Really??

What's worse than being an obsessive worrier? Having a child who is one uggggggggg.

Well...

The morning started out with my 4th Monday in a row going for the 5 AM workout. Little did I know that I grabbed small fry's mp3 player, which is chock-full of Jonas Brothers, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Kidz Bop. Do you know how hard it is to be motivated to ANY of those at 5 AM? Luckily big fry had downloaded some other stuff along the way.
I spent two hours serving little packaged lunches because the new school oven didn't quite do what it was supposed with the lunches that came frozen. I was glamorous in heels though.
Talked to big fry on the phone who immediately told me about the kid who flipped him off. Thankfully this was overshadowed by meeting a friend. HER (yes her) name is Stormi, with an "i" not a "y" as I was strongly told. She goes by Stormi because she doesn't like her real name. He took my advice and sat with a group, that mysteriously was lots of girls. Do you see a pattern here? Lunch was awesome and no homework, so he was going to "hang loose" after school.

Oh and the shirt and tie we shopped all around for? Well small fry came in with pants to short, an old Big Fry shirt on first thing this morning. I pulled rank (and a passive aggressive guilt trip) and told him everyone would have on a new shirt for the first day-he obliged with a striped polo WITH the too short pants. He LOVES his teacher.

Well day one is out of the way only 174 too go!

Here it is

Here it is the eve before the first day of school. Big Fry has his backpack packed and ready to go, inlcuding the first piece of homework, done a day early. I don't know who is more anxious for this whole middle school adventure. I just keep looking at it that way or else I may just start crying my eyes out. We are as prepared as we can be- locker opens, lunch number memorized, and lots of reminders that it will be FINE. Of course when we walked through his schedule who should he have in his first period class but a former tormenter from last year. It took all of my willpower to not turn around and confront the little-you-know-what with his mom standing right there. He SOOOO wants a new start and I can tell he has really high expectations-I know just how he feels in more ways than one. It is going to be a long day until I can get home and ask him how it went, I so want to see that wonderful big smile he has cross his face.

Small Fry is ready to, his biggest dilema is to wear his shirt and tie or not.

Goodbye summer,

The last weekend of summer, what a great way to end

Detours

It is almost time to officially say good bye to summer. Besides the hubby not being home hardly at all, this summer was a blast. I can say I truly I didn't get one thing done I planned, not the weight loss, not the house projects, not nearly the amount of reading or working on homework with big fry as I should have. It can best be described as a detour. Instead of making lists I did the best of truly playing in the hear and now, going to the lake AFTER lunch, taking road trips on the spur of the moment and putting many, many obligations aside. With that being said, I can feel myself moving into school mode. I went out with some principal friends for the evening, it was fun and I have missed the conversation and friendship, it is a special bond. I am looking forward to the school year and moving forward in big ideas and visions, hugs from kids, talking to parents, collaborating with teachers, and helping a learning community grow. I can't imagine a different job and how much I love it. I am excited to hopefully make a difference.

A misunderstanding, Push-ups, and Laurena

We sign up big fry for a week long strings retreat-his first real over nighter. We think this will help him see not all kids are mean like he has experienced, and meeting new kids is a good thing-which he will soon do in middle school. He starts to waver the week before, "What if they are mean?" I tell him, no way these kids are nice. Forward to the second evening I go to pick him up and help carpool to swimming. He looks pathetic and tells me I don't think I can make it, "They are mean and I am really homesick". I am devastated. Just for once can he find a group to hang with, just once. I talk to chaperones at the pool and observe him and the other boys. I see lots of roughhousing, pushing, shoving etc, which he does not do well with, he likes his space and reacts to this like it is "picking". It is the physical rough housing that they are doing to impress that opposite sex that he just doesn't get. We go back to camp, talk to the director, he decides to sleep in his own bed and head back bright and early.
The next evening, I hesitantly go to check on him. He asks me to come back in an hour-this is a good sign. I get wine (I may need it) and go back. I see him with a group of boys AND girls. He promptly tells me"I am staying"
Fast forward to the end-in the car. He tells us of Push-ups, this kid who has Edward-like hair (Twilight) and biceps like diamonds. Push-ups hung out with the youngsters and was very entertaining. They call him push-ups because he is "super buff mom!" We also hear of the great "misunderstanding"-you can almost see the quotes as he says it. Noah is in love with Laurena and when Laurena talks to Alec ,then Noah is furious. "It got physical mom", so I am told. They worked it out because ALL of Laurena's friends kept saying, "Lauren wants you to talk to her". He is not sure why:) Then Laurena and Noah broke up
This behavior baffles me until I am in the bed that night and look at it with the lens of a 6th grade girl, which I once was. Boys rough housing each other like birds showing their feathers to impress and catch the eyes of any females nearby. All communication with the opposite sex is through your best girlfriend who then talks to the best boyfriend of the boy you like. THIS is middle school communication and I better start remembering it.

