Frustrated to Stalking

For the last couple of months DH has mentioned incidents where the same car has been driving recklessly bobbing and weaving and how it frustrates him, and that it always happens close to home.  We, from time to time, see poor driving and take notice when those same drivers go into our neighborhood... just as soon as we see a young person (high school or whatever) we intend on getting in touch with their parents... parents should know this sort of thing.

But the same car mentioned in the beginning is not a young person, it turns out he is an old jerk off guy.  Not only that, but he does in fact live in our neighborhood... how do I know this... well his poor driving made another appearance on DH's way home on Monday.  This person got to the neighborhood before DH (due to the excessive speed and shifty driving), but DH managed to keep tabs on where he turned...

He came home, changed, and when we headed out for band we turned down the road that he was sure he saw the driver go down... and there it was, sitting in all it's jerkiness - the FORD.  Guess who else was out smoking a cig?  Yep, Mr. Jerk.  And his house is near the cul-de-sac, so we had the priviledge of turning around and seeing it and him a second time.  This all happened around 5pm... on the way home from band (9:30ish) DH decided he wanted to see if the car was still in the driveway (must be a guy thing)... not only was the car in the driveway still, but you guessed it... Mr. Jerky was out smoking another ciggy.

Oh it doesn't stop there... we now have this person's address, and license plate number... DH isn't sure what he is going to do with it... but apparently he feels better knowing he has this info.

SO MR. JERKY, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT... we might write you a nasty note and mail it or leave it under your windshield wiper!  GRRRRRRRRR!!!

RJ did it

For 3 weeks Snookie had to sleep in the gameroom on the floor (with a blanket, we aren't that mean) because he just couldn't resist playing at bedtime. Not just a little playing, like with his blanket... no he would get out of bed, play in the closet, get under the bunk beds, get Bubba to play with him... and carry on and have a gay old time. So we banished to another room. Three weeks pass, and we decide it is time to move him back into the room with the other two. Friday night was the big night, we had a talk with all three boys about what behavior we expect from them when the lights go out... SLEEP, nothing more nothing less!

Dh and I retreat to our room to enjoy a movie. The movie ends (2 hours later), and we flip on the baby monitor to reassure ourselves that they are in fact asleep... WRONG. Bubba and Austin are having a grand old time playing (did I mention that there isn't a nightlight or anything in there... it is dark). So they receive their punishment and head back to bed. We blame ourselves for not having checked on them earlier... letting it go for 2 hours allowed them to get all worked up!

Saturday night, as we put them to bed we again remind them of the consequences they received the night before... and that they probably don't want to have that happen again, turn on the monitor in their room, tuck everyone in, and head back to our room. We check on them every few minutes with our end of the monitor... 20 minutes after bedtime is when we hear it. We aren't sure what we are hearing, but we know they (Snookie and Bubba) aren't asleep. DH stealthly sneaks down the hall (I stay in the room, I am foaming at the mouth in anger that they would do it again) and when he gets down to their room he sees light coming from under their door. He swings the door open to find Snookie and Bubba in the midst of playing, and a lamp on. Again, we don't have a night light or anything in that room... BECAUSE THEY MOST DEFINITELY WILL PLAY IF THEY CAN SEE EACH OTHER.

DH asked how the light got turned on... Bubba said and I quote: "RJ DID IT". (Backstory, they just saw the movie Over the Hedge, and RJ is the lead character who gets into a lot of perdicaments).

Oh yes he did... turns out that RJ in fact did not do it... it was Bubba who got out of bed and turned it on, probably to find a toy or something to play with...

Two nights in a row... after three weeks of being separated for this very activity. What are we going to do about it... well Sunday night, Bobcat went to bed while Bubba and Snookie went ahead and did about 10 minutes of jumping jacks before they hit the sack. A little preview for what would happen if they did it again... for the third night.

Luckily they were able to fall asleep soon after lights were out and we had no problems.

Do I think this is the end of our night trouble, NOPE!

Movie Reviews

I AM DAVID (PG)

Based on Anne Holm's novel North to Freedom, I Am David chronicles the struggles of a 12-year-old boy (Ben Tibber) who manages to flee a Communist concentration camp through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark and a compass to help get him there. Co-stars James Caviezel and Joan Plowright.

--This is a great movie, an amazing cast... the kind of movie that leaves you wanting more... you feel invested in the characters and their lives, you are rooting for them! Not suitable for younger children.

MOLOKAI: The Story of Father Damien (NR)

In this true story, 19th century priest Father Damien (David Wenham) risks everything to help people no one else would touch. When he sees the primitive conditions under which the island's lepers are forced to live, the shocked Damien goes on a personal crusade to improve their physical and spiritual lives. The star-studded supporting cast includes Sam Neill, Peter O'Toole, Leo McKern, Kris Kristofferson and Derek Jacobi.

