I have great kids...that being said they are still teenagers. My hair has to be dyed faithfully (the hair that isn't falling out) some would say it's because of my age...I say it's because of the teenagers. I journal more now than when I was a teen, sure it relieves stress, but I also can't wait to show it to my grandkids about how their parents behaved, lol.
It was never a big surprise to me that I raise my kids differently than a lot of parents. That being said I think they tell me way too much about the teenage world. Some things I think I'd be better off not knowing. I am constantly reminding them at the start of their stories "remember I am your parent first not your school buddy". I am preparing them not just to survive this world, but to thrive in it. I'm teaching them to deal with disappointment, life's unfairness, finding balance, working hard, and about a thousand other life lessons that I never thought about.
It's easy to get swept up in their drama, life's drama, and all the other craziness of life. Usually I can keep the balance pretty good making sure to find some workout time to keep stress at bay and have some me time. Lately I got a little less me time, a little less cleaning time, and a standstill at my weight loss. I am a huge organizer and when my schedule gets out of control it shows all over my life. I was able to fill in all the calendar events times and places and said 'no' to events I just can't fit in right now, gave the fridges a deep cleaning and have started my fall cleaning. THIS has somehow put a much needed balance into my world and doesn't make all the teens drama get to me nearly as much.
The photo is a paddle-boat rental at the wellington metro park. My friend had her son & daughter in law's baby shower at the park. I was blown away with how beautiful it was. It was indoors in the air. The room had full size glass windows to see right out at the paddle-boats and the beautiful scenery. I didn't know any of the parks had a place like this, and that it was so close to us.
The last two weeks seem to be straight out of one of those old black and white Alfred Hitchcock movies. When I watched this as a kid it did a couple of things one half way through I was like "what?, huh?" or it took me to the very end and left me shaking my head. This in general, now that I think about it, describes teenagers.
We've had festivals left and right, exciting things happening at school and not so exciting, we've cried through most of the drivers ed which ended up just fine (as I said it would), we've seen huge growths and some immature moments that leave you thinking 'are you 5 yrs old again?', I've had some couponing trips that leave me impressed with myself which of course get squashed by a larger bill here and there, and we've thrown in some unexpected trips to JoAnne fabrics for sewing items that walmart just doesn't carry.
Now all of this being said I've been catching myself capturing some brief moments in time to see some great things and meet some great people that ordinary don't ever come up in the middle of crazy busy life. I met an 85 yr. old man today with his walker and stool sitting alone in the shade waiting on the parade. I stopped and took a sip of water and began talking with him. It was one of those conversations that make you stop and listen to every word like you were a child listening to a great story. The other day I got a phone call from a lady from book club asking me if I had a few hours to spare to help her set up a lunch she'd already prepared for the workers out at habitat for humanity. I went with her and was blessed from start to finish, within those blessings I met a 93 yr. old man...he asked me to hand him his pliers that he'd left on the truck...he was up on a ladder.
Through all the crazies there is a spot of shade or a glass of tea that brings time to a small stand still to let you enjoy a moment of "awe".
Yes, I know. I'm not as chubby as I once was (still have the 50lbs off, but no more than that) but I still fall in the chubby girl group. Here are some new revelations that I've observed particularly in the exercise world:
- Just because you are working out doesn't mean you can wear spandex. Here's a guideline if you can still see the cellulite pockets on your back side don't wear them period.
- If you are going to the gym wear your good bra...I don't want to keep my eyes closed the whole time I'm on the treadmill.
- Know your limits. Just because skinny girl can run 5 miles doesn't mean you can...yet.
- The floaties at the pool are for working out not to save your life. Before you float to the top chubby girl will take on a lot of water and sink.
- And basically because it bears to be repeated leave those holy sweatpants at home before going to the store.
It was a lot more trying than I anticipated. Not to mention completely exhausting. Let me try to paint the teenage picture for you from my point of view:
- Monday...no school, but no added extra break either. We did the fair thing. Now I mention this because getting her ready for any event isn't a 5 min ordeal. Yes she's older so she gets herself ready of course. My part comes in on helping find the right shoes, necklace, earring, etc. Plus me helping with the hair and still yet the make-up. For these events she wears more make-up but doesn't want it to look that way. See how all this plays out. Now after the day is done getting the teens to bed isn't even close to easy. An added bonus we got to see Heather & Gabe so it made the fair a lot better for me.
- Tuesday...first day of school. They run on pure adrenaline, I of course take an immediate power nap. They come home filled to the brim of high school "stuff" for lack of a better word. Brandon seems to have a good first day; he is my child I worry about with social skills. Maddie did not have a good first day, oh happy happy day. I had book club that night, and I couldn't have been happier to get there.
- Wednesday...the question comes up why do they have to sit us alphabetically? I have no idea. Homework starts coming in. Brandon has all honor classes so he actually pulled out books, I was impressed seeing how I've not seen him actually study before. Maddie does some hw before drivers ed and the rest when she returns. Drama has been present for two days so it didn't surprise me that she didn't want to talk about it.
