"Wake Up Baby! Your Life Is Calling!"

So by now if you've been following The Daily Dandy for a bit you undoubtedly know that I am an extreme helicopter mom... Yes...that is me in the cartoon above.

I'm on my way to bring my baby to the rest of his life.

Have a great weekend bloggers....and try to hold on for just a bit longer if you can.
xoxo

Extraordinary!

Hey bloggers! Sorry for the very long break from blogging but it was for very good reason. On Sunday I escorted Frack to freshman orientation at his college in North Carolina. In about 5 short weeks, my son will be attending High Point University in High Point, NC. I can't believe it's already here. I had yet to see the college, as Frack and My Guy went on the college visit together, so I was curious to see what I had only seen in pictures. I wanted to see the place that Frack had decided was the ONLY college he wanted to go to.  Now I know why...

I could hardly believe what I was seeing. My first thought upon arriving to the picturesque campus was, WOW! The pristine beauty of the rolling green hills and immaculate condition of the grounds took me by surprise. This place is beautiful. The pedestrian avenue just outside of the academic and residence halls is lined with benches that have statues of famous and inspiring people. You can have a sit next to William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein or Gandhi, to name a few, and listen to the classical music that is piped through speakers so students can have a more conducive atmosphere for learning.

I always knew I was a saint!

The academic buildings, all impressive, area presented in an incredible manner. Each lobby, with marble foyers, oriental rugs and leather bound chairs are made to resemble corporate America and big business so that the students will be comfortable in that atmosphere. The lecture halls are small, but big enough for proper learning and the student centers, two incredible buildings, are amazing places to utilize.

This is where Frack will be spending most of his time in this academic building.

No LIE! This is the lobby of that academic building!!

 Did I tell you about the state of the art gymnasium? The outdoor pools? The cafeteria and the food choices these kids have to choose from? Subway? Chick-Fil-A? Four different Starbucks? And several bakeries, organic farmers markets and different cuisine dining halls. AND...GET THIS...a full fledged upscale steak house that the students are required to go to (wearing proper dress code-jacket and tie) to learn business etiquette and to enjoy. There is the most incredible game room...all FREE with Skee Ball, video games, karaoke, a photo booth and private rooms for Xbox and Playstation. And there is a full fledged movie theatre, complete with free pop corn and concessions, that plays new release movies that is free for students.

One of two student centers with cafeteria's. The HPU letters are tables and chairs...

Yeah, that's Frack. He can hardly believe "he goes here".

The dormitories resemble hotel room suites, with 4 single rooms, a kitchen, and a big living room area. Each dormitory has its own business center, complete with computer PC's and printers and a laundry room that is free of charge.

This is a mock room, but will be like the dorm room Frack will have. 

One of several TV studios in the communications building. 

All of this is overwhelmingly impressive, but I had to ask Frack how he plans to "learn" with all of this going on? Frack assured me that this was the place for him, and when the newness of being there wears off, he will settle down and do his best to do well at Highpoint. I had to believe him. I wouldn't want to leave there either.

Yeah, we were drinking the High Point kool aid, alright. 

And it was most definitely purple. 

Happy Friday!

Hey Bloggers! Happy Friday!!

Its going to be a beautiful weekend here in the North East. Great weather for a big, banging, celebration of a graduation and job well done. I think we've all earned it and I'm excited for a great day of enjoying my family and friends. I can hardly believe that the man that stands before me today is the boy I raised. He's a good man and I'm proud of him.

And we are going to celebrate!
Get your weekend on Bloggers and celebrate too! After all, summer officially begins tomorrow!

Frickety Frack...Don't Talk Back.

My boy...my baby boy, today is a man. 18 years ago, at 9AM he came to greet his mama.

He has my smile, my baby. He has my mind and my compassion for mankind. And for sure, he has my mouth and he knows just how to use it.

