My oldest child was a crazy, super-psycho acrobat in the womb and we’ve always tried to explain to him how crazy it was to see him moving around in there like that! It just is one of those things that you have to see to really get, though, you know? Well, tonight, I headed over to YouTube looking for Clint Eastwood clips and somehow wound up on baby videos! LOL! I think there was a suggested video for me of a cute, giggly baby or something and one thing led to another….

And I wound up on some totally awesome ‘Crazy Kickin’ Babies’ videos! I’m so happy to have found them, because, now I can show Patrick how nutty it truly was! Seriously! There was one day I was lying on the couch and it was freaking me out so much and the little monster just wouldn’t stick that foot back in there and I had to holler for Mark to come from the kitchen and ‘make him’ go back! I’ll never, ever forget that moment! I laugh about it now, it absolutely cracks me up – but, I can tell you that I was more than a little freaked at the time!

Ok, on to the videos! Here’s a little short one that is really cute, the mom says, ‘it’s actually kind of creepy’. Little does she know it can get MUCH worse! Ha!

There’s more after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

It’s so nice to have all three of my kiddos at the same school again. It is the first time since we have lived here in Alabama. When we got here, Patrick went to seventh grade – at the high school, while Shawn and Sam went to the elementary school. Then the next two years, Pat and Shawn were both at the high school while Sam was the only one at the elementary school. Now they are back together and they will be for three years. And they are all in band. Next year, Sam will be in the marching (advanced) band with her brothers. That will be totally and completely amazing. Except for all of the crying I know that I’ll be doing. And all of the laughing at me the kids will be doing for the aforementioned crying. Creeps. I can’t help it that I love them so much and that I’m so proud of them I can’t even physically stand it sometimes. They could have just been horrible, rotten kids – but, no! They had to go and be wonderful, smart, and amazing kids – so the way I see it – it’s all their fault! They can just mock themselves. So there!

Shawn, Sammie, Patrick

Some of that crying happened on Monday night. Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so the weekend itself is not actually going to turn me into a mom of three teens. Well, I suppose one could look at it that way. Let’s just go over the run-down of events, shall we? That way maybe, just by reading, you can feel some of the tired with me – misery loves company, after all, right?

Today, so far, this is what has transpired – monsters went to school, oldest monster (Patrick) called me as school was getting out to ask if he could go to his friend’s house. I just love it when he does this, as it means the other end of the line is going to be VERY LOUD – all those hootin’ and hollerin’ kids, you know. Add to that the fact that it’s Friday and yeah – hootin’ and hollerin’ is on MAX VOLUME!! And there is a RUSH to the whole thing – as it means he has to catch a different bus if I’m nice enough to say yes – or run to catch his own bus, because, he’s been goofing off making phone calls, instead of making his way to the bus. He got lucky this time. I said yes.

So two monsters came home. They both had all kinds of things to tell me about. It, at least, wasn’t as overwhelming as yesterday – all three of them had all kinds of things to tell me about the very second they walked in the door — and they were all hovering over me — and I swear I almost passed out! So yeah, it wasn’t at all that bad.

Next thing on the agenda – neighborhood girl coming over to hang out with girl monster (Sammie). Girl gets here. She is alone this time (yesterday she had her adorable pug, Puggles, with her) so Lucky doesn’t really go crazy. Bonus. I love her little dog, but, it gets hectic around here when she’s here. LOL

So we’ve got two girls hanging out – not too hyper, that’s good.

Next thing up is second boy monster (Shawn) is going to a birthday party. Whew – I got big monster (Mark) to take him. Wooohooo for me!! And while he’s out he can pick up oldest monster, too! Score 2 for Momma!

And BONUS – Mark brought me home a cappuccino! It’s so delicious! I think it’s white chocolate caramel – mmmmm……

Moving on to Saturday, Sammie has an orthodontist appointment in Birmingham (one hour away) pretty early in the morning (9:30). Mark and I will be taking her. She has to get another mold of her mouth, for the 'screw in' retainer. Ack! She's totally freaked out about the retainer. It's going to be a trial getting her to comply with (Number 1) Getting it on. and (Number 2) Letting Momma (me - aren't I lucky?) widen it every night. Oh lawdy!! But - tomorrow, we are just getting the mold done. Whew!

And Saturday night - Sammie is having her birthday party - a sleepover. Yippeee! All I have to say is -

THANK GOD FOR BASEMENTS!!!!

And while we’re at it – can I get an “Amen!!” I think she’s invited six girls. Oh me, oh my – will they all show up? So far, it sounds like they will. Wish me well. Wish me peace. I hope I get through it.

And then Sunday – dun dun dun…

SAMMIE TURNS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!!!

Holy mackerel – my little itty bitty baby girl – a teenager! What on earth? How did that happen? Now we already went over this Lisa is so old thing this week – we may just have to go over it all over again.

I will be the mother of three teenagers.

Whoa.

That right there’s some CRAZY SAUCE.

Ok, and while I’m over here reeling from that reality – my home will be invaded by countless in-laws. Well, ok, not countless – talk to me after Thanksgiving, we will have a whole crapload of people that day! LOL But – we are having a family party here Sunday. We’ll be celebrating Sammie’s birthday and Danny’s birthday. Danny is Mark’s cousin’s husband. We do ‘monthly parties’ – whoever has a birthday that month gets celebrated. Right before we moved here they were doing them all separately. They decided then that that was just crazy sauce. LOL

Danny’s turning 40. I told his wife, Kim, that we better not give him too much crap, because, in the spring – she and I will both be turning 40. And gosh knows he’ll probably get us back and then some!

