Homeschool Mama

After several months of pitiful grades, apathetic teenagers, and non-responsive teachers, Hubby and I decided it was time to pull the oldest two out of mainstream school and place them into online courses, thus making me a homeschool mama!

Rea did the online prep school last year and finished her Freshman year with a 3.8 GPA. Not too shabby!! She worked really hard and we were so proud of her! Yet, when she finished, we re-enrolled her in her local public High School. Emphasize "High" in High School. When she went back she told us that the drug use at the High School was overwhelming and the peer pressure was too much to bear. She ended up failing most of her classes and admitted to us that she failed on purpose so that she would be placed back in her online classes.

That was just the tip of the iceburg. Even though she had failed most of her classes the first 6 weeks and continued to fail the 2nd 6 weeks, we had nearly NO communication from her instructors, even though we emailed and called wanting to discuss her grades. It seems that the High School has a policy to hold the kids COMPLETELY responsible for EVERYTHING they do. The teachers stand up in front of the class, teach their lesson, then expect the kids to either know what they have been taught, or find an outside tutor. This is appauling!!!

Regardless, we pulled Rea out of public school and put her back in her wonderful online High School.

Meanwhile, Bubsy was having the same problems with his grades and classes. Even though I was in CONSTANT contact with his teachers and even met with ALL of them, plus the counselor, he continued to bring home failing grades. We were just not willing to let him go down the same path as Rea, so we yanked him out of the school we thought was one of the best in the state, and decided to homeschool him as well.

Even though I call them "homeschooled" they are both being taught by a group of highly educated and experienced teachers and they both complete all of their work online. Bubsy will finish 7th grade in April, then he will enroll in the same prep school that Rea attends for his 8th grade year and beyond.

I can't say enough about the online courses that they are taking. They are very challenging and the one-on-one instruction that they are provided is second to none. It is costing us a fortune, though. However, we both feel it is worth the price to give them the education that they deserve.

Snow Slide

Holiday Club Lighting

Our neighborhood had it's annual Club Lighting tonight, complete with a snow slide, arts and crafts, ice sculptures, a train ride, horse drawn carriage and even a visit from Santa. My big sister and her hubby came up to join us and we had a good time! The biggest hit of the evening was the snow slide. Usually they make a huge mound of snow for the kids to play in, but since some of the older kids thought it would be funny to pummel the adults with snowballs, they decided to go with the snow slide this year. It was set up and run by students from A&M University. All my kids went down it and loved it, but it wasn't the same without being able to dive into the huge pile of snow.

The Decorators

I really wasn't in the mood to decorate this season, but the kids quickly changed my mind. One of the reasons for my hesitation, was the thought of putting up the 12' tree that I purchased last year. I really don't know what I was thinking. This thing is massive and came in not one, but 2 huge boxes. Luckily my brother-in-law offered to come to the house and help me put it up. Another problem for me is that I'm afraid of heights, so decorating this thing was only possible up to a certain point. Luckily Piggy was eager to put the ornaments on and Rea climbed the 10' ladder to reach the top section. The tree looks BEAUTIFUL!! With that done, and all the inside decorations in place, all that was left was the outside decorations. I planned on putting garland on the porch and maybe putting up the deer, but Bubsy had other plans. He did the entire outside decorations himself, with a little help from Piggy. He strung lights all the way around the driveway, helped put up the garland, set up the lighted trees and deer and got all the cords organized on remote controled outlets. It looks GREAT! Here is a little preview of their work.

More Oklahoma Photos

Piggy & Clyde




Bubsy, Clyde & Sarah





Bubsy & Piggy






Us with Sassy & Her Grandparents

A Visit to the Country

Before we left Oklahoma the kids and I met my Aunt Cee in Tulsa to visit my other Aunt Cy at the restaurant where she works. Aunt Cy is dearly loved at her restaurant by her regular customers. We had GREAT food and the pie was EXCELLENT!

After we ate Aunt Cy joined us on a short trip to visit my Uncle Jay in the country. He and his wife Tere have a beautiful spread in the Oklahoma countryside. The kids had a blast playing with their dogs. I am sure that the dogs slept well after we left! Piggy and Bubsy ran and ran and ran with the dogs!

Uncle Jay & Aunt Tere grilled burgers for all of us and we had a wonderful time catching up with Aunt Cy and each other. In fact, the kids had such a great time that they want to go visit Uncle Jay this summer for a week!

We also got to play with one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen! Little Ame was such a doll and I can see why Aunt Tere and Uncle Jay adore her!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

While we were in Oklahoma, the kids and I traveled a few miles to see my best friend's daughter (I'll call her Sassy, as the name suits her to a T!). My BFF passed away just 3 weeks after Sassy was born. I have kept in close touch with Sassy's grandparents over the years. They have kept me updated on how she is doing and send me pictures every year and even came to visit us about a year and a half ago.

Now that Sassy is getting older we have gotten closer and frequently exchange emails. She is growing into a beautiful young woman and has really taken on a lot of her mother's characteristics and mannerisms. I call her Sassy because she is just that... Sassy. Just like her mother was. Her mother was one of the most vivacious people I have ever known. In fact Sassy is so much like her mother, that as I sat back and watched the banter between her and her grandmother, I could have sworn that I was watching my BFF and her mother!

