Tag: friends

The little voice

theycallmebetty2 Comments

 

I had a conversation with my oldest son in regards to what career path he might wish to take after high school.  We have all had this conversation with our parents.  The “what do you wanna be” conversation.  It was always uncomfortable too, like you were afraid to give the wrong answer and disappoint your poor bewildered parents. 

There isn’t one parent alive that likes it when their kid answers “I don’t know”.  But the truth is sometime you don’t know.  Sometimes the answer isn’t black and white, night or day.  Sometimes the answer is inside you and it just needs to come out on its own….

Remember the feeling you had as a kid when a fire engine went by?  It was big and red, with lights all over the top and sides.  There were three to four firefighters with big mustaches, and huge muscles waving at every little boy and girl who crossed their path.  You didn’t know exactly why you liked the firefighters so much, but you did.  Mom was always over the top embarrassing around them and dad always acted a little put out.

The firefighters were our childhood hero’s, they put out fires, they saved lives.  Sometimes they would come to our school and teach us about fire safety!  Those were always the best days!  You would huddle with your best buddies and talk about how you were going to be a firefighter when you grew up!  How there was never, ever going to be a firefighter as good as you!  Then your crew would argue about who was going to really become a firefighter, who was going to drive the engine, who would be in charge of putting out fires! This argument sometimes got you into plenty of trouble with the teacher as your mumbling soon turned into yelling, thereby drowning out the nice firefighter who was speaking. 

After the firefighters left you and your friends would run out to the playground making siren sounds, and doing circles around the monkey bars.  The monkey bars were on fire and only the bravest were allowed to put out the fire.  Of course that was a job for your crew and your crew only!  Any other kids who had the same conversations and dreams after the assembly were quickly dispatched to another incident on the playground!  ( incident command 101 people!) A few fake squirts of water, a pat on the back or two and then the imaginary truck would head back to its imaginary firehouse where one of the guys would pretend to make us imaginary lunch. Because that’s all firefighters really do is save lives, put out fires, play cards and eat! (sarcasm)  And the other three washed the imaginary rig so it sparkled like a new penny for the next fire during afternoon break! 

Today looking back to those times I reflect on the fact that I really never wanted to become a firefighter, I wanted to be a truck driver. (snicker all you want) When I graduated from high school I worked many jobs, all of them leading up to actually driving my own truck.  It was good, the job made me more money than I had ever known!  I did it for ten years, faithfully showing up everyday for work early and usually going home very late in the evening, sometimes 9-10pm.  I was good at my job, I was faithful, I was making an extraordinary amount of money for the times.  But there was always something wrong, like I was missing something.  You see I was empty inside.  I always knew I had a greater purpose!  I always knew there was something more important that I was supposed to be doing.  Sometimes when I was driving for 4-5 hours straight I would ponder this and have full-blown arguments with myself.  Who the Hell was I to think I was so important, that this honorable blue-collar job was not my true calling?  But there it was, always in the back of my mind, nagging at me like an old jewish mother!  (best jewish accent) Ya know you’re better than this!  Ya know the world is just waiting for you, I know it I’m your mother!! A mother always knows!!!

That jewish mother in my head was right!  Today I go to work for 48 hours straight, sometimes 96 hours straight.  I still work hard to provide for my family, I take classes when ever I can to improve my job skills.  I am making enough money to support my family and I am comfortable with the choices I’ve made to get where I am today.  I don’t drive around with a nagging voice in my head anymore and when I feel the need to express myself I do it by writing, both for myself personally and as a part of my job.  You see I am one of those kids from the playground that grew up to become a firefighter.  I don’t have to argue with anyone about who is going to drive the fire engine.  Its my job!  I don’t have a mustache, I am healthy and in good shape, I run and lift weights 3-4 times a week.  I have trained and worked alongside some of the finest men and women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. 

Firefighters are indeed a special breed of human being.  Not for the glorified, chest thumping reasons television would like you think, but because they have all had the same voice nagging at them since they were kids.  Some entered the fire service right away, some found their way through the military while others took the same path I did only to find out by listening to that little voice, they had initially made the wrong choice.  I have 17 years in and ten more to go.  I don’t have a golden retirement system as the news would like you to believe.  My paychecks pay for a good portion of my benefits and retirement and what I do have is something greater than any pay, larger than any retirement package could ever offer.  Its called satisfaction. 

