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Posts Tagged ‘sons’

Rexaco

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Our dear, sweet, little Rex has settled in quite nicely.  Dare I say he is getting too comfortable?  He found the package of little rawhides on the counter and decided to help himself today.  Hubby thinks he found all of them.  He also has begun taking “lovees” from the boys’ rooms.  Rex has his own lovee-a little pig/frog toy.  Plus we bought him a toy chicken too.  But he loves to steal a lovee and run to the living room with it to see if anyone noticed.

Rex has also started snooping in corners, exploring all the nooks and crannies of his home.  He’s almost destroyed my beautiful comforter.  And he enjoys trying to chew on the decorative pillows that match the almost-destroyed comforter.  He doesn’t chew to tear, mind you, but as if it’s a chew toy.  I almost miss the scaredy dog that he was.  Not really, I am so happy he feels comfortable here.  He feels loved.

He makes the rounds if he hears people outside, day or night, and then barks if he feels there is a threat.  Scary bark, which I don’t mind.  Sounds way bigger than he is.  And when he is ready to go to sleep for the night, he jumps up on our bed and gets in his spot.  His spot is actually my spot.

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When I go to bed I have to move him, which is easy enough.  I just slide him across the almost-destroyed comforter.  Once I’m in bed, he sneaks back over so he is right up against my legs.  Hubby says some nights he has to move Rex because he has slowly pushed me over to the edge of the bed.  Impressive considering I weigh quite a bit more than the 46 pounds Rex weighs.

 

 

Hubby says Rex pretty much sleeps all day.  Then when I get home…puppy olympics!  The boys and I take him outside and Rex runs in circles at dizzying speeds around me.  The boys keep him moving until finally Rex collapses on my feet, the sign that he is done and ready to go back to the couch.  This sign usually happens 8-10 minutes after we start.  He is quite the couch potato, except for those 8-10 minutes.

With his gigantic ears, Rex could have been named Gizmo, Gremlin, or Dobby, for a more current reference.  I should get Rex a Dobby lovee!

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Another First Day of School

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , on September 5, 2013| 3 Comments »

I know the funny memes go around the internet this time of year.  Pictures of happy parents driving away from the school, or lounging with a drink, celebrating the first day of school.  I always feel happy that my sons are healthy, happy, and here to return to school too.  But a part of my heart cries along with the tears that drop from my eyes because it marks another milestone in their lives and another big step toward independence.  It means they are growing up a little bit more and little bit more away from us.

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I know that older son will face more challenges this year as he yearns for his classmates to realize that he has done some growing up and isn’t exactly the same young man.  That he doesn’t want to be the “talker”.  He is who he is and he is embracing that.  Since preschool he has corrected teachers (politely) when they asked or said something inaccurate and he did it again this morning as one of the teachers asked if he went on any archeological digs this summer.  “Well, technically, it’s a paleontological dig, but no, not this summer.”  He is comfortable with himself and that is what I will carry in my heart today as I think of him walking around the school as a fifth grader.

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My third grader had to go it alone to the classroom this morning and this was not the plan.  He debated it all evening and finally decided to have me walk him to his classroom to explain his brain and stomach ache to the teacher.  To help with his TS, he has a foam brain (from my work-no one could try to say it isn’t younger son’s brain unless his parent happens to work with me) and one of his stomach aches.  It’s a little stuffed representation of what causes a stomach ache.  These two objects will be safely tucked into his desk and if the tics start acting up, he can release some energy by squeezing them.  The tics were in full force last night and the night before.  My little one is nervous about being back at school.

But the new rules prevented me from walking with him.  Luckily, I had written a note in his homework notebook to his teacher about the brain and the stomach ache, so she shouldn’t give him any trouble.  But we didn’t get to do the Kissing Hand.  He was already in the school and I wasn’t allowed in.  I suppose that is more for me now than it is for him, but still it’s the first time he’s gone into school without doing the Kissing Hand.  IMG_7369

Older son was still waiting outside and he did the Kissing Hand with his mom, risking torture if seen, because he realized I really needed it.  He saw I was crying and told me it would be okay.  He’s a good egg, if you ask me.

A fifth grader, wiser, gentler, and more compassionate than most would know.  A third grader facing a huge challenge that seems daunting, but armed with a brain and a stomach ache.  Yes, I am happy they are back at school.  Not because it’s “easier” for me, but because they are two strong, smart, little men.

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Tea Lake…we finally made it!

