So My Kid Is In High School

Well, he started high school last week actually. So this shouldn't be a new realization. But I attended a high school meeting last night that made my head spin. It's real.

 
Somewhere along the line my baby turned into an almost 6-foot young man with size 13 shoes, a lower voice, and a couple of whiskers on the chin. A young man who treats others with respect, laughs with friends, thinks for himself, and gets good grades. A young man who is trying to learn what having a personal relationship with Jesus really means. A young man who wants to play basketball, does not want to play soccer, and absolutely will not audition for The Sound of Music {school play}. :)

Just 4 years left of my kid's school career {well that's not really *all* as he does plan to go to college}. And I already know how fast the years go by - they're a blur. I know his graduation is just around the corner. I see glimpses of what he'll be like as an adult. I like what I see. But oh, it hurts a mama's heart to see it all go by so quickly. And it's harder because he's our only child. Each milestone is a first and a last.

I think I've recently posted similar thoughts...and I'll probably post them again! I'm just trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. My.Kid.Is.In.High.School.

Thanks for bearing with me today! Do you have or have you had a kid in high school? Have you figured out a way to slow down time? ;)

Have a blessed day friends!

My Son Is 14!

How can it be? 14 years? Everybody says it, but it's so true - time goes by so fast. My son was an adorable toddler just yesterday, wasn't he? And now he's about to begin high school. *insert big mommy sigh here*

Just 10 short years ago. :)

A couple months ago.

No big party this year - we did the expensive thing last year. He's just having a few friends over to hang out and he requested cheesecake and strawberries instead of regular cake.

OK Son, if you insist! :)

Happy Birthday, Son! We pray that you will follow God's guidance as you become the man you were meant to be. We're proud of you and we love you!

P.S. There will never be a time that we won't want to hug you in public, so don't even think about trying to stop us. :D

How old are your kids {or grandkids or nieces/nephews}?

Have a blessed day friends!

Our 8th Grade Graduate {One Beautiful Thing}

Brooke from Surprised by Life sometimes has a link-up for #OneBeautifulThing and asks us to look back at our week to see the beauty in our everyday lives.

This past week, our son graduated from 8th Grade! Wow - time really does fly! While it's so hard to watch my son grow up {too too fast}, there is such beauty in watching the changes and seeing the young man he is becoming. That journey is my beautiful thing for the week.

Here he is on the very first day of Kindergarten...

And then on the last day of 8th Grade! *sigh*

Though his journey is not without sins and trials, he's a wonderful son and God is working in his life. We are truly blessed to have him for a son! And we are proud of all the things he has accomplished along the way to the end of 8th Grade! Now on to High School...how.can.that.be. :)

What's your beautiful thing for the week? If you post about it, go link up at Brooke's place!

Have a blessed day friends!

You Gotta Have A Good Story

As I mentioned in my last post, my son recently broke his wrist. It was kind of like deja vu.

This happened in May of 2011:

This happened in February of 2013:

Practically the same thing! The first time he was playing tennis and tripped over his own feet going backwards. He braced his fall and broke his wrist. He had a cast for 6 weeks.

This time, he was going...yes, backwards again! He was walking backwards looking at something and tripped over a backpack behind him. He braced his fall and broke his wrist. He has a cast for 5 weeks {4 to go!}.

My friend that cuts his hair insisted that he come up with a better story to explain the cast - a good story. So today she asked him how he broke his wrist and this was his story:

"Somebody walked out in the street in front of a car. I jumped out to save him from getting hit. But then the car ran over my arm. Luckily it was just a minor break."

Much better, right?! Hee,hee. :)

Have a blessed day friends!

13 Years of Birthday Treats

My kiddo is having a birthday this week - he'll be 13!!! I'll be the mom of a teenager! Crazy! Of course hubs and I have been thinking about years past with our son - so many wonderful memories. Since I'm such a dessert-lover, I thought it would be fun to look back by remembering his birthday cakes/treats!

1st Birthday: Costco cake for all the people (big party/barbecue with church friends and relatives in the park) and I made a little cake for kiddo with a box cake mix and a can of frosting! He loved destroying that!

2nd Birthday: I think Costco cake again! We had a party at a park with family.

3rd Birthday: Cupcakes & frosting from a mix, with an Elmo theme! We went to Chuck E Cheese and kiddo loved it!

4th Birthday: Hmmm...kind of a blur as we were moving right around then. I think we may have gone to Chuck E Cheese again and we probably had cupcakes again.

5th Birthday: Costco cake - for the many people! Big party in the park and then rented out the play pool section at the local pool. So much fun on a hot day!!

