Curriculum Night, or The Night I Almost Died of Heat Stroke

Let's discuss curriculum night, shall we?  I was able to attend N's this evening, but have a previous engagement on Thursday, so I will not be able to attend B's.  As his room mom (one of two, thank you very much), I feel like a failure, like I'm not setting a good example.  It doesn't really matter because his teacher is awesome and is emailing me the power point and any pertinent information so it'll be like I'm there only I won't have to worry about whether or not the air conditioning will be working.   Because, oh LORD, it was not on tonight.
N's first class of the day is Athletics.  He opted out of football (partially because of the ungodly roll call hour), and now he's regretting it because it seems that everybody (and some of their mamas, too) is playing football.  He didn't want to try out for basketball, so that put him into the "offseason/running track and cross country" category.  I think he's less than pleased, but as someone who isn't a morning person, he's easily my favorite child at the moment for not making me get up and drag him to school, ready to play at 6:15.  Every. Single. Morning.

After Athletics, he has Texas History.  Coincidentally, I'm ALSO taking Texas History, albeit on a much higher level, and I think it will be fun to learn from each other when our heads aren't spinning 360 degrees while we screech at each other.  I keep it real.  Also, on Groupon the other day, I received a "deal" for the Texas History Museum all the way out in White Settlement.  I'm intrigued.  N loves history (mainly WWII), so this could be something fun and educational we could do together...and we shall! (I just shot my fist into the air in a triumphant gesture, in case you were wondering.)  His teacher is also a coach (volleyball), so she said, right up front, that she encourages the students to eat in her class...it's too early and they've already been up for so long by the time they get to 2nd period, and I just sat there, thinking, "Man...it's so nice to have a teacher who gets it.  I bet she has at least two kids that lived..." (Sidenote: When we did something ridiculously dumb growing up, my dad would always ask us if our mom had any kids that lived.  Yes, I know.  I'm becoming my parents.  It creeps me out WAY more than you.)

Pre-AP Language Arts is next, and I'm not sure what I was expecting based on N's description, but she was a total riot...totally unorganized and all over the place, but hilarious.  An example, you say?  Okay!  "So, the 7th grade required reading this year is 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry.  I know it just came out as a movie, but I haven't seen it yet.  I know T-Swift is in it, and I just don't know...T-Swift as an actor?  Hmmm...oh, and I love Nemo.  He's my favorite, but I'm so like Dory.  Fish hooks!  Take a picture of your kid reading and email it to me and I'll hang it on a fish hook.  So, yeah..."  One of the dad's in the room was laughing so hard he was wiping tears.  I couldn't make actual eye contact because I knew I'd snort.

Science is next, and his teacher has the dry sense of humor that N will know and appreciate.  She doesn't know it yet, but she's going to love him...and want to smack him upside the head all at the same time.  She has four kids (they've all lived), but only one lives at home now.  The others are all out, in school...except for her daughter who's in the Peace Corps in Morocco.  How cool is that?!  She seems like she'll be a great resource for N, on a variety of subjects.  He also has her for Enrichment, but I can honestly say I have no idea what the hell that might be at this point.

Exploratory something or other is next, and that's the "mandatory elective" which helps them to choose one of 16 different career paths they'll take when they get to high school.  Don't even get me started.  I'm all for prepping for something, but at the same time, I also think they should be able to spend time in 7th grade taking an elective they enjoy.  The teacher (another volleyball coach) seems pretty fantastic and super-excited about this new program that's rolling out this year, and I can see the good in it, definitely.  I just think it's a little much.  N's already stressing about which plan/path his current goal is.

