If you get a chance.....

Last week, I said to my son "If you get a chance today, will you mow the lawn?". To me, that was Mom-speak for "Unless something significant happens like you ending up in the hospital or the Prize Patrol shows up to give us a $1,000,000., the lawn better be mowed when I get home from work." To my teenage son, "if you get a chance" means "if there is absolutely no one available for me to text or IM AND if every electronic device we own isn't working AND if I can't find a book to read then perhaps I might find the time to consider mowing the lawn". Needless to say, the lawn didn't get mowed last week.


With all of the rain we have been getting, it has been hard to find a day to mow the lawn and it is growing out of control. It is getting to the point where small animals could get lost in the tall grass. Today is overcast but, so far, no rain. In a few minutes, I will be waking my son up and telling him "Dude, mow the lawn today." Think he will understand?

UPDATE: I came home to a mowed lawn! YEAH!

A quiet interlude.....

Most weekends, I am running here and there. I might be transporting my son to an activity or doing errands. The thought of “stopping to smell the roses” may occur to me but there never seems to be enough time. This past weekend, however, I was able to do just that.

At baseball last Thursday, my friend, Lori, was there even though she had recently had surgery. Lori and I met thru our sons and youth sports. Her husband was my son’s favorite basketball coach and Lori and I served on the Little League Board together. Lori has two awesome sons who are both very athletic. My son and her youngest son have been on the same baseball team for the past two years and Lori was determined to be at the last game even though she should have been in home in bed recovering. That is the type of mother that she is – always putting her sons before herself. I believe that it does take a village to raise a child and I have always been happy that she is in my village because we share many of the same viewpoints on life and child-rearing. In addition, she is a fellow “Farmtown/Facebook” addict. She mentioned that she would home alone on Saturday and I offered to bring lunch over and keep her company.

I picked up lobster rolls (we are in Maine, you know) at the local hospital (which is well-known for it’s food!) and headed over to Lori’s a little past noon. The weather was sunny and warm and just perfect for dining outside. Lori lives in a log cabin on a wooded lot with a welcoming front porch where we ate. We could hear the birds sing but no sounds of traffic or other people. We sat and visited and, dare I say it, relaxed. We didn’t do anything exciting or solve any problems. We simply let the world go on around us while we took time for us. I was stunned when I looked at my watch and saw that it was 4:00 pm. We had wiled away the afternoon. It was wonderful.



We had been talking about getting together for a meal for several years but had never found a time when we were both free. In addition, it has been raining here in Maine at a rate of 5 times the normal amount for the month of June. For the two of us to be free on the same afternoon and for the weather to be so nice is nothing short of a miracle! I left her house feeling recharged and ready to get back in the thick of things. I hope that she enjoyed it too.

Here's to taking the time to enjoy life.

Gotcha!

In Friday Fragments, I mentioned that I have this weekend to myself as my men are at a boy scout camping trip. I also mentioned that one of my activities was a surprise. Now that the surprise has happened, I will let you in on the secret. It was a surprise for someone else that resulted in a fun evening for me.

As some of you know, Mary Ellen over at http://www.adoptingme.blogspot.com/ is one of my dearest friends. We have been friends since college. She is the stage manager for the performance of "Never Too Late" by the Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts Association. Andrew Scott Turner is the director. Judy, Mary Ellen's college roommate, and I decided that we wanted to show our support and surprise Mary Ellen by going to one of the performances. Jamie, one of Judy's sons, agreed to tag along and we headed out to Norway, Maine last night.

After work , I jumped in my car and headed north for 1 hour to meet up with Judy. After a little confusion about where we were going to meet (all on my part, of course), I found her and we carpooled to the show. It was another 45 minutes into a part of Maine that I hadn't been to since my high school years. While no town in Maine really qualifies as a "big city", I do live in southern Maine about 1 hour from Boston. As we drove into Norway, I got a sense that I was returning to my roots as a youth in (very) small town Maine. Norway is a cute old fashioned looking town and the play was being performed in the local grange hall. What is the grange, you ask? It is a the largest agricultural organization in the United States and was formed over 140 years ago to provide service to rural areas on a wide variety of issues. There are still over 3600 different units around the country and Maine has many. Most small towns in the Maine have grange halls where they hold or held meetings. In addition, these halls often have stages, etc. for the community. Anyway, when we pulled into the parking lot of the grange hall, I noticed the building was a stereotypical grange hall as it was a little tattered but extremely sturdy. Going into the building, I was immediately transported back to my youth. There was a dining room area on the first floor and a stage area on the second floor just like the Community Hall in Liberty, Maine where I grew up. I spent many hours at the Community Hall volunteering at church suppers and performing on the stage. I just knew this was going to be a wonderful night.

