Toy Stories

I received an email about this Snips and Snails blog today. It was just a general email from Blogger.com letting me know recent statistics about Snips and Snails.  What’s odd is that I don’t remember getting even ONE email like this for the past...uh...7 years! Kyle was about 12 years old and Carson was about 9 when I last posted.

The universe works in weird ways. I took this photo yesterday and thought, “I wish I still blogged” and here we are. Kyle is 19, Carson is 16 and we are selling our home.  “Oh yea, you guys think this is a big joke.  We’ve only got one week left before the move.  I don’t want any toys left behind.  A moving buddy - If you don’t have one, get one!”

In a conversation with some friends about this move, someone mentioned not wanting to leave the house they raised their kids in and I proudly announced “I am not attached to anything. SELL!”  Then, in the middle of cleaning out Kyle’s room yesterday, I looked at the top shelf of the closet and saw Buzz and Woody, our old pals!  They looked so discarded and lonely. Kyle is away at college and my heart broke.

We must have watched all the Toy Story movies a million times.  Kyle had been Woody and Buzz for Halloween so many times that I remember wishing he would pick something else.  Carson wanted that Woody doll and made me put his name under Andy’s name.  (Kyle’s faded name is on the other boot.) Kyle used to call my dad “Grandpa Woody” because they liked to watch the movie together too. Woody and Buzz and all the toys taught so many lessons about friendship, growing up, and perspective. Don’t worry Woody and Buzz!  We wouldn’t think about leaving you behind!

 “I can’t stop Andy from growing up but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” - WOODY

“Now Woody. He’s been my pal for as long as I can remember.  He’s brave, like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart.  But the thing that makes Woody special is he’ll never give up on you...ever. He’ll be there for you no matter what.” - ANDY

I'll Have a Window Seat, Please!

     Do you remember that one boy? The boy from your baseball team who swung at the ball long after it passed? The one who didn’t know where to throw the ball? Yes, him. I used to call him my “Future Spellbowl Champ.” I would always look at the other 8 or 9 year old boys and think mine just didn’t have it. But, HE LOVED BASEBALL. He always seemed a little frustrated with himself. Other boys made All-Star teams, practiced year-round, received training from good coaches. I worried about the ability gap widening because my boy didn’t have those same opportunities.

      Something snapped last year after a decent Fall Ball season. Kyle practiced all the time, all year, by himself, with Scott and Carson, his best friend - Justin, with anyone who would practice with him. He wanted baseball equipment for holidays and birthdays. He watched videos, he watched pros. Guess what? He improved! A LOT! Kyle made a decision to not try out for Majors where he had a good chance of making it but would likely sit the bench while the ALL STARS got even more practice. Kyle just wanted to play as much as possible so he hung back on the Major B’s…and Scott was the coach of the team...the WHITE SOX!! All these years and Kyle has never been on a White Sox team. Scott went to the try-outs and tried to find the boys with ability, potential, and most importantly, heart. Turned out, all the kids got their heart honestly…from their parents. Scott seemed to really enjoy coaching this team. Personally, I thought all the boys were adorable. (I can already hear Kyle saying, “MooOoom! Stop. GooOosh!”) 

This team and these parents were the best! They encouraged all the players. We didn’t have any parents that only cheered for their own kid. Every parent wanted every boy to be successful.

      In the third game, our short stop/pitcher, Noah, tried to get another player out at home and was rolled over like pancake. His leg was broke and he was out for the rest of the season. BUT, he and his family still came to as many games as they possibly could. Late in the season, after a pretty heartbreaking loss, the White Sox gave Noah a plaque and a ball signed by all the players. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the dugout (and around the dugout.)

      The White Sox made it to the playoffs but lost. The season was over but they played their best and were happy to have made it to this point. It was our last game. The White Sox posed for pictures, ran around the field yelling and cheering, piled on top of each other. Families cheered, clapped, and had only encouraging words for the boys. Looking at both teams, you would have thought we were the winners. Did we win the summer championship? NO. Was this the best team ever? YES!! 

      ***Every kid develops at his own pace, physically, emotionally, academically. It is so easy to compare your child to the kid next to him who is the same age. I heard about an activity for the classroom where you line kids up along the perimeter of the room. You then tell them whoever gets to the door first wins. Obviously, the kids who are right next to the door will beat the kids who are across the room. The point is… we all have different starting points but everyone will make it to the door. Some will just make it before others. Is it fair that the kid next to the door gets invited to walk through it and others are not invited at all? No. But those other kids will have a spectacular journey on the way. Their life experiences will help build character, heart, and perseverance. Cheers to you, Kyle. You were, thankfully, next to the window, not the door. For that window gave you dreams upon which your goals were built. Good job, buddy!

