First Day of School

The long awaited for day has finally arrived…

Kids dragging, mom herding, and all is right with the World!! Of course, soon enough they will begin with lists of supplies for each class (velcro and a hammer??), the itinerary for each activity, and of course, I plan to be more involved with AFJROTC this year. But for now, I shall enjoy the angst.

courtesy NY Post

I feel a little bad from taking enjoyment out of this. My sadness can be measured with an electron microscope, but I assure you, it’s there. I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was really, really happy.

I did a search for “ecstatic mom” and this came up. Eh, close enough 😉

Sibling Rivalry

I am a very proud mom. Both of my children in High School will be enrolled in the Air Force Junior ROTC this year. And up until yesterday, everything about that was simply perfect.

And then, Eldest came home, beaming from ear to ear. Usually that is a good sign. She is in a good mood, and is therefore more productive. In turn, I don’t have to deal with drama, or crankiness, or more drama. So, like a good mom, I asked her how things went.

She was promoted to officer!!

YAY!!!!

She will be in charge of her brother’s flight!!

Crap.

I’ll be honest, my kids do get along well, but they can also get a bit testy when one reigns supreme over the other. However, it being the ROTC, I know they can be professional about it. The true test will be on Eldest, since she has to walk the tightrope between fairness, and being a tyrannical megalomaniac. I know she can do well, as she has proven herself to the Commander. And this will help her achieve her goals toward leadership positions.

But Son won’t take crap from her sitting down for long.

Move over, lemonade. It’s time for Mylanta. 🙂

Manic Monday

Usually I wake up gradually as the sun rises. I can’t manage to ever sleep in, unless I stay up the evening before well into the early morning hours, and then I sleep only until about 8:30 AM. Yes, I realize I am doing it wrong. I can’t even manage to nap during the day.

Anyway, this morning I woke up in a panic. Eldest had a AFJROTC seminar to attend at 8 AM, and it was 7:30, and since she moves at the speed of dark, I kind of freaked out a bit, and ran to get her going, only to find her in the bathroom getting spiffied up.

Me: Don’t you have to be there at 8???

Eldest: No, mom… 8:30.

Me: Oh….

Eldest: I got everything ready last night, too.

Me: Oh, good!

I trudge back to the kitchen to get coffee, and settle to read the horrid news from all over the world, and at 8:17 she walks into the kitchen, all spit shined and pretty, ready to go. I get up and move to go when suddenly she says:

Eldest: Oh, I forgot I can’t wear red nail polish!!

Me: Tough, they will deal with it. Let’s go!

The more things change….

Welcome to the Puzzlehouse

My Little One is fond of puzzles. Very fond. Extremely fond. Thankfully, she can be entertained for hours putting a puzzle together. Usually her puzzles are anywhere in the 250 to 500 piece range, but this time she decided to try 1000.

And danged if she didn’t do most of it!

No flowers or butterflies for her, either. That is The Elements, based on the book by the same name by Theodore Gray. Unlike most times when you do the edges first, it was easier to start with the inner pieces, since the outer ones were solid black.

As you can tell, the elements were represented by real-world items, in this case, Hydrogen was represented by the Pillars of Creation. Carbon was a diamond, Iron was a horseshoe, etc. Several are represented by their namesakes, like Einsteinium. All in all, it was a challenge to put together.

It will be a pity to take apart 😉

Fight for Your Right to Party

Ok, it wasn’t a “fight”, nor is it a “right”, but since it was her Sweet Sixteen, Eldest got to host a party. It was small, thank goodness, but still a lot of fun for them. Why? Because the theme of the party was PAINT.

This was the cake:

Those are NOT flowers. Eldest wouldn’t be caught dead with a cake that had flowers. Unless they were black roses, and I had to nix that. Those are paint “splotches” made from delicious buttercream frosting. We are not fond of fondant here at Casa de Aggie. The “16” is a cookie made in the form of a paint brush. The table was decorated with a canvas dropcloth, and we had set up paints, brushes and a water pail outside next to the large canvas dropcloth that was designated for their artistic talents. But as usual, the best laid plans…

Title of artwork: Aftermath

I told them specifically that they could also paint on their clothing only, provided they didn’t smear paint on hair. Well, that went unheeded. Not only were they fully covered in paint, they went out to the street and paraded for the cars driving by. An activity that facilitated drying of the paint. In their hair.

Did I mention the girls ALL had long hair? And some of the boys, as well?

And did I mention this was a dual sleepover? As in Son had two friends staying, and Eldest had two friends staying?

(Disclosure- I had chaperones)

Anyway, it took a couple of hours for the paint to be peeled, PEELED from hair, over which time the kids were taking turns washing it off. But all in all, the kids had a great time, and are wanting to plan another party, this time without the paint. Frankly, after the wanton sacrilege of my bathtub, I’m leery of having paint anywhere near the house:

THE HUMANITY!!!!

And that was only half of the paint that was peeled from Eldest’s hair. Yes, I cried.

All in all, the party was a huge success, and I was very impressed with her friends, all of whom behaved with respect and good manners, and were funny and sweet.