Sassy's grandparents were so very gracious to us during our visit and her Aunt was kind enough to include us in their family photo taking. She took these shots of us.

I am taking Sassy to Paris when she graduates high school in a few years. She is really excited, as am I! I am just so thankful that I am able to be a part of her life and have the opportunity to share with her my memories of her mother.

Old Friends

While we were in Oklahoma and staying at a hotel, my Dad was excited when he saw some of their very dear friends from years past in the lobby. I used to play with their daughters when I was a kid! They are such wonderful people and have been good friends to my parents over the years. Mom, Dad, the kids and I had breakfast with them before we all departed the hotel to visit our respective families. What a great surprise to start the Thanksgiving holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The kids and I flew to Oklahoma to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We were very fortunate to see almost all of our aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as both sets of grandparents. We had a great time!

My Aunt & Uncle hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the entire clan! My Aunt is a FABULOUS cook!! Everything tasted so wonderful and their family were such gracious hosts and made us all feel at home in their lovely house.

My family also has an inside connection to the North Pole! Santa made a special trip and stopped by to hand out gifts to the kids!

Happy 16th Birthday Rea!

Baby Grace

Such a sad story has been broadcast all over the national news for the past few days after the discovery of a little girl's body, which was stuffed in a storage box, was found on a remote island in Galveston, Texas. Apparantly her tiny body sustained a fatal skull fracture and she was disposed of like a piece of garbage on an island that is so remote that it is a miracle that she was found only 2 weeks after her death.

NO CHILD deserves such a heinous death and disposal. This is one of the most deplorable acts that I have ever heard of and the inhumae bastards that had a hand in this are the most dispicable of the human race.

Whether this was an outright murder of an innocent child, or whether it was an accidental death that the child's caregivers chose to cover up, this child's death and disposal is an outcry to all human beings that children are NOT disposable in any way, shape, or form. Children are to be nurtured, loved, and taught. ALL children deserve a happy childhood, a safe home, and a stable environment and it is the duty of ALL adults to provide that for them. ALL OF THEM!!

Child predators can be found in nearly every neighborhood in our country. Abusive parents and guardians are on nearly every other street. Children are being severely short-changed in life and it is time that the ADULTS of this world step up and protect EVERY child, whether it be their own, a neighbor, a student, or friend. We must step in to protect these children and take an oath to shield them from the horrors that can fall upon them.

It breaks my heart to think of what this child must have gone through at the hands of the criminals that did this to her. We can only hope that her soul is at peace.

Here is a link to a web site that was created for Baby Grace: http://www.baby-grace.org/

Goodbye Greek, Goodbye.

It is unfortunate, but Greek and Rea have decided to part ways for now. Rea has been a bit distant this week and told me that Greek has also been distant. In fact, he asked her to call him today when she got home from school because he "had to talk to her about something." Well, that was a huge indication of what was to come.

In fact, she did call him and told him that she was online. He then proceeded to "break up" with her over IM!! Rea said he has been very down the past few days and that he was upset that his ex-girlfriend had been harassing Rea at school. Ro (the ex) has been calling Rea names and threatning to beat Rea up because she is dating Greek. The problem had grown so bad that I had threatened to call the school to put a stop to the crap that Ro was dishing out to Rea.

It seems that Greek has been feeling really bad about what Ro has been doing to Rea and decided to end the relationship to keep Rea from being harassed further (so he says). If that is true, then he is a true gentleman. We shall see. Rea wasn't very upset and seemed to be OK with his decision and very understanding about the whole matter. Perhaps there is more to the story. Aah, teenage love!

Happy Halloween!

Since our Halloween festivites were all held on Saturday night, I saved a special treat for the kids this week - Carving the pumpkins! I bought two and Piggy was the only one interested in taking part in the carving, so she did this pumpkin all by herself (well, I wielded the knife, but she made the design and helped clean it out). The big kids didn't want any part of it. Guess they are too cool to carve pumpkins with their Mom! Ha!

We have had 2 trick-or-treaters tonight which is one more than last year! Hope everyone has a safe night!

Dad Meets Greek

Well, the time finally came for Rea's Dad to meet Greek! We picked him up on our way back from the ballgame on Saturday and he spent the day with us, then went to the Haunted House that Rea's class puts on every year. I could tell that Dan wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he kept his composure and was friendly, but not overly friendly! I could tell he was checking Greek out to see what kind of kid he was.

They had a good day hanging out with their friends, but got bored at Trunk or Treat so they found a nice bench to sit on at the driving range (right next to T or T festivities). Of course, since it was dark and I couldn't see them, I called her about every 10 minutes to check on them! Ha! I remember how I was at that age, raging hormones and all!

Anyway, he passed Dan's test and won a tenative approval for the time being!

Bubby's Birthday Party

Today was Bubby's birthday party and the weather couldn't have been nicer. Haley had it staged at the local park under a huge pavillion with a playground that was adjacent. It was really nice and she did a GREAT job! She had tons of snacks, pink lemonade, an adorable "Little Einsteins" cake and great treats for the kids. Even Rob had a great time playing on the playground!

Trunk or Treat WINNERS!

After the ball game on Saturday, lunch at Rancho Grande, a trip to Wal-Mart and getting a huge pot of chili ready, we finally sat down to make decorations for the van for our annual "Trunk or Treat". Piggy decided only that morning that she wanted to do a 50's theme, since she was wearing a poodle skirt. Well, by time we got started, we had about 45 minutes to make ALL the decorations, get the van parked, decorated and ready for Trunk-or-Treaters!