And then there's Creative Writing.  Last year, his teacher was an absolute treasure!  We adored her, and she LOVED him.  The whole reason he took the class again was to get her.  Well, he didn't.  He ended up with a teacher who teaches GT and Science and instead of getting a circle on her career aptitude test, she got a square.  Sounds pretty "Divergent" to me...she was also all over the place, but I think it was the heat.  It was sooooo hot in there.  (If you're singing, "It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes" you score bonus points, because that's my go-to thought anytime anyone makes a similar comment.  Now you know my secret.)  She seemed flustered and kept calling it a class to help people get over the fear of writing.  Several parents and I glanced around nervously.  Our kids can write; they took the class last year and they took it again for any/all of the following reasons:

1. There's never any homework.
2. There are assignments, but there are never any legit grades.
3. It's a place they can just be themselves...and read all period if they want to, update their blog, or write to their little heart's content.

Not anymore, SUCKAHS.  I casually mentioned this to her, and she practically laughed in my face.  We miss the other CW teacher.  So so much.

To wrap up the day, he heads to the dreaded 7th Grade Math.  Y'all, I hate math more than anything in the world (although there are a few close seconds), and N definitely got that trait from me.  His teacher, however, is young and fun and entertaining.  As she explained her background, I realized why N all of a sudden started talking about going to TCU.  She's ADORABLY CUTE, people.  Crush city!  She went through her presentation on warp speed, all the while tugging at her shirt in an attempt to fan herself.  It was THAT hot in there. I'm surprised there weren't puddles of people. 

Another good thing (at least for me) is that they're using Blackboard as their online forum this year.  Since both of the universities I attend use Blackboard for everything, I was able to give N some tips and show him how to navigate.  I could not, however, get the stupid math video to load.  Shocker.

All in all, I think he will have a good year.  He has a pretty stacked morning of classes, but as long as the ac is working, he should be fine.  He says his classes are always freezing.  Well...I'd beg to differ.

I'm too young for hot flashes, but I thought about figuring out a way to climb in the freezer upon my return home.  I got over it.  The effort involved...pass.

Aubs

September already?!

I woke up to my huge calendar practically leering at me from across the room.  It's big enough to where I can see the colors and how many things I have on any given day when I wake up, even when I don't have my contacts or glasses on, and you know what?  It's about to get REALLY ugly around here.

This "morning" B and I snuggled up in my bed to watch a Scooby-Doo movie.  They're a family favorite.  N passed his love of S.D. on to B when he was tiny, and we have so many episodes and movies on dvd and our dvr.  They've gotten a little out of hand lately, so I don't know why I had ANY hope at all that "Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery" was going to have any entertainment value.  I must admit, I did snort with laughter when a cartoon John Cena came on the screen, and I snorted even harder when he ripped his shirt off for the first time.  I mean...even I know who he is, and there's no way you'd ever force me to watch anything WWE related.  I'd rather miss the first 5 minutes of any Law & Order: SVU episode on Monday nights (I've seen them all anyway) than have to listen to/watch the ending of Monday Night Raw.  I think that's what it's called.  Anyway, the movie was ridiculous and I can't get that two hours of my life back, but it was cuddle time with B, and I consider that time well spent...even if we DID know who the bad guy was before the movie even got going.

I steal thunder, people.  It's what I do.

I also not-so-shamelessly stalk blogs of people I don't know.  There are a few I've read that I've really been able to relate to...either personal journeys, parenting journeys, or total mishaps.  And then there are those that you randomly find while reading a post of a friend's friend and you become so "glued" to that person and what's happened that you just HAVE to know more.  And so, I started at the beginning.  And I only felt a little creepy at first.  But by the time I caught up to her posts from three years ago (that's when I became "current" because I started reading in 2011), I was sobbing my little heart out for this woman and her children and her husband. 

Long story short, without revealing too much detail because it's not my story, she and her little family had a beautiful life.  And then, her hubs got sick.  And they flew all over creation trying to find a way to make him better, and they just couldn't.  So they got a hospital bed delivered to their house so he could be with those he loved, and when he passed away, he did so curled up on his son's favorite sheets.

