Busy D. had soccer tryouts this week.
(He's going to be in U11, can you believe that??)
Yes, we're the people with a little kid in travel sports.
We didn't really set out to be those people, it just happened.
While all our kids enjoy sports, Busy D. truly has a passion for soccer, and has some aptitude for it, and we're learning what to do with that.
He takes it very seriously, and recreational soccer really didn't have people like him, and even at a young age, that frustrated him, so he was excited and relieved to find his people in travel soccer.
I know there are a million arguments against young kids playing travel sports, but it's been a great experience for us both in volleyball and soccer (we have a great coach and team), and I think it gets a bum rap, sometimes.
Granted, there are some situations that are less than ideal, but the right club and coach can make all the difference in the world.
Despite the stereotype, it's not all insane travel and practice with screaming coaches and parents with unfulfilled dreams That part is played by the dads of the little girls in rec soccer. (I kid! I kid! Sorta).
For us, travel sports offers the chance for kids to work hard at something they love, meet friends who share their passion and develop skills when they have the drive to get better.
Sure, he may not want to do this forever, and it's true that it can take a lot of time some weeks, but, for now, we enjoy the games and the tournaments and spending time with the other families.
Besides, HOW ELSE is he supposed to get a full ride to college, become a famous soccer player and support us in style for the rest of our lives?
I can't blog forever, ya know, and we gotta maintain the standard of living to which we've become accustomed.
I haven't slept right in the past 2 days.
I thought it was related to driving 534 miles round trip on Monday, but that was...Monday.
I have no idea what's wrong, but other people on Twitter were saying the same thing.
I'm beat, but I'm scared to go to bed because I don't want to wake up and be mad about it.
Part of it is the dogs barking at the fox each night at about 3 am (no, it's not Ivy, we have a new one, and he's sort of ugly and has no name at the moment.), and part of it is a 10 year old who still gets in bed with us and sleeps like he's on a rotisserie.
But, that stuff isn't new.
I do drink caffeine, but I haven't changed my habits lately and I'm SURE it's not that I'm just getting older.
Cursing Mama and Kathy Howe plan to market Sleepytime Tequila, but I'm not sure I can wait that long.
Instead of counting sheep, I think I will count bloggers, so line up over there and get ready to jump that fence when I call your name.
*looks around*
Hello?
It's been a while, no?
Even though I usually don't care to read why people have been away from their blog, I somehow feel compelled to explain myself when I (yet again) don't post for a while.
Actually, I'm not sure I've ever gone this long in the 9 years I've been here...but, whatever.
So, tell me about yourself...how's your mama n' them doin'?
Me?
Oh, I've been here, and there.
Mostly getting a kid out of high school and signed up for college.
Yep, we have a high school graduate.
I had been dreading graduation and all that is signifies for the longest time.
How in the world did we get here? I remember specifics from her first day of kindergarten!
This is one of those freaky seems like "forever ago and yesterday all at once" moments that you just have to ponder, but in the end, everything was fine and it all somehow seems...right.
Perhaps it hasn't yet hit me that she won't be going back to the safety of high school with her father and brother each morning, I guess I'll have to wait until August to find out.
But, for now, high school is a memory, (I hope and pray a good one for her), and she's on the edge of something new and exciting.
She had a stressful spring full of college applications and decisions to make, and her hard work yielded excellent returns.
Even though the final outcome of the college search was a little...unexpected...things are going great, and she's looking forward to the fall.
However, things could be just perfect if the first 30,000 of you would be kind enough to leave a dollar. The rest of you can have a turn next year, don't push.
Thanks, you're the jiggiest.
In the meantime, we are in full on dorm furnishing and supplies mode.
Since she'll be living in a suite and we're starting from scratch, she'll need somewhat more than a few things.
It's been an interesting exercise reading message boards, etc. and trying to construct a comprehensive, yet not out of control, list of things to take and details to remember.
Yes, I know those of you with kids in college are laughing at me, and I'll laugh at me someday, too, but I want to make sure she's got a solid set of "stuff" to start out with since we have to do this all over again in 2 years with Busy Boy.
