March 28, 2010

My Top Ten

These are the 'top ten' statements/demands I hear most often from my kids:

10) "I know what I want for my birthday!"
9) "We don't have any food in the house!"
8) "Did you take my lighter?"
7) "I need my clothes washed."
6) "I don't want to get up!"
5) "Will you take us to the mall?"
4) "Can I have some money?"
3) "My friends don't have to do that!"
2) "Why not?"
1) "That's not fair!"

March 27, 2010

Smoking in the Boys Room

Caught Tony smoking in his room. He tried to cover up by lighting one of Danny's incense sticks. Well, that made the smell more pungent. Then he took the screen off his window (I'm guessing to get the smell out faster?), but his excuse was to 'see' out his window better. I found about half a dozen cigarette butts in the trash can. There were two different kinds! The excuse was that he 'bummed' them off his friends and they had different kinds. Don't think for a second I believe this!

I asked the Tonster what he was using for an ashtray. He said he made an ashtray in art class. Oh, well, there ya' go folks....our tax dollars at work! And where was Marisa...in her room snickering.

The positive spin on this is that Danny and I are 'experienced' parents. No goodie-two-shoes in our home. I'm just sayin'...

March 22, 2010

First Day of Spring Break 2010

Usually on the first day of spring break, the kids and I are headed to Texas to spend time with the cousins and friends, or we are in the mountains snowboarding/skiing. But on this first day of spring break, my sweet girl is passed out on the sofa, snuggled in her favorite blanket. The dog laying at her feet. No, Risa is not sick. She had her wisdom teeth out this morning. She only had 3 of them (she has evolved!).

We arrived at the office at 7:45am. In the room, they hooked her up to the monitors, started the IV drip, put her on O2, had her take her lip ring out, and booted me out of the room. Last time I saw my girl this 'concerned' was several years ago when she underwent major surgery at Children's Hospital. I reassured her that this time, she will recover quicker, not to be afraid.

So, off I go, out to the waiting room with other mommy's whose kids are getting their wisdom teeth out, too. I came prepared for the wait. I had my iPod, phone, a snack, and another Sookie Stackhouse book. A little while later, I'm called by the nurse. My baby is awake now. I wish I would have taken the camera! Her beautiful face was so swollen! Eyes rolling back into her head. Body shaking from the anesthesia. Still hooked to the monitors. Nurse said to keep her awake, so I put on her favorite music...the theme song from Matilda!

Marisa recovered quickly. She took her favorite blanket in the car for the ride home. But first we had to stop at the store and load up on ice cream, jello, gauze, ibuprofen, and pain meds. When I make the jello, it had to be 'the blue kind' and I had to cut it into 1-inch squares. She wanted to watch Matilda until she fell asleep. Anything for my girl!

March 16, 2010

The Letter Jacket

We finally got Marisa's letter jacket! She earned her letter on the golf team as a 9th grader. Only 7 of the 9th grade athletes received letters their freshman year!


Her Granny would be so proud! Marisa used her Granny's golf clubs on the team.

March 14, 2010

Daylight Savings

It's been a beautiful weekend! We've been talking with contractors regarding re-landscaping the yard. They all have great ideas, but they all come with a great price tags. Regardless of the 'plans' for a nice yard, we've enjoyed the outdoors.

March 6, 2010

Dinnertime

It's been crazy here! Seems like everyone in the house is going in different directions. I know this is 'normal' when kids become teenagers and parents each have their own jobs. It's becoming more difficult to come together for dinnertime!

Dinnertime was always a favorite of mine when growing up. At one point in my life, my paternal grandmother lived with us. It was at the time my mom went back to work. Coming home from school was nice because 'Mom' was there. (My paternal grandmother was called 'Mom". My mother was called Momma.) Mom would have dinner cooking at 4:00pm when my brother and I would be getting home from school. Our parents would be home around 5:30pm and we would sit down at the dinner table and eat. Lots of conversation, silly antics, and eating happened! A great childhood memory for me. My brother kept us laughing! (That would be an entirely separate post!) As we grew up, this special family time became more difficult.

When I moved away from my parents house, I thought it was awesome to have dinner when I wanted and where I wanted. Most of you know how that is....autonomy, self-determination! The ability to make our own decisions! There was no set time or place for dinnertime. For the most part, I ate at restaurants. Lots and lots of restaurants. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Once chldren came along, it was time to regulate dinnertime! I wanted family traditions to continue.

Regulating dinnertime was more difficult than I thought it would be. But we did it! I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mommy. I would have dinner ready by the time Danny got home from work. We sat down to eat at the same time, in different staging of chairing (Marisa in a booster, Tony in a high chair).

This continued for years.......dinnertime when Danny got home. As the kids grew older and sporting events crept in, dinnertime was more difficult to manage. Now the kids are in high school and Danny and I each have careers that we are dedicated to. Add in that Danny and I are 'dieting'. One of the stressors for me is to make sure we continue our family dinnertime. Nowadays, we sit at the same table, but we are are all eating different plates of food. Danny and I have started to prep meals on the weekends for easier assembly during the week. Since we are dieting, Danny and I are having our specialized meal. Marisa insists that prepped items are 'gross' so she heats up frozen Taquitos with sour cream and salsa. Tony has already eaten twice before dinner, but he will put together the foods we prepped and grab some of our veggies for a hugh plate of food.

While the dinners themselves are different, bottom line is...we still have our dinnertime.