Woo-hoo!  We made it through the first week of school.  My tween is happy, thriving and loving it!

I was a home school Mom this past year.  Sending my tween back to school was a big deal.  He high fived me on the way out the door and there was no looking back.  I absolutely adore his teacher…she works these kids hard and I love that!!

I love every minute of being with my tween, but I also noticed that my stress level has decreased quite a bit.  I can actually think straight and even more, accomplish a few more things in a day.

I have been teaching my tween for a year now and every spare moment of my day was dedicated to school.  I feel like I need to re-invent myself in a way.  All those things that slipped through the cracks this past year can be patched up.  I even made a little cleaning schedule for myself to keep up on my home work.

The old days of scheduling school, have been replaced by getting the kids to and from school, getting some exercise and keeping up on the home and duties of Motherhood.

I still have one little one left at home and we have had fun together.  I have so much time to dedicate to her, read to her, play with her and laugh with her.  Heck, I’m even having play group in my backyard this week…..crazy!!

Although I miss the days of schooling my tween, I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t.  I have learned how I function best in being the Mom that I want to be.

Here is to a new year and lots of new experiences and adventures…wish me luck!!

This week has much in store.  A full school week for two of my children, dance open house, registering my youngest for a mom & me class, coaching soccer, projects, trying to get my youngest back on a nap schedule, fitness classes, long weekend, and gearing up for the start of our family’s favorite football team’s first game.  Wow, writing that just made me tired.

Reminder to self: One day at a time and anything can go or be given up.  We all have “game faces.”  You know the face we put on to convince those who don’t know us that well that we are OK.  It’s not always a sport related game face.  Sometimes it’s situational and we put on a persona for different roles we assume or for different people.  The ironic thing is that my tween has figured me out.    Not only has she figured it out, she has game faces too.  Now, it’s up to me to watch and discern my tween’s game face.

In this week’s schedule I know that I will have different game faces on.  Sometimes as coach, friend, mom, wife, neurotic mother of a kindergartner, volunteer, etc.  Why?  I have often wondered why we spend more effort trying to conceal our true emotions.  As a mother I have discovered that I tend to observe more and keep quiet.  Perhaps because of personal experiences.  Or perhaps and what I concluded was, that it is safer.  It is safer to be guarded and protect yourself emotionally.

Technically, as Wikipedia states, “the Game Face is an essential tactic in any competitive event. It describes any facial expression that conceals emotion.  Another common method is the “Poker Face.” This approach requires an absolute lack of facial expression. Often this technique is more difficult to master.”

Random blog I know, but I have been thinking about sports alot and learning a lot more about soccer and prepping for football season and my brain wandered over to the game face concept.  Anywho, we all have them, including our tweens.

What situations do you find yourself using game faces in?  Sports, Socially, or at work?

With school right around the corner, my husband and I decided on one last day trip…all four of us. We settled on Myrtle Beach since we could go and head back the same day. The difference between this and most of our trips is that we did not tell the boys what we were doing or even where we were going. We weren’t sure if we could pull it off, but yesterday, as we pulled into Ripley’s Aquarium….they were still clueless

One of our earlier trips this summer to DC

Jake has been wanting to take his dad to see Medieval Times for awhile now. I took both boys during the last deployment and ever since Jake has been asking for a return visit. Sam and I weren’t so keen on round two of the show, but Sam is never one to turn down a trip to Build a Bear. With our respective “dates” in mind, we set off for lunch in Wilmington and that was all we told the boys…..just lunch then home.

They really thought they were on their way home until we were about five minutes from Broadway at The Beach. I am pretty sure Sam got out of the car and thought he was in Jacksonville It was a fun way to end our summer and even getting home at 11PM was OK. We had time as a family and everyone got to do something they enjoy. We’ll have to make those memories last a couple of months now. School, football, tennis…….back to reality and back to work.

Did you take any last trips before school started? Have you ever surprised your kids with a getaway?

Do you remember mowing the lawn as a kid?

I certainly do…I thought it was fun.  It was hard work, but there was such a sense of accomplishment that came from seeing those lawn mower lines.

My tween is now 7 1/2 and just mowed the lawn for the first time.  My husband does most of the outside work, so I never even thought about letting Lincoln give it a try.  I was inside making dinner and stepped outside to check on things…this is what I saw.  My tween, cutting the grass for the first time.  It shocked me a little to think that he was old enough for that responsibility.  Man, he has grown up so fast.

Sometimes, as I drive around, I see teenagers cutting the lawn and listening to their ipods.  It makes me so happy to see that…!  I think it is important for kids to pull their weight in the home.  I have slacked in this area lately and it is something I am working on doing a better job with my kiddos.

Now my tween is officially old enough to cut the lawn…is it also time to step up his responsibilities a little bit more?  Should I start teaching him to do his own laundry and be responsible for making dinner for the family?  Maybe I should…!!  As a parent, we want to raise independent children who can function on their own in society as responsible adults.

Maybe the time has come…today he is cutting the lawn and tomorrow…he will be heading off to college (kidding)…..they just grow up to darn fast!!!

What are some of the chores you have your tween doing?

As some of you may know, I am a teacher. As most of you probably know…teachers don’t make huge salaries and we often need to purchase materials for our classrooms….out of our own pockets. I have done my shopping for my kiddos and we have all of the things we need to start the year off right. That said, I was looking for one last item…a luxury I suppose….I needed a coat rack for myself and my assistants. The other option would be to put them on the floor like I did last year

I knew I did not need anything fancy…used would do just fine. With that in mind, I posted on LeJeune Yard Sales. I said I was looking for a used coat rack and I would pay $15 for one. I was prepared to shell out the money and I was hopeful someone out there was looking to get rid of one. To my surprise, I got a reply that day and as an even bigger surprise…the gentleman who replied wanted to make me one…for FREE!

I told him I could not accept it for free, but he was clear that he wanted to do this for me. He stated that he liked to help the community, he had a wood shop and he made things for sale all the time. After a little more back and forth (and me pleading to pay), the rack was made and I picked it up this past weekend.

I felt guilty as I pulled away from his house with my free, handmade coat rack, but I really think he just wanted to help. I think he understands how hard teachers work and he saw a small way he could contribute to one classroom. Needless to say, I took a stack of his business cards and will tell everyone to contact him if they need anything made. I also made sure to explain all of this to Jake and Sam. I hope one day, they will see a similar opportunity to help someone and they will jump at the chance.

Have you ever had someone you don’t know reach out to help you? How did it make you feel?