One of my pet peeves is going to the grocery store and seeing people pull right into the space reserved for pregnant women – or women with newborns.  While it is not against the law like parking in a handicapped space without the wheelchair placard, it would still be a nice gesture for people to get off their butts and walk and extra 20 feet!

The behavior does not really surprise me given the findings of an anonymous guest writer over at the website called asians,

Though age can be difficult to assess, particularly amongst people of color, my general conclusion was that older people (meaning people 30+) were much more likely to offer me a seat. I don’t think a single teenager or person in their early 20s offered me a seat during the entire time I was keeping tabs. I chalk this up to youngling self-absorption. How can a teenager possibly think to offer a seat to a pregnant woman when there are pressing matters like SATs, college essays, and how to ask the pretty girl with the green sweater out on a date to consider?

Interesting findings, though I am glad to not have to be the one doing the experiment!

H/T Brittney.

Photo by inha leex hale via flickr creative commons.

We had a crowd over yesterday.  While I spent days in advance cleaning, organizing, planning menus, confirming guests, my husband spent some time getting ready for potential guests.

Yes, he mowed the yard and generally straightened up the outside (he even took out storm windows and cleaned them, along with shutters). But he had a few surprises up his sleeve, as well. (Of course washing the storm windows was an EXTREMELY NICE surprise.)   He picked up a badminton set with a big volley ball, a corn-bag toss game (called corn hole here in the south), and got BUBBLES for the babies.

I was amazed to see the 14 kids ranging in age of three years old to 21 playing all those games.

So when you plan a cook-out, don’t forget to have some activities for the kids.  If you can’t purchase the bubbles, you can make them using dishwashing soap.  Here’s a link on how to both make the soap and the wires to blow bubbles with!

Hoping your Memorial Day was fantastic!

I told my husband that he absolutely could NOT get a motorcycle … at least until the kids were older to be grown up or almost grown.  They have reached that point now.  And guess who now has a motorcycle?  Yes, the husband up and invested $1500 in a used two-wheel death machine.

I am excited for him.  I’m worried.  I’m proud.  I’m scared.

He has to wear he helmet at all times on the bike.  He looks like a little old man driver since the Kawasaki doesn’t have a windshield and he wear goggles as a result.  If only he had a British accent!  He refuses to give anyone a ride on on it because he had not ridden in 30 years and does not want the balance to cause a wreck.

And that’s the other reason I asked him to wait.  As you get older, you are more mature. More responsible.

Please pray for his safety! 

Today, I watched my son receive an award for being on the honor roll all school year. I am over the moon proud of the little prince. Every year since he started school (he is finishing up third grade) he has done well with his academics. Whenever report cards come out we see wonderful grades, but average, if we are lucky, conduct grades. There is very little concern that he will put anyone out of the running for a good citizenship award.

So, I started thinking. Yes, my little prince can be a handful at times. But, which would I rather have, a nerd with a little attitude, or a slacker with perfect behavior? He wants to be a meteorologist when he grows up, lofty goals for such a young age. He will need the strong academic skills he is building now.

I know well enough that the angst he causes me know will ebb and flow as he matures and grows. I realize there will be days I want to pull my hair out. But, more often than not, I will kiss him every night and tell him how proud I am of him. Not just for the grades, but for the great kid he really is, and the wonderful man I know he will become.

Guest Author Theresa Hesse is full time mom of two rambunctious children, full time employee, part time student and devoted to her family and friends.  Being a tiny bit insane helps juggle everything!! Theresa enjoys writing, sewing and music.  Her dislikes include sorting socks, yardwork and scratchy blankets.

Photo by Woodley Wonder Works via Flickr Creative Commons.

You know how you can walk into a strange place and the smell of something as innocuous as machinery oil can transport you back 40 years o your Grandfather’s old shop?  That happened to me about three or four years ago as I was showing a house to a friend and walked into a backyard workshop.

