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!

A night out!

About once a year we take the kids to a nice restaurant, usually Rodizios at my spouses request. If you have never heard of it... it is a brazilian buffet-a lovely salad/pasta bar and as you sit at the table, good looking men armed with rotisseries, large knifes and slabs of different meat stop at your table and slice you off a hunk...to grab with your cute little tongs if you like. The meats are all incredibly delicious (a vegetarians nightmare i am sure) however, I have a BEEF with buffets. First: I know the price and I am intent on getting my money's worth...HA...is it deserved indulgence?...hardly...its engorgement. While I should be enjoying a good meal I am calculating every piece of meat and to top it off 2 of my children are now considered "big enough" to be charged an adult price...little 90# B who is full off 5 chocolate chip cookies is = to that 200# man sitting behind us...WTH. Second: the amount of wasted, uneaten food sent back to the kitchen trash...6 fried bananas of which Shelby ate 2 bites...off to the trash...wouldnt it be easier to ask us if we would eat 6 fried bananas rather than waste them, literally sat on the table untouched? So between getting ripped off, watching copius amounts of food hit the trash, and 200+ people engorging themselves, I tried to enjoy my family and get the hell out of there as fast as possible (thank God for the good looking men or it would have been a complete disappointment.) This brings me to my word for the week...moderation...my next post!

Update...Excuses!

In an attempt to follow through with at least one portion of my goal to create less waste (the documenting portion) here is an update...

Last week I was quite successful, my cans went out and they were full but I threw out a only a bit of uneaten food. On the other hand this week has been a disaster...my fridge is full of see-through plastic containers filled with good-intentions and a complete lack of motivation...what a bummer everytime I open the fridge to be reminded of what should've been done-but was'nt-.

I am considering getting a piglet-at least the waste then turns into shit I can use-but would I do that either-hmm?

I have plenty of good excuses for NOT concocting some fabulous meal out of everything on the brink of growing mold-

I do have 4 kids ALL with their own excuses for not turning in 5 assignments and it was the last week of the term-(oh sorry I forgot...they were stolen by a little green troll that lives in the broom closet at school)- I do have a job, which incidentally really kicks my a#$ sometimes leaving me with no desire to cook anything, I do have a house of my own which is a never-ending pit of clutter and dust bunnies growing under beds, I do have a husband who-leave it at that-i DO have a husband, AND to top it all my vacuum broke.

THE VACUUM STORY: last Saturday 1 minute in to a 3000 sqft house my vacuum made a most horrific noise-my mother came to the rescue! Later that evening I tore it apart and found what I thought was the problem-a bad roller brush-of course my ma knew of a vacuum store and for $30 I got a new belt and brush, installed it and smiled with joy- FIXED- An hour in to work on Tuesday (where a vacuum was essential) it began to smell like burnt rubber and was only sucking on one side-shit-as I again took it apart I could smell death, and it was clear that no amount of encouragment could repair the broken bracket!! With no 'new vacuum' in the budget this week, I first fixed up the shop-vac with attachments, worked fine despite the crook in my neck-no big deal the floors were clean-. Friday morning I set off to the DI with a load to drop off and crossed my fingers that someone out there who is far nicer to vacuums than I had gotten a new one and cast off their old one. Guess what- it was my lucky day! $12 later I am the proud owner of a Hoover Windtunnel, and the DI has one clean rug- I had to make sure it really sucked :)!

I will try harder this coming week!

Tuesday January 22

If any one still doubts that this country can change and that President Obama can lead us in that direction wasnt paying much attention to what took place Tuesday. Over a million people standing UNITED not DIVIDED... that is a CHANGE!!

I was watching news coverage at the inaugural ball and caught an interview with Beyonce who sang for the "first dance", she said something that made me realize why so many people of all ages are excited about our new president, amoung other things she said "he inspires me to BE SMARTER" coming from someone who certainly doesnt NEED to be smarter to 'make it' in life... I think the statement speaks for itself... men, women and children inspired to be smarter!!! It truely is a great time to be an American!