Next time, I think I will do permanent markers, instead 😉

Bittersweetness

Today is the day.

She is sixteen years old. She is taller than I am. She is beautiful, inside and out. And as I sit here and write about her, and think about how wonderful she is, I reflect on that day sixteen years ago when she came into the world and my heart breaks, knowing that she will never be my baby again.

Happy birthday to my oldest bundle of joy 🙂

Home Improvement

This week, I shall be undertaking several projects here at home. Some are small, piddly little things that have gotten under my skin, like finally hanging up several pictures which have been in the closet for the last five years. Others require the willing co-operation of the children. In particular, Eldest will be moving her piles of “stuff” back into her room by TOMORROW.

She reads this, which is why I wrote that in big letters.

Her room has a certain Zen look to it, when uncluttered. Hopefully, she will get rid of half of the clutter that takes away from it, and make the room into a haven for her. If she’s lucky, she will have a nice reading chair in there for her use, along with new lighting if I can manage it.

Say it with me: OHM!!!

Hopefully I will be able to post a pic of the finished room tomorrow. Because her father reads this, too 😉

UPDATE:

I had forgotten about an appointment I have this morning, so pics of her finished room will have to wait until tomorrow. Thank goodness!!

State of Panic

Yes, I am in a state of panic. Eldest’s Sweet Sixteen birthday is coming up, and she wants a party, but her lazy gene decided to act up, and we haven’t done any planning!! Ok, that’s not entirely true. I have made plans, but she has neither approved or disapproved of them. She sort of likes the cake design….. she sort of likes the menu…. she sort of likes everything.

She just can’t decide on the incidentals.

She did decide on a theme, though. We are going to have a Paint Party! I will have a canvas tarp set up outside on the fence, and her friends will be able to paint or write anything they like (as long as it passes muster with me).

Like this, only legible.

Of course, that means no dressing up, which every parent considers a total win. It also means they will leave through the side gate, and not through the house. One thing I am not sure about is whether or not to have party favors. It’s a tradition in Puerto Rico to do so at every type of party. I even gave favors at my wedding. But kids might consider that uncool, or something. If anyone has suggestions, let me know 😉

So, this weekend will be spent planning and screaming, and hopefully it will get done!!

Dog Days of Summer

Well, apparently they are here rather early. This week has been very hectic at Casa de Aggie. Hubby has been in a hurry to receive certain documents for his board, and I have been in a hurry to find them! Luckily, all that got done, thanks to Eldest, who knows how to scan and attach (whatever that means) to emails.

The girls decided to weed out their wardrobes, and generously donated everything yesterday. And they were generous…. five garbage bags and one huge box of clothing, to include jackets, coats, shirts, dresses, and several pairs of brand new shoes, since according to Little One, Momma doesn’t have good taste.

Seriously, she said that. I too, am appalled.

So, hopefully as this week winds down, I’ll be able to post more. First, I have to rescue the front lawn, though. Oh, and replace the outdoor ceiling fans, and trim the front tree and plants. Also, have to get things moving for Eldest’s Sweet Sixteen party, and pick a day to finally sort the filing. Maybe.

Sigh….. 🙂

Samuel L. Jackson, You’re My Only Hope

Last night was a typical Friday night at Casa de Aggie. One kid had a friend over, one kid was having a chatfest on FaceBook, and the last kid was enjoying the fact that she had complete and total control of the remote. That really isn’t a big deal, since she always does. But all in all, we had a nice quiet evening.

Until Hell came to Snaketown.

This is Aro.

My Eldest’s pet snake.

She is usually found in her natural habitat of glass tank with lid.

Her turn-ons are small rodents, warm rocks, and small dark places.

Turn-offs include taking baths in cold water, glass candle holders around bathtubs, and dogs.

Mostly dogs.

Especially dogs.

As I explained, last night was a rather quiet evening. Until about 2 AM, when Eldest banged on my bedroom door and said, loudly and urgently, “MOM!! I NEED YOU!!”

Instinctively, I grabbed my gun and was about to jump out of bed, when she went on with, “I need your help! Aro is gone!!”

(Insert groggy groan here, followed by silent curses)

I told her to start looking and that I would be right out. Placing the gun away, I went out, and we began a rather fruitless search for a snake who had a six hour lead on us. The good news: neither dog had bloody fangs. The bad news: there are too many places in which a small snake can hide. So, for now, I will be cleaning up and examining corners, looking for bone pellets or shed skin.

So, who wants to come for a visit??

UPDATE!!

I took John’s advice and began to think like a snake. I found her five minutes after that, in the hallway closet, under two backpacks, one overnight bag, two scarves, a pair of snowboots (yeah, still have them from Germany), and a cloak. I also found a brand new Risk board game that the kids are playing upstairs. Son had said he had “looked” in the closet last night, so I asked him what he had seen on the floor.

Son: A pair of boots….

Me: And?

Son: I think my old backpack….

Me: And???

Son: and…..maybe something else?

Me: Suuuuuuure you looked…

Sheesh!