Deodorant, Cologne & Teen Disney shows....Oh my!

I have a 10 year old boy going on 14.  I hear my friends who have girls say this often so I'm a little taken back that I'm now saying it about my 10 year old but it's true.  There have been certain clues that I've wanted to ignore but no longer.  And it's all happened within the last 2-3 weeks.  It started with Jay wearing deodorant.  Mike and I gently encouraged him to start wearing deodorant about 4 weeks ago - not because he smelled but we wanted him to create a habit because he may not smell now but he will!  Personally I knew it was a long shot as we have to remind him daily to use soap in the bath tub!  And his hair is another story!  But after school started he said his P.E. teacher insisted all the 5th graders keep deodorant in their lockers to use after P.E..  Then this last week I've noticed when he gets off the bus from school he has a very clean smell.  The first day I just asked, "Who smells like clean laundry and why?"  Jay fessed up it was him.  His friend Zane had given him some at school.  Apparently Zane had an extra bottle and Jay keeps it in his backpack.  He sprays his cologne at school.  I'm sure the teachers "love" it.  Then all of the sudden Jay went from watching Phineas and Ferb to watching Selena Gomez on some Waverly something show on Disney.  I mean really - when and why is this happening?  I'm not ready yet but then will I ever be ready?  Jay is really fighting for more independence too.  It's hard on me.  It comes easier for Mike but he's dad, I'm mom.  He thinks I know nothing and walks a fine line of thinking I'm lame but knowing full well disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.  I try not to lecture but I know I cross that line but everything can be a teachable moment, right?  Unfortunately, I'm not sure Jay appreciates what I'm trying to teach him but I'll keep moving forward.  Watching Jay getting older is bittersweet.  His dry sense of humor makes me laugh daily and one thing that hasn't changed is his insistence I put him to bed every night.  I get a chance (however brief it may be) to chat with him, rub his back and just hang with him.  He may talk about four wheeling, passing gas or football but I enjoy it. 

Tears, socks & mud

As I was thinking of a title for my post I realized Mud is a subject for so many of my blogs.  Maybe one day when the boys are grown I'll look out to the muddy trails after a hard rain and miss the buzzing of Jay's four wheeler & Nick's muddy face but until then I'm sick of all the mud.  What does tears, sock and mud have to do with anything?  This blog relates more to Jay than anyone and it all centers around tears, socks and mud.  Tears first.  When school starts it's a hard transition for Jay.  He isn't a worry wart but I can tell he was and is worried about 5th grade.  There are always some tears over homework.  They don't last long but today was the first day - which is usually the case.  We see the tears about the second week of school.  He has one heck of a spelling list and vocabulary list this week.  Mike gave it to Jay straight.  He told him point blank he didn't have to do his homework but he'd be repeating 5th grade - is that what he wants?  Jay didn't even have to think about it.  He knows he has to work hard.  He just needs to get that positive attitude and we know it's there.  We see it every school year.  He just goes through a time of transition where he doubts himself and gives up too easily.  Now onto the socks.  Jay leaves his socks everywhere.  I have noticed over the last 3 weeks his socks have literally disappeared.  The mystery is starting to get solved.  I've found his socks all over our property.  He gets his feet muddy (and I mean muddy) and he literally takes his socks off and leaves them.  It's so annoying.  Today he had 1 sock left (that was clean) with no mate.  I told him this morning I bet I found the mate in the yard somewhere and sure enough, it was on the front stoop and I discovered it when I watered my flowers today.  His socks usually take on their own life form.  I'm surprised some of them just don't get up and walk away - they are so crusty and gross.  As for the mud, it's the same story, different blog.  I'm sick of it!  Whoa is me. 

Soccer - Nick's way

We had Nick's first soccer game on Saturday.  This is his cocky stance.  Ha! 

And I threw this picture in last.  It has nothing to do with the soccer post but I thought it was so cute.

