"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

Throwback Thursday: Tweedle Dum Dum's A REPOST

It's a Throwback Thursday REPOST form 2011!

Today's post is especially poignant as tomorrow we all travel to North Carolina to bring Frack to begin his freshman year in college. I hope he remembers this moment, as my son the college student, is indeed a smart man. 
This Post was lovingly debuted on Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011

So, we get home from NYC Sunday night and Frack and his grandfather arrive home from the Pats/Giants debacle, along with my bestest and oldest friend in the world, Danny, at just about the same time. Frack jumps right to his homework. He's got an algebra test the next day and since I received a not-so-glowing email from his math teacher two days earlier, Frack knows his ass is grass and I'm the lawn mower if he doesn't up his game.

My Guy, Danny and I go sit in the family room to chat while Frack is studying in the kitchen. We were having a grand old time bitching about the sucky Patriots game and such, discussing this and that and about two hours breezes by. My Guy announces that he is going off to bed, says his good nights and leaves us girls to it. About 15 minutes later, I hear Frack's voice in the kitchen meekly say, "mom.." I provide the usual response, a slightly annoyed ,"ya" cuz I'm thinking he wants me to get him a drink or something. God forbid he rises the 5 yards over to the fridge to get it himself.

"can you come ere?" he says.

After a deep breath in, cuz I'm tired, I get up and go to the kitchen with Danny right behind me. What I find there literally broke a mother's heart. My son is sitting in front of his notebook with papers scattered about with a look of pain on his face that cut right through me. He looked at me and said, "Mom, I'm so screwed. I can't figure any of this out."

Now I know he's screwed because math is not a resume piece of mine and I pull my stomach off the floor, which has just dropped down there with this realization. I quickly look at Danny, hoping for some math mojo, and she announces, "I used to be really good at Algebra. It used to be my best subject," then she adds, "but I couldn't do it now. No way." Frick, math student extraordinaire, and My Guy are asleep and I was, of course, ABSENT that day, so Frack is as he said; screwed.

But the look on my kid's face sprung me right to action. Tweedle Dum 1, me, takes the iPad in my hand and asks, "Can't we Google this?" Tweedle Dum 2, Danny, says, "yeah, just type 'solve' and then plug in the equation." This leads us to a million different places all of which we find a whole lot of nothing. Frack is now arguing with Tweedle Dum 1, me, whoes trying to help him, that he's never going to figure this out and let's just forget it. Tweedle Dum 2, Danny, is now reading the results, clicking and we stumble upon this site called mathops.com. It's got the order of operations for quadratic equations right there and Frack begrudgingly looks at it. And looks at it. And looks at it some more.

Then the most amazing thing happened. It was TRULY like a light bulb went off in his head and the moment was quite memorable. "Wait a second," he said. "I think I get it." Frack then clears the table and starts working on the blank practice test. The teacher had given them the correct answers to the practice test but not the order of operations to get there, and Frack starts rattling off the correct answers in succession. The Tweedle Dum Dum's are high fiving each other like crazy after every correct answer and the energy in Frack changed instantaneously to that of serious student. Danny left for home and I stayed up with Frack for a bit longer. He got stumped a few more times but he then found a site on youtube called your. teacher.com with 3-5 minute video tutorials on every math problem you could imagine.

I was so proud of him and he used these wonderful resources to breakthrough his mental block. These videos are how HE learns and it was like a magic math elixir. Frack got an email from his math teacher last night announcing his B+ on his math test and a congrats on stepping up his effort like she knew he could. I told him I couldn't be prouder. We all learned something valuable, the Tweedle Dum Dum's included.

I told Frack that being smart isn't always about knowing all the answers.

A smart man know where to look to find the answers.

Who Me? What? No, I'm Fine. Really.

So it's no secret that Frick is currently a junior at NYU. Now its Frack's turn, and he is going to be a freshman at High Point University. This should be easy right? Been there,done that kinda thing. When your kids go away its never easy. Deep down inside you know that they need to spread their wings and fly, but this time its different. This time Frack will be leaving the nest which means the nest will be empty-save for My Guy and Me-on Friday.

And I'm freaking out.

It's bad enough that he's leaving right when I've become used to her being away, but now that my house will be without kids, like for a while, I'm wondering if I will be ok. But I don't want to think about that..so I wonder will he be ok? How will he survive without me to tell him to do his homework? Eat less red meat? Get up on time and clean his room? Do his OWN laundry? Oh the horror...

