11-1-11... Thankful... Day One

11-1-11.

Seems like the date would dictate a profound blog post, doesn't it? Too bad I'm fresh out of profound right now!  Maybe by the time 11-11-11 rolls around I'll think of something.

There is something about the date, however, that immediately makes me think forward to Thanksgiving. And the planning. And the list making. (And, oh! my! goodness! Christmas is not far behind.)

It's easy to lose sight of what the day is about. Not to mention that we are called to be thankful every day... not just the one day set aside on our calendar.

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.

And always be thankful.  (Colossians 3:15, NLT)

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  (I Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

So, I am committing to posting daily for the month of November. Just one thing a day for which I am thankful.

Here goes...

Day one...

I am thankful for Kat.

I am thankful that she loves Jesus and others. I am thankful that she can make me laugh like no other especially with her spot on imitations of others. I am thankful that she rarely gives in to peer pressure despite the loneliness of being different. I am thankful that she sings in the shower - and has ever since she was old enough to shower without assistance.  I am thankful for the little glimpses I get of the woman she is becoming. I am thankful that she will still let me comfort her.

I am very thankful that she passed her driving test with a 100% score and can drive herself to school now. Or to the store when I need something.



The new driver.

I hate school.

(Update:  After taking a beating from some of my teacher friends, please allow me state for the record that I do NOT really hate school.  I actually always loved school and did quite well.  Please... read to the end of the post... you'll get it, I hope!)

Actually… I hate the start of a new school year.

Oh, sure… there’s some exciting elements about it. 

I love buying new school supplies and always find a few that I need want, too.  (New Sharpies, Bic Crystal pens, a planner, and Post-It Notes… anyone else with me here?)  Buying a few new outfits is always fun… and then the repeated fashion shows in attempt to determine which will be the winning outfit to be worn on the first day.

And then there’s the anticipation of new opportunities. New classes with new teachers. New friends and memories just waiting to be made.

A return to routine is kind of nice.  (Any other calendar-keeping, list-making, control freaks agree on this one?)

And yet… I hate the start of a new school year.

I’ve never been one of those mamas who start counting down days ‘til the first day of school on the first day of summer.

(What is wrong with them???) 

I don’t want my children to go back to school.

Of course, I realize that I truly don’t hate the start of a new school year.  I just don’t like giving up the one-on-one time with my children. The unhurried minutes of hanging out at home, the pool, the beach or between the many summer activities.  Activities spent with them.

What do I really hate?

That the first day of the new school year marks the passing of time.  The day symbolizes the marching of time that I can’t stop despite all the control I like to think I wield.  It reminds me of our ever evolving relationship and emphasizes how fast my kids are growing into adults… and the fact that there’s nothing I can do to stop time. Nor would I really, truly want to.

Kat started her sophomore year of high school yesterday.

 And this one?

Today is Burrito’s first day of classes at THE BIG UNIVERSITY.  (Hook ’em!!!)

Signed,

A Slightly Melancholy Mama

(P.S. – A big “thank you” to the group of mamas who met yesterday morning after the school drop-offs for The 7^th Annual Moms’ Back-to-School Breakfast. There’s nothing like copious amounts of coffee, deep discussions, side-splitting laughter and a little retail therapy with “the girls” to lighten a mama’s heart. Each one of you is a very special woman!)

Confessions: I was nearly mugged at Sam's Club!

My father always took great delight in scaring me, my sister and my younger cousins. 

Oh, I don't just mean the barely raising your voice "BOO!" kind of scare.  I mean the horrible, sudden and without warning, full-on, mask-wearing, jump from the shadows of a summer night, monster-growling "GRRRAAAA!!!" kind of scare.

He's famous for it. Neighborhood children feared him. Really.

And then there was the time he asked me to hold a picture against the wall for him so he could judge the placement.  As I turned my back to dutifully hold the frame in place, he poked me in my side with his finger while simultaneously pulling the trigger on his electric drill with his other hand. 

You should've seen me climb the wall. (For the record, I never dropped the picture!)

