Its Fall !!

Some say spring is a beautiful time of new beginnings...fresh starts...blah blah blah... as much as I love spring, when you have kids FALL is the fresh start.

Time to reassess daily activities and restore some order to the household.

Gone are the days of barefeet from sun-up til sun-down, gone are the days of lounging on the deck wondering what to have for dinner at 8:30 pm... gone are the days of making beds at 10am and getting dressed at noon...and gone are the afternoon bouts of crap tv followed by mess after mess...time to get busy and put on our shoes and socks!!

It truely is the best time of the year... the temperatures are perfectly up and down all day... its cool at night and I can wear jeans in the day!! From the hours of 7-8 the house is stirring and by 8:10 I stop and bask in the silence...then, clean up the house KNOWING that until 2:30 it will stay that way!!! I love my kids but I love that they go to school and leave me alone all afternoon!!

Evenings become a well defined process ... play, homework, dinner, tub, read, shows and bed its a beautiful thing when by 11pm the house is sleeping!

So an update on school...

Lulu is in 3rd grade this year, she is still the smallest and quietest kid in the class. I will not complain about either of these things!! She really is growing - a little -.

Lacy started 5th grade ... wow, 5th grade girls are weird... it is such a transitional time in their budding little lives. I have to laugh at the boy talk, the girl talk, the changing bodies, and how their perception of the future has changed since these girls were in the single digits!

Branden Lee is an 8th grader which means he "rules the school", he has decided to mentor a "sevie", change his name to Trafalgar and wear a fedora... he is perfectly normal LOL!!! Teenagers are interesting, its like a psychological experiment watching them define themselves, develop character and find their niche.

Andre started high school... 9th grade... at East. Have you seen the electives available to kids these days...its so cool. He enrolled in debate last spring, not knowing exactly what it meant...(other than the girl that gave us the flyer was pretty and smart, which was enough to sell him) it only took one day in class for him to decide that this would be his new passion (told ya so). I will do an entire post on Debate because even I did not realize how incredibly smart you have to be to compete in some of the areas of competition. I can't wait to see him in action. This also means he is working on a debate scholorship, i love that he is thinking big!!

So thats my tiny little fall - chunk- as libbi would say!

Enjoy the changing colors!

25 Truisms of Summer...

1- The snack drawer is ALWAY empty

2- Leaving the kids home to go to work sucks

3- Girls can comb their own hair... if they want too!

4- If you are Branden Lee getting dressed is highly unecessary

5- Lunchtime is breakfast, dinnertime is lunch and dinner is finding a kid in the kitchen at 1am!!

6- Summer TV is terrible

7- The tour de france is the only thing that gets me through the month of July.

8- It is possible to referee a fight via the cell phone.

9- All polly pockets and barbies get a haircut in the summer!

10- Summer ends when you start counting down to school starting -- not when school actually starts!

11- In Summer all we do is wish it would cool down, in Winter we all wish it would just warm up...

12-Some summer afternoons are meant for napping... and nothing else.

13-There is nothing better than a sunday afternoon spent dancing in the kid pool!

14- Brand new school clothes are over-rated... Thrift Town is the coolest!

15- The only logical time to do yard work in the summer is at 6am or 9pm.

16- I can stay up past 11pm!

17- Teenagers, fireworks and big glass bottles of vodka dont mix!

18- Cereal is good at any time of the day... ask B... any TIME.

19- Summer school really is a good thing!

20- Kids are amazing... they are able to get out of chores by simply disappearing!

21- It is possible for a household of 6 to drink 40 water bottles a day!!

22- Eating burgers off the grill does get old.

23- Rock band is totally worth the money!! (even from my perspective)

24- The internet really is educational.

25- Trampolines are fun for kids of all ages but they make me pee my pants!

Update!!!

Yes I have been a blog-slacker... will I try to be more dilligent... maybe!!

A quick re-cap on the last couple of months...

Work has been relatively steady. I spent a month helping Wendy get out of her condo and into her new house. Things are slowing, but a job always seems to come along, time to advertise a little and see what comes up. Of course Spring brings the yardwork, which I love! Nothing like digging in flower beds and discovering all of the starts taken from mom's yard have survived.

Andre took an acting class at Hale Theatre, ending this week my mom and I attended the showcase, it was amazing to see the talent! Andre's class did 5 improv skits, not to be biased but the boy has skills. Looking forward to a Fall shakespere class and hopefully more opportunities!! Andre also got a kitten for his b-day, a ferel rescue from the shelter... Oliver Puddleglum. He is fun, silly and a voracious carnivore (do not eat a steak near him.)