Waterworks.  Still.  And chills.  And then, this brave and courageous woman picked up the pieces of her family and kept truckin' along.  She moved closer to her family, and in time, met an amazing man and they became a blended family: her two, his one.  I haven't read her blog in well over a year, but she popped into my head the other day, and I looked her up.  And when I pulled up her blog, tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked at this precious newborn that filled my laptop screen.  I remembered in an earlier post, prior to her first husband's death, that she had been angry that they would never have anymore children because she didn't feel like she was "done," and how overjoyed I was for her to be able to have another little life to care for.

And then, I read that her first husband's parents came to meet the baby and declared him one of their own, and I was a total puddle, ugly crying like there was no tomorrow.  Because, to me, that is one of the most beautiful things that I could ever read.  They loved their daughter-in-law THAT much...to cheer her on and be a part of her life (not just the grandkids) after their son was no longer on this Earth.  It's something that makes my eyes get a little wet just thinking about it, because it's just love.  Pure.  Simple.  Love.  And while I know NONE of these people, it feels like they could be my neighbors, my friends, my family...because those feelings and emotions are just real and hard but beautiful all the same.

I'm so ready to welcome the fall: jeans and hoodies and cozy stuff.  I know it's a long way off still, but it's September, so the calendar totally tricks us into thinking it's just around the corner.  I wish.  In other news, I haven't watched a single college football game yet.  I know.  Un.  American.  I am, however, DEEP into the "Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story" and let me just tell you...

This is totally making my week.

Way to set the bar REAL low, there, Aubrey...

Aubs

Always choose joy

Today, I made dinner at 1:42.  Why?  I had no idea at the time, but the whole idea (in my head anyway) was to make dinner and be done with it all.  I fully intended to lock myself in my bedroom while the boys took turns playing Xbox (peacefully, in my dream world) and stare at my textbooks, hoping something would sink in without even having to open them.

Instead, I found myself crawling around on the floor, making a blanket for a friend of mine and her daughter.  They saw one I posted for B's teacher, and loved it to pieces, so I offered to make one for them, too.  Don't get all ahead of yourself and think I'm crafty.  Anyone who can cut with scissors and tie knots can make this blanket.  Rocket Science, it is not...still, it's pretty cute, and it'll keep them nice and cozy during those frigid Texas winters.

Oh, wait...

Anyway, I was about halfway done when I felt a wave of panic wash over me.  I realized "There's something I'm supposed to be doing tonight...ahhhhh, what time is it?!"  Luckily, I had about 90 minutes to spare, but that was barely enough time to jump in the shower and toss some ingredients and textbooks into my bag.

B and I rushed out the door to hang out with C & J for a few hours while N went to the batting cages with his dad.  The kiddos played tennis and rode around in the backyard, we made dinner, watched an American Girl movie, and made homemade red velvet cupcakes and icing.  All in all, it was a fantastic (albeit hectic prior to arrival) evening.  I just love C & J...they're two of my favorite kiddos because they are so sweet and so animated.  I just love hearing them tell me all about anything!

On the way home, B and I had a serious talk.  He has gotten into the habit of being so negative about himself, so I spent much of the ride home talking him through this new mindset.  I got onto him tonight because he refused to eat what everyone else ate for dinner.  He is always making things difficult when it comes to mealtimes because he is such a picky eater.  It stresses me out, and it really frustrates all of us because the last thing I want to do is send my child to bed hungry, but I also feel like being a short-order cook and making him something different than everybody else doesn't teach him to try new things.  He flat-out refuses, then tries to snack on all sorts of crap foods instead of eating dinner. 

He is such a joyful child, and sometimes I tend to dwell on all of the negatives instead of the positives: he loves to cuddle, to give hugs and kisses...he ALWAYS tells me he loves me and just wants to be all up in the business of those he cares about the most.  I need to choose joy...always.

The personal space thing really grates on my nerves mostly because I've really grown to love having my own space over the last 4-5 years.  In fact, personal space is probably one of the main reasons I'll never get married...unless Mr. is cool with twin beds like "I Love Lucy" or "The Dick Van Dyke Show."  Those people were smart.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the fact that tomorrow is a "no alarm" day.  It doesn't mean I don't have work to do, but at least I can relax with a cup (or two) of coffee and take my time getting started.  Those abrupt wake-ups during the school week are going to take a whole lot of getting used to around here.