I take after my dad in the area of scaring people. My best friend, Stephanie, came by for a visit the evening of the "Drill Incident" (as I like to call it).  Prior to her arrival, I begged dad to do it to her, too. He did. She screamed and collapsed into a heap on the floor. (I'm so sorry, Steph - it truly is a wonder you still consider me your BFA&F!)

I learned well at the feet of the master and it didn't take long for the tradition to continue once I had children. I waited until they were old enough to truly appreciate the experience. You know, like two-years-old.

Oh, sure... it started out innocently enough with the smiley-faced "Boo's!" but quickly progressed to the jumping out from behind doors with a slightly louder, more emphatic "BOO!!!" - arm gestures and appropriate posturing included at no additional charge.

It was all fun and games until I saw a news report about a mother who had done the same thing to her son.  And it killed him. I kid you not. Turns out, the little guy had an undiagnosed heart condition and the shock literally stopped his heart.

Well, alrighty then. Who needs that kind of guilt? Not me! So I laid off the scaring of the children. For awhile. Months, I'm sure.  Addictions across generations are the hardest to break, you know.

I'm pleased to report that we've come full circle with this family addiction tradition.

I took the kiddos with me to Sam's Club last night for dinner and a little shopping. (Oh, come on... you know you eat at Sam's and Costco for dinner sometimes, too!)  They quickly tired of following me around and informed me that I could find them relaxing on the furniture display when I was finished walking the aisles. 

As I hurried down one of the aisles nearest the back corner of the store, I noticed that it was getting close to closing time and there weren't many shoppers left in the store.  I paused mid-aisle to mentally calculate the cost-per-jar of various spaghetti sauces when "The Near Mugging" happened. Two hands shoved me squarely in the back, throwing me into the handle bar of the shopping cart while a deep, growling voice yelled, "GGGRRRAAA!!!"  (Thank goodness for the shopping cart because my own two legs wouldn't have supported me.)  I turned to defend myself against the attacker while preparing to scream.  There stood my two offspring - both doubled over in laughter.

"We got you!"

"You should've seen your face!"

"You jumped so bad!"

So, if you hear a news report about a middle-aged woman dieing from a heart attack following a scare - please send flowers to the funeral. And get my kids some counseling before they harm another generation with this addiction tradition.

They look so innocent, don't they?

9/11 - Never Forget

"Will it happen again?"

"Would they do it today since it's September 11th again?"

Wow.

How do I answer these questions with the honesty my teens deserve? We've talked about this subject a lot lately.

Our conclusion?

The best way to make sure it never happens again is to never forget that it happened in the first place.

Resistance Is Futile!

Twitter.

I've resisted it. Truly I have. And it hasn't been hard since I didn't have a texting plan on my cell phone until last week.

I mean, really...

Do I need to be texted when my neighbor finds a great buy on toilet paper? When my friend from church decides to boil eggs for her salad? Do I need to know that a fellow PTA mom is up from her afternoon nap?

Ummm... no! I'm blissful in my ignorance, thank you very much!

Until this morning.

Unexpectedly, an event in my life made me dash home, jump on the computer and set up a Twitter account. I'll bet you're thinking, "Wow, it must really be something special!"

And you'd be right!

This morning, I dropped Burrito off at our church where he and 30 other students and 9 adults loaded up in three vans to head to Birmingham, Alabama.

Once there, they are partnering with World Changers for five days on projects that include painting, roofing, building and repairing decks and doors, and yard work, as well as walking the neighborhoods and sharing Christ with those they meet.

So what about this event made me run home and set up a Twitter account?

All cell phones have been left at home during this trip, cutting off communication with our kids. And that's okay. I understand that they need to be immersed in what they are doing. Set apart so that God is able to stretch them beyond what they think they can accomplish. All without the security net of being able to "phone home."

Just before the last kisses where planted and the final wave given, our youth pastor announced that they had set up a Twitter account to keep us all up-to-date on what was happening while they are traveling and working. (I may or may not have actually heard angels singing at that moment.)

Would you join me in praying for Burrito, the team, their projects, and the people they encounter?

I'll be posting their Twitter updates on my sidebar as they are sent. This way, you will also know what is going on and can pray appropriately for them.

On your mark... get set...

Go!

