Update on Our Clan. . . Bring on 2018. . .

I have been away for a bit, life happens and we must continue.  Some days are more difficult than others with regard to my work.  It is quite sad sometimes the situations I must hear about.  My sister keeps reminding me I am where I am for a reason and that God has put me in this job with  a purpose.  I still cry some days as I am making my way home and I will call my hubby on the way and cry to him about my day. He is my rock and my cheerleader on those days that are so difficult (grateful moment).   It is hard to believe I have been with this company for over a year now.  I kept thinking they were going to fire me for the first 9 months I worked there, you know the old dog new tricks.  I had my PCI review last night, I worked night shift last night.  I  had a good review and they are pleased with my performance and for that I am truly grateful, this job came at a time when my family needed the income and I needed to be able to help my family.  My very sweet hubby carried our family for fourteen years and I would not take that back for anything, I was there for my kids when they most needed their mom.   My schedule is pretty flexible so, I am still able to be there for my boys if they need me. (another grateful moment). 
The hubbs had a banner year with his job and we have made great strides in paying our house off and saving for college.  We are thrilled Sprat will be going to his number one pick college in August with a merit scholarship, it will not cover everything but it is a nice start (grateful moment).  Big T has soared this year in his new school, I never know what he is going to come home with.   Big T is learning how to interact with local business members of our community.  He has made presentations for the business leaders and for the various eighth grade classes in the County. Big T took a test that is given to seniors right before they graduate to see where they will be placed in college classes and did really well and does not have to take that test again (grateful moment). 
Yes, I am bragging just a little but we had a rough go of it last year and I am just extremely grateful for the blessings we have been given this year.   I have said many times that God will bring us to our knees so that He can lift us back up again.   We have been lifted and I am humbled by his grace. 
We are struggling these last few months with family troubles with extended family, so I ask for prayers, God knows what our families need.   I am praying for peace, comfort, and strength for our families.  I probably will not be back until after the New Year, lots going on with work and family.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year. 

College, What do Boys Need to Pack. . .

So we are three for three on acceptance and each offered scholarships.  Sprat's first choice offered a little better deal and has many opportunities.   He has decided on his first choice and so begins the filling out of all the paperwork.  I have been looking at what a boy needs to pack for college, those lists are hard to find.  What to pack and how to decorate for girls are all over the place.   It is much harder to find lists for what boys might need for college.  Sprat does not drink coffee per say, so he will not need a coffee maker.  It seems I know more about what he will not need than what he will need. 
We recently dealt with a dead battery in Sprat's car, I do declare that kids today do not know how to deal with adversity.  Maybe it is just my kids, but I am pretty sure there are others dealing with this same thing.  Some days I feel as though I have done too much for my kids, they have not struggled for things.  I guess I should really thank my Dad for letting me drive a big ole piece a junk, that first car I drove left me stranded on more than one occasion and brace yourselves this was before cell phones......  I should preface this with the fact that the first vehicle I learned to drive was in fact a pick up truck, mine was a real truck.  It was not some souped up, jacked up, big tired piece of junk you see girls driving these days.  Mine was in fact my Dad's pick up truck.  It was beat up but, it was mine to drive when I needed it and I was darn glad to have it.   There were kids in my high school that drove a lot nicer cars than I did but my Dad taught me a really good lesson.  You work and earn your own wheels if you want to drive anything nicer.  The truck never let me down, the car I later drove did leave me on several occasions.  I drove the truck until I learned how to drive a straight drive.  I have to thank my Dad for that too, not many girls in my high school drove straight drives or even knew how.  I unloaded all of this on you to tell you about the battery fiasco with Sprat.
Sprat came in one evening and mentioned right before he was going to bed that by the way, his car had been hard to start these last couple of days.  The hubbs went out and he was able to start it.  He said it was a little sluggish and that the next morning I should go out and listen to him start it so that I would know what to tell the guys at the shop.  Well it is pretty easy to describe silence, yep you guessed it the little black berry would not start.  With great hesitation and reluctance I gave my eighteen year old the keys to MY car.  Ughhhhh, what was I thinking????  With glee in his eyes that I have not seen since he was probably eight years old Christmas morning, he took my car to school. 
It was indeed time for a new battery.  The way they put batteries in these cars these days are so crazy that the average person or even the Auto Zone cannot replace it.  I had to go to my mechanic to get it replaced and they had to special order it from the dealership.  Ughhhh.   Finally at three o'clock I had the new battery and all was good with the black berry.  I prayed that all would be as good with my car when Sprat got home with it.  I got text from him periodically through the day how nice my car was and how great it drove, all I could think of was that song by the Beach Boys, "Fun, Fun, Fun"  if you do not know the lyrics google them. 
With this anecdote, I will share what I picked up to add to Sprat's packing list for college. 
I bought him a kit that has jumper cables, gloves, bandages, and a head lamp to leave in his car.  I have a first aid kit that I made up for each of us to have one in our cars, just in case.
This is my wisdom for today with regard to kids, especially boys getting ready to go off to college.
Stay tuned I am sure I will figure out what he will need in his dorm before it is too late.

