Mama Having a Proud Moment. . . .

Out of the blue I get a text from Sprat; "I had to argue against Jesus today in class."   I was like What???, He responded it was a debate on who was more influential to Christianity Jesus or Constantine.  So I had to ask, why he was arguing for Constantine.  He said, that was what he was given.  I asked how he did and he said he lost, and badly.  I asked if that was bad for his grade, he said no.  He also said; "I can't win when I'm fighting Jesus."  Well, my heart just filled with:  joy, pride, love, and tears.  All I could think was WOW!  Maybe I didn't mess my kids up as bad as  I thought, maybe just maybe I did do something right. 
You guys all know Sprat's school is closing and he is looking into another college in Massachusetts near Boston.  He went for his tour a week or so ago and he went by himself on a tour with these high school seniors and their moms.  I felt a little sad for him but at the same time was so very proud of him for taking that step in his college career.  He has really jumped in to find his school and connect with the people he needs to connect with to make this all happen.  He met with the head of the healthcare management program at this new school and he liked him and liked what he had to say about the program.  I think he is going to be Boston bound again this Fall with a new school and a new lacrosse team.  The lacrosse coach invited him to watch practice while he was there on tour also.  Sprat also pointed out one very important statistic, this college is 7 girls to 1 boy. 
Stay tuned we will be announcing officially soon, so very excited for him. 

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bank. .. .

Yesterday was just like any other day, well not really, the hubbs let me sleep in after a whirl wind of working day and then night.  He is a sweetie, I think I will keep him.  He went off to work and Big T went off to school, Sprat still sleeping and me still in the bed.  I decided I needed to get up and get moving and Sprat needed to get up too, he has a LOT of packing to do before he heads back to school next week. I started laundry and made my breakfast smoothie.  Have I told you about my smoothies?  I cannot remember if I have shared that or not.  I have been making smoothies with a nurti bullet.  I use fresh pineapple, frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, fresh banana, a piece of ginger and coconut water.  This is the best smoothie, I usually have some left over and I drink that around bedtime if Sprat doesn't get to it first.  He likes my smoothies too.
I finally get ready and I am off to the bank and a few other errands for the day.  I am driving the hubbs truck because my car is in the shop.  I was the victim of a hit and run on the highway right before Thanksgiving.  I am on my way now to get things done.   All of a sudden, it came out of nowhere, yep a deer.  I have been down this road so many times and have seen the deer and was able to stop and let them cross.  Today was not that day, this thing came barreling across the road at me and I could not avoid it.  I hate that feeling of hitting something, this is the second one I have hit in my lifetime.  Things like this usually only happen to me when the hubbs is out of town, I guess I should consider myself lucky that he was in town for this.  I was quite shook up after this and I pulled over to call my hubbs, a trooper, and my insurance agent and to check on the truck.  I sat there feeling stupid and tears streaming down my face thinking how dumb I was.  When I get scared or upset I cry, I have no control over it and I was very upset and shaken up after hitting that deer.  Physically I was fine but emotionally I was pretty bad off.  The front end of the truck was pretty bad too.  The trooper was very nice and very helpful and of course my insurance agent is also the best in the world.   While on the phone with my agent he suggested I take the truck to the shop where my car was being repaired and that my car was ready and I could pick it up and leave the truck.  I was thankful for that we were down to one car.  In the process of dropping the truck off and trying to pick up my car the hubbs phone rings and it is Sprat and he had locked himself out of the house.  He had called from our neighbors house and thankful for our neighbors because Sprat did not know his daddy's cell phone number by heart.  Before we could get the car we had to come home and let Sprat in the house and turn around and go back to get my car. 
Now let's round out the day with a very nice dinner with my three favorite men and oh by the way Happy Birthday to me!!  Yep that deer did a number on my Birthday and I won't tell you how old I am but it was a milestone birthday for me.  Ughhhhhh!!!

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.

Updates. . . Prom, Sick, Work. . .