Branden Lee is a source of guilt as I have him involved in nothing... he is far too content to play Rock Band, games and torture his sisters with the squirt guns!!

Lacy Jane is playing soccer... she isnt very good but it keeps her happy and busy. Now that the sun has come out she never comes inside. She spends hours at the playground on the monkey bars. I (yes me, I may be old but i can still do tricks) have taught them some tricks, they now have blisters, and calloused hands...and so do I. (it is a great ab workout)

Shelby Lu started a gymnastics class and loves it, I hate to think it but she may be a natural!

Easter meant a trip to Moab, a much needed adventure!!! We stayed at the Moab KOA and adventured in to Arches, as many times as we goto Moab we had never really taken the kids to Arches... it was beautiful. The weather was a little chilly at times but we managed to get in some good drives and hikes, but we were grateful for the tent trailer and wireless internet!!!

Saturday evening Clayton middle school packed the house for its 8th and final performance of the musical Peter Pan. The casting process began back in November of last year, over 180 cast members, 2 sets of Leads, many taking on 2 roles there was a place for everyone and anyone who wanted to be a part of the production. Not to mention the "behind the scenes" cast of technical, costume, makeup and last but not least 2 incredible directors. Production began the first day of January with daily rehearsals into February for some 8+ hour long Saturday rehearsals. The flying apparatus was brought in from out-of-state (yes, Peter did fly) and required yet another team- strong, bright, responsible boys to choreograph the dances above the stage. Late nights and sore hands, Peter, Wendy, John and Tink flew (along with a few other lovely thought thinkers) in and out, up and down seemlessly. Performances began last Monday- the stage transformed - a nursery, Captn' Hooks Pirate ship and the wonderful underground world of the Lost Boys; children transformed... boys and girls in to pirates, indians and dirty little children with no mother. Young men became stout fathers and young women, mothers. Performances recieved magical reviews from both the young and old.

Back stage I witnessed something equally magical- 180 regular teenage kids - running crazy, eating, playing cards and games who at the moment that it was time to "get into character" they diligently lined up to get lipstick, eyeliner and beards applied, carefully gathering their costume pieces, concerned that they looked "just right", when the cue came for them to get on stage they scurried to line up and performed like professionals!! 2 weeks ago I probably would have thrown up at the thought of spending 4 hours with teenagers- and now I see they are beautiful, talented, committed, children with the desire to be a PART of something big, it was quite the eye-opening experience, one that I will do again! Now I must mention my boys; Andre was Mr. Darling (the father), a Pirate, and controlled the "traveler" (the vertical flying apparatus). All of this combined required countless hours learning lines, working on diction, learning dances and flying... when performance night came, not only was he excited and not nervous he was on task at all moments and never missed a beat. Branden was one of 4 Indian Braves, they had a couple of small special little parts mostly dancing...which if anyone knows B he is quite the dancer!! I was impressed with his dedication, excitment and devotion to the entire production- so NOT what I expected. I am extremely proud of both of them. Personally this was an excellent experience for me, meeting kids face to face- literally applying make-up to faces- was an opportunity I did not think I could enjoy- to my surprise I did!!

PRD- Mental Day!

For the most part, I would say we all drag our butts out of bed every morning, willing or not, and proceed to tackle our daily tasks knowing that there is no other option. Same goes for kids, plenty of mornings are a battle of reason; You have a test, Its PE day, Your friend so-and-so will be looking for you at recess, etc. etc. until everyone is up and kicked out the door. However, you know those days, when even from the night before you mentally start feeling ill at the mere thought of school or work or whatever the next day beheld, you contemplate ways to get out of it without seeming too pathetic or resort to using the bold face lie, you fall asleep hoping to awaken with a renewed sense of desire. BEEP BEEP- as you send the alarm in to snooze mode for the 3rd time you know that its time for a PRD (personal recovery day) or a Mental Day Off- whatever you call it I am convinced that our bodies have a way of telling us when that day has come. I am also convinced that kids need a Mental day off, for the sake of all the hard working teachers, I say we as parents need to allow it. Of course they can't be kept home every time they say "I dont want to goto school" or perhaps some children would never, ever go...but to allow a once-a-term PRD is a healthy resolve...once it has been taken there has to be actual puke to stay home. I believe this is another way to help kids learn self-discipline, weighing the options and making the decision that this is the day I am taking off and why, knowing that mom won't question it. Earlier this year, in the first term, Andre had neglected to study for a math test, he called claiming illness about an hour in to the day, I was working and had to get grandma to pick him up and take him home. About 10 minutes after I had called to make sure he was home, had a blankie, etc. I got a text from him saying "I got away with it, I am home" I read it twice thinking ?? what ?? then it occured to me, this text was not MEANT for ME, I called his bluff and he explained about the math test. It wasnt until after this incident that I reminded him of his PRD and that this was a time when it would have been wise to use it- although wiser not to waste it because you forgot to study. There was no need to lie simply because he needed a day off to study- fact is I would rather he studied and got a decent grade than took the test un-prepared and failed!! Since then he hasnt used a day off to prepare for a math test-but he knows if he needs to he CAN!!