So, she's researching dorm room decorating ideas and I'm trying to figure out stuff like insurance, bank accounts and hotel reservations (haven't told her the part where our whole family is planning to stay in her room to save money ;) and I'll eventually realize my activities are overkill, but it keeps me distracted.
But, when I really think about it, I think we've been conditioned to treat a kid going to college for the first year as "leaving the nest for good", and at least for us, that's not quite the case at the moment.
Maybe I'm rationalizing, but she's going away to school for a few months (I will neither confirm nor deny that I refer to it as "school-camp" for my own sanity), and that's not the same as "leaving home" as her permanent residence remains here.
Despite her wishes to the contrary, I don't subscribe to the "she's 18 and on her own" theory,
Mostly because she's not 18, yet.
I don't care how old you are, in my house you're not "on your own" until you don't have to call me if you get arrested in the middle of the night.
So, for now, she's "going away to school", and I can handle that and "on her own" will come when the time is right.
Meanwhile, I fear that while she's at school, no one left here in the frat house will actually know where I am.
I could be missing for several days, and they'd be all, "Mom? Yeah, I think she's upstairs or something. Or, wait, I think she's at the grocery."
I almost said please check on me if you don't see me around, but given this last unintended hiatus, I guess I shouldn't.
Whoa, I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting, let's do something about that.
Here's my excuse slip:
Please excuse Busy Mom for not posting for so long.
She has a senior in high school and didn't actually believe anyone about how stressful this time of year is.
She also has 2 other kids who will need food donations as she just this moment enrolled her first-born in college and the finances could possibly partially work out if her family stops eating, paying the mortgage and buying gas.
Winter in these parts has turned out to be a big wash so far this year, as we haven't really had any bitterly cold weather or snow to speak of.
But we've still used the heat in the house and have taken hot showers, and that can really dry out your skin.
While I'm not plagued with severely dry skin, I'm often annoyed by dry, tight skin, especially on my legs. I've got a whole set of different lotions that I use for different reasons, but I've really never found "the one" that cures everything.
Some are better for my hands, others are better for my legs, but make my hands feel greasy, while others work best on my elbows.
It can be quite the routine, so a moisturizing body wash can really be a time saver.
Recently I was given the chance to try Olay® Ultra Moisture Body Wash with shea butter.
It's got the equivalent of more than a jar of Olay moisturizers in every bottle, and with repeated use it has been found to improve the condition of dry skin.
I've been using it for a few days, and I've noticed that my skin doesn't feel dry and tight after a shower. The wash is rich and creamy and, while it doesn't really make a lather, it makes me feel clean and doesn't seem to leave a film or scum in the shower.
I'm usually a soap user, so the low-lather part has taken a little bit of getting used to, but the no-dry-skin part helped me get over that! I've even used it for shaving and it's worked out well.
Also, I haven't felt like I need to use lotion after my shower, and the good-skin feeling lasts for the whole day.
A couple of things I should mention: I find that it comes out sort of fast, so be careful, and the smell is very strong. It's not unpleasant, but it bears mentioning if you have any sort of sensitivity to fragrances.
If you have dry skin, and you find yourself needing an army of lotions to take care of it, check out Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash to simplify your routine.
The giveaway: One reader has a chance to win a $50 Visa card. (That would buy a lot of Olay Body Wash!)
For a chance to win: Tell us how you simplify your routine.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 3/20 - 4/17
Be sure to visit the Olay Body Wash page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!4
I wrote this post while participating in the Olay/BlogHer program on behalf of the Olay Body Wash campaign. I received monetary compensation for the time to write my post.
I've been watching a lot of March Madness basketball the past couple of days.
I didn't get around to actually picking winners which was probably good (RIP Mizzou), but it's never too late to fill out the Social Media Madness brackets!
You can even print them for real, but I'm not sure you're that bored.
Happy Pi Day!
What will you be wearing this year? What are your spring trends?
That's a timely question for me.
I started a new job a few months ago, and I have to dress like a grown-up, and I'm in need of new clothes.
I'm on a mission to wean myself from black and brown, so I'll be wearing actual colors.
