iron fence, and the wrought iron fence won. Like, line on the side of his forehead, won. He was going for a pass, and the fence intercepted. Really, I could go all night with this one. It was funny, but he was really upset, so as I comforted him, his dad laughed at him and poked at him, trying to get him to laugh. He wasn't having it. He wanted to be cuddled and loved on, so that's what I did.
And yet, he says he wants to be at his dad's more...
I just don't freaking get it. I'm glad N can see the forest for the trees and knows better. I hope B will be that way someday, too...that he'll see all of the "stuff" money can buy can't hold a candle to all of the love and affection and silliness we have going for us here.
Man, I've been pretty redonkleeus tonight...forest for the trees, hold a candle, contemplate the meaning of life.
Help.
Aubs
I'm slacking this year, it seems, so I dug out a swimsuit, sprayed on some sunscreen, and took off for the pool. It was, honestly, the perfect day for starting a tan: mid 60s, a nice breeze, and just enough clouds to give your eyes a break from squinting. I brought a book, but I kept getting distracted by the breeze and couldn't keep focus. That's about when I decided some music would help, so as I punched up a playlist on my phone, I heard the gate slam.
I looked up to see a woman wearing jeans, a long sleeve thermal shirt, and a scarf walking through the pool area with her dog. "Pepper, it's so cold out here. I can't wait to get home and make a nice cup of te..." she stopped abruptly, when she saw my head raised off the chair, looking around to see who had slammed the gate so loudly. Seeing me in my paisley bikini, she stopped, and then started talking to Pepper again, "I don't know how people can stand to be out in the weather on a day like today. I guess some people just really want to get skin cancer, don't they Pepper...but not me. Nope, we're cancer free and we're going to keep it that way, aren't we baby?"
I didn't have an appropriate response, so I pushed "Play" on my playlist, and was thrilled when Eminem came blaring out of the speakers. She walked by outside the fence, right as Eminem dropped the first F bomb, and shook her head in disgust as I smiled and waved. Nobody's raining on my parade! I spent a delightful hour by the pool, enjoying the breeze and the warm sun on my (sunscreened) face...and nobody's taking that away from me either!
I got home, cleaned up, and changed just before the boys got home. They both had good days, so B went out to play while N worked on his homework. When he finished, both boys took off to go play at the playground. I told them I'd be over in a little bit, after I finished getting all of B's baseball stuff together. When I got over there, B ran over to me in tears. I have to say, for the record, that B has become a serious crybaby as of late. It doesn't take much to set him off, and he has quite a flair for the dramatic. I realize some of that comes from his mother, but I feel the majority of this dramatic flair might come from his father's side of the family. It's true. There are plenty of people who are more dramatic than I am. Sobering thought, right?
Anyway, B was distraught. Why? Because nobody would throw him the football...his brother's football. This little kid was being a total jerk to B, and he was just dissolving in tears. I told him nobody wanted to play with "Crybaby B," so he needed to suck it up. I'm so loving and understanding. I sent him back into the mix, and told him to ask his brother if he could play on his team. N agreed, immediately...probably because he saw me sitting there. And things were fine...until someone said they were going to throw the ball to B, and then they didn't.
I told them we needed to go home after that, over the shrieks and howls of Crybaby B. When we got back, B's dad was almost there, so the boys played catch right outside, while I sat on the steps and contemplated the meaning of life. Or maybe I psyched myself up for conversation that I didn't want to have. Probably that.
As I was explaining why I was sending three backpacks with him: One school backpack, one baseball gear bag, and one practice bag with clothes/cleats, the boys continued to play football...until there was a crash and B collapsed in a heap.
I didn't see it, but I heard it, and took off running. There was B. On the ground. In a heap. He had a fight with the wrought iron fence, and the wrought iron fence won. Like, line on the side of his forehead, won. He was going for a pass, and the fence intercepted. Really, I could go all night with this one. It was funny, but he was really upset, so as I comforted him, his dad laughed at him and poked at him, trying to get him to laugh. He wasn't having it. He wanted to be cuddled and loved on, so that's what I did.
And yet, he says he wants to be at his dad's more...
I just don't freaking get it. I'm glad N can see the forest for the trees and knows better. I hope B will be that way someday, too...that he'll see all of the "stuff" money can buy can't hold a candle to all of the love and affection and silliness we have going for us here.
Man, I've been pretty redonkleeus tonight...forest for the trees, hold a candle, contemplate the meaning of life.
Help.
Aubs
Monday, March 18, 2013
Argh, Mondays!
Remember how I was so happy that N and his dad talked and came to an understanding? Remember how N was excited about his dad picking him up to take him to school this morning, so they could spend more time together?
Um.
Long story short, I finally got in touch with him at 7:15. I woke him up. Needless to say, he didn't take N to school this morning, I did. And N was upset. Really upset. B, however, was a really good brother about it all. I was honestly really impressed with him. I explained that N was sad because his dad couldn't make it, and reminded B of how sad he gets when he gets disappointed (and in the back of my mind, my heart was breaking for both boys...because they suffer a lot more disappointment than they should in their short, little lives), and he was kind to his big brother without mentioning it. It was a proud moment, albeit brief.
When they got home from school, N announced that he'd done what I said, which was to make sure that one negative thing didn't ruin his entire day. He was on top of the world: he only had a little bit of homework and he knew he had baseball practice tonight, so he was excited. He admitted that his coach this season is actually pretty awesome: he does fun drills and keeps it interesting, but he was holding out final judgment until he met all of his teammates tonight.
B? Not so much. He had a hard day. He was so excited to see all of his friends at school, that he had to be redirected by his teacher. A lot. And then, apparently, he said something inappropriate in P.E., but he doesn't even remember saying anything at all. He said he was too busy running because P.E. was outside today, and he was so SUPER excited about it.
To add insult to injury, I made him/them go with me to Target to get paper products, namely toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags...oh, crap. I forgot paper plates. Ugh. Since we were at home all last week, they used up anything I'd had for school lunches, so we had to replenish all of that, too. It could've been a much shorter trip to Target, but they were being ridiculous.
We hurried home, ate a quick dinner, and then took off for the ball fields. Usually, we would've had to be there a whole hour earlier than we got there today, but B didn't have batting practice today. The whole team showed up, and it seems like we're going to have a great group. I'm excited for them; they communicate well, and seem to be having a lot of fun in practice...except when N took a bouncing grounder to the chin. I heard it, and it took all I had in me to stay in my seat and let N & his coach take care of it.
AND Y'ALL!!!! I got an email today from N's coach with the game schedule attached. The commissioner changed around a bunch of stuff, and I only have a couple of conflicting games now. I saw the schedule, and I literally almost cried. To be able to be there, to be involved and cheer both boys on? Well, that just makes my heart happy...and in a couple of years, they'll both be on the same fields, which will be even better. I'm just so grateful that they were willing/able to change things around. I had only asked for the last game...but they went above and beyond. Really, they did.
Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be rough for the next few months: practice ends at or after bedtime...so look for some grumpy posts in the near future. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get out and enjoy some sunshine, not to mention Bill Millers B-B-Q that my cousin brought me back from San Antonio. Oh, MAN! It's the barbecue of my childhood, and I just LOVE it.
Aubs
Um.
Long story short, I finally got in touch with him at 7:15. I woke him up. Needless to say, he didn't take N to school this morning, I did. And N was upset. Really upset. B, however, was a really good brother about it all. I was honestly really impressed with him. I explained that N was sad because his dad couldn't make it, and reminded B of how sad he gets when he gets disappointed (and in the back of my mind, my heart was breaking for both boys...because they suffer a lot more disappointment than they should in their short, little lives), and he was kind to his big brother without mentioning it. It was a proud moment, albeit brief.
