Peace is Priceless

I don’t only want to depict negativity on this blog so I would like to share that I had a wonderful morning.  Although I was tired, I only hit the snooze button once.  (I know I am trying.)  Once up, I got myself together and woke up the little one.  Thankfully he had a dry bed.  Not sure why, but for the last two nights, he has wet the bed and this is so out of his character.  So he got up with only a few tugs this morning.  At this time, the older boy’s alarm goes off.  I kept praying that I would not have to go in there and wake him up.  My prayers were answered…although he had the grill face he got out of the bed without my assistance.  Both boys got ready quickly and ate breakfast and I did not encounter any attitudes.  My only setback was the little one pretending to be the karate kid and jacking the older boy up at various times throughout the morning.  I did not have to iron clothes this morning since I ironed on Sunday.  I packed my breakfast and lunch and headed out the door on time.  My car started without any problems and I took both boys with me.  In the car we played the “looking for the stop signs” game.  I made up a song to accompany the game and even the older boy participated in the activity.  They both were excited.  When I got to the preschool, I let the older boy catch the bus to get to school and I took the little one in.  The little one stopped to say good morning to his old teacher and class but then he went into the new classroom with no resistance.  I received two kisses and a big hug.  On my drive to the train, I saw the older boy walking to his school.  Good job boys!!!  I found a good parking space right away, I did not wait long for the bus, I was able to walk to the back of the bus and got a seat on the train and I slept.  Mornings like these are just priceless.

Move Chick -Get out the way!

I have complete knowledge about the history in regards to being forced to the sit in the back of the bus.  I also understand that at one point in time, the rowdy, disrespectful teenagers would cause havoc in the rear of the bus.  However, we have come a long way baby and times have changed.  I get so upset when people push and shove to get on the bus and then stop in the front.  If you know that you are not going to move to the back of the bus….wait in the back of the line.  Then bus drivers will not stop and pick up more passengers if the front of the bus is full.  I get so upset when a bus rolls pass me and the back of the bus is empty.  Lastly, I hate when I get on the bus and attempt to get to the back and the passengers will not move out of my way and get an attitude when they get pushed to the side.  Yes I do push!!!  Come on people, I want to get to my destination just like you so either move to the back or step to the side.  Just my rant of the day.

I am back!!!

The blog system was down on Friday but here I am to post this wonderful Monday!! (Do you hear the sarcasm in my voice?)

As a mother, I have so many dreams and aspirations for my boys.  I know I am biased but I believe that they have the potential to achieve great things in life and become men of importance.  I take my job very seriously as the person to help them realize their dreams and help them achieve them.  However, I must admit that at times I live vicariously through them in some aspects of their lives and I feel disappointed when they “do their own thing.” I know I should not feel like that but at times I do.  Right now the baby wants to “make me happy” and I am just amazed in how fast he is learning.  However, my oldest is extremely smart and talented but he is sooooo lazy.  This kills me.  He has made the Dean’s List twice this year and I am proud of his academic achievements but I know that if he tried harder and was not so lazy with his work, he could be one of the two top students in his grade.  Yes this is spoken from a former two time salutatorian.  But it is not only with his academics.  Last year, he and few classmates were chosen to write and publish a book with Scholastic.  It was not until I went to the book signing that I saw the finished product and the book was mostly illustrated by my son.  I did not even know that he possessed the ability to draw and he is an excellent artist.  In his mind it was nothing but to me it was everything and I felt as if I failed partially since I did not even know about this hidden talent.  As his mother I should have known.  Not only is he a talented artist but he is a natural athlete.  So far he has participated in bowling, baseball and basketball leagues and without any extra practice or help, he excelled in these sports activities.  What else could I expect from a boy that taught himself how to ride a two-wheeler bike at the age of 4 years old?  Well this school year he tried out for both track and football.  He made both teams but chose the later.  I was disappointed because I always wanted to run track and did not have the opportunity to.  Guess this is where I wanted to live my dream through him but I was not given the opportunity.  My friends that I have spoken to about this, feel that he made the better choice by joining the football team but I just don’t see him as a football player.  The baby is a football player all across the board but not my oldest.  This was my first test of showing my son support in a choice he made rather than a choice I made for him.  I know I need more help in this area but for now I will practice my old cheers from when I was a cheerleader and show my support in the upcoming football season.

You are what you eat!

As lunch time approaches, I come to the conclusion that if this saying was true, I would be one huge ?????.  Well let’s play a guessing game.  I will describe the food and see if you can guess my food choice before we get to the end.  So let’s begin.

If I do not bring lunch from home, then I get them for lunch.  I like them with or without ketchup.  I can eat them seasoned with salt or dipped in a ketchup/mayonnaise concoction.  I like them wedged, shoe-stringed, crinkled or waffled.  I do not have a preference if they are home-made or store bought.  They can be prepared deep fried and since I am trying to eat healthier even baked.  I can eat this food in any season.  They are best when hot.  It comes in a group so I don’t mind sharing…sometimes.  Did you guess….yes FRENCH FRIES.  I love them.   I eat them for lunch everyday.  I told myself this morning that I would get a slice of pizza today but now that I described them….I am getting my daily serving of French fries.