(Photo credit: By hylander44 on Flickr.)

Put on your running shoes and see if you can keep up with us. It's gonna be a busy weekend. From my planner:

• Dance recital dress rehearsal (Done)
• Football game (Over - our team made the playoffs! How many more weeks of football?)
• Cheer practice (Done)
• Neighborhood yardsale (Going on as I speak type.)
• Bud fishing
• Craft show (Not enough hours in the day so I'm skipping it. *Humph.*)
• Purchase new hair curlers for Kat (Necessary to create "cheerleader hair.")
• Dance recital
• Cheer competition (We do live in Texas, y'all!)

That last item? Guaranteed to produce blog fodder for next week's postings. Maybe I'll even have pictures!

One down...

Only 179 days to go. But who's counting, right?

Well, maybe these two.

The first day of school went well for both kids. Kat attended the first day of 7th grade at the new middle school in our district. We had a preview of the campus last week and it is beautiful. Kat was pleased to receive all the courses she had requested and was satisfied with the teachers for those classes. Except for one who shall remain nameless. She has a slight bias, though, as Burrito also had this teacher when he was at the other middle school and I think his opinion is clouding her opinion. Kat was also happy to report that she has friends and acquaintances in every class. Whew! Because we all know how important is to have your homies in class with you in order to receive a quality education! She was also pleased that her dance class was early in the day and not immediately after lunch like last year. Other contributing factors to the success of the day: She found all of her classrooms ("No problem!") and the lock on her locker worked just fine!
Burrito had a one day reprieve from early morning band practice on the first day. So, I dropped him off at the high school on my way to my coffee date with the girls in time to pick up his schedule and get to his first class of 10th grade. (I'm really not old enough to have a 10th grader, just in case you were wondering.) I am pleased to report that miracles are still occurring! Burrito's schedule was correct. He was thrilled with the instructors for his courses, as well. His big shock for the day? His world history class. It is a college level class that he will receive college credit for after he passes the final test at the end of the year. He had me look at the textbook multiple times while exclaiming things like, "Do you see how thick this is?" and "Look at how small the print is" and "There's hardly any pictures in here!"

Day number two started bright and early this morning since Burrito had to be at band. Actually, it was dark and early. And by early morning, I mean 6:30 AM. Also known as "o'dark-thirty." And, by 6:30 AM, I mean dressed, at the school, on the practice field, drum strapped on, ready to play at 6:30 AM.

Our alarm goes off at 5:15 AM now, thank you very much!

Tuesday is THE day!

The first day of school!

The new clothes are pressed and ready. Lunches are packed. School supplies have been purchased and labeled. Bus numbers are confirmed.

And mom has a coffee date with the girls lined up immediately following the departure.

Lord, bless and protect my children as they return to school.

Intelligent people are always ready to learn.
Their ears are open for knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15

Summer Vacation... Week One

Well, the first week of summer has been marked off the calendar. We stayed so busy that it sure didn’t feel like summer, though.

Burrito had one week of band camp. The purpose of this week was to introduce the incoming freshmen to the upper classmen and to the fundamentals of marching band – mostly teaching them the routine of practices and the different warm-ups that are used. The other highlight of this week is that all of the percussionists are assigned to their instrument for the coming fall. Burrito has been practicing and preparing his entire freshman year with one specific instrument in mind…

And we are now the proud parents of the marching band’s newest bass percussionist! Our band has five bass drums and this is the largest of them. Burrito is not the largest of the bass players.

Kat started her summer off in very girly fashion… getting her hair highlighted. It turned out very nice and she is pleased with it.

By the way, Max enjoys hanging around while I work on my blog.

Some posts just crack him up!

Others, not so much.

The Party and Lessons Learned

I’ve been a bad blogger. Oh, yes – I’ve been reading blogs. I just haven’t written my own. But I have a good excuse because I’m still recovering from the party we had last Friday night with 27 of my kiddo’s closest friends.

Yes, there was food. These are just the remnants. After all that I prepared, they still felt the need to raid the pantry and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. What would they have done had I served PB&J sandwiches? (I like that they feel that comfortable in our home!)