The Mother of All Mother's of Boys!

I knew I hadn’t blogged in a while but it became very obvious when I sent out my email to my usual readers. One email was returned as a failure to reach recipient….my grandma, Milly…One of the BEST mothers of boys. She had three.

Within this past year, Milly’s health deteriorated. On Easter I received a call that she was in the hospital. It was no surprise. She’d been in and out a lot. Scott and I celebrated Easter with the boys a little bit but then went to visit Milly.

Everyone got to spend time with her, and at a few points in the day, we all sat together, in silence. Looking around the room, there were the three sweet men she’d raised with the help of my grandfather, Steve. Milly told me several times that Steve said he wanted "three mean boys." He got ‘em but they grew up to be three caring and gentle men. I’ve heard so many stories of the good times they had growing up…Camping, working on cars, playing sports, Boy Scouts, swimming, etc. Milly had also told me stories about the trouble those three boys would get into like wrestling on the living room floor, sneaking out of windows, and serious accidents. She never seemed to be given more than she could handle. This was proven when Milly even had to care for my dad all by herself while Steve served our country in World War II.

If all that were not enough, there are all the meals that needed to be cooked, all the laundry to be washed, and ONE BATHROOM to keep clean for three growing boys AND a former Marine. You would think all this would cause one to endure a mental breakdown or to consume large quantities of alcohol. Not Milly. She was one tough cookie and was sober the whole time!! (Not even a bottle of wine here or there!)

Once I asked Milly about what she liked best about raising boys. She stammered and said, “Well, they’re funny…and they were a lot of work and they got into a lot of stuff.” She was then interrupted by a nurse. I truly think she enjoyed the busy-ness that boys are.

About 15 years ago I gave Milly a book to fill in about her life called, “Grandmother Remembers.” She returned that book to me about 7 months before she died. It is full of wonderful memories, her thoughts, photos, handwritten notes, etc. One note is particularly revealing. It is a draft of something written in the book itself. It is full of memories, years subtracted from other years, cross-outs, and erasures. Raising three boys filled her life to rim with endless joys and memories. So many that they had become difficult for her to keep track of.

Another page in the book asked Milly what her wish for my future was. She wrote, “Good health, understanding and a caring husband and a girl (baby) that looks like you and a boy that looks like you and your husband.” Obviously she wrote this before I even met Scott and definitely before I had the boys. There are no regrets though. I got that caring husband and two mean boys. (No girl!) Two mean boys that will grow up to be sweet, caring men. They will help create all those wonderful memories that I won’t be able to keep track of. They will give me mental strength and grandchildren (hopefully a girl for God’s Sake!) and they will stick by me to the end just like Don, Rick, and Rob did for Milly.

*Milly was born on May 13, 1918 and died on Easter 2010. As a young girl she enjoyed baseball and met my grandfather at a game where he was playing. When Steve proposed to her, “He said he loved me but he made me promise I would let him go fishing and hunting whenever he wanted to. I promised,” Milly said. They had three boys, Donald, Richard, and Robert. They all enjoyed traveling and camping. Steve died shortly after he retired from Inland Steel. Milly lived to 91, had four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren (that would be Kyle and Carson!)..and she loved the color purple!

Milly and Steve's Wedding Photo

Those three "mean" boys: Don, Rick, and Rob.

Milly with my "mean" boys, Kyle and Carson.

Eating Machines

Ran to the grocery store today. On my way out, a man commented about what a “large load” I had. (He was carrying a mere package of mushrooms! Who goes to the grocery store for only mushrooms and comes out with only mushrooms???? That’s crazy!) So I took a closer look at my load, then at an old lady who was having difficulty putting her ONE bag into her cart. I began pushing my load to the car (with the same kind of effort it takes the Road Runner to push the one-ton anvil to the cliff.)

Yes, I had a very large load. I am also feeding two future 250 pound men. (I can estimate their adult size based directly on the current food intake.) Kyle and Carson can eat six hot dogs between them with a bag of chips, watermelon, and room for cookies. An entire large pizza is no match for these two. If I don’t order two large pizzas, they will argue over who gets the last piece or who ate more than who. Snacks start about 30 minutes before and after each meal. Favorite snacks include a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an entire box of Cheese Nips, and a couple of bananas.

Of course, when I got home with “my load,” the boys were nowhere to be found. Scott helped me carry it all in and HE put everything away. (He was STARVING and I was required to fix him something to eat immediately before he turned all “Mel Gibson” on me.) I then discovered Kyle and Carson were at the neighbor’s…most likely eating THEM out of house and home.