6th Birthday: Cupcakes (probably from a mix again) while we got together with another family at Chuck E Cheese. Incredibles theme that time!

7th Birthday: My homemade extravaganza year - the Chocolate-Malt Ice Cream Cake. Yum. We had it at home after kiddo went mini-golfing and out to lunch with a couple friends.

8th Birthday: I *think* I bought a cake or cupcakes and we had it at the bowling alley where he bowled with 3 friends.

9th Birthday: Stuck out-of-state (my Stepmother had passed away), but kiddo asked me to make Cookies & Cream Dessert for that one.

10th Birthday: Kiddo likes vanilla, so I made him a from-scratch white cake with vanilla butter cream frosting. He enjoyed it but said it didn't compare with store-bought cake...meaning the store-bought was better - LOL! More bowling with friends before coming home for cake and ice cream that year!

11th Birthday: A quiet birthday, but I made him Classic Pound Cake. Kiddo LOVED it!!

12th Birthday: Another quiet one as he came back from a back-packing trip - but a couple days later I made him Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes (from TidyMom). Yummy!

13th Birthday: Kiddo decided that this year he wants Creamy Baked Cheesecake, with some sliced fresh strawberries on the side. And then after he told me that, he asked me to stop talking about it because it was making his mouth water - LOL!! I thought I would be planning a big party, but I got out of it! Turns out hubs will be taking kiddo and friends to an amusement park for the day - kiddo's first time there!

Do you buy cakes or make cakes for your kiddos' birthdays? Or do they choose different types of birthday desserts?


Oh, and any advice for raising a teenager?! :)

If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!  


Have a blessed day filled with special memories and lots of love!

Hanging Out With Grandpa {One Beautiful Thing}

Last week we were in Montana for our Summer trip to visit family. My son always enjoys himself, no matter what we do and as usual, he didn't want to leave! While we were there, we stayed in my dad's apartment. I love watching my dad "hang out" with his only grandson. It doesn't matter if the "hanging out" is during fun adventures like playing golf and visiting the state capitol, or during times of relaxation in Dad's apartment. 

The kiddo likes playing computer games and card games with Grandpa. And I captured this moment with my phone - the two of them working on the daily crossword. I love this - seeing them enjoy each other's company while working on such a simple pleasure. And the difference in ages {68 years apart} just doesn't matter.

This Grandpa/Grandson moment is my One Beautiful Thing this week! Stop over at Brooke's place {Surprised By Life} to enjoy her One Beautiful Thing and link up your own!

What is your One Beautiful Thing this week? Have you taken a moment today to notice something beautiful in your life?

~ Friends, don't forget that I'm starting up a new link-up this Saturday! This is your reminder! :) And I have a name for it now ~ Savor 7 {Saturday}. Click here for the details and I hope you'll join me! ~

If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!  

Have a blessed and beautiful day friends!

At The End of My Rope {One Beautiful Thing}

At the end of my rope...is an excellent display of whipping skills!  :)

That my friends, is some genuine, hand-made in the USA, functional yet "pretty" rope! It's my One Beautiful Thing this week because I watched my favorite Boy Scout troop make it!

My son's troop had a display at a local event and demonstrated rope-making.  I watched this piece of rope being made on the...well...rope-making contraption and I admired it because of the color added to it. One of the youngest scouts asked if I wanted to have it, but I told him somebody else might want to keep it since it was such an interesting piece.  After the rope was properly whipped on the ends, my young scout friend coiled this piece up very nicely and presented it to me. He thought I should keep it. So.adorable.  :)

Not only do I love Boy Scouts and the skills they teach young men, but I love that our troop is affiliated with our Christian school. The families we are with are also involved in shaping the character of these young men and helping them grow into godly men.

And really, what mom couldn't use a little extra rope in her purse?  :)

Join Brooke each Thursday for One Beautiful Thing and link up - it's not too late to link up even now!

What's one beautiful thing from your week?

Have a blessed day friends!

Teaching Your Son What *Not* To Say To a Lady

Aaaahhhh...the good old days. That is my silly but adorable son when he was in 1st grade! But that has turned into this...

...goofy preteen with just enough photo editing skillz to create disturbing pics. LOL! :)

He is quite fond of joking around and really does make us laugh quite often. But he is still in the process of learning which jokes are appropriate and which jokes go too far.

We were getting our fave "fast" food - Chipotle {yum} - about a week ago. As we were getting our utensils, etc., son said something to me.

"Mom, you know, you look sooooooo old."

