I’m sure I’ve posted about my Dad and his, ahem, “preaching”, of the Golden Rule somewhere on this blog, but it’s something I’ve come around to often as an adult and parent.  My kids and I talk about the Golden Rule a lot and how it applies to almost every single situation there is.  He used to say that the Golden Rule was his religion, that all religions were pretty much based on it anyway.  He was so right.  One thing, though, that I hope I am teaching my kids is to really appreciate its implications on a daily scale.  You see, my Dad would say it, way back when, and I would think something along the lines of “Yeah, yeah, here he goes again”, I was pretty sure he couldn’t possibly solve my situation with his cliché words.  Of course now, looking back, it did apply and I was a fool to take such wise words for granted.  Maybe, if I’m really lucky, my kids will actually HEAR what it when I say it, maybe…

My Dad’s other favorite saying involved “The Green Eyed Monster”.  Did you know Shakespeare wrote that phrase?

April 10, 2018

Just Because I miss it so....

Just some random pictures to share...Jo

Just some random pictures...

Joe and Jon were on their own with wrestling the next morning so Joci and I had a girls night.  We, of course, went to Target and got Starbucks while we browsed. 

Joci in the ER after having a really high fever that wouldn't go down.  Turns out it was Influenza B.  Poor baby.

Olive and Joci having a little snuggle.  When Olive isn't bouncing off the walls with energy she LOVES to snuggle!

Yes, you may have noticed there are no pictures of Joe in this installment of random photos.  Now that he's a teenager, it's gotten much trickier getting pictures of him!  I'm sure I'll post some soon.

March/April 2018

Do Your Kids Read?

I’m wondering if this is just my kids, or is it a new phenomenon growing amongst the teens and preteens of our country?  Do your kids read?  Mine do read, they read novels, homework, and anything presented to them on Youtube.  But, do your kids read things like labels, signs, or instructions?  Mine definitely don’t.  I’ve started noticing this on and off recently and then had an epiphany.  You see, we would be out in Target (of course) and I would pick something up and inevitably one of my children would ask me what it was, even if it had a clear as day label on it.  Or, mean Mommy that I am, I will make them microwave or bake their own snack and…they won’t read the instructions, they’ll ask me how long to cook it.  They still can’t comprehend what the shampoo vs. the conditioner is for, and will very often not check to see who the package is for that was left on our steps.  How did this happen?  My hypothesis?  It’s Youtube, Google, Alexa, and Siri!  Have a question ask one of them and they get the perfect answer right away.  It could be partly me, though, too, as I may have been blindly answering them without thinking about it.  Now, after my epiphany, I am determined that my kids will be able to READ.  Really, read.  Like the kind of reading that we all have to do every single day.  Emails that you have to decipher, ingredients within food labels, or how to bake a box cake!  We all have to do this, every single day, and I am going to get them back on the path of us “old fashioned” people who still use our eyes and our brains to get through instructions, not Youtube.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  We have a couple of Echo Dots in our house that we use often, and I like to ask Google a lot of stuff.  I’ve also noticed that my attention span has really waned the last few years as there seems to be this almost constant stream of media input.  I get it.  I’m not getting rid of my tech, nor my kids’, but what I am going to do is start taking a beat when these opportunities come around and engage my kids into really reading what is going. 

There, Mom soapbox over.  Just don’t get me started on texting, spelling, and autocorrect!

Now, some obligatory pictures of my sweet babies...

My gorgeous girl having some downtime with Mom.

Joe and I had a giggle over finding a small bag of coffee at Michaels.

April 10, 2018

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you all had a pleasant Easter the way I did.  I got especially lucky, in that I was off both Thursday (my birthday) and Friday (Good Friday), plus the weekend.  A four day weekend is a marvelous thing, indeed!

For Easter Jon had the kids, but was really kind in asking me to join in for Easter dinner.  As usual, he didn’t disappoint in the food department, though I know he had some amazing help in the kitchen this year.  Joe made a scrumptious rib roast that turned out perfectly.  Dad would have been over the moon to see him make that!  He also made cheddar biscuits which were also delish.  Jocelyn made Jon’s family’s famous no bake cheesecake which was to die for.  It had been a long time since I had it, and it was even better than I remembered.

We had fun chatting, and talking about East and all the other stuff going on, coming up on the calendar etc.  When the kids and I got home, they had more Easter eggs to find and a little basket from me.

It was such a good day that the only picture I got was of the prime rib that Joseph made.  Which is funny, because Dad did that a lot, too, took pictures of his food.  I ended up not taking any pictures of the kids, or me, in our festive Easter clothes, but not to worry, I’ll get them sometime soon!

I hope you all had a beautiful day, no matter the weather in your area, and that you enjoyed your time with family and friends.

Happy Easter!

April 1, 2018

Starbucks Date Night with the Kids

We had a fun Saturday.  Jon typically has the kids Friday nights and then we meet up on Saturday morning to exchange.  Yesterday we met at a rummage sale for the exchange and to look around, it turned out to be a sad rummage sale, but it was nice to get out and do something a little different.  The kids and I headed home afterwords and then everyone kind of did their own thing.  This has become more and more common as the kids grow older.  It makes me a little sad, but at least I know that I'm not the only one going through it!  Joe had Pokemon league in the afternoon and Joci played with a friend while I kind of picked up around the house.  Later we went to Target for a few things.  First off, though, we needed a little Starbucks pick me up, thanks to a lovely gift card from the holidays!  After a good look around Target, they are rearranging the store so you have to look in every corner, we went and had a few tacos. 
Sure, this sounds like a boring night to most people, but not to me.  My favorite times are when the kids and I just chat about what's going on in our lives, and we giggle and laugh, and joke around making silly fools of ourselves.  It's these times that I know that I am building the foundation of our futures.  I hope they see that they can talk about anything with me, that I'm not scary, that they can share their lives and not fear having those challenging conversations.

