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| Becca and Rachel - May 2003 |
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| Becca and Rachel - May 2011 |
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Photos Without Words Don't Tell The Whole Story
I've learned that photos without words can be very deceiving. After all, yesterday's post made my Tuesday look pretty darn sweet, right?
It started off that way. Breakfast. Strength training session. Shower. But that single shot of the computer? Hours and hours of work on contract revisions. Tedious, but productive. Then at 2:00 in the afternoon, my day fell apart. I had to pick up R & B for a dentist appointment. I forgot my camera.
Do you know what else my photos failed to document?
The photos failed to document...
...the fact that one of my offspring was in a particularly bad mood. Cue ominous heavy black clouds.
...the first dinner in over four months where the whole family was present. The dinner that began with said offspring's comment: "Well, at least this looks edible." Peppered heavily with teenage snarkiness and referring back to a dinner a few nights earlier that said offspring did NOT consider edible. Are you beginning to get the flavor of dinner? Dinner should have tasted like yummy grilled filet mignon and baked potatoes, but instead tasted remarkably like drippy sarcasm and foul temper. I told said offspring that her attitude was getting on my nerves. She took her dinner plate and stormed out of the room, trailing a few choice words as she went. Cue thunder and lightning bolts.
...DH high-tailing it out of the house, dishes not even finished, to head to the gym. Cue sudden gust of wind and slamming door sound.
...me lacing up my sneakers and heading out the front door. Can I cue screeching tires here? What sound do screeching sneakers make? A casual observer might have thought I was late for an appointment. The truth was I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I had to escape the darkness that had enveloped my home. I had to run away from the negativity storm clouds brewing right over my head and in my heart. Cue a gentle lonely rainfall.
My photo walk did document this. Which for some strange reason made me think of my snarky offspring.
And this. How I felt when I stepped out the door. Like the lowly dandelion - just a weed. Some people don't feel guilty for even a second for stepping all over it. But the beauty is there if you take just a moment to really look.
My walk was restorative. It cleared my head. And lightened my heart. And soothed my soul. So much so that I was able to enjoy the blooms. I was gone over an hour. Today my back is killing me. But I'm proud of myself for remembering to choose happiness.
And for recognizing that you simply can't reason with raging hormones.
It started off that way. Breakfast. Strength training session. Shower. But that single shot of the computer? Hours and hours of work on contract revisions. Tedious, but productive. Then at 2:00 in the afternoon, my day fell apart. I had to pick up R & B for a dentist appointment. I forgot my camera.
Do you know what else my photos failed to document?
The photos failed to document...
...the fact that one of my offspring was in a particularly bad mood. Cue ominous heavy black clouds.
...the first dinner in over four months where the whole family was present. The dinner that began with said offspring's comment: "Well, at least this looks edible." Peppered heavily with teenage snarkiness and referring back to a dinner a few nights earlier that said offspring did NOT consider edible. Are you beginning to get the flavor of dinner? Dinner should have tasted like yummy grilled filet mignon and baked potatoes, but instead tasted remarkably like drippy sarcasm and foul temper. I told said offspring that her attitude was getting on my nerves. She took her dinner plate and stormed out of the room, trailing a few choice words as she went. Cue thunder and lightning bolts.
...DH high-tailing it out of the house, dishes not even finished, to head to the gym. Cue sudden gust of wind and slamming door sound.
...me lacing up my sneakers and heading out the front door. Can I cue screeching tires here? What sound do screeching sneakers make? A casual observer might have thought I was late for an appointment. The truth was I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I had to escape the darkness that had enveloped my home. I had to run away from the negativity storm clouds brewing right over my head and in my heart. Cue a gentle lonely rainfall.
And for recognizing that you simply can't reason with raging hormones.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Orange Crush
Last night I watched some highly entertaining football - all the while freezing my buns off sitting on icy cold bleachers. It was the annual Powder Puff game. In Powder Puff, the players are girls, teams are by class level, and the game is flag football played in 10 minute halves where the clock is stopped after any play that lasts less than one minute.
Game One is Seniors v. Freshmen. And the Seniors always win. Last night did not disappoint in that respect. Seniors won 7-0. That's just the way it always is.