Teenage Years

Each one of my pregnancies, I wished for a boy.  People were surprised that even when I was pregnant my third time around and already had two boys, that I still wanted another boy.  I had two good reasons for this.  First, I did not and still do not know how to “do hair.”  So I figured having a boy would eliminate this headache.  To my surprise, both of my boys were born with a head full of hair.  I still had to find friends to braid their hair or they had to walk around with ponytails and being mistaken for a girl.  My second reason was that I did not want to have to deal with the attitudes of a teenage girl.  I remembered me at that age and I could not chance history repeating itself.  I just figured a teenage boy would be easier to deal with.  Again I was wrong.  I am living with a pre-teen boy now and I am not happy with it at all.  The attitude, the mood swings, the facial expressions…God give me strength.  I pray that my toddler mellows out by these years and that this pre-teen gets it together so that he can see and enjoy his teenage years.

Thankful!!

I am happy to say that the boys did great this morning.  Jevaughni got out of the bed when his alarm went off and went straight to school.  Macaih and I were, as we like to say, "rocking and rolling."  I got to work at a decent time and I was able to do my work in peace.  I came home to dinner cooked (thanks hubby), dishes washed (thanks Jevaughni) and Macaih just being Macaih.   I am sure that my followers sent prayers my direction yesterday for my sanity and I am thankful.  So off to bed I go and we will see what adventure tomorrow brings.  Have a great evening!!

The 3 M's

I would love to say happy Monday but even though I had a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday, the events of my Monday morning have ruined my mood.  My alarm went off at 6am and I pushed the snooze button THREE TIMES.  That is never a good sign.  I finally got out of the bed and dragged myself to the bathroom.  However, after brushing my teeth, I grabbed another toothbrush and began scrubbing the shower tiles.  I know…again this is not good since I was late getting out of the bed but I sprayed the shower last night and I wanted to scrub the cracks between the tiles.  So I leave the bathroom after cleaning the shower tiles (and myself) and go to see if the oldest boy is up and ready to get into the bathroom.  Of course…he is not and that irritates me.  I do not say a word, I just stare at him because if I do I am afraid I will snap.  I walk away and go into the little one’s room, turn on the news and iron the clothes I picked out the night before.  Meanwhile I am trying to wake the little one up.  15 minutes later my sweet wake up songs turns to threats.  He lifts his head to tell me that he does not like the news that is playing on his TV and lies back down on the pillow.  So now I have to pull him out of the bed and into the bathroom and now he gets the stare because it is really late now and no one is cooperating.  After my stares, both boys dress quickly and they know that they need to get out of the house on time without taking me there.  I thought we were good until the big one hands me a quiz to sign that he had in his book bag all weekend.  He scored an 80 so I was not upset about the grade but I like to review the content of quizzes and tests to see what he understands and most importantly what he does not so we can go over it.  So he hands me the quiz and I ask him why he did not answer the last question which was an essay and worth 20 of the points, he replies that he did not know it.  So now I am fuming because we had the weekend to review. I sign the quiz but tell him that by the time I reach home this evening, I want the paragraphs written so I can grade it myself.  Of course he was not happy but OH WELL.  So now I am out of the house and although the temperature is suppose to be 71 degrees today, I am freezing and wish that I had on a warmer outfit.  Moving on, I get in the car and start it and forget that I don’t have a drop of gas so now I have to stop.  Time is already not on my side.  So after I get literally get a drop of gas (these prices are ridiculous), I continue to the little one’s school and he begins to tell me that he does not want to go to his new class, he wants to stay with his old teacher Ms Peggy and the Blue Group. Why me this morning??  Once inside the school, he runs to his old classroom and refuses to go to the new class.  Ms. Peggy comes to the rescue by giving him a hug and then he goes to the new classroom but he is still very sad about this change.  Last week he was excited about being in the new class with “the big kids” but today his facial expression was so solemn.  I walk away worried about how he will be in school today.  As I drive away, I realize that even with everything that has occurred, I am still on time UNTIL I see my oldest son walking away from his school with his classmates heading to Burger King.  I am furious.  I am in the turning lane so I can’t easily get to him.  I am screaming out the window btu he does not hear me.  When the light turns green, I maneuver through the side blocks to get to BK.  Once I get there, he is walking out with the boys.  Now I snap.  He knows the rules but instead he is following his peers.  To add more fuel to the fire, the classmate that he travels to school with in the morning is not with him.  They left the house together so where is he?  He is at the same place my son should have been – in school already.  Needless to say, after embarrassing him in front of his classmates, I have to send an email to my boss telling him that I was going to be late for work this morning. So today I label myself…the Monday Morning Maniac.

Shoes, Shoes...it gotta be the Shoes!!

Happy Friday!!