I printed off some graphics and pasted them to poster board and Dan made a juke box out of poster board to put in front of the music player. Our trunk was cheesy at best and I didn't think we had a chance in hell of winning anything. The last time we really put a lot into decorating, we didn't win anything and it was the last thing on our minds this time. We were just trying to get it done in time so we threw up the cheesy decorations and Piggy handed out candy dressed in her poodle skirt with the "Grease" soundtrack playing in the background.

Boy, weren't we surprised when the committee lady came over and declared us a WINNER! They decided to give us a prize because Piggy stayed and handed out candy instead of trunk or treating herself (she was proud of her idea and wanted to stay and hand out candy - guess she's getting too old for candy collecting). Anyway, our 30 minute decorating job and a cute girl in a poodle skirt was all it took! All the other trunks were decorated with spooky stuff, so ours stood out. We won a $50 gift card to the theater!! We were so proud of Piggy and her idea!

Mighty BBs beat the Lady Dogs after 25-1 Loss!

Piggy's softball team played the Lady Dogs again on Saturday. After losing to them during the first game 25-1, they chalked up another win to take the game with a score of 14-8! Piggy had 4 base hits, scored 3 runs, and made an out when she tagged a girl who was running to 1st base! Great job BBs!

Mom on Strike!

Well, I finally had ENOUGH of the kids' messy rooms, so I decided to go on strike! Picket sign and all! After pleading with them, and taking away their electronic toys, the kids STILL refused to clean their rooms. When they got home from school on Friday they were met with a picket sign-carrying Mom on the front porch. Yes, I waited for the bus to disappear before wielding my sign, but I stuck to my guns and sat on the porch with my sign until their rooms were clean. You would think they had special powers or something as fast as they got their rooms clean!! I guess now they know I MEAN BUSINESS!

Chalk up Another WIN!!

Well, our Mighty BB's came in with another win today!! With a score of 10-7, they did a GREAT job and didn't even have to have home bats to win the game! Piggy played short stop, pitcher and 1st base and had 3 hits with 3 RBIs!! She did a great job!. They ALL did! They are making good hits and doing good base running.

We played the same team we played last weekend and the coaches were so awful! One coach scolded a player asking her if she had "any brains, and if so you should use them"! This team is from a neighboring town and their coaches and parents are acclaimed for being that of the "redneck" sort. Not only in softball, but in football and baseball as well. It is very discouraging to see a coach, and often times parents, berate a child in the middle of a game in front of dozens of spectators. At this age, the kids are not able to shrug off these comments. They need to be encouraged at this point and be praised for every effort, whether right or wrong and be pointed in the right direction.

Kudos to OUR coaching staff. There has NEVER been one harsh word or derrogatory comment made during a game or even in practice!! EVERY comment is positive, even if they make a mistake!! Way to go MGSA coaches!! Well done!

MES 3rd Grade Program

Piggy was in her school's annual program last night. She had a speaking part (a one-liner). The kids were really cute and I especially enjoyed all the varieties of poodle skirts that the parent's came up with! The little girl in the pic with Piggy told her mom that she needed a poodle skirt only a few hours before the production. Her mom went to Wally World and got the materialas and threw it together in 45 minutes! It was REALLY cute!

Reclaiming America's Children

With the surge of technology that has embraced our children as it's own and has subsiquently provided our children with an alternate set of morals and values that most of today's youth have chosen to mold their innocent and plyable lives after, I emplore every parent to reclaim their children and send them embarking on a new, more healthful journey down this highway we call life.

I know I am not alone in raising children that have seen more failing grades than I ever imagined, endured more conversations with snide remarks and "whatevers" than I ever knew, and tried to discipline rowdy children who threatened to report my soft spanking as that of "child abuse". I am sick and tired of trying to win a war against my children that technology has waged.

Where have we gone wrong? Most of us with children in Elementary through High School were brought up in the 1980's and early 90's. We, of course, didn't have the technology that is lurking around the corner ready to consume another child with it's vile and vulgur demeanour and it's promise to make them the center of the universe, which is a big promise that all youngsters long to make real.

We were brought up in the early MTV generation. MTV was bad enough in our days, but it is now filled with nearly-pornographic images that our children try to emulate, much as we did with the original MTV in our day. Of course in our day, we tried to emulate Michael Jackson's moon walk or Madonna's clothing style. Now our children are trying to figure out ways to have sex in the bathroom of their Middle Schools, because that is what MTV teaches them is "cool".

It's not only MTV and the freely ucensored television industry that plagues us. They are a drop in the bucket. Kids are given cell phones with picture capbilities and are more often than not, photographing themselves in compromising positions and sending their photos to their friends which often times end up on My Space or You Tube.

They are given free access to the internet and are able to access anything they please. They have their own web space that is obtainable without their parent's permission, on which their friends can post filthy messages and photos as they please and more often than not, the parents cannot even see their child's web page because they have devised clever ways to mask their location from their parents. These web pages are not easily removed either, thanks to the vast availability of alternate email addresses that can be created for free with no parental consent which can be used to create these web pages.