- Thursday...I wanted to bury my head in the sand. I had to reschedule a driving appt. I followed all rules and gave more than a 24hr. notice but it seemed that they gave Maddie a hard time the night before and when I called they gave me a very very negative report on her driving. Now if it was her driving so to say fine, but they reported on her attitude. After they replayed the previous evening I was not convinced that it was Maddie's attitude as much as the instructor. I was polite, but it was a touchy subject all day. I explained to Maddie on what was expected of her and told her that you were going to find people like this out there in life, sadly. Then we had to quickly get ready and go back out to the fair. It was a long night and she didn't get her hw done to well in the night. Bub had spent the evening at the vet with Grammy & Lily, but his hw was done.
- Friday...everyone was super tired but quiet. We were all in bed early.
It was an emotional roller coaster ride all week. I'm hoping for better results this week. The week looks full already, but hopefully we learned some things last week that worked and didn't work. Plus I'm putting crock pot meals back in since they all have different evening schedules. Next weekend is labor day and we are packed full all next weekend with festivals, but we will have a good time. Have a good week everyone. On a side note this is our bean tree I never knew it was there till the other day, how sad is that. The kids favorite apple tree was hit by lightning the other night and had to be cut down, very sad.
Yesterday was the first day of school. I thought it would go smoother...I was wrong. I tried to be organize, but I missed the mark here a little bit. The teenagers just kept throwing one obstacle after another. By now we have a school routine in place from years and years. This year is obviously about change...I missed that memo.
My baby boy started his freshman year yesterday I was so busy that I forgot to stop and have that little moment of "where have the years gone". I don't have little kids anymore...Maddie is a junior this year, and Brandon is a freshman. It's funny how you blink and lose 5 or 6 years.
Almost every year on the first day Brandon wears a sports jersey. He's always cared about his appearance, but now he fights for bathroom time and mirror time. He is my kid that will want jeans ironed and uses a lint roller before walking out of the house. His change this year is he want up earlier....5:15 am instead of 5:45, bigger lunch, and finally after all these years doing homework right away. When he tells me about his day he goes class by class and tells me one good thing and at least one bad thing. Then right before bed any situation he encountered throughout the day and retells me and asks what would you have done mom.
Maddie will stress about any new rule that the school has added on. This year she has her first study hall. I thought with her added college class she might want it. She's not super impressed at this point. This should have been a walk in the park kind of year. So far not quite the case. She's upset that her brother has the same lunch as her, upset that over half of her friends are at ehove or bg. She is my child who likes to be super organized, and if her organization isn't just so she freaks out.
Sometimes when the kids are talking a million miles a minute, I stop them tell them to take a deep breath and continue. I found myself saying this last night, but it was me taking the deep breaths and them continuing. I did find a lovely alternative to covering the books...a roll of packaging paper. This worked out so much better. I was flying through covering them books. Yes, they should cover them themselves, but the first week of school I still do it.
After all the shopping, paying bills, etc. there is no room for the extras. (Sticking to a budget is the phrase that runs through my mind every time I leave the house) So this week is 'freebie week', only purchase the items I can get for free. Now some items of course have tax, so only money spent is the loose change. Here is what I got for free this week: 2-12pk. rolls of cottenelle toilet paper; 2 huge bottles of pert plus shampoo/conditioner; revlon nail polish; 6 protein bars; loaf of bread; osu men's t-shirt; 4 folders; 300 printed address labels from a copy place; cpn organizer; 4 sharpies; 6 notebooks; package of pb to go (loving this item); plus all my samples that are coming in the mail. Now I have some more free items to pick up, but sticking to the budget also means that I double up on gas trips. Meaning if I go into Norwalk there has to be multiply stops to make not just getting my freebie stuff, lol. So these additional items can wait.
I'm exhausted. It's been a full weekend with shopping etc. and I still have to attend a festival tomorrow.
I have two teenagers 16 and 14. A junior and a freshman. The junior has a college class this year and the freshman has expensive taste. That being said let me tell you about the school shopping part of the weekend.
Maddie I started a couple weeks ago I found great deals and purchased quality bras, undies, socks, jeans, and a few tops for $50 (I've never done that good before). Today she picked up a pr of sneakers for $18 and a jean skirt and top for $20. A book bag that I'd never seen before for $11. She needed a graphing calculator this thing has been driving me crazy looking for deals. I priced matched one from Target to Staples. $125 originally priced matched it to $90 and used a 15% off pass to make it 76.30.
All pens, pencils, folders, binders, white out, notebooks, and paper I've been watching and using coupons all summer. The total after today is $15 and that should last all school year.
Now for Brandon my expensive taste child. He hit a growth spurt mid summer and required all new jeans so for the time being he didn't require any new ones. One pair of jean shorts $7. He doesn't like fancy book bags he wanted a plain duffel bag cost $10. He purchased some jerseys this summer so I only needed to buy some plain color t-shirts cost $6 for two. Price matched and couponed undies & socks $14. The shoes which had to be bought at the mall I checked ahead of time and downloaded cpns for possible stores he wanted. Total with tax $62. Bonus signed up for email and get a $10 coupon that I can take the receipt back in w/in 7 days and use that cpn. so brings the total down to $52.