There were middle schoolers. We were grossly out-numbered. (Sigh…)

Jumping on the trampoline.

Several games of football.

Can’t have football without the cheerleaders.

And, it’s not a good party if you haven’t danced the Cha Cha Slide.

There were high schoolers.

A well-supervised game of twister.

Can you lick your elbow? Go ahead and try it. (We’ll wait…)

She can!

This is what honor students do to unwind after finals. Who knew?

A Dance Dance Revolution dance contest. Did anyone ever really win?

Max hid in our bedroom. Who could blame him? (Not really – we locked him in there for his own protection.)

The party was fun. Mostly. Both parents and kiddos learned a few things.

• Middle schoolers never get tired. Ever. Ever.
  
• It's really fun to hang out with teenagers. Seriously!
  
• It is good to have a spare pair of shorts around in case of an “accident” on the trampoline. All that jumping places a lot of stress on seams. Thank you for loaning replacements, Kat.
  
• Real friends respect your home, your possessions and your parents. If they don’t, they aren’t.
  
• The goal of TP’ing is to NOT get caught. Got that, Burrito? We’ve never been so embarrassed. Who would have thought that we would raise a kid who would get caught before even getting started?

'07-'08 School year comes to an end!

I spent several hours sitting at the computer on Saturday morning. Bud had been after me to upload the numerous photos I had stored on our camera. It was a tedious, time-consuming project since I made the extra effort to properly name each photo (using the system my Prince Charming had created) and to touch up the photos to eliminate red eye, shadows, etc. It was fun to relive the many events that occurred over the course of this school year.

This is the last week of school for Burrito and Kat. The ending to many firsts. Burrito is finishing his freshman year of high school. Finals and all. Kat is finishing her first year of junior high. No finals this year. They have planned a party together at our house on Friday evening with approximately thirty of their closest friends and I'm sure this will provide for many more photo opportunities.

Here's the year in review - one full year condensed to five minutes.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mama Bear

A quick search on the internet revealed several sites that describe the qualities of mama bears. They all had a common theme.

• Mother bears will not leave their cubs. They are fiercely protective. She will hide her cubs nearby (to keep them safe) while she hunts or fishes. She will put them in a place where they are still nearby, but where other animals are not likely to notice the cubs. If a mother bear feels that her cubs are in danger, she will fight to the death to protect them.
• Mother bears are fiercely protective and extremely devoted, attentive, sensitive and affectionate with their young cubs.
• The mother will fiercely protect her cubs from any perceived danger.
• Mother bears are fiercely protective of their young.
• You especially don't want to get between a mother bear and a cub. A mother bear with cubs will be fiercely protective.

Fiercely protective. Sound familiar? Are you a mama bear? I am.

My kiddos can vouch for this. They say they can see the transformation begin in my eyes. Then it moves to my jaws. The clinching begins. The timbre of my voice drops and sharpens as the volume slightly rises. Sometimes more than slightly. Push me beyond this stage and you’re likely to see the claws, snarling teeth and flying fur appear.

It doesn’t have to be a life or death situation to bring about these protective instincts. And, it doesn’t matter the age of your child. I’m certain that my parents still feel the mama bear tendencies arise when they believe my sister or I have been wronged.

Wronged. Aggrieved. Mistreated. Persecuted. Maltreated. Victimized. Offended. Ill-treated. Injured. Harmed. (I have a great thesaurus. Let me know if you need more words.)

The dilemma in these situations, I’ve discovered, is finding the discernment to know when to unleash the mama bear. Or, when to take a deep, cleansing breath, step aside and let my cubs fight their own battle. Especially as my kiddos are getting older.

How am I doing with this dilemma? Well, it’s a day-to-day process. Some days I get it right. Some days I don’t. My prayer, though, is that my kiddos will know that whether I jump into the fray in their behalf or step aside and allow the battle and its outcome to be theirs, Mama Bear is there. Praying for guidance and protection from the One who loves them even more than I ever could.

And then I return to our family verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. " (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

IT

We took the boat out on the lake this past Saturday for the first time this season. Bud and Kat were on the water early to do some fishing. Burrito and I got to sleep in ‘til a little later. (An early Mother’s Day gift!) We packed a picnic lunch and met them around 11 AM at the dock where we exchanged fishing gear for the picnic lunch and tube.