Our children are overwhelmed with the technology that is portrayed and advertised as being "the norm". They are so pressured to fit into "the norm" that they set aside the values and morals and the importance of education that we as parents have taught them, and set their own standards to be an all-inclusive member of the "technology generation".

As parents, we must reclaim our children. Turn off the television, confiscate the phones, disconnect the internet. Let's teach our children the right way to live before we slowly and responsibly introduce any of these things back into their lives. Stop trying to prove your love to them by buying them the most recent cell phone or iPod that has gone on the market. Show them your love by spending time with them and proving that you care about their future.

Our children must learn and know and honest right from wrong in order to be positive members of society. They cannot think that Brittney Spears' latest incident has anything to do with their own life. They must be able to make a disconnect between what the media and entertainment industry is telling them is right and what is actually good and wholesome. We must reclaim the minds of our children, because our country will be run by them within the next 20 years.

I Still Love You BOYS!

To my precious Dallas Cowboys! Even though you weren't able to clinch the win on Sunday, you are still America's team! I'm not sure what went wrong, except for the crazy number of penalties you racked up. Come on BOYS, we have to get past these petty penalties and win a game on the sheer talent that you possess as a team.

It was looking like it might be a point in the winner's column before it completely fell apart. Let's get back to the basics BOYS, and enjoy the game and play as a team. Lose the penalties, because without them, you CAN take it all the way to the Superbowl! I've got a long standing bet on it!!

I love you, my Dallas Cowboys!

I don't know who watched the Cowboys game last Monday night, but it was the BEST game I had ever seen. As I had missed my episodes of "Depereate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters", I decided to watch them online since the Cowboys weren't winning as of half-time. Of course, I was watching my shows on my laptop as the COWBOYS were on the big screen, but wasn't paying much attention to the game as I thought it was already lost.

What a surprise I had when in the 4th quarter they rallied together for the WIN!!! Even though Tony Romo had 6 turnovers, the BOYS were united to bring them to the final play of the game (which had to be replayed because of a chicken-soup time-out by the BILLS). The little ROOKIE kicked two 53 yard field goals (the one that was kicked AFTER the Bills called a TO, and the other to WIN THE GAME!). Way to go COWBOYS!! You ARE America's team, and you certainly are MY team!! LET'S BEAT NEW ENGLAND!!

A Winning Season, Perhaps?

Piggy had her second Fall Ball game today. The first game was a washout! They lost 25-2!! Only 3 of the girls even made a connection with the ball an got on base (Piggy wasn't one of them!).

Today was a complete turnaround! EVERY girl on her team got a hit and got on base!! Piggy got three hits and came in to score three times! She even made an out when she was playing 3rd base!

The girls did a GREAT job today on the opponent's turf!

Hubby got home on Thursday and is still trying to get on track with the time change. He has already been to 1 football game and 1 softball game and is looking forward to the Cowboys game on Sunday!! GO COWBOY!!!

First Date

Rea had her first official movie date tonight with the "Greek God"! They wanted to go to the movies, so we all piled in the van and had movie night. He met us there compliments of his Mom, as neither of them has their license yet.

Piggy and I went to see "The Game Plan" and Rea, Greek, and Bubsy went to see another flick. Not sure if Rea really wanted Bubsy to tag along on her "date", but it put my mind at ease, not that they would do anything wrong, but I do remember how I was at that age! Especially in a dark theater!

Bubsy was adamant that he sit behind them so he could make sure that Greek didn't make the moves on his big sister, but he ended up sitting right next to Rea. What a dutiful lil' brother! I can't imagine how he will be when he's chaperoning one of Piggy's dates!! Poor Piggy!

Rea and Greek were really cute together, and he was VERY respectful. No hand holding or arms around the shoulders in front of me! He even said he would like to meet Rea's Dad (heaven help him!).

Rea asked me today at lunch how I thought her Dad would react to meeting him, and I had to give her a little lesson about boyfriends and Dads!

I told her that her Dad wouldn't like ANY boy she brought home and probably wouldn't even like the man she chooses to marry, until about 10 years after the wedding and only after he's sufficiently proven himself a good husband and dutiful provider. So, I urged her to not be discouraged when Greek finally meets Dad! And I'm sure this will be the first of several boyfriends, so I wanted her to have the right disposition so she could understand how Daddy's become overly protective of their little girls.

In fact, I think (after 16 years, 3 kids, a lovely home and stability), that my own father finally accepts Hubby! Ha! Right Dad?

All Is Well

For once, this was a very uneventful week. No calls from angry teachers, and no one sick, except me. I have had a treacherous stomach virus for the past two days and am just beginning to keep food down. I finally got the courage up to eat a grilled cheese today and it satisfied my hunger and went down the food tube with only a few slight cramps (Sorry if that's too graphic!).

Bubsy ran another CC meet tonight and did well. He ran against 200 other competitors in his heat. He didn't medal, but he finished and I am so proud of him!! He was so tired when I picked him up and went straight to bed when we got home. He said that he was going to sleep until Tuesday morning when he had to go back to school!! He's exhausted!

Piggy has her first fall ball game tomorrow morning and she is very excited! Her team is full of beginners, but I'm sure they will do well. Their coach is teaching the fundamentals right now. Although, I'm wishing I had bumped her up to an upper division for the competition, she is learning things and refreshing on what she knew.