Game Two is Juniors v. Sophomores. And my girls are Juniors.
Here's the "Orange Crush" Junior team just before sunset gathered outside the stadium. DH was the photographer last night and this light (while beautiful and glowy) made it very hard to get an accurate color of the shirts. They are orange - but a little on the light side of orange.
Here's one squad of the Orange Crush team discussing plays before Game Two. Under the stadium lights, the color still isn't right. But check out those fantastic striped socks our girls are wearing! Aren't they adorable?
Game Two between the Juniors and Sophomores was tight and fiercely fought, but Juniors took it in the end with a score of 13-7. And that's the way it should be.
Game Three is played between the winners of the first two games. It is almost always Seniors v. Juniors. And the Seniors always win. It's tradition. Okay, honestly, it is that Game Three is rigged in favor of the Seniors. The officials call a lot of fouls against the opposing team and make sure there is a lot of backward movement on the field (or forward movement for the Seniors). That's just the way it always is.
Last year as Sophomores our girls beat the Juniors and played the outgoing Seniors in Game Three. They weren't lacking in spirit or the will to win. They were up against the foul calls and backward movement on the field. They lost. But, that's just the way it always is.
Going into Game Three, our girls were playing the same team they had beat last year. Which made things interesting. Game Three was rousing with lots of good plays. The Juniors failed to score after having possession for the first seven minutes and making it all the way to about the two yard line.
The Seniors fought back but were stopped short of their goal line by the Juniors. The first half ended in a score of zero to zero. One Junior was carried off the field after she landed wrong and broke her foot in two places. Keep in mind, this is FLAG football - there is no tackling. But dang, these young ladies are agressive!
In the second half, the Juniors scored early with a long run down the field. The Seniors came back with a long run of their own and scored, but the Juniors prevented them from making the conversion point. So the score was 6-7 with Juniors leading. Then ensued multitudes of absurd calls by the officials, multiple 15 yard penalties that put the Seniors right up to their own goal line, but they couldn't score. In their final attempts, hand-offs were dropped, passes were fumbled. With mere seconds left on the clock, the Juniors gained possession and took a knee. The Juniors won! Every once in a while it is not just the way it always is.
Here are the Juniors celebrating their victory. Our girls are buried in the midst of that Orange Crush.
One other thing about Powder Puff - the guys are the cheerleaders. The Junior men showed up bare chested, covered in orange paint. They roared and hollered and ran around the stadium. They blew plastic versions of those super-annoying World Cup Soccer horns. When the Juniors scored, they ran into the end zone and did push-ups.
They had the largest group of cheerleaders on the field. And they were highly entertaining. If there was an award for Spirit, the young men of the Junior class definitely would have won last night as well. As a parent, I was so grateful to see that my girls are part of a class with such a high participation level and so much spirit. Oh, and the fact that they won? Almost made it worth freezing my buns!
Game One is Seniors v. Freshmen. And the Seniors always win. Last night did not disappoint in that respect. Seniors won 7-0. That's just the way it always is.
Game Two is Juniors v. Sophomores. And my girls are Juniors.
Here's the "Orange Crush" Junior team just before sunset gathered outside the stadium. DH was the photographer last night and this light (while beautiful and glowy) made it very hard to get an accurate color of the shirts. They are orange - but a little on the light side of orange.
Game Two between the Juniors and Sophomores was tight and fiercely fought, but Juniors took it in the end with a score of 13-7. And that's the way it should be.
Game Three is played between the winners of the first two games. It is almost always Seniors v. Juniors. And the Seniors always win. It's tradition. Okay, honestly, it is that Game Three is rigged in favor of the Seniors. The officials call a lot of fouls against the opposing team and make sure there is a lot of backward movement on the field (or forward movement for the Seniors). That's just the way it always is.
Last year as Sophomores our girls beat the Juniors and played the outgoing Seniors in Game Three. They weren't lacking in spirit or the will to win. They were up against the foul calls and backward movement on the field. They lost. But, that's just the way it always is.
Going into Game Three, our girls were playing the same team they had beat last year. Which made things interesting. Game Three was rousing with lots of good plays. The Juniors failed to score after having possession for the first seven minutes and making it all the way to about the two yard line.
