Bittersweet

This isn't the best pictures, but as you can tell, FALL is on the way.  I'm a little happy in that this miserably hot, fire-filled summer will come to an end.  But I'm a little sad too because September has been quite nice!  Sigh.

About "Looking for Peyton Place"

I gave "Looking For Peyton Place" by Barbara Delinsky 2 stars.  But before I talk about this book we need to back up.  In 1956 Grace Metalious published "Peyton Place".  Set in a small town on the east coast, it followed three women as they came to accept their sexuality.  The book was a huge success, but Grace didn't deal well with it.  She lost most of her money and drank herself to death before she was 40.

If you're familiar with the song "Harper Valley PTA" (which was made into a movie) the singer refers to the book, "This is just a little Peyton Place, and you're all Harper Valley hypocrites!"  Just thought I'd throw that little flashback from my childhood in!

"Looking For Peyton Place" takes place in the mid-2000s.  The main character is much like Grace--who is a hero in the small town this book is set in--and is a writer who couldn't wait to get out of Middle River.  She comes back after her mom dies.  Mom falls down stairs while battling Parkinson's-like symptoms.  Her daughter thinks it's mercury poisoning from the local paper mill.  The story follows her quest to find the answers and save one of her sisters, who has developed symptoms similar to mom's.  There are many referrals to "Peyton Place".  The author does a good job of tying the two books together.  You do not need to read "Peyton Place" to follow this book. 

School Funny

I was helping a 7th grader with a crossword puzzle today.  All of the answers had double letters.  The clue was, "adults often drink this in the morning."  She knew it started with a "c", and before she even thought it through she blurted out, "Cocktail"!  Ummm...NO!  First of all there's no double letter!  I was cracking up!  Love my job!

For MB--though everyone is invited to enjoy the hilarity!

One of the math teachers in named Mr. Manful.  MB and I have had many a laugh over his name.  The prince had him for math for several semesters and really likes him.  The students put a float together for him this year (maybe he was in on it; I don't know), and the king got a great photo of it at the parade!

Morning After Cheer :)

The Princess cheered the JV game Saturday morning.  The girls were looking pretty tried, but they did a great job!

This game was a nail biter.  The final score was Falcons 49, Bison 47.  So that's another 196 push-ups for the princess!  Wowza!

Homecoming Game 2012!

The goal, of course, is to win the game.  We were playing a team who beat us last year.  I wasn't too optimistic!  Silly me!  Final score was Falcons 49, Bison 0.  And in case you're keeping a push-up tally, that was 196 push-ups!  I heard through the grapevine, though I was never able to confirm it, that the final score of the sophomore game was Falcons 95, Bison 0. Yikes!)  Our coach put in his second string for much of the second half, so everybody got to play, and the score didn't become even more lopsided.  We were FIRED UP!  

For the princess, this night was GREAT because JV and Varsity cheered together.  She actually had a student section to cheer to (most JV games host only parents), and she had a blast.  Their half time show was GREAT, and I'll try to post it here, but I'm pretty sure it's too big.  

After the game there was a dance.  The prince attended but the princess opted out.  She spent the night with her bff instead and then headed to a morning game to cheer some more!  

What I don't have a photo of is the beginning of the game when the Falcons, instead of doing individual introductions of each player, asked to be introduced as a team and then stormed the 50 yard line.  It was great.

Also funny was the announcer at one point, "That was (insert player name here), tackled by a heard of bison."  HILARIOUS!

 This photo was snapped by a professional photographer 

right before the players came on the field.

The princess is back, center.

She got to hold the banner they ripped through.  

She said that's a lot harder than it looks!

 The National Anthem.

It's hard to see in this photo, 

but they each put their  left shoe on top of 

the right shoe of the person standing on their left.  

Even the prince does this!

 My babies!

The princess is the 5th person in line.

 After the big win!

 The team thanking the pep band after the game!

The students are allowed to storm the field after the game.

Check out the helmets in the center!

They let the kids on the field in small groups so no one is injured!

The cheerleaders went first.

The princess said it was quite stinky in the middle of the mayhem!

The Toga

Friday is Toga day for the seniors.  They wait 4 years for this.  The prince went to Good Will to get a sheet--you can see why I wasn't offering up one of ours.  The kids sign each other's sheets and bodies.  Some togas are quite elaborate.  The prince was going for the standard toga.  He was tying it the night before and came up to say that he was having trouble because he wasn't showing enough skin.  I said, "You look good. Any more skin, and your nipple will show."  His reply, "Mom (in that exasperated way), I want it to show.  This is the only time in my high school career that it's allowed to show!"  So he re-worked the toga.  