Aubs

I forgot about someone's first week

I totally failed to mention how my first week of school went...this IS my first semester with dual enrollment, after all...

It's been rough.  Textbooks have been late or on back order, and I think I've finally gotten all of my books (except for one because the store was already closed for the holiday weekend yesterday) for the classes that have already started.  I still have one more class that starts at some point in October.  I should probably look up when it starts. 

My mom was kind enough to print huge calendar pages for me.  They're probably 3' x 2' and September is now fully color-coordinated and tacked to my wall.  I have 10 different colors of marker up there, one for each something I have to do.

Green: Spanish
Orange: MicroEcon
Red: Texas History
Yellow: Early World History
Purple: International Relations (aka the bane of my existence)
Pink: Cultural Geography (doesn't start until sometime in October)
Blue: Baseball
Brown: Custody weeks
Black: Boys School Stuff
Gray: Other (appts, babysitting, trips, etc.)

Y'all, that calendar is insanely busy.  It makes me dizzy and slightly overwhelmed, and I know that there are 2 more months waiting right underneath it, with more writing to be added as needed.  It will be an adventure, to say the least.

Now, International Relations...my professor really enjoys the sound of his own voice, as evidenced by the 6 different lecture videos, each at least 20 minutes long.  Also, there was a Monty Python clip in there that he found super amusing...me, less so.  There was also a 17 page essay from 1961, and it was awful to read.  I'm hoping it gets better as we get more into the class, but I'm not holding my breath.  There's a quiz after each "unit," and they're only 5 questions each.  You can't go back if you want to change your answer.  And the time limit is 15 minutes.  And I'm notorious for picking an answer, clicking "next" and then saying, "Oh, wait!  I meant __________."  Every. Single. Time.

Also, his syllabus was unclear, so that adds to my frustration. 

Such is life.  And International Relations, apparently.

Aubs

One week down, entirely too many to go

Well, the first week of school is a wrap.  So far, B LOVES 3rd grade and absolutely adores his teacher.  He loves math and P.E. except for the "stretches."  I have no idea what exactly that means, but the face he makes when he talks about them is priceless.  I picked him up from school this afternoon, and he practically bounced off of the side of the car when he ran to get in.

Always comical, that one.  His joy just oozes out of him.  Some days it drives me crazy.  Other days?  Well, it's just contagious.

N claims they haven't done anything all week...in almost every class he claims they've been sitting around playing on their phones or playing games.  I'm not sure how much I believe his story, and I feel like I'm really in for a wake-up call on Tuesday at curriculum night.  He seems to enjoy his classes well enough; he has one of the members of "The Breakfast Club" in his Science class.

That deserves explanation: Last spring, N and three of his pals got into trouble with a sub during Pre-AP Language Arts.  It's the last period of the day, and it was a few days before Spring Break.  When their teacher returned, she gave them the option of serving a detention prior to Spring Break or serving after they returned.  All of them opted to serve after, and she gave them plenty of notice to tell their parents before she emailed all of us.  SO, N came to Houston with me for Spring Break, and while bored one morning, found "The Breakfast Club" on television.  He watched it, claimed it was lame, I disowned him, and we all went about our business.  That was the end of it...or so I thought.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I'm emailing his LA teacher about something.  She emails me back and says something like, "N is such a great kid.  His sense of humor is awesome...he just needs to steer clear of the Breakfast Club every now and then." I emailed her back immediately, giving her major props for the reference, and she must've been sitting there, waiting for my email.  "I didn't dub them 'The Breakfast Club,' they did."  Apparently, these fools (I say that lovingly) wrote her a note during their detention, signed it the Breakfast Club, and made a pact.

