Writer’s Workshop:Dear Teen, Love Mom

I am linking up again this week with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. For this week’s prompt I have chosen: A letter to your future teen.

My Darling Son,

You have grown so very fast. It seems like just yesterday I held your tiny 8.9lbs package of baby softness in my young arms and gazed into those big brown eyes for the very first time. In one heartbeat I experienced a level of love that I didn’t even know existed. The bond we developed came quick, strong and has stood the test of time.

That first year was such a scary one for us. You were sick, a lot. When you were 3 months old you had a surgery that scared the bejeezus out of me, but saved your life.

When you were a toddler I finally had to bite the bullet and get a job. I found a daycare that gave me my first job and allowed me to keep tabs on you. This was a traumatic time for us both, we had such bad separation anxiety! We sat on opposites side of a cold classroom door, crying our eyes out.

You had a few rough years of school, barely passing most years, but I knew you were smart! I studied with you every day and I’m sorry I made you redo all your school work, but by 4th grade you were pulling straight A’s and you’ve been an Honor student ever since!

To this day you are often close by my side. Always “hanging out” with me. I often joke that I must have done something wrong because I thought teenagers were supposed to be sulky, locking themselves away in their rooms and avoiding their family at all costs.

I hope this doesn’t change. I love that you welcome me into your life and share everything with me.You’ve told me your dreams and your plans to reach them, and I have vowed to help you every step of the way.

Mostly, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I am so proud that you made it into the Honors Program. I am so proud of your priorities and how you take school so seriously. You know that as long as you do your best, I am proud of you, but you don’t use that as a crutch. You always push for more, better, higher.

And I also want to tell you, thank you. Thank you for teaching me to be a mother, for forgiving my mistakes and praising my successes.

Thank you for being you.

I love you always,

Mom

I don’t think there are words in existence that properly express the love a mother has for her children and there are an infinite number of reasons why my son is so special to me, I don’t think I could ever sum them up in a blog post, or ten.

A letter to your future teen.

LoveDrop with @ItStartsWithUs

Hello Lovelies! Miss me? It’s been quite a week and if you haven’t guessed by now I mostly Live Blog. So, when things get hectic I don’t have scheduled posts up and ready to go. Any who…I’m not really here to talk about me today.

I want to tell you about Jill. Single mother Jill and her kids live in Chicago and they’ve lost everything in a fire and are now homeless for a second time. They’ve been through a lot, but you’ll be amazed at how much they continue to give back. Here’s Jill’s story:

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How You Can Help

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This project is all about coming up with creative and fun ways to make a difference for someone. Here’s what you can do to make our first Love Drop special for Jill and her family: 

• Join the team – Become a member by paying whatever you want. Even $1.00.
• Join our blogger network – Blog about our Love Drops once a month! It’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it REALLY helps spread the word (which in turn helps the families!). Love Drop will give you all the content you need.
• Give a gift or provide a service - Gift cards, household goods, football cards/jerseys for the boys, web design services, pampering gifts for Jill, etc. (email all ideas/questions to team (at) lovedrop.us, and we’ll make it happen)

In Which I Confess My Beiber Love

I’m sitting here all bleary eyes and throbbing feet from walking in the Puerto Rican Day Parade and thinking I miss ya’ll! I’m all inconsistent and unpredictable while I’m working on my NaNoWriMo project (and while it is slow going, it is awesome, trust me).
I sat here staring at the blank screen and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Sometimes things just flow, sometimes I get all researchy to talk about something. But today? I got nothing. So I start humming along with the Just Dance 2 Beiber music from the other room and I remembered what I wanted to tell you!

I love Justin Beiber!

Wait…what? That came out wrong!

I love the idea of Justin Beiber.

Wait, don’t leave! Let me explain!

The other day we were riding in the car and “Baby” came on the radio. LeBella started beboppin around and singing at the top of her lungs. I glanced at her (quickly, I’m driving) and she’s all Power Puff Girl sized eyes, awash in the Beiber love. I turned the music down and as I preached pedantically about the awesomeness of music from my day I saw her eyes glaze over.

Come on! In my day it was awesome!

NKOTB (if you don’t get that, we can’t be friends)

N*Sync

Boys ll Men

Vanilla Ice (STFU, he was hot)

Five

Shai (let’s all take a second to bask in that awesomeness)

And then?

It struck me. Justin Beiber is her Jordan Knight. Her Justin Timberlake. Her Vanilla Ice (shut UP).

