My Goof Off Son....A Leader???

I'm blown away by this one. But then again, not really.

I just published a column about how my 7yr old son has been going through this painful (to me) phase of outrageous goofiness. I'm talking goofy expressions paired with silly, high pitched voices and weird, galloping walks around the house. He's like a zoo animal.

Except, apparently, at school.

This is the kid that has spent his last few years in school losing recess time on several occasions and one memorable trip to the principal's office for his behavior, mostly stemming from his clownish nature.

Second grade has him turning over a new leaf. His teacher has come up to me a few times, complimenting Bobby on his focus and his natural tendency for academics. She pulled me aside yesterday at the playground with yet another rave. She called him the "L" word. I had to peel my jaw off the pavement it had dropped so far.

He's a natural born leader, she says. My son, my crazy son, with a rap sheet that includes mooning his preschool class during circle time and making raunchy armpit noises and calling his classmate a nimrod in the first grade.

My son is a LEADER and an ACADEMIC. I'm in shock still....

A New Start, New Determination

This is my vow right now to start blogging again about life in the trenches with my crazy little men. With one in kindergarten, the other in second grade, this promises to be another season of fun, mishaps and tons of love. I hope you'll follow along!

Competition and Homework?

Bobby and Shane both have a serious competitive streak. Life is a game to them and they are determined to win it! Usually this levels to a mild annoyance in my everyday life when seeming insignificant things take on massive dramas. And then, those competitive tendencies will shock me.

Take Monday, as an example. Bobby brought home his homework packet for the week. Instead of grudgingly taking out his homework at the normal time, he initiated school work on his own.

Strange.

He worked through two worksheets, the minimum allowed before I'll excuse him to play. Then he breezed through another two worksheets.

Very strange.

I told him he could stop. He just shook his head. Apparently, one of his buddies in class mentioned last week that he had finished his entire homework packet long before the last minute scramble to get everything done.

Aha! The motivating factor: he wanted to beat his friend at homework. I think I'm liking this!

Cheers to a New Decade!

Here I am, stumbling out of the haze of Christmas madness and New Year's party mode. And I can't believe I'm starting a new decade in my lifetime with two healthy boys and a husband in tow. Who would have thought? While the 2000's (is that what we call them?) were dominated by my Cinderella wedding, two births stacked very close together and years of fumbling with diapers, potty training and sleepless nights, I can say that 2010 feels like the freshest start I've ever had.

Shane will start elementary school in August. My freelance career is slowly blooming and can only grow as the boys log more hours at school and me at my cluttered computer desk. No longer can I blame colicky babies and midnight feedings for my lack of pitching articles. Surely I can come up with other excuses: sports commitments, sick kids and saying yes too often to working in the classroom. But I'm determined to start this decade with a kick.

I cringe even thinking of this: at the end of this decade, my boys will be teenagers. So where will I fit in all of this morphing as they grow into adults and move toward independence away from me. So much of the last decade was defined by me meeting every need. How much longer will i get away with checking off that handy box of caregiver on those summons for jury duty?

I'm not sure what shape our lives will take on over the next ten years, but I'm thrilled to jump on the ride and I can't wait to post updates here...hopefully more regularly than I have been lately. My excuses are running out!

So I hope everyone enters this new decade with inner peace, health and enthusiasm of what is to come. I know my family will!