Moms of Boys

Toilet paper shortage

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:06:49 -0400

How do these things happen? I went away this past weekend, thinking that I left the house pretty well-stocked along with a list for my husband to follow to make sure he didn't miss anything on the schedules of David, 15, and Jason, 9 (our oldest was at college). When I returned a mere 48 hours later, there was no toilet paper in our entire house. 3 bathrooms and no toilet paper. I didn't dare ask how or why this came to be. I decided not to run immediately to the store to buy some, but to wait until the guys noticed there was not more toilet paper, thus creating within them a deep sense of appreciation for all the little things I do that go unnoticed, like buying toilet paper. Over 21 years of marriage and this was the first time we'd ever run out of toilet paper. A pretty damn good track record if you ask me. The problem was -- the lack of toilet paper didn't seem to bother the guys; I was the one it bothered! So, off to the store I went. There is only so much a woman can take.

Baby news

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:26:41 -0400

No, not MY baby news, thank goodness! I'm a little too old for that, I'm sad to say. It's my niece's baby news. My niece Kristin is the only girl of my parents' eight grandchildren; we were delighted to find out that Kristin and her husband will be having a baby in November. Then a month or so ago, my sister Mary (Kristin's mom) got a phone call from Kristin telling her that they found out the gender of the baby. At that very moment, my mother and my other sister Gail were in the room (Gail has three boys and no girls too like I do). So we waited in great anticipation as Mary talked to Kristin. When Mary turned to us and exclaimed, "It's a girl!", Gail, my mother, and I all squealed -- literally squealed. Needless to say, we are all very excited about having a little girl in the family at last. I have been buying pink things for the first time in my life. But yes, I have to admit, it feels very strange to walk past the little boy things after so many years of buying blue stuff. I'm sure if my niece announced she was going to have a boy, I would have been just as excited to buy the boy things. The bottom line is we can't wait for our baby!

I'm baaack!!

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:12:58 -0400

Well, here it is with summer's end drawing near. I hope you have all had a great time with your boys this summer and gearing up for the autumn. My oldest son, Billy, will be going to college in a week and a half. A week and a half!!!! Oh, my gosh, it doesn't seem possible. For his graduation, I put together a DVD of still photos and excerpts from videos from the past. I'm really glad I did it, but it was very emotional for me to go back through all of those memories. At least he will be going to college very close by (only 15 minutes) at North Carolina State University. He is so independent and so ready to go, but I know I will miss him terribly.

The past four months have been a blur as we've been doing all the 'stuff' you do to get set to graduate and to go to college -- It was also a blur because my middle son, David, 15, had a great first year in high school, but he had a really tough Honors World History class second semester; I ended up having to go through some of the stuff with him to help him study. (Just ask me about the Peloponnesian and Persian wars or the Renaissance - ha!) He played summer baseball with his new high school (reassigned to another school after his freshman year -- back to the school that my oldest son went to for one year before he was reassigned - long story). David will be taking Driver's Ed next week. My youngest will be 9 on Monday-- a lot going on.

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.