After I regained consciousness, I didn't quite know what to say, but my son quickly smiled, laughed and told me he was just joking. In true "girl" fashion, I obsessively questioned him all the way back to the car.

What made you say that?

Did something about how I looked or what I was wearing make you think up that comment?

Have you always thought that?

Do I really look old?

Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?

He assured me that the only reason he said it was because he knew it would bug me. Nice. Now the whole thing didn't really bother me - I mean, obviously I forgot all about it and never wrote a blog post about it or anything. *ahem*

Okay, truly I laughed, BUT I had a talk with him explaining that this is *not* the sort of thing that a man of any age should say to any lady. And most especially, he should never say such a thing - no matter how well he thinks the joke will be handled - to his future wife!! :)

Got any kid quotes that have made you shake your head lately?

Enjoy the everyday moments - subscribe here to stop and smell the chocolates with me!

Have a fabulous day friends!  :)

Our Son Plays Tennis {One Beautiful Thing}

I'm linking up with Brooke at Surprised By Life (her new blog!) for her first #OneBeautifulThing link-up! Stop by her blog to see what it's all about and to share a little beauty from your world.

Is this really a beautiful picture? Not by any photographer's standards. It was taken with my phone through a fence and zoomed in quite a bit - barely catching our almost 13 year-old son standing tall in the center.

But this is my beautiful thing for the week. Our son has tried a few sports over the years. He played soccer for a couple years and decided it wasn't his thing. He played baseball for 3 years and enjoyed it, but not enough to go into the more competitive level. And despite his height, he didn't want to play basketball {he was traumatized by a basketball class I took him to in 2nd grade - sigh}. Kiddo wanted to try something new. Tennis was one of my suggestions though I do not play. He tried a beginner class and was hooked.

Side story here: After completing the first beginner class last year, we bought our son his own racket, tennis balls, new and much larger tennis shoes, and a racket for hubs. Off they went to play their very first match together! 15 minutes later I received a phone call to get ibuprofen and son's Kaiser insurance card ready - they were on their way home before heading to the emergency room. Our son had broken his arm by tripping over his own feet running back to hit a ball! Awful!! No more tennis for quite some time. But he recovered nicely. :)

After completing another beginner class, our son wanted to move on in tennis. Now we go to a local club that offers lots of tennis lessons. He's in an intermediate class and improving all the time. But the best part? He LOVES it!! He wants to keep playing! He can't wait to get to his lessons, learn new things and improve! That hasn't really happened before with past sports. Whether or not our son ever plays tennis competitively, he finds joy in the sport and I know he will continue playing it into his adult life.

I find beauty in my son finding the sport that brings him joy and makes him want to strive to improve. His joy and enthusiasm bring me joy! So if you ever hear me grumbling about running him to tennis lessons or watching him out in the wind/cold - remind me that THIS was my One Beautiful Thing.

What's one beautiful thing from your week?


Have a beautiful day friends!  :)

10 Things You Might Hear Yourself Asking Your 11-Year Old Son

1.  I know it says to pack deodorant, but do you get sweaty under your arms yet?  Do your armpits stink?  I'm not checking - you check.

2.  MUST you keep making that horribly annoying noise?

3.  Are you sure you didn't already hit me for that slugbug?  Seems like the rules keep changing.

4.  Is that what you're going to wear?  Weren't we giving that shirt away?

5.  Can you turn the volume down on that video game?  I'm getting really tired of hearing the same tune over and over and over...and over.

6.  Are you the one that got your friends to make the same annoying noises?  Have you thought of using your powers for good?

7.  Do I need to remind you that your shirt is not a napkin?

8.  Have you seen the bottoms of your feet?  'Cause they are b.l.a.c.k.

9.  Did you forget that we ordered you to stop growing?  (He's over 5'3" and in a size 10 shoe.)

10.  Can you PLEASE go make those noises somewhere where I can't hear them?

Can you relate to any of these?  And who's making that noise??  ;)

When you aren't sure of what to write on your blog, a great place to stop for inspiration is Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda!  I'm linking up - maybe you should too!

Have a fabulous day friends!!

Our New Adventure

I wanted to wait until the school year was officially over until I talked about our family's new adventure.  We've known about it for a few months and are excited about it!

We made the decision to home school our son for Junior High (7th & 8th grade)!  I'm excited to teach him and he's excited to learn and to not have homework in the evenings - LOL!

This wasn't an easy decision for our family.  We have been at the same Christian school for 7 years and we LOVE it!!  We have always been supportive of home schooling but we have an only son and God has blessed us through these years with the opportunity and finances to put our son into this Christian school.  And we already knew and loved many staff members before we even started there.