As small town as the location was, the performance itself really impressed me. It was a warm evening out last night and it quickly got very warm in the audience. I can only imagine how hot the actors were on the stage with all of the lights. They gave no indication that they were melting and performed beautifully. The play had a great deal of physical humor and was "laugh-out-loud" funny in many spots. I have season tickets to a local professional theatre in Portsmouth NH and this show was as good as any of their shows. All of the actors were great but one actor, Alyssa, really stood out. She is only 15 and was playing a 23 year old married woman. I had no idea that she was that young until it was pointed out to me. She carried her part off without a hitch. Bravo to everyone involved - especially to the stage manager.

We sent a message to Mary Ellen at the end of the show. She was stunned to see the three of us there. All I can say is GOTCHA! We traveled to see the show because that is what friends do. They support each other.


There is a sign on Rt 95 coming into Maine that says "Maine - the way life should be". Great local theater in an old fashioned grange hall with girl scouts selling refreshments at intermission is a great example of the way life should be!

Here's to local theater and the people who volunteer to make it happen!

Friday Fragments

I am now in double digits for posts and one great idea that I am following along with is Mrs. 4444's Friday Fragments. You can see the original Friday Fragment poster over at http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/. Her post always makes me smile.


What is Friday Fragments? A place to clean out all those random thoughts that bounce around your brain like the ball in an old fashioned pinball machine.



I have been reading (on my Kindle, of course!) a book this week that I have had a hard time putting down. I usually can figure out what is going to happen in a book but "The Neighbor" by Lisa Gardner kept me guessing from the first chapter to the last. I highly recommend it.



How does my dog know what day of the week it is? She leaves us alone on weekdays but on Saturday and Sunday mornings, she wakes up and does her best to convince us to get up and take her for a walk. Also, she knows if school is in session. I drive my son to school so she gets a ride every school day. She looks forward to this and paces back and forth in excitement. The first day of my son's summer vacation, when I got up, she opened one eye, looked at me as if to say "no way I am getting up", and went back to sleep.



Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson all passed away this week. They were all pop icons to those of us born in the 60s. Boy, do I feel old! I was at my son's last baseball game of the season last night when we all heard the news about Michael Jackson. Even the boys were stunned. Hopefully he will rest in peace and be remembered for his amazing talent and not the freakshow he had become.

Is it just me or do you ever wonder why they refer to deceased people as being "late" or "lost"?
Seriously, they aren't late. You don't need to keep dinner warming on the stove for them. When they say someone lost a relative, all I can imagine is an urn of ashes sitting in a "lost and found" at the local mall. In most cases, the people know where their deceased relatives are. They may not be with you as you want, but they aren't lost. Just sayin'.

My co-worker asked me for some personal advice yesterday. I know what I told her was NOT what she wanted to hear. However, she took it well and said the reason she asked me was because she knew I would tell her what I really thought. That made me feel good for some reason.

My two men are going to Vermont for the weekend. I am looking forward to a couple of nights by myself. Don't get me wrong. I adore my family but it is nice to have some time to myself. I have a couple of things planned already. One is a surprise. Don't you just love surprises?

Bravo to my son for a great report card. High honors for the quarter and all As and one B for the year. He ended up with a 90 average in Pre-Calc for the year and got the B. Not shabby for a freshman.

The Red Sox lost last night but they are still ahead of the Yankees in the standings. All is right in my world.

Here's to randomness.

Thankful Thursday

Do we really take the time we should to reflect on the things that we are thankful for? I know I don't, so on Thursdays, I am going to reflect on the things in my life that are great.



1) A loving husband who didn't totally freak out when I told him I didn't like the color we (ok, he!) painted the bathroom and I wanted us (him) to repaint it.



2) A teen who hasn't given me any reason to worry. He does well in school, has awesome friends and still loves his parents.



3) A job. I might not love my job but I work with great people and I have a job. I know people who don't.



