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Mar
2
My baby eighth grader went to his first semi-formal dance recently. I wasn’t thrilled with the whole “semi-formal” thing at first, because it meant we had to buy some dress up clothes for him. The school counselor made it clear that semi-formal just meant no jeans/t-shirts/tennis shoes, not a tuxedo. Whew!
My son did not have a date for this dance, much to my relief. I really have nothing against dances or dates, but some of my best memories from high school are going to dances with a group of friends. We had a blast, and there were none of the expectations that might be there with a date. I want him to have fun, not drama. So he met several friends there, and afterwards spent the night with his buddies.
I worry about my boy, because like me, he can have unreasonable expectations of things. A dance could be the the “best night of his life”, if he only had a date. So for him, no date means he can relax and be himself, without aiming for that unattainable “perfect night”. We did have to have a discussion about the clothes though. He actually asked for a suit. I would love nothing more than to see my boy decked out in a suit, but that is a more money than I can spend on something he won’t wear again. We finally agreed on black dress pants, red shirt, tie and shoes. He looked great!
It was so cute to see him getting ready that night, with his dad helping him with his tie. He was excited and nervous, calling his friends constantly to make sure that no one arrived at the dance before the others. They all came back to our house after the dance, just long enough for Tanner to change clothes and grab some overnight stuff. One of the guys did have a date, and they were giving her a ride home so she came over too. The girls apparently took the semi-formal part very seriously! She looked lovely, but my first dress like that was for prom my junior year. I saw many pictures from that night and all the girls were wearing formals. Even though I wasn’t excited about the semi-formal part at first, I do think it changed the whole atmostphere of the dance for these kids. I’ve never seen my son or the other kids so excited about a school dance, and the only difference was that they were dressed up. They loved dressing up and loved seeing each other dress up, and I’m sure it made a difference in how they behaved at the dance.
Now here’s my rant – you knew it was coming, right? My husband dropped him off at the dance, and when he came home he told me there were two limos dropping off groups of kids, one a Hummer limo. Remember, this is an EIGHTH GRADE dance. Not senior prom. What do these kids have to look forward to for prom, or any other dance, if we are bringing out the big guns for EIGHTH GRADE?
I get that parents want to make these things perfect for their kids. I want my son to have a good time, I don’t care so much about perfection. I also get that if you can afford to do things like that, go right ahead. But next year, how do you top the fancy dress, corsage, dinner before the dance, bowling afterwards, and the limo? What is left to make the next four years worth of dances great and wonderful and perfect?
I grew up in a small town, so there were no limos, no restaurants, no hotels. There was only so much we could do for prom, and it was still absolutely perfect. So I don’t know what I’m getting into here. If this is what its like in eighth grade, are we talking five star restaurants, private parties and (gasp) hotels for prom? Really, I have no idea, but I’m not looking forward to the conversation where we tell our son No to the hotel idea.
Anyone have a teenager and been through the whole dance/prom thing and can tell me what I’m in for? Are limos at eighth grade dances typical? What happens in high school then, do we fly the kids in (sarcasm)? But really, what are your thoughts on this? Feel free to call me old fashioned, the label fits.
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Feb
2
We all are slowly making our way back to the land of the living after our visit from swine flu. But its slow going. I wanted to post an update, but you’ll have to excuse the randomness of my ramblings.
~My kids had a two week Christmas break. The week they went back to school, they had two snow days, so another four day weekend. Then they got a three day weekend for Martin Luther King day. Last week they got out of school early on Thursday and no school at all on Friday because of snow. Even without the flu, I would be exhausted from all the snow days! I am not enjoying this winter wonderland anymore.
~I turned 41 on Sunday. It was actually nice to be snowed in on my birthday, a very quiet day.
~I went to a meeting for parents of incoming high school students last night to learn about enrollment. I’m not sure why I was asked to attend, don’t they realize there is NO WAY my baby can be in high school?? Although that same baby keeps reminding me that he will get his driver’s permit this summer. Why does he want me to have gray hair?