Drum roll please  ^-^-^-^-^-  She said yes.  They are going to the Prom.  Now begins the fun part, of finding a tux, picking out flowers, finding a ride, and figuring out where they will go to eat.  I have shared some of my fun prom memories with Sprat and with Big T since it is prom time.  Back in the dark ages when Paul Revere rode to make sure everyone got home ok.  Na, I am not that old.
The young lady, we will call her Miss C, is shopping for a dress this weekend and then we start thinking about flowers and the tux.  I may be a little more excited than Sprat.
When I asked him if he had asked her and he told me he was going to ask the next day at school, all I could picture was some lame question at lunch or in between classes.   He did surprise me though, he had a well thought out plan and it was quite good.  A little back story on Miss C, she is a trainer for the football team and the girls softball team at out high school.  Sprat said she is thinking about being a physical therapist, physician assistant or something like that.   The other day Sprat was supposed to have lacrosse practice and he was going to get Miss C to tape his ankle before practice.  Sprat and one of his buddies had gone out and bought some athletic tape and he had written on the inside after a certain amount was rolled off, "Prom ???"   I thought that was pretty ingenious, some may say cheesy but if you knew my boy you would say ingenious.    When he came home that day I asked how everything went?  He said, she said yes.  I asked, did she say just a yes or was there at least some smiling and laughter and a big ole YES!!?   He said she was smiling and laughing, he also said all of her friends were there and all of his friends were there.  I would bet she had a little bit of a clue  about what was going on.  I did make sure that morning that he had washed his feet and put on clean socks.  heeheeheeheehee.
Big T has bronchitis and has been sidelined for this weekend with lacrosse.  He has the worst cough, sounds like a goose honking  around.   Cough medicine is just not working.  He started on antibiotics, so I hope it clears up quick.
I had my six month review the other day and it was pretty good.  They said they will keep me on, so that is good.  I am enjoying my work, there are days that it is very trying, I will not lie, it is very hard to go back to work after thirteen years.  I am very thankful they have been patient with me through my training process and my adjustment to the fluctuating schedule.  Feeling very blessed and very thankful.
Stay tuned for Prom updates . . .

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.

A Letter to Me at 15. . .

If you could write a letter to yourself at 15 what would you say?  Here is what I would write.
Dearest Me;
Please spend more time on your studies and less time on boys, they will break your heart.  The man of your dreams will not be ready for you until you have graduated college and started your first official job.   Do not tie your self down to one boy, and enjoy your friends.  Do not quit dancing, you will regret it.   Do not sweat the small stuff, nobody really cares.  Every opportunity to travel that you have, go for it.  When aunt Linda offers to take you to Costa Rica GO!    Spend more time with your horses and showing.   Have faith in you.

What would your letter look like?  This is kinda what mine would say.  This is why I am always encouraging my kids to step out of their box and be weird.   Normal is boring.   I want my kids to be able to stand on their own two feet and not depend on anyone else for their happiness.   Life is too short to depend on others to make you happy, make your own happiness.

Below are pictures of two of my loves, my sweet Patches and my very handsome hubby.  

Wedding Day. . . .

We have a niece getting married today.   I think the wedding time of year has moved from Spring and Summer to more Fall.   I was listening to the radio yesterday and they were talking about Weddings and how much people spend on them.  This particular listener had called in and said her parents spent $40,000 on her Wedding.  I just about went off the road.  Holy cow!!!  We had a big wedding but we did not spend near that much, I don't think we spent near half that much.    I guess the wedding theme when we got married was much simpler.  These days they go all out and spend upwards of $40,000 on renting a place to have the wedding.  Thank goodness things were more traditional when we got married.   We were married in the Church I grew up in and had our reception in the fellowship building.  We were not big drinkers so we did not have to move the reception so people could drink.   We had piano and violin music during our reception no DJ or band.  Please don't get me wrong, I am not slamming anyone that had these things, many of my friends had receptions in other places and had open bars, bands, and DJ's.  There is nothing wrong with that, if that is who you are.  I guess I just think people should do what they want, not do what everyone else is doing and break themselves and their parents on one day.  Yes, it is a big day and I will never forget my own.   My hubby and I have enjoyed 21 years together and I look back on our Wedding day with great memories and how perfect it was.
My hubby is threatening when the boys are old enough and thinking about marriage that he will offer them cash to elope.  I think there may be a fight over that one.  I have heard of other parents offering the same to their kids.  Some opt for the cash and some opt for the lavish ceremony.  I hope that my boys will pick a young lady that has a similar background and will won't a nice little church ceremony.  I think it would break my heart if my babies eloped.  I know I have many years before any of this happens but, I cannot help but think about it.  Ahhhh, the trials of being a mom.

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.