Rea has a date planned with the GREEK GOD that she is dating. Not sure when, but they are planning on going to the movies over the long weekend. He is very cute and they make a very cute couple. He is also a world traveler, and was in Europe with his Dad just after Rea and I were in February. How funny it would have been if she had spotted him at JFK or something!!

These two are both really old souls. They have talked for the past 2 years, but just hooked up when Rea went back to school. He is in debate and is a very smart kid. And he's Buddhist! Even though his parents are Christian or Catholic (can't remember which). He's a nice kid from what I can tell. We'll see!

Dad & Rea

Aiden

Mom & Lillie

Lullaby on Broadway by MHS Womens Concert Choir

Rea's choir had one of their biggest nights of the year as they held "Broadway Night". All of the choirs (including Jr. High) sing songs from Broadway musicals. There were a few solos as well. Rea is a member of the MHS Women's Concert Choir, the next to the top choir. I think that if she had been in MHS last year she would definately have been in the top choir. But, she is happy where she is. They performed Lullaby on Broadway from 42nd Street and as you can see, they were dressed as Flappers. They did a spectacular job and she did extremely well being that she had only been to choir class 4 times before the performance. She is the third girl from the left that is on the riser. Enjoy the show!!

Run Bubsy, Run!

Bubsy placed 48th today at the CC meet out of about 65! Not too shabby considering he was running on an injured ankle that was in a splint!

Huh? You're Kidding Me, Right?

Well, not even a week had passed since the golf cart incident when Bubsy got a call from one of the two girls involved in the fiasco. She wanted to know if he wanted to go joy riding on the GOLF CART!!

I was stunned, to say the least. He laughed her off and didn't even bother asking me as he knew what my answer would be. I can't believe after all they had done and all the trouble they caused, that their grandparents would allow them near the cart for a very long while. I guess I was wrong.

Then, to top it off, Rea was on MySpace chatting with friends when she came across a post from one of the girls. The post claimed that they were going to go "egg" 2 kids houses here in the neighborhood that they didn't like. WHAT?!?

Honestly, I wish they would egg my house because I would call the cops on them so that maybe they could finally get some well needed discipline!

The Golf Cart Incident

Today was a very boring day of laundry and house cleaning, until I remembered that I had promised my friend Jee Jee that we would attend her son's Jr. High football game. It was 2:00 when I had remembered and the game started at four. Even though I still had to make a trip into town to get Bubsy a new box of contact lenses (he lost one yesterday), I was adamant that I make the game so I could see my friend, whom I hadn't seen since July 4th.

I left the big kids a note and told them to be ready to go when I got home because we had to pick up little Piggy at school 20 minutes later.

After I rounded up all the kids, and one of their friends who joined us, we headed out for the ballgame which ended with a 0-0 finish. Nothing spectacular, but Jee Jee's son played both offense and defense and did a great job!

After we all went to dinner at the favorite local Mexican joint and were on our way home, Bubsy got a call on his cell phone from a couple of girls in the neighborhood. They had a problem. Their golf cart was stuck on a hill in the woods behind the park and they couldn't get it loose. Apparently it was only sitting on one of the 4 wheels it was attached to. They had called Bubsy for help because they didn't want to call their grandparents.

These two girls live with their grandparents in the most exclusive part of our neighborhood, "The Estates". I'm not really sure what their story is, but I know that have had some problems in the past. The very near past.

Last week one of Bubsy and Rea's friends came over to the house on his golf cart. He and Bubsy went for a ride and met up with these girls, who were on their own golf cart. When the boys decided it was too hot to ride around, they came back to the house for dinner. After dinner was over, they went back outside to take a nice leisurely ride in the cooler weather. The only problem was... the golf cart that was parked in our circle driveway was MISSING!!

GONE!!

Arivaderce!!

Now, this friend of Bubsy and Rea's has a Mom who is very strict and doesn't tolerate any monkey business. The friend was worried that his Mom would find out and he would be in trouble.

The boys had a good idea of who took the golf cart, so we went in search of them.

After looking for a half hour, we finally found them... Just about the time that the friend's Mom saw them on their golf cart. As I was chasing them down in the car, his Mom called and proceeded to fuss at him for letting someone drive their golf cart. He was really upset and had every reason to be. He had done nothing wrong and the golf cart had been "stolen" from our driveway by a couple of teenage girls.

Once we caught up with them, I gave them a good stern talking to. I knew they were embarrassed and they had every reason to be. I went to the friend's house and explained the whole situation to his Mom, who immediately called the girls' grandparents. It wasn't an hour later that I got an apology from one of the girls for her behavior.

End of story... Well, no.

After the desperate call from them tonight, we went looking for them to see if we could help get the golf cart dislodged from where it was so that they could go home. I wasn't sure at the time if I was going to call the grandparents or not about their most recent problematic adventure. I knew first hand of the trouble they had been in the week before, but knowing they had taken the golf cart into the woods created more of a dilemma for me. I don't think they had learned their lesson.

We searched and searched for them, and even had them flash their lights so we could find them. When we finally spotted them, they were so far back into the woods that there was NO WAY that we could get to them. I pulled the truck as far back into the woods as I was willing to go, but still they were a good 500 feet from us at least. There was a mass of trees and brush separating us from them.

They were scared and I felt sorry for them.

There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to help them. It was dark and they were so far back in the brush that the only sign of them was the flickering light of the cart and the screams we heard as they tried to make their way through the brush.