Y'all, it's still funny even now.  Anyway, the sole girl from the 6th grade B.C. is in his Science class, and she and N are pals.  He has a couple of friends in his Math class, too...and he really loves that class even though he's never liked Math.  Plus, it's at the end of the day.  Puke.  Whatever.  He seems to be doing well, although he's pissed about not playing football now.  He didn't want to get up early, and I was not-so-secretly glad about that...which brings us to baseball.

He met his new team tonight, and he's so discouraged.  In our league, they combine U11 and U12.  Last season(s), N was U11, so now he's one of four U12 players on his combined team.  He and another boy are the only two who have played on the U12 fields.  Needless to say, he was so frustrated last night, even after his coach spoke to him and told him he wanted him to be the team captain and really lead the team.  N was excited about having that opportunity, but he's still anti-fall ball.  I can't say I blame him, but as I talked to my mom tonight, she reminded me that God puts us where we are for a reason.  Maybe this is N's time to step up and be a leader.  Maybe this is what he needs.

So, we're going with it.  And while we were at practice, one of the other moms came up to me and just gushed about what a delight B was.  He was out on the field, helping her daughter learn to swing the bat and throw the ball.  She was so complimentary...and I was so proud of him.  He was so patient.  And sometimes, it really seems like I can learn a whole lot from both of my boys.

Aubs

The day I made the guy at the shipping place cry

First off, I'm not mean.  I mean, my kids will tell you a different story, but I'm really not.  Strict?  Yes.  Stern?  Absolutely.  No bullshit policy?  You bet.  Mean?  Meh...it's open to interpretation.

I've been going to the same shipping place for three years.  The guy sees me a few times a semester, and he's seen my boys come in with me a few times.  I think he might be the only person that works there, so we make polite small talk, and he always inquires about my boys. 

We went in there a few weeks ago to buy stamps, and it was one of those crazy "If you say another word, I'm going to sell you to the circus and not ever look back" kind of days.  He asked the boys if they were ready to go back to school and they both responded negatively while I sighed with wistfulness at the thought of "freedom."  To be fair, we didn't do much this summer, so it felt like it dragged on forever.  Like, I was ready to send them back a month ago.

Anyway, fast forward to today...I went in to ship a textbook that was sent in error (the wrong edition), and said, "Hey, friend!" as I do each time I go into the store.  I do this for two reasons: 1. I am the type of person who never knows  a stranger and 2. I have no idea what his name is.

Let's discuss reason 1 for a moment, shall we?  I hear this statement a lot when people talk about me, usually "strangers" that I randomly chat up while waiting in line at various stores.  People are always entertaining, and they're less likely to judge me (and the behavior of my sometimes hellacious children) if I'm all friendy-friendy with them, so I make friends wherever I go.  I have yet to see this backfire, but I'm still young.

Anyway, "Friend" asked me if the boys were back in school, and I responded with a gushing sigh of "YES!" Y'all, he burst out laughing and leaned on the counter and laughed until he had tears.  It wasn't that funny...but when he could breathe (and type the return address on my package) he told me it was all in my facial expression.  Awesome.  He then paid me the nicest compliment a near stranger could ever give someone: "You are such a good mom.  I'm sure kids can be a lot to handle, but I really like how you tell them like it is.  You seem like the type of mom who doesn't play around."

THEN, I told him about how N was grounded once so I took away Xbox privileges (this is my "go to" punishment, you know).  I left to run errands, and he was still asleep, so I hid the power cord to the Xbox (Shout out to my own mom & dad for using that one on my sister & me when we were younger in the days of SNES awesomeness).  When I got home, he was really pissy and said accusingly, "Why did you take the cord to the Xbox?" and I replied (without batting an eye), "Why would you even care or notice?  You're grounded remember?"

BAM!  He was in tears again.  I'm really not that funny or diabolical.  I just do what I say I'm going to do.  They know better than to cross me.  Every once in a while, they'll get a reprieve, but it doesn't happen often.