I did better this year than ever before. My kids are getting older and even though their things cost more they take care of their things and make them last longer. Growth spurts never come when their is a sale, and losing weight only makes clothes hang on you. So I do the best I can along the way.
Couponing is a staple for me as of late. I discovered a very relaxing time of day when I'm printing and cutting my coupons, lol. I'm not an extreme couponer not even close, but I do like to save at least 50% every transaction. That includes everything from groceries, household needs, make-up, clothing, and extra activities. If I don't have a coupon it usually doesn't get bought. I'm a couponer of the next generation. Yes I still get the Sunday paper and clip, but I also print them off from online. (I even coupon my printer ink) I even price match from store to store. So for example when I go to Walmart I have about 5 other store ads in hand to price match items at the register. The kids love the benefits from coupons they even want store coupons when they go to the store for themselves, but they hate going to the grocery store with me and my coupons and price matching. I do spend some time with this, but so far I think it's worth it.
I also am getting to the point where I get free samples in the mail, and by watching the ads and clipping the coupons there is a lot of items I get for free right at the store. Some highlights this month have been free full size toothpaste (I don't pay over a quarter for toothpaste anymore), free lotion again don't pay for lotion anymore, name brand make-up for less than $3, hair dye for less than $3 a box, most of my laundry detergent is free or pretty close to it, I have enough school supplies for the entire school for less than $10.
The groceries are down to 50% but I have to really watch here because I have to stick to things my family will actually eat and not be tempted by prepackaged foods.
My extended family (mom & pooh) are not embracing my couponing mind set. I call them the anti-coupon, lol. They tease me something fierce, but I keep on beating to my own drum.
There is lots going on at our house lately. I have jumped head first into couponing and freebies. Saving lots of money and loving the freebies and activities we are getting to do very cheaply. (which I will be posting about)
Brian has been jumping all over the place with different shifts so it keeps things a little complicated with time slots in family life.
Brandon is a growing teenage boy who is eating me out of house and home. He will be a freshman this year, where has the time gone. He is growing into a young man that I am very proud of. I was worried with Maddie getting queen and going to all these festivals that there may be some jealousy. It's quite the opposite. He asks like her big brother not little brother and goes out of his way to help her and me. He does a lot of observation at these festivals to give ideas and such.
Madeline well she's my busy bee right now. The tomboy is still in her, but I am seeing the lady qualities that I've tried to teach her her whole life coming out now. Besides the festivals she's working on getting her license (we are almost there w/her hours). She's also checking on different scholarships that she needs to apply for her junior year.
We are meeting all kinds of wonderful people and learning so much lately. (I feel like I'm a preschooler absorbing the world around me like a sponge.) I will be blogging much more just because there is so much to share w/my extended family, and I don't want them to miss it either.
The only ones missing in the first photo is Wendy & Dave, but I still love the photo. Heather & Casey are still working hard with their jobs and trying to finish their college degrees. They are expecting another addition to their family in September. Our little grandson is starting to grow up on us at the ripe age of 2 1/2. He is so smart. They have really worked hard with him. His vocabulary is most impressive how many 2 yr olds can point out a hexagon and get every sound correct, unbelievable. With this advanced vocab, he has picked up reasoning skills which is good and bad. He reasoned why he didn't think Santa needed to visit him this year..."why can't my family buy me gifts?"
Brandon turned 13 this year, and although he is our baby he has brought brand new teenage challenges for me. He didn't do football this year, but is still doing basketball. He decided to focus on his academics to the fullest. He has advanced classes for his last year in junior high that will transfer over for the start of high school next year. Thinking that my baby boy will be a freshman next year still takes my breath away. His voice is starting to change, peach fuzz (that I just want to shave off in his sleep) is starting to grow, he's almost as tall as me, and lets not forget the attraction to girls is starting to set in heavily.
Madeline turned 16 this year. She has her permit to drive but is still dragging her feet about leaving the driveway in the car. She decided not to do basketball this year, which I think was harder on me than anyone. She is doing wrestlerettes, which is the girls that do the wrestling stats. For the first time ever Maddie is getting all A's in school. She is my child that has to work at her grades, so this is a huge accomplishment for her. She is boy crazy as most 16yr girls are, so we are doing the screening (meet the parents, talk with parents) before we let her go out on dates. This whole process is why I have to dye my roots faithfully every 6 weeks.
Overall we are very blessed with a great family. I couldn't be happier of all of them.
I guess it's really been awhile since I blogged last. In case any of you are still out there. Here's my year in review. I've lost 50 lbs, and 67 inches. I've done numerous 5K walks. I've enjoyed life more than I ever have before. I am amazed and blessed to have my children all growing into fine young adults. My next post will be about them. For this one, it's about me. I have grown as a person this year. I still stumble, but I've learned to keep getting back up and not get stuck in why me's or self pity. It's a huge growth step. I hope you all had a great holiday season!!
I posted some pixs of the fleece blankets I've made recently. Bub's is the football for his birthday in April, and the neon green for Sierra for her birthday. They keep getting bigger. Sierra's is the biggest I've ever made thus far. They are the so much fun and easy to make. No sewing involved, the kids are ready to make them which will be so much fun over the winter months.
