My Boy's Eleven and I Miss Party Stress
Last week My Boy turned eleven.11.
Ten plus 1.
Does this mark the TWEENS?
I think so.
The first year we didn't have a full-on Swag-fest with jumphouse and mommy-stress.
It was kinda nice.
Though when the weather gets it's head out of it's butt we're going to the beach.
The Beach Boardwalk that is.
My Boy will bring a couple of buds and they'll get their amusement park junk food and rides on.
We'll also get our season passes.
Look at me all multi-tasking.
It's about time.
But, I miss that bounce house.
I miss all the kids running amok.
I miss all the food and goody bags.
The store bought birthday cake that feeds a small army.
I miss the party stress.
Oh wait...no I don't.
High School Preview Night
I've had a rush of anxiety last week.Yes, I know it's normal for me, but this was different.
Preview Night at our local high school sent waves of nervous energy through my body as well as my 8th grader's.
I'm so excited that DQ is going to start high school next year, a milestone that is huge for our family. One that I can't believe is upon us already.
I remember the little girl with curls who used to get the 5 o'clock giggles and couldn't stop just entering preschool for the first time and crying because she didn't want to be away from us.
Now begging to be away from us and the family adventures, my teenager is growing up so fast.
As we parked and walked to the auditorium, memories of myself walking the same high school as a Freshman 25 years ago (!) came back.
It felt as if I had just left.
In the gym, we gathered as people spilled in and filled the bleachers. We met the superintendent, the principal, the ASB officers and then were separated into groups.
We talked classes, requirements, college-bound expectations, counselors, and grades.
We walked around booths for clubs and sports and courses that my daughter took in with wide-eyed fear.
It was all over-whelming, exciting, scary, and exhilirating. For me and for DQ.
This is happening, and fast.
A few nights ago, DQ dreamt she got a "C" in a high school course she didn't remember taking because of a memory fail.
All nerves in the subconscious.
I STILL have those dreams, but they're of college, and I graduated nearly 16 years ago!
"Can't I just repeat 8th grade?!"
....
I Have a TEEN!
"Where's my birthday post on your blog? You did one for everyone else!"
Well, usually she loathes when I speak of her on the blog.
I mean, she reads it, loves it, and laughs at it, but when I talk about her she often storms off in a huff about how I make her look.
Anyone who has had a teen or is in the throes of one now KNOWS what I mean.
We simply can't win as parents.
We love them, we give them their space, we applaud their accomplishments, we *try* to ignore their insults.
It's a slippery slope.
I've had ideas to make a video like I've done in the past, see here for her double-digits birthday.. http://www.themomjen.com/2008/11/in-last-decade.html
But, with the whole time thing, and the tears, and the time, I just didn't.
I did post a cute pic of her at 3 years old on FB on her special milestone 11-11-11 birthday.
"It has to have curls and not be ugly."
We did have a 7 hour party with 10 teens at the house with lots of soda, caffeine, candy, pizza, and Panda Express.
Surprising that no one puked.
We also had a sleepover with 3 girls that gave them 4.5 hours of sleep.
Then we shopped at a cool mall, but their exhaustion turned them into pumpkins at noon and they were zombies.
Then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for (more) soda, appetizers, lunch, and dessert.
Needless to say that the girls passed out cold on the way home.
So, no, I haven't come up with the best post or the baby-to big girl photo post for your birthday my dear daughter, but does this one work?
Maybe we can do that mall day all over again!
You're a beautiful 8th grader sweetheart, we all love you.
Holy crap I'm going to have a HIGH SCHOOLER next year.
Oh the posts will write themselves.
Photo is NOT of a Baby, but a Baby Tooth and a Big Girl Tooth!
K: It's coming out!Oh wait, nope, just blood on my corn [on the cob].
It's SO wiggly!
Oh my GOSH, there's another big girl tooth already there!
SQUEE the Toof Fawwy is going to come to my house!
(pushing the tooth forward with her tongue) Look how far it moves!
-----------------------------
Me: Can we sense the excitement here?
I sure hope she doesn't lose the tooth in her sleep and swallow it.
