Milspouse Friday Fill-in #58

1. Right now, our weather is hot and a little humid, but what I’d really like is crisp, cool air.
2. I like to let my hair down and ... well, I never let my hair down.  It's always in a ponytail or bun.  I have two boys, after all. 
3. Mommy Rambles made a post about heroes… my hero is  I don't know any more, because ..... 
4. It’s a weird combination, but I swear  mango chutney  and dijon mustard  are a perfect pair!
5. Some may see the glass half empty and others may see it half full, but I  will trade it in for a beer... or wine... or anything alcoholic at this point.
   
   I am still in a funk.  Some things are going well, and some things... *sigh*  I can't type it.  I'm just hoping for the best.

First day of preschool... success?

Today was LB's first day of school, ever.  We've never even done the gymnastics / library story time / Gymboree stuff.  Really, after his first few library story time visits, I vowed never to do that again, but he has got to get out there and make some friends.

Apparently, it went okay.  He had a lot of fun and brought home a drawing and some markers.  But he refused to leave the playground when I came to pick him up and the teachers said he was "testing".  I'm assuming the rules!  He didn't hit any of the kids (thank god), but he tried to take a swing at the teachers.  Yes, plural.

It makes some sense.  He hates being told what to do.  He wants to run the show and take command of everything going on around him.  In short, he's a control freak.  And authority figures don't mix with control freaks.

I'm a little disturbed to hear that he wanted to sleep over at preschool and not come home.  Is home so bad that he never wants to come back?  Are we being too hard on him?  Does he hate us?  I tried asking him kid-friendly questions and reassured him that no matter what, Mommy & Daddy love him, but he was too distracted for it to sink in.

I suppose I should be thankful that I don't have to peel him off my leg, kicking and screaming, so he can go to preschool.  But the opposite is almost just as bad. 

Testing their limits

It's been a trying time in our household.  My own mother said she feels bad for me.  The boys have been difficult, testing each and every limit we've set.

I know it's all part of growing up, but sometimes I just want them to wake up and suddenly be six or seven, with reasoning skills (to some degree) and a sense of right and wrong.  I'm doing all I can to be patient and consistent, but it's getting very stressful.

I took LB to his preschool for an open house on Friday.  He's the only one who made three kids cry.  He's also the only one who flipped out on the teacher and tried to smack her.  I was on the verge of tears, but the other parents reassured me that they've all been there, and the teacher has seen everything.  I partially smiled because they don't know my kids.  Everyone says they've seen it all, then are shocked when they have to deal with LB and JC.  Opinionated, independent, and strong-willed don't even begin to describe their personalities.

It's a little disappointing.  When LB was an infant, everyone remarked out well-behaved he was.  Now that he's the active little guy he is, I feel like I am a parenting failure sometimes.  Having two kids who are aggressive and defiant just reinforces my feelings.

Bear with me.  I'm in a funk.  I don't like the nasty mom that I've become lately, and I'm sure the kids and Hubby don't, either.  It's tough when they are constantly (and I really mean constantly) doing something they know is wrong.  I can't let them walk all over me, but I also can't be yelling all the time, because it's driving all of us crazy.

Milspouse Friday Fill-in #57

1. My plans for Labor Day included the speedbowl, but what really happened was we took the boys to Dinosaur Land, then the speedbowl... those lucky kids.
   
2. Call me crazy, but sometimes I just need to shred stuff.  It helps me feel organized.
   
3. One of the funniest things I’ve seen lately is Expectations vs Reality.  You should see it, it's a hoot.
   
4. It’s strange, but chick flicks, like The Notebook and A Walk To Remember, drive me crazy while chick flicks on prozac, like Legally Blonde and Bring It On, are perfectly fine with me!
   
5. One, two, buckle my shoe… three, four churn the butter.... it doesn't rhyme, but I must be a pilgrim to be wearing effing buckles on my shoes. 
   
