New, Different, Exciting, and Exceptional

Today was a day of firsts at Two Moms' Homeschool . . .

This is the only proof we have that today was Baby Boy's first day at University.  Now no one can corroborate his story, but we don't have any reason to not believe he was there.  :-)

In a truly shocking and amazing turn of events, the biggest Fairy had her first day of kindergarten today.  We do want to eventually keep the girls home, but right now school is the option du jour for this Grand-Baby-Girl.

Biggest Fairy Saying Good-Bye to Twin Little Fairies  

Ready To Take On the World

We've Taught Her Well . . . Going Straight For The Books

Ready To Learn!

Has anyone else started anything new, different, exciting, or exceptional lately? 

Tell me all about it.

Until next time . . .

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

Baby Boy just drove off . . . possibly never to live at home again. 

He is going to college about 400 miles from us.  He will be staying with relatives for the first semester, but I won't be there. 

Whaaahhhh!  How on earth did you Moms of young adults survive this?  I've been weepy for the past few days and just a plain miserable crying mess all day today. 

Boy, they sure grow up fast.

Until next time . . .

 

This is . . .

. . . my wild child.

 Found her like this.  Straightened her out and covered her up.

A little bit later, found her like this. 

Which is why we keep her bed so close to the ground.

And this is just her sleeping personality.  You should see this little Texas Tornado when she's awake!


Until next time . . .

 

A Grown-Up Getaway

For the very first time in 12 long years Mom #2 and I went on a grown-up getaway with no kids, no grand kids, and no pets!  At first we hardly knew what to do with ourselves, but we recovered from that fairly quickly.  

First we found a very grown-up room in a historical and beautiful hotel.

 Then we thought we'd have some fun visiting some touristy attractions.

 We enjoyed lots of different sights that may have been fun for children . . .

 . . . But without the endless trips to the potty. . .

 . . . Without a pocket full of tissues to wipe runny noses. . .   

 . . .Without the too-cool-for-school eye rolls. . . 

  . . . And without leashes, kibble, doggy-doo bags, or travel kennels.

I'll never forget the complete conversations Mom #2 and I were able to have without interruption.  

 We also had several delicious meals in nice restaurants with real tablecloths, finely dressed waiters, and cloth napkins. 

When it was time for bed, I only had to bathe myself.  

And when we tucked each other in . . . . 

 . . . We only had to kiss each other.

We had an incredible time!  

I hope we don't wait 12 more years before we have another grown-up getaway. 

Have you done anything for yourself or your relationship lately? 

Until next time . . .

 

Mothers and Daughters at the Opera

Last night was the opening night of this season's Educational Opera Program.  They performed Pagliacci.  

I had never seen it performed live before, only on PBS.  It had to be the shortest opera I've ever attended.  We were home before 10 o'clock!

As an olive branch of good will, I invited my Mom to come with us, as she has never been.  I didn't think she had any interest in it, but a few weeks ago she began hinting around for an invitation, so what's a daughter to do.  She really seemed to enjoy herself,  even though she had LOTS of questions.  I'm glad we were able to spend a little quality time together without too much pressure of stimulating conversation.  I'm not much for small talk  these days and things have been a tiny bit tense between us since she moved so close to me.  Actually, I've been a bit tense, but I don't think she has noticed.  It is kind of unnerving to have your Mother about to pop up at your house at any given time of day or night.  Since I don't have a day job, she thinks I'm available to do things with her all day every day.  That's actually not true at all, my family keeps me on my toes quite consistently. Anyway, I'm working on boundaries.  Let me just say, it's a work in progress.  

She was already hinting around at an invitation for the next performance when I dropped her off at home last night, LOL.  That lady really is something else.  But she's my Mother, and I love her.  What else can you do.

Speaking of the performance, everything was spectacular.  Poor Canio, the Pagliacci, a jilted, suspicious, homicidal clown is really something to behold on stage.  Although his killing scene wasn't nearly as terrifying as Lucia's from Lucia di Lammermoor, I still had to give him a lot of credit.  He was a beautiful tenor.

There was a strange moment at the end where after the curtain call and all of the ovations, the three main characters . . . including ones who had just died . . . got up and sang a few bonus songs at the end.  I don't know if this has a formal name in the opera world or not, as I've never witnessed anything like it.  It was so nice to go drive home humming the bonus score.

I've never really understood why some people have a fear of clowns, but after last night, I think I'm going to keep my distance from them.  Also, I have truly witnessed the literal interpretation of "Tears of a Clown." 

So now I know what music I'll be playing around the house all weekend. 


What wonderful weekend plans do you have?
 

Until next time . . .

 

Apparently There is NO Justice in this World!

After surviving:

• The most frightening night of the year for any dieter, Halloween, without eating a single piece of candy.

•  A family dinner in which your Mother-in-Law, the slimmest lady in the world, fries ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING plus serves delicious desserts including a heavenly cake and scrumptious homemade cookies by drinking a couple of gallons of water and saying "No, thank you" excessively.