4) My son has 2 healthy grandparents. My in-laws may drive me nuts on occasion but they are healthy and they adore my son.



5) Amazing friends. I have a couple of friends that I have had forever and I know that they are true-blue, be there forever type friends.



6) The internet. I have recently reconnected with a lot of childhood friends on facebook and we are having a ball. It is funny to see how people have changed and, also, how some things NEVER change. With some of them, I wonder how I survived all these years without being in touch!



7) A home to live in. It may not be as neat and clean as I would like (hey, it's baseball season!) but it is a nice house in a location that I love.



8) I am grateful the sun is finally shining today. After 5 times the normal amount of rain for the month, we are all anxious for some sunshine.



9) I am thankful that I have a weekend to myself to look forward to. Hubby and son are going on a boy scout campout and I will have the house to myself. I love them but it will be nice to have some "me" time.



10) I have an extended family that I cherish.





What are you thankful for today?



Here's to appreciation!

One week down.....

Today marks Day 7 on my new diet. I joined a 12 week diet club that a friend of mine was starting. We are following the Transitions Lifestyle program and meeting once a week at her house. We are paying $5.00 a week with the person who loses the 2nd most percentage of weight getting their money back and the winner taking the rest of the money.

This diet is a Glycemic index plan so basically it is low carb and low fat. When I first looked at it, I wondered what I would be able to eat but I have found that it isn't that bad.

I have discovered that:

Egg beaters in the microwave is a very yummy and easy breakfast - esp. when you throw in some peppers and onions and top it with a little salsa

My son is a vegetarian and I have been stealing his fake sausage and fake bacon products. The fake sausage is pretty good.

Green bananas have lower carbs than ripe bananas.

How much I like a good stirfry.

I have a lot more energy when I eat fewer carbs.

That fruit just doesn't cut it when you want a "dessert".

That the worse thing about a diet is that you are planning what you are able to eat so you
think about food all of the time.

I really need to work on drinking more water.


I welcome any and all diet tips - what worked for you and what didn't work.

Here's to being healthy and (hopefully) looking better!

Everything I need to know......

As parents, our job is to teach our children the ways of the world. From manners to math to how to tie your shoes, we spend a great deal of time and energy teaching the next generation. However, in this journey I call motherhood, I have learned many things from my son. Here are the top 10 things my son has taught me:

1) I now enjoy baseball. I used to absolutely hate baseball. Now I am a big fan who rarely misses a game. Part of this lesson was self-preservation (I was there, I might as well enjoy myself) and part of it was because I was the designated parent who sat and watched the games on tv with him. Nowadays, I am probably a bigger fan than he is and I will be very sad when he stops playing.

2) Today's teenagers are much more tolerant than we were at the same age. From boys wearing skinny jeans to kids in special ed to a student planning a sex change operation, the teens in my son's school are much more open and accepting than the students were back when I graduated.

3) Our family has made a pledge in 2009 to be more green and this is due to my son's encouragement and concern for the environment. We probably would have gotten to this point but he made it happen much faster.

4) The importance of music in our schools and in our lives. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket and am much more likely to be listening to a book on my MP3 player than music but I have realized how important music is. My son has always been an advanced student in math but I saw his creativity soar when he started playing an instrument in 5th grade. Did you know that schools with strong music programs have higher graduation rates and fewer behavioral issues? There is a strong correlation between music and math performance. Music is truly a core subject and should not be the first item on the chopping block when they have budget cuts.

5) Children have an unlimited capacity to learn and that most children want to learn. I have great memories of playing math games and word games in the car when we would drive places. He was having so much fun that he didn't realize that he was learning and when it wasn't fun, we would stop until another day. In Cub Scouts, I taught my 2nd grade den to play chess. Everyone told me the boys were too young. They weren't. They completed the chess belt loop and had fun at the same time. The highlight was seeing one of the cub scouts call checkmate when playing against a Harvard-educated father!

6) There are some really amazing kids out there and we have a great future ahead of us. Today's young adults are so much further ahead academically than we were. Many of them are active volunteers who are already contributing to the community. I can't wait to see where they take us!

7) My mother was much smarter than I ever gave her credit for. All those things that I never thought I would say? Yup, those words are coming out of my mouth nowadays.

