Tidbits. . This, That, and the Other. . .

Some days. . . are just hard. . .  Whether you just do not get enough sleep or you hit unbelievable traffic trying to get to work, or the pesky migraine that makes the most mundane task next to impossible.  Yes, it was one of those days last night.  I worked night shift last night and it was a busy night shift.  When I woke up this afternoon Sprat was just coming in, he had been to work out at the gym and gone to get his hair cut.  He looked so handsome, he came in the kitchen where I was trying to find caffeine for the migraine that followed me home from work, he said, "you up now?"  I nodded groggily.  He sat on the couch shopping for his text books for next semester.  He is home for a few more days and then back to school.  He has a busy semester, with lacrosse season and his classes he will be taking in his major and a new "girlfriend."  See how I used quotes around the girlfriend, they just realized that they liked each other three days before leaving for Christmas break, she is now in England doing a week abroad for school.  He is not calling her a girlfriend at this point or at least that is the story I am told.
Every now and then you see glimpses through your kids that you did a good job raising them.  Remember I said every now and then sometimes it takes longer to see.  I got to go to breakfast with Sprat the other day, that is kind of our thing.  We go to breakfast and talk about whatever is going on with him.  I found out the story behind the last girl that he was interested in, it turns out there was an old boyfriend that she had feelings for.  When the old boyfriend finally gave her the brush off she came back to my sweet Sprat to say she could go out with him now.  This was a proud mama moment, when the hussy came crawling back because the old boyfriend did not want her, my very sweet boy told her he was nobody's second choice.   My heart was a little broken for him but at the same time I was so very proud that he stood up for his heart that he was confident enough in himself to tell her to keep walking.   The new girl has been in a few of his classes this past semester so they have been hanging out as friends. I am a firm believer in being friends first and everything else will fall in to place, that is how the hubbs and I got together.  We worked together and hung out as friends before we started dating. 
Made our plans to go visit Sprat later in the Lax season, I am so excited to see him play in his first real college lacrosse game.  He did not get a true season last year and in fact since his school closed last year they gave him his year of eligibility back so he could play in his year of his Masters if he wants to. 

Dating and My Boys. . .

Update on Boston:  Sprat has moved on to another female friend and this one goes to his school and play softball for them.  He says he and the other young lady he met at the Red Sox game are just friends.  Funny thing, the hubs and I met the softball players parents at move in day during the parent meeting and family dinner.  She is from California, the hubs and her dad were fast friends, funny how things work.  Sprat seems to be getting along well he has requested that I send him some sweet tea about every time we talk.  The lacrosse team has been doing fundraisers in and around Boston: they have worked the Boston College football games and will be going into the city to work at the Boston Children's museum too. Sprat even volunteered to do an extra game at Boston College to help out the team.  These fundraisers help them pay for their Spring break tournament room and board.  I love this idea, make the boys work to help pay their way rather than begging for money from parents or family.  The high schools could take a lesson here.
Big T informed me the other day that he was in a "relationship."  You can imagine my reaction to this comment from my 15 year old son.  I smiled and simply said, ok.  I was waiting on an explanation,  and decided I better  ask some questions because he was not going to offer up any information willingly.  I asked those typical Mom questions:  how long have you known this young lady?  is she in your grade?  what is her home high school?  If I have shared this already I apologize.   I was immediately told that her mother wanted to meet the hubs and I for dinner.   That actually went very well,  we liked the young lady and her mother and we had a very good time at dinner.  Last night was their first official date, they went to the movies.  The hubs and I got to go on a date too and that was very nice. 
I am not ready for this dating stuff again, bless dear Sprat he did not really date until he was a junior in high school and Big T is a sophomore.  The second usually does things faster than the first, except when it comes to driving.  Big T may be on track to get his license around the same time as Sprat, Big T does not want to drive much either. 
Stay tuned for more dating adventure and Real Food adventure. . .

Time Flies. . . Just When Your Kids Get Interesting. . .

Just when your kids get interesting and you really want to spend time with them and you can have meaningful conversations with them, they go and get lives of their own.   What???  The boys are growing up so quickly.  Sprat will be going off to school and Big T has started driver's education, the book work.  My days of  following them around from ball field to ball field are over and our new adventures begin.
Advice to mothers of toddlers:  take lots of pictures, hold and hug them every chance you get, read to them often, and do not let anyone tell you how to raise  your child.  Listen to everyone's advice but make your own decisions.  I was stern with my boys and there are some that would say I was too strict with them over candy and soda and stuff like that.  I do not regret the way I raised my boys, I think they turned out pretty good.  I will tell you, with regard to the soda and candy thing, once you open that door you cannot shut it.  I tried to keep my kids away from soda as long as I could because I know from my personal experience that it is not good for you and no child should be drinking diet soda.  (please remember these are my opinions) 
Sprat, now that he is older, has decided for himself to stop drinking soda and sugary drinks.  He has not had a soda or sugary drink for a little over a year now.  He drinks mostly water and occasionally he will drink sweet tea if we are out to eat but not very often. 
Big T is finishing his first grading period at his new school and so far he has all A's and one B.  He will be taking one college class next semester.  He seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings very well.  We took Big T and one of his new friends from school to the local Fair a week ago and they had a blast.  Sprat was dating and the hubbs and I were able to enjoy all of the exhibits at the Fair.  We turned Big T and his friend lose at the Fair and the hubbs and I walked around like we were teenagers again.  I think this means the hubbs and I might get to date again.  Shhhh, do not spread that around.  I am afraid to say that too loud or too often, for fear it might not happen. 
Stay tuned as our parenthood adventure changes speed and lanes frequently. . . .