When they got home from school, N announced that he'd done what I said, which was to make sure that one negative thing didn't ruin his entire day. He was on top of the world: he only had a little bit of homework and he knew he had baseball practice tonight, so he was excited. He admitted that his coach this season is actually pretty awesome: he does fun drills and keeps it interesting, but he was holding out final judgment until he met all of his teammates tonight.
B? Not so much. He had a hard day. He was so excited to see all of his friends at school, that he had to be redirected by his teacher. A lot. And then, apparently, he said something inappropriate in P.E., but he doesn't even remember saying anything at all. He said he was too busy running because P.E. was outside today, and he was so SUPER excited about it.
To add insult to injury, I made him/them go with me to Target to get paper products, namely toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags...oh, crap. I forgot paper plates. Ugh. Since we were at home all last week, they used up anything I'd had for school lunches, so we had to replenish all of that, too. It could've been a much shorter trip to Target, but they were being ridiculous.
We hurried home, ate a quick dinner, and then took off for the ball fields. Usually, we would've had to be there a whole hour earlier than we got there today, but B didn't have batting practice today. The whole team showed up, and it seems like we're going to have a great group. I'm excited for them; they communicate well, and seem to be having a lot of fun in practice...except when N took a bouncing grounder to the chin. I heard it, and it took all I had in me to stay in my seat and let N & his coach take care of it.
AND Y'ALL!!!! I got an email today from N's coach with the game schedule attached. The commissioner changed around a bunch of stuff, and I only have a couple of conflicting games now. I saw the schedule, and I literally almost cried. To be able to be there, to be involved and cheer both boys on? Well, that just makes my heart happy...and in a couple of years, they'll both be on the same fields, which will be even better. I'm just so grateful that they were willing/able to change things around. I had only asked for the last game...but they went above and beyond. Really, they did.
Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be rough for the next few months: practice ends at or after bedtime...so look for some grumpy posts in the near future. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get out and enjoy some sunshine, not to mention Bill Millers B-B-Q that my cousin brought me back from San Antonio. Oh, MAN! It's the barbecue of my childhood, and I just LOVE it.
Aubs
Sunday, March 17, 2013
One break over, and another one begins
N's been staying at home a lot lately instead of going to his dad's house. His dad's been working a lot, so any time N spends over there, the majority is spent with his stepmom and the baby. He was an only child for so long...almost 10 years, so he's really been struggling with the serious lack of one on one time with his dad. It's making him quick to anger and it really hurts him, and it's obvious. Or, at least it is to me, because I deal with the impact it has on him every single day.
But, this week? Well, this week I'd had enough. On Friday night, I called his dad and told him that he and N needed to have a talk. I didn't explain what was going on, just that N was having a hard time lately, and all he's said to me was that he really misses the time he used to have with just his dad. He started to ask more questions, and I kept being vague, and finally he had to go. It wasn't soon enough, let me tell you. I was running out of ways to say the same thing over and over again.
THEN, I told N it was time. He panicked. I told him to just be honest, and say what was on his heart. I'm happy to say that they had a talk this evening, and N feels so much better. He said his dad understood where he was coming from, but felt surprise when it came to the part where he talked about how he didn't like spending time with his stepmom. I don't know why he was surprised...you'd have to be blind to not notice how awkward it is. Then again, people put on blinders when it comes to parts of life that aren't as pleasant as others. We'll see how it goes, if there are any changes, and if it gets better. I hope it does...for the sake of both of them. They're my original boys...I want them to have a solid relationship, you know?
B spent practically all day outside. He was riding scooters, then went to the park, then slid down the grassy hill on a cardboard box (something he learned from the TCU ballgame on Wednesday), then came in to cool off, only to repeat this cycle. Several times. And he had a blast. It was such a relaxed afternoon...the breeze blowing through the apartment while I did dishes and reorganized and B played outside. He even commented on what a great afternoon it was.
I washed every single piece of dirty laundry in the apartment, so I'm hoping my laundry load will be small this week. We're gearing up for a full week of school for the boys and baseball practice, so I'm excited and interested to see how it will all work. They have 9 days of school until their next day off. Apparently, that's how we'll be counting down the remainder of the school year.
And, honestly, even though this week has been insane, nerve wracking, and entirely chaotic at times, I'm so glad we were all together. I hope they made some good memories...
I know I did.
Aubs
But, this week? Well, this week I'd had enough. On Friday night, I called his dad and told him that he and N needed to have a talk. I didn't explain what was going on, just that N was having a hard time lately, and all he's said to me was that he really misses the time he used to have with just his dad. He started to ask more questions, and I kept being vague, and finally he had to go. It wasn't soon enough, let me tell you. I was running out of ways to say the same thing over and over again.
THEN, I told N it was time. He panicked. I told him to just be honest, and say what was on his heart. I'm happy to say that they had a talk this evening, and N feels so much better. He said his dad understood where he was coming from, but felt surprise when it came to the part where he talked about how he didn't like spending time with his stepmom. I don't know why he was surprised...you'd have to be blind to not notice how awkward it is. Then again, people put on blinders when it comes to parts of life that aren't as pleasant as others. We'll see how it goes, if there are any changes, and if it gets better. I hope it does...for the sake of both of them. They're my original boys...I want them to have a solid relationship, you know?
B spent practically all day outside. He was riding scooters, then went to the park, then slid down the grassy hill on a cardboard box (something he learned from the TCU ballgame on Wednesday), then came in to cool off, only to repeat this cycle. Several times. And he had a blast. It was such a relaxed afternoon...the breeze blowing through the apartment while I did dishes and reorganized and B played outside. He even commented on what a great afternoon it was.
I washed every single piece of dirty laundry in the apartment, so I'm hoping my laundry load will be small this week. We're gearing up for a full week of school for the boys and baseball practice, so I'm excited and interested to see how it will all work. They have 9 days of school until their next day off. Apparently, that's how we'll be counting down the remainder of the school year.
And, honestly, even though this week has been insane, nerve wracking, and entirely chaotic at times, I'm so glad we were all together. I hope they made some good memories...
I know I did.
Aubs
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Picture Perfect
Today was a picture perfect day...or at least it was outside. Upper 70s, slight breeze, warm sunshine: it would've been a great day for a baseball game. Or B's first baseball session with his coach.
It was precious! N & I peeked around the corner of the batting cages to watch B interact with his coach. It was so fun to watch him setting himself up to catch the balls his coach was throwing to him, then throwing him back to him with an occasional wild throw that ended up going sideways. And all the while, the grin never left his face.
Since N plays kid pitch baseball, he's required to wear a cup and a helmet with a cage on it. B's not required to wear either, but since N does, try to convince B otherwise...just try it. His coach tried, and B said, "I'm going to keep it on. I have to get ready for the pros." completely deadpan. It was all I could do to not snort with laughter. I think it caught his coach off guard, too.
Batting practice was fun, too. He was working on his form, and getting a lot of positive feedback from his coach. B had asked me, right before practice, if kids ever got hit by the coaches during games, so when he got whacked in the side of the helmet with the ball, he looked at me and said, "Hey, look, Mom! I can get hit during practice, too!" His helmet works...good to know!
After we got home from his practice session, I removed all electronics from their possession, opened all the windows and doors, and sent them outside. They went to the playground, played catch, rode scooters, and ate. Like nobody's business, those two snarfed food like I've never seen.
I found "The Client" on tv, and was THRILLED because I can't remember the last time I saw that movie, and I adore Tommy Lee Jones. He's one of my favorite actors; he's so well-suited for any role he plays. BUT, it got better...as I reorganized my room, I found out that "A Time to Kill" was next, followed by "The Pelican Brief." Seriously, if I could sit down and do nothing but watch movies, I'd be the happiest girl alive.