I will never win national awards, I will never be famous for anything important, I will never own some luxury house on a hill overlooking the sea. Those self indulgent things are not what I am looking for; But I will sleep well at night knowing I tried my hardest to save your family members life.  I will rest easy on days off knowing that my crew knocked down the fire in your home saving a majority of the belongings and keeping it from burning to the ground.  I will be able to tell my kids with a smile how we cut an infant out of the backseat of a Toyota that was all but destroyed!  Unfortunatley Iwill carry with me for eternity all the horrible sights and sounds of death that you will never ever have to smell, feel, touch or see.  I will always respectfully, remember the poor souls who did perish in my presence regardless of our efforts. I will walk away from this job knowing that when I heard a voice telling me there was something more for me out there, I listened to it, I followed my heart, and my soul reaped the benefits.

Teach your kids its ok not to know, but with the responsibilty of not knowing comes the even greater responsibilty of not sitting around waiting for the answer to appear.

There is truly something great in us all, find that passion, search for that calling and always listen to the little voice in your head.  If you shut off that voice you are destined to the reality you have created…….

Dont tell Mom, ok??

theycallmebetty2 Comments

Dont tell your mom, ok?  How Many times have we said that to our children?  I know I have said it a few times.  Have you?  Think about it.  Hear it in your head while you are reading this, Dont tell your mom?  Seriously just writing it here, makes me think, how absolutely absurd it sounds! 

Heres where I am going with this.  My 11-year-old has been having a hard time the last few days.  Normal stuff, picking fights with his sister, acting like chores are the end of the world.  Trying to make special occasions about himself instead the intended recipient.  But where he really crossed the line is, he’s been caught lying.  Nothing big mind you, little lies. (not that it justifies the lying).

Example; (Mom) did you take a piece of cake without asking?  Answer; NO- Did you leave the toilet seat up? Answer; NO- Did you forget to feed the dogs? Answer; NO.   Did you bribe your brother to take the fall for you on the cake theft thing? Answer: NO mom, you know I would never lie to you!  God! Sheesh! Man!

Now he did all of these things, and yes he also failed miserably in the “did you bribe your brother to take the fall for you” category?  Which by the way I am kind of envious of his vision in the matter.  Think about it, get the little one (who by the way is so damn cute) to go belly up in front of mom for something you did! GENIUS!! You know the little ones punishment is going to be less and really the monkey is off your back so all you have to do is sit back, watch the fireworks while rubbing your hands together muuuuhhhhaaaaaahahahaha! Yet lie he did! He let his brother bite the bullet then lied about it! Steller!  Then when he finally came clean he expects a simple “I’m sorry” will make it all go away.  WRONG!!!

So I am beating my head against the wall, wondering what awful influence has led my “pure as the driven snow”, child to take the lowly path of lying?  What horrible event in his life has rewired his brain, so it overrides his ability to know the difference between right and wrong? My little angel would never, ever knowingly lie would he?  I mean he said it himself; I never lie mom! Wait that was a lie? Shoot, is he lying about lying?  I mean the kid is good, but is he that good?  Did he lie about the lie, which in turn created another lie which he eventually believed was the truth? Or was he telling the truth that was interpreted as a lie, which perpetrated another lie in search of the truth? Shit! How do secret double agents do this stuff?? 

What I realized through all my mental anxiety over the issue was this, IT WAS MY FAULT!  Yup, I said it, it was my fault.  sure he committed the crime, sure he’s doing the time, but why would he think it was ok to tell a small lie?  What would make him believe that it was no big deal?  Answer: Listening to his dad. 

You see every time I go into Seven Eleven with the kids still in the car to grab a quick snack and I buy one of those Hostess cakes I crave so badly. I do something that no dad should ever do under any circumstances.  I do something so shameful that I should be dragged in shackles before the court of elders to have my dad card revoked for a weeks time as I am thrown into solitary.  You see somewhere between handing out the goodies and hearing my name chanted to the heavens as they gorge on the surgery goodness that mom probably wouldn’t let them have I say these three little words.

Dont tell mom…….