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , on August 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We have been trying since Memorial Day to make it to Tea Lake.  It’s only about 15 miles from our house, so it’s not the distance.  Almost every half-day Friday had lousy weather.  The ones that had decent weather were when the boys were at camp.  It just never happened.  Today we made it.  And we even visited Mighty Joe.  Welcome to the Pine Barrens.IMG_7352

The boys had the lake all to themselves for the first hour we were there.   This really blew my mind.  I truly anticipated more people, but we really enjoyed ourselves.  I even took off my shoes.  And those of you who know me know that I hate sand.

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Then younger son got wonderful revenge against older son.  At least temporarily.

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Hee hee.  He had fun.  Older son had fun breaking out of it.  Sand castles, swimming in the lake, and goofing off with Mom filled the morning.  We had a wonderful time at Tea Lake.  Until next year…

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Mohawks

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , on August 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The boys both got mohawks.  Check them out.

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And you get a little preview of the new wall color…mango!

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Hives, hives, I tell you!

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , on August 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’ve never had hives due to stress in my life until this week.  I actually thought it was ringworm, which sounds grosser than it is.  I had done some gardening so I figured it was from that, but the treatment didn’t work.  It wasn’t until I had been home for about an hour after work tonight that they red splotches began to retreat.  It was quite the week at work.   Let me explain.  No, there’s too much, let me sum up.  The week is over.  Yea!  Joy!  Rapture!

And yet this evening I looked forward to spending time working on my syllabus.  I’ve avoided it for so long simply because I’ve been too tired to really jump into it and savor the excitement.  Now that I have fed the boys, played a game of Stratego with Older Son and two games of Candy Land with Younger Son, and tucked them in, I am diving into the Brothers’ Grimm and assignments for the class.

I can hear Younger Son slowly creeping down the hall, even though I told him not to leave his room.  He’s adorable.  The best part of this week was still managing to make or find time to spend with my family.  Even if it was only for fifteen minutes, or an extra cuddle in the morning, or the wonderful games tonight, I kept the most important part of my life important even during this hectic, long hours, home late, kind of week.

And now the hives are disappearing.  I do hope they do not think they are welcome every time I am stressed.

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Life Moves Pretty Fast

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , on August 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

so I’m stopping to look around.  Where is the year going?  It’s August.  Younger son is now eight years old.  Older son turns ten in a couple of weeks.  There are commercials worrying about gluten in pet food…really?  I get that gluten may be an issue for humans, but every dog I’ve ever owned has thought that cat poop was candy and I need to worry about gluten in the kibble?

The summer is definitely over at work.  Regular hours are back and the students will be back for the fall semester in about two weeks.  I really need to finish my syllabus.  This year’s theme for my class is Grimm’s Fairy Tales.  It’s going to be fun-if not for the students, at least for me.   These tales are not for the weak at heart.  Sex, violence, incest, anti-Semitism, and lots of gore.  As I’ve been exploring the influence the tales have had on our culture, I’ve become even more fascinated.  Please understand, since you may not actually know me, I am not an anti-Semite.  I did not know about that aspect of the fairy tales until I started my humble research for the class.  I had noticed clips of Hitler and the Nazis in Grimm, the television show, but I did not realize the significance of making them wesen.  Now I do.  I am sure the students will get uncomfortable when we enter the section of the course that looks at this aspect of these German tales, but I’m sure they will also be uncomfortable when they read about how in several of the stories the father, after being widowed, figured it would just be easier to marry his daughter.  And the original title of the book was Nursery and Household Tales…really?

Meanwhile, back in the day-to-day reality, I’m painting the living room and dining room mango.  It’s gorgeous!  It’s not done!  Doesn’t matter-I’m actually enjoying the process and decluttering as I go along.  I took pre-pictures and will take post-pictures and share them eventually.

I’m so dreadfully behind posting pictures from the summer.  But what’s new?  I did put up some new pictures on the wall though, as part of the whole painting process.  That’s right.  I’ve finally framed the boys’ kindergarten pictures and added them to wall.  Keep it down, I know they’re going into fifth and third grade.  I’m pacing myself, Sergeant.

The boys have been fish this summer and can’t get enough of pools.  They both had a blast at camp.  VBS went well too.  The years keep passing and life is good.  I just have to remind myself to stop and look around so I don’t miss it.  Have you stopped and looked around lately?

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Camping Blues

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , on July 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The boys have been at camp since Sunday afternoon and time is moving so slowly.  I can’t believe how much I miss them.  I took three days off from work and was going to accomplish so much.  I have sorted through boxes of toys, done some weeding, relaxed with Lifetime (do we really need all of those reality shows?  All the commercials during Will & Grace are for reality shows…really?), and I’ve done laundry.  Rex and I have had some lovely walks.  Hubby and I are having a date night tonight.  I had Chinese food for lunch yesterday.  I may paint the living room tomorrow.