I sent the boys to bed earlier than they've been going to bed all week...I figure I should probably get them back on track. I'm hoping we'll have a smooth transition back into the swing of their school schedule. Plus, while it was beautiful outside, it was not so beautiful inside my house today. My boys have been spending a lot of time together, and they both need a break. Too much of a "good thing" is absolutely possible.
But, for tonight we're sleeping with the windows open, and I'm grateful that we're able to do so. You'll find me at the pool as many days as I can this week...I need a time out.
Aubs
P.S. I tried some iced coffee in my Keurig today, and was delighted. That is all.
It was precious! N & I peeked around the corner of the batting cages to watch B interact with his coach. It was so fun to watch him setting himself up to catch the balls his coach was throwing to him, then throwing him back to him with an occasional wild throw that ended up going sideways. And all the while, the grin never left his face.
Since N plays kid pitch baseball, he's required to wear a cup and a helmet with a cage on it. B's not required to wear either, but since N does, try to convince B otherwise...just try it. His coach tried, and B said, "I'm going to keep it on. I have to get ready for the pros." completely deadpan. It was all I could do to not snort with laughter. I think it caught his coach off guard, too.
Batting practice was fun, too. He was working on his form, and getting a lot of positive feedback from his coach. B had asked me, right before practice, if kids ever got hit by the coaches during games, so when he got whacked in the side of the helmet with the ball, he looked at me and said, "Hey, look, Mom! I can get hit during practice, too!" His helmet works...good to know!
After we got home from his practice session, I removed all electronics from their possession, opened all the windows and doors, and sent them outside. They went to the playground, played catch, rode scooters, and ate. Like nobody's business, those two snarfed food like I've never seen.
I found "The Client" on tv, and was THRILLED because I can't remember the last time I saw that movie, and I adore Tommy Lee Jones. He's one of my favorite actors; he's so well-suited for any role he plays. BUT, it got better...as I reorganized my room, I found out that "A Time to Kill" was next, followed by "The Pelican Brief." Seriously, if I could sit down and do nothing but watch movies, I'd be the happiest girl alive.
I sent the boys to bed earlier than they've been going to bed all week...I figure I should probably get them back on track. I'm hoping we'll have a smooth transition back into the swing of their school schedule. Plus, while it was beautiful outside, it was not so beautiful inside my house today. My boys have been spending a lot of time together, and they both need a break. Too much of a "good thing" is absolutely possible.
But, for tonight we're sleeping with the windows open, and I'm grateful that we're able to do so. You'll find me at the pool as many days as I can this week...I need a time out.
Aubs
P.S. I tried some iced coffee in my Keurig today, and was delighted. That is all.
Spring Break Day 5
The boys had to go to school with me this morning, so they were dragged out of bed at 7:30, after being reminded that we could stop for Chick-fil-A if we made it out the door by 8:00.
It's amazing how quickly they move when chicken minis are involved...
We got to school early enough for them to get the lay of the land: vending machines, bathrooms, multiple stairwells...the whole nine yards. We staked out a corner of the classroom after they introduced themselves to my professor, and class began.
Y'all, they did so well. They sat there, playing video games, drawing, or coloring for 2 1/2 hours. There were two short breaks...one after each full hour, so I took them to get a snack/drink during the first break, and both times B had to pee, or at least he said he did. We got out early, and I was thrilled with their behavior.
I should've stuck with "surprised and pleased." They turned into angry children after that: being ugly to each other and to me, so we went home, and I made them lunch. I told them they had one more chance before being punished, and they blew it. Hardcore.
And that, my friends, is how they ended up in separate rooms at 3:04 this afternoon. To take naps. I closed the curtains, turned on the fans, turned on music for B, and said, "Forget it. Wake up happier."
N was out in less than 10 minutes. I eventually had to go cuddle with B for a few minutes. He passed out, and was up within 30 minutes. I told him he hadn't taken a long enough nap to wake up happy, and he halfheartedly argued...before slinking back into my room and climbing on my bed without another word.
N woke up first...at 6:26. B woke up about 15 minutes later. And for 3 hours, I had peace & quiet. It was bliss. Complete. Bliss.
See, I'm on spring break now...so I read a book. For fun. And it was one I've read before, but I like to reread my favorites from time to time. So I loved it.
We went to the apartment complex pool party after that, but B only swam for a few minutes (the water was much colder than Angela's pool yesterday, although it was heated) and the food was mostly gone, so I got guilted into grabbing burgers for them since there weren't any left.
My mom came over to hang out for a little bit, and we had a great talk about a couple of papers I've written recently...talking about my grandparents and the things I remember about them from my childhood all the way to the things I remember most vividly when they died while I was in middle school/high school. It was a strange conversation to be happy about, but walking down memory lane is always such a beautiful thing.
Speaking of memories...I randomly saw this quote the other day, and I don't know who said it, but it is so true in so many friendships/relationships, both past and present:
"I think the only reason why people hold onto memories so tight for so long is because memories are the only things that don't change, even when people do."
I do that. A lot. I hold on to how I remember people, and not how they really are now, and by doing that, I'm really kind of cheating myself. And them, honestly, if I think about it. Because the memories are not the same as reality, and would you rather have the happy, butterflies-in-the-stomach memories, or the harsh reality? Exactly.
THEN, as I was pondering my heart out over that quote, I realized that I probably fall into the memories category for some/a lot of people, too. And, while that makes my heart hurt sometimes, I also know it's all a part of the growing process.
I have some of the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for. They are supportive and so close-knit, and they get me. That's hard to do sometimes. The most memorable people in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren't very lovable.
And, y'all? There have been a whole lot of times where I haven't been very lovable. Like this morning. When my kids were giving me a hell of a time while we were trying to get out the door, and again after I got them breakfast.
I'm going to try to be more lovable, okay? Y'all just keep on loving me even if I'm a pain in the ass. I really appreciate it more than you know...even if I'm too pissed off to say it or show it.
Aubs
It's amazing how quickly they move when chicken minis are involved...
We got to school early enough for them to get the lay of the land: vending machines, bathrooms, multiple stairwells...the whole nine yards. We staked out a corner of the classroom after they introduced themselves to my professor, and class began.
Y'all, they did so well. They sat there, playing video games, drawing, or coloring for 2 1/2 hours. There were two short breaks...one after each full hour, so I took them to get a snack/drink during the first break, and both times B had to pee, or at least he said he did. We got out early, and I was thrilled with their behavior.
I should've stuck with "surprised and pleased." They turned into angry children after that: being ugly to each other and to me, so we went home, and I made them lunch. I told them they had one more chance before being punished, and they blew it. Hardcore.
And that, my friends, is how they ended up in separate rooms at 3:04 this afternoon. To take naps. I closed the curtains, turned on the fans, turned on music for B, and said, "Forget it. Wake up happier."
N was out in less than 10 minutes. I eventually had to go cuddle with B for a few minutes. He passed out, and was up within 30 minutes. I told him he hadn't taken a long enough nap to wake up happy, and he halfheartedly argued...before slinking back into my room and climbing on my bed without another word.
N woke up first...at 6:26. B woke up about 15 minutes later. And for 3 hours, I had peace & quiet. It was bliss. Complete. Bliss.
See, I'm on spring break now...so I read a book. For fun. And it was one I've read before, but I like to reread my favorites from time to time. So I loved it.
We went to the apartment complex pool party after that, but B only swam for a few minutes (the water was much colder than Angela's pool yesterday, although it was heated) and the food was mostly gone, so I got guilted into grabbing burgers for them since there weren't any left.
