Thanks for stopping by! If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below on Mr. Linky! Then head on over to From Val’s Kitchen, Here And There, What’s That Smell, Go Graham Go, 5 Minutes for Mom and The Not-So-Blog Blog for more wordless fun!
My son TJ went to the mall today with his girlfriend and her friend. The girls had wanted to go there to go shopping for bathing suits. He came home later in the evening, in an excellent mood. He said he had a good time at the mall. He’d spent $4 on a bracelet, exactly like the one pictured. Methinks that it’s no coincidence that he’s sporting a bracelet expressing a love for boobies after going bathing suit shopping with his girlfriend. It seems like it was only a short time ago that TJ used to think girls were yucky and had cooties. How time flies….
A few years back we decided to get TJ a stereo for his room. Being the man he is, RB went out and found a great deal on one and picked it up. What I didn’t know until after it had been brought home and installed was that it was a powerful unit. Powerful as in loud. I told RB that TJ didn’t need anything quite that powerful in his tiny room in our small house but he wasn’t hearing any of that. See, when it comes to music RB is like Tim Taylor. More Power! RB connected the system so that TJ could hear everything through it, from television to Xbox 360 games. After that we had about two years where we could hear every sound coming from our sons room. The first time TJ was talking online while playing a video game was very strange for me because I heard more than one voice but only saw my son. Anyway. About a month ago we were informed that something wasn’t working correctly. RB checked it out and said that the system was working but that one component had broken.
Money’s tight so I figured we wouldn’t be replacing anything soon. After all, it was working. For my husband that wasn’t enough. He announced he had an idea and disappeared elsewhere in the house. He reappeared ten minutes later with a component from the system that he used in his last band. He swapped that for the broken component. Now everything is working again. Working and louder. The Toolman strikes again!
My son made his confirmation yesterday afternoon. We had a bit of a difference of opinion on clothes. He wore a Confirmation gown, but obviously needed to wear something underneath. I told him he needed to dress nicely. He went in his room and came out in suit pants, a t-shirt and sneakers. I told him he needed to finish dressing. He didn’t seem to understand why a fancy dress shirt would look better than a colorful t-shirt with a skull on it. I have no problem with the shirt itself but it just wasn’t appropriate for Confirmation. He finally put on the dress shoes my Mom had dug up for him and changed the shirt.
The Bishop started out funny but faded over time. At work we had been wondering if the kids would still have to answer questions. The Bishop said if he asked the kids questions and they didn’t know the answer he was going to put the sponsors on the spot. I saw more than a couple of panic stricken faces when he said that! Anyway. He really didn’t ask the kids any questions individually like they did when I was young, instead he asked the whole group the question. The Mass and ceremony were relatively quick, finished in under an hour. On the way out of the Church I couldn’t help but remember when TJ had been baptized in that very Church, in what seemed like only a year or two before. How time flies…
Here’s something that I don’t think I’ve never mentioned. RB has a unibrow. Not only that, directly out of the middle of it grows a long hair, which we call his feeler because it waves around like a tentacle. It’s nothing a few hair removal wax strips wouldn’t take care of. But, it doesn’t bother him much so he usually leaves it alone, despite the fact that we tease him about it.
Recently TJ noticed that his eyebrows were looking a bit like his fathers. Finally proof that the boy who can’t see things in front of him isn’t blind! Anyway. I asked him if he wanted to come with me to the nail salon because they do eyebrows and facial hair removal. He said that he didn’t want to do that – I’m guessing because he’s heard me say that I hate the plucking. I asked him if he wanted me to check into hair removal cream. He said he didn’t think so and that he’d think about what he wanted to do. Two days later he’d decided on a solution to his problem. Rather than spend money he decided to use one of the moustache trimmers in the bathroom. He said he chose to do that because it was quick and easy and it wouldn’t cost anything because we already had it. How practical! I offered to do it for him but he wanted to do it himself. He did a nice even job and didn’t take off anything he wasn’t supposed to. I’m thinking I’m going to get him a smaller eyebrow trimmer of his own just to be safe. He’s growing up so fast, faster than the speed eyebrows grow it would seem.
My son TJ has been thinking about blogging so I’m letting him guest post a couple of times to see if he likes it. Please say hi to him.