So, baby girl? I concede. I will nay say Justin Beiber no more.

(Sorry Tim)

Now? I am feeling way nostalgic.

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LeDaddy is a Rockstar

Did you know that LeDaddy is a Rockstar? Oh yeah. Just take a look at the Honey Do List he tackled and completed. Cuz, really? That’s just how he rolls.

*Helped me clean the new house before anything
*Moved all our shiznit with only the help of our 17 year old nephew
*Helped me unpack some stuff
*Added a new (to me) desk to the moving escapade
*Fixed every single leaky pipe in this new house
*Installed my wetter and dryer (I thanked him by promptly washing his clothes)
*Installed my dishwasher
*Cleaned the entire stove that was, for some reason, stored out in the shed
*Installed not one, but two toilets
*Hung both shower curtains
*Patched any and all holes in the walls
*Installed 5 sets of blinds
*Replaced some outlet covers
*Helped clean out the garage which was being used to store tile for other properties as well as all the trash and leftovers from this house’s recent work (tile, paint, etc)
*Did some minor repairs to the deck out back
*Put my dining room set back together
*Took down an old fan and installed a new one.
*Hung all our framed pictures and various wall décor
*Sealed all kinds of stuff with caulk.
*Replace a wheel bearing in my Nissan

Did I mention he did all this over Labor Day Weekend? And he still had energy left over for his #1 Groupie….

Posted with love by Mommylebron

Jealous of Mrs. Jones? I’m not…

Jealousy, envy, the green eyed monster, keepin’ up with the Jones’. Now matter how you word it, the meaning is the same. “I don’t have it, they do, I want it. Oh, and I hate them for having it.”
Now, I won’t go so far as to say I don’t want anything (I’d be lying, there are tons of things I’d love to have. Like, if you want to send me a Kindle, that’d be stellar!). However, I don’t feel like my existence is less substantial because I don’t have the latest whatever. And I definitely don’t begrudge Mrs. Jones for her totally awesome thing that I don’t have. My sentiments were reaffirmed today as I held a yard sale in my, well, yard (duh). I think I’m addicted. I’d rather get rid of crap than collect more! And the pocket change it brought in ($70 woohoo) is a bonus! I may possibly be addicted. I think I will hold garage sales every weekend until we move. Or run out of stuff. Whatever. (Anyone want a couch? ) On thay note; I give 5 things that will never bring out the green in me, followed by 5 that might (I admit this begrudgingly…)

I’ll Never Cry Over These:

1. A Coach Handbag/Purse. Am I anti purse? No. Would I turn one of these down were it offered to me for free? No. However, I would never scour the stores or the internet looking for the *perfect* one because quite frankly, a purse is a purse to me. (Can we still be friends?) And all that mullah? I’d rather buy books. I mean toys for my kids…..

2. Brand new car. Two words: Car Payment. And there would be no eating, drinking, clothes changing (don’t ask) in this car, so basically the munchkins would be forced to walk. On second thought…..

3. Supermom with the perfect hair, nails, clothes, matching shoes & purse, color coordinated makeup, matching poodle……Who has that much time? I have kids to feed, lessons to write, books to read, blog posts to schedule, etc. I do not have time to play Barbie. Unless it’s with LeBella. And actually involves plastic dolls.

4. Those big, flat, hang-me-on-the-wall TV’s. We are not TV people. We have never had cable (I kid you not). I have been home all summer, and never got sucked into daytime TV. At the most I watch movies in the evening with the Hubs. Even then I get sidetracked *ahem* like now.

5. A vacation home. I’m sorry, did you say I have to clean TWO houses? Riiight, that is so not happening. Hello Hotel with Maid Service!

Jealousy Checklist

1. Supermom with the angelic crew of children in tow. In the grocery store. During any major holiday. I can admit this will never be me. If you happen to see me with angelic children in tow; either there is chocolate involved, or they’re not mine. Probably the latter.

2. SAHM’s. And, I’m not a working mom who thinks its all bonbons and Soap Operas. I have been home with my kids all summer (for the first time EVER!) and it was more work than, well, work! And that’s saying a lot considering I’m a preschool teacher. But to be able to devote that much time to my family and our home? To have time to pursue my hobbies? Have time to be more June Cleaver and less…me? Priceless.

Ok, that’s all I got! I promised 5, but as long as I have my Hubs and the munchkins (and my Blackberry) I’m good!!

Posted with love by Mommylebron