I'm kinda freaking out. 

Because the truth is I know he will figure it out. I know he will go to class, eat chicken occasionally, and do his homework and laundry and survive. I know he will thrive! The question really is, will I? What am I supposed to do if I don't have to take care of them? 

What does that make me? 

Who am I now? 

What do I do now?

Again...I'm freaking out. 

And I have a week until I have to figure this crap out. A major life transition has a way of creeping up on you like that and then bam! It hits you like a ton of bricks. Then you have to accept it and move on. I just have to accept it and move on without them under my roof. They will always be my kids, right? My babies, my family? I did my job well, now it's their turn. I gotta keep repeating that to myself so that I can get through it.

Welcome to my ton of bricks moment.  

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. 

Just Say No

So Frack went to a concert last night. It was the DJ Avicii Concert at Boston's TD Garden venue. As a full fledged member of the "Moms That Are Overly Protective" club, I had a brief chat with Frack about concert safety and drugs and drinking. It was one of those talks that when finished, the response is ALWAYS...
"Ya, I know mom". I am a strong believer in sharing all the wisdom and warnings to my children so that maybe, just maybe, they will hear their mother's words in their head and think twice.

Well that mother's intuition thing I got going on was dead on....

Today's Boston Herald had this headline:

Dozens hospitalized during DJ Avicii show at TD Garden

EMS: Many teens were being treated

I immediately texted Frack a pic of the story. He was at work. Last night when Frack arrived home safely, I was waiting up for him. We had a pleasant conversation and off he went to bed warning me that he had to get up early for work today. I saw no evidence of hard partying, to which I was grateful. Frick, Frack, My Guy and I have had many a conversation about drug use. My Guy and I shared our experiences with them both, as they don't amount to much, and by that I mean neither of us had ever even tried hallucinogenics of any kind. Call us square, but I'm not completely innocent. I may be part of that 80% of adults that recreationally use marijuana, or I may not. But it always stopped there.Whatever the case, at the ages my kids are, My Guy and I try to have honest conversations about drugs with the kids. 

And Frack's  response to my text this morning?

"Yeah, I know" 

"A lot of kids on Molly. That would suck to be those kids."

I'm glad that Frack is a very good listener. 

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!

I Was Just Thinking.....

• Green, Green, Grass: My Guy has become obsessed with our lawn. I'm so glad he is because it looks like a carpet of Emerald. We were sitting out in our screened-in porch yesterday morning discussing the beauty of our backyard. I can honestly say that right now, our yard has that "pristine" look that as a homeowner, you covet. My Guy spends most of his free time out there with his helpers and the benefits are obvious. Good thing too, because a week from Saturday, we will have over 75-100 people stomping all over the perfect gorgeousness for Frack's graduation party. 

• Love: What does love go to do with it? Lately my outlook on love has been tested. Thank God it's not my love, but some very good friends of mine have hit a rough patch in their marriages. I can only listen and be a friend and try to surmise that it's just a "rough patch", but I'm not sure. People grow and change and sometimes they don't grow and change together. I'd like to think that I'm helping by just listening. Marital discord was one of the hardest personal challenges I've ever faced. Looking back it was the worst and best thing that ever happened to me, but I'm a believer in good, old-fashioned love. When things like this happen around me, it challenges that belief. Maybe love really is just a second hand emotion. 

• Family: I had a great weekend. My baby boy Frack graduated from high school and I couldn't have been prouder. The ceremony was outside on a picture perfect Friday night, the boys all wore white tuxedos and the girls wore white dresses and it was absolutely beautiful. I didn't cry or get emotional because this was a joyous day. I don't feel sad. I'm excited and proud for what lies ahead for him. He's really becoming a man right before my eyes and I'm beginning to see a new sense of responsibility emerging in him. Frick was home and it was nice to have the family unit together for the celebration. Yes, life is good in the Daily Dandy household right now. I'm hoping it lasts.  

• Binge Watching: "Orange is the New Black" is back! Season 2's episodes started June 6th on NetFlix and all 13 episodes now are available for viewing. If you haven't seen this show, you are really missing out on a great one. What makes it so great? It's different. In a TV line up full of cookie cutter cop, lawyer, hospital and crime scene shows, this one tackles a new subject matter, life in a woman's prison, with addicting precision. If you aren't playing in the NetFlix game you need to start. "House of Cards" another NetFlix original series is, by far, the BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION. Don't say I didn't let you in on that. 