8) Boys and girls are born with certain inherent traits. As a child of the 60s and 70s, I read all the nature vs nurture arguments on gender. Are boys and girls really that different or is it because of the way we were raised was the question of the decade. Within a few years of having a son, I knew the answer is that there are certain traits that are simply "all boy". They didn't make sense to me and they made perfect sense to his father.

9) I learned a desire to become more organized. In some ways I am better than I was but mostly I am a work in progress in that avenue. How did I learn this from my son? His unorganized ways drive me insane and I am determined to find a way for both of us to be more organized!

10) I also have realized that the best, most important job in the world is being a parent.


What have you learned from your children?


Here's to the kiddos!

School's out for the summer....

My son has one final today and then is officially on summer vacation! It is also the last week of Babe Ruth baseball. YEAH! That means, in concept anyway, more free time for all of us. We will see if that ends up being the reality.

Summer vacation benefits me because I can sleep in a little later since I won't have to drive him to school. Usually the boy scout troop takes the summer off but some idiot recommended that we have a summer program and planned activities all summer long. Yup, you guessed it - that idiot was me! Actually, I think that the summer activities will be fun as we are doing everything from a tidal pool exploration to a history walk to a trip to an IMax theater to see Harry Potter.

My son does have some exciting things happening this summer. He is (gulp) turning 15, taking drivers ed and starting his first job. He will be bussing tables and washing dishes at a local restaurant just down the street (no need for Mom to transport him to work!). He is also going to band camp for a week (you can save the "one time at band camp" jokes - I have heard them all) and we are going on a family cruise.

I remember the last day of school back when I was a kid. We got out much earlier in June and always tried to go swimming on that last day because it was a half day. A short distance from my house was a saw mill that had a pond and a small stream. I remember going down there swimming with my best friend Betty-Lu. Sometimes, we took the younger neighborhood kids with us. No grown-ups anywhere nearby and two girls under 12 "in charge". Hard to believe that 1) nothing bad ever happened and 2) no one thought anything of letting us go swimming by ourselves. Summer vacation seemed to last FOREVER because it basically meant we were hanging out in our small town. No summer camps or activities were even offered. Our big family vacation was camping for a week with another family and we were one of the few families in our town to even take a vacation. Times were certainly different back then. I do think that it was nice to have some real "down time" where we weren't on a schedule and we didn't have obligations. Nowadays, kids are almost overbooked. My son just told me this morning that he has to write 2 papers over summer vacation in addition to doing the summer reading. He wasn't impressed by that and I can't say as I blame him. He is also going to review the outline in a computer applications course in hopes that he can test out next fall. He was selected for the School's WorldQuest Competition team so he will probably be studying for that competition over the summer also. Whew. It makes my brain tired to think about all that.

Here's to summer vacations.

Here's to the Dads!

Any man (almost) can be a father but it takes a special man to be a Dad. To me, a father is the biological donor who basically washes their hands of the child once they are born. They can be there physically but not there emotionally. I am so very fortunate that I am surrounded by many Dads!

Here's to my Dad - even though he is no longer with us, he was a great hands on father before that was the norm. From teaching me to walk (without my mother's knowledge) to taking me out to the deep deep water when I was a toddler to giving me "grown up coffee" when I was still in single digits, he may not have always followed Mom's rules but he was always a big presence in my life. He was also an incredible grandfather to my sister's kids. How I wish he had lived to see my son and my brother's daughter. Since my son's name was based on his name, I just know he would have been proud as punch with my son.

Here's to my Father-in-Law - I didn't know my husband when he was growing up but I do appreciate what a great grandfather you are to my son. Hardly a sporting event or concert goes by that you are not in attendance regardless of the temperature or the distance away.

Here's to my Brother - who would have known that a little blonde daughter would have you wrapped around her little finger? Jocelyn is turning into an amazing, accomplished young lady and I know a lot of the credit goes to you.

Last in the list, but first in my heart, here's to my hubby, the father of our son - what a fun almost 15 years it has been! I know you weren't sure what kind of father you would be but time has shown that you are one amazing Dad. You are always there to support him in whatever he wants to do. There is no one else I would rather share this journey with and no one else I would rather spend the "hundreds of games and practices, hours in parking lots waiting or hours just being a family" with. Evan is lucky to have you for a Dad and I thank my lucky stars daily.


Happy Father's Day to all the Dads.

Here's to all the Dads in the world!