And then I continued on with my errands and all was right with the world.  Also, I bet he's counting down the days until I send my books back.  We're totally on our way to being bffs.

On a more serious note, I was texting back and forth with a friend of mine earlier today about the same kind of stuff...being a good parent.  It's really hard sometimes, okay, a lot of the time.  It went a little something like this:

Me: N's hard to take these days...oh, the joys of turning 12.
R: Gee, thanks for the warning...
Me: C is way more mellow than N will ever be...you'll be fine.  I have no idea what his malfunction is.
R: You are a great mom!  You'll figure it out.
Me: Thank you, sweet friend!  That is so nice to hear...it definitely does not feel that way most days.
R: Give yourself more credit.  Parenting is the hardest job ever, and it doubles in all aspects when you are doing it solo.  You remind me of my mom, and how amazing she was in raising five kids on her own.  You are pretty amazing too, but I'm sure your Prince Charming is just around the corner, and you won't go solo for long!
Me: Hahahahahahaha, Prince Charming is totally overrated!
R: Well, what can I say, a little embellishment never hurt anyone.  Haha!
Me: Haha, embellishment is the spice of life?  Or is that variety?

Y'all, it floored me and brought tears to my eyes.  She is such a sweet and amazing friend, and I'm so grateful that baseball brought us together 2 years ago.  Not long ago, she told me the story of her mom and what kind of major stuff she went through and how she persevered and did it all for her kids.  I can't even begin to tell you how much of a compliment it was to have her compare me to her mom, and to have been able to meet this amazing woman earlier this year. 

I'm not sure about all the Prince Charming stuff...I've been flying solo for 4 years now, but all the other stuff?  Well, that's more than enough to keep me pushing ahead, forcing my way through all the crap life throws my way. 

Aubs

International Relations

I spent most of the morning (after taking the boys to school) attempting to read a 17 page essay about International Relations written in 1961.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to think that a whole lot has changed between the time that essay was written and present day.  It was extremely dry and I sat there (more often than not) thinking to myself, "Why am I taking this class?  Is it REALLY necessary?  Is there something else I can take?"

Alas, it is the only upper level Political Science class available solely online through the school in which I attend, so I'm stuck with it...because I'd rather die of boredom than have to drive up I-35 to Denton and back again on any given day.

I have one class this semester that in on campus, and it's through a local community college.  It's less than 5 minutes away.  I can handle that, no problem.  The department is using a brand new curriculum this semester, so there have been a lot of bumps in the road.  I should, hopefully, have my textbook by next week.  It's made getting started somewhat difficult.

My professor has also said I should be her TA.  I find it funny, hilarious really, because I have zero knowledge of the subject.  It was flattering, don't get me wrong, but I think her hopes are set just a little too high.  We'll see.

B and I have been at odds as of late.  When I try to talk to him about anything, he puts his hands over his ears and runs to his room, shutting the door forcefully behind him.  It doesn't happen all the time, mainly when I'm getting onto him for something, but it's really getting old.  He says it's because I'm yelling, but I'm not.  Not even a little bit.  I can be talking to him in a normal voice or raising my voice slightly to be heard over him, but I make it a point not to yell.  And he still runs.  Punishing him for it (removing privileges, early bedtimes, etc.) have done nothing to squash this potentially bad habit, and I'm getting super frustrated.

N requested to go to The Mix (youth group) tonight, and I was happy to hear that...because there were several times this summer where he begged not to go because it was too loud or he just didn't want to.  It makes my heart happy to hear/see them both get involved in whatever aspect is most comfortable to them.  I hope it's rubbing off on me.

I was really cranky earlier today, and in a random move, I turned on the actual radio in my car.  I put it on a local Christian station and almost immediately, I felt peace wash over me.  It was the most amazing thing...and it hasn't moved from that station since.  Before we dropped N off, a song came on and he started singing along.  He looked at me in surprise, then smiled and kept right on going.

Those brief moments?  They make it all worth it.

Aubs