Sometimes Parenting Sucks!

I named this site for my oldest son. He had just got his temps when I first started this blog. Well, I have not written anything for a while….mainly because that child has been a major pain in the ass. Aren’t parenting blogs all about expertise? What if your kid is majorly screwed up? What do you blog about then? The top ten ways to screw up your kid?

Ok, Ok, I admit. I am a tad bit upset…it is 4:23 AM and I have no idea where my 16-year-old son is. And the roads are bad. I want to beat the crap out of him and hug him all at the same time! I cannot go into the how and why of all of this right now. I am too upset.

Needless to say we have been out all night searching, we have called and texted him and all of his friends….we just don’t know what to do. I am freaking out…I am on the verge of calling the police…but then he would have a record as a runaway….do I really want that? Is he running away?

It is now 4:31 AM. He is still not home, and I have contacted all of his friends. Most of them have gotten back to me…the few that haven’t are suspected as well….their parents don’t really seem to know what is going on either….
He was supposed to take his driving test tomorrow…that is not happening. I have received a few cryptic texts from his phone….but he will not call me…this is going to be a rough night

I suck at parenting.

Jets vs. Patriots (A-League)

What a playmaker! Patriots won this game 36 to 6.  TJ’s team record is 3-0!

Go Patriots!

Awesome photos taken by clearshotsport.com

Jets vs. Patriots (A-League)

TJ throwing a block!

Jekyll Island July 2011

Jekyll Island 2011 018, a photo by Arlee H on Flickr.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

After several years of not being able to go on vacation, my hubby and I were determined to take our family somewhere this year.  Somewhere relaxing, off the beaten path, and (most importantly!) affordable!  We do, however, differ in what we think of as relaxing.  JS considers golf relaxing, while I think it is nothing but a snoozfest.  Hanging out on the beach with a Bloody Mary and a book is my idea of relaxing!  What to do?

Jekyll Island, Georgia was the answer.  I have to admit I have never thought of Georgia as being a hot vacation spot.   But this small island off the coast of Georgia ended up being exactly what we needed!  It is a state park and a large part of the island is undeveloped, but it does have hiking and biking trails.  Many people rent bikes for the week to ride the trails.  There are three golf courses on the island, that offer discount rates after four.  JS went golfing four times over the course of the week while I hung out on the beach. 

Of course, it wasn’t all beach and golf.  We spent a day at Summer Waves water park located on the island.  Two-day passes for the kids are only $25.00 a piece!  There are many hiking and biking trails all over the island.  If you don’t feel like lugging your bikes all the way there, you can always rent one for the week.  Horseback riding on the beach, deep-sea fishing and kayaking are all available.  We opted for the guided three-hour-long kayaking trip.   I had never kayaked against the current before….it was a lot more difficult than kayaking with the current on a river!  But I loved every minute of it.  We did, however, make the mistake of renting two tandem kayaks instead of four individual kayaks.  JL and I both want run the show and we kept banging oars (which is exactly why I can’t stand canoeing, but that is another story!). 

We came home relaxed and refreshed!  It was everything a vacation should be.

Where on earth has the time gone?

OMG! I haven’t written a post since July!? How did this happen? Oh….wait….I know the culprit. It’s a little brown ball with shoe laces. It has officially taken over my life. It began slowly…first JL had two-a-days and TJ had practice in the evening. That wasn’t too bad.

But now we have moved on to the games. JL plays on Varsity and JV for the high school, which pretty much wipes out Friday night and Saturday morning. TJ’s games take place Saturday afternoon. Not to mention the team mom meetings, booster club meetings, volunteering, and practices!

No wonder I am exhausted when the season is over!

Tips for properly wearing a bathing suit

We all go to the beach to enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean, listen to waves hit the shore, and hunt for sea shells.  Sometimes a poor choice in bathing suit attire can ruin the view for everyone.  Here are few helpful tips to keep the beach (or pool!) beautiful for everyone.

1. Speedos are not to be worn outside of your own home.

2. The largest size a bikini should be available in is a size 8.  If your rolls are covering the bikini bottom, it DOES NOT fit you!

3.  Dimples are only cute on baby bottoms, not on adults.  Please refrain from showing me you dimpled cheeks.

4.  All stretch marks should be covered.  By material. 

5.  Multiple piercing’s and tattoos will draw stares.  That is why you got them after all.  So, please, drop the attitude when I stare at you!

6.  Razors, waxing and Nair were invented for a reason.  Please figure out how to use before putting on your bathing suit.

7.  Swim diapers still need to be changed, just like regular diapers.  I do not want to swim in your childs poo!

Father-Son Bonding–Caveman Style

On vacation it came to our attention that JL is officially taller than my husband.  By coming to our attention I mean my hubby noticed he was looking up at our son.  My husband’s reaction?  He looked at our son and lovingly said, ” I can still kick your ass!”.  A wrestling match ensued which I felt obligated to break up before there was any real winner (who exactly would I root for anyway?).

This must be a caveman reaction.  I can clearly recall my father telling my brother the exact same thing.  My father and brother are big men….they were both running backs and linebackers in high school. (Incidentally so is my son!) Wrestling matches between the two of them were a regular event at our household.  My father always won!

But I can clearly remember the time my brother almost beat my dad.  Almost.  Keep in mind my brother was about 18 and in his prime, and my Dad was in his forties.  Neither one of them said anything about it, but I saw the moment my brother almost pinned my Dad (Dad, if you read this I clearly said he almost pinned you). But still, it was unthinkable to me and my brother that my father could ever be defeated. Our Dad who was the biggest, strongest, toughest guy in the entire world.  He was the Protector and Provider for our family.  Therefore making him indestructible. 

They didn’t wrestle much after that, and my father maintained his perfect record.

I hope my son respects his Dad enough to let him win every wrestling match.

Vacation!

This is our first family vacation in four years!  These are pictures of us as soon as we arrived at the island!

 

In my excitement I jumped on the dunes and took this picture:

Of course the first thing I did was break the law.  I took this picture while standing on the dunes!  Oh well, what happens on the island stays on the island!

How To Watch Your Tween Struggle

I hope you are not looking for advice.  I don’t know how to watch my kids struggle.  I want to fix it.  I watched my tween struggle today, at baseball practice. I came home and cried.

TJ is on another new team.  New coaches, new players, new everything. When I picked him up from practice I immediately spotted the “mom clique”.  “Oh great,” I thought to myself, “these people all know each other!”. Sure enough, when I sat down in the bleachers I heard them talking about some party they were all invited to. 

So here is my kid having to prove himself again on a team full of kids and parents that all know each other.  I know this will benefit him in the long haul…but darnitt why can’t anything be easy? 

You see, my tween is really smart–straight A student, high IQ, MIT kind of smart.  School comes easy.  But he wants to be an athlete, like his big brother.  Luckily he has skills, but he has to work really hard to prove himself.  REALLY FREAKING HARD.  Sometimes it is painful to watch.  Today was one of those days.

Sometimes I think he reminds me too much of myself.  I was that kind of smart in school.  Teacher’s loved me, but my classmates did not always get me.  But I wanted to be pretty and popular.  I wasn’t.  Just Smart.  Great in life, not so great in school. 

I do not know how to do this.  My husband told me he needs to go through this, that it is good for him, TJ needs a thicker skin, blah, blah, blah…  Deep down I know it.  I know TJ will relax and show them what he can do.  But it just might kill me to watch him go through it!  My heart is breaking for him, and I just want to fix it. 

From now on my husband will be picking him up from practice!