I told Bubsy to call them on their cell phone and tell them to come towards the truck lights so that I could take them home. There was no way we could get this golf cart out in the dark.

After about ten minutes of hearing their screams, they finally emerged with a tiny miniature Schnauzer in tow.

They informed us that they had been there for about an hour and a half, and a third girl (one who I know very well) had been with them and bolted for home when they got stuck. She must have walked a good 3 miles to get home.

Just about the time the girls reached us their Grandmother called. I urged them to tell the truth, that their golf cart was stuck in the woods. I also encouraged them to tell their grandparents that there was no way to get it out until sunlight. But the grandparents were insistent and decided to come and see for themselves.

When they arrived in their Mercedes SUV and finally found their way through the brush to us, they were very upset. The golf cart could not be seen without the key in the ignition turning on the lights. It had succumbed to the night.

The grandparents thanked me for my help and I told them how sorry I was that this had happened. Not that I had been a part of it, I was only trying to help after they had phoned Bubsy. They had been in enough trouble and I was trying to save them from getting into more.

Do you know what the grandmother's reaction was? She said, "If you ever bring home the golf cart with mud on it again, you will never drive it again. We'll sell it!"

Hello!! They stole one golf cart and got the other one stuck so far in the woods that I'm not sure it's retrievable without a tow truck!!

Note to the Grandparents: SELL IT NOW!!! Before someone gets hurt!!

The Shot

Rea started back at MHS last Friday. She was so excited when we got to the school to re-enroll. She was hoping to be able to go to the Homecoming pep rally during 2nd period, so she was anxious to get through the formalities and get to class.

After waiting about 30 minutes (believe me... she was watching the clock!) we finally got to see the Registrar. As we got comfortable in the crappy office chairs, the Registrar alerted us right off the bat that Rea needed a Tetanus shot and would not be allowed enroll until she got one.

Damn. Now I've got to go all the way home for her shot record and try to get her an appointment.

Double Damn. She's gonna miss the pep rally.

So we go all the way home and get the shot record. Meanwhile, I call her doctor's office to see about getting her an appointment for the shot.

Her doctor. The man who has seen every cough, spider bite, sprained ankle, sore throat, twisted knee, ear infection, and acid reflux incident for our entire family for the past 5 years. The doctor, who's old receptionist knew me by voice and greeted me with "which one is it this time?"

There was never a wait, you see, as the old receptionist always told me to "come on in and we'll work you in right away." The old receptionist made sure that we never had to wait more than 5 minutes before being called by the nurse to "come on back". As she waited for us to sashay our way across the waiting room floor, she never failed to ask us about personal things that were going on ("Bubsy, are you playing football this year?", "Piggy, how's softball going?"). You couldn't help but feel special and a bit smug knowing that the others who were still waiting their turn must have felt a little bit envious of the greeting we received.

Well, the old receptionist, Miss S, left a year ago to spend more time with her grandchild and has left me desperate for some kind of comfort when I have to make a call to the doctor. Instead of being greeted by the caring voice of Miss S, you are greeted by a very formal voice who shows absolutely no concern for who you are or why you are calling. She simply takes your information and, with a few strokes on the keyboard, tells the computer who you are and what you want and waits for it to tell her when you can be "scheduled", which is usually, on average, about 2 days away (add 2 days if you call before the weekend). No matter how hard you try to plead your case (ex: "My child is sick with 103 fever"), the answer is always the same, "I'm sorry, we just can't see you until then. We are booked solid."

Now, you can only imagine what went through my mind when I knew I had to take Rea for a shot. A shot which she had to have before going back to school. I was desperate and really wished Miss S was there to help me out. Instead, when I called I was met with the same cold, lackluster voice that had answered the phone each time I called in the past 12 months.

When I explained my situation to her, her response didn't surprise me. "I'm sorry, but we can't 'work her in' until next week."

Work her in?? Work her in?? Working someone in means, working them in between appointments NOW. Not Tuesday! Are you kidding me?

Honestly, how long does it take to get a tetanus shot? 3 minutes? Rea's records are on file and the only thing I was asking for was a simple shot. Tuesday...that's 4 days away!

I was disgusted and frustrated and immediately vowed not to EVER go back to the doctor and his nurses that we have trusted and admired for 5 years. These are people that we stop and talk to at the grocery store, or on the sidewalk. All because of his new receptionist, who's icy personality and inability to make a decision for herself without consulting her trusted computer, has made my life a living hell whenever one of my children is in need of medical care.

Knowing we needed the shot immediately, we were forced to wait until 10:00 when the local Urgent Care clinic opened. It cost me $200 for the shot and office visit (they don't accept my insurance) and the office visit took more than an hour because the doctor decided that he was going to give me my money's worth and give Rea a full physical, even though I told him that she didn't need one. He asked her every question in the book, the proceeded to ask me to give him a FULL medical history on her father and me, since we were her parents, after all. He then checked her spine, heart, lungs, reflexes, balance, agility, muscular activity, bowels, and eyes, ears, nose and throat. Whew! And imagine, all we needed was a tetanus shot!

When the doctor got finished with his unnecessary exam, he left the room, told the nurse to prepare the shot, and VOILA! Within 3 minutes the nurse had prepared the shot, administered it, and we were out the door and on our way to the parking lot.

