Weekend Update. . . .

So, I shared earlier about having to get all my doctor appointments scheduled.  I still have to schedule my mammogram and my eye appointment and I have my appointment for my migraines.  It is rough trying to keep yourself healthy, I have realized these last few weeks that I seriously neglected my self over the years.  I am chalking this up to my resolution of self care this year. 
Young Moms, please do not neglect your own health for the sake of your family.  I wish I had been better to me while the boys were young but, when you are trying to hold down a household and take care of two boys you tend to neglect you.  Make you a priority.
I completed my Cologuard test, it was not as bad as I thought  it would be, I am waiting to hear back about my results.  This tests your poop for cancer DNA.  If it comes back positive it does not mean you have cancer it means you could have cancer and should have the colonoscopy to make sure there are no polyps.  If it comes back negative this will be the best thing ever because I will not have to have that nasty colonoscopy.  I will be honest I have heard horror stories about these and I want to stay as far away from them as I can.  I am a terrible patient, I hate doctors and I may have used the family as an excuse not to go to the doctor.  I am a terrible patient. 
We can chalk up a win for the Lax bros last night, our first win of the season.   Sprat got accepted to his new school, got his scholarship and will be playing lacrosse for this new school.  We are very excited for him and cannot wait to see what his sophomore year will hold. The hubbs has dirt and is going to work on my herb bed again today.  Big T is getting ready for his Prom tonight so stay tuned for photo overload. 

School Systems, Encouraging or Discouraging???

Had to go to a meeting for Sprat last night so that he can sign up for AP classes at school.  We went to this same meeting last year and scared Sprat out of taking any AP classes.  He has always taken honors classes and done fairly well at them.  I am not sure how other school districts operate their AP classes but ours require the student to first attend this meeting and then fill out an application for each class that they want to take.  These applications rival some that I have filled out to apply for a job.   Once you have submitted your application and signed it you cannot change your mind.  They said this on stage to all of the kids and parents, once you sign you must take the class.  I can understand them not wanting kids to back out of taking a class but things do come up and they really should take this on a case by case basis.  Sometimes I think they are trying to keep our kids from taking challenging classes, I feel like rather than encouraging them to stretch themselves they are trying to keep them from taking the harder courses for their own sake.  
I am so disappointed in our school system lately, between their lack of encouragement for kids to take some more difficult classes to the way some of the coaches behave toward the kids and how they talk so ugly about some of the kids in front of their peers.  This is leaves a nasty cloud hanging over this school system for me.
I really wish we could go back to the day when teachers actually taught and educated our children in subject matter and not in how to take a stupid test!!!!

The Things We Do for Our Kids. . .

We went out to eat the other day and I looked across the table at my kids and they are not my little boys any more.  They are young men and very handsome, if I do say so myself.  Sitting there I could not believe how much they have grown up they are practically men.  It made me think back when they were little and all the funny things they did and I did to get them to this  point.  
From the time Sprat was born the hubbs and I would read to him and say prayers for him before bed. When Sprat was almost three he said something about monsters being in his room and that he was afraid to go to sleep.   The hubbs and I read to him and said prayers but Sprat was still concerned about monsters, I got creative and decided to do the banish the monsters dance.  Yes, I am that mom.  The banish the monsters dance went like this; I clapped really loud and shouted in each corner of the room for all of the monsters to get out and stay out of this room.  I would then jump around and clap in a circle and yell "out, out, out."   This always made Sprat laugh, which was the point, so that his last feelings before going to bed were happy.   You have to be silly sometimes, you cannot be a serious parent all of the time.   This worked for the next several years.   The hubbs and I have always made it a point to say prayers with the boys before bed and we still do.  They are in separate rooms now so we do prayers in the living room before they go up for bed.   I am so thankful that they still want to say prayers together.
When Sprat was in elementary school I started knitting.  He saw me knitting one day and asked what I was doing.  I told him I was knitting a prayer shawl and he wanted to know what that was.  I explained that I was praying while I was knitting and that who ever received the shawl would receive my prayers.  Sprat had been struggling with some things in school and asked if he could have one for school.  I giggled just a little but I knew what he really meant.  He wanted something to give him comfort during school.  I crocheted him a bookmark and we tied it in one of his notebooks.  I prayed over that bookmark for him and I told him that when ever he felt bad he could look at that bookmark and know that he was not alone and that I would see him soon.  Big T went through something similar while in elementary school and he also took a crocheted bookmark that we had prayed over with him to school.  I think elementary school is one of the hardest times in the lives of our kids.   I would have done almost anything to give my kids some type of comfort during this time of their little lives.
We are getting ready for final exams and EOG's and EOC's.   I hate all of the  testing and rating of students and teachers.  The hubbs and I do our best to make these days fun and a little less stressful.  I know I have posted about this before but it does need to be shared again.  On days of exams or EOG's  we take the boys out for a good breakfast.  We try to make the day special and not so stressful.  I got this idea from my sister she started this tradition with her girls when they were in school and I thought it was a fabulous idea so when Sprat was in middle school we started the exam day breakfast.  Not sure where we will take the boys to eat this year but we usually let them pick the place.
Living and loving in the little moments of my kids lives.  I am so lucky to have these crazy boys and my crazy husband too.  They get it honest.  