By the way Big Fry had a blast, he pointed out Laurena-I have to say the boy's got taste. When I asked him why he thought Laurena wanted to talk him to so much he immediately said, "I made her laugh, alot" I bet you did buddy!

This one first

Karen's request for tantalizing stories from strings camp will have to wait. Today the boys had the scare of their life. I am constantly warning them about snakes OTHER than gardners that they love. You know the kind with rattles on them. I worry that the desire to grab will override safety. Today that was tested. I took the boys to a pond near a friend's house. The pond is at the bottom of a very steep hill and most of it I couldn't see them. They head down shoeless with nets in hand. As they are walking up I hear big fry-in a voice I have never heard (now I know it was sheer panic)-tell small fry to get back and quickly. The tone of his voice causes me to head at break neck speed, because I can't see them. They come up through the grass panting and small fry is almost crying. Big fry tells me he is walking and hears the noise and stops (like Reptile Gardens tells you to do) and sees it in front of him by a rock, coiled up and head up, hissing and rattling. He tells me all he could think about was keeping his brother away.

So see all those nature shows, like SHARK WEEK can be very helpful:)

Just imagine...

Karen tells the greatest stories about her new experiences with middle school dances and such. So imagine this same age group combined with high schoolers at camp-an overnight camp-for 4 nights. Add that to one very honest and talkative Big Fry. Whew my head is spinning trying keep up:) Oh and yeah the orchestra songs and practice were pretty good to.

"This one time at band camp..." Yep you get the idea now.

For Carey...

Did you know that sharks are more attracted to noise than blood? So this guy he does this very scientific experiment for Discovery Shark Week. Which will draw more sharks, chum or noise? Smashing a water bottle underwater attracted more. Just saying you may want to practice paddling quietly:) Oh and bull sharks are very dangerous because they have been know to be NOT picky eaters.

2 things

First, big fry went away to his first ever overnight camp and won't be home until Friday night. He was nervous and skeptical. By the time I left he had a pop and a friend and they were exchanging boy conversation that I won't share. I think he will be fine. As for here at home, it is only the first day and it was quiet. And a little lonely.

Second, I was on facebook-stalking people I recognize- if their security allows it. I found a person from high school who had pictures of her artwork, I didn't even know she was an artist. I never had her in any art class in high school, and I took all of them. They were beautiful, daring, and emotional.It was a weird concidence, after having met the cool art girl with Karen, I happened on another artsy person. Small Fry's coach lives with a woman and I went to their house. SHE was an artist, it was all over the house, daring cool, out there art. I am a little jealous (I know a very bad emotion). I miss art, real art. Not the photography I do because it is instant and fits into a busy life. Or the domestic decorating. But cool art-painting and drawing, collage, pottery-all of it. I miss the creativity it brings and worry that I have lost the spark and when the time comes (when I have the time/space) I won't be any good at it. Sigh

Dessert anyone?

Yummy and under 300 calories-ok until I added the homemade ice cream-WHICH works much better with cooled ingredients. I think the dessert makes the fake vintage bowls look pretty darn cute.