Following the Crowd - Friday Fragments

I am still learning this blogging stuff but one great idea that I am following along with is Mrs. 4444's Friday Fragments. You can see the original Friday Fragmenter over at http://www.halfpastkissintime.com. Her post is always one of the highlights of my Fridays.

I had my second "me" event of the week last night. A dinner out and a play with a girlfriend. We have season tickets and have been going to these plays on and off for the past 14 years. Portsmouth NH is a great little city when it comes to the arts. If you are ever in the area, I suggest that you check out the Seacoast Rep. Usually, the dinner out is secondary to the fun time my friend and I have catching up. Last night, however, the meal was outstanding. We both had Steak Pizzaiola and it was one of the best meals I have had in a long long time. We both wanted to lick our plates it was so good. Luckily for the rest of the restaurant -goers, we managed to restrain ourselves. So, if you are in Portsmouth and do check out the Seacoast Rep, consider trying Rosa's Restaurant before or after the show.

My 14 year old son read my blog and took offense at my comment that sometimes he is 14 going on 4. I tried to explain poetic license and all that. He didn't buy it. You will note that I didn't change it. He wasn't horrified by the rest of it which is surprising

My son is taking finals and is down to two more days of school. His freshman year is almost over. How could a student who was spot on the rest of the school year be so forgetful this last week? I was a proud mama a few days ago when he came home with two academic awards - including one for academic excellence in Pre-Calculus. Not bad for a freshman in a class of juniors and seniors! He just gave us information about a program where he would spend his senior year away at Clarkson University in New York. I am sure he will be ready to go away to school then. I am just not sure I will be ready to let him go!

Another rainy day in Maine. I am so tired of this. I am participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life tonight and tomorrow. I hope the rain lessens up for that. In a moment of insanity, I signed up for the 6:00-8:00 am shift tomorrow morning. I have to drive 45 minutes to get there too! I am soooo not a morning person. What was I thinking?

The next time you are watching a Cialis ad check out the chemical name. The first 4 letter are TADA. I think that should have been the name of the drug. Just think of the ad possibilities!


63 days until vacation - not that I am counting.

Here's to a great Friday!

What's on your Kindle?

Ever since the advent of electronic book readers, my husband had been urging me to get one since I am an avid reader. I tend to buy books instead of borrowing them from our public library with the result that our house was being overrun by books. This past Christmas, he convinced me that the perfect gift for me was Amazon's Kindle. I try not to say this very often (just kidding!) but MY HUSBAND WAS RIGHT! The Kindle was the perfect gift!

Why do I love my Kindle? There are four basic reasons: convenience, cost, space and the environment.

The Kindle is oh so convenient. New England had a challenging winter this past year and it began with an ice storm where we lost power for three days. I had no new books in the house to read. I turned on my Kindle, turned on the wireless and shopped for new books from the comfort of my chair. No need for me to go out on the treachous roads. How cool is that?

While the Kindle does have a pretty significant up-front cost, the cost to buy a hardcover best seller is significantly less. With the amount of books that I buy over the course of one year, I estimate that I will be off-setting the cost within the first year. After that, the savings will all be gravy.

The space savings of the Kindle is my husband's favorite part. I have one small book in my nightstand. No piles of books here there and everywhere ready to tip over. Also, when we go on vacation, I always would take a book bag stuffed with 3 or 4 books and then we would search for a bookstore at our vacation destination in order to buy more books. In August, I will be taking my Kindle. With storage for 1500 books, no need to take a heavy bag or to shop when we get somewhere. I think the new larger size Kindles would be perfect for students. Wouldn't it be great if they didn't have to carry 25 lbs of books to school everyday?

Our family has been trying to be more green in 2009 and the Kindle is a green solution. It is saving paper, ink, etc. etc. etc.

I also have found that with my Kindle, I actually read more. The fact that I was able to increase the font size to accomodate my almost 50 year old eyes might have something to do with it.

The Kindle does have other features like access to wikipedia, a dictionary built in, etc. etc. I will confess that I have not really spent much time even looking at those.

There are a few things I don't like about the Kindle. Even though Amazon has over 300,000 books available, there have been two books that weren't available. One I actually went out and bought and the other book, I ordered as an audible book to listen to when I walk. Secondly, unless I loan someone my Kindle, I cannot share a book.