That won't be a fun search, ahem.
Seriously, when's the last time I looked into her mouth, that big girl tooF is really there!
My baby!
Lonely Mama Bird
People keep asking, "oh my gosh did you cry?" and they mean over K starting Kindergarten.Um, no, not in the way you think, like saddy pants.
I cried tears of joy that after 13 years of being home, I now have ME time.
Honestly, K has been ready for full time school since birth.
She was so sad to see brother and sister leave each day, she wanted homework, she wanted to have a backpack with school supplies, she wanted the constant activity!
She had no nerves about meeting her teacher, she has embraced early mornings, and comes home so full of happiness and fun stories, I've had no reason to be sad in the boo-hoo sense.
I'm proud of all my kids and how well they do in these life situations, they rock school and great behavior and responsibility.
BUT.
BUT...after 3 weeks, I'm feeling strange.
When I come home from dropoff, I look around and see the dishes piled, laundry piled, the rooms dusty and say, "yay, I can clean."
Yay, I can watch my tv shows.
Yay, I can work uninterrupted for 6 hours.
BUT...it's lonely, and quiet, and empty.
The excitement of my freedom is wearing off.
I miss my little birds.
I feel like an empty nester.
I feel like crawling back into bed at 8:15am and sleeping until pickup time.
Hubby has a new job in a town 30 minutes away, when for 16 years he came home for lunch every day.
That doesn't happen anymore.
Hohum.
It's a phase, it too will pass, right?
...
I think I need a kitty.
No Boys Allowed
Just as soccer is coming to an end, the days are getting more flexible and schedules aren't choking us with carpooling, enter mid-November.What, only the 10th. Well, it's almost the middle.
Tomorrow is my daughter's 12th birthday. TWELVE, going on thirty.
How does this happen?
Oh yeah, time.
It flies.
I feel it every day as my aging body rebels.
So ten girls, my house, and no plan.
It makes me kinda wacky.
I'm so used to being in control of parties, food, activities, jump house, pinata. Done.
Two hours in and out.
Not now. My daughter wants a 6 hour party, her own random activities, food, pizza, and cake.
"I just want to hang mom."
Hang for 6 hours. With 10 others, in our small house.
STRESS.
Plus I have to pawn off K and My Boy to grandma's because the tween doesn't want distractions.
Like farting noises and screaming toddlers.
I actually understand that, thank goodness tomorrow's a holiday and grandma is off work. (Thanks Gran and papa, you rock!)
So amid the party planning, there was a slight detour.
DQ wanted to invite 3 boys to the party.
Of course it's not a sleepover, duh, that would be an automatic HELL TO THE NO! But, my daughter has attended birthday and holiday parties with friends that included boys. Sure, fine. BUT...
But...this is our house and we say no.
But...3 of these boys may or may not be "boyfriends" of some of the girls attending.
And by may or may not, I mean heavy on the MAY.
No.
Can you imagine the drama of just the 10 girls aged 12 and 13?
Let's NOT throw 3 boyfriends into the mix, i'm not ready to be patrolling the hallway to make sure doors aren't closed.
Oh I think I have to take a xanax just thinking about this.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a trust issue. It's just not what we're going to do. We're not going to support it. Enable it. Encourage it.
Plus, DQ doesn't know it yet, but she will attend the high school prom with her dad. No dating until you're 25 darling. Sorry.
Now, off to buy candy, popcorn, and Mountain Dew.
Can you believe I've never had a Mountain Dew, we've never bought it for our household, yet it's a staple for most tween parties.
Wish me luck.
The Eyes Have It (and the Teeth Do Too!)
Last week, DQ got fitted for contact lenses.It was her dream come true.
She's complained about her glasses since day one, and I don't blame her, she's at that age where looks are everything.
Hopefully now, dodge ball won't be as embarassing.
She was beaming all week.
Yesterday, she had more hardware removed.
Braces off after nearly FOUR (I miscalculated and added a year previously) years, my tween can see her teeth!
Oh the gorgeous-ness.
Where did my baby girl go?