Me and my son when he started Kindergarten!

If you had asked me a few years ago if I would be willing to home school, I would have said that only if we could no longer afford to send the kiddo to our favorite school would I do it.  In the last couple of years, I was starting to get an itch to try home schooling.  I still loved the school, just not the homework!  And as my son got older, I knew the teaching would be less difficult for me as he's a smart and *mostly* obedient kid.

Anyway, don't want the story to get too long!  The Lord put it on our hearts earlier this year to consider home schooling for Junior High.  We resisted at first, being afraid of what our friends at school might think.  We truly tried our best to make our decision ignoring what others might think and just left it up to the Lord to guide us!  I even almost changed my mind at the last minute, but only because of some external circumstances, not what we felt the Lord wanted.

So here we are - a bit unexpected - home schoolers!  We know that there will be some people who are convinced that we no longer believe in our Christian School - simply not true; we still support the school financially, through prayer, and through hubs serving on the Board.  And there will be some people who think that we've finally *seen the light* to home school our child because it's the only "right" way - not true for us either though we have always supported and believed in home schooling.  But we can't worry about what man thinks - only what God thinks!  And we feel this is where He wants us right now.

I'll be doing it on my own, not through charter schools (which are very popular here) or through any sort of co-op.  If I was homeschooling long-term, I could choose from MANY methods of homeschooling!  But since our plan is to put our son back into our fave Christian school for high school, I'll be following the school's curriculum somewhat closely.  I'm still working out the scheduling and the details.  I'm sure I'll update you as we begin our school year, but that won't happen until after Labor Day.  That's right - I've GOT to make the most of this Summer break!!  :)

Now you're updated!  'Cause you wanted to know every detail of my life, right?!  :)  OK - that's enough talk about school.  Today is the first day of Summer and it.is.HOT (102 degrees).  Let's think cool relaxing thoughts instead.

Have a wonderful day friends!!

Because Coupons Are Important

We had a little story yesterday that gave us a laugh and hubs thought I should share!

Hubs was busy so kiddo and I decided that take & bake pizza was a must for dinner.  I searched for the perfect (meaning not expired - LOL) coupon and found it!  I called in the pizza.  And off the kiddo and I went to run a couple errands and then get our pepperoni deliciousness.

When we got there, I parked across a row from the pizza place.  I like to send the kiddo in alone to pick up the pizza - good practice for being polite, handling a transaction, and not being afraid to do things on his own as he gets older.  I handed him the cash and the coupon.  He's such a good thrifty kid that he reminded me about my stamp card (which earns 50% off a pizza when full), so I handed him that too.  He then started messing around and dropped the coupon in the car on purpose.  He picked up the coupon and I told him to *please* hold on to it all tightly and he said "of course" and headed in to the pizza place.

After a few minutes, I started watching the door as it usually doesn't take that long.  Then I saw him come out - no pizza.  What??  I saw him start talking to a young man who came out at the same time and they started looking all over the ground.  "Oh no," I thought to myself, assuming he had dropped the cash.  After they were heading my direction still looking around, I started to get out of the car to find out what was going on.  My son headed over to me while I noticed that the young man was talking to somebody driving down our row.

Turns out my son dropped the coupon!  He waited in a small line, and when he got to the cash register to pay he had the cash, the stamp card, but NO coupon!  The lady asked him what it was for (probably to give him the benefit of the doubt) and he had no idea.  He walked away and looked all over the floor in the pizza place - nothing there!  He walked outside and that's when he told the young man that he dropped his coupon.  They couldn't find it anywhere on the sidewalk or in the parking lot.  Then the young man heard my son call out "Mom" and thought he was calling to the person driving down our row.  So the young man started telling the lady in the car "Your son dropped his coupon and can't find it anywhere."  And she was obviously very puzzled, saying "Whaaat????"  Then the young man realized that my son came over to our car and this lady he was talking to was the wrong person.  Oops!  My son overheard him say, "Well that was awkward."  LOLOL!  Poor guy was just trying to help a kid out!

We could not find that coupon and went back into the store.  A nice young couple knew what had transpired and offered us their extra coupons in case one of them was the right one.  One was just right!  I thanked them very much and we finally got our pizza - at the coupon price of course!!!  We still looked for that coupon on the way back out and in the car but never saw it anywhere.

