Woohoo! All three of my kiddos are now in the high school marching band! Together! How freaking cool is that? See, people think we’re crazy to have had our kids so close together, but, seriously! How neat is it that they all get to march together – for two years! I just love that!

And last Friday was our first official football game and the first time that Sammie marched on the field with the band. If I tell you that I didn’t dissolve into a MESS of tears and sobs in the bathroom – would you believe me?

Seriously – these kids are just amazing! I guess I never really thought about the level of difficulty of marching in a band. I’m so amazed and impressed – by all of them. It’s funny, you see them when they’re not marching – and they’re just goofy, silly, run-around, regular kids. But then you hear the director or the drum majors say ‘the thing’* and they all STOP! what they’re doing and holler “BLUE!” and stand at attention – and then it’s game time! And it’s ON! All business – it really just blows me away!

So the other night was our very first game and we’re not exactly totally ready yet. And even if we were ready, for the first few games, our director always has the band in their shorts and t-shirts because of the heat. But they didn’t get to do all of their songs yet. They’re almost there with them, but, not quite yet.

And a big, major prop was missing – the pirate ship! My husband, Mark – builder extraordinaire – built a pirate ship for them that is so amazingly cool! I can’t wait to see them incorporate it into the show! It has a ramp off of one side of it and at different times during the show, kids will stand on top of it and on the ramp. It’s gonna be so awesome. I think all it is lacking is the sail and the pirate flag – and those should be ready soon.

So now that I’ve blabbed and blabbed, would you like to see the image that sent me to the little girls’ room crying? I suppose I should let you in on that! Just follow me over here….

On the night of the first game, the director always has the band stop in the middle of the track right in front of the bleachers and play a tune or two. I’ve always gotten a pic of the kids at this ‘first night moment’ – it’s a great chance to get them while they’re sort of ‘in formation’ and actually playing, since it’s hard for me to get good individual shots while they’re on the field. Here is Sammie’s ‘first game’ pic:

My Sammie in the marching band!!!

Click to biggify!

And here is the image that really, really, really got me going – in the sobs department! Look:

All my monsters in the marching band!

Shawn – Sammie – Patrick
Click to biggify!

The only video that I got that night is most of (I think most of…) the first song, and then the camera said we were out of room and shut down on me. That’s okay, though, because – video will be more fun later when they’re all in costume (which they’re totally mad about, by the way! I’ll have to blog about that, too…) and the pirate ship is there. For now, here is what you get – a little taste:

Next time maybe one you sweet bloggy readers can meet me in the bathroom for a nice shoulder on which to cry…..

*I have no idea what ‘the thing’ is that they say – I just know the kids respond with “BLUE!” and they’re at attention like soldiers!

A local friend of mine was on Facebook today posting pictures of a recent bridal luncheon she’d been to and I realized that I haven’t been to a baby shower in a very long time. At one point in my life, that would have been an extremely comforting thought – a long time span with NO baby showers. I used to really detest them. They were so freaking boring! A bunch of women, or even just a few, heck – a group of women, sitting around politely, speaking quietly, being all super polite and demure and whatnot. Ya’ll gotta know me better than that, right? Demure??? Come on!!

Baby showers have really changed over the years, though, and many of them are actually quite fun – even for scalliwags such as myself! People get very creative with their baby shower themes ideas and host what turn out to be fun parties filled with laughter and all kinds of chaos! There are lots of different hilarious games that people play and some people even invite not only the menfolk, but, the kids, too! And then it is really a wild shindig! Practically just like a regular party – except you get to ooh! and aah! over a bunch of hip, new baby gear and gadgets!

A lot of people theme their baby showers according the colors of the baby’s room and/or the baby’s gender – I know my first one was all in primary colors, as that’s what Patrick’s room was decorated in. All of that kid’s stuff, from the bedding to the blinds, from the stroller to all the clothing – was all in primary colors. I just loved it. It was such an exciting time! Now, though, some people are using sweet kid movies for their themes, like princess and the frog baby shower decorations. That sure would make for a really cute nursery. And I imagine if that was the theme of your shower, you could base the games on that, too. And who knows – maybe even the prizes, too. If the winners had kids, that is.