AND . . .

•  Sitting across from your brother-in-law who is shoveling desserts into his mouth like a human hoover while STILL WEARING a compression garment from the LIPOSUCTION he just had the very day before.

I got up this morning and weighed in.  I only lost 0.8 pounds this week.

Life. Is. Not. Fair.

That. Is. All.  

Until next time . . .

 

I think I'm blogging again

It's been a whirlwind few months!  I won't bore you with all the details but let me just say that we have been going through a LOT of changes.  I'll try to divvy it out in bite-sized pieces so it's not so overwhelming, LOL. 

I would like to share one of my tiny victories.  I finally finished my very last required Spanish class.  I took it over the summer. Thank goodness it's over!  I'm still trying to read, speak, and watch television in Spanish so I don't lose everything I've worked so hard for . . . but I must say . . . my Spanish speaking part of my brain is exhausted.  I don't know when it gets easier to switch back and forth between languages, but I certainly have not reached that point yet. 

Did I tell you that my parent's just bought a brand new house right around the corner from us?  We'll have to discuss the art of dodging a Mom who likes to call and say that she's on the way when she's actually in your driveway.  HELP!




Until next time . . .

Reunited And It Feels SOOOOO Good!

My parents, married thirty-six years and then tragically divorced, have been working on finding their way back to one another for the past few years.  It's been a long, arduous road, filled with ups and downs, and way too many tears. 

Well . . . On Saturday we attended the most beautiful, intimate, perfect wedding . . .

The Wedding Party

The Coordinator

The Blushing Bride

The Ceremony

Yes, She Gets ANOTHER Ring!

Sealed With a Kiss

It's Not Official Until They Jump the Broom!

A Family Reunited

We are all so very, very, VERY happy! 

 Until next time . . .

 

Change, Expectations, Sacrifices, and Realizations

Right now I'm trying to process a lot of change, expectations, sacrifices, and realizations in my life.  I about to unpack a bunch of emotional baggage, so . . . if you didn't plan to spend your leisure reading time hearing about an old lady's problems . . . you might just want to move on.

Changes:   The three fairies have become a front and center fixture in my life, possibly for the long haul.  Last week when they stayed with their parents, it wasn't as successful as Mom #2 and I had hoped.  We're really trying to work with their parents and get the girls back home as soon as possible, but we are meeting resistance.  That's very sad to me. I'm also still struggling with parenting a young adult, since that is apparently what Baby Boy is now.  Going from "Mommy" to "Ma" is quite a change.  *SIGH*  That last sentence is going to need to be a separate blog post one of these days.

Expectations:  I am expected to morph from "grandma" to "surrogate mom" on a dime and the transition is very labor intensive.  I still have a lot of presence in Baby Boy's life, and I am trying to be a good spouse to Mom #2 as well.   Baby Doggy also has a lot of needs, LOL.  I've apparently set up a system of dependence in every life I've come into contact with . . . and now I feel stretched a tiny bit too thin.

Sacrifices:  I didn't go to school  this semester.  The semester is over next week and I think this is the first time I've "said" it "out loud."  I see Baby Boy with his books and leaving for class, and I'm soooo envious.  This has led to some very good discussions between us though.  I've really been a not-so-shiny example of how not to wait until you're middle aged to get your education.  Right now I'm not sure if I'll be able to return next semester or not.  I have a few weeks to turn in my paperwork.

Realizations:  I do realize that these challenges will not define me.  I have a FANTASTIC support system in Mom #2 and Baby Boy.  I realize that there is a sparkly lining to every situation.  I realize that we'll make it though this together, as we've made it through so many things before this. 

Boy, reading back over this post, it sounds very depressing, but I'm not depressed.  I'm actually happy to have a little clarity.  Sometimes just getting all the feelings outside of yourself helps to bring resolution to what seemed to be a perpetual problem.  Off to enjoy the day!

Thanks for being my therapist for the day!
 
Until next time . . .

 

Sounds of Spring

I am many weeks late properly thanking  :)De for her beautiful Springtime gift, but her kindness is really on my mind today as we enjoy the Sounds of Spring on our back patio.

It is such a relaxing sound.  I love it! 

Until next time . . .

 

Taking a Breather

The fairies are staying with their parents for the week.  It's been soooooo quiet around the house.  I have so many mixed emotions about the situation.  I am so grateful to be able to slow down and enjoy the peace and quiet that is our home with three adults (yes, I do view Baby Boy as an adult now) living in it.  At the same time, I worry about the girls and how they are doing.  I worry about the situations that led to them living here in the first place.  Needless to say, we call them - OFTEN.   

Worried.  Relaxed.  Worried.  Relaxed.  That's been my frame of mind all week, LOL. 