The Seniors fought back but were stopped short of their goal line by the Juniors. The first half ended in a score of zero to zero. One Junior was carried off the field after she landed wrong and broke her foot in two places. Keep in mind, this is FLAG football - there is no tackling. But dang, these young ladies are agressive!
In the second half, the Juniors scored early with a long run down the field. The Seniors came back with a long run of their own and scored, but the Juniors prevented them from making the conversion point. So the score was 6-7 with Juniors leading. Then ensued multitudes of absurd calls by the officials, multiple 15 yard penalties that put the Seniors right up to their own goal line, but they couldn't score. In their final attempts, hand-offs were dropped, passes were fumbled. With mere seconds left on the clock, the Juniors gained possession and took a knee. The Juniors won! Every once in a while it is not just the way it always is.
Here are the Juniors celebrating their victory. Our girls are buried in the midst of that Orange Crush.
One other thing about Powder Puff - the guys are the cheerleaders. The Junior men showed up bare chested, covered in orange paint. They roared and hollered and ran around the stadium. They blew plastic versions of those super-annoying World Cup Soccer horns. When the Juniors scored, they ran into the end zone and did push-ups.
They had the largest group of cheerleaders on the field. And they were highly entertaining. If there was an award for Spirit, the young men of the Junior class definitely would have won last night as well. As a parent, I was so grateful to see that my girls are part of a class with such a high participation level and so much spirit. Oh, and the fact that they won? Almost made it worth freezing my buns!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Weekly Gratitude
This is another one of my gratitude layouts where I am trying to find the silver lining in something that I would otherwise not feel any gratitude over.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
On Writing, Body Snatching, and Set It Sunday
In my daily sojourn through Google Reader (my blog reading is part of my "me" time, bringing me inspiration, laughter, silliness, and pause) I came across this very thought-provoking post by Cheryl about what it means to be a writer. Go ahead and click over. It's a good read. I'll still be here when you get back.
Back already? Cheryl's post got me to thinking about why I blog to begin with. And why I miss it so much when I'm away for any length of time. And why I mourn when I lose readers (per the numbers posted on Google Reader). My blogging, much like my scrapbooking, is largely personal and done for me. I often use blogging to process my thoughts and feelings about what is happening in my life and the world around me and try to make sense of it all. It's a way to sort through the mess to get down to the nitty gritty of what makes me ME. What makes me tick. What makes me happy. What makes me sad. Where do I find my own bliss.
But if all I'm doing is sorting through my own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual baggage, then why blog? Why put it out there for the world to see? Because it is a way to connect. Because I want to be heard. Because I know that my wonderful readers can empathize and share in whatever I'm going through at the moment. And even though I know on an intellectual level that I'm not alone on this crazy ride called life, getting that validation from a comment that says "I know just what you mean" or "hey that's funny" or even just a simple little ":)" to say "I was here" can make a bad day better, a good day great. That is the power of being a writer whose voice is being heard. Blogging (and scrapbooking now that I think about it) is a way of leaving behind some proof that I was here. That I came, I saw, I conquered. That I mattered. That I made a difference somehow.
And all of that leads me to sharing the melancholy that I'm feeling today. Today I'm celebrating being the mother of teenagers and all that it entails:
Credits: Template - Karen Grunberg; Paper - Jessica Sprague "Strawberry Lemonade" kit.
I'm also mourning the loss of my sweet little girls. The ones who cheerfully cleaned their room, were eager to please, who loved learning, who loved spending time with family. It wasn't all that long ago that spending time with them was an absolute pleasure. I miss those girls and I wonder where they went and who these creatures are that took their place? You wouldn't know it just to look at them, but the aliens now inhabiting my sweet little girls' more grown-up bodies are lazy, sloppy, demanding, rude, irritable, surly, belligerent, mouthy, ungrateful little wretches. They derive joy from sleeping late, watching drivel on t.v., texting with the boyfriend, making fun of their parents' collective lack of fashion sense, listening to music played very loudly, and demanding to be fed. They are seemingly unable to amuse themselves any longer (I think their attention spans have shrunk since toddlerhood). I'm hanging in there, hoping that the aliens head back to the mother ship shortly and return my sweet daughters to me. What do you think my odds are?
