Basketball Season Begins

It sure does seem like high school football season ends just as soon as it begins! Since my son's school did not have a very good football season, there were no play-off games or anything that would extend the season a few more weeks. So now it is over--and basketball season has begun! My daughter's middle school does not have a football team, but they do have a basketball team--actually, they have both girl's and boy's teams. My son's high school has both boy's and girl's basketball teams as well. my son really isn't much of a basketball fan, she he rarely attends a game. My daughter often has crushes on the players at her school--or she at least gets an opportunity to sit with a boy that she likes while watching the games--so she likes to go to her games. She stayed after school for the first one, and I think there will be many more in the weeks ahead. Apparently, there was a pep rally before the first game--her "boyfriend" sat by her and held her hand! She is SO excited about it!! Oh, sweet girl--if only it could stay just as sweet and innocent as that!! So basketball games mean "dates" to my innocent daughter if her "boyfriend" sits by her and holds her hand--how adorable! If only things ALWAYS were as adorable as that!! I am enjoying watching her in these sweet and innocent days--she is 14 and it seems to be lasting longer than I thought it would--hallelujah! But I know that life is about to get much more challenging as far as teen dating is concerned, so I will enjoy these last few days of sweet innocence. And when things get much tougher regarding my daughter and boys, I will remember these days with fondness. And then: I will have to GET REAL!! Oh, boy!!

Veterans Day

Since my teens just had a day off for Election Day, they were not out of school for Veterans Day. They did do things at school to honor soldiers and veterans, though. All I can think of is this: my son will soon turn 16--he is really showing a lot of interest in joining the military in the future--in just 2 years he will have to register for the Selective Service--he may decide then to go ahead and enlist--I have mixed feelings about it all. I have the utmost respect and honor for our soldiers--they are awesome!! I would be VERY proud to be the mother of a soldier!! Many men in my family have served--they all recommend it highly. There is no money available to my son for his college education--he will have to find a way to support himself. Serving in the military would be a great way to do that. Still--our country is still at war. Of course I am scared about the idea of my son going off to war! I love him so much--and if this is what HE wants to do, then I will stand behind him with pride bursting from my heart. But I will worry about him--what mother wouldn't, right? So, every time I think of our soldiers serving our country, I wonder if my son will be among them in the near future. God Bless Our Soldiers!!

Online Drivers Education

My son recently signed up for an online drivers education course. It is a requirement in our state that they take drivers ed before getting their license. Since they don't offer drivers ed at his school, and since the private driving schools cost so much, we felt that this was a good option. It costs $55 and takes about 30 hours to complete. He turns 16 next month, so he better get busy! Surprisingly, he isn't pushing to get everything done by his birthday--he says he can wait for a few weeks afterward if needed. We aren't going to be able to purchase a car for him anytime soon--he will have to borrow my mini-van for a while!!--so there seems to be less of a rush--if he was getting a new car, he might feel differently!! I WISH I could buy him a car, but it just is way beyond our budget right now! Who knows what will happen in the future! For now, he just needs to become a licensed driver--we will take each step one day at a time. I will admit that I am very nervous about letting him drive alone even when he has his license. The day I just hand him the keys and let him go--oh my! And that day is coming soon!!! Teenagers and driving--it is a scary thing for parents!!!