--To know that this is a true story is scary and sad, especially since it really wasn't all that long ago. Mr. Wenham does an amazing job portraying this holy man, and the supporting cast is remarkable believable. Not suitable for young children. Some of the scenes of those suffering are graphic in nature.

It's been a while

I know I haven't posted in several days, but I do have some entries I've been working on... just not published yet. Once I have them put together I will hit the lovely publish button. Until then I wil leave you with a Bubbaism:

"Watch how run I can fast."

Not only does he run really fast, but sometimes his words are running so fast in his head they come out all jumbled up! Oh, my sweet Bubba.

Awww.... Man

I like snow just as much as the next person... but this weather just cramped my style. DH has been in California on a business trip, and just called to say he won't be able to come home tonight. All the flights here have been canceled!

STUPID WEATHER!!!!

Seriously they can do a little de-icing... it isn't that bad for crying out loud! Big deal, it's been in the 20's... that isn't as bad as it could be!

STUPID WEATHER!!!!

Let it Snow

We suspended our morning school start time to accomodate the weather. Not that we had to drive to get to school or anything, since school is at the table... but we did have to go outside for like an hour to roll around in the snow.

The boys helped the neighbor build a snow ghost... there wasn't enough snow to make a traditional snowman, so we just piled it up in a mound with a somewhat pointed head. And once the boys realized they were get frost bite on their little hands... little cloth gloves get wet from snow... it was time to head in for some hot chocolate and homeschool!

I think I'm different

I am really starting to believe that I'm different than that my peers... my generation of women. And the comments that follow are not saying that other women are wrong in their thoughts and actions, just that I am apparently different than mainstream thinking.

The more people I meet, and the more wives and mothers I get to know (or read in blogs); many speak of self fulfillment in one way or another. Now, don't get me wrong, there is always room for improvement... but at what cost?

I'm in a minority entering into motherhood. Due to infertility, we had quite a wait from the time we married to the point where we had children. We were able to get our lives in order simply because we didn't really have anything else to do. So we purchased our first home, had the right kind of cars (we thought... later we had to re-evaluate that when we came home with three), and we were in the right mindset. Although we had time, that doesn't change the fact that we wanted children from the moment we said our vows... I know that may sound naive to some, but it is in fact the truth.

I look at being a wife and mother as vocation, in lay terms, a career in and of itself. Some of you at one time or another may have had two jobs, or gone to school full time and worked part time and looking back were you able to give youself fully to every task you took on? Did each thing have equality, and the attention it rightly deserved? This is what I wonder about when it comes to being a mother and working? Is it TRULY possible to give what is needed at both ends? I personally couldn't do it.

Now, on to another thought I was having... lossing one's self. I often hear mom's speak of this concept. Once they became a mom, they felt like they (their former non-mother persona) ceased to exist, and subsequently went looking for things to fulfill the lost feelings/lifestyle they miss. Again, I must be lucky... or just different. While we waited for children, that is when we as a couple felt incomplete... and I felt there was something missing from my daily life. Now that I am living my vocational calling, I feel whole... we feel whole. To better myself, is working on being a better wife to my husband, a better mom, a better teacher... things that help me connect better with my family, not things that separate me and my focus from my family.

I guess what irks me, is when I hear other moms put down being a mom, as if it isn't good enough for them. They are better, smarter, worth more... or whatever their take is, I wonder what the underlying problem with being a mother is for them? And if they feel it is so under them, are they really giving to their families what is deserved? From personal experience (jobs, school...), I hardly did a pleasing job if my heart were not truly into it.

These are just my ramblings...

HE CAN READ

Today my little Bubba took a big step in the academic world... he read his first book... actually he read two books... but who's counting (ME).

Granted they were BOB books with a few words per page, this was a big step for him. I am so pleased, and happy, and simply beaming with pride!

Two down, one to go... kids that is. I really think I am starting to get the hang of this homeschooling thing :-).

He can read, he can read... HE CAN READ. YAY!!!!

The Justice League

Okay, the boys have an obsession with the Justice League. I'm starting to think that this concept of super hero's and taking on their personas is something that is part of the genetic make up of boys!

Last night after a little tennis practice, we went over to the playground to burn off the remainder of their energy stores! While they were running around we couldn't help but laugh because they actually refer to one another as their Justice League persona. So you would hear Bobcat call to Bubba by saying something like "hey Batman come over here, Green Lantern is about to come by".

Here are the boys and their characters:

• Bobcat: Superman (sometimes Spiderman)


• Bubba: Batman (ALWAYS)


• Snookie: Flash or Green Lantern

Some kids play with the imaginary characters, my boys actually become them. But it gets better. The other day we had the fort set up (blankets hung from the top bunk covering the bottom bunk), and Bobcat came out to tell DH something.