Congrats To My Boy

You did it! I can hardly believe it.

We have waited for today for a long time. We have dreamed about it, discussed it and fantasized about how it would be. It's finally here and after tonite, it will be a lifetime memory.

You should be proud of your accomplishments.
You should enjoy this time. Be smart and safe.
Take a moment tonite to stop and take it all in...then make a memory of that moment. You only get this opportunity once.

Tonite you walk on that podium a boy but you leave a man. A man who has accomplished great things and will go on to accomplish much more.

I am proud of you, my son. So proud of who you are becoming and I want you to know that I love you more than life itself. Congrats to you and to your classmates. You did it!

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. 

I Was Just Thinking Of Nothing Important Really...

• Frack got his first college acceptance yesterday! Big day for him because at most we know he is going somewhere. It is not his first choice, we still await that decision, but it's nice to know that he's got one under his belt. Tonite we celebrate his golf team's Division 3 State Championship title at his year-end banquet. Frack is team captain so he gets to MC for the evening. I'm excited to see my son speak in front of his peers and their families. After all, he did come from me and I know there is lots of public speaking swagger in him. Handsome Frack, today I am proud and happy for him.

• The holiday rush is upon us. I'm trying really hard not to push the retail bonanza buttons too early, and I've been trying to brainstorm ideas for projected growth this year. I've got a few goodies up my sleeve, and a store full of fantastic product. The question is, with all the competition out there can I capitalize on the season?

• Speaking of The Candy Bar,Friday will be one year complete. Time flies when you are having fun, doesn't it?  So far, I have escaped alive. 

• I saw an old friend last night and it was WONDERFUL! She and I were like peas and carrots from the moment we hugged our hellos. It was as if we never left each other some 13 years ago. the children are grown and we are both married to other men, but the connection between us remained the same.  It was so satisfying to hook up with someone whom I once was quite close to, although I never quite confirmed it, until last night. We somehow lost touch, and neither of us could remember why. The love and warmth I got from my friend was truly inspiring and I'm grateful to have her back in my life. 

• Old man winter has sat his wrinkly a** in the region and he's not moving. It snowed yesterday for the first time and we, New Englander's, marveled at the flakes that did not accumulate on the ground. You'd think we never saw snow before...better be careful what we wish for. 

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. 

Lets Talk About Oral Sex

What's ironic about Michael Douglas' announcement yesterday that he contracted throat cancer from oral sex is that I had just watched, on Sunday night, Michael's latest movie, "Behind the Candelabra". His performance as Liberace, a beloved show-man and celebrity entertainer who was living as a closeted gay man, coupled with this stunning announcement, conjured up all kinds of sexual imagery and thoughts in my mind about the subject of oral sex. I could make a few crass jokes here, and say some things about the subject, but I won't because among all the imagery in my mind, there is one thing stands out the clearest.

Last fall Frack, my son, was at his annual check up and his doctor talked to me about immunizing him for the HPV virus, just like I had for my daughter Frick, two years before. I was a bit stunned and I might have laughed it off. After all, I thought HPV vaccinations were for girls and quite controversial, with the side effects and all. I had to think long and hard about the three-dose vaccine before I decided if it was right for her .She assured me that men need to be protected too and that this was a new area of concern for pediatrics. I said I would think about it and I pondered the idea of Frack complaining about getting a "girl" vaccine as a precaution. I then sort of decided it wasn't a priority and decided to revisit the subject this fall at his next checkup.

Today I don't feel that way.

Thanks to Michael Douglas, I don't feel that way at all.  Today I'm seriously going to have a discussion with my son about cancer and HPV and then I'm going to have a discussion with Frack's pediatrician and book the appointment for the HPV vaccine.

Thanks Mr. Douglas. Seriously? No matter what images came to mind when you made your announcement, your courage in divulging this to the public may save countless lives. The awareness and your celebrity bring this subject into the spotlight and give ordinary people like me something to think about.

And thanks for helping me to make an informed decision to protect my son against a deadly form of cancer.

I Was Just Thinking: A Cleansing Of The Mind

I did it and I survived!
It was no big deal really, the best part of the one-day Detox cleanse is the way I feel today. Beside a splitting headache at 4am, I would have to say the cleanse was a success. It gives me renewed energy and lots of Mojo. It feels good to clean out the brain and body cobwebs.