Virtual mothering!

The thought of moderation and self-discipline has been running through my brain for the past month or so. I am not good at either of these concepts, however I will attempt to make my children wiser via my downfalls !! This subject takes me directly to video games & the internet - is virtual reality really going to replace physical reality if I don't set limits?? My boys got their first gaming console when they were 3 & 5, I am sure that B became a comprehensive reader at a young age when I/we finally refused to read the captions, he was forced too in order to get to the next level. The truth is, I have spent the last 9 years moderating game-play to a certain extent, the question is- do they, can they, will they moderate themselves?? Recently my concerns and questions have been relieved by no effort of my own. Since Christmas I have taken note of a few things...

1- B got a PSP for Christmas and rather than gaming on it he has downloaded music and wanders the house dancing around with his headphones on.

2- Nintendo's Animal Crossing teaches kids about earning/spending money (bells). If you only have 300 bells you might not want to buy a $280 rug because you wont have $ left to pay your mortgage!

3- PS3's Little Big Planet forces kids to cooperate in order to succeed.

4- Andre has worked his way up to moderator of a writing website where he edits and critques work by budding young writers.

5- Gaming consoles will go unplayed for days and many times I have to encourge the girls to sit and play a game!

So the answer is YES...sort of... I dont think kids intentionally moderate their activites, but left to their own devices they naturally get tired of things and move on to something else, from what I have witnessed it is usually something "active" for every period of "inactivity."
The boys are not socially introverted, violent, lazy or dumb, B does sometimes choose to jump over things (Mario bros)- They are technially smart, book smart, driven to complete tasks, socially as normal as any teenager, and they both type 100 wpm. I am not going to be the mother that stops the technological progression my kids are growing up in but I admit, I am still learning how to mother via the internet!!

Week 3- less garbage: the water bottle initiative....

I am a drinker :) :( , rarely will you find me without water within arms reach and fortunately /or not, we'll see/ my children are drinkers too... That said, I have always re-filled water bottles until they were gross, lid-less or chewed up (b's Nielson genes) a case of water would easily last for a month this way...maybe not true in the summer when consumption easily triples. My decision to move away from cases of store bought throw away water bottles is easily explained by the math... 12 months x 5.00 a case = 60.00 & 24 water bottles x 12 months = 288 water bottles. I always recycle old water bottles however I heard that there is so much plastic to recycle that much of it is sitting in warehouses, whether this is true or not?? saving 60+ dollars a year is worth it, other than the initial investment in good water bottles. I have purchased some nice bottles at the thrift store (sterilized of course) the problem is, WE (the entire opinionated family) has requirements i.e. things we want and need from a bottle for it to earn a place in the fridge. NO-screw off lids, they get lost or chewed and they are time consuming - screw - drink - un-screw, either I am too desperate or too lazy but that process is just too much! NO-flip up open spout rubber straw things- they are too hard to get clean, even the really great camel-bak bite and suck thing gets gross when used that much (and we share), MUST be spill proof, fit in to the drink spot in the car, hold at least 24 oz of water (for me), have a small drink hole as to not spill water down the front of your shirt. In short-or long now- we have looked at a lot of water bottles and FINALLY found some we really like, so far, have passed the test! They are from costco and they cost more than I like to spend- $18.00 for 3 of them ($6.00 each-about average for a new water bottle), they hold 24oz. and have a little release button you push which opens the drinking spout hole?, and a latch handle on the lid (important for packing it on the purse), they are very hard plastic and fit in the car!! We will definately put this "autoseal technology" (spouty button thing) to use and see how they rate in a month!