Still, I’m tempted to go back to work tomorrow instead of Thursday.  I feel like time is moving soooooo slowly.  I can’t stand how much I miss them.  I was ready for bed last night at 8:30.  Forced myself to stay up.  Hemmed another pair of pants for Hubby.  There’s still plenty I can do around the house, but I miss the boys and end up sitting around, lacking all motivation.

And tomorrow is younger son’s 8th birthday.  I know he’ll have an awesome day.  They do a parade during lunch in the dining hall.  He has a care package waiting for him, which he has to sing for.  Older son has a care package too.  I wonder if they’ll sing a duet, perhaps the alphabet song from the Three Stooges. 😉  Have to get younger son’s birthday gift.  He opted to celebrate when he got home so he had even more to look forward to on Saturday.

When Hubby told me we would have a date night tonight, he said we could do something grown up.  My response was “Play Skylanders?” I do need this time apart from my sons-it’s good for me and them, but goodness, didn’t know it would be so hard with both of them away.

So today I’ll go to the dentist (that is like going to the spa in my world-I love the dentist).  I’ll clean off the surface of every table in the house, purge more toys, clean younger son’s fish tank, and hopefully at least buy the paint for the living room.  Then tomorrow I can paint and that will be my distraction.

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Grace Revisited

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , on July 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Grace…that elusive quality and energy and way of being that I continue to work toward.  Today grace filled me easily and I felt good throughout the day.  I lapsed a wee bit when I got home…pop tart on the comforter on the bed, really?  I stayed in my graceful mood and swept, dusted, and avoided bugging my sons.  Even as I tucked older son into bed and he jumped into a deep conversation about growing up, I stayed filled with grace.  I realized, thanks to the moments of grace, that he may have spent his entire day summoning up the strength and courage to talk to me about tonight’s topic.  Then again, he may have wanted to soften the blow and not get in too much trouble because yet again my two sons fought while brushing their teeth.  Perhaps I should have two sinks installed when we finally get around to redoing the bathroom.  But grace prevailed and older son and I had an awesome talk.

Younger son still thinks he can’t write.  We’re working on it.  Last night he was writing a thank you note and he became so frustrated and angry.  Grace stepped in and I didn’t lose my cool.  I kept finding the words to encourage him to try to write just one more word.  He wrote them all and I mailed the thank you note this morning.  He is embracing his comedic abilities this summer, but I hope he reigns them in when school begins again (in a mere six weeks! Ack!).  We worked on a puzzle tonight.  We’re going to write a story together tomorrow night.

Grace.  Always walking toward it.  Stepping in it more and more each day.

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Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah 2

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , on July 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Younger son went to camp today.  I forgot to pack his flashlight, no biggie.  They use a buddy system when walking to the bathroom cabin anyway.  But then I noticed he never put his sneakers on before we left.  He only had sandals, which are not allowed.  The counselor said they might be okay, maybe, since they weren’t open-toed and had a strap around the back, but he would have to wear socks with them.  As I would not doom my son to walking around wearing sandals with black socks (he only wears black socks), older son and I ran to the big W to buy a pair of sneakers.  We also picked up a flashlight.  Older son, knowing I was in an emotional mood (leaving my baby at camp!), cunningly asked for a Skylander and is buying it upgrades even as I type.

I love this camp.  It’s awesome.  The boys love this camp-even more awesome.  And in ten days they will go there together for a week.  A whole week.  🙂

But I will miss them.  And I thank God daily that I only have to miss them for a short while.

Hugs to the ones who know I’m sending them hugs today.  Your strength has been, is still, and will always be an inspiration.

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Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , on July 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Older son is away at camp.  These are the witty statements from younger son, courtesy of the freedom of speech he is experiencing in his brother’s absence.

“You’re from the civil war, what do you mean you haven’t read Mysterious Island by Jules Vern?”

“I want more broccoli and cheese!”

“I guess King Kong is just monkeying around.”

Younger son loves to have control of the remote control, the food options, and the conversation.  When he gets the chance, he is truly quite the talker.  He misses older son, but he’ll deny it if asked directly.  I know older son is having a blast.  He loves camp and his counselor this year is apparently also a verbal learner so I’m sure they are getting along fabulously.  Saturday morning will be here before you know it.  It just feels a million years away.

I only went to summer camp for one weekend.  It was fun.  We watched Psycho on a big screen outside, at night, surrounded by the sounds of nature.  One of the best ways to watch a Hitchcock film if you ask me.  Still, if I had had the chance to go to camp for a week or two during the summer, each summer, I think that would have been awesome.  My sons think it’s awesome and I am thankful we can send them.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah keeps playing in my mind…

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