Yep that’s right, I have said it so many times its shameful.  Dont tell mom.. I have just put the biggest burden I could ever put on a little kid.  Not only have I bribed them with sugar crack, but now they feel the pressure to uphold the lie! And why?  Am I supposed to be scared of being punished by mom for not obeying her orders in regards to my health.  Are they thinking holy crap if dads that scared his punishment must be BBAADDDD!!! Are they wondering if commandant Mommy will ship me off to the Western Front to die a horrible death? Of course not, I am already dying a horrible death by ingesting the lard pie with cherry filling.  A slow unhealthy death!!!  Just ask my wife.  So why then?  We all do it!  If anyone reading this says they have never told their kids, Dont tell mom… or lets just keep this between us, ok (wink wink)! Then I will call you a liar!!  And believe me it takes one to know one!! 

But seriously, we as fathers perpetrate this tiny example of teaching our kids its ok to lie over small stuff on a regular basis.  It doesn’t seem like much but really it is, an avalanche starts with nothing more than a misplaced snowflake.  And that’s how lies start, small then as the child masters them eventually they become bigger!  Before you know it you have a kid that can’t be trusted, they are demoralized and so are you!  Mostly though, we have engrained them that Mom is the enemy somehow, so much so that we (as husbands and fathers) are scared of her too!  What the Hell?  I know it feels like a “this is between you and me buddy”  friend type moment.  But really we are teaching our kids to lie and that in itself is criminal.  So the next time you catch your kid lying to you about tiny little things, just take them out to ice cream, and when they ask sheepishly if they can have cookies with their cone, lean over and proudly say YES! But only if you tell mom the minute you get home. 

By the way, I am on my third cookie while writing this, you guys got my back right?

Five Fingered Footie Shoes????

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Today was a very special day.  You see it was my sons 7th birthday, and he was rewarded with the only gift he requested.  It wasn’t Hot Wheels, nor Transformers, nothing to do with Harry Freaking Potter, no magic tricks, no juggling balls, none of the things we believed that he was longing for, nope what our kid wanted was Footie Shoes .  Yep Footie shoes, or Five Finger Shoes as they are advertised.    Have you seen these things??  Strange looking, like the 70’s toe socks that were once all the rage! All five toes in their own little keeper, wrapped in the latest air-breathing, moisture wicking, sole protecting technology.  Held onto your foot with a single piece of space age velcro.  They come in a multitude of colors to ensure that at least one person is going to look at your feet and proclaim “coooooolllll dude” where ya get those?

And look at them you will, I mean they really are hard to take your eyes off.

See aren’t they weeeeiiirrrrdddd?  Its like someone decided to take the whole “bigfoot” thing and turn it into instant money!!!!  Cha Ching!!!! Really I am jealous that I didn’t think of these things myself.  Like the cardboard in the car window that reads “help dial 911” yep I thought that up first, really, it’s a little known fact it was my idea.  I was just late capitalizing on the invention.  My people didn’t contact their people, same old story told time and again in the business world. (heavy sigh)

Anyway where was I?  Oh yeah. So my kid now has a pair of these feet for his feet. (creepy) He is running around like Superman, he fly’s higher, jumps farther, sprints faster, all because of his “Footie” shoes.  Wait a minute, that’s the same way I feel when I get a new pair of shoes, and mine don’t have toes!  Hmmmm seems like a conspiracy if you ask me.  The shoe companies have us all duped into believing that when we get new shoes we are superhuman!  Ah the power of advertising and subliminal messaging! Oh well let him have his moment!  By Friday they will be worn in and the super powers will slowly fade. By the end of the month the super powers will be completely gone. Then what, footie shoes? Then what?  Then they will be just another pair of sweaty, stinky, smelly shoes that my dog will turn into a drool bucket.  But thats Ok I just finished ordering mine online, they should be here any day.  Then Ill see everyone at the Justice League Headquarters, Up Up and AWAAAAAAYYYYYYY!

 

2011 bye bye

theycallmebetty2 Comments

4 hours and 6 minutes until 2012.  That’s all I have left to reflect upon 2011 before the proverbial changing of the guard.  While most everyone else is posting in their blogs about all they have been through over the last year.  I am going to try a different route.  I ‘m going to reflect on my children’s lives over the past year.  Remembering what they experienced, and who they have become over the last 12 months. 