My B.F.F

Recently I was having the best friend conversation with Jay.  My point I was trying to get across was that it is okay to have a best friend who has lots of other friends.  I was trying to use the example of my dear friend, Jenny and I.  Jenny and I are really good friends but she has lots of other friends besides me and I have lots of other friends beside Jenny.  That's what makes life fun.  When I started the conversation I asked Jay who he thought my best frend was.  He didn't miss a beat and said, "Well isn't dad your best friend?"  It stopped me dead in my tracks.  Mike is my best friend but that wasn't the angle of the story I was going with but I responded to Jay, smiled and said, Yes, absolutely daddy was my best friend and I was glad he had noticed.  I worry about parenting mistakes I am making and will continue to make but this is not one of them.  I was prideful knowing the kind of relationship Mike and I have demonstrated to the boys.  After being together for 18 years, It's not easy.  It probably comes easier to Mike than it does to me.  I tend to be more of the hot head in the relationship (hee, hee) .
BTW - the picture above is old but it's one of my favorites.  It was taken in the fall of 2010. 

My morning routine

The boys are back in school.  As a result I am up early!  And I mean early.  I started working at 3a.m. the other morning (crazy, I know) and I started work at 4 today.  I do this to try and get a good jump start on my day because when the boys get off the bus in the early afternoon my day is basically done - work wise.  Since I start my day so early I need coffee pronto!

Yes, I am 38 years old - although you may not know this based on the vitamins I take.  Geez.  I take vitamins (fish oil something) for my dry eyes.  I take just a regular good ole multi vitamin and I take vitamins for my joints.  My joints have really bothered me lately.  Not a good thing, I know.  My first priority is to get off the 5 lbs I've gained this summer and then I have another 10 to go after that.  Ugh!  But I'm focused and determined.  It may take me 6 months but hey..I guess slowly but surely, huh?  As a side note that goes along with my coffee.  I am now adding brown sugar to my coffee instead of sweetner.  My mom told me sweetner is horrible for your joints.  She cut out all sweetner and her joints are so much better. 

And what better way to start my day than with greek yogurt with fruit and granola.  I add my own honey to it and it is so good! 

5th grade & 1st grade....watch out cuz here comes the Siebert boys

Mr. G.Q. himself

All smiles.  He was bound and determined to tie his shoes the night before 1st grade and by-golly he just about got it. 

Do I even need to comment on this picture? 

Reflections on the summer of 2012

Our summer began well and ended well......in between was good too.  We took off to Tennessee as soon as school let out.  Jay and Nick spent their summer in pools, on their four wheelers, eating ice cream and going to the movies with their Nana.  As usual they will begin school tomorrow looking like brown bears!  I enjoy summer but I am always, I repeat always (ha), ready for school to start.  Why?  Mostly because my children but especially Jay thrive on structure and routine and by mid-August Jay tends to walk around the house and the yard like a caged animal, trying to figure out what to do next.  I do a pretty good job keeping a fairly normal schedule for the boys during the summer but again by mid-August I have run out of ideas and perhaps patience.  I did things differently this summer by only having a babysitter in my house 2 days a week and it worked so much better for everyone.  Will I still need a babysitter to come to my house at least 2 days a week next summer - Yes!  On Mondays the boys went to a camp in Bloomington.  On Fridays they went to my friend, Amy's, house where Jay got to play with his good buddy, Aaron and Nick got to hang out with the boys also.  It was a win win situation for both Amy and I.  On Wednesdays Jay stayed home with me while I worked and Nick went to daycare.  It worked out well and gave the boys a nice variety.  I will do things very similiar next summer with one exception.  I will sign Jay up for a basketball camp or have him participate in some kind of sport.  He will fight me tooth and nail but I've learned Jay desperately needs the structure and challenge that organized sports provides.  He needs something to help him stayed focused and challenged.  Despite what he may think, riding his four wheeler around his trails isn't the organized sport I'm talking about. 
So, tomorrow I'll get up bright and early and prepare breakfast for my 1st and 5th grader.  I'll take pictures of them on the front stoop as I do every year and sigh.......knowing another school year is about to begin and the summer of 2012 will be officially behind us. 

