Shopping with a tweener

I had offered big fry a pre-school shopping trip a week ago. On the weekend BEFORE school so we wouldn't be rushed and tired. I pointed out the ragged too small shoes. I pointed out the worn, holy, too short jeans. I was given a flat out, "No, I'm good".

Well now it is day 2 of school and while ridng his bike and getting it caught in the chain, he rips his jeans beyond repair. And after finding some weird cut in his favorite Fox racing shirt, he turns to me and says, "Can you take me shopping, my toe is about to come out of my shoes and I I just ripped my jeans."

Luckily I am a SHOPPER, so any excuse to go works, tired or not. We try on jeans, his favorite pair is a goth-like skinny type-black. I convince him to try on others. He is adamant. I may be a little on the edge but I just couldn't let him walk out of the store with those, I just couldn't. So we get some other pairs and move on to shoes. We, I mean he, was looking for a specific kind, they were no where to be found. While looking for shoes though we find a Fox Monste jacket-a very expensive kind. The type of jacket that looks very similar to the one that was misplaced after one month ownership last spring.

He tries it on, he slowly puts it back and says "It's ok mom, I don't need it, its a lot of money, BUT I promise not to wear it to school".

I am immediately sent back in time to a scrawny, poofy-hair girl with glasses who lovingly would look at the OP (Ocean Pacific) shirts in the store. See THAT was the shirt everyone had or was supposed to have. It didn't matter that no one wore OP on the coasts anymore, it mattered that at Dakota Middle School all the cool kids had OP shirts. I remember getting one for Christmas, a white, long sleeve one and I LOVED it. I don't know if anyone wore them anymore-you know how fads are, but I loved t anyway.

So I caved and bought the expensive Monster/Fox hoody-zippered so one can "unzip it like the eighth graders do mom, and still have it on and look cool". It was that or the skinny boy black jeans. Yep, an easy choice.

Off and Running

Well here it is year 3-year 3, of the "new" job. I guess I can't really be a "newbie" anymore. Big changes with how our building runs, the general feel is excitement but with murkiness. The staff I work with don't like murky. We took a peronsality quiz a few years back and over 80% came back "gold". Perfectionstic, high expectations, like clarity, people pleasers. They are all like ME. You put us all together and it makes taking a journey of change a little challenging, we all want things to go WELL.

Which leads me to my distress, because my typical "gold" colored small fry is leading me to fits! I am not sure what is going on but the trend of NOT following directions, FORGETFULLNESS, running around in endless circles, tormenting the dog, and lamenting at how STRICT his new teacher is, is driving me crazy. Because this is NOT the norm, and my lovely people pleaser child is NOT pleasing me. I already know my answer, every child has phases, needs to stretch and grow, I was hoping for shorter phases and LESS stretching. sigh

What a 12 and 9 year old do with a camera...

When unattended...

Not bad for a big fry

He may just have a little artistic genetic material in him.

Or not... she looks quite insulted.

Definitely not artistic viewpoint, strictly middle school humor all the way.

Back to insulting.

I am guessing she was done looking.

Here is what I AM needed for

This has become my new role. Monitoring what little tidbits of non edible items a 5 month old teething dog put in her mouth, CONSTANTLY. It is worse than a two year old who keeps trying to get up the stairs, or go where they shouldn't.
It is quite a chore. There are two ways to go about it. Notice her missing, hunt her down and find her with the off limits object or she comes running from somwhere with her mouth tightly closed trying to pretend she is invisible. Either way I approach her carefully and slowly. Sometimes I pretend I AM invisible and like I am not going her way. Of course the command of drop it works, sometimes, with much better results with a treat in my hand.
This is as thankless chore, but entertaining, and I am always needed!

Boys are boys

My last official day of summer vacation with the boys-just the 3 of us was Friday. SIGH. I don't know if it was one of our best summers. I felt it was a little cut short with weather and other stuff that came up, but focus on how we have MORE time than most families do so can't complain. I also had weird pangs of being a spectator. With the frys being 9 nd 12 I am not necessarily needed for every outing, and don't always feel like I am as engaged as I could be. You wait to be the mom at the pool who gets to sit and READ and then when you do that for awhile you look around and miss being the mom that HAS to be in the water. It is a transition for sure.

I have to say our last day was just as it should be. They chose Horse Thief Lake of course, they turtle and crawdad hunted to their content. Mucked around in the lake til they were muddy and exhausted. As the day ended and we hiked back to the car I came upon wild rasberries, a rare find. They were in awe, we picked small wild rasberries. I sat there listening to the "mmmmm" and chewing, and the "oh look at this one". I wish I had not neglected to bring my camera! As I stood there with the sun glinting off their hair-big fry's that gets darker every summer and tan backs-despite all the sunscreen I use, and listened to their carefree conversation and laughter I relished in being the mom of boys. Real outdoor boys. Boys who when given the choice will pick OUTSIDE over a movie anytime. Boys who can name the plants, find trails, catch animals with their hands, not squirm at eating raspberries off a bush.

Happy summer boys, I hope it was as good for you as it was for me, and in the years to come I hope you still include me.

I have been challenged

I have been challenged...by a coworker

http://ragbrai.com

I don't think I have ever been to Iowa