Parker

My little man is 6 in 48 hours he will be 7.  This was a year of learning for my youngest.  He learned to read.  Now to some that might not be a lot, I always hear the stories of “oh my little genius was reading by 2”.  But for Parker this was indeed a milestone.  He is very impatient and to finally overcome his “tummy pains” or “jitters” to sit and read without losing his mind was a gigantic obstacle to overcome.  He also taught himself how to spin plates on a stick.  He was so good at it that he decided on his own to be in the schools talent show.  Another huge milestone for our small performer.  You see Parker also doesn’t like to be laughed at when doing something serious.  So for him to stand upon a stage in front of the entire elementary school and perform without crying each time a plate fell.  (yes he smiled the biggest smile when he finished and everyone applauded) Well it makes me misty just thinking about it.  Parker also learned to ride a horse this year.  No fear, just got on the pony and started riding.  After a week or two declared he was ready for competition and proceeded to ride in an annual series, where he did quite well.  His lisp went away this year as well.  He has started to take notice that people aren’t saying “what” every time he asks a question or tries to tell a story.  He is sweet and kind with a slight hint of the devil every now and again.  I will miss him being little, huggable and snuggly.

Jessica

My little girl is 7 and smart as a whip.  This year she truly dedicated herself to her schoolwork.  She went from being very slow to focus on the tasks at hand to someone I trust to handle any task given her at anytime.  She is stubborn and resourceful, caring and brutish, but this year she learned so much about who she is as a person.  She has developed in a small flower that is just waiting for the perfect time to blossom.  She overcame many of her dreaded fears as well this year.  The fear of the dark; whipped! Although she still wants a night lite every now and again, she can sleep with the door closed and the lights off.  The fear of horses:  She would go down to the barn with us and just sit and watch.  If you tried to get her on a horse, stand back!  The screaming would start!  But thanks to the help of some wonderful friends, she not only rides, but she lopes a great little horse named JR. around the arena with the biggest of smiles on her face.  She is driven and competitive, if you are her friend she would slay the biggest serpant for you.  If you are her enemy look out!  We cant wait to see what she wants to accomplish next year!

Jake

Ahhhh my 11-year-old who is going on 17!  He is bossy, he is a know it all, he is the absolute best at everything he does (just ask him).  He is also the kindest, gentlest human being I have had the pleasure to know.  He has a smile that would melt even the coldest of hearts! If there is an animal in trouble with in a 10 mile radius, he knows.  He cries at even the smallest of creatures being hurt or in trouble.  When our little dog went missing this year, he called me at work and he was blubbering so hard I couldn’t make out what he was saying.  His year has been tumultuous to say the least.  He has been in the wrong place at the wrong time at school more times than I can count (parent e-mails from the principal).  He even went to the office for fighting, in which he was released because he had done the right thing by trying to get away from the kid until he had nowhere to hide.  He lost his best friend (to the Air Force) , who moved away which was quite a blow.  The year before he lost another friend (Air Force once again)to the dreaded “move”.  He learned to ride a horse this past year. He went out and purchased his own horse with money he had saved over the years from birthdays and Christmas.  Along with odd jobs he had worked and his 4-H project.  He rides in competitions and wishes to one day ride cutting horses.  He was in a school play and went from learning piano, to being handed a clarinet which he plays quite well!  He has grown what seems like a foot this year and is no longer small. (he’s built like a linebacker)!  I am proud of who he is becoming as a young man and after seeing the changes in him this year, wish he could slow down just a little bit.   

Cody

The oldest of the brood at a staggering 15 1/2.  This year was unbelievable for our young adult.  He was in marching band and went to several competitions around the state.  He also ran for the cross-country team and was one of 8 boys that made to State!  He lettered, received his ALL-League and his State Championship patches.  All while carrying a full 7 period workload.  This year he went hunting and killed his first pheasant!  He also go his first turkey.  He is in taxidermy at school and is really enjoying the class.  He says it is a lost art, I think he may be right.  Cody also took a big step this year by actually getting back onto a horse.  He was thrown from a horse 4 years ago and even though he got right back on and rode a while longer.  Afterwards he washed his hands of all horses.  Over the last year his voice finished changing, now when I call home I want to know who the strange man is answering the phone!  He also lost a friend (Air Force) but not just any friend.  They had been friends since 5th grade.  Eventually becoming boyfriend/girlfriend by 7th grade.  They stayed friends and became an item again last year.  It was a tough blow for him, he is dealing with it well I am sure in most part to technology.  He has his I-phone with him all the time.  Cody has read more books this year than anyone I know, he will definitely grow up to be the most well read person in our family.  Cody found his funny side this year, his wit is dry and quick! So much so that sometimes you are walking away from him before you realize that he just got ya!  He is growing tall and strong and handsome.  I am very proud to call him my son and I look forward to the day that I shake his hand and give him a hug man to man.. 