Fun with friends

Our dear friends, the Ausili's came out on Saturday night.  We love getting together with them.  We tease them because they are "city folks."  Their kids enjoy coming out to the country.  The kids four wheeled and played tag...in the dark.  Our kids are all so different but they all get along.  The Siebert's and Ausili's have been getting together for over 30 years.  My hubby and Mike Ausili are only children and their parents vacatined together.  When I started dating Mike, it was just an added bonus Jenny became one of my best friends. 

Brotherly love

The joys of boys & peas

Tonight I really had to pat myself on the back.  I prepared a healthy but good meal for my family before we all went to our separate activities.  The meal consisted of salmon, noodles & peas.  Nick and I love peas, Jay and Mike, not so much.  As we sat down for dinner Nick immediately starts sticking the peas up his nose and burping.  Meanwhile Jay is frantically trying to drop all his peas on the floor for Copper to eat - before he has to!  But when Jay sees Nick stuffing the peas up his nose he proceeds to do the same.  When Mike got after them they proceeded to shoot them out of their noses and guess where they landed......Yup, right on my plate!  I love my boys, I love my boys, I love my boys.......Repeat, repeat, repeat!

Our family tree.....get together, that is

Every year we get together with my mom's extended family.  This year the weather was PERFECT and I mean perfect! Considering it's been hotter than Death Valley here in Central Illinois the cool weather today was a welcome change.  We had a really nice day and enjoyed our time with our family.

Lauren and I and Lauren and Luke.

Yes, that's my husband in this picture.  He's not working but actually relaxed today.

My boys love Uncle Mike! 

The girls!  My mom, Lauren, Kylee and my cousin, Amber.

My sister and I.

 My sweet grandparents.

Oblivious.....I think not

Certain people (Okay, my husband) have accused me of being oblivious.  So I don't notice the sticky, gooey, mess sticking to the cabinets.  And who cares if I don't notice the crumbs on the breakfast bar.  And Yes, I may ignore the toothpaste in the sink but when it comes to food.........trust me, I notice!  Imagine that?  Jay has the Schmidt (my mom's side of the family) and the Siebert family sweet tooth.  And he got it BAD!  Although you wouldn't know it since he weighs about 50 lbs soaking wet.  Ha!  But the boy sneaks sweets whenever possible.  But I always catch him because he never does it in a clean, tidy way.  For example, today he stayed home with me while I worked.  It was a rainy day.  He watched movies and relaxed - just the kind of day he loves.  His first offense of the day was when I noticed the cap off the tupperware where I keep the chocolate chips.  Later, Jay made cookie dough and put the dough in the fridge.  I would notice little spots of dough on the door handles of the fridge.  Then to top it off I baked 15 cookies.  I gave him 3 to eat, right out of the oven, therefore there was 12 cookies left.  When I returned later there were only 10 cookies.  Jay blamed Copper and never changed his story.  What-eveh!  Now you can see why, on occassion, I have to hide sweets in my underwear drawer.  And to all this I say to Mike, "See I'm not oblivious when it comes to where all the food is disappearing to in this house!" 

Go figure

My boys are totally different personality wise but have very similiar interests and enjoy doing the same activities.  For this I am thankful.  Jay complains about Nick but when he's gone, he's the first one to miss him.  Today I made the decision to separate the boys.  They had had a lot of together time.  I shipped Jay to his grandparents and Nick to daycare so I could work for the day.  Grandma and Grandpa took Jay boating.  When I dropped Jay off this morning I just asked my in-laws if they could be back home by 4:30 so I could pick him up.  My phone rang at 3:00.  It was Jay.  He explained in his ever so soft voice that he was home from boating and could I come get him.  When I arrived my mother in law explained that Jay was simply bored without his brother today.  Really - is it even possible to be bored on a boat?  But sure enough, Jay was.  Jay may complain about having a little brother who "follows him around and talks too much" but when he's faced with a day without him he learned it's not so great.  Jay didn't even want to water ski.  It was just wasn't the same without his brother's encouragement and laughter.  I pray that Jay always appreciates what Nick brings to his life and I pray Nick always appreciates what Jay brings to his life and that they always bring out the best in each other.  When they were reunited at home tonight they immediately started building a sleep fort with big plans to sleep together in their fort.  To all that happened today I say Go figure!