Just Doing My Mom Duty

I saw my girl today! I haven't seen Elle since I got her all settled into her dorm and I've been wondering if I really needed to be here for her. She's a big girl, I know, I know. But, she's never been away from home before and I was convinced that she'd need me to just be around occasionally. Um, no.

A wise friend (Ketti) suggested that Elle doesn't need me and isn't lonely for me because she knows I'm close by. Today when I picked Elle up I told her what Ketti had said and Elle agreed. Awwwww, she does need me! Moms want to be needed, they need to be needed. Usually it works out that we want that when our kids don't, and vica-versa. But, I'm happy to be here and to know that I am doing my mom duty just by being in the same general area as Elle. I wish it was always so easy and fun!

So after hanging out with Elle, my "roommate" Elaine took me to some Mediterranean grocery stores and a deli. It was so interesting to see all the different kinds of foods and hear all the different languages. I've noticed there are a lot of other languages being spoken here. Maybe it's all the colleges, maybe because it's the east coast and closer to Europe than the west coast. Not really sure. Elaine said that Watertown has a big pocket of Armenian residents, so there are quite a few great places to eat and shop with that kind of ethnic stuff.

I've been pinching my pennies so I haven't eaten out much or at all. So we picked up a few things and took them back home to split and enjoy. We got two pastry thingys, sorry I can't remember the names, one stuffed with potato and cheese and one stuffed with mushrooms. Then we got a cold soup made from avocados, cucumbers, and dill, and a side dish salad made from beets, yogurt and dill. Yum! It was really fantastic and I'm ready to go back and work my way through the deli offerings.

Yummy lunch. The deli name is Sofra.

My fantastic hostess and roommate Elaine!

Big City Transportation

I am somewhere!

Okay, so I've always been SOMEWHERE, but I keep telling people I've never been anywhere. Now, I can't say that, because I've been to Boston. I am IN Boston. I am SOMEWHERE!

Elle is all plugged into her summer ballet program and I'm seeing the sites and enjoying the vacation time. I've been chastised about recording my experiences on my blog, and I'm grateful for that. I know this is an amazing opportunity and I need to keep track of it so I can enjoy it later.

Boston is big and I'll readily admit that I am a little ignorant of big city ways and big city modes of transportation. I'm so glad that I'm not driving a car! That would require me to know where I'm going, honk my horn constantly, and drive like a crazy person, and at times drive like I have a death wish. No car, no death wish, so, I've figured out the subway and bus system, the T, as it's called here. Everyone has been very helpful getting me on the right bus, right subway, and answering my dumb questions.

My favorite moment was my first time going through the electronic toll gate to get on the subway. After standing back and watching the process, I put my ticket in the right place and the electronic arms moved out of the way and I went through. So I head down the ramp and wait for a little bit, then after not thinking it quite through all the way, I walked over to a lady and asked her how they collect the tickets for the subway. No response. I'm sure she thought I was an idiot, but she was very polite and didn't say that. After a few seconds the answer came to me and I said out loud, "oh, I already put my ticket in, right?" Duh.

Boston lesson learned: how to get on the subway. Not as hard as I made it!

Hammer Time!

Oh my stars! Just found this video on one of my favorite blogs (other than Becky's!). I love it on so many levels!

First it reminds me of the days when Zel was little. I think he was two when MC Hammer came out with his 2 Legit 2 Quit song. Zel would do the motions and dance, anywhere, anytime, and he wore those kind of baggy muscleman pants that were popular back then. He wore them cuz I sewed them, and I thought they were cute. I need to say that in his defense; it was not his choice- he was two years old people!

Second- I can't decide If I'd rather be one of the people watching and treated to a random "Hammertime" or one of the dancers. Okay- just decided. I'll pick dancer. Those gold pants did it for me.

Three-I love how new media works! I went to the web site mentioned at the end of the video. Show Hammer some love and check it out! It worked on me, and I love it that it did. Hammer and I are now Twitter buddies!

Four-I can totally see doing this dance at Girls Camp. I'm picturing it right now!

