Well, I found out that after friending so many folks I had lost touch with, I discovered I had lost something I truly enjoyed about blogging - privacy.
There are times that I just want to vent, get things out or I might explode. Problem with that is that with fb, you forget who can see your page and may end up offending someone unintentionally. So, I'm back!!!!!
I looked and realized my last blog post was almost one year ago - man, so much has changed.
Tonight, I just needed a place to get out what I have bottled up. Parenting is driving me CRAZY!!! I absolutely love my kids, but dealing with their ADHD can make me nuts sometimes. Add a dash of the ODD, and every strand of patience I ever thought I might have is strained to the limits. Teenage angst is one thing, rebel without a clue (how much he's pushing it) is another!
I know I should be greatful we are not dealing with drugs and all the other horror things out there to disrupt family life, and I am - there is SO much we have not faced. But the strain of trying to deal with rude, disrespectful, defiant, know-it-all A-T-T-I-T-T-U-D-E can really frey the nerves.
Recently, in talking to others about recent or impeding childbirth, I find myself conveying that God must have been fully aware of these teen years ahead of me. I had very easy, low weight-gaining pregnacies, fast and easy deliveries, and babies that slept 6 or 8 hours at night at ten days old. Those days were easy, very easy....God knew I needed to rest up!!!!!
But seriously, tonight was hard. I see what's ahead if steps aren't taken to correct the crash course feverishly being raced forward. I try to guide, alert, provide needed tools, even enlighten, but to no avail. The hell bent fixation on "I'm smart, can handle it, and know what I'm doing" is maddening.
Give me strength to realize he's in God's hands and will come out the other side a better person - regardless of the goals not attained, plans that fall thru...whatever it is, may just have to be experienced the hard way.
But it hurts.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Switching to Facebook!
I tried very hard to stay up with blogs, but didn't do a great job. I may return here, but for now I will be trying to maintain my fb page.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Savannah Road Trip
We "borrowed" an idea from our Youth minister, Keith, and planned a road trip game for on the way to Savannah. We needed to leave early enough to give parents a chance to get to work, but we needed to slow down our progress so that Kerissa and Amanda could catch up since they could not leave in the morning. So our Amazing Race Road trip to Savannah was on!!
Since Cait had already done the trip, she and I rode together to "get ahead" of the gamers and take "arriving" pictures. Well, that was the plan, anyway. We missed a turn off I-85 and had to make a BIG detour to get back on the right path to our first Pit Stop. It was crazy, but we had fun. Cait had to learn how to read a map and we got to see a part of Alabama/GA that we'd normally never see.
The trip had it's twists and turns (and moments of frustration) but I think after all was said and done, it was worth it! We all had fun in the end, and the destination was just the beginning!!!
Since Cait had already done the trip, she and I rode together to "get ahead" of the gamers and take "arriving" pictures. Well, that was the plan, anyway. We missed a turn off I-85 and had to make a BIG detour to get back on the right path to our first Pit Stop. It was crazy, but we had fun. Cait had to learn how to read a map and we got to see a part of Alabama/GA that we'd normally never see.
The trip had it's twists and turns (and moments of frustration) but I think after all was said and done, it was worth it! We all had fun in the end, and the destination was just the beginning!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wow!! What a summer!
It happens EVERY year - as the school year nears the end, I can HARDLY wait. With two teens that are ADHD, the demands of the school year can absolutely wear me out - I have the job of teaching them how to cope with their limitations, build on their strengths). I sometimes feel like I have two jobs - the one that comes with a paycheck and the one God has placed before me (parenting). I sometimes look forward to my daytime job because the demands of God's job seems to take every fiber of my being. I always seem to covet the end of the school year - time to slow down, take a break from the double-duties. It never fails to be an illusion!
While there aren't the extra demands of the school year, my kids have always had busy summers and this year was NO exception! We started off with a bang right after school got out May 22nd. Cait and I had plans to go to Savannah with the Girl Scouts and Sean had a trip with the Boy Scouts. We all left the morning of May 27th - we were all very excited (Rick was going to have 5 days to himself!) I was looking forward to the break (my parents' house sprung a leak - more on that later) and the trips to Mobile had worn me out.