Babbles on Famine and EOG Testing. .

Update on the 30 hour famine.  The kids were divided into tribes corresponding to those in Ethiopia.  Some of the kids were given disabilities; Big T was mute, one of the girls had a hurt foot,  one boy had no hand, and one was blind.  They were divided into their tribes and competed in challenges. 
During this 30 hours together they played and learned about Ethiopia and the Ethiopian children that go hungry everyday.  Our youth leaders are the best.  Big T told me all about the games and the food they were given.  They fixed a type of crepe and a soup that the children of Ethiopia eat.  Big T and Sprat said the crepes were good but the soup was not.  The soup was a coconut milk base with corn, and sweet potatoes.  They also had a peanut butter mixture with powdered sugar.   They both loved that.
The hubbs and I helped fix lunch for the kiddos and youth leaders after Church for the finale of the Famine.   We served breakfast for lunch; eggs, biscuits,  pancakes, sausage, bacon, and grits.  It was a good day. 
My mom always told us that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.  It gets your engine rolling (brain).  I was terribly picky when I was younger when it came to food.   The thought of sitting down to breakfast made me nauseous,  I hated breakfast.  Luckily,  my mom sold vitamins when I was growing up and they had a protein shake that was really good.  That is what I ate or drank for breakfast from the time I was in maybe 6th grade all the way through college.  It was easy and I was not tied to the table during breakfast,  I could carry it with me room to room while I was getting ready.  The whole breakfast is important thing has stayed with me.  I try to make sure the boys get a good breakfast before school which is sometimes difficult because they are a lot like  me.   Big T likes muffins, so he gets muffins in the morning and an occasional pancake.  Sprat eats hash browns and sausage or biscuits and sausage.  He has always been the meat eater.  

EOG's are finishing up and final exams are right on their hills.  Every year during EOG's and final exams I try to make it more fun and kind of an event for the boys.  We take the boys out for breakfast each morning to make sure they get a good start to their day.  I hope that they will remember these little things that their daddy and I have tried to do.   I hope that they will do the same for their own children some day.  I think that is what we as parents all want.  We want to leave our kids with great memories and traditions to carry on with their own families when that time comes.

Last Days of school? ? ? ?

Ok, so all of my teacher friends out there please forgive me.  I don't think I am sending my kids to school on their last day, which is only a half day.  Is anyone else doing this?  They have both cleaned out their desks and their lockers and the teachers have given them their school work.  Big T's teacher told him to bring a board game.  I don't have a problem with goofing off after the tests but, if they are not going to do any teaching why keep them in school.  The kids are done and don't want to be there and the teachers don't want to be there and some are going so far as to tell the kids not to come on the last day.
If the kids are not going to do anything productive after the testing why are we testing so early?  Why not wait and test later and then have a couple of days to work in field day and all the awards and parties.?   I know I am just a Mom but, I think they should consult the Moms on these school schedules.  I really think my kids are not going to school on Monday.  I think we will all just sleep in, if Basil will let us.
Games are canceled today I see "Star Trek" in my future.

Test, Test, Test. . .

Well, the common core junk is done so far.  Now we just have to get through the regular EOG stuff.  That will be next week for the middle school.  Sprat said that the science common core was easy.  Ok, so I am a little worried about that.  He seemed to think he did well, I guess we get to agonize over it for the summer.  What ever happened to the "final exam" we used to take in school?  The teachers created it so they knew that they had at least gone over the material that was in the test.  The teacher graded the test, so you knew you would find out your grade by the end of school.  The idea of common core is good on paper but, in reality I don't think it is as good as everyone has raved over.
Big T is done with his testing.  I hope he did well, I am afraid I threw my inability to take tests on him.  Sprat takes after dear hubby and Big T takes after me, poor kid.  I have gotten better at test taking in my old age though, so maybe there is hope for my boys.