So I mean, I do like cutesy stuff, don’t get me wrong! And I love babies and munchkins – and you will hear me positively gushing over new baby outfits, etc…. It’s just when it gets all prim and proper and quiet and all that – that’s when I can’t stand it! People are really getting a lot more entertaining with the showers they throw – and that’s definitely a plus in my book!

What do you think? Do you like baby showers?

I absolutely love this article – it really backs me up on my way of thinking for how I feel about my children and I parting in the morning. It makes me soooooo bummed and sad if they leave for school sad or mad. If I’ve had to yell at them in the morning, I try to make things nice between us before they leave. It doesn’t always work and so then I will usually go light a candle for them. I’m kind of kooky like that. But this super groovylicious article backs me up!!

From my friend, Ellen, over at RaisingSmallSouls.com:

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I came across some fascinating studies from the HeartMath Institute (http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart-emotional-balance.html) regarding the human heart’s energy output- which can dramatically change the way we perceive our interaction with our family each morning!

Scientists have discovered that the output energy of the human heart is larger than any other organ, including the brain. They measured blood pressure, heartbeat, and muscle tension and discovered that feelings stay with a person for eight hours!

That means that if I say, “I love you” and give my child a hug or touch his shoulder in the morning, that positive energy will stay with him all through his school day.

If I yell, “Hurry up!” or scream and criticize during breakfast time, that negative energy will remain in my child’s heart for the next eight hours of his day.

Sometimes, learning one new fact can change our actions more effectively than months or years of goal-writing and self-made commitments. What do you think?
********************

Thank you, Ellen! I completely agree! It’s so awesome when one simple change can make so much difference in our lives!

What do you guys think?

P.S. Don’t miss RaisingSmallSouls’ Online Parenting Retreat: http://ParentingRetreat.com

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!

Horse mamas deal with it, too! (This actually looks more like the foal has the hiccups. That’s another thing Patrick did in the womb – hiccups, twice a day, without fail. Do horses get the hiccups?)

Here’s two ‘Alien Babies’, as described by the video owners:
Alien Baby #1

Alien Baby #2

Now this one – oh. my. gawd. This is the perfect one for me to show Patrick!! And the crazy thing is, this mom is not at all spooked by it – she is so sweet, just loving on her baby! Cracks me up! I was hollering, “Patrick! Get back in there!!!!” This mom is so calm …..and sweet …..and soothing. Too funny! (One thing to realize, too, though – is that she has the ‘sticky out’ pregnant belly button, so some of what you’re seeing is just her belly button.)

I found these videos just thirty minutes after Patrick left for his friend’s house for their New Year’s Eve party! I almost called him to make him watch right. this. minute. But I held myself back. His friends know how crazy I am, so it wouldn’t have been too out of character, really. Ha! I’ll show him when he gets home, though. It’s gonna be great!

And the funny thing was, my next baby, Shawn – was so. darn. calm. that I kept going to the doctor’s office practically hysterical asking him to put me on the monitor to check and make sure he was alright! There was this one little 3-inch diameter circle on my left side that Shawn would gently tap saying, in a whisper, of course, “Hello Momma. Hello.” And that was pretty much it – for most of the pregnancy. I swear – Patrick ruined me. I thought all babies were supposed to be psycho alien babies!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these videos and had as much fun as I had watching them! I’d love to know in the comments how much your babies kicked!

Shawn, Sammie, Patrick

Shawn, Sammie, Mr. G, Patrick

Lisa, Patrick, Shawn, Mark and Sammie in front

What is this crap with the kids raising the parents, anyway?! LOL!!

P. S. I know the group shots are kind of hard to see – I’ll be uploading them all to Flickr and when I get them all up, I’ll leave a link to the set here. If I’m super industrious, I’ll link all the pics to their corresponding Flickr pics, but, I wouldn’t count on it. Heh.

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 that happened when I, myself, still feel like a teenager – that would be great! Ok, maybe I feel like a teenager, but, I think I’m really about 23 or maybe 25. And then I have these old, tall boys – young men, and they are my children. Hmm….

