Back to School Lesson

So the kids are back at school and will learn many valuable lessons as they go. But here is one we should be teaching all the time. I don't normally share mass emails but I think this one is worth it! Thank you to all the veterans who paid the price.
Cheers Kim

A lesson that should be taught in all schools... and colleges. Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom.When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?'She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.''No,' she said..'Maybe it's our behavior.'She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.By early afternoon, television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
By the way, this is a true story.Please consider passing this along so others won't forget that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. & Canadian Veterans.

Funny things my kids say

My kids are way funnier than me most of the time. I try to be funny but they say I am not. I think they just don’t get me.

Here are a couple of funny conversations with my boys.

Son: I'm bored
Mom: there is a lot to do find something
Son: what like use my imagination?
Mom: No not don't do that it is just wrong!!

Son: Dad look at this
Dad: there is nothing there
Son: yes there is
Dad: you must be on glue
Son: mmm Elmers is the best
Dad: falls off chair laughing and is a little concerned now

Son (4 yrs old): McDonald is my favourite
Two blocks later…
Son (4 yrs old): Boston Pizza is my favourite
Two blocks later…
Son (4 yrs old): Burger King is my favourite
Mom: son you are fickle
Son (4 yrs old): I AM NOT A PICKLE!
Mom in fit of laughter trying not to drive off the road!

Mom: Yo dwag your whack
Teenage son: being cool ignoring mom,
Mom: I’m getting down with my bad self
Teenage son: still being cool trying very hard to ignore mom
Mom: you’re my peeps
Teenage son: Mom never ever say any of those things in public or private ever again

Blackberry aka Crackberry!

Ok so I got a Blackberry a week ago. The boys and my schedules are getting to the point that I need to have a good way to track everything…not that the paper calendar wasn’t working…it just the Blackberry is way cooler! This is my story and I am sticking to it.

I promised myself that I would not let it distract me from regular things like work or driving. Well I have failed miserably and now must use all my will power, which is not one of my strongest skills, to train myself to use in moderation. I think this will be easier once the shiny newness wears off. Some girls like frilly girly things…I like "gadgets" (said with Adam flare!)

I have to say that I can see it being a very useful tool. My calendar is always with me. I can handle urgent email right away. I can look up the pizza place online and then order on the way home from work. And we can’t forgot the never ending access to Facebook and Twitter. I may just start to have a social life again…well at least an online one.

If anyone has any must have or a favourite Blackberry app I have to try please pass them along.

Well got to go my Blackberry just buzzed and I have to update Twitter. :D

Co-parenting

Well today is my ex-husbands birthday. For those who know us it will be no surprise that I include him in my blog, Happy Birthday Nitram…if you are reading this.

Being a parent is for life even when marriage sometimes isn’t. We were married almost ten years and had two amazing boys. When we split (over five years ago now) the first thing we decided was that the kids would always come first. Now this was not always easy. The first year was hell. But we both worked very hard to put the kids first and work together as co-parents.

We communicate everything about the kids from school functions, to sports, bedtimes and discipline. There was no way that our kids would be worried to have us both in the same room. I didn’t want them sitting at their graduation or wedding worrying that we were both there and would not get along. The exact opposite occurred actually.

The kids spend a week at each house and are very happy and well adjusted. Due to their very busy schedules rarely do I go more that a couple of day with out seeing them. We share driving duties if they both have events at the same time. And if one has an event that goes late the other will pick him up and bring him home so the other kid can go to bed. We share everything 50/50.

People mistake us for being married all the time. We both attend everything the boys do. We support them together as we are both their parents and they deserve to have both of us there. People ask me all the time how do we do it. I can’t say just one thing but the most important thing is the kids come first, over your hurt feelings and your anger. It wasn’t easy it was agony at times but with a lot of hard work we created a new relationship a friendship. I can say very happily now that the boy’s dad is one of my closest friends and I am glad he is.

Our oldest son once said to me…after he did something at one house and got an ear full from both of us, “man this sucks I can’t get away with anything”. I think at is a testament on how well we have worked through a tough situation.

This is not a perfect situation that would be if we weren’t divorced, but since that is never going to happen…we would kill each other LOL I think we have done quite well and have made it as perfect for the boys as we can.
Note to Nitram…I didn’t call them my kids once…did you notice LOL

In the Car

I am a big believer in using any moment as a teaching moment…these can happen in some interesting places, the grocery store, on a ferry, at the beach but a lot of them happen in the car. This could be because we spend a lot of time in the car.

I have found that the car is a great place to talk to your kids…they can’t escape! Although mine have said to me once or twice “can we stop talking now” Can’t really blame them, I am a girl and they are boys so I use twice as many words than are necessary.

Topics can range from, what is segregation, how to do long division, to dating and sex (not a good topic for heavy traffic). I am not sure why we always have the most in depth conversations in the car but I quite enjoy it.

Communication is such an important relationship and life tool. The more my kids communicate and ask me questions and learn about life, the world and their journey the better.

I took a seminar a few years ago called Boys Smarts with Barry MacDonald. If you have a boy, are a boy, want to know more about supporting boys or about how the boy brain works I highly recommend this seminar and the books. Here is a link to the website http://www.mentoringboys.com/

A little Obsessed

Is there such a thing as being a little obsessed?

Would it be like being a little pregnant or a little dead…pretty sure it is all or nothing. Well I guess then it would be safe to say I am obsessed with Adam Lambert.

I am not an American Idol fan really, haven’t watched the show on a regular basis for years. But this spring I had a rare evening at home and there was nothing on TV so I thought I would catch the finally. Well…I became an instant Adam fan!

It is hard to put a finger on just one thing that contributed to the obsession. It is everything and nothing. He has an amazing voice and is a great entertainer! I love how he takes a song and changes it and makes it his own…in my opinion he makes them better songs. I could go on and list all the other reasons I like him…but I think it comes down to I think he is good people and we need more good people like Adam.

I am complete sane…ok as sane as any average person (no comments from the peanut gallery please) and I do not have any unhealthy or unrealistic expectations I just enjoy watching him perform and following his journey.

Here is a video from the summer tour, which I saw in Vancouver, for those who may not know who the heck Adam Lambert is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdMPbgHlRc8&feature=PlayList&p=B6EBE026313E0941

First day Bloggin

Ok...well I have joined the new world and started a blog. The main reason is to practice my writing...which is not one of my strong skills. I am trying to write a book which is item 5 on my bucket list and thought this would get my creative juices flowing.

The title reflects what I truly feel about like. It is a journey...you have to participate...it is not a guided tour you can just sit and watch. Sometime the journey is hard and takes difficult paths...been there done that and have a drawer full of t-shirts. But most of the time the journey is amazing and wonderful and makes me happy. So this will be pieces of my journey. Hope you laugh, groan, I try not to make you cry and maybe just touch or move you to action in your own journy.