A 14 year old and their dilemma!

OK~ Garrett comes to me- "Mom, is this a pimple or a zit? I don't know because it's the second time I've had something that looks like this!" After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

What's a kid to do???

OK~ I have decided that our kids/teens/young adults of today have no clue as to how to use free time in a constructive manner. I question myself, as well. Is blogging something constructive to do in my free time? Personally, I think it is. It is a hobby and I enjoy it! Our kids of today are so programmed- if they don't have something scheduled on the calendar, they honestly do NOT know what to do. I see this in my two boys (18 & 14) and several young people that I come into contact with throughout the week. I just glanced at the calendar on the wall in our kitchen and it's not crazy. So, that will leave down time for my two boys! Will they know how to handle their free time........Probably so- by camping out in front of the television set, playing PS3, or possibly doing their homework! After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

A typical day with Skipper!

OK~ Skipper- You love him or hate him! He and I have the perfect Love/Hate relationship. Today, a typical day. Skipper was harassing one of my little kitties and I caught him. I yelled at him, which meant nothing. He's just like a kid, as he turns off any and all listening ears. I am still in my pj's as I am trying to get him in. Thank God we live in the country..........Who wants to see a 40 something year old lady outside in her pj's? He then thought I would play ,"Chase Skipper." Nope, this Mom said NO. I gave up on him and let him sit outside in the rain- He did NOT like it. He then disappeared. I then thought I should get in the car to try and find him. As I get in the car (I now have clothes on), I adjust the steering wheel and look forward. Skipper is staring at me, while sitting in his kennel with the door open. I should have know that he would just find his kennel on his own. Maybe there is hope for this almost two year old dog.....My niece says at the age of three labs find their brains. I hope she was wrong and meant to say two years! After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

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How to Prevent 67 Pounds of Lunchtime Trash Posted on August 27, 2009 15:53 by Christy FACT: The average school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. The average sized elementary school generates 18,760 pounds of lunch waste per year. (EPA) Just 1 day of lunch time trash from a school of 300 students! HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE? How to prevent 67 pounds: Pack a waste-free lunch by using reusable food containers and reusable water bottles. How to prevent 18,760 pounds: Have your school sign up for a Kids Konserve Waste-Free Lunch Challenge. With just one click you can save 67 pounds of lunchtime trash from going to our landfills. It is that easy! Kids Konserve; making a difference one lunch at a time.

H1N1-------This Mom is Stressed!

OK~ What's a Mom to do? The CDC claims the H1N1 vaccine is safe, but for which mutated form of H1N1? We do get flu shots at our home on an annual basis and I'm thinking that this year may be the same. With all of the "changing" information in regards to the H1N1 vaccine, I am seriously wondering how many times we can get this crazy stuff. If it mutates from one form to another, theoretically; can't we get this several times? The flu season is knocking on our doorstep and this Mom doesn't want to be caught off guard. But, I'm asking myself, "What will I be caught off guard about? When the CDC isn't' sure what is really out there." I'm thinkin', get the annual flu shot and pray that we don't get sick! Last year was a horrible year here, and YES, we had flu shots and all! I had a kid home from school every other week, and I only had two boys in school! I'm thinking lots of hands sanitizer and good old fashioned hand washing will be going on at this Iowa Mom's home this flu season. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

UGGHHHH................

OK~ The day was going fairly great UNTIL- Skipper decided to take a jaunt to the hog house, just a 1/2 mile down the road. Then the rain started to really, really come down. So Skipper decided to cry and paw at the sliding doors; all smelly, 70 something pounds of him. As I am getting up to kennel Skipper, I hear the dreaded, "Beep, Beep, Beep" from my washing machine. I despise that front load washer, as I swear (hold me to this one) I will never have another one of those things again. From the smell, to the programming issues, this washer has been through it all, in five SHORT years. Heck, the washer I had before this was 17 years old and I donated it to charity so I could have this "crazy" front loader. The washer is still beeping, and at this point I really, really DO NOT care. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

OK~ A hike that we took in August 2005. The four of us hiked to the top of Flat Top Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park! With an elevation gain of more than 2,500 feet, this hike is for someone looking for an adventure, as well as stunning views! Rocky Mountain National Park is named appropriately, you do hike over a LOT of rocks! Hubby and Blaine made it to the top quite a bit before Garrett & I did. We were so far back- Todd made a bet with Blaine, "If they (referring to Garrett & I) make it, I will eat a rock!" Guess what, just a minute after he said that, my head appeared around the trail. The snow, views of lakes, mountain views, animals along the trail, and the hike in general are exhilarating, to say the least! We have hiked many miles through the years, and this is one of the best hikes we have taken. Garrett is now 14 years old and has hiked since he was almost a year old! That's when we got the "hiking bug." We realized that by staying on the beaten paths in our national parks, we were missing out on a lot of beautiful scenery. Our boys were typical hiking kids! Yep, they would revolt and things could quickly become ugly. But, we would regroup and continue on the trail. We also had a couple unplanned "dips" in lakes and streams through the years- that's why it's important to pack extra clothing in those packs! 3 years this week since my foot became dropped- I'm so thankful I have taken many adventures with my boys through the years, as you never know when your life will change! After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

I want REAL food!

OK~ How many times have your kids said to you, " I don't want that! I want real food!" Now, I am not a chef, by any means. But, when I do cook, I do try. When I have the time, things turn out fairly edible, but when I get rushed, things can turn not so tasty. Just tonight I made pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sliced up some watermelon- sounds pretty good, huh? Garrett looks at me and says, "We are eating that? I want real food!" Now, how much more real food could this meal have included? His idea of real food, which is probably most teenagers idea- pizza, pizza, and pizza! Go figure, this Mom can't win in the meal department. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

Gospel Journey Maui!

