Moms of Boys

Hello again

Fri, 22 May 2009 19:11:26 -0400

Okay, so much for the New Year's Resolution of updating my blog regularly!! Has it been that long??

To be honest, I've been overwhelmed lately with so many passwords and user names for my oldest son's college applications/College Board pages and my middle son's high school Blackboard and Span sites, that every time I would think, "I need to update my blog," I'd draw a a complete blank on my user name and passwords. And yes, I knew they were listed in my desk in the bottom of a drawer, but the thought of digging through all those papers to get to it, made me sick to my stomach. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but sometimes you just get brain overload, and that's what was happening to me with all of my sons' stuff.

new articles about boys

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 01:50:17 -0500

Here are links to two great articles - one an article by NY Times reporter Lisa Belkin written in 1999 when she found out she was going to have another boy and one from Belkin's blog Motherlode, also on the topic of having another boy. Enjoy!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E3D71E3FF936A15754C0A96F958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=11
great article by NY Times reporter/Motherlode blogger Lisa Belkin about wanting a daughter
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/mom-of-boys/

Happy Holidays

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:09:58 -0500

Happy Holidays, everyone! And I wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe 2009!

We had a rather eventful Christmas morning. I went upstairs after we opened our presents only to find some strands of what I thought was wrapping paper. I was about to ask who had wrapped up something and left paper lying on the floor when I noticed the paper had chocolate smears on it -- and suddenly I realized Fenway, our 4-year-old long haired dachshund had eated the chocolate bar I'd placed on top of my mother-in-law's present! And it was a big chocolate bar!

School reassignment and Barbies for gifts

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:09:01 -0500

Hope you are all ready for the holiday season! As usual, I am not. Still have shopping to do.

Recently, I've been involved in fighting our high school reassignment; our area in our fast growing county was reassigned to anothe high school for next year, meaning that this would be the third different high school our students would go to in five years. Crazy. My oldest son started at one school and was reassigned the following year to a new school where he is now a senior; my middle son started his freshman year at the same school as my older son, but was reassigned for next year. Our group thinks we have things worked out and that the Board of Education realized that our reassignment had to be changed because our area has been hit with reassignment four times in eight years, while other areas have not been touched. We'll see what happens. But when you get involved in something like that, that is pretty much all you do for a few weeks -- emails and writing letters and phone calls. Time to get back to my real job.

I have to have my next book ready for my agent to submit to publishers in January! More on that later.

One holiday boy-related note -- each year I have each of my three sons pick out a gift for someone their age

Boys growing up/Finding Mom

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:03:11 -0400

Has it been two months again?? And I'd promised not to be AWOL again. Promises, promises, huh?

Since I last wrote, my oldest son has started his senior year of high school and is just finishing up college applications, while my middle son started his freshman year of high school and is (thankfully) making that tough transition from middle school very well (thankfully). My youngest, age 8, is in second grade, and though, that's gone okay, it's not been as smooth as I'd hoped and expected. He had the same teacher for K and 1st and was in combo class for two years with the same students; this year he has a new teacher, and the combo class kids have been separated into different second grade classes with only one of them in my son's class with him. So it is taking some adjustments.

I've also been working on my next book, which means spending a lot of time on the computer. Since the back surgery I had in August, I've switched computer chairs and have been more aware of my posture while typing since I think bad ergonomics at the computer contributed greatly to my back problem. My back and left shoulder and arm feel pretty good, though I still have spasms in the shoulder from time to time -- just some mild jumping that reminds me to take it easy. Comes in as a great excuse sometimes though like when I recently played racquet ball for the first time with my good friend, Robyn. Lots of fun, but a racquet ball player I am not.

The Back Surgery

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:25:24 -0400

Sorry to be AWOL from the site the past few weeks, ladies. I'd been having pain in my left shoulder blade and arm since mid-July. I eventually had an X-ray and an MRI that showed a large herniated area from a disc in my upper back (cervical spine region, which is confusing, since cervical has always meant something else to me). Anyway, there was weakness in my left arm, which concerned the doctor so I had back surgery this past Monday, August 4th, which was one day after my youngest son's 8th birthday party and a few weeks before the chaos of a new school year. Isn't this the way moms always plan their own schedules -- by how it will affect the kids? Anyway,

Oldest son's birthday/Message Board Highlights

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:04:31 -0400

Hi Ladies,

I hope you are having a great summer so far. Happy July 4th! My oldest son, Billy, was born on July 4th in 1991, so we celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday. 17???? I still remember how his tiny hand fit in mine when we walked across the parking lot; for some reason every time I think about holding his hand like that to protect him, I get all teary-eyed. Maybe it's because he will be going to college next year, and I know that I won't be around to protect him, so to speak, any longer. I know that he's an extremely responsible, good-hearted young man, and I know he will make good decisions; still, I worry about all that is out there. I also ache at the thought of him no longer living in this house. He and I have such similar tastes in things, and I find we share so many thoughts. I love watching The Office or The Colbert Report with him because our senses of humor are very much alike. I just know I'm going to miss him so much as a son - but also as a friend.

Getting sentimental

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:09:24 -0400

I was going through some old photos today, trying to get organized (a neverending job for me); there were a lot of my oldest son, who is a rising senior in high school and will be 17 in July. I got very sentimental, especially when I came across the School Days scrapbooks that I'd gotten for my two oldest boys -- a book to put their school photos in each school year.

Vote for website please

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:30:00 -0400

Hi ladies, In my daily routine and the boys' schedules, one of the things I like to do when I can is to watch the Ellen Show. I love her laid-back, clean sense of humor and think she is quite a natural comedian. I noticed on her website for the show that people can write in and let them know about favorite websites. I'd greatly appreciate it if you were to let them know about www.momsofboys.org -- I have the link posted below, or you can go to her site at www.ellen.warnerbrothers.com and click on the Be a Part of the Show page where the website question is way down near the end.

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=9

Thanks so much! Sharon

USA Today

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:05:17 -0400

Check out the May 7th edition of USA Today! House of Testosterone is mentioned in Craig Wilson's Final Word column. Thanks, Craig!! I've been doing lots of radio interviews lately and have been very busy with baseball schedules for my guys (including keeping up with which car each boy left their baseball equipment bag in). Thanks to those of you who have come to my book readings in North Carolina. I really appreciate it!! Hang in there, Sharon