Rule #1: Unless previously approved, public affection between parental units (especially FEMALE units) and the offspring is strictly prohibited.
Rule #2: Permission to “kiss” offspring at the bus stop is limited to once (and only once) Aforementioned kiss must be done in haste while other peers are unable to witness the action.
(more…)
Tiny Ninja brought home the official “Middle School Handbook” today.
Middle. School. Handbook.
Un-freakin-believable.
He unceremoniously handed it to me along with his other papers and went back to his homework like it WASN’T EVEN A THING.
I could barely touch it.
Opening the manual I found two other rather shocking documents inside – an announcement for NEXT WEEK’S middle school open house and a registration form for his 2011-2012 class schedule.
I felt like my head was spinning. I knew the day was coming, of course. I just wasn’t ready for it so soon. SO VERY, VERY, VERY SOON.
People, he still believes in Santa Claus. And he hasn’t even ONCE asked how babies are made.
Sigh. I had better get on that, huh?
In discussing the while middle school subject further with my little man I’ve learned that there are three (or four) major things that every male 5th grader is looking forward to regarding middle school:
1. Lack of lines (Rumor has it that nobody stands in lines in middle school. It’s a pretty big deal. All the kids are talking about it. It’s anarchy.)
2.Vending machines (Oh. Dear. Lord. You. Can. Buy. Soda. Any. Time. You. Want. It’s heaven on Earth.)
3. Combination locks (The most exciting thing since sliced bread. Locks! On Lockers! Locking lockers that stay locked! It’s lock-tastic!)
4. The introduction of boobs. (Okay, I’m making this up. I can’t confirm or deny that this is being discussed but I have a pretty good hunch.)
So now I am being forced to deal with the dreaded “middle school” transition. I’m seriously not sure I am up for this…
Help?
It is finally here. The day I have been dreading. The day where I officially become the “un-cool mom.” The day where I admit to the world that I JUST DON’T GET IT!
What don’t I get, you ask?
AHEM - Silly Bandz
My kids are nuts for them.
Young Jedi is nutso for the bandz!
My take: If you collect Silly Bandz they can cost a trillion dollars, schools are banning them and they break when you look at them sideways. Which, of course, hasn’t stopped them from being the ultimate cool thing. Or me from buying them for the kids.
It is an amazing thing, these bandz.
I’ve learned that they are KID CURRENCY and a KID STATUS SYMBOL. Kids count them, trade them and try to get their hands on the silly bands that are the most RARE. (Fantasy pack!) And they cry in devastation when the bands break. Cause you know, life is all about the the flimsy colored rubber stuff. DUH, mom.
Most importantly, they are a great equalizer. Doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you have, how many friends you do or don’t have… you can still trade the bandz and be included. That, to me, is cool.
That being said, I still don’t entirely “get it.” But I sure wish I had invented it!
BTW: Wanna know the mastermind who invented the phenomenon? His name is Rob Croak and he is from Toledo Ohio. Fascinating article and video about the company behind the craze by USA Today here.
I’ve believe that I have spoken with you before about my little Twitter addiction. I am a master Tweeter, people. Most folks don’t understand the fascination.
And I don’t care.
I’m kind of tired of trying to explain it to people who refuse to open their minds to new experiences.
Wait a minute.
This post is not going the way that I planned. It is not about complaining. It is about learning. More specifically, what I’ve learned this week. (As part of a weekly series hosted by Musings of a Housewife.)
This past week has been one of the most stressfull in my entire life….No worries. I survived. (Albeit, barely.)
Throughout the week I wasn’t able to participate much in my social medial life or even chat it up with real life friends and family. I felt a little displaced, actually. But despite that, I learned something valuable from my Twitter pals… LAUGHTER. In the midst of all of the craziness, I would pop in and out of conversations and just a laugh out loud at the wit flying back and forth. LAUGH OUT LOUD. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t happen to me very often.
My Twitter pals taught me how to open myself up to laughter in the midst of what seemed to be a terrifying week. The smile hasn’t left my face yet.
Quote of the Day: “I’m here to live out loud.” – Emile Zola
Tags: Emile Zola, humor, live out loud, Twitter, What I Learned This Week Enjoy this blog from my pal Lori Rypka… mom to Katie (6) and Michael (2). Lori also writes a bi-weekly column for the Frederick News Post (Sunday section).
PLAYING THE MOM GAME
Why, fellow moms out there, do we torture ourselves for each other?
Follow me to that scary place of admittance…
I admit… I stress out at the thought of someone coming to my house. I love visitors, but I do not love the prep work for visitors. Recently I invited an old bunko pal over for lunch. The three days prior to the visit, I scrubbed, cleaned, de-cluttered, organized, recycled, disinfected and otherwise staged the house. The first thing I say when she walks in? “Pardon my house. It’s a mess.”
Admit it. We’ve all said that.
Did I really think my house was a mess? Not at all! In fact, it was the nicest it as looked in months. And yet why did I feel compelled to say it was? Was I fishing for a compliment? Was I insecure at not knowing how clean the other person’s house is, and wonder if they think it IS really a mess compared to theirs?
I’ve walked into impeccably clean houses and heard it, and I’ve walked into houses where a toy bomb has gone off and heard it. Frankly, I think as long as we don’t see a nest of bugs in the corner, “kid mess” doesn’t bother other moms.
The tricky part is… when someone says that, how should you respond?
After using a number of responses, I settled on “Are you kidding me?
You’re house is perfect! You should see mine!” I even say that after I have put my house into good order. I USED to say “Oh please, I’m used to this.” Then I realized that was telling the other person, in so many words, “Yes, your house is a pit.”
Face it, when you have kids, you have messes. Other moms know this, and I dare say that the greater majority don’t care. We’ve been there. We know. And we still think each other great moms despite the colorful landmines on the floor. Moms only have so much energy, and it takes a lot to get through the day without worrying about cleaning up immediately after every mess is made.
So next time you get a knock on the door from a fellow mom friend, it’s OK to let her in without worrying…
Tags: Housework, humor, Lori Rypka, mom relations