My mom came over to hang out for a little bit, and we had a great talk about a couple of papers I've written recently...talking about my grandparents and the things I remember about them from my childhood all the way to the things I remember most vividly when they died while I was in middle school/high school. It was a strange conversation to be happy about, but walking down memory lane is always such a beautiful thing.
Speaking of memories...I randomly saw this quote the other day, and I don't know who said it, but it is so true in so many friendships/relationships, both past and present:
"I think the only reason why people hold onto memories so tight for so long is because memories are the only things that don't change, even when people do."
I do that. A lot. I hold on to how I remember people, and not how they really are now, and by doing that, I'm really kind of cheating myself. And them, honestly, if I think about it. Because the memories are not the same as reality, and would you rather have the happy, butterflies-in-the-stomach memories, or the harsh reality? Exactly.
THEN, as I was pondering my heart out over that quote, I realized that I probably fall into the memories category for some/a lot of people, too. And, while that makes my heart hurt sometimes, I also know it's all a part of the growing process.
I have some of the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for. They are supportive and so close-knit, and they get me. That's hard to do sometimes. The most memorable people in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren't very lovable.
And, y'all? There have been a whole lot of times where I haven't been very lovable. Like this morning. When my kids were giving me a hell of a time while we were trying to get out the door, and again after I got them breakfast.
I'm going to try to be more lovable, okay? Y'all just keep on loving me even if I'm a pain in the ass. I really appreciate it more than you know...even if I'm too pissed off to say it or show it.
Aubs
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Spring Break Day 4
It started off a lot like Spring Break Day 2...the boys slept in, and then begged not to do anything. They were exhausted from the baseball game yesterday, followed by hours of baseball practice for N and baseball for fun for B. I had also received a phone call from my friend, Angela, asking if we wanted to come over for swimming and burgers. So, in the blink of an eye, my boys went from not wanting to do anything to wanting to know when we were leaving to go over there. Every. Thirty. Seconds.
Also, N asked if I would make an apple pie today, just randomly, and I agreed. See, today is "Pi" day, so it was kind of fitting. While I was at it, I made some banana bread, too, so we went over to our friends' house bearing gifts of the baked variety. The boys jumped in the pool almost immediately, and there they stayed for a couple of hours. After swimming and working up appetites, they came inside to eat, then the older boys retreated upstairs to play Xbox while the younger boys hit the pool again.
All too soon, it was time to leave. They were all exhausted, and the boys and I are going to college tomorrow. Yeah, that's going to be quite the adventure, I must say. I've taken them individually before, but never at the same time. I'm hoping we'll at least make it through an hour. That would be more than I could hope for, seriously.
I say it all the time, but I'm so glad N ended up on the Marlins last fall. He made a great friend, I made a great friend, and B made a great friend out of the deal. We are so blessed to have each scored friends who get us...and vice versa. Angela's husband works for Microsoft, so they get good deals on video games, and she picked up a game that N's been wanting for a while...just because. He's going to be so excited when I give it to him (and tell him where it came from, even though she says to say it's from the Easter bunny!). I'm really just so thrilled that she and I have the kind of friendship where we don't have to filter anything we say. She gets it...and so do I. That's a rare thing, and I'm super grateful that, by sheer luck, we ended up on the same team. We miss them this season.
Also, today, we got a Spring Break care package from my sister and brother-in-law! They sent games, silly 'staches, dart guns (Three, so I can fight back!), and (most importantly) a hefty supply of K-cups! My Seester has superpowers, I swear. She sent me a package of the Starbucks Blonde K-Cups...the kind I always want to get, but Target is always out of, and I'm super excited to try it tomorrow morning. I already have it in my Keurig, ready to go. I have a feeling coffee will be vital to my survival tomorrow morning.
And, with that, I'm headed to bed. I'm really trying to prepare myself, mentally, for tomorrow. It's going to be a real experience. Nintendos have been charged, iPods are docked, and I'm hoping they will have enough to entertain them for a while. Afterwards, we're headed to the park and/or to hang out with a Nana that's playing hooky on the last day of Spring Break! It should be noted, however, that this is not my Spring Break. No, that's next week...and while I'll get a vacation from the boys' vacation, I still have to get up early to get them (well, N) to school. I don't see how that can be described as a break.
Grrrr.
Aubs
Also, N asked if I would make an apple pie today, just randomly, and I agreed. See, today is "Pi" day, so it was kind of fitting. While I was at it, I made some banana bread, too, so we went over to our friends' house bearing gifts of the baked variety. The boys jumped in the pool almost immediately, and there they stayed for a couple of hours. After swimming and working up appetites, they came inside to eat, then the older boys retreated upstairs to play Xbox while the younger boys hit the pool again.
All too soon, it was time to leave. They were all exhausted, and the boys and I are going to college tomorrow. Yeah, that's going to be quite the adventure, I must say. I've taken them individually before, but never at the same time. I'm hoping we'll at least make it through an hour. That would be more than I could hope for, seriously.
I say it all the time, but I'm so glad N ended up on the Marlins last fall. He made a great friend, I made a great friend, and B made a great friend out of the deal. We are so blessed to have each scored friends who get us...and vice versa. Angela's husband works for Microsoft, so they get good deals on video games, and she picked up a game that N's been wanting for a while...just because. He's going to be so excited when I give it to him (and tell him where it came from, even though she says to say it's from the Easter bunny!). I'm really just so thrilled that she and I have the kind of friendship where we don't have to filter anything we say. She gets it...and so do I. That's a rare thing, and I'm super grateful that, by sheer luck, we ended up on the same team. We miss them this season.
Also, today, we got a Spring Break care package from my sister and brother-in-law! They sent games, silly 'staches, dart guns (Three, so I can fight back!), and (most importantly) a hefty supply of K-cups! My Seester has superpowers, I swear. She sent me a package of the Starbucks Blonde K-Cups...the kind I always want to get, but Target is always out of, and I'm super excited to try it tomorrow morning. I already have it in my Keurig, ready to go. I have a feeling coffee will be vital to my survival tomorrow morning.
And, with that, I'm headed to bed. I'm really trying to prepare myself, mentally, for tomorrow. It's going to be a real experience. Nintendos have been charged, iPods are docked, and I'm hoping they will have enough to entertain them for a while. Afterwards, we're headed to the park and/or to hang out with a Nana that's playing hooky on the last day of Spring Break! It should be noted, however, that this is not my Spring Break. No, that's next week...and while I'll get a vacation from the boys' vacation, I still have to get up early to get them (well, N) to school. I don't see how that can be described as a break.
Grrrr.
Aubs
Spring Break Day 3
This morning, we all slept in...I'm talking my alarm started going off at 9:30, and I said, "Forget it" and rolled over to go back to sleep. The boys didn't get up until after 10:30. It was delightful.
And then I realized I had so much to do before we left to pick up N's friend at 12:30, so I had to start being a slug and start being something whole lot faster. I printed the ticket confirmation, slapped on a TCU hat, and off we went. Before we left, I looked at where I was going on the map, and printed directions. They were worthless. They took me to an entirely different street by the same name. And it was NOT where I wanted to be. Eventually, we found the stadium, got our tickets, and went to find a spot in the sunshine.
We found a good spot, threw our stuff down, and went to check out the line for $1 hot dogs/drinks/popcorn. H.O.L.Y. Cow. It was forever long. I was standing next to a security guard...and I thought he was standing there to keep the line "honest," but he was waiting for a dang hot dog, too! Finally, he had to go back to work, so he asked if I'd grab two dogs for him and gave me some money. I'm nice. There you go. I kept sending the boys back to watch the game, telling them to come back in different increments of time. When I got almost halfway through the line (45 minutes later), they came up, and watched the game from the first baseline until I needed them to help me carry stuff. That's right, folks...90 minutes for some hot dogs, but B proclaimed they were "The best hot dogs EVER." Obviously, the kid was absolutely starving.