I have, of course, been thinking about their birthday in the past weeks, but, this morning – with it being exactly one week away – I think I just got hit by the sappy mommy train. Or something like that. Good gravy Miss Mabry – what do you think is going to happen to me when one of them actually does go to leave the house??? Bring on the Valium, baby!!!!

Note: The band director has these kids so well trained – he loves them so much and works so hard with them – it’s totally awesome. He has these things that he says and they are supposed to say something back to him and do a certain thing. One of the things that he says (I can’t tell what he says) – the kids are supposed to say “Blue!” and stand at attention, completely still and quiet. And they do. It’s amazing. No matter how much ruckus that crowd of kids is creating – they hear him and BOOM! They are READY! It’s super cool. I’m so impressed with it. With the director and all the kids.

So back to this one day. Mr. G yells his thing, the kids yell “Blue!” and Mr. G tells them a few things, talks to a few of the kids and then signals for them to start marching out onto the track, towards the stands where they will be sitting. The drummers are in front and they play as the kids march. Just the drummers. It’s so cool – I just love that.

And so myself and the rest of the band parents are standing there, some of us holding equipment, waiting for the kids to pass so we can follow them. And wouldn’t you know it???? I just LOST. IT.

They’re just marching to the stands.

Their hats in the hands. (Strict instructions not to wear them yet.)

Not the biggest deal in the marching band world. Not the biggest fanfare. Not really much fanfare at all.

And I’m standing there in the grass crying. ::shakes head::

Luckily – the gentleman that I was standing beside – completely understood! His wife is the SAME way – maybe even worse! Thank goodness! Ha!

So how on earth did we get from ‘oh my gawd, it’s their birthdays next week, I’m so sad that they’re getting so old‘ to ‘oh my gawd, they’re all in band, they’re so cute, i’m so proud of them I can’t stand it‘?? How did you people get me so off on a tangent??

And anyway, I’ve got work to do! I can’t just sit here boohoo’ing and sobbing all day!!

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.

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?

A milkshake! *headdesk* Yeah, that was stoopid. It was so super yummy, though! You gotta check this out – they’re called F’Real drinks and they are uber doober delish! And it’s FUN to watch them being made. Or – listen, really, as you can’t see what’s actually happening when they’re being made.

Belly full of dairy-filled calories + rickety old school bus full of rowdy teen boys = sick sick Momma!!!

I was kind of doing okay, until that ever-ornery Patrick threw a bottle to the back of the bus and missed the trash can that was back there. I reached down and around behind me (two very No No behaviors in a moving vehicle for me – on a good day) to pick it up and throw it away before it went rolling to the front of the bus and we ALL got in trouble! Upon sitting back up – yeah, I think you know how I felt. This was not a good thing.

And I was at the BACK of the bus – full of teens. Teens don’t leave an aisle in the middle. They’re all hanging into it!! How in the holy hell was I supposed to get to the front of the bus before something HORRIBLE happened??? I had no idea. The INSTANT that bus came to a stop in the opponents’ school parking lot – I LURCHED myself to the front straight through that mess of teenagers as fast as I could!

But once I got to the front, the driver says, ‘Oh, not done yet – we gotta move some more.’ Crap. I didn’t even turn around, “I’m gonna sit right here then.” And down my butt plopped on the top step facing the door! Ack.

I’m telling you – it was quite a night. I wound up ‘holding things together’, if you know what I mean. Then I found a nice spot on a grassy hill behind the bleachers to convalesce. With cops all over the place and two ambulances right next to the field – I couldn’t lie down completely and scare the cops – though I desperately wanted to. But then I remembered – Mark’s pulling one of the band trailers this year – we had a vehicle there!

Seriously – you can’t know how relieved I was to know I could go veg in his truck. And veg I did. I did come out at halftime to watch our new show. Then I crawled back to my truckcave and rested more. It was a long night. One I don’t want to repeat for a very long time.

Funny thing was, though – I have been doing this ‘gratitude trick’ with myself a lot lately because I keep finding myself on the pity pot. I told myself that there were people out there with a lot worse things than chronic migraines. Things that would prevent them from coming to games at all.