While I'll never be a slave to fashion, orange is really big this season, so I might check that out in perhaps some accessories or accent pieces as I live in Tennessee, and head to to orange screams, "GO, VOLS!"
What about you? Are you going to try something new to wear this spring?
Visit BlogHer.com join in the discussion about spring fashion trends.
Also, be sure to enter the current Life Well Lived Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Kindle Fire!
If you have teenagers, the words "spring break" have fostered many a conversation.
Along with those words often come the words, "with my friends".
Meaning: only kids and no adults on a road trip for hours to the beach with a million other teens.
What I'm getting ready to say may be controversial, but here goes:
My high school kids are not permitted go on spring break without an adult.
Yes, even my high school senior.
DISCLAIMER: This is my philosophy. I realize my views are in the minority.
However, my philosophy doesn't mean I'm judging yours if yours differs.
Additionally? I am well aware that, "they are growing up" and that I, "can't watch them forever", just so ya know.
While I'm not going to give you specifics about conversations with my kids since people at school read here (Hi, people at school!), but also because the conversations are usually just long variations of, "Whyyyyy nott?", and it would bore you to tears.
Why my high school kids are not permitted go on spring break without an adult:
1. Long-distance traveling can present unfamiliar scenarios.
A fender bender, a blown tire, an empty gas tank, lost keys, a stolen wallet or a finger mangled in a door at a gas station (happened on a road trip I was on, once) are all things they have to learn to handle, at some point.
However? I'd rather have a responsible person there to demonstrate what to do than have them trying to decide if they should hitch-hike for help or not.
2. Many beach places require you to be 25 (spring break rules) to rent AND check into them.
Some situations would be illegal for them to be there alone.
What if I'm charged with something for allowing it?
What would happen if they got kicked out?
3. My kid isn't 18.
However, even if she was, she is still in high school, we decide what happens.
Until you can handle it without calling me if you get arrested in the middle of the night, you aren't "on your own" in my house.
4. Other people can put them in a bad situation.
I'm not particularly worried they'll do something stupid, but what if someone in their extended (meaning other friends they met up with there) group does?
It only takes one moment for someone to run off into the sunset in vodka-laced tears (Hint: it's in the Sonic cups they carry around the beach) after teh dramaz.
What if they didn't come back?
5. Drinking to excess is very, very real.
Again, I'm not particularly worried about my kids and their friends doing so (but, group mentality can be a strange thing, sometimes), but I am concerned about the ability to recognize an alcohol poisoning emergency around them and what to do about it.
6. But, they aren't in college, yet.
Yes, I do know Busy Girl will be in college soon (yikes), but there is a big difference between a second semester college freshman and a high school senior.
Yes, there is.
Now, does "adult" mean someone escorting them to the beach and fastening water wings for them?
Heck, no.
Water wings keep you from learning to swim (another post for another time).
They can take their own car, do their own things for the most part, but I require them to have an adult with them as a back up as they learn to handle things, not to stay on top of them.
It's not a matter of trusting them, I trust them and their abilities, but traveling and spring break can present situations that require adult decision-making, and someone needs to be there.
I realize you can't live as if every day was the "worst scenario", and the trip will more than likely be uneventful, but I consider this trip to be intermediate training for the next few years to come.
And, those?
I don't wanna know.
Like my page and it'll make you look 20 years younger.
This may be my Inner Retiree coming out, and I'm risking another pillow sham incident (read the comments) by saying this, but it really bugs me when people (especially on the job) reply to "thank you" with some variation of, "Not a Problem!"
While I have no doubt the intentions are good, whatever happened to, "You're welcome"?
For example, if you're a server at a restaurant and I thank you for refilling my drink (which I do), it's likely one of your normal job tasks.
I appreciate what you do, but a reply of, "No problem", sounds like you only did it because it didn't inconvenience you, but you may not do it again, it just depends.
I get that it's supposed to be more informal or whatever, and many people have (heh) no problem with it, but, "No problem" indicates the speaker's focus is on themselves rather than the receiving party.
I don't like being assured I'm not a problem because I never thought I was in the first place.
