Laurel Wreath’s Reflections

School begins in 17 days!!! What does it mean that I spent over an hour today updating my calendar with the new school year schedule?

Ok in all honesty I am not looking forward to having three boys in three different schools.

One son is in his last year of elementary, one smack in the middle of middle school, and one is a “greenhorn” freshman.

While I am already whining can I just say I do not like the high school’s school colors….green/yellow. Number one, I don’t look good in yellow (I know shallow but true) and two I only own one green shirt. I did what any normal Mom would do, I walked into the J Crew Outlet Mall bought one green and one yellow tank top ($4 dollars a piece) and plan on layering them. That will be my official “Sports Mom” school spirit.

I am more of a red, white, and blue girl. Oh well I will survive. I am open to any suggestions for making green and yellow cute, I need to find some cute hair accessory also.

I think I am more nervous about high school freshman orientation than my son is. When we first walked on campus I could not even find the “front office.” You would think the Front Office would be, you know IN THE FRONT. I guess it is some sort of IQ test because the Front Office is located on the side of campus, and obviously I failed.

Anyways this makes me a wee-bit worried about oldest son finding his 7 classes the first day of school, hopefully he is better at the IQ test than his Mom.

The shoes are laced

The helmets are fitted:

THE BOYS ARE READY!!

And my food bill just doubled!!

My husband and I began to have children right out of college, we got married before our Senior year and I was pregnant right away. After we got over the initial shell shock reaction, we were excited that we will be “young, hip” parents. We bragged about how we will still be young when our kids are in high school, we won’t be “old foggies.” Most of all we bragged to ourselves we will be done with our child rearing days and will be able to enjoy being grandparents while still at a relatively young age.

All of the above is still true today. We are in our middle 30’s and have our oldest son entering high school. Many of our friends our age, have kids that are younger. I will only be just turning 40 when my oldest graduate’s high school and I could easily become a grandparent by the time I am in my late 40’s.

But right now I am not bragging so much. My youngest turns 10 on Monday and I want time to stop. All my kids will be in double digits. In the same summer my oldest will be entering high school and my middle child becomes an official teenager (13). My arms feel empty. Slowly each of my boys are become more independent and rely more on Dad than Mom. Don’t get me wrong, I know I am still very much needed, it is just different.

So I feel like I am entering Act 2 in my parenting journey. I look forward to the excitement of each of my boys first date, I look forward to the exciting times in youth group where they will learn more about God and begin to know Him as their own. I look forward to seeing what exciting things the Lord has in mind for each of their lives. I wait with anticipation to meet the girls my sons will marry, for each girl I have been praying for since the birth of my sons. I live for the day to be able to look the girl in the eyes and cup my hands on her face and tell her, “I have been praying over you all of my son’s life, welcome!”

But at the same time, I know I will have to let them become their own person. My days of constant “mothering” will be over before I know it. I begin now watching them go from entering teenage hood to becoming men. And if I am honest, some days that is just plain hard.

So this weekend I will spend enjoying my youngest son, cuddling with him on the couch and smothering him with “mommy love,” that is if he lets me. On Monday it will be the same story, just Act 2.

I also praise God Mom is arriving on Tuesday, I think I need the girltime.

And if you feel sorry for us that we can not cloth our poor children. Never fear…this child NEVER wears shirts. I complained that I could never get pictures of him with clothes ON (ok he only has his shirt off, but still…). He has more shirts than he knows what to do with. So what is a mother to do? Start taking pictures with his shirt off and threatening to post them all over her blog

Oh and also we do feed him…in fact he eats us out of house and home. He just looks like he is being starved. Oh to be young and have high metabolism.

First off I want to thank everyone for their sweet comments (public and private) on this post. I don’t feel like a good Mom at the moment but your encouragement and support really, really helped my mood Oldest son is spending two days at “Camp Grandpa’s” (should I mention Grandpa is a retired Col. I am blessed with supportive family on both sides of my family!

To make matters worse in my eyes, but not in the rest of the family’s eyes…my other two sons (middle and youngest) went to get a hair cut with Dad. Lets just say it is a repeat of this…

No I am NOT happy they got mohawks. But I guess I have to pick and chose my battles as these boys grow up. (insert big sigh)

Can I just vent how I dislike how they have bike week in my area every Valentines. It makes it almost near impossible to go to a restaurant, even driving around town is scary with tons of bikes. I don’t mind bike week, it is kind of fun to see the different kind of motorcycles. But does it really need to be around Valentines? Also the race is in town. We are probably the only people here who could care less, but that on top of bike week makes me want to stay home and read a good book. It’s good for tourism, blah, blah, blah…. yeah, but I can not even make it to the grocery store! Ok rant is over…. I feel a little bit better.

Well better head to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and I know … He tells me so

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. Isa 43:19

Raising boys is not for the faint of heart. I am still not sure why the Lord chose me to be a Mother to these future men. I am raising boys that one day will be men of God, have strong spirits and a strong convictions in what they believe. But until that day when they can stand and give their testimony, I am the mother trying to keep the strong spirits under control. I am the Mother you will hear about in the “stories” from Godly men, of what they put their mother through. Yes, we had one of those mornings this last week. Anger flared, hormones were flying, and yes there was some physical contact that left two of the boys with red marks on their face (their doing to each other). These are the days I want to run and hide.Just the day before I was sitting with some parents watching our children practice soccer, they were in need of a coach (one had not been assigned to this team yet). One mother was teasing me and said, “Why don’t you coach soccer?” First when I got over my shock, I said, “because if they were my team, my only concern would be if they looked good while running up and down the field.” You see I am a girly girl, my brother and sister may not agree, but as I am becoming deeper and deeper into raising boys I am finding out that yes I am a girly girl who God gave all boys.

God is faithful though, he gives me patience when I want to explode, and has me stay and “instruct” when in reality I want run and close my door. As my oldest son matches me in height, and the voices are changing, the hormones are flying, I still see the wonderful men they will be one day. Since they have been small my faithful prayer has been, “Father if you are going to make them this much of a challenge to me, please take these boys and turn them into great men of God, for then I will be satisfied with whatever comes my way.”