As a side note:  a friend was telling me that last year when her son was a senior, he left the house with a lot of skin showing under his toga.  She told him she thought he'd probably be asked to put clothes on when he got to school.  He wasn't worried.  Sure enough, by the time she got up to the school for the parade (that was cancelled due to rain), his toga had become nothing more than a big diaper.  That was all he was wearing.  She was mortified, but he was having the time of his life!  I guess the school can only take on so many battles on toga day, and he wasn't one of them!  The prince looked pretty well covered compared to that! 

 Do you see is slightly black eye?

At cheer practice his stunt partner 

kicked him in the face when 

she was coming out of a stunt. 

That's the first time in 3 years 

that he's had that kind of injury!

Homecoming Parade!

Friday is a big day.  They had classes in the morning.  The princess' math teacher even gave them a test.  But after classes there is a pizza feed, class pictures and the big parade.  Last year's parade was rained out.  This year's parade route was changed to include a couple of area schools they could go by.  The schools let the kids come out to watch, and the students rewarded them with lots of candy!  Each class has a float.  Many of the groups/organizations have floats.  The weather was perfect for the parade, and the king got some excellent shots!  Thanks to Grandma for coming out too.

 Here is the senior float.  

Check them all out in their togas!  

Can you spot the prince?

 He's in the center of the float, 

light blue toga, 

seated and waving!

 The princess was part of the cheer float.  

The float is in the background.

Varsity road on the float.

JV walked and passed out candy.

Posing for her dad!

Spirit Week

Homecoming also equals spirit week.  Each day the kids get to dress up in different themes.  Seniors have different themes than the underclassmen.  The kids both dressed up each day.  Because they leave for cheer at 5:45 AM in their work-out clothes, I didn't see them until after school or later each night.  By then they had on the work uniform or cheer outfit or dance outfit, depending on what they had going on each night.  So the photos I have of them were stolen off the internet!  Still, as you can tell, it was a good time!

 Seniors--Spirit Day!

 Seniors-Superhero Day

 Seniors-Gangster Day

 Seniors-Toga Day

Underclassmen-Spirit Day

The had a great, EXHAUSTING, time this week.  I'm pretty sure the princess is planning next year's costumes already!  And thanks to her bff who came through for her with nerd glasses, suspenders, and this cool skirt!

Week Night Cheer

Monday the princess cheered a JV football game.  Tuesday it was boys varsity soccer.  Friday it's "all hands on deck" as everyone cheers the varsity football game (homecoming) and does a 1/2 time show.  I think there's another JV football game on Saturday too.  She's getting a workout!  Monday she also got to call the cheers (they alternate this job), and she did a great job!

Are you still over there, taking pictures?

Senior Poster

The cheerleaders had to make posters for ALL the seniors who do fall sports (Football, Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country, Cheer, Golf--did I miss any?), and they are all hanging in the halls at school this week.  The princess thought that, in the process of making all these posters, they had forgotten to make one for the prince.  So she made this one for him.  Turns out he already had one, so this one made it home.  She said that at cheer practice he's always telling them to, "Lift with your legs"!  I thought it was pretty cute, and awfully nice of her to worry about her brother that way!

Thanks

Thanks to those of you who shared your memories of 9-11. It is chilling to go back and remember, but I think sometimes it's also necessary.  

9-11

I think I posted about 9-11 last year...10th anniversary and all.  The 8th grade writing assignment this week is to interview someone who remembers it (they were 2 at the time) and write about that experience.  Two of them interviewed me.  Here are the "facts" I shared with them:

*The prince was in 1st grade.
*The princess was in preschool.
*The king was in Idaho for work.
*We NEVER had the TV on in the morning.  NEVER.  I can't stress that enough.  NEVER!
*The prince left for school (walking with his buddy Daniel--or I walked him and came back--I'm not sure.)
*I was combing the princess' hair and had a strong urge to turn on the TV.  I did.
*The first plane had hit, but the second hadn't.
*I remember thinking, "No. That's a freak accident."
*As I put the pony tail in her hair the second hit.
*I KNEW then it was no accident.
*But it's weird how you just go on with your day.  We were, for all intents and purposes, under attack.
*But I finished getting the princess ready and headed to preschool.  I was parent-helper that day.  I had obligations.
*The preschool teacher wouldn't even acknowledge the attack and insisted we not speak about it--which, in hind sight, was smart of her.
*After preschool we went home, and I sat in front of the TV.  
*By then the Pentagon hit and the PA field hit had happened.  Those people were heroes. 
*I believe the school put the kids in lock-down that day, but I could be wrong.  They had several lock-down situations the first couple of years the prince was in school, but we haven't had one in many years now!
*He drew a picture of the towers being hit one day, later, at Grandma's.  She saved it and gave it to us.  (If I felt like digging it out, I'd scan it and add it here, but that's not going to happen today.)
*I talked to the king.  He thought he was probably stuck in ID for awhile.
*I called other family members.  We worried most about the sister in Colorado Springs.  NORAD.
*The kids went to bed that night no worse for the tragedy.
*I went to bed fine too, but I woke in the middle of the night, scared.  Really, really scared.  I slept with the light on that night--the only time I have done that since I was a child.
*The king did get stranded in Idaho for several days when all flights were canceled.  He eventually rented a car and drove home, but that was several days after the attack.
*And don't think the 3-year-old princess wasn't affected that day.  Though it didn't show then, she knew all was not right with her world.  When she traveled to DC/NYNY this spring, of all the things she saw that week, the glass case full of badges of fire-fighters, police, and rescue workers at Trinity Church near the memorial was the thing that impressed her the most.