Physical prowess, from a very young age was your thing and I marveled at your skill. But it was your determination that was most remarkable. You knew who you were then and you let us know in no uncertain terms. You were a force to be reckoned with. What was it about your shoes? Your slippers? I just laughed and I let you be who you were. I knew better than to squash your spirit.

Ask and you shall receive...it's red and fiery, just like my boy. Today you are a man, but you'll always be my boy. That's more about me than it is about you, so humor me on that, will ya? I think you are most extraordinary. I can't wait till you finally figure that out on your own.

Stay true to who you are, who you have always been because it will be your strength when you need it. The world is your oyster now and I'm not worried about college. We've prepared you plenty, the rest is up to you. I have no doubts about sending this man off. He will be great! Change the world and contribute in your special way and know that life's challenges up to this point were practice for the adulthood you have just entered.

No more Fracky, now BIG Frack, you are the most handsome and loving son in the world. Use your special charm to make others comfortable, and be funny..it is your birthright! You tend to challenge-remember to be wise when you do. Only you can make the decision to be wise or not. I trust you will hear your parent's words in your head when you need them.

Tonite we celebrate you! My Frack!  I wish you a wonderful 18th year of life and I am excited to watch you blossom and grow.

Happy Birthday my son. I love you like crazy birthday cakes, and I wish you the most wonderful day. 

College Prep

So I'm back here again...

This time it's very different and this time it's much harder. Frack has entered the age when all things pertaining to college must be addressed and Frack is slightly overwhelmed by it all. My son manifests his frustration in difficult ways which translate into a "I couldn't care less" attitude. But I know him and I know he does care. The easy thing for him, would be to take a "chips fall where they may" attitude, but I won't let him be lazy. 

We are deep into the testing season and the recruiting season and Frack has some good options, but he has to work harder both on the course and off to realize his dreams. That's where Frack and I have a hard time communicating. Frack has decided that he just wants to have fun. 

"It's summer mom. I just want to hang out with my friends." he says.

And before you say anything, yes he has a job. He works at a local restaurant 2-3 nights a week, which really cuts into his social time. A fact which he reminds me of everyday but cars don't run on air. Frack must work if he wants to drive his car. So we forge ahead and he reluctantly prepares his lists of schools and college applications. Some days he's full of motivation and excitement. The prospect of leaving mom and dad and having an entire world to himself is most appealing. But some days he's not the slightest bit concerned about deadlines and essays, and assures me he will take care of things in time. I realize that he needs to police himself, but his track record on that aint-a-so-good.

Oh the joys of the college process!

I worry and I wait and in the meantime I remind him that he has to be responsible to no avail. Then I pray to God to give me patience and strength. 

Happy Birthday Steven Tyler

Scooby dooby dooby doobie birthday shout out to Mr Steven Tyler who turns 65 today...Tyler's just a fraud though, because the real rock star is my son Frack, who turns 17 today! Holy moley when did THAT happen? Damn, that means I'm slinking up beside old and getting cozy.

Frack is getting old too, and handsome?

Every mother thinks her son is handsome, but now that Frack is 17 I can see his handsome and he's gotten manly. He drives now and he takes showers everyday and he got his braces off and he cut his hair! Thank you Jesus, because he was beginning to look like his birthday doppelganger, Mr. Tyler. Since then it's like I see him clearly and for the first time I see the man. It's wild! Like an ah-ha moment in our lives. I knew this day was coming, just not so soon.

A birthday dinner is in order and what's on the menu?

We talked about what kind of cake he wants (strawberry shortcake cake) and we talked about the restaurant he wants to go to (which is really bad, seriously) and I thought about how we would make the night special for him and tolerable for us. Then it hit me..why don't I COOK his favorite dinner??

Cook? Me? Oh yeah, I seem to remember when I used to love to do that. Since I opened the store I haven't had any time for that cooking nonsense, but Frack's birthday, being the National holiday that it is, I want to make it special for him. So his favorite dinner at home it is! Spaghetti and meatballs, mama style because I make the BEST and I'm taking the rest of the day off to cook for my little big birthday man. I'm felling a little scooby dooby doobie myself right now. Happy birthday you two crazy kids.

