The Good News or the Bad?

The Good News

The first day of school started off great! The boys walked right in and were only slightly nervous, you would never know it though. I only got teary eyed in the school, when I got in my car alone I did let the tears fall a bit. The hole in my heart was repaired when I picked them up and realized how much they loved their day. Tyler had so many great things to tell me about. Travis loved getting to be the "boy leader" for the day. Since he knew his way around the school he was sent on many errands. My job was fabulous! Just enough freedom to make the day go by quickly. I met with students today and had a great time learning all about them. I really am thinking I made the right choice. I know there will be tough times, but so far so good!

The BAD NEWS

It will be interesting to see how you read this blog...bad then good or good then bad. If you read the good first I hope I left you with a nice warm feeling about the first day of school, because I did not get to the second day. Yes, my little one has had a run in with the "LAW" Out law that is. (Heather Outlaw is his teacher.) As I am basking in the glory of my new job a get an e-mail from Mrs. Outlaw. POP! that was the sound of my happy bubble popping as I read..."He's had a really tough time sitting on the carpet, being quiet and following directions." Great, could he not just pick one thing to do? So I quickly respond and reassure her that it will be dealt with. Speed Forward to 4:00...I pull up to get the boys and they happily jump into the car, not noticing the grimace on my face. I immediately open Travis's backpack and folder.

The conversation went like this:

Mom: Travis did you move your clip?

Travis: Yes...How did you know that?

Mom: I got an email, what happened?

Travis: I don't know, I was just sitting there!

(I roll my eyes, I was expecting that!)

Mom: So you are saying she is lying?

Travis: Yes, she told me to move my clip for nothing...

Mom: What else did she say? (wait for it)

Travis: I guess she does not like it when I roll my eyes at her. Am I in trouble?

Mom: YES!!

(crying starts...)

Rolling his eyes! I am not sure of how it all transpired, but all he fessed up to was the eyes. It is only the second day of school!! What will the next 175 days be like? All of this is going round and round in my mind and I am slapped with a memory of kindergarten.

Very early in the year when I was five I was sent to the principal for ...spitting on teachers' cars while walking in line. I am positive that if we had e-mail my mother would have been notified immediately. Instead they let me be in control of telling my mom. She found out ...when I was in the sixth grade! (No Lie! Sorry Mom!) Luckily, I straightened up while keeping my secret! Hopefully my son will straighten up, if not it will be a long year with the "LAW."

A New Season

Tomorrow I embark on a "New Season" in my life. Yes, tomorrow I am officially the mother of "School-Age children." This might not seem like such a big deal, however it has been HUGE to me the last few weeks. Beth Moore explains a woman's life as a series of seasons that we all go through. Some transitions are easy and you welcome the change, and others are harder. I know that God has prepared me for this new change. I am also starting a new job tomorrow that has me very excited. You see, I did not want this job. I only applied because it was pushed on me and was a way to get out of the classroom. Well, little did I know that it would be molded to suit my every passion! Only God's Hand could have done that! This job will give me some freedoms that a classroom teacher would not have.

Tomorrow is an important day, I get to walk Travis into his class, turn and walk down the hall and get in my car, where I am sure I will break down into a pile of Maybeline Mess. (Aunt Lisa that could be Bobby Brown, if I had a hook up??) Anyway, I am sure that this season will bring amazing experiences that I never knew I could have. So I say good bye to the season that started 8 years ago in a small bathroom where I first found out that I was pregnant; and hello to a new season, one that does not require diapers or daycare, sippy cups or sleepless nights.

I am a JUNKIE!

OK, I know that title got your attention! I feel the need to make a confession and I think my blog is the best place to do it. You see for the past year I have become a junkie! Totally consumed by this one thing and everything about it. I wake up thinking of it, recite it in my head over and over all day until I can sneak away to my car for a little fix, and then at night I truly get my real dose. Well, it is time that I admit I have a problem and try my hardest to correct it. I do not think they have a 12 step program for me, however I hear that there are over 17 million other people that suffer from this same addiction. My fear is that it is too late for my children, I have already got them hooked too. (what kind of mother am I?)