   (I am just realizing now that I actually do have small buckles on some of my shoes.  I was just imagining those big-ass silver buckles that the pilgrims wore... you know, the kind you had to make out of aluminum foil for the school's Thanksgiving Day play and scotch tape to your LA Gear high-tops, and you wondered why on earth someone would wear something so fugly on their shoes?... No, you have no idea what I'm talking about?  I envy you.)
   
   Happy Friday, everyone!  Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to play along, then leave me some thoughts about the link I included!

Unofficial end of summer

Happy Labor Day everyone!  I hope you all are enjoying the weekend with some BBQs, drinks, sun, and of course, relaxation.  In honor of the unofficial end of summer, I'd like to recap this year with my Top Ten Summer 2011 Most Favorite Moments:

10. Seeing Mount Rushmore on July 4th.  Could it get more patriotic than that?  ...Maybe if I was wearing american flag pants serving apple pie in Washington, DC.

9. Camping in Pillsbury State Park.  Despite the bruises, I had a great time.  And there's nothing like a big campfire, surrounded by high school friends you haven't seen in years, and more importantly, that you enjoy seeing again.

8. Hurricane Irene.  Yes, it was a favorite, because ultimately we were unscathed and had a great weekend.

7. Going to Squam Lake with the boys and my family.  Every time we go up there with my parents, the boys have such a good time!  LB loves going fast in Grandpa's boat, and they both love swimming and eating sandwiches on the beach.

6. Seeing friends in upstate NY, and finally meeting their boys.  Our kids had a blast with their kids, and they're such cool people to hang out with.  It's too bad we don't live closer!

5. Meeting up with GA in Manch.  Doesn't happen often enough!!!!  But I had a friggin blast.  :)

4. Watching the boys become brothers.  There is still plenty of refereeing on my part, but the rare moments when they share and hug each other and hold hands... it's just too cute.

3. Going on an actual date with Hubby and knowing the boys are safe with relatives.  It's nice to not have to pay $100 just to see a movie!

2. Signing LB up for preschool.  As much as I want to be the mother who cries and doesn't want her baby to grow up, I'm honestly looking forward to him taking the next big step into school.  He's ready and it will benefit all of us.  I can't wait to take pictures of him with his new Toy Story backpack!

1. Moving across the country.  Definitely my most favorite part of the summer.  It was tough, don't get me wrong!  But the payoff has been great.  We live in a great house, we can see our families & friends way more often, and we can spend several months in New England, instead of dreaming about it.

How was your summer??

The biggest lie ever told: "I'm all done buying motorcycle stuff, honey... I swear."

Hubby is out right now, trading in his street bike for another street bike.

I'm not too thrilled about this.  The bike he has is paid off, and now we'll be adding another (albeit, very small) bill to the pile.  This was supposed to be the bike to end all bikes.  Also, I feel like I'm being very stupid and naive- he's said before that he's all done buying motorcycle shit, and here we are, buying more shit.

I feel like when I'm spending money, it's on immediate needs.  Bills, groceries, preschool, clothes for the kids, etc.  I feel like when he's spending money, it's about half on immediate needs (caulk, oil for the vehicles, leaf sucker {for lack of better word}, etc), but there are several large purchases on stuff we don't need, like this.

I guess I'm just pissy because of a certain situation that has me all fired up.  We'll see how this new motorcycle thing pans out...

Milspouse Friday Fill-in #56

1. My plans for this weekend include taking the boys to the speedbowl for motorcycle stunts and a demolition derby show, but what I’d really like to do is spend a whole day away from dirty diapers, endless requests for video games, and being a short order cook.
2. I consider the Labor Day holiday kind of pointless, but a nice little break before the fall starts.
3. My favorite meal for cookouts is hot dogs, but my sister wouldn’t agree.
4. So far, my favorite part of summer has been after this move was over with.
5. When it comes to deployments, my philosophy is break it up into chunks, and take each chunk one day at a time.