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Me and my friends went for a bike ride to the local skate park. When we got there we decided that we were going to shoot some film for a video that we were going to post on YouTube. We were riding up and down the ramps for most of the day and pulling off dangerous tricks. My friend, who did not know what he was doing at the time, attempted a tailwhip and flipped over the bars. He hit the ground and the bike landed on him. For the past week now he has had neck pain. When he told me this I ordered him a neck pain pillow and told him to go for back pain treatment. He really should be riding.
My parents and LB3 were over this morning. My Dad is the go to man in my life. My husband is not exceptionally handy so there are some things I wouldn’t even want him to try. I mentioned to Dad that there was no heat in TJ’s room. I knew what the problem was there - the bed blocked the only vent. I’d bought a diffuser attachment and Dad and LB3 connected it. Then I mentioned the house had been a bit cold. Dad asked when the last time the furnace filter was changed. I told him it had easily been at least a year. He rolled his eyes and took a look.
I know where our furnace is but I have a bit of a fear when it comes to things that can cause fire. If my house had explosionproof hvac I’d go right in there. But it doesn’t. RB knows where it is also but had a hard time putting it back together. Dad took the filter out and we washed it in the tub. How disgusting it was. It’ll hold for a day or so until I get to Home Depot to get a new one.
Just another reminder that women do not always marry men like their father.
As parents we can wear a lot of hats, as people in general even more. TJ and I were at odds earlier. He was being a typical teen and I was being a typical Mom. I reminded him that my responsibility was to be a good parent first and foremost rather than a friend. I reminded him that I am a nice person but that I could be a mean old bitch if I had to. Which is how I decided to call it my Mob attitude. Do you have an attitude your child doesn’t like? Does it have a name?
TJ’s been getting into drawing again lately. He used to draw all the time as a young child and stopped for a while. He’s given me several beautifully done freehand drawings. In order to keep them I told him I was going to scan them into the computer. He seemed pleased and left the room with about another twenty sheets of plain paper. That got me to wondering if he continued to draw if he might enjoy a graphics tablet. I haven’t priced those in a while so did a little looking around and found one on sale on Buy.com today.
The Penpower Tooya Pro USB Graphics Tablet has some terrific features that make it a really great value. It is cross platform (works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista or Mac 10.4 above). It’s generously sized, with an active area of 10″ x 6.25″. While having a large active area, it’s also thin enough at 5mm high that it would fit into a laptop bag very well. The tablet can be used for drawing, tracing and writing, as well as as a mousepad. The tablet comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements photo editing software.
A tablet like this might allow him to take his drawing to another level if he chooses. I think it’d even let him have some more fun and get even more creative, as well as enable the drawings to easily be kept in electronic format.
The Penpower Tooya Pro USB Graphics Tablet regularly retails for $149.95. It’s currently on sale for $89.99 and has a $30.00 rebate offer through the end of this year. It also qualifies for free shipping.
My son is a video game nut. He love video games. His favorites are the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he’s really good at them. He’s been known to draw a crowd when he plays in the store. He even won a local contest, beating out kids much older than him. Anyway. Because of his love for these games I’m always on the lookout for great deals and new things. I found a sale that immediately caught my eye.
The deal I found is for a Rock Band Wireless Guitar for Xbox 360 with two bonus games - AC/DC Live Rock Band and Rock Revolution. The whole package usually sells for $59.99. Right now it is currently the best selling item on the site and is priced at $24.99! It qualifies for free shipping or free second day express shipping if you’re paying with Paypal. The package includes a wireless guitar for use with the Rock Band game on Xbox 360, the AC/DC Live Song Pack for Rock Band on Xbox 360 and another game called Rock Revolution.The Rock Revolution is another music game.
I just ordered this for TJ. I’m pretty sure TJ doesn’t have the Rock Revolution game. (I can’t ask him because this is going under the tree.) I know that he doesn’t have the AC/DC Live Song Pack and has been wanting it.
If you’re interested I suggest you hurry! This deal is while supplies last only!
GIFT IDEA - SILVER STAR CLOTHING
TJ turned 14 last weekend. TJ has never been what I would call a “clothes horse”. When he was between about 10 and 12 he loved to wear sweat pants. Nothing special, just inexpensive sweats like you get in a department store. He also liked to wear hoodies, the pullover kind. Between ages 12 and 13 he was into wearing jeans. He no longer liked sweats, even around the house. It was at this time that he developed a liking for graphics on MMA clothing and similar items. The hoodie reappeared on TJ’s radar a couple of months ago, this time with a zipper. His logic was to wear the hoodie over his tees because I would no longer let him go out without a jacket because it’s not warm enough any more. Christmas is around the corner. TJ could use some long sleeve shirts so I started looking for ones that he’d like. That’s how I found Silver Star.