You wouldn’t know it by the pictures, but the water is still hovering around 70 degrees. That’s a “come up screaming” temperature! But, we hit a record-breaking 98-degrees on Saturday here in central Texas so, after the initial shock, the water felt really good. We spent the day alternating between pulling the kiddos on the tube and finding little coves to float around in whenever we needed a rest.

We also made a “drive by” of one of our favorite spots, The Oasis. This restaurant is perched on one of the cliffs overlooking the lake and boasts the best views. It’s hard to see in the picture, but most of the restaurant is outdoor seating on decks that line the side of the cliff.

The Oasis is called the “Sunset Capital of Texas” because it is perfectly situated facing west to capture the sun as it sets over the lake and the hill country beyond. It’s one of those places where the sun visibly “drops” into the horizon each night. A dinner guest is selected each evening to help the dinner crowd count down the descent (think of the ball dropping in Time Square on New Year’s Eve!) and then ring a giant bell when the last sliver of the orange ball disappears. This was one of the places Jim, our realtor, took us to when we were here for our house hunting trip a little more than five years ago. It’s one of those must-see places we’re compelled to take out-of-towners who visit us.

In 2005, The Oasis was struck by lightening and most of the decking was burned. As you can imagine, all that wood made great kindling for the fire! Most of the restaurant’s outdoor dining area was closed while the owners rebuilt all of the decking. The old decking had been added onto numerous times over the years – decks staggered here and there as needed to accommodate the ever-increasing number of guests. That was part of the charm. It’s since been reopened and is all shiny and new. Almost too perfect. But, it’s still the best place to watch the sunset in Texas!

The kids would swim and tube until they were exhausted. Getting back on the tube is no easy feat in the water!

“Hold it, Kat! I think I can get on!”

"Almost there…"

Nope.

We anchored in a cove at one point to let the kids float and rest. As a matter of safety, we always have one person remain in the boat, even when anchored. Bud was just about to jump into the water with the kids when I noticed something very strange beside the kids on the tube. Air bubbles. Lots of bubbles. I stopped Bud from jumping in and made him take a look. He offered several explanations including disturbed vegetation from dropping the anchor. An underwater pipe for run-off water. An underground spring. The spring theory was Bud's favored explanation. The bubbling continued. Then, the bubbles began to increase. The kiddos had now noticed the boiling water beside them and they weren’t too happy to be hanging out in the water like live bait. We quickly pulled the kids into the boat and continued to watch. My Prince Charming even suggested at one point that I get the camera ready as we might be about to get some pictures that we could sell to one of those tabloids you see in the checkout line of the grocery store.

Suddenly, the boiling bubbles began to move. (The last time I checked, springs don’t move.) Bud decided it would be the appropriate time to pull the anchor… and follow IT. While he was pulling the anchor, Kat and I saw something. What was IT? IT was big and just a few feet under the surface of the water. The bubbling water moved right. Then left. Bud cranked the motor and followed a few feet behind while IT almost made a complete circle then headed toward the rocky cliff that lined the cove. We had IT cornered now! The water really began to boil.

Camera was ready… Turned on… Lens cap removed... In focus…

And then IT surfaced!
I screamed and sank into my seat. (Because I’m always calm in situations like that!) Kat screamed. Burrito was dazed. I could see the “fight or flight” decision process taking place in Bud’s muscles.

IT casually waved and yelled “Sorry!” across the water to us. Then slipped under the surface of the water again and disappeared.

We don’t know where IT came from. There weren’t any other boats in the area. There were no dive flags floating anywhere. There were no homes at the top of the shear cliff surrounding the cove.

Later that night in the safety of our own home, it occurred to us that we could have killed IT. Props on boats can certainly maim and kill. Not to mention the twenty-pound anchor we dropped.

The excitement just never ceases around here. So, how was your Mother’s Day weekend?

P.S. – The photo of IT? I found it on Yahoo images. I didn’t take any pictures of IT. During my intense assessment of the situation (panic), I forgot to press the shutter button.