AAARRRGGGHH! was all I could think as we drove back to the damn school with the damn shot record, signed by the damn doctor who charged me $200 damn dollars and took so damn long because he insisted on a damn physical, all because of the damn icy receptionist that replaced Miss S. couldn't work us into her damn schedule because her damn computer told her they were too damn busy.

Damn it Miss S, why did you have to go?

Spice Cake

One of the things that I love about Fall is the smell of spices! I have been burning a spice candle for a week now, which has gotten me in the mood to bake a spice cake. I found this recipe in Country Living and it looks delicious. I can't wait to smell the fragrant spices wafting from the hot oven as the smell fills the house!!



Grandma Stonesifier's Spice Cake

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. Dutch processed cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Prepare the cake pans: Lightly coat two 9-inch pans with cooking spray. Cut two 9-inch circles of parchment or waxed paper and fit them into the bottom of the cake pans. Lightly coat the paper circles with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and shortening until smooth. Add the sugars and mix until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Set aside. In a 2-cup glass measure, stir the buttermilk and vanilla extract together. In another large bowl, sift to combine the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cocoa, cloves, and flour. Set aside. By thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the creamed butter mixture, blending well after each addition.
3. Bake the cake: Pour batter into the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean -- 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes completely on wire racks. Remove parchment from each layer.
4. Serve the cake: Frost with Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting and serve.

Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• One 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), softened
• 1 tbsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 tsp. orange food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Make the frosting: Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla in a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy - about three more minutes. Add the food coloring and gently stir until the color is uniform.
2. Chill the frosting: Chill until ready to ice your cake.

Fall is in the Air

The temperature is starting to get cooler and the days are getting shorter and I am cooking more than ever. There is only one explaination for this... Autumn is upon us!

I love Autumn!! It is my favorite time of the year! I hate cooking with a passion in the Spring and Summer months, but when Fall arrives, I cook like a madwoman! I made a HUGE pot of beef stew today and yesterday I made a batch of blueberry muffins and a batch of cinnamon streussel muffins. The kids are in hog heaven right now!

Today was about as perfect a day as I've ever seen. The temperature was PERFECT, the stew was delicious, the kids were all calm today, I only had to break up one argument between them, and the Cowboys beat the Dolphins 37-20! Boy, I love Autumn!

I have been looking for some fall wreaths for the past few weeks to put on my front doors and hadn't found anything until a few days ago. I was at Garden Ridge looking for ribbon for a Homecoming mum I was making for Bubsy's date, when I came across their wreaths. They had rows and rows of beautiful fall decorations and the wreaths were HALF PRICE! I got two of these wreaths for $10 each! I am going to break out the rest of my fall decorations tomorrow.

Asshole Coach

I'm sure that most everyone feels the same way I do when you encounter someone who really hates their job, especially someone in a customer service position. It is so annoying when they let their hatred for their job completely overtake their attitude towards the people that they are supposed to be serving. Coming across someone like this is bad enough when you are trying to order a pizza or after you have pressed "1 for English" and after holding for a half-hour you finally get to speak to someone who has such a crappy attitude that you wish you hadn't wasted your time in the first place. But what really irks me is when you come across a teacher like this.

Bubsy had a CC meet this weekend and they were not given a return time by their coach, so Bubsy said he would call me when they were on their way so I could pick him up at the school. No big deal.

Bubsy's coach has been a real jerk since Day 1 of Jr. High. He has had the attitude that he doesn't enjoy what he is doing and he has constantly taken it out on the boys. Perhaps he is upset that he is stuck coaching CC instead of football. Who knows. None of the boys like him and he doesn't say much of anything unless it is critical. There is no pep talks, no compliments, no anything but a scowl on his face.

After I dropped Bubsy off at the school at 5:30am, I came home and went back to bed because I was totally exhausted. At 10:00 he called and said that they were only a few minutes away from the school. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my keys and took off for the school. I was there 15 minutes later. When I arrived, Bubsy was sitting on the sidewalk. Everyone else had been picked up and it was only Bubsy and the crabby coach who were left. When I pulled up the coach gave me a look that could ice a volcano. I'm like, "what the hell?"

When Bubsy got in the car, I asked him how long it how long it had been since everyone else had left. He said it had been quite a while. I'm thinking "what am I missing here? I came as soon as he called". Bizarre. Then Bubsy tells me that the coach was really upset that he had to sit and wait until I arrived. He told Bubsy to call me and tell me to "hurry up" because he was tired of waiting. WHAT???

Apparently, Bubsy didn't realize how close they were to the school when he called, so I didn't get the heads up as soon as the other parents, which is why it took me longer to get there. Not to mention the fact that we live the farthest far from the school, so I was probably going to be one of the last to get there anyway. Honestly, the coach should have told everyone to call their parents when they were about 10 miles from the school, but NO, he left it up to the kids (honestly, do you really think a bus full of Junior High boys are paying ANY attention to where they are at or anything that is going on outside the bus?). Then he wanted to complain that not everyone was picked up as expediently as he would have liked and then wanted to take his frustration out on MY son and make him feel like he had losers for parents. I WAS PISSED OFF!!!

Being a coach is an important job that involves being a mentor, a leader, a teacher, a cheerleader, a spirit lifter, a confidence builder, and a protector. This guy is NONE of those things. He sits on his fat ass on the side instead of running with the boys, he criticizes, he NEVER gives compliments, he berates the kids (and their parents), and he makes them feel like inferior. I think this asshole needs to find another job that has NOTHING to do with children.