Cait and I had a great time on our trip! It turned out so that it was just the two of us traveling in the car the whole time - great time to talk, great time to have fun, a time I know I will cherish for a while. I'll do another post with more about our fun. I had a chance to see Cait maturing into a young lady - what a treat! We were driving partners, I depended on her greatly and it was really nice to share the load behind the wheel. She's a good driver - seems to have always been good. She took to it well when she got her permit 2 yrs ago. I was never really nervous, but cautious at times (especially when I had to have her drive the last 4 hrs of the trip - from the other side of Atlanta) I just could not be behind the wheel another moment. She did very well - I was very proud.
Sean's trip was to "Sea Base" - it's a high adventure trip. They traveled to Key West to board a sail boat for a week - they were the crew. The group was divided into 2 boats, 8 persons each. They cooked, cleaned, navigated, manned the helm - they did it all. There was an experienced captain on board, but the scouts and their leaders did the work. Sean had a ball - took to the nautical world with ease (any surprise with my mother an experienced sailor, and Rick and I former Navy??)
The week after these trips, Cait turned 17 and got to take her driving test. Unfortunately, nerves got the best of her and she did not pass the first attempt. She went back the very next morning, passed with ease!!! We now have 3 licensed drivers and 2 cars. Cait is limited in when she can use the car - only to help us, because she must finish her Gold award first (Girl Scout equivalent of Eagle Scout). Her project packet was submitted the day of her 1st driving test and she was approved after her interview later in the summer. She just has to get the project done now (still waiting!!) She left for two weeks of Girl Scout camp 2 days after her birthday/drivers license!!!
We made the tough decision to enroll Sean at Lyman Ward Military Academy for Summer school, which started a week after Cait's birthday. We had hoped visiting the campus would shake him enough to change his attitude/disrespect, but it didn't, so he went to summer school. We were hoping to make him understand that he had exhausted all our patience - we were running out of options to turn him around. He started a day late since he returned from Impact late Monday.
Rick's grandmother passed away the next day. Sean took it much harder than we expected. We had given both kids the option of staying (school/camp) or coming home for the funeral. Sean came home, Cait finished out her last week as a camper. We were all sad to lose Gonga, but at 92 yrs old, she had lived a very long, full life - it was time for her to be with Dick again - her beloved, only child. I was at peace thinking of them together.
Sean returned the week after July 4th - it has been a downward slide ever since. Not necessarily him, our "routine". We've had NO routine, NO responsibilities, nothing but being lazy (well, the kids at least!!!) Getting them (and me) back into routine has been brutal! School started Aug 11th and here we are. We decided not to send Sean back to Lyman for the regular school year (more later) - I pray daily that it was the right decision. He still seems to be rebellious - trying to figure out what is "normal", what is ADHD/ODD, and what is pure, willful defiance boggles our mind daily.
I will get my photos together and try to put things together and update soon!!
While there aren't the extra demands of the school year, my kids have always had busy summers and this year was NO exception! We started off with a bang right after school got out May 22nd. Cait and I had plans to go to Savannah with the Girl Scouts and Sean had a trip with the Boy Scouts. We all left the morning of May 27th - we were all very excited (Rick was going to have 5 days to himself!) I was looking forward to the break (my parents' house sprung a leak - more on that later) and the trips to Mobile had worn me out.
Cait and I had a great time on our trip! It turned out so that it was just the two of us traveling in the car the whole time - great time to talk, great time to have fun, a time I know I will cherish for a while. I'll do another post with more about our fun. I had a chance to see Cait maturing into a young lady - what a treat! We were driving partners, I depended on her greatly and it was really nice to share the load behind the wheel. She's a good driver - seems to have always been good. She took to it well when she got her permit 2 yrs ago. I was never really nervous, but cautious at times (especially when I had to have her drive the last 4 hrs of the trip - from the other side of Atlanta) I just could not be behind the wheel another moment. She did very well - I was very proud.
Sean's trip was to "Sea Base" - it's a high adventure trip. They traveled to Key West to board a sail boat for a week - they were the crew. The group was divided into 2 boats, 8 persons each. They cooked, cleaned, navigated, manned the helm - they did it all. There was an experienced captain on board, but the scouts and their leaders did the work. Sean had a ball - took to the nautical world with ease (any surprise with my mother an experienced sailor, and Rick and I former Navy??)