Top 10 Food Recommendations from Kyle and Carson:

1. Fruit (or anything fruit-flavored)
2. Corn
3. Corn dogs
4. Corn chips
5. Any expensive diet food mom bought and hid in the top cabinet
6. Swedish Fish (lots of Omega 3’s…or was that red food dye no. 3?)
7. Carrots with ranch dressing
8. Pizza
9. Ice Cream
10. Hamburgers (“No cheese ‘cause that’s just gross.”)

1

BUSY BEE!

A lot has happened over the past month and a half. My really cute pink Dell computer crashed, dead.

(Wait, I have to interrupt this blog to put tiny screws in a little kit car for Carson.)

Okay, so my computer died. I had to have all my documents, including all my blogs, pictures, music, etc. magically taken off by my friend’s dad. I was very sad and cried a little. I will never buy Dell again because it was not even two years old!

(Wait Carson wants me to watch the kit car roll across the floor, three times...)

Next, I got a new job! I’m not a teacher anymore. I am a counselor at the High School in the same school system. I love it!!!!! I have been working much longer hours but I find it so much more rewarding than teaching. I miss my middle school friends, a lot but I am finally doing the thing I feel like I was meant to do in life.

(Kyle is finally up and wants breakfast, hold on….)

So, as a result of getting this job, I will be able to complete my Master’s Degree THIS COMING MAY!!! That means I am doing my internship class now, which is a lot of work, and my research class, a lot of work too! Starting in January, I will have 3 classes. (That’s okay though, because this also means there will be a BIG party next summer to celebrate my Master’s AND turning 40!! Everybody get ready to par-tay!!)

(One of the screws fell out of the cheap kit car, seriously. Each of us bought a book at Borders yesterday but Carson bought a kit car…I knew he should have bought a book!)

I did get a new computer about two weeks ago. YEAH! It’s not pink but I think I can get a cover for it. (I have analyzed my need for pink stuff and believe it is to counteract all the testosterone in the house.) I am hoping to get my blogging mojo back on.

Scott and the boys have been SUPER supportive. The other morning I was just about ready for work and went to the top of the steps to say “Good-bye” to the boys as they left to go to the neighbor’s house. Scott told me I looked really nice. Carson looked up and said, “Mommy, you look very pretty today!” I said "Thanks" and went to brush my teeth. Kyle, who was putting his shoes on in the garage at the time, followed me into the bathroom, eyed me up and down, and said, “Huh, you do look really pretty today!” (I'm not sure what I look like on all the other days but I'll take whatever I can get!) There are three sweet men in my house and I’m such a lucky girl!

I am also lucky to have such a supportive family. Scott’s mom, Jackie, has made us a freezer full of food so Scott only needs to take dinner out and warm it up. His dad, Herb, has fixed, replaced, built, everything in our house that Scott and I couldn’t. They both have watched the kids while we both worked and when we were in a bind.

(Wait, the phone is ringing…It was Jackie just checking on us! Her ears must have been burning!)

My parents gave me an early birthday present which helped with the cost of the new computer. They also watched the boys for a week straight this summer so Scott and I could have a little alone time. (We used this “alone time” to paint and redecorate the boy’s bedrooms.)

(I am not exaggerating when I say the mailman just went by and delivered the flames for Carson’s wall! It is so funny how some of my interruptions have been related to what I was writing about!!)

I am enjoying every minute of the craziness that my life is! Hopefully, now that I have a new computer and have a handle on my new job and classes, I will have more time to share that craziness with you!

Let the fun continue!
(That's me! Notice the little kit car, screw driver, box from the mailman, scissors to open the box, mail, phone, new computer, Scott reading the paper... I have no make-up on and have not brushed my hair so I am not pretty like the other day! Please forgive.) :D

Raising Boys Made Easy!!!!

I Googled “How to raise boys” the other day since I clearly have no clue what I’m doing. The tips were the same ones about boys having more testosterone blah blah blah. So, I Googled “How to take care of a dog” and found some really helpful tips. I copied and pasted them right here on my own blog. It is not plagiarism since I changed the word “dog” for “boy.” See for yourself. Raising boys made easy….

Dogs (boys) are very fun and loving companions. But besides being great companions, dogs (boys) are a lot of work. Unlike cats, a dog (boy) needs a lot of love and a great amount of attention and exercise. Caring for a dog (boy) is hard work but along with hard work comes a lot of love. (So true! Hard work and lots of love!)

Grooming

Look out for bumps, hot spots, inflammation, irritation, vegetative matter, and parasites like fleas and ticks in his coat. Get rid of fleas by using a fine-toothed comb while ticks can be tweezed off. Brushing doesn't only remove mats, it also takes away dead hair, thus eliminating animal odor. (Love that part! There really is an animal odor!! AMAZING how this relates!)