After they ate, they decided to go play on the grassy hill. It's a spot where kids bring pieces of cardboard, and use the hill as a slide. It was packed. We had a front row seat (from our seats on the grass) of the visitor's bullpen, so they played and I watched. I might've drooled. It was hard to tell, and there weren't any witnesses. They were stretching and jumping and throwing and squatting...20 feet away from me. Oh, MAN. I love baseball.
And that's when I heard a commotion to my right. I look over, and this bigger kid is going after B...like, he's trying to throw a punch, and my B? He's not having it. He punched that kid, and I yelled, "B! You best walk away." He looked at me and nodded, but the kid wouldn't let go. And that's when N yanked the kid's arm off of his brother, and the kid swung around to take a swing at him. He didn't get very far because N was ready, and I yelled, "N! You walk away, too!" and the kid threw his arms up in the air in a "What?!" gesture and walked off.
A few minutes later, B was back up on the hill, and the kid came up behind him and tried to push B off his cardboard. B walked away and the kid followed him. He grabbed B by the arm, and I'd had enough. So, I walked up to the wall, and yelled, "Excuse me? You WILL leave my kids alone, or I will take care of it on my own. Do you understand me?" He stared. "Remove your hand from my son's body, or I will remove it for you. Are we clear?" He stared, but removed his hand. "This will not happen again. Do you understand me?" He stared, completely dumbfounded...and then that dang kid walked 10 feet away from my boys and their friend and sat down. TO POUT. Seriously. He was pouting and having a wonderful pity party...a big enough one to where his friend came over and started talking crap to all three of "my" boys.
My boys ignored him, then responded when he insulted them, but not with poor language. It really made the kid mad, so after saying something about being Christians, he and Mr. Pouty Face started dropping the "F" bomb everywhere. Super! And also very Christian of them. We left not long after that...and while the zoo traffic made the first 30 minutes of the ride home take FOREVER (stuck between two lights for 25 minutes), once I found my way to 30, I found the Bush, and we were to Wagon Wheel for N's practice with 20 minutes to spare.
Practice: Somehow, I was "selected" to be Team Mom. How does this always happen to me? I mean...I don't mind sometimes, but it's always me. Practice was good: the boys seemed to learn a lot, and B had a great ol' time with another little brother. He got beaten to a pulp by wild pitches from this kid, but didn't cry. Instead, he showed the kid how to get in a good batting stance and how to scoop up grounders. I was impressed. I pitched to him until he hit 10 times, and then watched the rest of N's practice.
After everyone else had left, I saw the coach & his son strapping on catcher's gear, so I made a comment about it to N. Before I knew what was happening, he'd jumped out of the car and RACED back over to the field to see if he could do it, too. So, that's how we ended up staying at practice until 9:30 at night...watching N get hit by ball after ball after ball, while he was learning to stop the ball. Not catch it, stop it. His coach's son has never played catcher before, so I guess his mentality was to make him realize, "Hey, I'm going to get hit by the ball. And it's going to hurt. But that's why I wear gear to protect myself." N was annoyed because he thought he was going to get to show off. He wasn't expecting a lesson in the basics. But I think it was just what he needed.
And who's always right? Oh, that's right...Mom.
Aubs
And then I realized I had so much to do before we left to pick up N's friend at 12:30, so I had to start being a slug and start being something whole lot faster. I printed the ticket confirmation, slapped on a TCU hat, and off we went. Before we left, I looked at where I was going on the map, and printed directions. They were worthless. They took me to an entirely different street by the same name. And it was NOT where I wanted to be. Eventually, we found the stadium, got our tickets, and went to find a spot in the sunshine.
We found a good spot, threw our stuff down, and went to check out the line for $1 hot dogs/drinks/popcorn. H.O.L.Y. Cow. It was forever long. I was standing next to a security guard...and I thought he was standing there to keep the line "honest," but he was waiting for a dang hot dog, too! Finally, he had to go back to work, so he asked if I'd grab two dogs for him and gave me some money. I'm nice. There you go. I kept sending the boys back to watch the game, telling them to come back in different increments of time. When I got almost halfway through the line (45 minutes later), they came up, and watched the game from the first baseline until I needed them to help me carry stuff. That's right, folks...90 minutes for some hot dogs, but B proclaimed they were "The best hot dogs EVER." Obviously, the kid was absolutely starving.
After they ate, they decided to go play on the grassy hill. It's a spot where kids bring pieces of cardboard, and use the hill as a slide. It was packed. We had a front row seat (from our seats on the grass) of the visitor's bullpen, so they played and I watched. I might've drooled. It was hard to tell, and there weren't any witnesses. They were stretching and jumping and throwing and squatting...20 feet away from me. Oh, MAN. I love baseball.
And that's when I heard a commotion to my right. I look over, and this bigger kid is going after B...like, he's trying to throw a punch, and my B? He's not having it. He punched that kid, and I yelled, "B! You best walk away." He looked at me and nodded, but the kid wouldn't let go. And that's when N yanked the kid's arm off of his brother, and the kid swung around to take a swing at him. He didn't get very far because N was ready, and I yelled, "N! You walk away, too!" and the kid threw his arms up in the air in a "What?!" gesture and walked off.
A few minutes later, B was back up on the hill, and the kid came up behind him and tried to push B off his cardboard. B walked away and the kid followed him. He grabbed B by the arm, and I'd had enough. So, I walked up to the wall, and yelled, "Excuse me? You WILL leave my kids alone, or I will take care of it on my own. Do you understand me?" He stared. "Remove your hand from my son's body, or I will remove it for you. Are we clear?" He stared, but removed his hand. "This will not happen again. Do you understand me?" He stared, completely dumbfounded...and then that dang kid walked 10 feet away from my boys and their friend and sat down. TO POUT. Seriously. He was pouting and having a wonderful pity party...a big enough one to where his friend came over and started talking crap to all three of "my" boys.
My boys ignored him, then responded when he insulted them, but not with poor language. It really made the kid mad, so after saying something about being Christians, he and Mr. Pouty Face started dropping the "F" bomb everywhere. Super! And also very Christian of them. We left not long after that...and while the zoo traffic made the first 30 minutes of the ride home take FOREVER (stuck between two lights for 25 minutes), once I found my way to 30, I found the Bush, and we were to Wagon Wheel for N's practice with 20 minutes to spare.
Practice: Somehow, I was "selected" to be Team Mom. How does this always happen to me? I mean...I don't mind sometimes, but it's always me. Practice was good: the boys seemed to learn a lot, and B had a great ol' time with another little brother. He got beaten to a pulp by wild pitches from this kid, but didn't cry. Instead, he showed the kid how to get in a good batting stance and how to scoop up grounders. I was impressed. I pitched to him until he hit 10 times, and then watched the rest of N's practice.
After everyone else had left, I saw the coach & his son strapping on catcher's gear, so I made a comment about it to N. Before I knew what was happening, he'd jumped out of the car and RACED back over to the field to see if he could do it, too. So, that's how we ended up staying at practice until 9:30 at night...watching N get hit by ball after ball after ball, while he was learning to stop the ball. Not catch it, stop it. His coach's son has never played catcher before, so I guess his mentality was to make him realize, "Hey, I'm going to get hit by the ball. And it's going to hurt. But that's why I wear gear to protect myself." N was annoyed because he thought he was going to get to show off. He wasn't expecting a lesson in the basics. But I think it was just what he needed.
And who's always right? Oh, that's right...Mom.
Aubs
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Spring Break Day 2
I know. You're probably blown away by yet another original title...I bet you can't guess what tomorrow's post will be titled...