Well, that's enough of my woeful tale of the invasion of the body snatchers. I now return you to your regular programming.... up next:
In addition to her very thoughtful post on writing, Cheryl has begun a regular post called "Set It Sunday". I'll refer you back there to see what it is all about. I've decided to play along. So here are my Intentions for this coming week:
1) Actually DO this week's assignment for Library of Memories - that is a time-intensive commitment, but I'm determined!
2) Catch up on Design Your Life class assignments. Not necessarily doing every layout, but at least enough of them to bring me current with the class.
3) START my Pen Tablet class. Unfortunately this one got underway while I was travelling on business and I am now woefully behind.
4) Finish getting all my software reinstalled on my desktop (it was gone for a week being overhauled). I've started - PSE7 is functional again. But ACDSee is giving me an error message that my license number is invalid. Ugh. Support email has been submitted.
Obviously this list is totally for me. My family could care less if I ever accomplish a single thing on this list. But within this list is my creative time - my bliss. Wish me luck. :)
Back already? Cheryl's post got me to thinking about why I blog to begin with. And why I miss it so much when I'm away for any length of time. And why I mourn when I lose readers (per the numbers posted on Google Reader). My blogging, much like my scrapbooking, is largely personal and done for me. I often use blogging to process my thoughts and feelings about what is happening in my life and the world around me and try to make sense of it all. It's a way to sort through the mess to get down to the nitty gritty of what makes me ME. What makes me tick. What makes me happy. What makes me sad. Where do I find my own bliss.
But if all I'm doing is sorting through my own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual baggage, then why blog? Why put it out there for the world to see? Because it is a way to connect. Because I want to be heard. Because I know that my wonderful readers can empathize and share in whatever I'm going through at the moment. And even though I know on an intellectual level that I'm not alone on this crazy ride called life, getting that validation from a comment that says "I know just what you mean" or "hey that's funny" or even just a simple little ":)" to say "I was here" can make a bad day better, a good day great. That is the power of being a writer whose voice is being heard. Blogging (and scrapbooking now that I think about it) is a way of leaving behind some proof that I was here. That I came, I saw, I conquered. That I mattered. That I made a difference somehow.
And all of that leads me to sharing the melancholy that I'm feeling today. Today I'm celebrating being the mother of teenagers and all that it entails:
I'm also mourning the loss of my sweet little girls. The ones who cheerfully cleaned their room, were eager to please, who loved learning, who loved spending time with family. It wasn't all that long ago that spending time with them was an absolute pleasure. I miss those girls and I wonder where they went and who these creatures are that took their place? You wouldn't know it just to look at them, but the aliens now inhabiting my sweet little girls' more grown-up bodies are lazy, sloppy, demanding, rude, irritable, surly, belligerent, mouthy, ungrateful little wretches. They derive joy from sleeping late, watching drivel on t.v., texting with the boyfriend, making fun of their parents' collective lack of fashion sense, listening to music played very loudly, and demanding to be fed. They are seemingly unable to amuse themselves any longer (I think their attention spans have shrunk since toddlerhood). I'm hanging in there, hoping that the aliens head back to the mother ship shortly and return my sweet daughters to me. What do you think my odds are?
Well, that's enough of my woeful tale of the invasion of the body snatchers. I now return you to your regular programming.... up next:
1) Actually DO this week's assignment for Library of Memories - that is a time-intensive commitment, but I'm determined!
2) Catch up on Design Your Life class assignments. Not necessarily doing every layout, but at least enough of them to bring me current with the class.
3) START my Pen Tablet class. Unfortunately this one got underway while I was travelling on business and I am now woefully behind.
4) Finish getting all my software reinstalled on my desktop (it was gone for a week being overhauled). I've started - PSE7 is functional again. But ACDSee is giving me an error message that my license number is invalid. Ugh. Support email has been submitted.