High School Musical 3

My daughter and I went to see High School Musical 3 last weekend. It was pretty good! We have the DVDs of the first 2--kind of wish they had done one more to make it a "true" 4 year experience! But this was a good way to end the series--they graduated, and it also seems that the cast is now ready to move on to new things. Remember when Hairspray came out and they called it "the Grease for today's generation"? I knew that was wrong! I knew that THIS was the "new Grease"--if we are talking about a really popular musical that young teen girls just LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I guess it depends on what you use to compare, but Grease came out when I was a young teen--I went to it over and over, I memorized the songs, I had the album, I had the scrapbook, etc. Hairspray was good, but THIS is the one that teen girls REALLY love!! They will go over and over(although now they know that one day they can own the DVD so that may keep multiple viewings at the theater down)(we only WISH that we could have OWNED the movie Grease and watch it at home when we were their age!!!)--they will own the soundtracks and memorize the songs, they will download the videos and anything they can find about it on the internet--THIS is today's generation's Grease!! While it is true that, in the late 70s, we were fascinated by teen life in the 50s(not sure why!!), I don't think teens today are really into "teen life in the 60s" that was represented in Hairspray. No--they are MUCH more concerned with teen life today!! SO, they really seem to enjoy watching the High School Musical movies--it gives them ideas of how things REALLY can be for them now!! As for part 3, the storyline followed some of the tough decisions that have to be made during Senior Year as teens prepare for adult life in the real world after high school. Yeah, it was a bit sappy--but it was still really cute! Having two teens who are just a few years from this life stage, I actually got teary eyed at some of those "what should I do with the rest of my life" moments!! I know--high school is FAR from perfect for most teens--many go through those years HATING school and DYING to GET OUT!! But I HOPE that my teens are having and will have SOME of the good experiences that can ONLY be experienced in high school! They will be grown adults soon enough--enjoy the end of childhood and have a great time being young! I know--there are a lot of things about adolescence that are NOT fun--I really wouldn't want to experience some of those things again. Still--when will they EVER have such freedom to choose their paths in life? High school, college, young adulthood--so many decisions to be made during these years, and so much fun to be had!! Enjoy being young and free!! i am having a wonderful time watching life through the eyes of young people!! It is really a joy!!

Election Day!

What a day! Yes, I voted! Yes, I am happy! But I won't talk about it in my house very much! I am an independent voter who doesn't identify with either party, but there are a lot of Republicans in my family! As I watch the coverage of the election, I feel a smile emerging, but I look at the scowls on the faces of others in the family--and I hold back my reaction. We need change! Change is good! But not everyone agrees...what do you do when family members disagree politically? I go back to the saying, "Never discuss politics or religion with family members." So, I am secretly happy, but I am surrounded by people who are moping around feeling disappointed. oh, well--they need to wake up and smell the changes happening around them. Change is a good thing!!!! :) Change is a WONDERFUL thing!!! :)

Halloween

Halloween just isn't the same around here anymore! We used to really be into it--carving pumpkins and all! Now, my daughter spent the night with a friend and went to a party, and my son just stayed home and did nothing. I was a bit melancholy about it all since my "kids" were no longer participating. I even debated whether or not to pass out candy to the neighborhood kids...I just wasn't into this year! I decided to get some candy as backup just in case I decided to participate. When it began to get dark, I got out the candy and turned on the porch lights. We really have had a lot of people move out of our neighborhood lately, so there really aren't a lot of kids left for times like this. But we did get some trick-or-treaters--each one tiny and cute! All I could think of as I looked at their precious faces was how my kids USED to be at Halloween! These adorable kids reminded me of "what used to be"--but I know that is is time to move on and not look back. I just sometimes feel a tug of nostalgia on my heart! I am truly glad to be moving into the future, but it is times like this that remind of of "the good old days"! :)

Unlimited Texting

This really is a good deal, at least for us!! My teens now get $25 a month to put on their cell phones. They use $19.99 of that for a month of unlimited text messaging. Yes, UNLIMITED text messaging!! They are mostly into texting anyway--they only talk a little bit. This is perfect for them! They have about $5 left for talk if they need it, but they rarely use it. But they text all the time!! They no longer have to keep up with their text messaging--they can go crazy with it if they want to do so!! And I am only out $50 a month($25 each)! With the other pay-as-you-go plan through T-Mobile, we were spending about $100 a month($50 each) for 500 minutes each--they were using that up quickly through text messaging! Yay for unlimited text! Yay for $25 a month each! Most of all, yay for continuing the pay-as-you-go concept--if needed, the monthly refill can be withheld and filled when I think they have earned it. No monthly bills! I like this plan!! :)