This could have a more appropriate title...like "Fran Drescher called, and she wants her voice back." OR "When you put on a hoodie to take out the trash, only to discover that it's your 10-year-old son's, and you can effectively wear a youth large." I mean, I could be wrong, but those probably are fairly accurate as well.
When I woke up this morning, I knew I was in trouble. I felt awful. I did NOT realize, however, that my voice didn't work so well until I went in to wake the boys for B's appointment with the chiropractor. I squeaked and cracked and sounded like a little boy in the midst of puberty hell. N sat up, but almost immediately started complaining of stomach pain. B sat up, and almost immediately said he was going puke. I responded with, "We have two bathrooms. Each of you hit one....NOW!" And thus began our day. Truth be told, my stomach didn't feel so hot either, but I figured it was just overall ick factor. (For the record, nobody actually puked, and all felt better after waking up a little.)
I called the chiropractor to cancel B's appointment, not really caring whether there was a fee or not, and announced we'd be staying at home. All day. This was probably my first mistake. Then they were hungry. Since B is doing the whole "no dairy" thing, we have coconut milk and a gallon of skim milk, but when I grabbed the (unopened) gallon of milk, I noticed it had expired. March 4th. Whoops! I told N he better not risk it, so he suffered through a poptart, and I realized we were going to have to go to Target.
Chicken nuggets, milk, applesauce, and batteries...these are the things that sustain us. Apparently. On the way home, N asked if we could please stop to get a game he'd been wanting to buy with his own money...only to realize he'd left his wallet at home. Convenient? I think so. I equated video game to peace and quiet for mom and her roaring headache, so I agreed. And there, folks, would be the second mistake I made today. It was not quiet. It was loud. There was violence...both on and off screen.
When B's friend's mom text me to see if B wanted to come over to keep her son company while her husband worked from home, I responded quickly and emphatically with a resounding, "Yes! When do you want me to bring him over?" So the B's (plural) played together for two days in a row. And my B loved being at only child B's house a ton. He asked if he could live there. I declined.
Meanwhile, I had been trying to figure out what to do with the boys and some friends tomorrow. We had come up with a few ideas, but they were too expensive (spring break price gouging) or bound to be super crowded, so I suggested a college baseball game. $1 admission along with $1 hot dogs & drinks sounds like a pretty cheap and entertaining afternoon to me...plus, it gets N in the mood for practice afterwards. Unfortunately, my friends were not interested and I'd already mentioned it to the boys, so we're flying solo tomorrow.
I text my friend Angela this evening and said something like, "Super short notice, but do any of your kids want to come with us to a baseball game tomorrow?" and she responded by saying N's pal would love to go! SO, so far this week, I've accomplished some sort of interaction with a friend for each boy twice. I'm so proud of myself.
We had a trifecta of a blowout this afternoon/evening, too. I won't lie. I'm so tired of the boys touching each other. They get in each other's faces and spaces and they're ugly. And I'm sick of it. So this afternoon, when they both came tattling, I'd had enough. There was yelling, but I'm not sure they understood a word of it...since (my voice being the way it is and all) they only heard every third word or so. Really effective parenting right there.
To end the evening, we did our second movie night in a row...this time it was "Monsters, Inc." I love that movie. I've loved it since it first came out. It's one I could truly watch over and over again (and Lord know N made me do it) without getting tired of it. He and I were both quoting it tonight, and B was getting so angry:
B: MOM! I'm too young to remember these words...you two need to be quiet so I can hear the actors since they got paid to do this.
N: WE COULD BE GETTING PAID?!
Me:
This could have a more appropriate title...like "Fran Drescher called, and she wants her voice back." OR "When you put on a hoodie to take out the trash, only to discover that it's your 10-year-old son's, and you can effectively wear a youth large." I mean, I could be wrong, but those probably are fairly accurate as well.
When I woke up this morning, I knew I was in trouble. I felt awful. I did NOT realize, however, that my voice didn't work so well until I went in to wake the boys for B's appointment with the chiropractor. I squeaked and cracked and sounded like a little boy in the midst of puberty hell. N sat up, but almost immediately started complaining of stomach pain. B sat up, and almost immediately said he was going puke. I responded with, "We have two bathrooms. Each of you hit one....NOW!" And thus began our day. Truth be told, my stomach didn't feel so hot either, but I figured it was just overall ick factor. (For the record, nobody actually puked, and all felt better after waking up a little.)
I called the chiropractor to cancel B's appointment, not really caring whether there was a fee or not, and announced we'd be staying at home. All day. This was probably my first mistake. Then they were hungry. Since B is doing the whole "no dairy" thing, we have coconut milk and a gallon of skim milk, but when I grabbed the (unopened) gallon of milk, I noticed it had expired. March 4th. Whoops! I told N he better not risk it, so he suffered through a poptart, and I realized we were going to have to go to Target.
Chicken nuggets, milk, applesauce, and batteries...these are the things that sustain us. Apparently. On the way home, N asked if we could please stop to get a game he'd been wanting to buy with his own money...only to realize he'd left his wallet at home. Convenient? I think so. I equated video game to peace and quiet for mom and her roaring headache, so I agreed. And there, folks, would be the second mistake I made today. It was not quiet. It was loud. There was violence...both on and off screen.
When B's friend's mom text me to see if B wanted to come over to keep her son company while her husband worked from home, I responded quickly and emphatically with a resounding, "Yes! When do you want me to bring him over?" So the B's (plural) played together for two days in a row. And my B loved being at only child B's house a ton. He asked if he could live there. I declined.
Meanwhile, I had been trying to figure out what to do with the boys and some friends tomorrow. We had come up with a few ideas, but they were too expensive (spring break price gouging) or bound to be super crowded, so I suggested a college baseball game. $1 admission along with $1 hot dogs & drinks sounds like a pretty cheap and entertaining afternoon to me...plus, it gets N in the mood for practice afterwards. Unfortunately, my friends were not interested and I'd already mentioned it to the boys, so we're flying solo tomorrow.
I text my friend Angela this evening and said something like, "Super short notice, but do any of your kids want to come with us to a baseball game tomorrow?" and she responded by saying N's pal would love to go! SO, so far this week, I've accomplished some sort of interaction with a friend for each boy twice. I'm so proud of myself.
We had a trifecta of a blowout this afternoon/evening, too. I won't lie. I'm so tired of the boys touching each other. They get in each other's faces and spaces and they're ugly. And I'm sick of it. So this afternoon, when they both came tattling, I'd had enough. There was yelling, but I'm not sure they understood a word of it...since (my voice being the way it is and all) they only heard every third word or so. Really effective parenting right there.
To end the evening, we did our second movie night in a row...this time it was "Monsters, Inc." I love that movie. I've loved it since it first came out. It's one I could truly watch over and over again (and Lord know N made me do it) without getting tired of it. He and I were both quoting it tonight, and B was getting so angry:
B: MOM! I'm too young to remember these words...you two need to be quiet so I can hear the actors since they got paid to do this.
N: WE COULD BE GETTING PAID?!
Me:
Monday, March 11, 2013
Spring Break: Day 1
After B and I watched "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" last night, he was (once again) terrified of bugs, so I slept in N's bed, and woke up FREEEEEZING. I hadn't turned the heat on because I haven't had it on since the last time it snowed, so it was a frigid 64 in my apartment this morning.
I think that's where my day started to go downhill. B and I cuddled (read: huddled for warmth) until the heater warmed things up a little, then I had him hit the showers while I did some homework. I'm so dedicated. After he and I both showered and got ready for our days, we picked N up and headed to Costco. I don't want to go to the store later in the week, closer to when everyone will be making a mad dash for the store to get everything necessary for school lunches, so we did it today. There were only a few items I needed.