So as I sat there, I realized that it was a really nice night out and I was glad as all get out to be there with my kids. Even though I wasn’t with them, I could still hear the band kids (not mine specifically) since we were parked right on the track and the kids were just off to my right. It was just so nice to get to be there with them, ‘hear’ them enjoying themselves, hear what they were hearing, feel the excitement of it all. And oddly – I remember that night fondly. So strange.

It’s a lot like the painful, sleepless nights in the hospital after my hysterectomy. I remember those fondly, too. I did a lot of talking to God on those nights. And my grandmother, one of my very best friends, had just died a few weeks earlier. So I did a lot of talking to her, as well.

It’s funny how times of suffering in our lives can be some of our most cherished memories, sometimes great suffering. The death of a loved one. The death of a best friend. It’s because it is during these times that we really get close to God and when we cozy up to what’s real in our lives. Like the enjoyment and involvement of our kids in their school activities. Rich, rich things that we often take for granted.

Image credit: Wikipedia

To be honest, it’s a small revelation. It’s nothing that’s going to help us all get along better with our teenagers. It’s nothing that is going to be printed in the next “Parent Your Teen” guidebook. No therapists – of teens or their moms (or dads) – are going to be helped by it. But it was a revelation that filled me with oozing joy. Oozing. Not kidding. Nope.

Here it is – are you ready? Ok, here it is:

Teenagers are four year olds on hormones.

Ha! Now stick with me here, k? Listen, it was the oddest thing to me, upon becoming a parent – that no one ever spoke of how horrible – EARTH-SHATTERINGLY HORRIBLE – the ‘fours’ were. No, all I ever heard of was the ‘Terrible Two’s’. And then my mother informed me that, ‘No honey – the ‘fours’ are much worse. Much, much worse.’

OMG. What was I in for? Was she crazy? Was her memory failing her?

And then we hit them. The HORRENDOUSLY HORRIBLE FOURS. Dear God in Heaven – someone call Mr. Calgon!

If anyone should have known about this ahead of time, it should’ve have been me. I was babysitting at the first moment I possibly could. I worked in daycare. I read up on child care. I dreamed non-stop about becoming a mother. If anyone should have been prepared – it should have been me. This seems to, however, be the deep dark secret of motherhood, of parenting.

“Don’t tell them or they’ll never, ever have children. No one ever, ever talk about it. Don’t print it in that parenting book. Shhhh!

And trust me, I can assure you that I’ve since learned that I did, indeed, give my mother HOLY HELL in that ‘lovely’ fourth year of mine. I knew I had had a really terrible year, but, I guess I just assumed it was my second year. And it was also kind of cloudy, because, I gave my mother lots of those kinds of years. I think maybe my brothers didn’t give her the Horrible Fours, though. And really, only one of my children had the truly Horrible Fours. So maybe that’s it, that’s why it’s kept so quiet – because, every now and then, it happens in a family, but, only with one child. Like a horrible demon from the sea, rears its ugly head and gnashes its terrible teeth. But we must never tell those who haven’t procreated – because they may just never do so, knowing it could happen to their family.

So then we come back to the teenagers. Ah, yes, the teenagers. I realized this morning, after a lovely weekend with The Migraine From Hell, and my three teens – that teenagers are simply four year olds with hormones. Seriously – think of your four year old – add some makeup and some cool music – and what do you have? Exactly! Now you’re beginning to see my point!

One of my teens told me this weekend, after being asked about homework – “I liked you better when you were sleeping.” And proceeded to close their bedroom door.

Four year old.

Hormones.

EDIT: Totally have to edit this to tell you about this cool new website by my friend, Dr. Daisy. If you’re on Twitter – I bet you know her! Anyway, she has started this awesome site called Retro Parenting. If you click on the button on the top or in the sidebar that says ‘Free Minicourse’ you will get these emails that will make you feel better! I promise!! I got one the other day that gave me validation on an incident I had with my 14 year old. Just a suggestion – I thought of this while I was getting dressed a little while ago, “Oh! I should totally tell them about Dr. Daisy’s new site!” So there ya go!