Well, before any of you decide to disown me or delete me from your favorites I will tell you...I am a High School Musical Junkie. Yes, I know...you are thinking "how old is she?" I love it! I was one of the 17 million that set my DVR to record the premier only to learn that it was released on ON DEMAND the day before. (for shame!) I have downloaded the CD to my Ipod and I am sure that I am the oldest on the treadmill walking to Summer Vacation. My friends feed this addiction as well, Kelley will be bringing me the latest edition of Rolling Stone where Zac Efron is on the cover, don't worry I do not have him hanging on the ceiling...yet.

I agree it is a problem, and I should get some help, but those darn WILDCATS are just so much fun!

Any help for this 30 year old mother of 2?

Join me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F6lNN1cPY4

Farewell Summer 2007

This has been the longest summer since I graduated college and I can now say that I have enjoyed every moment of it. Every year I dread this day...The Last Official Day of Summer, this year is a little different. I really feel like the boys and I are ready for school to start, we have done all that we can do (well maybe...). I have compiled a list of the things I will miss most about this summer.

1. Sleeping until 9:00 am! I love that the boys are old enough to entertain themselves in the morning.


2. Sitting at the pool with Kelley go through our to do list, trying to decide what we can put off until tomorrow.


3. Seeing the joy in Travis's eyes when he learns that he can play outside all day. It was never too hot for him!


4. Napping in the afternoon (what a life...)


5. Staying up late with the house to myself reading and watching soaps, having nothing that I really "needed" to do.


6. Playing with the boys and watching them play with each other.


7. Travis's belly laugh when Tyler acts silly.


8. Answering the question "How many more days of summer?" Knowing that they are excited for school to start.

9. Seeing the little white bottoms go running from the shower to their bedroom. (hee hee!)

10. Hearing the words "Thanks mom that was a great summer!" from Tyler!





Well, it is a short list but has a lot of meaning to me. We have had a great time... me and my boys!!

New Trainee

Apparently I have the sign on my forehead that says "Please train your new employee on me". I hate it, Can we not set a register up in the back of the store and require these "trainees" to at least know the menu or whatever before we give them the main register on a Saturday. Not that I disagree with people getting out into the workforce, however do you see me coming and put the newbie on the register?

Yesterday I was at Walmart for my weekly grocery shopping. Sunday afternoon in Wylie is the BUSIEST time to be at walmart. All of us grab a basket and carefully merge into the traffic going from isle to isle. For goodness sake do not try and get out of the herd! Well, I had already put up with the "herding" of moms with shopping carts and was finally ready to go home. Of course I have one more hurdle in this glorious walmart trip and that is the register. As I pull up I notice that every line is out into the main aisle. Usually this is a signal to the management and they will quickly send out the troops to open more registers. So I stand in the middle lane just watching to make eye contact with any "associate" that has the ability to open a register. Do not laugh you know you do it too! SO I wait....and wait....nothing! I stood there and read an entire People magazine and still could not put my stuff on the belt. Now I am getting frustrated, this is walmart, I could scan the stuff faster than this lady is. And then it hits me...there is another person standing at the end of the lane clearly providing assistance...OH NO a TRAINEE! Why am I not surprised? 30 minutes after I got in line I hear, "Good afternoon, thank you for coming to walmart. Did you find everything you need?" Now I am at a fork in the road. I can say oh yes and drop it or I can say what I really think... "No this has been a terrible experience, first I was herded along aisle by aisle with people that have screaming kids and could not write a list if they wanted to, then I stand in line for 30 minutes to meet you who do not really care what I think but your new associate handbook told you to greet every customer like that so I am telling you what I think." Of course I did not say what I wanted to, I just smiled and said "Uhuh" and waited the 15 minutes it took her to scan my $80 worth of groceries. I left in a rage! I think a good training exercise would be for me to blow off some steam to one of these trainees and see how they handle it. (hee hee) Can you imagine me...(crying saying) and then last week my dog died and then yesterday there was nothing in the cookie jar...? That will teach them. Ok, I feel better, anybody else have "trainee ready" on their forehead?

Countdown is on!