Having said that, I was just thinking:

• I'm not sure if it's the one day cleanse or the season, but suddenly I want to clean out EVERYTHING! Purge the crap and make clean, tidy room for new space and new ideas and things. 

• What's all the hub bub about Beyonce and Jay-Z going to Cuba? Are we, Americans. still prohibited from travelling to Cuba, “unless authorized by a general or specific license,”  Bey and Jay were never going to face the possible $250,000.00 fine or 10 year jail sentence that could be imposed by traveling to that specific locale. Reportedly the Treasury department approved the trip as an "educational exchange". Hopefully that exchange is about music education.

• When I was in graduate school, we were required to read all three newspapers daily; The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald and The New York Times. I will never forget being lambasted, in front of my classmates,  for naming the Herald as my go to new source in class. "Your tastes in journalistic content leave much to be desired,"scolded my professor, to which my peers seemed to laugh and point their fingers. Well, some 12 years later who has egg on their face now???  The Boston Herald was just voted one of the Unites States "Ten papers who do it right" by Editor and Publisher magazine. Not that I 'm gloating, (but I am), the Herald is not only thriving but  expanding. While the Boston Globe faces extinction,  ironically now owned by the New York Times. Not me, no egg here. 

• Frack has entered into the dating game. I couldn't be more thrilled for him. He has been invited to dinner with his gal pal's family tonite and he's looking forward to it. She's adorable and I think it's nice at his age to have someone special. They grow up so fast....

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. 

The Politics Of Life

So Frack started asking me about the issues in this election. What I found so interesting was that he seems to be forming opinions about political parties and political posturing. He asked me specifically about taxes and what Obama has done and what Romney claims he will do. I didn't quite have the answers for him, and I'm realizing that we both need to be more informed.

The one thing I could tell him for sure was that partisan politics has never been more divided than it has at this moment in recent history and that the crux of this problem lies in the House and the President's politics. When the two can't agree to look over party lines, real damage can be done and not for the good of the people.

What can I tell him and how can I help to mold his political opinions when I myself, do not affiliate with any political party?

So I told him I vote for the man. I told him I listen to the issues and I try to focus on the ones that matter to me and my family. I'm a small business owner, so I listen when they talk about that. I am a tax payer, so I am concerned about where my tax dollars are going and whether or not they will increase or decrease. I have a family and I'm concerned about their health and well being. I want to know that the government cares about them too. And I told him that change comes in small doses and that it's important to give back to the community.

I'm in awe of his 16-yr-old political curiosity.

I hope I am doing him a service by spewing forth my very own brand of politics so that he may someday become politically responsible too. It's certainly something I thought about but not to the extent that I need to now. I owe it to my son and to the future of this country.

How The Hell Did That Happen?

Really? It's already over?

The summer flew by and I hardly realized it was over. A waitress at a restaurant last night said to me when I ordered scrod, "Oh cmon, you can do better than that. It's the last weekend of the summer." Then it hit me. It's Labor Day Weekend already? I guess I have been so focused on Frick going to college and Frack's golf that I didn't even give it a thought.

I didn't really do much this summer, but I stayed close to home; close to the heart.  I'm over the BBQ thing and I'm not feeling a melancholy sense of dread like I usually do at this time. I'm actually looking forward to fall. I've got some great things coming my way.


 Highlights:

• I'm going up to Maine to attend a birthday party for a dog. Yes, a birthday party for a dog, a great excuse to have a party. It should be a good time. 
• Frack got his braces off on Wednesday and damn! if my baby boy isn't drop dead handsome! I keep asking him to see his smile, and it's driving him crazy. Too bad, is my response. I paid for them, so I wanna see them. Kid's got a killer smile, and I keep telling him his face is so much brighter! That's the best adjective I can use to describe it. We told him to get a stick, cuz he's gonna be beating the chicks off with it when he goes back to school. He's also playing light's out golf right now. Kid's a stud.
• Frick is LOVING college and surprisingly, she calls pretty regularly. I'm so proud of her, she is fulfilling her dreams right now and becoming the person she will be for the rest of her life. I miss her like crazy, but I am so excited for her and happy that she is enjoying this wonderful time in her life. I wanna go to college. 

Peace to you and yours for a safe and happy Labor Day. 

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...