So there it is, I just spent a little time remembering some things that happened to my children over this last year.  No poo pooing about opportunity lost, or how much money we don’t have (we have horses, so you know we are poor).  No credit debt, no political rants, no occupy bullshit!  Nope just a moment in time to reflect upon what matters most to me.  My kids, who they are, and who they are becoming.  It’s a privilege to be a parent and I think at times we take that privilege for granted. 

So welcome 2012!  Welcome to our lives with open arms!  May you bless us with countless stories that we may recollect!  May you bring us challenges that we may meet! But most of all, may you bring my kids one step closer to moving out!!  (you didn’t think I was going to do this whole thing without one obnoxious quip did you?)

How my childhood has changed

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As a 45-year-old parent of four, looking back upon my early childhood, I have noticed that some things have changed and some things have stayed the same since I was an infant.

We start our lives out as wobbly little infants that need everything from our parents.  In the beginning its good, some may event say great!  We are fed three meals a day, given all the love and adoration we can handle.  We are pooping, peeing, burping, vomiting, naked little gods!  All of these things are considered cute when we are infants, but try it as an adult and you will be thrown in jail faster than To Catch A Predator’s Chris Hansen can say “hi there, no, no have seat, lets talk a minute”.  As infants we are truly the center of our parents worlds! 

If  born a boy, dad was the hero and admired by all his friends.  The infant boy held high over dads head as if he was Rifiki from the Lion King.  There for the world to see!  A son has been born to this pride, show your admiration as there will be no other like him!  Pats on the back, cigars strewn about, friends who don’t even smoke or like cigars are seen toking away as a gesture of approval towards his fathers amazing virility! His football jersey has already been picked out, a bat and glove lay near the foot of the crib, a racecar stroller is parked waiting in the corner for the pit crew to tune it up after each time mom brings him back from the supermarket 500.  He will grow up to be the handsomest of men, Cary Grant, Tom Selleck, Brad Pitt will pale in his shadow!  Women will fall to their feet by his presence (some men too)! Mom is always there at the littlest cry or snivel to feed him! (hmmmmm sounds like the ground work is being laid for some serious gender expectation retraining as you get older) And eat he will..  and eat… and eeeaaaattttt…..

If  born a girl, mom is aglow, all her friends sigh the heavy relief that it wasnt one of those dreaded devil maker boys!  While dad is happy she is healthy, he knows that in time he will be wrapped around her little finger and before long he will be wearing girly hats and having tea parties.  Mom on the other hand can’t wait, to show her off to all of the family!  Adorned in the cutest little pink outfits, with pretty little bows and “hair pretty’s”, life couldn’t get much better! Unless mom was 8 and had just received a brand new Cabbage Patch Doll!  (I know it’s another stereotype take a deep breath and relax) Mom also has her daughters life laid out, she will go to college, Mills, Simmons, Wellesley, she will be the class valedictorian, and she wont need any boy to succeed in life. She will be stunning and all boys will want her (some girls too) but she wont wander from her chosen path.  To cure-all of the worlds diseases and win the Nobel Peace Prize.  Yeah no high expectations here!

Now all of this sounds very stereotypical and it is, but you have to remember that no matter how we were raised or what you  may believe today, all bets are off when the first child is born!  Generational habits die-hard and really, as new parents, your brain cells have deteriorated immensely.  The deterioration of your parents minds only continues as you and your siblings get older.  Also all of this is only if you are the first-born of either sex, if you are lucky enough to be the runner-up things go significantly down hill from here!  You are just another exemplary silhouette of your parents genes.  Sorry if you are the third or fourth child, but unfortunately its true.  The effort put into the first two significantly wains as others are thrown into the mix.  Now don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean you were loved any more or less than the others, noooooo quite the contrary, the others or “firsties” have it harder than you ever will.. 

You see they have an image to live up too.  They have all of their parents goals and dreams to shatter or make come true.  If you fail its easy for the parents to just say “oh after the second one we were just tired of trying” or if you are successful you will hear “ha  ha I don’t know how the hell that one succeeded”!  The first and second child are relied upon to do all the baby sitting, to help with the child rearing, to set the “example”  of appropriate behavior.  Because as more children come into the family, more responsibilities are delegated, which keeps the parents from losing their minds completely. It also frees up more time to start drinking after the littlest ones are in bed!  None of this will make any sense to the “firsties” either, until after they too have children, then the process repeats itself. 