Where were you?

Meanest Teacher

A teacher just wrote a student up for being disruptive.  He was sent out of the room and on his way out he said, "You are the meanest teacher to ever roam the universe."  That's covering a lot of territory there!

Pep Assembly!

Thursday the school had a Pep Assembly for all Fall Sports.  The king was able to go over and take a few photos.  Can't find the princess?  She is the one in blue.  Bwahahaha!  Left build, cutie on the right!  And I think you'll be able to spot the prince, even if his arm is covering most of his face!  Go Falcons!

Happy Birthday, Blakie!

Oh, this is sooooooooooooooooo annoying!  Not only are you MUCH younger than me, but I can't get this photo to be bigger.  Grrrrr.  Still happy birthday little brother.  We hope you have a wonderful day and a great year.  Enjoy that trip you have coming up.  NOW I get it--it's a birthday trip for you and Robin!  Perfect timing!

Coming Around

My kids aren't best friends.  In a perfect world they would be, but in this world...not so much.  But they do seem to tolerate each other a little bit more lately.  I don't think it's that they spend oodles of time together at cheer that's causing this new bond, but I do think it's that the prince has matured a little (just a little), and this is the first time they've been in the same school together--ever!  They finally have that in common.

This coming week is homecoming week.  The big game's on Friday.  (A win is dubious, but I'm hopeful!)  This week the kids dress up in different theme-clothes all week.  The princess was discussing her plans for her Friday outfit, when the prince quickly stepped in and, WITHOUT RIDICULING HER, set her straight on how that was NOT the right thing to do with that outfit. He then went on to say what would or would not be acceptable for her.  PHEW!  I was so pleased with him.  

Then last night at dinner he gave her the advice to stay away from some big doper kid (a senior in her art class) who she said keeps trying to talk to her.  That's a good big brother right there!

There may be hope for them yet!

Of course, their lockers are near each other, and he still pushes her into hers each time he sees her, and he still gets to the car before her and gets in the line to get out of the parking lot so that she's left trying to find him each day, but it's progress.  Right?

That Ah-Ha Moment

I was shopping yesterday and heard a little girl (about 4-years-old) ask her mom, "What about a toothbrush?  We could get a toothbrush!"  She had just spied a cool princess toothbrush.

Mom said, "I don't think a toothbrush is a very exciting gift."

The girl was completely perplexed.  I could see the wheels turning in her head.  Then she said, "Oh.  OOOOHHHH!"  That's when she figured out, "Yeah, I really wouldn't want one for a gift either." They quickly headed off to the toy aisle.  

My kids used to get electric toothbrushes in their stockings most years when they were little.  What was silly Santa thinking???  :)

About "Fifty Shades Freed"

I am giving "Fifty Shades Freed" by E L James 2 starts.  This is the third and final installment in the trilogy.  I gave book 2 three stars because they had thrown in a little suspense, and I had hope #3 would continue in the direction.  It did contain a kidnap/ransom episode, but mostly it was a lot of mushy love stuff.  This series is really "Twilight" meets Harlequin Romance with a LOT of graphic sex thrown in.  I don't do these types of books so I was a little disappointed that this is the direction this series took.  I'm pretty glad this series is over!  I'm done with it.

My BAD!

Oops.  I shouldn't do posts at 6AM.  Shelley just pointed out that Tyson is NOT the first-born nephew.  Silly me.  There were another nephew and niece born before him.  And I wracked my brain this morning to make sure I had that right before I posted it.  Clearly, I need more sleep.  Still, Happy Birthday, TY!!!