The week after these trips, Cait turned 17 and got to take her driving test. Unfortunately, nerves got the best of her and she did not pass the first attempt. She went back the very next morning, passed with ease!!! We now have 3 licensed drivers and 2 cars. Cait is limited in when she can use the car - only to help us, because she must finish her Gold award first (Girl Scout equivalent of Eagle Scout). Her project packet was submitted the day of her 1st driving test and she was approved after her interview later in the summer. She just has to get the project done now (still waiting!!) She left for two weeks of Girl Scout camp 2 days after her birthday/drivers license!!!
We made the tough decision to enroll Sean at Lyman Ward Military Academy for Summer school, which started a week after Cait's birthday. We had hoped visiting the campus would shake him enough to change his attitude/disrespect, but it didn't, so he went to summer school. We were hoping to make him understand that he had exhausted all our patience - we were running out of options to turn him around. He started a day late since he returned from Impact late Monday.
Rick's grandmother passed away the next day. Sean took it much harder than we expected. We had given both kids the option of staying (school/camp) or coming home for the funeral. Sean came home, Cait finished out her last week as a camper. We were all sad to lose Gonga, but at 92 yrs old, she had lived a very long, full life - it was time for her to be with Dick again - her beloved, only child. I was at peace thinking of them together.
Sean returned the week after July 4th - it has been a downward slide ever since. Not necessarily him, our "routine". We've had NO routine, NO responsibilities, nothing but being lazy (well, the kids at least!!!) Getting them (and me) back into routine has been brutal! School started Aug 11th and here we are. We decided not to send Sean back to Lyman for the regular school year (more later) - I pray daily that it was the right decision. He still seems to be rebellious - trying to figure out what is "normal", what is ADHD/ODD, and what is pure, willful defiance boggles our mind daily.
I will get my photos together and try to put things together and update soon!!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Reaching milestones
I had the privilege tonight of attending a graduation party for a young man I consider one of my own. My family has been interwoven with the Wallace family for 10 yrs now. Abby kept both the kids in daycare until they were 13 and they still help with after-school transportation today.
For some reason, it didn't strike me as closely to see their oldest, Isaac, graduate from LAMP last year. But for some reason, knowing that tomorrow, Sawyer will cross that bridge in his life touches me close. Perhaps it is because I had a full year to have one-on-one time with Sawyer with after school transportation when he began at ACA. Perhaps it is because I know that this brings me that much closer to my own graduating next year - he and Cait are only 10 months apart in age. Perhaps it is because I have seen so much growth in Sawyer these last few months. He use to annoy the stew out of me (as my own do at times). But now I see this young man - matured, responsible, respectful, with a grasp of what he is here to do.
It's going to be kinda strange tomorrow, seeing him graduate. But as I claim him as one of my own, I will be clapping among the loudest tomorrow, proud that, even in some small way, that I may have had a positive impact on this. What a great day it will be!!
For some reason, it didn't strike me as closely to see their oldest, Isaac, graduate from LAMP last year. But for some reason, knowing that tomorrow, Sawyer will cross that bridge in his life touches me close. Perhaps it is because I had a full year to have one-on-one time with Sawyer with after school transportation when he began at ACA. Perhaps it is because I know that this brings me that much closer to my own graduating next year - he and Cait are only 10 months apart in age. Perhaps it is because I have seen so much growth in Sawyer these last few months. He use to annoy the stew out of me (as my own do at times). But now I see this young man - matured, responsible, respectful, with a grasp of what he is here to do.
It's going to be kinda strange tomorrow, seeing him graduate. But as I claim him as one of my own, I will be clapping among the loudest tomorrow, proud that, even in some small way, that I may have had a positive impact on this. What a great day it will be!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
From Relaxing to Chaos!!!
I guess God was giving me rest when the Emersons were here, because life got REALLY crazy last week. Of all days, it started on my birthday last Thursday (May 8th). I received a call around 4:30pm from my aunt who lives on Dauphin Island (near my parents). She had gone to check on the house and there was water, apparently from the fridge ice maker. She turned off the water, but would not be able to take care of the water, etc, I needed to come down.
I had a girl scout leader/daughter dinner to "host" that evening, so I'd have to wait until after getting the kids to school Friday. I was also supposed to have a campout with my girl scouts (end of year awards, etc). I spent most of the trip down making sure everything was covered since I would not be there. Rick took off work be my chauffeur and the "muscle", which was great.