A dog's (boy’s) teeth are very important and care is required to keep them healthy. Dental hygiene is maintained by using dog (human) toothpaste and toothbrush with soft bristles twice a week. (If we are lucky, he might brush his teeth twice a week!)

Exercise

Puppies (young boys) require daily exercise for proper muscle development. Their high energy levels need to be released in some form of constructive activity, and giving them their daily exercise is the best way to do it. Not being able to release their pent-up energy can lead to destructive behavior such as chewing or digging. (OH MY GOSH! This is spot on! We have a big hole in the back yard and someone was obviously gnawing on the remote control. More daily exercise is the answer!)

Washing

Different breeds (boys) require varying bath frequency. Soak your pet (boy) in warm water. Apply a pet (boy) shampoo in small amounts. Target areas are the eyes, ears, rectum, toes and under the chin. Avoid getting soapy water in his eyes and ears. (Soaking is key here!)

Training

Teach your dog (boy) some basic commands so you can easily control them. Teaching dogs (boys) is a rewarding experience. Don't get too carried away with the fancy tricks, your dog (boy) might not remember the most important ones like:

o Sit

o Stay

o Lie Down

o Fetch

(Too late, they already forgot! Are they ever easy to control?)

There are four bikes and one baseball mitt in the driveway, two abandoned bouncy balls in the bushes, eight pairs of shoes blocking the front door, countless legos strewn about, and six boys watching Ghostbusters in the basement. I love it!!!

I love it and seriously never thought we would get to this point. Up until very recently (and still occasionally) the boys and their guests played inside the house just like they played outside. They ran and played tag, threw balls and other objects at each other, jumped off furniture, yelling and screaming, etc. Now, they are just sitting, nicely(albeit touching themselves) watching a movie. YEAH!

Summer Games Just for Boys!!!

I caught a glimpse of the neighbor boy, also named Kyle, with a helmet on...in our front yard...with my boys. Upon closer inspection, I was informed they were playing, "Throw the Bat." Oh, THAT game! Sure, as a young girl, I played that all the time...NOT!

Boys come up with the strangest games...

• Dig Large Hole in the Backyard for a Booby Trap. (To capture neighbor girls!)


• Hammer and Nails. (I can't believe the neighbors allow their kids to even come to my house!)


• Squirt Your Friend with a Hose When it is Only 65 Degrees! (Fun for everyone!)


• Throw the Baseball OVER the Two Story House. (Drive mom, who is inside, nuts as the ball rolls down the other side, over and over again.)


• Run Around, Chasing Your Friends, with Large Sticks.


• McDonald's Drive Thru Window with the Mailbox. (I actually approve of, and like to join in on, this game!)


• Ride Your Bike/Superhero. (Basically, ride your bike around with your, too small Spider man costume, an old Bulldogs Football helmet, and possibly cowboy boots on!)

I am not sure if these are the "actual" names for these games. There seem to be only two objects of boy's games, create the possibility of real danger (players must try to avoid getting their eyes poked out or breaking any windows) and try to not get caught by the parents.

YES! MICHIGAN

Every summer I take the boys up to Michigan, to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. I drop them off and squeal out of the driveway, laughing like The Joker!!
On the four-hour drive up, I usually have the boys bring their video games and some books to entertain them. Kyle brought his World Records book. From the front seat, over the sound of the radio, I overheard Carson sharing items from the book with Kyle. He said, “Kyle, look at her boobs. They’re big and chunky.” Carson then broke into song…”Big and Chun-ky, Round and Fun-ky!” I vowed, right then and there to no longer listen to rap music when the boys are in the car!

One Sock

“You’ve only got one sock on,” I pronounced the other morning. Kyle looked at me with one eye still partially closed and said, “I know.” The “I know” was said with a small amount of “duh-ness” so I tried to let it go. Kyle sat on the sofa and began watching Spongebob or something with Carson, still wearing only one sock.

So I sat, took a couple of sips of my coffee and tried to come up with a good reason he may be wearing only one sock. Perhaps one sock came off while he was sleeping. But, wouldn’t most people just take off the other sock when they got out of bed? Maybe Kyle was trying to come up with a new style. With all the Michael Jackson, one glove stuff going on….

I continued to sit, drink my coffee, and watch the one sock. For me, everything has to be equal. For example, you can’t rub one foot without rubbing the other. It feels…off balance. Life is upset by the nature of the inequity and must be righted. Kyle, obviously, does not share my obsession. He continued to sit, mindlessly unaffected by the disruption in my universe caused by wearing only one sock.

Finally, I could stand it no more, “Why….why are you only wearing one sock?” His answer, “I couldn’t find another one in my drawer.”