Firsts

This weekend was one full of firsts. I am realizing that the kids are growing up, and need to have a little space to do things on their own. I guess I came to this realization when I remembered that Rea will be turning 16 in 2 months! When I turned 16 I got my drivers license and my own set of keys to the car I shared with my big sister. Right now I can't even imagine Rea driving, let alone in as quick as 2 months!
So now that I realize that I need to start letting go, I made a very hard decision on Friday night. It was a HUGE step for me! Friday night was Homecoming and Rea asked me if she could ride to the ballgame with some friends. Yes, she asked to be turned loose to get in a car with 3 other teenagers and be driven 10 miles down a farm to market road in a car driven by a 17 year old!

SHIT!! That was all I could think for a few minutes as my mind temporarily froze up, not unlike my computer does at times when I really need to do something important, but then are forced to reboot it and start over. Well after I finally rebooted my brain I realized that I had to let her go. Needless to say, I didn't like my decision, but I was proud that I made the first step to what I know would be an endless string of hard decisions.

The kids and I got to the game about 30 minutes before Rea and her friends. My nerves were ragged as I sat in the bleachers waiting for her to arrive. I only called her 4 times! When she did arrive, I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to act "normal" when I saw her. I pushed away the tears that were welling up in my eyes (I've been doing a lot of that lately!) and restrained myself from throwing my arms around her! So she (and I) survived her first joy ride with the teenage species! Whew!
Rea wasn't alone in getting some freedom that night from this awfully overprotective mother. For the first time in the history of our town, the Friday night Homecoming game was SOLD OUT! They had to start seating our spectators on the visitors side because the bleachers were packed like sardines. Well, just barely into the 2nd quarter, Piggy got thirsty and asked if she could go down to the concession stand and get a drink. Well, we have been to many High School football games and have stood in line at the concession stand waiting for our chance to buy those cheesy nachos, artery clogging Frito pie, and giant pickles, but NEVER have we allowed Piggy to go by herself.

After she asked me about a dozen times if she could go by herself, I finally relented and said "Yes". I immediately felt a bit sick about my decision, but I really didn't want to get up and push my fat self out of the crammed row I was on, saying "excuse me" to the 12 people that I would have to squeeze past to get to the stairs and then not know if I would have a seat when I returned. Now, it's not like Piggy was going across a busy street to the convenience store. She was going down about 10 steps to the concession stand directly below us. Not to mention that I knew about 78% of the people at the game, ALL of whom know Piggy. So she went on her journey with a 5 dollar bill and returned safe and sound a few minutes later with a Sprite and a giant pixie stick. Whew! Again with the tears when I saw her. I pushed them back down and told her how proud I was of her. We both survived! Two points for Mom and ten points for Shelby!

Now that I was dishing out independence, I decided to give Bubsy a serving as well. Bubsy had a cross country meet about an hour away on Saturday morning. He had to be at the school at 5:30am and I was completely exhausted since we didn't get in from the ball game until nearly midnight the night before.
I have been to EVERY sporting event that my kids have been involved in with the exception of one when my little sister was in labor with her first child and maybe one or two others for various reasons. I actually sat down and calculated how many sporting events I have been to over the past 10 years (that's really pathetic, right?) and I figured that I been to approximately 600 games and practices. Even though that number sounds quite impressive, it is really no different that most parents.

I am the typical team mom and have volunteered many, many hours to the leagues that the kids are involved in. I am the type that makes those stupid "team shirts" with my kids' names and jersey numbers on the back. I am, and will always be, their greatest fan, biggest supporter, and loudest cheerleader (well, that's debatable as restrictions have been set... read on). Now that Bubsy is in Junior High, I don't have to be the taxi driver when he has sporting events. He rides the bus with the rest of the team. And I have promised not to make stupid shirts and to keep my voice down to a modest cheer as I root him on. Oh, and I was told by Bubsy a few years ago, NOT to run out and check on him if he gets hurt... at least not until the coach asks me to. I learned that lesson after he got hurt in football and didn't get up off the field right away. When he finally sat up and looked around all he saw was his mother's fat ass running across the football field with her stupid shirt on, boobs flapping up and down with every step!! Yeah, I learned my lesson on that one!

Anyway (get to the point, right?), Bubsy had the CC meet real early and far away, so I decided to let him go BY HIMSELF! I took him up to the school and it was still dark outside. He had his gym bag (which I packed for him with a pillow, extra shorts, an energy bar, energy water and some money - he rolled his eyes when I gave it to him and told him what was in it!) as he climbed the three big steps up the bus. They were big steps, for both of us.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, leaving him to embark on his own journey and create his own memories, which I will not be fortunate enough to share with him, I felt the tears welling up again. This time I just let them flow. I was alone, it was dark outside, and as I traveled down that lonely farm road, further and further away from my baby boy, I had a good old fashioned cry. The likes of which hadn't been seen in quite some time. I knew at that point that I was letting go of a sliver of my control in their lives. Inch by inch, piece by piece, they will gain their freedom and I will realize that I can't be there to mend every skinned knee or wipe every nose. That's not my job now. My job has become more important and, likewise, more difficult. My job is to let go. I will do it little by little and I will not enjoy it, but I will get it done.