I have had a chance to catch up on some housework and on reading the piles of unopened mail stashed on every single horizontal surface in the house.  Most of it just requires shredding anyway.  Too much junk mail for me. I should actually be cleaning right now, but . . . yuck . . . you know. ;-)

Last week Baby Boy had a birthday!  I guess he's my Baby Young Man now that he's 19.  My goodness, every time I look at him he seems to be getting taller and eating more and more.  When the heck do boys stop growing?  I'm good with his current height and weight, so any time he wants to dial back the growing legs and feet is fine with me.  We had a great big family get together party, but the photos are on Mom #2's phone, so I'll have to upload them later.

Speaking of Baby Boy, he's been very busy with school.  His classes seem to be exponentially more difficult this semester than they have been in the past, so it looks like it'll be touch and go right up to the finish.  Please keep him in your thoughts.  He's also going through the certification process in order to be a volunteer at our local hospital.  There are lots of hoops to jump through with meetings, training, paperwork, and immunizations.  Hopefully he'll get through that pretty soon.   

Other than Mom #2's work keeping her busy-busy-busy, that's about all we have going on with us right now.


Until next time . . .
 

Settling in FAIRY Well

We've been oh-so-busy with three new little fairies fluttering about.  I think everyone is finally starting to settle in and find a rhythm.  The fairies are on a pretty strict schedule, which brings me peace.  I don't do very well with surprises or the unknown.  Regularity and predictability are my very best friends . . . I don't know why I can't seem to blog with any sort of regularity or predictability . . . but I do like regularity in all the other areas of my life.  It's very Virgo of me, I guess. 

Our first order of business was to get everyone acclimated and feeling safe and secure.  That's my favorite part because it includes lots of hugs, kisses, and lap-sitting!  We'll be keeping that as a permanent fixture around here :).  The second order of business was to get everyone potty trained.  Which they finally are!  This past week we had ZERO accidents including after nap time and over night.  Now everyone is wearing big-girl panties (except for Baby Boy who would have no part of it ;-). 

I have been doing some gentle "learning-time" with the fairies.  We are learning to recognize the letters of the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors.  It's been frantic, fun, and frustrating, but rewarding.  They have a long way to go, but fortunately we have nothing but time to get them where they need to be.  I have to admit that I have a whole new appreciation for those who choose to have big families.  My goodness, everything is immensely more complex when you have to do it three times rather than one.  I didn't realize how easy Baby Boy and I had it, LOL.  As for myself, I'm learning to be humble, patient, and most of all, optimistic.  Those values are being reinforced in me every. single. day.  

As an added bonus, the fairies are excellent for my diet as I barely have time to eat anymore and my pedometer gets well above Dr. Oz's recommended 10,000 steps almost every single day. 

Insanity has its benefits!



Until next time . . .

It's a GIRL! It's a GIRL! It's a GIRL!

It's a loooonnnnnngggggg story, and not really mine to tell, so I'll keep it brief. 

The three fairies have been staying here off and on for the past few weeks and since their parents are unable  to care for them right now, they'll be staying at Two Moms' Homeschool for the foreseeable future.

They are just soooooo  precious and really deserve a positive start in life.  I hope that Mom #2, Baby Boy, Baby Doggy, and I can give them that.  I also hope their parents wake up and see what they are missing out on very soon.  That second hope is that one that's really on my mind lately. Either way, we've chosen to celebrate the new additions to our family. 

To give you just a glimpse of our new lives, we are being treated to regular serenades such as this one:

There's nothing like three pint-sized bundles of energy to keep you young!  At least that's what I keep telling myself, LOL. 

Have a great weekend!

Until next time . . .

You Slay Me, Lucia

Last night Baby Boy and I went to see Lucia di Lammermoor.  OOOhhhhhhhhh Mmmmmyyyyyyy Gooddddnnneeessssss it was sooooooo good.  If you have read here for any length of time, you will know that I am a true blue lover of all the arts, but opera is my absolute favorite and a personal passion.  

The first act started out kind of slowly and I could actually see Baby Boy wilting in his seat beside me.  He got up and took a brisk walk in the crisp night air during the first intermission and came back somewhat refreshed.  Fortunately, the action really picked up in Act II and I was no longer in jeopardy of losing him.  We were both thoroughly engrossed by Act III. 

In Act III there was a scene where Lucia comes on stage in a blood soaked wedding dress after killing her moments-ago-married husband, hallucinates, and then commits suicide (it's a tragedy). The soprano who played Lucia had a voice so pure and clear and sweet, it just about brought tears to my eyes.  You could actually see her losing her grip on reality and going insane right before your eyes on stage.  She then proceeded to die the most beautiful, disturbing, and agonizingly slow death ever to be performed.  She actually sang blood curdling screams in time with the score.  She was simply marvelous!  Baby Boy and I enthusiastically participated in her standing ovation.

Last night was amazing and just happens to be in extremely stark contrast to what I'm doing today - - taking my Mom to have her colonoscopy.  *SIGH*  Such is the life of the first born child.   

Oh, well.  At least I'll have something lovely to hum to myself in the waiting room.  If I get too bored, I now know how to convincingly go crazy for an audience. ;-) You never know when that skill will come in handy.

Have a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS weekend!
 

Until next time . . .