Oakey

Well, we're back in the swing of things after a very rough two weeks. Elle missed two weeks of school because of poison oak. Let me rephrase that. I had my hormonal thirteen year old daughter at home ,wandering around the house in pain and agony and extreme itchiness for two whole very long weeks.

Sigh.

I said in one of my Facebook updates that the only thing worse than having poison oak all over one's body is having a thirteen year old at home with poison oak all over her body. And I mean it!

I don't mean to minimize Elle's pain and discomfort. It was really horrible for her, and I had lots of sympathy for her, after suffering my own bout of poison oak at about the same age. Hers was probably worse. She and some friends were playing capture the flag at a park and she said she was only standing by what she thought was poison oak; she doesn't remember actually touching it.

The next day she showed me a small itchy patch on her leg, and we didn't think much of it. Until the next day, when that small patch began to grow all over the back of her legs. It completely covered the back of both of her very long legs, from bum to ankle. The next day when it started to move around to the front of her legs, I took her to the doctor and he gave us steroid cream and steroid pills.

So we used them faithfully, I tried to distract her with TV and treats and homework and threats. And let me just tell you.... none of them worked. Not the homework or the threats or the steroid cream or the pills. She continued to break out all over her body. Her torso, her arms and even up her neck and on her face. I would tell people how horrible she looked and they'd sympathize, but when they saw her in person they were shocked at how bad it looked. It was just gross. Really gross!

So after a week of that, we went back to the doctor and he was a little surprised at how bad she still looked. He said our choices were to just let it run its course or a shot of steroids. Without hesitation Elle and I choose the shot. Thank goodness! It took a couple of days, but she began to feel better.

Through all of this, Lazelle had his own run with poison oak, probably getting it from Elle. His wasn't quite as bad, but it was bad enough that we know he and Elle are ultra sensitive!

And now Elle's back at school! Yay! Her legs have mostly healed, but there's enough left that her friends are calling her Oakey. It's a good reminder that we are done with Capture the Flag, and park bushes for awhile!

At the Pool With Hannah

Our first trip to the pool this year! We went with Kirsta and her kiddos, Dallon and Hannah. Cute little Hannah isn't sure about the pool yet, but by the end of the summer she'll probably love it as much as Elle and I!

A Drive With Zel

I took a little drive with Zel today, in his zippy, red, Toyota Spider-convertible. We drove out to Scio, which is a little freeway and a little back country roads. The weather was nice so Zel had the top down, the sun was shinning, the wind was blowing. It sounds great doesn't it.

It was not.

I am not a fan of sports cars. AND I am not a fan of being a passenger of my 20 year old son while he is driving a sports car, on a nice day, with the top down.

I'm always a nervous wreck when I drive with Zel. He's a good driver, but I just can't relax. Why is that? Plus I have to work really hard not to say mom things like "slow down", "watch out", "be careful". I think when a mom says stuff like that the Y chromosome triggers a response of the exact opposite. So I just keep my mouth shut.

So, after our little drive today I can now say I have gone 100 mph, in a little red sports car, on a nice day, with the top down. I guess that's what happens when I keep my mouth shut.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right. So now my family is really fond of my blog!
When life gets busy and stressful is the time we quit journaling, or blogging. But, that's just the time we should be recording!

I think absence works for teenagers too. Davis decided to move out in December, and I think I'm much fonder of him now! Seriously, I know teenagers are wired so we want to push them out of the nest (at the top of a very very tall tree). At some point our parenting has to take a major step back and they get to decide to implement all the things we've been teaching them over their life- or not.

When he first moved out he didn't have a bed and was sleeping on the couch of a friend. He was telling me how it hurt his neck and sometimes he'd sleep on the floor instead. I reminded him he is always welcome at home, if he wants to follow our rules. He said no thanks, he'd rather sleep on the floor.

Ouch. Okay.

Well, that hurt a little to hear that, but then I realized I felt the same way. I'd rather have him sleep on his friend's couch or floor too. I'm fonder of him when he is THERE instead of HERE. But, I don't think it works in reverse. He doesn't seem any fonder of us-yet. I guess there hasn't been enough absence. It'll happen though. And that's called growing up!