~My husband and oldest son are doing the P90x program. My husband has been doing the exercise program for a few months; after the holidays he started loosely following the eating plan. Tanner started doing the exercise program in January and is also loosely following the eating plan. What this means is that there are no good snacks in my house. None. I’m all for eating healthy, but a girl needs some snacks around. Also, eating healthier means cooking more. None of this grab a bag of processed something or other and throw it in the oven. There is chopping, slicing, dicing, baking, broiling, and in my case, burning. Yes, burning. A few weekends ago, I decided to grill some steak that my inlaws had given us. My husband and Tanner were practically salivating at the thought of those steaks after a week of tuna, chicken and 500 pounds of vegetables. I started grilling when Mike and Nolan were driving home from baseball practice. I haven’t grilled in awhile, let me just say that. So when the smoke alarm went off, I ignored it. Must be malfunctioning, why would the smoke alarm in the house go off when I’m grilling outside? When that thought sunk in, I ran outside to find the back of the house covered in smoke. The flames were so out of control I could not open the grill for about 20 minutes after I turned it off. So when Mike got home, starving for steak, to find a plate with baked fish and a pile of veggies waiting for him, he was not happy. We all cried that night.
~I am not doing the P90x program with the guys. I may have told them that I am diligently doing the workouts during the day, when I’m home alone. That may have been a small lie fib. The truth is more like when I’m home alone I sometimes pick up the exercise dvds and move them off the table. To make room for my snack. Then I remember, NO SNACKS! I’m really suffering through their fitness program, and I do not appreciate it.
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Nov
18
Last weekend one of my youngest sons friends spent the weekend with us. The boys had a LEGO Robotics competition and his parents had to be out of town, so we had a guest.
I was worried that they boys would be bored spending almost 2 1/2 days together, so I was trying to think of something to do Saturday night. It was finally starting to feel like November, so my first thought was to rent a movie. Ok, thats always my first thought, I love movies. The only other thing I came up with was to go to a movie….which sounds pretty much the same, but its not. Really.
Anyway, no one was real excited about my suggestions. I don’t know about you, but I always wonder if every other family does all kinds of fascinating things on the weekends. So I was worried that my sons friend would be bored to tears by our couch potato-y weekend.
My husband does not worry about anything, and certainly not about entertaining our children, but he is really good at coming up with fun things to do that don’t involve electronics. Out of nowhere he suggested making a fire in the fire pit and cooking dinner over it. Finally, something better than a movie! I was pretty impressed, and the boys perked right up and got everything ready themselves.
They made grilled cheese sandwiches and roasted marshmallows. I noticed that our guest wasn’t eating the marshmallows, so I asked if he liked them. He solemnly explained that he only liked them in smores. Well! As the hostess, what choice did I have but to run right to the store to get chocolate and graham crackers! Anything for a guest 
When I got back and we commenced with the smores making and smores eating, my son was telling his friend about how when Halloween was over, my husband had the grand idea to blow up a pumpkin with some old firecrackers. (He swears it was the boys’ idea… right). Kyle listened intently, sighed, and said that his family never does anything fun like blowing things up or starting fires in the backyard.
Awww, can you think of a better compliment than that? We are fun! We do exciting weekend activities! (Never mind that some parents might not approve of the blowing up stuff type activities. It was all done in the name of scientific research, really)
The sleepover weekend was a huge success. I felt like Martha Stewart, only with gooey marshmallows and chocolate dripping down my chin. Yum.
I really wanted to take a picture of us in all our fiery, chocolatey glory, but eating smores takes two hands. A girl has to prioritize.
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Nov
9
Tonight my youngest son, husband and I were hanging out in the living room. I don’t watch much TV, but I was taking a break from my homework. My husband was watching football and flipping the channel back and forth to whatever my son wanted to watch. Finally my son sighed, got up, walked over to me and asked:
Can I just go read my book?
Sweeter words were never spoken That boy takes after his mother!
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Nov
6
My husband and youngest son are going on a Boy Scout camp out this weekend. My older son has all region band tryouts tomorrow and a football game to go to tonight, so it looks like I’m going to have some quality alone time. Can’t complain about that
When my husband and sons go camping, I rent a chick flick to watch by myself. It has become a tradition that on Friday or Saturday night, when I settle down to watch my movie, I have to call my husband – usually in the middle of a very fun campfire activity – and ask him to tell me, AGAIN, how do you work the dvd player. Yes, I am my mother when it comes to technology. I just very rarely watch TV, never TIVO anything, and the only time I control the remote is when I am home alone. How can I be expected to remember what to do when I only do it a couple times a year??