As the only female in my house, you would think that I would be the one who LOVES shoes.  That is not the case; in fact, I am the only one in the house that could care less about these objects.  All three of my boys, are shoe fanatics in different ways.  My husband loves to see females that are as he would say “on top of their shoe game.” He loves heels, the taller the better.  If he had it his way, I would be in heels at all times, even in bed. J Unfortunately, my visits to the podiatrist last year will not allow me to wear these shoes as often as he would like.  But he is the one responsible for the nice shoes that I currently own.  When I do go out to buy a new pair of shoes, which is rare because I HATE shopping – that is another post – he is the one that selects the shoe and he tells me how they look on me and then he makes the purchase.  So when I receive a compliment on my shoes, he is the one that deserves the praise, not I.  Now to Jevaughni, he is developing a new interest in shoes.  He just had a birthday and when he was asked what he wanted, he said sneakers.  He tells me about all these name brand sneakers that he wants and all I hear when he speaks is $$$$.  I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday and he said shoe shopping.  What in the world?!?!?  Sorry son, I love you but Daddy is going to have to take you.  I do not have the patience for shopping.  Lastly, my baby….thanks to his younger cousin that grows out of shoes quickly and his mother’s love of shoes….Macaih has always had a closet full of shoes since he started walking.  Now I just noticed this last week…but he matches his shoes with his outfits.  In the morning, I tell him to go put on his shoes.  I would think  the 3 year old would just put on the same shoe that he wore the day before, but everyday, he selects a new shoe to match is outfit.  It is quite amazing.  He has even nicknamed the shoes…boots are monster shoes, shoes that have Velcro are noisy shoes, etc.  So I am in a house full of men that love shoes and if I had it my way and the weather would cooperate, I would wear flip flops all the time. 

The Pencil

Happy Cinco de Mayo,

I received an email today from a friend and instead of just forwarding it to everyone; I decided to post on my blog.  It was reinforcement after I spoke to a family member who is feeling a little discouraged at this point in time.  So here it is.  I hope it speaks to all of you, as it spoke to my heart.

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX:
1. EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK.
2. YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.
3. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.
4. IN LIFE, YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS, WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.
5. TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.
We all need to be constantly sharpened.  This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities.  Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish.  Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided by the hand of God.
Need I say more.......?

Exhaustion

exhaustion /ex·haus·tion/ (eg-zaws´chun)

1. a state of extreme mental or physical fatigue.

2. the state of being drained, emptied, or consumed.

 

Sorry for not posting yesterday but this sums it all up.  It was one of those days.  I moved quickly through yesterday’s evening duties of picking up the boys from the church, going to Walgreens, cooking dinner, feeding the boys, helping little one with his homework, listening to the day’s activities, bathing the little one, reading a bedtime story, washing the dishes, getting the clothes ready for the next day and then taking my shower and was in my bed at a decent time.  I have to stop planning on going to bed early because that plan never comes to fruition.  I was awakened an hour later to my baby coughing repeatedly that ended with vomiting in the bed.  With the assistance of the hubby, we were changing and washing him and the sheets of the bed.  I have such a weak stomach and I started to feel sick but it was all worth it when a tired baby looks at you and lays in his newly changed bed and says, “Mommy, this is perfect…thank you.”

Time not on my Side

When you tend to be late all the time, people usually remark with the old saying that you are going to be late to your own funeral.  Well my Dad was notorious for being late all the time and low and behold; he was indeed late for his own funeral.  All everyone could do at the time was laugh at this fact.  Well this trait is something that I inherited.  I am late for everything.  Work, various appointments, church, meetings….you name it.  I don’t do this intentionally but it is very hard for me to be somewhere at a designated time.  My husband HATES this about me.   All I can say about this is that I am a work in progress, but if history repeats itself, I will be like my Daddy and late for my own funeral.

Birthday Time

Happy Monday!!!  This past Saturday, my oldest son turned 12 years old.  I can not believe that I am the mother of a 12 year old when I barely look a day over 21 years old myself.  (LOL) He loves celebrating his birthday and I try to create enjoyable moments for him since my parents ALWAYS celebrated my birthday.  I guess it helped that my birthday is in late June and it was always easy to do.  We did not have themes or characters at my party, just family + friends = tons of fun and memories.  My Dad would spark the grill, my Mom would cook the other foods and bake a cake and the party was on.  The day was for me and my friends and by the evening, it always turned into “the grown-up” party.  We had a good time and I don’t think it cost them too much $$.  (I have to ask my mom).  So with my kids, I am trying to create these same memories and not go broke doing so.  This year, we took him to the NY International Car Show in Manhattan.  We brought along one of his friends from church and we met my husband’s cousin and his two godsons there.  It was a nice day and the show itself was very interesting since this was my first time attending.  Afterwards, we ate dinner at the China Buffet.  It was kind of low key compared to parties he had in the past but I am hoping that he had a good time.  I remember 12 years ago not knowing how I was going to be able to care for and raise this boy child as a single parent.  I am so grateful that God kept us and continues to keep us, so for this fact alone; we will celebrate his day, some way, every year.