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. . . .

Life . . .

Life is not all it is cracked up to be.  Life is:  hard, unpredictable, happy and sometimes sad. I think I have felt all of these emotions this week.  Heck, I think I had a couple of these all in one day.  This was a particularly difficult week.  When I have difficult weeks, it makes me want to hold my kids and never let them go.  Try explaining that to a 14 and 18 yr old boy, they do not understand. 
On my worst day this week I called the house on the way home and talked with Sprat, I told him how much I loved him and I cried most of the way home.  They may be making arrangements for me at the loony bin and I just do not know about it.
Sprat is not any closer to deciding on a college than he was two weeks ago.  We are on the trail of some scholarships though.  I do believe I could make a full time job out of searching for scholarships.  There are so many and you have to read all of the details before you can apply because there may be one little thing that would disqualify your child. 
Stay tuned for the scholarship hunt.. .

Update On Job, School, and College Applications. . .

Big T's first business casual day this semester.  Big T's school will be having visitors from another county school system. They are coming to his school because they want to implement some of the things they are doing in their own school system.  I think that is pretty cool.  They must be doing something right to bring in other counties to check them out.  During this visit the students will be doing presentations for the visitors on what they have been studying.
Sprat is adjusting to his college and high school classes.  He seems to be balancing things well.  I got my first call from his high school English teacher.  Sprat really likes this teacher, he had him last year too.  I have not heard from Big T's teachers yet.  They are getting ready for their first exhibition  in November, I am looking forward to that.
It has been a year since I started my job.  I still cannot believe it has been that long.  This has been a crazy year for my crew, very emotional and a little stressful.  My schedule is still all over the place but, I do feel like I am making a difference, so I can take the up in the air schedule.  My kiddos have had to become a little more independent.
Sprat has applied to three colleges and has been accepted at two.  We are very excited for him.  Now we are on to the scholarship trail.  We make just enough not to qualify for need based help so we are on the trail of merit scholarships.  Stay tuned, Sprat has not nailed down his choice just yet and he may even apply to one more college before it is over.  

Big T First Week of School. .

Wow! First week of school under our belt.  Big T has had a wonderful first week of school and I am so happy.  This could have gone so many different bad ways.  Lol!!  We were all a little nervous about how this would go and I still have some reservations but, so far I am very pleased.  

He is taking a career management class and his instructor brought out Dave Ramsey and shared parts of his DVD's.  I was thrilled and of  course Big T knew exactly who he was.  He was probably the only kid that knew who he was.  They have been talking about credit cards and mortgages, raise your hand if you were ever taught about credit cards or mortgages in high school.  Ha Ha Ha Ha  me either.  My kids have been taught about the whole credit cards are bad since I am an ardent Dave Ramsey fan/follower.  

In may they have been adding Star Wars quotes in with their math learning.  According to Big T she is not teaching math they are learning to solve problems.  Big T seems to be learning though and he is very excited to go to school each morning.  His first day he was very excited to show me his new computer they have issued them.  He was also excited about his google calendar and how his teachers add his assignments and how he knows that in November he has a big paper due for English composition. This is similar to what he will have once he goes to college like the Blackboard sites most colleges have so that the students can interact with the teachers.  He also has a sort of study hall but they call it Seminar.  They can work on homework or if there is a particular class they are struggling in they can go to that teacher and get extra help. This is the last 30 minutes or so of school.  The picture below is him after getting off the bus the first day.  

New Schedules to Adjust. . .

Took a remake of their picture from Sprat ' s first day of kindergarten.  You have seen these folks that go back and take the same picture after so many years well, this is my attempt at that.  I am not sure how good I did but here ya go.  Took this last night before we went out to eat to celebrate the last day of Summer since the Big T starts back to school today and Sprat will start next week at the community college.  This is going to be one crazy year with so may different schedules to coordinate.  Sprat working a high school and college schedule and Big T working his modified high school schedule.  Throw in mine and the hubbs schedules and this year can only be more interesting.  Ha ha ha ha!!  

Looking at these pictures together you can really see how much these two have grown up and yet how absolutely silly they still are.   They drive me crazy and many days I question whether I am a good mother or not and there are some people that question whether I am a good mother at all.  Looking at these pictures tells me I am a good mom and that my boys are happy, healthy, and grounded in who they are.  I love em to the moon and back, the loves of my life.  

Then August 2005

Kindergarten Sprat (5)/pre school Big T (2)

Now August 2017

Senior Sprat (17)/Freshman Big T (14)