It’s quite the joke in my family, my kids think its a combination of hysterical and embarrassing. Today my husband decided to break tradition, and he showed me how to do it before he left. He not only showed me, he had me do it.
So much for tradition. I guess he really doesn’t want me to interrupt the smores again.
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Oct
5
Thanks to all of your great suggestions, I now have a long list of movies for our family movie nights. Of course, when we got to the movie store, none of the ones I had chosen for this past weekend were there. So what did my kids pick? Monsters vs. Aliens, which was very funny. My kids are all about wanting to watch “grown-up” movies, but yesterday Cars and The Incredibles were on TV, and you would have thought my kids had never seen them, they were so excited to watch them. Ok, so I was excited too. Those are classics!
There is still time to enter to win 1 of 2 Amazon $100 gift cards. Keep the movie recommendations coming!
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Sep
29
We have been trying to have a family movie night every weekend, and so far, it has been a success. The only problem we have is choosing movies, or choosing a movie that all four of us agree on.
My kids, especially my 12 year old, think that I am trying to keep them from great classic movies, such as anything from the Scream series or “305″… How did they figure out that I want to keep those timeless treasures all to myself!
It is hard to find movies that we all like, because I veto anything with sexual content or nudity. Language is hard to avoid, to a certain extent, so I will consider movies with minor bad language and minimal violence. That rules out most comedies, because those are usually full of inappropriate content. So every week is kind of a struggle.
Last weekend we rented The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, based on the book by John Boyne. I do like to read the books first, but this was the only movie we all wanted to see. Excellent movie, although its been awhile since a movie had me sobbing out loud. Very heavy for family movie night, but it opened up a great discussion. I highly recommend it.
My kids prefer action or scary movies, and they think Friday the 13th would be the ultimate scary movie - if their mom would let them watch it . Why do so many scary movies have to throw in a sex scene?
I love movies, and I want to share that with my kids, but our options are so limited. They don’t want to watch movies that are rated G, but I draw the line at so many even PG-13 movies. This is where you guys come in!
I need movie ideas for our family movie night. My boys are 12 and 14. Like I said, no sexual content, but I’ll consider just about anything else. It doesn’t have to be a recent movie, old movies are fine. Scary, funny, action, drama, anything goes. I’d love to hear about movies that you or your family love. What would you recommend for my family?
And because I sooo appreciate you suggestions, a giveaway! I am giving away (2) $100 Amazon gift cards. Two lucky winners! And there are a lot of ways to enter.
Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment here with movie recommendations. One comment per person, but there are other ways to enter.
More ways to enter:
- Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog. (include direct link in your comment)
- Follow me on Twitter (@UnexpectedBliss)
- For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. Leave your Twitter name in your comment. This may be done as often as you want, leave a comment for each tweet.
- Stumble this post
For each of the above that you do, leave 1 comment on this giveaway post, ie 1 comment if you subscribe, 1 comment if you follow me on Twitter, 1 comment for each tweet, 1 comment for a Stumble, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)
You can also earn additional entries by commenting on any of my blog posts from September 1 through October 5. Relevant comments puleeze, not just I want to win! or Here’s my entry! If you already commented on those posts, go ahead and comment again to be counted for this giveaway, I’ll be keeping track by date.
That is a lot of chances to win!
Open to US addresses only. Please make sure you leave a valid email address with each entry. The winners will have 72 hours to respond to my email notification, if I do not hear back within that time I will pick another winner.
This giveaway will end at midnight CST on Monday October 5.
The giveaway has ended. Thank you for all your great movie recommendations! Winners will be emailed later today and will be posted here once I hear back from them. Thanks for entering!
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Sep
23
My youngest son wants a cell phone. He has wanted one for awhile, but now that he’s in sixth grade and everyone has a cell phone, he is especially desperate for one. I offered to let him carry one of our old ones and just always say his phone died, but he didn’t go for that
Unlike his teenage brother, whose method for getting what he wants is limited to asking then wailing when the answer is no, my little guy knows the subtle art of persuasion. In other words, he is trying to manipulate his mama with his cuteness. Oh yes he is.