Every year I get to this point of the summer, 5 days left, and I feel the need to cram everything I have procrastinated into a few days. I have now instilled this into my boys. They want to do something fun every day this week. Travis has decided that we can go to Hawaiian Falls, Chuck E Cheese, and the Museum today. Then tomorrow we can go to Six Flags and Cheesecake Factory. HA! It is a good thing I work, I think he spent my August paycheck in two days. Little do they know I am planning on painting, cleaning the closets, redoing the bathroom and steam cleaning the carpet on Monday. (hee hee) Really it is 10:30 and I have eaten breakfast with boys and now I am talking to my friends about all the things I should be doing. Now that is productive!

I do have a bone to pick with my bloggin' buddies...I hear rumors of numerous people reading this blog yet I only have one or two comments each time. I think if you read and do not leave comments you are snooping! HA! Caught you! I am making a new rule because I want to know you were here. If you read you must at least tell me Hi! You do not have to comment on my post but at least let me know that you were here. Deal? Well, we will see! Love to all!

Motherhood (A love hate relationship.)

When I became a mother I had no idea the intense emotions that I would feel. How could you love one person so much that it hurts? My aunt just sent her oldest daughter away to college, that is something I can not even imagine going through right now. The gamut of emotions that she is feeling is huge. Sad, joy, proud, lost, excited, hurt... WOW!
Isn't it amazing how we can look at our little ones and love them so much, even with their dirty feet and faces. Then in a blink of an eye Travis can bang the hammer into my kitchen floor leaving a huge divot in the linoleum and I feel completely different. GRRR! Then he comes into the bathroom, after being in time out, and gets down on all fours to help clean up with a smile so bright it can light the city. Immediately my anger disappears and me heart is filled with love for him.
Motherhood...I love it right now, but might change my mind in five minutes. (The boys are screaming...gotta go!)

Needing Some Motivation

I am feeling like a Bloggin' Slacker lately! I have two great friends that find it possible to blog almost daily. I love reading their posts and then find myself sitting there thinking, what can I possibly say that needs to be heard. (This is when the silence falls over the crowd and the pin drops, blink, blink, blink)

Is it bad that all I can think about writing is about people that should be the focus of some self-help book. I will not be tacky! However, as I was sitting with some neighbors yesterday we decided to buy an island (figuratively of course). On this island we can either vote you on forever or simply assign you a temporary pass to correct your actions. Think of it as a Hollywood style rehab! As we laughed last night at the number of people that should be voted on our island we realized that life would be much easier if we made the rules. HA! I know that surprises some of you, Jennifer wants to be in charge!

I was just wondering if any of you have people that you would like to send to us and what rules shall we add to this new democracy we are forming?

(WOW! I need to go back to work!)

I LOVE VACATIONS!

What a week! We returned today from a 7 and a half day trip to one of the most relaxing places I have found in Texas. I feel like the song, "I've been everywhere man..." Port Aransas, for those of you who do not know, is one of Texas's best kept secrets. It sits just south of Corpus Christi and north of South Padre. Three years ago some friends asked us if we wanted to join them for a couple of days on the beach. After realizing that it would be pretty affordable we took them up on it. Now we are hooked! The blue house on my previous blog is now our "beach house" according to the boys. It is three blocks from the beach, we always walk down there on the first day and on the way back we quickly realize that driving is worth it. This year we arrived on Sunday and left on Sunday. These were the only 7 days to not receive measurable rain in the last 45 days. Can you believe it? We swam, played, shopped, and just sat in the sun from 8 am to 10pm every day. I swear you would not recognize my children, they are little brown beach bums!

The very first day we were there I sat on the porch and did my quiet time while I looked up at the full moon above me. I could hear the seagulls and crickets in the background and could not help but marvel at the wonderful blessings we have around us. I get so caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle that I rarely take time to thank HIM for the little treasures so often taken for granted. I made a promise to take note of the things that would normally get overlooked. What an amazing world we live in! The intricate detail of every sea creature is nothing less that awe inspiring.

I am so lucky to have a family that loves to play together. Each day the boys woke up with a smile on their face ready to jump into the latest adventure. On the last night as I tucked them into bed I brought out a spiral notebook and titled the very back page "Our favorite things about vacation." Before they went to bed we filled the page with things we did. So many of their ideas included just being with family (The Foresters our an extension of our family now.) I was so proud of them at that moment. I think we all slept good knowing that we had fun together!

Good night friends!