So where does that leave me in this posting?  Well its like this, I have noticed while looking into my own family model that indeed some things are still the same while some things have definitely changed!  I love all my children equally (same), I don’t look upon the “firsties” as any better than the last two (different), I have high expectations for all of them equally (different), The older ones do help the younger ones, with homework, cleaning their rooms, and developing their manners (same), But I look at that as a privilege to completing my expectations of good mannerisms.  And we all know if you do well at something its natural to want to pass that knowledge onto others.  I don’t expect my children to attend Wellesley or be race car drivers, baseball stars, rodeo cowboys, Nobel Peace prize winners, astronauts, or even President of the United States. (different) If that happens I will be as proud of them, as they are of themselves.  I do expect them to be viable, happy,  well-rounded contributing members of society who love what ever it is they choose to do and live their lives to the fullest. 

Maybe one day my children will look back at childhood and ask themselves; what has changed?  What has stayed the same? Why are parents so goofy? And when they are done they will smile as big as I am smiling right now.

Childhood Epidemic

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The clock is ticking and its only a matter of time.  Its an epidemic of such great proportion that I think its high time it was recognized.  This “sickness” comes on while they are young and once it attaches itself to the host body, recovery can be long an arduous.  Recognizing  the “sickness” at a young age is most important if you wish to cure it!  It starts over the simplest of tasks and fighting it takes nerves of steel. Although there seems to be many theories about how to treat this “virus”, once it has set in, it is pure hell to eradicate. When it infects one, it usually infects all.. 

The day starts out like any other, kids get up, coffee is made, breakfast is had, kitchen is cleaned.  Through conversation with the kids the days activities are planned out, excitment is in the air.   The little ones are jumping up and down, “to the park” they exclaim with glee!  The middle son is quietly pestering the oldest one to hang out with him today!  Maybe do a little bike riding and bouncing on the trampoline?  Oh yeah the day is looking stellar!  MAN VACATION ROCKS!  Can be heard echoing up and down the hallway!  No school, oh yeah, no school for us fools!!!  Whooo Hooooo!  

While this is happening my wife is slowly waking up to the glorious smell of the coffee that fills her favorite mug.  Ahh yes the hearty smell of French Roast wafts through the air bringing the senses alive!  The brain kick starts after just one sinful sip.  MMMMmmmm  so good.  And then it happens, she asks herself; Self what needs to be accomplished today?  The answers come flooding in like watching the great Niagra falls pour into its basin.  And without haste she writes them down on a piece of paper which subsequently gets transferred to the dreaded “chore board”! 

Now the Chore board is this wonderful thing my wife and I have placed on the wall just outside our childrens bedrooms.  Its a white, dry erase board that has the daily chores written upon its glowing white face.  There are no excuses as to why their chores arent done once the chores have adorned the “chore board”.  Its right there in front of them for all too see!  My children booo the chore board and have a very strong 6th sense about its existence.  It seems that all is tranquill and happy until my wife or I start to write on a piece of paper, then before we can transfer the contents of said paper to the board amazingly all forms of life have disappeared from our home. 

Which brings me full circle to the “sickness, the epidemic, the virus” if you will…  Its called LAZINESS!  Yep thats right, good ole fashioned laziness!  The same kids that would build a bridge with the exuberance, skill  and expertise to rival the one crossing the river Kwai if it meant no adults and playtime till dark on the other side.  Suddenly have come down with the strangest of afflictions when it comes to completing their assigned chores. 

The smallest one inevitably lays on the floor and cries that he cant complete the cleaning of his room because he didnt make the mess!  After a half hour of crying and sniveling he miraculously comes down sick. Now here’s where the littlest shines above the rest! He has the ability to throw up on cue! Oh yeah! Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Think of all the jambs we could have gotten out of with that talent! Part of me is jealous, its like watching one of those goats that faints out of fear! Sometimes he is so good at it you are not sure whether or not its part of the act!

Next up! My daughter, who also cries at the mere thought of picking up anything in her room, she sits on her bed screaming, chanting, its not fair!  To which the reply is “you’re right honey its not fair” maybe your room will like you more if you keep it cleaner.  I am not sure which is worse, her screaming or the fact we have her believing that her room lives and has feelings! After a half an hour she has miraculously come down sick.