"Daddy, Jesus is in the fort playing with us."

"Well, of course Bobcat, Jesus is everywhere."

"No Daddy, HE is in the fort with us for FAKE." Then out comes Bubba.

"And Daddy, St. Michael is in here too."

I guess I don't have to worry about them having a personal and close relationship with Jesus and the Saints... they happen to be my boys playmates! You just have to love boys!

POP

On the way home from a little tennis practice at the park, Bubba had his magna doodle out and was working. All of a sudden he calls out that he just wrote the word 'POP' on it. Now he has never figured out the spelling of a word on his own, let alone written it out by himself... so to my amazement I turned around and saw in fact that he had spelled it out.

My response, "Yes you did, good work son."

His reply, "COOL."

He went on to write several more words... apparently the lightbulb finally clicked on upstairs and he is ready to move on!

Tennis

Tonight was our first lesson... I say our, because DH and I were just as excited about it as the boys... okay maybe more excited. This is our first attempt into the world of organized sports with coaches/teachers other than ourselves. How did it go... SWIMMINGLY I think. Bobcat was in the Future Stars group (5-7), and while he was the right age, 6, he was clearly the smallest on the court. This is not uncommon for the little man, he is just so petite... but while his stature seemed small, he was the most focused out there. He listened intently and did the very best he could. In a class of 8 children total, he was able to hold his own and hit the ball when it came to him. I was so proud!

On another court was the class of Pee Wees (3-5 year olds), and this is where Bubba and Snookie spent their time. Luckily for the coach there was only one other child, making the class total 3! Bubba is a natural athlete, and while I worried that he might be fussy as he waited for his turn, he proved me wrong. He was just as attentive as his older brother (shocked me, but pleased me to NO end), and did his very best. Again, I beamed with pride.

Snookie, well, Snookie was just himself. He did the best he could as well, but at the ripe age of four he has some work to do. Luckily his older brother was there for him to try and immulate when he wasn't completely oblivious to the world around him. He ran when he was supposed too, and he hugged his racket (safety measure when it isn't your turn) when he was supposed too... but the hand/racket/eye coordination is somewhat lacking!

All in all it was a grand success and I can't wait till next week!

Another Tooth

After much anticipation, Bobcat lost the second tooth. It was the lower front next to the new big tooth that is emerging from just a few months ago. So again a few words have a new and humorous sound, and biting things off in the front is a little tricky!

Man oh man, our little guy is growing up so fast!!! Next thing we know he will be driving ... YIKES!

Breaktime is OVER

Like most children, the boys started back to school today... at the kitchen table. Knowing how they are after a break I planned a light and fun load and we are going to spend this week easing back into our routine. It seems that sometimes no matter how fun you try to make it, fussing still occurs... or in Bobcat's case, simply not paying attention or giving a rat's rear on the task at hand.

After writing an entire page of the lower case 'p', we attempted to go back to the fun thing that we were working on, alas his little stubborn nature just didn't want to go on... so we tried another page of lower case 'p's to help inspire him and his attitude. No luck... so the kid had to write the entire alphabet (lower case). That little adventure start to finish was two hours (I kid you not). Thankfully the other two gladly and cheerfully did their tasks.

Once we finished school, a leap frog DVD was played to work on word building. Snookie needed some down time, Bubba really pays attention and is trying to learn, and Bobcat needed a refresher... so Tad (the youngest frog) worked with them for 30 minutes while I cleaned up my kitchen and school, and prepared lunch. The boys don't watch TV, or get to see movies all too often, and these short 30 minute movies are perfect to pop in occasionally when I need a moment to collect myself.

Nap time was great. I was able to do laundry, organize my new scrapbook bag (it is way cool... chocolate brown with pink trim), and relax for a little while... take a load off the ole' ankle and watched a little DIY Scrapbooking.

After naptime, Bobcat (without prompting) apologized for his earlier behavior and asked for forgiveness. It is stuff like that, recognizing that he needed to own up to how he choose to behave that helps me to practice patience in those moments of grief. I look forward to the day that he is able to adjust his attitude before something has to be said!

Cursive

I can't believe it... today Bobcat started the transition to cursive. Granted we only worked on lower case i and t, then put them together to write it; he showed great enthusiasm and all went quite well. Oh, course I took a picture of him working on it... and the full mommy mode kicked in and I even pulled out the video camera for a short little deal with him actually writing! Seriously, how cool is it to be there the first time they do something like this.... something that he will use forever!

All the frustrations of yesterday melt away so quickly when things like this happen! I just love homeschooling my boys, and I think with the amount of excitement I show them... they know just how much it means to me to be able to do this for them!