We don’t see a whole lot of J these days. Like many teenagers, his waking hours are full of commitments that keep him out of the house (and when he’s home, out of the family room), starting very early in the morning. On weekdays, he gets up around 5:30 a.m. to shower. He’s outside starting his car by 6:30. He picks up his best friend on his way to school. High school begins at 7:20. High school ends at 2:25. He drops his best friend off at home before heading straight for work. He works from about 3:00 until 5:30 each weekday (except for what he calls “No Work Wednesdays!”).…
-
- Blessings, Childhood Memories, Family Fun, Favorite Things, Food, I've Got Mad Skillz, My Kid Has Mad Skillz, My Mom Has Mad Skillz, Review
Birthday Traditions: Make A Cake And Eat It, Too.
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated J’s 17th birthday. SEVENTEEN. As in, “My younger–and last born–son is seventeen.” It would be really hard for me to believe if there weren’t a trail of rainbow-colored crumbs all over our family photo albums*. You see, around here birthdays mean one thing: beautifully decorated rainbow cakes (the insides are tinted in various colors). It’s a tradition my mom started, and what I love about it is the thought that goes into it, resulting in the birthday honoree feeling extra special. I remember how creative my mom was with birthday cakes when we were kids. Over the years, she made me a Holly…
-
The Lesson I Never Thought I’d Have To Teach My Son
It never occurred to me in a million years that I’d have to deal with this issue. Not with MY kid. Everything started out innocently enough: he was invited to a big party. The house was practically full of his friends, all his age. It was just your typical, run-of-the-mill birthday party. The mood was festive but not over the top; all of the party attendees were on their best behavior. Well, they were on their best behavior at first, until the stimulants made their appearance, thanks to one of the guests. In fact, that guest was a little overzealous about it and in an instant, almost everything ended up…
-
Animated
I’m headed up north and over the border today (to Wisconsin), to bring D home for his five-day break between his three-week January term and spring semester, which begins Wednesday, or as we call it in this house, “One day post-Lenny”. It’ll be nice to have D home for an extended weekend, as always. I’m excited to hear what he thinks about his old room–now J’s room–which we painted last weekend (pictures will be posted as soon as I get the rest of his new bedding and figure out a new window treatment). I’m also looking forward to hearing all about the animation class he has been sitting through for…
-
DJ Remix
About a month ago, J purchased a new “toy” for himself. He’s been practicing his DJ skills on a regular basis, and was finally able to set up his camera and record himself mixing so I could share it with you he could share it with his friends. Don’t feel any pressure from me to watch the whole thing: the mix he does in this six-minute video is made up of somewhat subtle movements. It fascinates the heck out of me, though, and I could watch all day long (not just because he’s my kid, mind you). I couldn’t stop smiling the first time I watched it. Or the second.…