Let's just say...B has enough Nutri-Grain bars to last him well into summertime.
After Costco, we came home to eat lunch, and then we headed to Going Bonkers to meet one of N's friends. One of B's friends was meeting us there, too, so it was a double play date...or so I thought.
Try a TRIPLE play date! After we got there, and realized it was TOTALLY packed, I saw a girl putting on shoes. Then, she walked away from her table, but came back and then another girl did the same thing. I've been known to stare people down for tables in that place. If you've ever been there, you totally know. So, I went over to the grandmother sitting there, and asked if she was leaving. When she confirmed their departure, I asked if I could have their table, and when she shot me a "sucks to be you" sympathetic look, and said "Yes, of course!' I joyfully threw my stuff into the empty bench seat.
I had a great afternoon chatting with N's friend's mom and his precious little sister. And then, as I glanced up, I saw a familiar face...my big sister Emily with her girls! (Hence the triple play date!) She had Facebook stalked me, seen my post about Bonkers, and realized she needed to get her kids out of the house, too. We were there for over 3 hours, and I only got asked for snacks by B once...and that was prior to his friend arriving, aka 15 minutes after we walked in the door.
When we got home, I hauled butt to make dinner while N changed into baseball gear, and then we took off for the ball fields. I met his coach, and he said, "I got a copy of your email from the commissioner. Since they don't like to switch teams and nobody's played any games yet, I think they're going to switch schedules around a little bit." REALLY? Yes, Aubrey...there IS a Santa Claus. I've been agonizing over these games for days. It would be so awesome if they could even switch a couple of them...just to where I don't have to miss either boy's final game of the season.
N was pretty hard on himself at practice, but he is a little rusty. His coaches, however, said he has the power and the strength. I mentioned playing catcher because I knew N wanted to catch, and his coach agreed that it would be a good position for him, although he tries to rotate everyone through the positions.
We'll see how that goes.
After practice, we came home, I popped popcorn in brown paper bags in the microwave (super easy, healthy, and fun if you've never tried it), and we watched "Little Giants" because the boys have never seen it, and I knew they'd find it hilarious.
They laughed so hard. And it made my heart happy.
It did NOT make my heart happy when they thought it was time to play at 11:20 at night. This mom is exhausted.
Completely. And it's only day 1 of Spring Break...to quote my favorite part of the movie:
"Giants! Giants! Help us God!"
Aubs
I think that's where my day started to go downhill. B and I cuddled (read: huddled for warmth) until the heater warmed things up a little, then I had him hit the showers while I did some homework. I'm so dedicated. After he and I both showered and got ready for our days, we picked N up and headed to Costco. I don't want to go to the store later in the week, closer to when everyone will be making a mad dash for the store to get everything necessary for school lunches, so we did it today. There were only a few items I needed.
Let's just say...B has enough Nutri-Grain bars to last him well into summertime.
After Costco, we came home to eat lunch, and then we headed to Going Bonkers to meet one of N's friends. One of B's friends was meeting us there, too, so it was a double play date...or so I thought.
Try a TRIPLE play date! After we got there, and realized it was TOTALLY packed, I saw a girl putting on shoes. Then, she walked away from her table, but came back and then another girl did the same thing. I've been known to stare people down for tables in that place. If you've ever been there, you totally know. So, I went over to the grandmother sitting there, and asked if she was leaving. When she confirmed their departure, I asked if I could have their table, and when she shot me a "sucks to be you" sympathetic look, and said "Yes, of course!' I joyfully threw my stuff into the empty bench seat.
I had a great afternoon chatting with N's friend's mom and his precious little sister. And then, as I glanced up, I saw a familiar face...my big sister Emily with her girls! (Hence the triple play date!) She had Facebook stalked me, seen my post about Bonkers, and realized she needed to get her kids out of the house, too. We were there for over 3 hours, and I only got asked for snacks by B once...and that was prior to his friend arriving, aka 15 minutes after we walked in the door.
When we got home, I hauled butt to make dinner while N changed into baseball gear, and then we took off for the ball fields. I met his coach, and he said, "I got a copy of your email from the commissioner. Since they don't like to switch teams and nobody's played any games yet, I think they're going to switch schedules around a little bit." REALLY? Yes, Aubrey...there IS a Santa Claus. I've been agonizing over these games for days. It would be so awesome if they could even switch a couple of them...just to where I don't have to miss either boy's final game of the season.
N was pretty hard on himself at practice, but he is a little rusty. His coaches, however, said he has the power and the strength. I mentioned playing catcher because I knew N wanted to catch, and his coach agreed that it would be a good position for him, although he tries to rotate everyone through the positions.
We'll see how that goes.
After practice, we came home, I popped popcorn in brown paper bags in the microwave (super easy, healthy, and fun if you've never tried it), and we watched "Little Giants" because the boys have never seen it, and I knew they'd find it hilarious.
They laughed so hard. And it made my heart happy.
It did NOT make my heart happy when they thought it was time to play at 11:20 at night. This mom is exhausted.
Completely. And it's only day 1 of Spring Break...to quote my favorite part of the movie:
"Giants! Giants! Help us God!"
Aubs
Daylight Savings Time
I hate springing forward. I mean, I love spring, and moving forward is great and all, but losing an hour of sleep? Not my favorite. And my kids? They're old enough to notice if I try to send them to bed at 8:00 on the first night of Spring Break, and they're old enough to say something about it. When did this happen?
This is going to be a battle for the next few months: bedtime while it's still light outside. Luckily, they're going to be baseball-ing so much that they'll (ideally) be completely exhausted and ready for bed. Right. Who am I kidding?
B came home today, and has been bouncing off the walls because he's so excited about playing with his best buddy tomorrow. We have two simultaneous Kid Kountry play dates, so I'm hoping this will work out to where both boys have someone to play with so they don't get annoyed with each other on Monday of what will be a very long week if they don't get along. I hope the weather works out to our advantage.
Update: I just looked at the weather. The high is in the 50s, and it's already in the 30s right now. This does not bode well. And I'm sneezing. And B is 10 feet away from me, coughing. This WILL work. This has to work.
Since B came home and we were out of coconut milk, we had to go to the store. I told the boys to pick the stuff they wanted for lunch for the week: chips, fruit, etc. When I got back home, I realized we were completely out of the lunch items they take for lunch at school, so B made a Costco list for me, and we're headed there first thing in the morning. We have a bet: I say it'll take less than 15 minutes, and he says I'm dreaming. I don't know what the terms are for this bet...and that's something that has gotten me in trouble in the past.
It's also why I'm the "proud" owner of New York Yankees underwear. Why? Because I don't renege from a bet, nor do I ever step down from a challenge.
While I'm (usually) proud of that fact, I'm split on whether or not I hope the boys take that trait of mine and run with it...
It could get really messy and way more crazy if they do.
Aubs
This is going to be a battle for the next few months: bedtime while it's still light outside. Luckily, they're going to be baseball-ing so much that they'll (ideally) be completely exhausted and ready for bed. Right. Who am I kidding?
B came home today, and has been bouncing off the walls because he's so excited about playing with his best buddy tomorrow. We have two simultaneous Kid Kountry play dates, so I'm hoping this will work out to where both boys have someone to play with so they don't get annoyed with each other on Monday of what will be a very long week if they don't get along. I hope the weather works out to our advantage.
Update: I just looked at the weather. The high is in the 50s, and it's already in the 30s right now. This does not bode well. And I'm sneezing. And B is 10 feet away from me, coughing. This WILL work. This has to work.