B-I-N-G-O!

A couple of weeks ago we had a really nice family night out.  Jon typically has the kids Friday nights, but invited me to eat dinner with them.  After, Jon and the kids were going to go to the school district’s Bingo night.  I wanted to go, but it wasn’t my night for the kids, and I didn’t want to intrude on their time.  I got lucky, I was invited to go along. 

All in all it was a really fun night.  No doubt the schools made a ton of money.  The kids won a few Bingos (I won once), but we didn’t win any raffles, which is what we were really after.  Joe even put in for a NCIS prize that had photos and autographs as he believes that is his Grandma’s favorite show!  Awwww! 

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side, but everyone did have fun!  It was a great opportunity, too, to show the kids that even though Mom and Dad aren’t together anymore, we are all still a family.

March 9, 2018

Well, Hello There!

Hello There!

My goodness it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted on my blog.  I should probably apologize, but have reminded myself that it’s my blog, and there has been a lot going on that has been highly distracting.  That being said, I was showing my coworker some photos I had taken while we were in Bristol as she didn’t know who Banksy was, and also was curious about Bristol as we have an office there, too.  As I looked through the photos I was struck by a few things, mostly with how little the kids were, but also, how much I really loved it there.  I long for England.  If I could, I would be back there in a split second.  There are so many periods in our lives, I think, that people look back on and realize that it was the happiest time of their lives.  England was definitely, without doubt, mine.  I have such lovely friends there, the weather was lovely – for me-, and the atmosphere, it’s just so much more the way I’d like to live my life.  Now, it’s starting to fade.  There are times when I close my eyes and can remember the walk, with real clarity, to the schools and market.  I remember my friend’s homes and how cozy I felt there.  I remember our house and the vegetables we grew in the back.  I really loved it there.

Here, though, in the now, I am rebuilding a life that is so different.  Jon and I are separated, sharing custody of the kids, and figuring out how co-parenting works for us, and how to navigate all the things that come up in our new dynamic.  I think we do pretty well, overall, there are some prickly bits here and there, but mostly we’re working it out.  The kids are doing well, growing faster than I ever thought was possible. 

Joseph is 14!  A year past becoming a teenager, and it shows.  His moods can sometimes give me whiplash, but he’s still an amazing person, for a teenager!  He’s just finished up wrestling which is quickly becoming his sport of choice.  Joe had an amazing year for wrestling, coming in just short of going to State.  He was very dedicated and worked extremely hard, giving it his all every day to get to where he was.  I think it was great for him to see the difference his intensity made in his performance.  To me, he looks more and more like Dad, especially in the eyes, that makes me so happy.  Dad would like that.  We have been going through all of the steps for him to go to high school next year.  I do not feel like he is old enough, let alone me being old enough, for him to be going to high school.  In my heart he’s always my little guy. 

Jocelyn is 12 and all girl, super girly girl.  She has lots of friends, with lots of drama.  She loves to sing, dance, text, and do Taekwondo.  Even though she is twelve, she too, gives me teenage mood whiplash.  Though, I am lucky that I still get loads of hugs, cuddles, and giggles from her, I’m afraid those are going to be coming to an end soon as well.  Joci struggles a bit with wanting to do everything Joe can do, not understanding that there is a huge difference between the ages of 12 and 14, and let’s be honest here, maturity levels, too.  This girl is going to turn all of my hair grey, but she has a heart of gold.  She is very loving and caring, and worried that everyone is happy and well.  She reminds me a lot of me when I was her age, but she looks so much like Jon’s sister, including her gorgeous hair.  Next year she will be heading to junior high school, as they are moving the 6^th grade there starting next year.  I’m happy that she is growing up in this time.  Hopefully, she will see all the changes that strong women are making now.

As for me, well, I can say I’m hanging in there.  It’s been a rough couple of years, and I feel like I am just now starting to peek out from behind the gloom.  I have a long ways to go to get back to the real me, but I will get there, someday.  I am enjoying watching the kids grow into their lives and anticipating how they’ll be when they’re older.  I’m working hard to try and keep them on a good path, while also trying to let them be themselves.  We have a new dog, Olive.  She is so different than any other dog we’ve had.  She is definitely a headstrong little shit sometimes, but she loves to play, and run, and run, and run…  She really loves her laser pointer that we play with her in the basement (finished) with.  She’s a good snuggler and bed hog, and she LOVES the kids, but not the guinea pigs so much.  We are pretty sure she is a lab mix of some sort and there’s got to be some hound in there, too, but we don’t care.  I do miss having my boxer boy, Jarvis, though.  I call her Jarvis probably about as much as I call her Olive.  Lots of new stuff going on, I love my work, my boss is amazing.  We’re looking forward to spring and growing a few plants on the patio, maybe getting a patio table and chairs so that we can eat outside now and again. 

March 22, 2018