Boys, Long Hair, and Girls. . .

My hubby and I have always tried to encourage our kids to have good hygiene, good manners, and in general be good people.  The hubbs and I try to set good examples of each of these but, you know how things go sometimes.  When the boys were little we talked about how some boys have earrings, long hair and tattoos, I personally am not a fan of any of these for boys.  My hubby put it in no uncertain terms that they were not to have any of those unless they were professional wrestlers or playing in a rock band and being paid for it.  I put my foot in my mouth big time with that one, I was saying something about that at work the other night and one of the girls that was working with me has a tattoo.  I mean no offense to anyone that has any of those things, I just do not want my kids to have them at this age of  impetuousness.  If they make that choice later in their lives, that will be just that, their choice.  While they are in my care it is not going to happen.   Most of my friends have tattoos and that does not bother me, that is their choice.  My hubby has a tattoo and that was his choice in his impetuous youth.  So, back to the other things, the hair, my sweet Big T has let his hair grow out this year and has refused to get it cut.  I have talked him in to a trim and a shape up here and there but nothing real short like he use to wear.   His hair really is quite pretty, I know that is not what he wants to hear, but it really is.  He has the softest curls and it is thick too.  There are girls that would kill to have his hair.   I was griping to a nice lady at Church the other Sunday about Big T's hair and she told me that if that is all I have a problem with I should thank my lucky stars.  There are so many much worse things I could have to deal with and that if he wants to have his hair a little long I should just accept it and be happy.  I thanked her for her much needed kick in the pants because she is so right.  Big T is a pretty good kid; A/B honor roll, helps a little around the house, and he is not a trouble maker, unless you count trouble with his brother.  I have given in on the hair front for right now.
On to the dating front.  Sprat is now on his third "girlfriend" since Christmas.  He did not even know that girls existed until Christmas and now all of a sudden he is like Baskin Robbins and 31 flavors.  My hubby and I have been giving him a pretty hard time about the flavor of the month.  He dates a girl for about a month or so and then they are done.  Not quite sure if they are done with him or if it is the other way around.   He is having fun and not getting too serious about any of them and for that I am grateful.  Big T has not found girls yet and I am also thankful for that.  He is really excited about school and lacrosse right now, I hope he stays focused.
Stay tuned for more on the hair front  LOL!!!

This was his last day of school.  

This was last Summer both with short hair.  Sprat has always kept his short, he would get his cut every two weeks if I would let him.

Spring. . .Prom??

My dear Sprat has found girls, I thought he would be like his daddy and not be interested till  college.  Spring has come a little early at our house.  One night I was chilling on the couch and Sprat came to me and asked, "what would you say if I told you I had a girlfriend?"  I laughed because I thought he was kidding.  Could my son really want to talk to me about his social life, he has kept me in the dark for so long on these sorts of things.  Sprat has never been one to talk and open up, Big T on the other hand, tells me way more than I would ever want to know.  Ok, so back to the loaded question.  I told him I would simply ask who she was.  He told me and I was not really surprised because they grew up together and have been friends all that time.  To me, it seemed logical and I kind of thought they were but I would never say anything.  This first dating experience did not last, I think because they were friends it made it a little weird.
Last night Sprat asked me for money for Prom tickets and I asked who he was taking.  He told me who he wanted to ask and again I was not surprised because he was quite chatty with this young lady over Christmas break.  I did give him a condition on giving him money for tickets.  I told him I get to take as many pictures as I want and he has to smile and be nice.  He reluctantly agreed and I gave him the money.  I try not to ask too many questions because Sprat is kind of like a scared rabbit, you do not want to make any big motions or loud noises because it might scare him away.   I have to tell you I am enjoying Sprat sharing this part of his life with me.   An hour or so after the request for money to buy Prom tickets, I approached very slowly to see if he had asked this young lady yet.   To my surprise he had not asked her yet but, he did have a plan on how to ask her.  I cannot share that just yet because he has not asked her.  He has a plan to do it at school today and I must say he takes after his Daddy  just a little bit.  I was very surprised that he had this all planned out, he has always been a fly by the seat of your pants kinda kid.
Stay tuned to see if she will say yes to my sweet Sprat. . . .  and to hear how he asked her.

Dating: Boys Vs. Girls. . .