Since B came home and we were out of coconut milk, we had to go to the store. I told the boys to pick the stuff they wanted for lunch for the week: chips, fruit, etc. When I got back home, I realized we were completely out of the lunch items they take for lunch at school, so B made a Costco list for me, and we're headed there first thing in the morning. We have a bet: I say it'll take less than 15 minutes, and he says I'm dreaming. I don't know what the terms are for this bet...and that's something that has gotten me in trouble in the past.
It's also why I'm the "proud" owner of New York Yankees underwear. Why? Because I don't renege from a bet, nor do I ever step down from a challenge.
While I'm (usually) proud of that fact, I'm split on whether or not I hope the boys take that trait of mine and run with it...
It could get really messy and way more crazy if they do.
Aubs
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Baseball
Y'all. I'm devastated. Seriously devastated. I've been so excited for both of my boys to play baseball this season, and they've been counting down the days to getting their teams, practice schedules, and game schedule. Me, too. I'm a planner, and I need to know what I'm up against.
I was not expecting this. Granted, I've never had two boys in one sport at the same time, and they're obviously in totally different age groups, but I didn't figure there would be any overlap.
I was waaaaaay wrong. Not only are the boys playing on different fields on opposite sides of town, but almost every single game is conflicting. There are 4 games for each kid (8 games total) that are simultaneously scheduled on different sides of Coppell. There are 6 games (3 each) that overlap by as little as 30 or as much as 75 minutes.
I can't be in two places at once, and I can't see how I'll be able to be there for each boy to make him feel special/remember he has a cheering section. There are 6 games that we totally have under control...but the other 14? I've got nothing.
N and I hung out with the Oalmann boys for most of the day, and then came home to grab some clothes for him so he could go to his dad's. THEN, his dad called to say he was working late, so N opted to stay home and have his dad pick him up in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon is N's first baseball practice, followed by another on Monday and another on Wednesday.
Is it wrong that I emailed the league office and asked if there was anything that could be done about it? I'm sure there are tons of single parent families with conflicts...right?
I really can't think of anything else to talk about except for this. This just really sucks...
A lot. Praying for a miracle...
Aubs
I was not expecting this. Granted, I've never had two boys in one sport at the same time, and they're obviously in totally different age groups, but I didn't figure there would be any overlap.
I was waaaaaay wrong. Not only are the boys playing on different fields on opposite sides of town, but almost every single game is conflicting. There are 4 games for each kid (8 games total) that are simultaneously scheduled on different sides of Coppell. There are 6 games (3 each) that overlap by as little as 30 or as much as 75 minutes.
I can't be in two places at once, and I can't see how I'll be able to be there for each boy to make him feel special/remember he has a cheering section. There are 6 games that we totally have under control...but the other 14? I've got nothing.
N and I hung out with the Oalmann boys for most of the day, and then came home to grab some clothes for him so he could go to his dad's. THEN, his dad called to say he was working late, so N opted to stay home and have his dad pick him up in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon is N's first baseball practice, followed by another on Monday and another on Wednesday.
Is it wrong that I emailed the league office and asked if there was anything that could be done about it? I'm sure there are tons of single parent families with conflicts...right?
I really can't think of anything else to talk about except for this. This just really sucks...
A lot. Praying for a miracle...
Aubs
Friday, March 8, 2013
When you just can't get going in the morning...
I tried so hard to get up and get moving this morning, but after I got N up for school, I told him I was going back to bed. I told him to play on his ipod for half an hour, and then I'd take him to school. 45 minutes later, I did. Then, I hurried back home, threw on some clothes to do a quick workout while I studied for a test I forgot about, and headed to school.
On the way, I debated whether I should go to class and be a couple of minutes late, or go take my test, show up for 2/3 of the class, and then go home. I took my test. And I got a copy that had some of the answers circled already...and they were right! When I went to class, my professor seemed happy to see me, and I could tell why almost immediately.
Nobody was talking. Nobody was interacting...except the child who kept telling the professor how he should be teaching his class. I'm surprised nobody decked the kid...because I was definitely about to. Then, let's talk about the female in my class who sucks up her snot, repeatedly. It seriously sounds like...I can't even type it. I'm gagging, just thinking about it. Let's just say, it seems like something children would do regularly, not adults.
My professor announced that we would meet next week, and then we'd be off for two weeks for Spring Break and Good Friday. Then, he mentioned that he wasn't going to be available the following week, so that's 3 weeks in a row that we won't meet. After class, I told him my boys have Spring Break this coming week, so I'd see him in a month. He laughed, and said I could bring them to class if I wanted.
He's a baseball coach...or he was. He knows my boys play, so he's looking forward to talking to them. And the boys like going to school with me because you can eat Doritos and drink Sprite in class...and nobody cares! It's the simple things, really.
After class, I went home, and crawled into bed. I was exhausted. I fell asleep, and woke up to B asking me if I was sick.
Wait, what? B? Apparently, he forgot he was supposed to go to his dad's today, so he rode the bus home. After I tracked his stepmom down to let her know where he was, I started packing my bag for a night at the Oalmann's. Messy Wessy is still playing on his big boat, so I have a comfy spot that's all mine!
After a dinner of pizza/baked ziti/lasagna, I finished editing my homework while Aimee and Jack watched Mulan. The big boys have been happily playing Xbox, evidently.
Speaking of editing homework...I submitted a paper this afternoon when I got home from my class, and within 20 minutes or so, I had an email from someone in my class. Since it's an online class, we never meet face to face, so in her email, she apologized if I found it offensive, but she had clicked on my link and read my paper. No worries. At all. She wrote this long email about how much she appreciated my paper; how she cried when she read it, and felt the emotions I expressed as well as her own. She was able to relate...and I think that's awesome.
It's why I do what I do.
Aubs
On the way, I debated whether I should go to class and be a couple of minutes late, or go take my test, show up for 2/3 of the class, and then go home. I took my test. And I got a copy that had some of the answers circled already...and they were right! When I went to class, my professor seemed happy to see me, and I could tell why almost immediately.
Nobody was talking. Nobody was interacting...except the child who kept telling the professor how he should be teaching his class. I'm surprised nobody decked the kid...because I was definitely about to. Then, let's talk about the female in my class who sucks up her snot, repeatedly. It seriously sounds like...I can't even type it. I'm gagging, just thinking about it. Let's just say, it seems like something children would do regularly, not adults.
My professor announced that we would meet next week, and then we'd be off for two weeks for Spring Break and Good Friday. Then, he mentioned that he wasn't going to be available the following week, so that's 3 weeks in a row that we won't meet. After class, I told him my boys have Spring Break this coming week, so I'd see him in a month. He laughed, and said I could bring them to class if I wanted.
He's a baseball coach...or he was. He knows my boys play, so he's looking forward to talking to them. And the boys like going to school with me because you can eat Doritos and drink Sprite in class...and nobody cares! It's the simple things, really.
After class, I went home, and crawled into bed. I was exhausted. I fell asleep, and woke up to B asking me if I was sick.
Wait, what? B? Apparently, he forgot he was supposed to go to his dad's today, so he rode the bus home. After I tracked his stepmom down to let her know where he was, I started packing my bag for a night at the Oalmann's. Messy Wessy is still playing on his big boat, so I have a comfy spot that's all mine!
After a dinner of pizza/baked ziti/lasagna, I finished editing my homework while Aimee and Jack watched Mulan. The big boys have been happily playing Xbox, evidently.
Speaking of editing homework...I submitted a paper this afternoon when I got home from my class, and within 20 minutes or so, I had an email from someone in my class. Since it's an online class, we never meet face to face, so in her email, she apologized if I found it offensive, but she had clicked on my link and read my paper. No worries. At all. She wrote this long email about how much she appreciated my paper; how she cried when she read it, and felt the emotions I expressed as well as her own. She was able to relate...and I think that's awesome.
It's why I do what I do.
Aubs
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