Today, my 20 year old found a little audio tape we bought for her when she was one- or two-years old.  It was one of those “name” tapes where the songs were all pre-recorded and then a kid’s name was inserted.  We heard “It’s a Sing-Along Day for Annie” tonight for the first time in about 17 years.

The expression on her face – the smile, the memories – was a moment that I have lived to see as a mother.  I knew then that her childhood was filled with happiness.

Whoever said raising a son is easy hasn’t met my boy. The little prince (and I use that term loosely as of late) is about to turn nine years old. He is apparently at “that” age. You know the one, were he likes to test the adults to see what all he can get away with. Every week there is a note from his teacher…your son did _________ today. So, his father asked me recently if I believed we should consult a child psychologist for all of his bad behavior.

Most of the problems at school are simple mischief. I get that he has to follow the rules at school and there should be consequences if he doesn’t. But I also know that double jeopardy is against the law, so I usually don’t punish him a second time if the offense is minor. I told his dad that he is just being a boy. Boys cause mischief…boys test the limits.

Until last week, when he was caught in the act of throwing toilet paper (not clean, dry tp, use your imagination) in the boy’s restroom at school. I received an email from his teacher where she informed me the little prince had lost his field day privileges and had she sent him to the principal, he likely would have been suspended. UH OH! This went a little past the simple mischief I had so recently convinced his father he was guilty of.  So, now the prince has been grounded. No TV, no video games, no computer time and, thanks to his father, an earlier bedtime. My son is bored out of his mind and driving me a little tiny bit crazy. I am seriously wondering who is suffering the most here, the prince, or me.

I can live through this, and hopefully there will be no psychoanalysts in either of our future. I have one tiny message for my son; he is messing with the wrong Mama. I know all the tricks, I have the t-shirt. There are very few things I didn’t pull as a child (with the glaring exception of throwing dirty toilet paper in the school restroom.) I also have a vivid imagination and a wealth of resources which to draw from for punishments if need be. Don’t mess with Mama!

Guest Author Theresa Hesse is full time mom of two rambunctious children, full time employee, part time student and devoted to her family and friends.  Being a tiny bit insane helps juggle everything!! Theresa enjoys writing, sewing and music.  Her dislikes include sorting socks, yardwork and scratchy blankets.

Photo from Smart Parenting.

Photo by torbakhopper via flickr creative commons.

I may be the #1 fan of Love Shak, Baby, so am always sad when absentia. Unfortunately, an inner ear virus has wiped me out these last few days.  I have a new empathy for babies with ear infections, for sure.

An inner ear infection causes severe dizziness – vertigo, spinning – and ultimately … extreme nausea. It’s a mean mistress, this labrynthitis.

One medication for dizziness had the caution in bold, uppercase letters: MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS.  What?  I stopped taking that one today.  The nausea medicine remains my dearest acquaintance though.

What’s the worst you’ve been in pain/needed medical attention/sick?  Here’s mine.

1.  Gall bladder

2.  Having babies

3.  Labyrnthitis (the current ailment).

4.  Food poisoning

Yours?

Sure we celebrated Cinco de Mayo day at my house – with a little help from a certain well-known taco restaurant.  I didn’t not get my crunchy tacos with the sour cream, though, so that was disappointing.

But they were not the only “fail” of the day.  For a laugh,

Did you celebrate?

My daughters remember where they were on 9-11.  They were at school but no one said why they left early that day.  On the ride home, the car pool Mom told them what happened.  Their Dad and Grandma were there when they arrived at the house.  I was 1500 miles away at a conference.

They grew up in a changed country because even though the remember the day, they really don’t remember living in a society less paranoid.  They can’t remember when we didn’t talk about airport security. Or safety of public drinking water.  They don’t know what it’s like to always be on the lookout for suspicious packages.

I doubt they’ll ever experience the carefree life that so many of us enjoyed up until about 10 years ago.  But perhaps it’s okay to live a life of caution because when you don’t know any differently, it doesn’t matter anyway.  Still.  I wish they could remember what it was like to leave your shoes on going through the airport.

Photo by Marcel van Shooten via flickr creative commons.