I had Sprat locked in for a bit on the way to Church the other day.  He was driving and I thought this would be a great time to discuss dating.  ha ha ha ha ha!!!  I have to grab my chances when I can.  Sprat has not been that interested in girls yet and I am totally cool with that.  I would prefer him to focus on sports and school work and not be distracted by girls.  I told him how his dad and I met and fell in love.  My hubby did not start dating until he went to college and it would be fine with me if Sprat did not date until he got out of college.  I, on the other hand, was completely boy crazy and dated a lot in high school and in college. I will not lie, I enjoy being pampered and taken care of what woman would not.  I am not bashing my own sex but I know how we can be and how much trouble we can cause and I do not want that to happen to my boys.   It seems like the girls are getting more manipulative at earlier ages these days.   I have seen this just watching some of my friends kids dating and hearing their stories.  It is sad that people just cannot be honest with each other, that they have to play such childish games with another persons' feelings.
I would like for my boys to meet someone that is funny, attractive, smart, likes sports and is not afraid of getting dirty.  I have seen these boys with these Barbie doll types and watching from the sidelines you just know that it is not going to work out.  I told Sprat the reason I picked the above qualities is that when the beauty fades you need something to fall back on and intellect and a sense of humor will last longer than looks.  I fell in love with my hubby because he knows how to make me laugh, especially when I am upset.  Yes, he is usually the one that causes me to be upset 98 % of the time but his sense of humor has and will probably always pull his bacon out of the fire.
These are my random thoughts for today.
Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be talking about some yummy Brazilian recipes.

Husbands and Wives. . . .

Spent a cold rainy day watching Big T play lacrosse.  They lost their first game but won the second one big.  Big T got his first penalty for hitting a kid in the back.  Lacrosse is kind of like hockey in that he had to sit out for one minute.  He had some very good legit no penalty hits that were awesome.   He played almost the entire second game, except for that pesky penalty.  It was cold as can be but we had a great day.  The hubbs missed all the action, he was fishing a big tournament in South Carolina.  He had a good weekend too, came in second the first day but not too goo the second day.  
Whenever the hubbs is out of town like that over the weekend he takes that Monday off.  This morning we had our breakfast date and then a few errands and back home to relax and recoup.   I can see us doing this more and more as the kids get older and we have more time together, just the two of us.  If you are not dating your hubby I highly recommend it.   Having kids and being consumed by their activities we can sometimes neglect our spouse.  As a wife or a husband we must make a concerted effort to stay connected with each other.   Once your kiddos are living their lives and are more independent you should really step up this effort to be connected.
I lived in the moment this weekend with the kiddos and since it was rainy and bad I did not take my camera so no pictures to share this time.
Lots of exciting things going on with the Clan so stay tuned.

My Little Casanova. . .

Big T seems to be thriving in middle school.  I was terribly afraid of how things would go and I guess afraid for nothing.   He has one boy, a seventh grader, that he played baseball with that insists on trying to be mean to him.  So far Big T is taking it in stride.  
We went to the first middle school football game this week and I decided I would go later and give him some independent time with his friends.  When I got there I did not see him so I sat in the bleachers.   In a little bit here he comes with a crowd of boys and girls.  He looked so happy.
Dad picked him up and I waited for Sprat to finish up with his practice.  When we all got back home, dear hubby told me that BigT had a few female admirers.   Two little girls had bought him pudding cups at lunch.  He said don't tell mom, she will freak out.  
I am not freaking out yet.  Buying pudding cups at lunch is sweet.  I hope their moms don't get upset that they are spending their lunch money on some, in my dad's words,  hairy legged boy.   I am biased terribly but, my boys are very good looking.  They take after their daddy.  Stay tuned for the sixth grade updates.

Less than four weeks. . .

In less than  four weeks my oldest will be getting his drivers permit.  Eeeeeek!  Am I old enough to have a child with his permit?  Sadly,  I am more than old enough.  I am old enough to have a freshman in high school too.  Ughh!
After driving will come dating, I guess.  Dating these days scares me.
I saw where a young girl posted rules for other young girls to follow in high school.  It was a great list of things to do  and not do.  It had some that could be relevant to both boys and girls.  One of them  said to stay vertical.   I totally agree with that for boys too.   The other one I liked was; selfies are for faces.   One that she did not mention was, to not put yourself in a compromising  position to begin with.  
I gave my boys a talk the other day about dating etiquette.   Here are my rules for my boys on  that: 
  Do not ever honk the horn  or text a young lady to let her know you are in her driveway.

  Always go to the door and knock  and then walk her to the car and open the door for her. 

  Always open doors for ladies.

  Never make out or get smoochy in public.   Nobody wants to see that.

  Always walk a young lady to the door a little kiss goodnight and wait until she goes in before  you leave the porch. 

These are just a few of the things we talked about.  I brought these up becasue I have seen this happen and it is very sad.  It is sad that a girl would let a boy treat her this way and it is sad that the girls parents would allow her to be treated that way. 
   This day and age of technology has moved dating along to a level that is not for the better.  Our kids are learning about sex very early and seeing sexual material before they are ready.  Girls are sending explicit texts and pictures of themselves to boys.  I am here to tell you that my boys will  not be associating or dating any girl that does that.  Young ladies should hold on to their modesty for as long as possible, once it is released onto the internet you cannot ever get it back. 
  Maybe that should be the class they teach in elementary school.  Instead of sex ed, internet ed, how once you take a picture and send it to someone that somone can send it to many others and so on.  
  I know I have babbled on but, I hope you got my point.