I knew the damage would be bad from my aunt's description, but I was not prepared for what I walked into. Water was 2 ft from the front door, carpet was soaked!! After a quick look around, Rick got busy moving things out to the porch and I located the phone book. I got a water extraction company on the phone (they were on the way to the island for a cleaning job). They were 30 min away and would come straight to the house!!! I then started rifling thru my Dad's files to locate insurance papers.
Long and short of it, 3 rooms had to be packed out by movers and taken to storage, the damage repairs (alone) will exceed $16,000+ and it will take about a month to complete repairs. My parents are due back from their trip May 24 but will not be able to get back into their house until early-mid June.
I've been working with Mom via e-mail to get details on her choices for flooring, etc. Since she was already planning on re-doing the kitchen, we're implementing those plans as well. I spent Mother's Day weekend getting things stable enough to leave and get back to work. I FINALLY was able to speak to my Mom on Mother's Day to break the news (great for us both! - not). I have been back down (yesterday) to sign the contract on the repair work to get that started Monday.
It's been a whirlwind that will not be over for a while. Please pray that God continues to put these pieces back together quickly so that parents will not lose the "high" of the fabulous trip they have been on since April 24th. It's been their dream trip - a cruise on the Mediterranean for 20 days padded with before and after trips to Rome and Venice.
An unfortunate way to come home from such a fabulous trip, but I keep telling my Mom - your getting a new home in the process and insurance is covering the bulk of the expense!! So far, she's been good with this, but my Dad......we'll see????
I had a girl scout leader/daughter dinner to "host" that evening, so I'd have to wait until after getting the kids to school Friday. I was also supposed to have a campout with my girl scouts (end of year awards, etc). I spent most of the trip down making sure everything was covered since I would not be there. Rick took off work be my chauffeur and the "muscle", which was great.
I knew the damage would be bad from my aunt's description, but I was not prepared for what I walked into. Water was 2 ft from the front door, carpet was soaked!! After a quick look around, Rick got busy moving things out to the porch and I located the phone book. I got a water extraction company on the phone (they were on the way to the island for a cleaning job). They were 30 min away and would come straight to the house!!! I then started rifling thru my Dad's files to locate insurance papers.
Long and short of it, 3 rooms had to be packed out by movers and taken to storage, the damage repairs (alone) will exceed $16,000+ and it will take about a month to complete repairs. My parents are due back from their trip May 24 but will not be able to get back into their house until early-mid June.
I've been working with Mom via e-mail to get details on her choices for flooring, etc. Since she was already planning on re-doing the kitchen, we're implementing those plans as well. I spent Mother's Day weekend getting things stable enough to leave and get back to work. I FINALLY was able to speak to my Mom on Mother's Day to break the news (great for us both! - not). I have been back down (yesterday) to sign the contract on the repair work to get that started Monday.
It's been a whirlwind that will not be over for a while. Please pray that God continues to put these pieces back together quickly so that parents will not lose the "high" of the fabulous trip they have been on since April 24th. It's been their dream trip - a cruise on the Mediterranean for 20 days padded with before and after trips to Rome and Venice.
An unfortunate way to come home from such a fabulous trip, but I keep telling my Mom - your getting a new home in the process and insurance is covering the bulk of the expense!! So far, she's been good with this, but my Dad......we'll see????
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Picnic with the Emersons
A few weeks ago I got the idea that our Caring group should invite Brett & April (and the boys) to join us one Sunday evening.Then another twinkle - invite the youth group since Brett & April were so involved as we awaited Keith & Martha's arrival - we'd just have some plain ol' fun!!! It worked out that the time that was best for the Emersons was the last Sunday they'd be here - May 4th.
I don't think the weather could have been any better!!! The crowd was small - only about 25 total - but the event was GREAT! The kids (meaning the youth kids and adult males) played Extreme Frisbee in the field at the pond/playground in our sub-division. Rick & Justin grilled and the ladies stayed at the pavilion setting up the meal and socializing. The food and fellowship was fun and then Terry B. brought out the fishing gear!!! Here are some pics - I was having so much fun, pictures were an after thought!
I have a few others, but didn't want to go overboard. If you were there and want copies of what I have, e-mail me (asimonton@faulkner.edu) and I will send them your way.
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