Oh yeah and Steven? If you're around why don't you stop by for some strawberry shortcake birthday cake and help Frack blow out the candles like a rock star.

On The Road....Again

So Frack got his drivers license on Sat.

*sigh*

My baby is all growed up now.

*sigh*

Yup,  he thinks hes gone to heaven too. He has a car, (it's the family car, but Frick totally thinks its hers and she reminds him of this all the time) and I hardly see him any more.  The boy is mobile! The first thing he did when he came home was go directly to Dunkin Donuts. 

Alone. 

With an enormous smile on his face. He said It was the best chocolate frosted donut he ever had. I bet it was.

This time we were very cautious about the driving test. Everybody around here pays the driving school to take their kids to the test in the driving school car. But with Frick, I said nooo. I said, "I want to be there with her like my dad was with me." We were rolling old school and we had to borrow a friends car, (in MA a drivers license road test must be in a car with an emergency hand break in between the two front seats) which was a huge error in hind sight. Frick ended up in a strange car, a nervous wreck and failed her first test. We weren't taking any chances with Frack this time. We gladly paid the fee to the driving school.

Anyway, I guess my days of sleeping soundly on a weekends are over and any time they predict snow, like on this Friday, I get a pit in my stomach. The truth is, I'm really proud of my boy. He's growing up so fast and he's becoming a man quicker than I can keep up. He's even taken to dinner conversation about the increasing gas prices.  He likes to complain but Frack has a job but just about the only thing he likes to spend his money on is food.

Welcome to semi-adulthood dude. 

Time marches on and my kids continue to grow and change and in the best way possible. 

It's just a little quicker than I'd like, is all. 

You Know You've Been In Uganda When...

Overheard in the car ride home from the airport:

• First question out of his mouth: "Who won the NBA finals?" That's my boy.

• "It's weird to driving in a car." Not only a car, but one that has the steering wheel on the "other" side.

• "I can't wait to take a shower. I haven't taken one for a long, long time." This is a miracle, considering I could hardly get Frack to take one regularly, even when the shower is about 6 steps from his bed. 

• "Are you hungry?" I asked him. "No, mom. The airplane food was so good!"

• "I wrote in my journal every day." You could have knocked me over with a feather. We had the biggest fight over including a small, wire bound notebook in his backpack. "I'll never use it," he said before he left.

• "The best part of the entire trip was when we got to play in an actual soccer game with the kids from the school we were at, against another team from another school. The entire village came to watch the match. We were like super stars." Frack reported that the people in the village they were in LOVE white people because they don't get to see them very often. "And I scored the only goal," he added with a smile. 

• "Yes, mom. I will get a buzz cut tomorrow." Again, shock. This kid is the same kid who could barely see out from under the shaggy bangs that covered his eyes. We had royal battles over hair cuts for picture day, his job and semi-formal dances. If I knew all I had to do was send him to Africa for three weeks...I will happily take him for the world's most expensive haircut today.

• "We talked a lot about our families. I told the group that my mom undoubtedly had our itinerary taped to the refrigerator door and was telling everyone what we were doing every day." he said. Well, it wasn't taped to the fridge...exactly. 

• "First thing I'm doing tomorrow is going to McDonald's and then to see Spiderman,"  he said. And it was then that I knew that my boy was home. Safe, and exactly where he belongs. 

I Freakin' Hate Bugs

So I just got finished reading my buddy Scope's post about spiders, and it got me to thinking about bugs and how much I hate them.

Sorry bugs, I hate you. All of you.

Then I got to thinking about Frack and about how my baby boy is leaving in 5 short days to travel to Uganda on a three and a half week mission. Going on a mission to help build a school in an impoverished country is a great opportunity for Frack. He will be seeing and doing things that most kids his age may never get the chance to do and learning important survival and life skills.

But they cautioned us about the bugs.