Obviously this list is totally for me. My family could care less if I ever accomplish a single thing on this list. But within this list is my creative time - my bliss. Wish me luck. :)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Seven Years Ago Today
We were swimming with the Dolphins at Discovery Cove in Orlando. Sarah was in Middle School and Rachel and Becca were in third grade. This was a magical day for us. It makes me nostalgic for those times with our kids.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Leadfoot and Fraidycat
I'd like to introduce the two newest drivers in my household.
Leadfoot, on the left, has wanted to drive since she was - oh - about six. Now that she has her learner's permit, she asks to drive EVERY time we are headed out anywhere - to the point of being annoying. Mainly because she gets really pissy when told no. For example, on Halloween - it was dark and rainy and there were hoards of little kids out walking. And she was angry that we wouldn't allow her to drive home from Dairy Queen. When she does drive, she is actually not bad. Although she isn't nearly as good as she THINKS she is. She's more of a natural than the older sib who has had her license for 3 years now - except for the leadfoot thing. As a brand new driver she already has it in her head that she should be driving at 5 miles over the posted speed limit, regardless of the road conditions. So I'm hanging onto the door, pumping the invisible brake on the passenger side of the car, and holding my breath - all while gently reminding her "you need to slow down, the road here isn't in good enough condition for your speed." I'm thinking when you become a parent of teens, you should be able to purchase an upgrade kit for your vehicle that includes a brake and a kill switch for the passenger side of the vehicle. But so far I've survived. Although I'm sure I've sprouted a few extra grey hairs in the process.
Fraidycat, on the right, is an entirely different story. Could. not. wait. to get her learner's permit. Was quite put off when we couldn't go out the day after the 16th b-day because a physical was required. Since getting the permit...she has not asked once to drive. Not once. She has been out in Dad's car just around the immediate neighborhood. I offered to let her drive my car to her boyfriend's house this weekend. She said "I can't drive that boat! I haven't even driven your car yet. I need more practice in Dad's car before I can drive your car." The literal translation of all that is this - she is afraid to drive. She wanted the status of having the permit. She really isn't all that interested in driving.
Such is the life of a mother of teens.
Leadfoot, on the left, has wanted to drive since she was - oh - about six. Now that she has her learner's permit, she asks to drive EVERY time we are headed out anywhere - to the point of being annoying. Mainly because she gets really pissy when told no. For example, on Halloween - it was dark and rainy and there were hoards of little kids out walking. And she was angry that we wouldn't allow her to drive home from Dairy Queen. When she does drive, she is actually not bad. Although she isn't nearly as good as she THINKS she is. She's more of a natural than the older sib who has had her license for 3 years now - except for the leadfoot thing. As a brand new driver she already has it in her head that she should be driving at 5 miles over the posted speed limit, regardless of the road conditions. So I'm hanging onto the door, pumping the invisible brake on the passenger side of the car, and holding my breath - all while gently reminding her "you need to slow down, the road here isn't in good enough condition for your speed." I'm thinking when you become a parent of teens, you should be able to purchase an upgrade kit for your vehicle that includes a brake and a kill switch for the passenger side of the vehicle. But so far I've survived. Although I'm sure I've sprouted a few extra grey hairs in the process.
Fraidycat, on the right, is an entirely different story. Could. not. wait. to get her learner's permit. Was quite put off when we couldn't go out the day after the 16th b-day because a physical was required. Since getting the permit...she has not asked once to drive. Not once. She has been out in Dad's car just around the immediate neighborhood. I offered to let her drive my car to her boyfriend's house this weekend. She said "I can't drive that boat! I haven't even driven your car yet. I need more practice in Dad's car before I can drive your car." The literal translation of all that is this - she is afraid to drive. She wanted the status of having the permit. She really isn't all that interested in driving.
Such is the life of a mother of teens.
Friday, October 30, 2009
On Being the Mother of Teenagers
I'm taking Ali Edwards' "Yesterday and Today" class at BPS. Last week our assignment was a layout about a challenge in our life. I chose not to get into anything huge or traumatic but just to journal about my feelings about being a mother of teenagers. I didn't finish the layout because I didn't have photos to go with it. This week the assignment was a layout without photos! Perfect! Now these thoughts are out documented and someday when they have teens, I'll let them read this!
P.S. If you click on the layout in my blog, it opens up big enough to read the journaling.
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