So yeah, busy weekend – by the time it’s done, I’ll be old. Mom of three teens? What the hell? Goofy!

I’m in the middle of reading a series of awesome young adult vampire books – I think I’ll go read a little and get myself to sleep – rest up for the chaos that awaits…..

Ok, I just got sick of looking at the small images, so I uploaded ones that are a little bigger. I was testing pulling pics from Twitpic to my blog – and that’s what sent them over here so small. So here are a couple slightly larger versions:

Also, Angela’s question below about chair tests inspired me to do some digging around the interwebs for some kind of explanation as to what purpose chair tests actually serve. I did not, myself, take band, and so I’m rather curious myself. I found this very helpful article by a man in San Antonio named Jerry A. Greene.

The most enlightening part of the article, for me, was:

Being A Leader

When students start out playing in beginning band and/or orchestra, they become familiar with the “am I right?” syndrome. They start to listen to one another and try to figure out what’s going on. If no-one sets an example as a leader, the section usually starts to get lost even when the conductor is focusing on that group. At times, one student will be playing in one place, another one will be somewhere completely different and others will just be sitting there having no idea where they are supposed to be. This is the time for the students that have the most confidence in themselves and their training shine, and usually end up becoming first chair.

I suppose I realized some of that, but, the part that I found most interesting is that the rest of the group, say, the trumpets – as is the case with the girls – look up to those in the lead positions in keeping up with the music itself. Makes total sense – I just never thought of that part of it. There are many, many things that I am learning going on this Band Mom journey! It’s pretty darn neat, really!

You can read the rest of Mr. Greene’s article here: Being First Chair In Band And Orchestra

Thank you for the great question, Angela, and thank you so much for the helpful article, Jerry! Appreciate you both!

P.S. Isn’t it kind of funny how Sammie’s room sort of matches my blog? LOL!!

And that is it. Just Puppy.

Everyone else – I’m their ‘Mom’.

I had just given Puppy his medicine in rolled up pieces of bread. And he was sniffing at the counter, hoping there was more up there (yes, he’s that tall) and I told him, ‘No honey, there’s no more – Mommy’s just cleaning up the mess.’ And that’s when the MommySap attack hit. Because Puppy is the only one for whom I am still ‘Mommy’.

These boys of mine – they are these big, old boys – with big ‘ol musckely muscles – and deep manly voices – and hairy man ankles…..and they’re just not my babies anymore. (And yet, they will always be my babies.)

Their birthday is a week away – and I’m already crying. I feel like Patrick is already halfway out the door to living away from us. He’s really just in 10th grade. But gosh – that’s NO time, NO time at all. Before he’s gone. Before he leaves us.

Sammie and I are always mistaking both of the boys for men. We will hear them in the other room talking to someone and think, ‘Gosh, I didn’t hear Mark come in.’ Or we’ll think, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize Eric was here.’ But there is no Mark. And there is no Eric. It is my little bitty baby….

::brief pause for Crazy Lisa to bawl::

(Lisa! How many times have I told you – there is NO crying in blogging!!!)

Ok, ok, I’ve got a hold of myself now, really – I do. Anyway, what I meant to say is that when we think there is a man in the house, we are actually just hearing Patrick or Shawn. Wow. Two handsome, smart, sweet, precious young men – who are growing up right before our very eyes.

If someone could logically explain how in the HOLY HELL Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite bloggers went to the Dallas Cowboys football game and used a ‘new to me’ feature of Flickr to share the pics with us. I’m so excited that John P. gave us the heads up about this feature – embedding a slideshow. I just love it! It’s so much easier! It’s easier for me to blog and it’s also easier for me to look at the amazing pics that he shares on his blog, because, he generally shares a lot at a time.

Anyway, this was our first football game – last Friday night. I had a terrible migraine – but, there was simply no way that I was going to miss the very first game!

And oh cruddy puddy if I don’t have another one coming on right now – I’ll come back and tell ya all about it later. To be continued….

*UPDATE* Man, took me forever to get in here and tell ya’ll about that awful night! Well, I’ve been having quite a spell of migraines since I’ve been home from the UBERLY AWESOME Niche Affiliate Marketing System Workshop that I went to in Atlanta. I haven’t even gotten around to blogging about that yet, because things have been so crazy! Let me tell you, it was simply amazing! And nothing less. (But seriously, who am I kidding? I haven’t even blogged about Wordcamp Dallas that was in JUNE! Ok, I gotta get organized!) So anyway, yeah – migraines, lots of them.

And this cloudy Friday (Aug 28) I was feeling rot—ten!!, but there was no way in heck was I going to miss the first game! This year is special (well, they all have special, added ‘improvements’) but now Sammie is part of the high school and she is an ‘official’ runner for the band – and she is a student of Mr. G’s now, too. So it’s just cool – you see? And it was the first game – not gonna miss it. Not gonna do it. (I’m hearing Ross Perot in my head – anyone else?)

I had some goofy, non-narcotic meds for migraines, Midrin, that I was taking and that were, I think, contributing to the dizzy, woozy, queasy feeling that I was running from as quickly as I could. And when the kids and I stopped at the gas station on our way to the school, I did a really stupid thing. I was going to get Sprite and Diet Coke, to make sure I had both on hand, as they’ve both been known to help with my ‘queasies’. But you see, there is a newfangled, lovely machine in said gas station that I’ve been wanting to try out. And in my migraine fog, I caved. What did I get? Right before getting on a school bus full of teenagers?
Read the rest of this entry »