Silver Star carries men and womens clothing, jewelry and accessories. It’s a family run company. If you’re a fan of this type of graphics give them a look because they’ve got some great designs. I found at least ten things that TJ would love. Now I just have to decide which one to get him. You can buy Silver Star online at buysilverstar.com.
Have you ever had a conversation with one of your children that just struck you as funny? We had one of these yesterday.
TJ - I need to speak to you about my battery needs.
me - Your what?
TJ - My battery needs.
me (after I stop giggling) - What battery needs?
TJ - We need more batteries. I have to keep switching batteries from one thing to another.
me - Did you look in the refrigerator?
TJ - Yes but there are none in there.
me - We had two 8 packs.
TJ - Yeah, I know but I used them.
me (huh? 16 batteries in less than two weeks? speechless for a moment.) - Are you eating them?
TJ - You’re not funny Mom.
me - I’m not trying to be funny, I’m trying to figure out where the batteries went.
TJ - All of my stuff NEEDS batteries. I NEED batteries.
me - I NEED to know that what things we NEED and why we NEED them in order to buy them.
TJ - Oh yeah, I guess you do.
My son TJ went on his first camping trip this weekend. He returned home early this evening looking tired. I was in another room when he came in. He headed straight for his room to check his cell phone so I didn’t get a look at him. It was only after he checked his cell phone that he came to me and asked me if his face looked strange. It did. Around his mouth was swollen and discolored. He said that it stung and hurt. I asked him if he’d eaten anything strange or new.He told me he ate a couple leaves. (Yes, that’s right - leaves.) I asked him why and said that someone had said you could survive on certain leaves and berries. I explained that didn’t mean he had to, just that it was possible. Off we went to the ER.
The male pa in the ER was a great sport with a great sense of humor. TJ looked a little sheepish about admitting what he ate. The man put him right at ease and informed me “Mom, that’s what we boys do”. The nurse in triage raised an eyebrow and chuckled. When the doctor came in and saw him TJ was sheepish once again. the doctor said that what he ate probably had something on it that he was having a reaction to. He told me to give TJ Benadryl and Chapstick and he should be fine in a few days.
On the ride home I stopped at the all night drug store and picked up the Benadryl and Chapstick. In the car on the ride home TJ asked if they’d fix the problem right away. I told him it would probably take a couple of days to get the poison (for lack of a better word) out of his system. At that point he told me he was going to tell the kids at school he’d gotten bit by an animal. I told him that was silly and that it would be obvious he hadn’t. At that point he told me he was going to tell anyone who asked that he’d been bitten by a scorpion, because saying he’d eaten leaves would sound dumb. You think?! I told him that there were no scorpions in New Jersey, but he wasn’t hearing that. I tried explaining that he didn’t need to get into explanations but have a feeling he will anyway.
So if you’re in my area and come across a 13 year old boy that says he got stung by a scorpion, take the news with a ton grain of salt. Then ask him if he’d like to rake your leaves.
Thanks for stopping by! If you have a picture up for Wordless Wednesday, leave your link below on Mr. Linky! Then head on over to From Val’s Kitchen, Here And There, What’s That Smell, Wordless Wednesday, Go Graham Go, 5 Minutes for Mom and The Not-So-Blog Blog for more wordless fun!
One of TJ’s favorite snacks is peanut butter and jelly. He’s not nuts about bread in general but he is nuts about peanut butter and jelly, as well as grilled cheese. The thing is, since CJ has Celiac Disease and I pretty much gave up bread after surgery, I don’t keep a lot of fresh bread in the house unless we’re having company or planning cold cut sandwiches. That’s why since spring you can frequently find a box of Smucker’s Uncrustables in my freezer.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Uncrustables, let me explain. Uncrustables are frozen sandwiches without the crust. They come in a variety of kid favorites, including some new whole wheat varieties that are slightly higher in protein and fiber.
You can heat them in the microwave and serve them or you can just let them thaw naturally and eat them.
Smucker’s recently gave away 20,000 coupons for free Uncrustables as part of a promotion to give moms an after school break. To receive a coupon parents were asked to share their best organizational tips. The coupons are gone but you can still view all of the tips submitted and get free booklets filled with Smucker’s recipes and peanut butter recipes. Just visit the Smucker’s Promotions page.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smucker’s Uncrustables and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