I am excited that our youth program at our church this Fall contains 9 weeks of The Gospel Journey, Maui! This "Reality" like tv show, for our youth to view, really has some great life, faith questions for adults; as well as teens! Looks like a great way to find out how our "faith" really works. I know that because of my faith, I was bootstrapped in Iowa!!!!!

Anyway, it was a great time. Wednesday evenings will be fun. Last night the icky food challenge was very interesting.........Limberger cheese (how can people stand the smell of that stuff?), COLD SPAM, pimples, and kitty litter! It was very interesting, to say the least. Oh, and that limberger cheese- I don't think my nose will ever be the same again. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

Bullying!

OK~ What a way to start my day. I turn on the CBS Morning Show and a clip is rolling with a boy getting beat up on a school bus. Now, I can't imagine the horror the "innocent" kids felt, and I can honestly say I was angry when I saw several kids cheering the fight on. Now, my 9th Grader does ride the school bus daily and I can honestly say that I am confident that he would defend himself if necessary. This whole society we live in- where these rude remarks towards each other, bullying in schools, and general acceptance of so many things that are wrong- NEEDS TO STOP! When will it stop? I honestly don't know. Kudos to the young man that stood up to the bully and stopped the beating. Now, a representative from the school district was also interviewed and he said the bus driver has been questioned. I'm sure many may ask, "Why didn't he stop the bus?" Well, think about it- logistically, it is probably not possible to just, "Stop the Bus!" Food for thought for the day- be nice to someone today and see if you like the response you get! 99% of the time this does work. But, I can honestly say I had to call a customer from my part time job yesterday. She let me know that my call was not necessary and she knew where things stood. Whatever.........She had just questioned some things a few hours before, and I had answers. People need to wake up! A little respect goes a long way. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

How to get a 14 year old boy to bathe!

OK~ This Mom has asked herself over and over, "Why won't my boys bathe?" Voila- My 14 year old son started high school this year and has met the girl of his dreams! He is now bathing, using deodorant and smellin' pretty darn good! Now, how to get a 14 year old boy to cut his hair? I guess that's a whole other ordeal. After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

This Mom is NOT running a restaurant!

OK~ How many times do your kids say to you, "Mom, bring me some milk! Mom, bring me some pop! Mom, bring me some salsa!" My kids can request over and over and my usual response is, "I am NOT running a restaurant. Get up, off of the couch, and march right to the kitchen and get it yourself!" Ohhhh, and when they send this to me in text message form instead of saying it- just another reminder that we are in 2009! After all, it's all in a Mom's day, right?

President Obama's speech!

OK~This Mom really doesn't like to get into Politics, but I cannot resist this! I think it is awesome that our President is going to address our school kids to encourage them to do well in school. Now, I may not agree with everything he does propose, but this is one thing I think is great! It's too bad that more people can't take an interest in our youth of today. For instance, a few years ago President George W Bush was in our town ( a community of 29,000 people)- an opportunity of a lifetime to see the President of the United States. Many fellow Democrats in our community complained that people were pulling their kids out of school to see him. Well, HELLLOOO- How many times would a child have an opportunity to see the President of the United States in person? I see both sides (Republican and Democrat) complaining about something good going on.....I just wish people could respect the other party~ This comes from a Mom who tends to lean toward the Conservative side! After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

5 Things I LOVE about Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World!

OK~ This MOM loves Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World

1~ The animatronics are awesome!
2~ "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" My Oh My What a Wonderful Day!
3~ Great 11 minute ride!
4~ On a warm day, the water feels wonderful! And on a cool day, the water also feels wonderful!
5~ The Happiest Place on Earth, it's an awesome experience in the Briar Patch!

After all, it's all in a Mom's Day,Right?

What would you do???????

OK~ I won't say names, but a couple of my close family members ventured into unknown territory this past week! They were traveling in another state and followed campground signs off of an interstate. Now, there should not be any problems, right? WRONG-------they ventured into a nudist campground! Now, this Mom must live in a very sheltered world, as I had no idea that such a place existed. Just another indication of what we Mid Westerner's don't know about our country. What would you have done? My family member's left rather abruptly, as quickly as they could, but were confronted by a member of this community. My opinion, if these clubs are so exclusive and private (which they should be) why wasn't this area gated off so vehicles could not enter? Just a Mom's rambling here, I guess............The other thing that stuns me is that, this is a family oriented campground...........lots to think about here....Where are our laws in this country? Well, after all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

Back to School!

OK~ The school bells are now ringing all over the United States. Do you know what your son or daughter's teachers look like? By the attendance at our son's high school back to school night, this evening; I would say that most parents have no clue as to what their teachers look like! For example, one class has 30 students- 2 parents showed up! What a statistic!! On another note, a small study hall group has 14 students- I was the only parent in attendance. What is wrong with parents today? A simple, couple hours out of one week- once a year- to meet the teacher and folks can't even do that! I arrived just on time and thought to myself, "Oh my, I will have to walk a long way!" Guess what? Pretty much front row parking and of course my handicapped parking permit was in another vehicle. I headed on in. We parents had 5 minutes between classes, just like our kids and I was late! I physically could not walk fast enough to get from Point A to Point B in 5 minutes. My leg has been quite swollen lately and my right foot has been pretty stiff, so it made for an interesting walk. I sure hope my son is thankful for the quickness and healthy legs that he has! After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?

We have a Winner!!!

OK~ MY FACE TO THE WORLD BY JOY BROWN~ WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations, Vickie~ Enjoy your new book! I'll be in touch to get this to you!
After all, it's all in a Mom's Day, Right?