Deliver me from Homework Hell

Wow, time has really flown! It's already October and the whole month of September has past without any blog posts. So sorry- but then again, you really haven't missed much. School has started with a bang for all my kids- meaning seriously bad tantrums and whining and lots of homework for my boys. As well as tantrums and whining by my boys during homework.
Why right now at this moment, I am sitting here supervising Emilio's Social Studies homework. He has spent maybe a quarter of the last hour getting something done and the rest of the time rolling around on the floor, crying, whining and shaking his arm because it hurts "so bad" from coloring a map of the southeast states.
I sat patiently for a while, being emotionally supportive and sharpening his pencils only to find that he was not coloring at all, but writing one of his limitless supply of comics beside his Social Studies book.
Then I surfed Facebook for a while, until he asked why I found it so facinating. It's not really, I told him, just mostly something to do, "mindless crap". He then wanted to know if he could set up a Facebook account, proclaiming that he, too, likes "mindless crap". Um yeah, I gathered that from the fact that you watch Chowder.
So here I sit, my life ticking by minute by minute in homework hell.

Things that make you go hmmmm

Did you ever have a time in your life where you wonder if there really is a plan for you? A few false starts here and there and it starts to feel as if everything is random.
Then something happens, however trivial, that makes you say hmmmm.
I'm sure most everyone knows the path from my sweet beloved dog Goofy to my equally sweet and beloved Max.
They have so much in common, including their sweet demeanors and vocal personalities, that Tim and I joke Max is Goofy reincarnated.
Well, just today I was telling a friend about Minnie and Max. She asked if Minnie was short for Minnie Mouse and I told her that it was, explaining Minnie came after our other Disney named dogs, Daisy and Goofy.
I mentioned that I guess the name sucession was ruined with Max, a name we picked because it sounded similar to his shelter name, Tex.
She said, "No, not really, didn't you know that Max is the name of Goofy's son?"
Hmmmmmm.....

My Very Good Diet

I've been getting in the workouts lately, thanks to my YMCA membership and motivation from a friend but the diet is seriously lagging behind. I have had the munchies nonstop for the past month or so but enough is enough!
This weekend, the kids and I drove past Culvers and I mentioned that although the flavor of the day was very appealing, I was now watching what I was eating a little more carefully and ice cream was a no-no.
Well, today was a busy one- Angelina had a dentist appointment about an hour away and then I really needed to grocery shop in a bad way.
To reward Angelina for her dentist visit and be able to go directly to the grocery store, we stopped at her favorite for lunch, McDonalds.
The kids all ordered their stuff and I ordered a burger and an ice coffee for myself to eat on the run. As we sat in the van eating, Emilio said, "Mom, is this place part of your diet? Because if it is then it's a really good diet!"

Sounds painful!

The other day I took Angelina and Abby, our seven-year-old neighbor, to the store with me. On the way there they discussed all the things I should buy.
After I while, I said jokingly, "What, do you guys think I am made of money?"
Abby said very seriously, "If you were, I would rip your arm off and put it in my wallet."
Ummm....Ouch?

My middle son had his 9th birthday yesterday. With typical Emilio demeanor, he shrugged his shoulders and pronounced his party to be "pretty cool" even though he got "alot of clothes", which, mind you, he asked for.
I have always said he is the child most like myself, our Cancer and Scorpio signs so much more in tune than the rest of our Libra clan. He is sensitive, moody, intuitive. I fear the same dark mood clouds I fight back on a regular basis loom over his head as well.
Sometimes it breaks my heart to see myself in my kids. It always seems like it's the parts I want to change about myself. I just want to tell them, learn from me! Take that class, don't let the shyness overtake you! Think for yourself, don't just follow the crowd! And so on...
I know at least a little part of their nature comes directly from me- and it sucks!
So I try to focus on all the great things they are capable of- Emilio, my awesome artist and storyteller and Animal Whisperer.
And hope in the end they fight for their dreams a little harder than me.
Happy Birthday Emilio, I love you!

In Favor of a Good Cry

Today I took Max to the vet for his checkup and rabies shot. I was late and hustled Angelina and Max into the van and took off, only to have to turn back for Max's "sample" in the garage, sealed in a baggie and then double bagged in a Walmart bag. I gingerly tossed it onto the floor and took off.
As I neared the vet it happened. Tears came uncontrollably as I remembered the last time I came to the vet, with my sweet Goofy. I kept my sunglasses on as we checked in and gained my composure and the rest of the visit went smoothy.
I realized after that sometimes it is just a relief to have a good, honest cry. It may have started because I missed my sweet girl so much but then it became about more than my dog- it was a release of all the pent up frustrations and trials of life that we deal with everyday. I love Maxie to death and I will always miss Goofy, but having a good cry was just what I needed.

I Hope I Remember This

Last night as I said prayers and tucked in my 10 1/2 year old son, Antonio, he mentioned that soon he would be a teenager.
Not only that, but being born on October 13th meant that his 13th birthday would also be his golden birthday.
"Wow," I told him, "we will have to have an extra special party that year."
We lay in silence for a few minutes and than I told him he might not want a big party, being a hormonal teenager by then an all.
"You probably won't want anything to do with me at all," I told him. "but I was the same way when I was a teenager so don't worry, I forgive you already."
He was silent for a moment and then gave me a big hug and said, "Well, I just want to say I am sorry in advance, too."
It is an apology I hope I never forget :)

Captain Obvious

Those of you who know my middle son know that he is artistic, funny and creative. And known for such antics as running around in the yard with a bucket on his head, falling and saying, "Its really hard to see with a bucket on your head!"
Tonight Emilio came in my room before bed looking for his blanket. I told him to go ahead and get it out of the dryer.
He asked, "Is it dry?"
Yes, Captain Obvious, it is.

Max comes in like a lion

Feburary has come and gone and I haven't had much to say. Mostly because Feburary
1st we put to sleep our beloved 14-year-old Goofy, my sweet, undemanding girl I had brought from Arizona as a puppy.
A thin veil of sadness hung around all month and it made me feel silly, almost, to be so sad about a dog when the rest of the world has real problems.
But not only was it hard to say good-bye to my dear Goofy, it was hard to be the grown-up this time around. In the past, I 've always been the kid, never in charge of the big decision, and I was always sad, yes, but secretly planning for the new dog we were sure to get.
I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be. But what they say is true, as much as it hurts I would never give up the time I had loving my sweet Goofy.
As March begins we already have a new addition. A big, dopey, silly boy named Max that lays his big paw on me when I am sleeping in bed, just like Goofy did and has a loud, crazy yawn, just like Goofy did.
He makes us smile eveyday, even when he is eating things off the counter and chewing the ears off Angelina's stuffed animals.
It think it is fitting that spring is right around the corner. Time to shake of the doldrums and put our faces to the sun.

What This Mom Does

Moms hide the "good" chocolate from the kids, usually in the freezer
Moms abandon their culinary aspirations and rely on a repertoire of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, mini carrots and the occasional delicacy that is corn dog
Moms get some unexpected "me" time and aren't sure what "me" likes to do anymore... but they are sure it isn't grocery shopping or laundry
Moms turn over in bed in the middle of the night to find a small face inches from theirs
Moms try to read books and spend most of the time re-reading what they have already read as it's been so long in between
Moms try not to laugh when a two year old tells the barking dog to "shut it!" or a four year old tells them they need to "fix the damn door."