What is on my Kindle currently? Everything from James Patterson to Harlan Coben to Carla Neggers. I also welcome any suggestions or recommendations for good books!

Here's to reading!

Baseball, bugs and the book

What is it about youth sports that turns sane adults into people you don't even recognize? My 14 year old son is playing on a Babe Ruth baseball team for our small town. The team has really struggled this year. We didn't have enough players sign up to field two teams so we only have one team that is probably a bit larger than it should be. Every player plays in every game so playing times have been shortened for a lot of players - including my son.


At last night's game (another loss- sigh), a parent came up to the manager in the middle of the game and complained about her son's lack of playing time. She pulled him out of the dug out and complained for half of an inning. Did she really think that a long-time manager who is at every pratice and every game would listen to her when she has attended only one or two games all season? Did she really think that pissing the manager off would help her son get more playing time? I am not saying that I have agreed with everything the manager has done this season because I haven't. However, complaining during a game is not the answer. Several years ago, my son was complaining to me about his lack of playing time and he asked me to speak to his manager. I refused and told him that he needed to prove to the manager that he deserved to play more. It was a real "aha" moment for my son. He did take his game to the next level and the manager noticed and his playing time increased significantly.



The Babe Ruth baseball season is relatively short and this year the weather has not been great. We have been at a couple of games where it has been absolutely frigid. At last night's game, the weather was a great temperature. This meant, of course, that as soon as the sun went down, the bugs came out with a vengenance. It is hard to write in the scorer's book while you are slapping away the bugs!



How did a baseball-hating, unathletic mom end up being the official scorer for the Babe Ruth team? I have wondered that myself! I was never a fan of baseball when I was growing up even though my Dad was. I married a man who didn't like baseball and we never imagined that we would raise a baseball-loving, baseball-playing son. For the first several years that my son played baseball, we went to all the games and we enjoyed watching him and his friends play but we didn't really enjoy the game itself. However, as I got more involved on the Little League board, I started to learn more and more about baseball and my son got me to watch the Red Sox games with him. Fast Forward to now. I help out at all of the games by doing the book and getting the batters prepped to bat. I also let the manager and coaches know what the opposing batters have hit in prior at bats and in prior games so they can give a heads up to our players in the field. I figure that my Dad is up in heaven watching me and his namesake grandson and laughing. Here's to you, Pops. :)

Old Friends...

As a busy wife, mother, volunteer, etc., I am usually running here and there in the evenings because I am taking my son to some function or I have a meeting for one of my volunteer groups (which support my son's various activities). I do have two evening events, however, that are JUST FOR ME! Bi-monthly, I meet two of my college friends for dinner and every six weeks or so, another friend and I head out to dinner and a show at a local theater. Somehow, the stars have aligned and I have both "me" events this week.

Last night, after working all day, I hopped in my car and pointed it north towards Portland ME to meet my two college buddies. We have always stayed in touch since we graduated but, over the past few years, we have really made the effort to meet for dinner on a regular basis. I say that we are meeting for dinner but the food is just a small part of it. We laugh, share memories, share frustrations about husbands and children and laugh even more. The years melt away and it seems like our days at the University of Maine have returned. One of my college friends is ME from http://www.adoptingme.blogspot.com/ blog. Mary Ellen is funny on her blog. I have to tell you, she is even funnier in person and tells a story like a pro. Judy was Mary Ellen's roommate in college and we got to be friends because of that. Judy is the perfect complement to Mary Ellen's humor. She urges her on.

Not only is meeting "the girls" a great deal of fun, it is also a moment of sanity in this insane world we live in. I can ask about raising a teenage boy and get sage advice that actually makes sense. We can - and do - talk about any and everything. No awkward pauses in conversation for us!

So, thanks to "my girls" and our therapy session last night, I am facing another day with less stress and a smile on my face. Here's to two wonderful friends . Can't wait until next time!

About me....

I am an almost 50 year old wife, mother, friend, volunteer, daughter-in-law and employee who finds it difficult to say no. I have a lot of opinions. If you want to know where I stand on any position - just ask. I may not always agree with you but I will always listen to your side.

My husband and son are the two most important things in the world to me. They are also often the two most irritating things in the world to me. My son is 14 going on 24 sometimes and 14 going on 4 other times. Life with a teenager is quite the journey and I hope you will follow along my trip.