Mainly the mosquitoes, and in Uganda they carry diseases like Malaria. Frack has gotten all of the necessary shots for his trip abroad, but I'm SUPER paranoid about the mosquitoes. The kids have already start taking anti-malaria medications now, and will continue during their entire three and a half weeks there, then for a week after they return home. You have to know it's a concern when the packing list and itineraries all require a treated mosquito net for sleeping,  I started talking to all the other moms and we all decided that if we can treat the mosquito net for sleeping, then we can treat the clothes for wearing. And the sleeping bags, and their shoes and clothes and their back packs and whatever else is accompanying them on their journey. I just decided to treat the shit out of everything.

Cuz I freakin' hate bugs. And I especially hate mosquitoes. In Uganda.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate Uganda. Uganda was voted one of the best places to travel to in 2012, and I couldn't be happier that my son will get to experience this beautiful country on an exhibition, I just hate the Ugandan mosquitoes and bugs. And then there is a long laundry list of other things I am worried about. Of course the helicopter mom is worried about everything but despite my worries, I recognize that it's time for Frack to spread his 16 year-old wings and fly.

I just don't want him flying around with the bugs that carry disease.

My Name Is Candy And I Am A Helicopter Mom

So I saw this commercial yesterday and I'd be lying if I didn't tell you it cracked me up. It was for the new Capri Sun Super V juice drink and the commercial made me think about Frack and about how I sometimes, maybe a little, kinda sorta may hover a little too much around my boy. At times.

He's 16 and these days he just tells me to back off, but I remember the days of hovering well.

Damn if I didn't chuckle and see myself in more than a couple of scenarios. I just love that little punk that much. But really, he's almost a man now. Stop hovering mother...

The Frack Cave

So if our favorite Super Hero has his own cave as he called it, why am I so surprised my own child would make one of his own? It's really primal, isn't it? And it's roots can be traced back to the evolutionary cavemen.

But the story behind this story really begins last year when my basement flooded. Disaster is an understatement and we had to start from scratch. Months in the process, drying out the basement, preventing mold, cleaning out of destroyed items and starting fresh. New paint, new carpet, TV's and furniture all arriving around the same time of our wedding. Let's just say that towards the end of last year, the evolving renovation of our basement fell down a few notches on the priority list.

Then in November, the key element arrived. The new sofa. Sectional sofa, to be exact and it was beautiful and the pieces slowly began to fall into place. The basement slowly became the best and newest place in the house. Christmas came and Frack got a sweet, brandy new XBox Kinnect, and installed it downstairs in his newly minted man town. Occasionally the family would go down there to watch football together or a movie, but Frack usually stayed on after the games and movies by himself.

My Guy's fabulous antique Coke machine, fully operable and once oddly out of place in the old basement, had now found a permanent home, and almost took center stage. I watched as Frack loaded and maintained the antique beauty with the love and the care that My Guy had taught him and I agreed to buy him the glass coke bottles for his "baby" when needed. If Frack had a friend sleep over, 9 out of 10 times they were ensconced in The Frack Cave, with the pullout bed, plenty of pillows and the XBox remote. Life is good if you're Frack.

But lately I've noticed that Frack has been spending most of his free time down there. After school and almost every evening. Now, being the "mother hoverer" that I am, I was slightly concerned that something was amiss with my boy. But on inspection, I was delighted that it was quite the opposite. Frack has turned his cave into a homework, relaxing, Frack spectacular, complete with computer and a quiet place to complete his required work. And here's the kicker, he's neat and tidy in his cave, even when his "boys" come over. Frack is displaying the beginnings of a "work hard, play hard" ethic and I can't help but wonder if his happiness with his newly acquired surroundings have something to do with it.

As he slowly changes from boy to man, I realize that he's going to need his own space away from his hovering mother and his annoying sister, and it seems to me he has marked his territory. I get it, and I'm thrilled he's happy. All I would require is an occasional invite into my Boy Wonder's world down below to make sure all is as should be.

The simple rally cry, "to the Frack Cave" should suffice.