My  middle child will march upstairs and decide that he is going to “take charge” and tighten this ship up by running a perfect operation.  R. Lee Ermy would be proud of the charged up insults flying around the room as he treats his little brother (also his bunkmate) like a scumbag private! Of course his little brother will eventually have enough of his barrage and do one of two things. He will cry some more or vomit!  (think fainting goat) This never works out well for him yet he does it every single time!  Within a half hour and no signs of progress on the horizion, amazingly he is also sick.  “My tummy hurts, my arm hurts, is my hand swollen and I have a headache” are the ususal cries. Bad soldier…

The older child of course just lets out a heavy teenager sigh, wanders into his room, shuts the door and within a half hour comes out done and ready to move on with his day.   No sickness, aparently his immunity system is strong!  I wish we could harvest the anti-venom flowing in his veins to use on the others.  I suppose it means there is hope after all?

Of course as a parent you cannot waiver, you cannot let them see that you are actually thinking about checking their little temperatures even though you know this “sickness” is a sham to get out of chores.  You cannot let them off the hook, oh no! These little chores add up to bigger chores which add up to earned responsibilities.  Those responsibilities allow them future freedoms, and future freedoms prepare them for life which of course leads to the dreaded day you can sit back, pat yourself on the back as they prepare to walk out the door and say; job well done, (slowly now) job well done.. 

Yet there it is, the sickness, the epidemic that is sweeping across the country enveloping our youth.  Stay strong fellow parents, know your limitations, dont waiver even for a second.  For if you do the epidemic will grow, the youth will suffer and we will be left as senior citiznes to change our own diapers because our kids are to lazy to do it for us.  And really no one wants that! Do you???

Christmas Cookies

theycallmebetty2 Comments

I love Christmas cookies!  Love them!  So much I think I would cross a street of broken glass barefoot to get too them!  I like chocolate ones, I like shortbread ones, I like almond ones, I like peanut butter ones, heck I even like coconut ones!  I love Christmas cookies!

Today I took it upon myself to make some Christmas cookies from scratch to give to a few friends for the holidays!  I went to the store and bought the ingrediants I didnt already have in the kitchen.  I patiently took all the hardware out I needed.  I even put on a Christmas movie so there would be a little ambiance in the background. 

I set the temp on the oven.

greased up the tins.

spread out the chocolate.

fired up the double boiler.

I then spent the next two hours mixing, dropping (a term for putting the dough on the cookie sheet) and baking.  It was heaven!  Just me and some of the best ingriediants known to the baking world.  Making some of the most deliscious cookies ever! 

But something was missing….  You see I was doing all of this fun stuff at work.  (I am a firefighter).  There were no little kids helping me lick the bowls, no one to sneak chocolate chips while I was folding the butter.  No one to help melt white chocolate in the double boiler for the icing.  Yep it was all perfect untill I realized it was too perfect.  Perfectly quiet. 

I needed a little person there to impart my cooking wisdom upon.  Years my father spent in the bakery of his restruant with me as a teenager/young adult acting like I didnt care because it wasnt cool to cook.  But in reality I was watching listening and learning from a man who got up every morning at 3am to make sure bread was baked for the days meals.  I want my children to know that REAL men cook.  REAL men bake and provide for their families in a multitude of ways!  REAL men take great pride in giving the gift of baked goods at Christmas.  Because to me nothing comes “more from the heart” than when I take the time to bake (I mean bake, not prepackaged crap, but from scratch)something sweet for you, my friend.  So there I was alone…..  Or so I thought.

Looking over my shoulder was one of our new guys.  He is young, in his early twenties, a good kid full of heart.  I was going to ask what he needed but a light came on in my head instead.  I leaned over and said; Lets make some cookies, you get some eggs and Ill start mixing the flour.  He smiled and jumped right to it!  Within seconds one of the other new guys also jumped in and the three of us were chuckling and dropping dough. 

After the first round came out and we all had a taster, the vote was unanimous.  Make some more!  And more we did!  I slowly backed away leaving the young guys to do it on their own.  They had watched carefully, studied the methods used and applied them perfectly.  They are both now filled with Christmas spirit as am I.  As I write this the two of them are carefully working on the next batch. 

I had a great Pre Christmas day! Filled with good laughs, good food and yes I can say it.  In a way I had my “kids” with me as I baked for people I care about. 

Did I mention “I love cookies”….