For instance, puppy dog eyes. He does it well, and he does it often. Tell me this face is not irrestible-
(I had to include the actual puppy with the boy and his puppy dog eyes, so you see the full irrestibility)
I am particularly vulnerable to this boy and his puppy dog eyes, because he is so desperate for a phone that he drops his manly attitude and is all “hug me mommy”. He knows what works, the sly dog.
He went on a campout last weekend and used one of his friends’ phone to text me. Often. I guess to show me his fine texting skillz… Which are so fine that I have to share the texts with you:
Nolan: Hi mommy yer stil at the church (translation: we’re still at the church)
Me: Hi honey, have a good time.
Nolan: Dont text me again im on davids fone
Then my older son sent him a text, because when someone tells you not to text them, you must respond!
Nolan: david is taking hi fone awa so dont text me but i dont think that os fairatall (translation: david is taking his phone away so don’t text me, but I don’t think that is fair at all)
Nolan: member to call att (translation: Remember to call AT&T and ask how much it will cost to get him a phone)
Nolan: Seriousli
Nolan: U better
Nolan: Seriousli before o get home (translation: seriously before I get home)
Nolan: Davids fone is dying dont text again (notice that I have NOT been texting him!)
Nolan: hi mom imon dads fone now (translation: hi mom I’m on dad’s phone now)
Nolan: dad wants his fone back already wich is totaly ufair by (translation: dad wants his phone back already which is totally unfair. bye)
Well. I think we all can agree that the child is a texting prodigy. Seriously, I was laughing so hard getting those texts from him.
Adorableness and texting genius aside, that boy is still not getting a fone. Wich is totaly ufair.
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Aug
13
What is THAT?? Who are those scantily dressed women and why are they bothering my baby? Clearly he is struggling to escape from them. Poor kid.
And this is the last time I let my husband take him to a local baseball game. When the paper said Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Night at the stadium, I did not know it meant that cheerleaders would be harassing my precious boy like that.
He does look upset, right? Let’s pretend that he does.
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Aug
3
August. Back to school time, school supply shopping time, school clothes shopping time. All great fun. No one here is ready for school to start. Really, not even me. But it needs to start, and soon.
Why does it need to start? Because we are entering what I call the Dead Zone of Summer. Surely you know about this. It’s when the kids are so bored, having long conversations with the dog is exciting. Even if the dog is asleep.
Yes, I know what to do with bored children. I give them chores. Lots of chores. I keep them busy. But they are still bored, and there are only so many chores I can give them. They tried, but they just were not able to remodel our house for me. oh just kidding. But seriously, I’m trying to keep them busy, and I have made a standing offer to provide transportation for them to go to a friends house or to bring their friends here. But they are still bored. Which can only mean one thing – they are ready to go back to school.
I wish we could take a last minute vacation or weekend trip. But those things take money, which in this house is going to be spent on braces very soon. We spent yesterday exploring the Oklahoma countryside in all its glory,and that was fun. But we need some help, some suggestions to beat the August Boredom Dead Zone. What does your family do when the children are totally, completely, unequivocally bored to tears?
And because August can be tough for all of us, a Giveaway! Leave me your comments with suggestions to beat the end of summer boredom, and enter to win a $50 Target gift card. A little shopping is always good when you’re bored, right?
Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment here telling me what you do to deal with bored kids. One comment per person, but there are other ways to enter.
More ways to enter:
- Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog. (include direct link in your comment)
- Follow me on Twitter (@UnexpectedBliss)
- For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. Leave your Twitter name in your comment. This may be done as often as you want, leave a comment for each tweet.
- Stumble this post
For each of the above that you do, leave 1 comment on this giveaway post, ie 1 comment if you subscribe, 1 comment if you follow me on Twitter, 1 comment for each tweet, 1 comment for a Stumble, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)
Open to US addresses only.
This giveaway will end next Monday August 10 at midnight CST.
The giveaway has ended, thank you everyone who entered. I will notify the lucky winner via email. Please respond within five days or I will notify an alternate. Thanks again!
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