I said that??? Yep

The other night the king, princess, and I were talking about when kids should move out of their parents' house.  Is it okay to "give their room away" when they go to college?  How soon can you redecorate?  Do you even want to?  And for the record, when I went to college my freshman year, my room was untouched.  No siblings got to take it over.  My mom didn't turn it into a craft room.  It remained my room...stereo and knick-knacks and brown/orange/yellow blanket (it was the '80's) intact.

The princess said, "I will be out of this house by the time I'm 20.  I will NOT be living here when I am 20."  She seemed pretty sure.  

So I said, "Well, if you're brother's still living here when you're 20, you'll have to take him with you when you move out!"

HeeeeeeHeeeeee!

Silent prayer:  Please, God.  Don't let the 23-year-old be living here when the 20-year-old moves out!

Good Advice?

I was at work, in the office the other day, listening to a parent talk to the principal.  Apparently the boy is being bothered (bullied?) by some other boys.  The parent said, "I have taught him never to throw the first punch, but if someone takes a swing at him, he's to swing back and keep swinging until the other person can't move."  

What's the principal going to say now?  That's a standard teaching technique, though maybe a little extreme.  But here's why our boss makes the "big money".  Since he can't endorse violence on any level, he says, "Well, we teach the kids that there are many ways to respond to conflict, and then we give them options."  

Angry dad wasn't interested in that!  Too bad I had to go back to work...

Happy Birthday, Tyson!

Happy Birthday First Nephew!  

Have a great year.

We couldn't wish for more for you! :)

Love you!

Pushups!

I don't know where the tradition started, but at football games, each time our team scores, the cheer leaders do push-ups...the number on the scoreboard dictating how many they do.  Friday's game was a high scoring game so there were A LOT of push ups. 

Let's do the math: 7+14+21+28+35+41 (missed the extra point) +48+55=214!  They did cut themselves a break, though, on the last touch down, and the count went like this, "One, Two, Skip a Few, Fifty-five!"  They earned it!!

Don't worry.  The JV cheerleaders also have to do push-ups!  Her addition looked like this: 6+14+20+28+34=102!  (In case you think I don't have my scores correct...the JV team never kicked for an extra point--maybe they don't have a kicker--but went for the 2 point conversion every time.)

The Princess' First Game

The princess cheered her first game Saturday.  They did a great job of cheering, did a couple of builds, and got some sun (she burned her shoulders)!  And the Falcons won!  Here's to a great season! (And she would like you to know that this cheer skirt is too big...we pinned it, but it still hangs funny.  She's hoping to exchange it for a smaller size, but if not, we'll have to hit Grandma up for some fancy seam work.)

Where are you?

Friday's game was at 4pm.  I rushed home, picked up the princess and her friend, and we headed over.  Of course, she wasn't going to sit with me!!  They met some other friends too so I sent her a text asking where they were.  She called me back to say they were sitting across from me.  Top corner of the bleachers, she said.  Good thing I have such an awesome zoom on my camera.  Sure enough.  There they all are!!  Is this considered stalking or just good parenting???  

Friday Night Game

The prince in action Friday night.  We won!!

About "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan"

I am giving "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See 3 stars.  I waffled, trying to decide if I should give it 4 stars.  It's a very good book.  I just don't know if it's a great book.  I hate my rating system.

I read this book a few years ago and had forgotten about it until I started reading it.  Much of it came back to me as I did.  It's set in the 1800's in China and is the story of Snow Flower and Lily--two life long friends--and the paths their lives take.  Mostly this is the story of Lily spending the last 40 years of her life trying to undo the wrongs she did in the first 40 years of her life.  And really, she committed no real wrongs, in the way that we would think of them.  But she felt she wasn't the best friend to Snow Flower and spends a good deal of time trying to make amends.

Beyond that it's a fascinating look at rural China in the 1800's including foot-binding--a barbaric practice.  Look it up on the internet.  As I thought more about foot-binding though, I decided it's probably only slightly more barbaric than the stiletto shoes women wear now.  Give me a comfy pair of flats any day!

This will be me next year!

First School Funny Of The Year

A 6th grade boy came up to me a little while ago.  "Umm...I found this rock in my shoe (about the size of a big toe).  What should I do?"  At first I thought he was kidding me, but the look on his face told me otherwise.  So I looked at him with my "Are you for real?" look.  Then I said, as nicely as I could without being "snarky" (you know me and my snarky), "Well, if I were you I'd throw it in the garbage can.  Don't throw it anyone.  Just throw it away."  That seemed like a good idea to him too.  SERIOUSLY!!!!

Also a shout out to my good friend, Christian.  Thanks to her, when the diabetic girl showed me her tester that read 78, I didn't panic.  I told her I thought she should drink her juice!  Unfortunately, it dropped to 71 after the juice.  She's having a snack right now!  But I am not panicking!