All of that trouble for a coupon?  Yes, coupons are very important to us!  Hey - that coupon was $3 off people!  :)  I will be stapling all coupons to my son's hand from now on.  ;)

Hopefully you got a smile or giggle from our fun, though maybe it's one of those "had-to-be-there" stories.  Are coupons that important to you?  Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends!

Crazy Busy Week

I know you've had weeks like those!  This week turned out to be a little busier than I thought, so all you'll get for the whole week is this post with some random thoughts!  I hope you'll survive!  ;)

~ My son started out the week by breaking (technically just fracturing) his arm!  Argh!  Poor kid - was very painful.  He fell while trying to play tennis with his dad.  So sad because he's excited about tennis and we hit a sale that very morning to get tennis rackets and balls and new tennis shoes for him ('cause his were way too small and worn out).  He and my hubs went out and found an empty tennis court nearby and started to play.  But kiddo got tripped up and fell, fracturing his left arm.  Anyway, he's back at school to finish out the last week and has his cool new cast on!

This is what happens when you say smile and he does...until you hit the button and he makes a face.

After the ER visit, *suffering* by propping arm on pillows to play video games!

~ This is the last week of school - Woo Hoo!  I'm working on homemade teachers' gifts and goodies today.  Tomorrow is a last meetup with Bible Study ladies and my last time for the year of volunteering at the school.  Then Friday is school awards assembly and I'm helping drive kids to the end-of-year rollerskating party (and son can't skate now - boo!).  Then on to Junior/Senior High graduation - our son isn't graduating, but we always attend because it's such a special event at our small Christian school with inspiring speeches.  I believe there are 11 8th grade graduates and 6 Seniors graduating.

~ I've fallen off the wagon this week for the 31 Days to Clean challenge!  I'll get back into it starting next week, our unofficial beginning of Summer!

~ I probably had more things to say, but I haven't had my coffee yet.  With cream and sugar please.  Oh - I guess I have to go get that myself.  :)

What's going on with you this week?  Have you started Summer break yet?


Have a fabulous week friends - I'll see you next week!

Wordless Wednesday: Our New Boy Scout

Our son recently joined Boy Scouts and just got his uniform.  He's so excited about it!

This is the handsomeness that we sent out into the neighborhood to sell popcorn to raise money for Scouting.  Those poor neighbors didn't stand a chance!  Could you say no to that polite young man?

For more Wordless Wednesday pics, be sure to stop by 5 Minutes For Mom!  Have a sweet day friends!

Making Treats With Your Kids ~ Granola Bites

Apparently I scared you all a little with my serious post yesterday - LOL!  If you've been a follower of my blog for a while, then you know that I like to throw a serious post in once in a while to shake things up!  I stand by my post, but I am sorry if it caught you off guard.  How about I go ahead and reward you with a little yumminess today?

A few months ago, Jessica from Muthering Heights asked me to guest post about kids helping in the kitchen.  I had a fun time having my son help me with this recipe and am glad I can share it with you today.  Enjoy!

Originally published at Muthering Heights on February 24, 2010:

I think it's obvious that I like chocolate.  I do like to make chocolate desserts (mainly because I like to eat desserts), but I don't always remember to involve my son in the fun.  It's a great experience to let your kids spend quality time with you in the kitchen!  I recently found a recipe in my No Bake Holiday Recipes cookbook that's very kid-friendly since it doesn't involve the oven or even the stove!  Just some measuring, mixing, and general mess-making by rolling cookies in your hands!!

Have your kids help with the measuring - good for practicing math concepts!

Stir it all up (kids LOVE to stir - LOL) and don't worry about a few spills - they clean up easily.

Roll the mixture into small balls and put on wax paper.  It's the messy part - fun for most kids, unless you're my son who is sort of a neat freak.  :)

That's all there is to it!  We did chill ours in the refrigerator to help them firm up.  Eat and enjoy!

This recipe is nice for kids of all ages.  Little ones can help make them and eat them for an after-school snack or dessert.  Older kids can make them all on their own and share with friends who come over.

Granola Bites

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (if you use all-natural it doesn't stick together very well)
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup granola cereal (I used my homemade Super Light Granola)
1 3/4 cups (11-oz pkg) peanut butter and milk chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips; mini chips would be good)

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper.  In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla; mix well.  Stir in the oats, cereal, and chips.  Mix until the cereal is evenly coated.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets.  Let stand until firm.  Store in an airtight container.

I hope you get a chance to try this out!  Do you have a favorite recipe that you make with your kids?

Wordless Wednesday: 1st Day of School

School has started!  I love to see my son's happy face on the first day of school!  Here he is on the first day of 6th grade!

He's growing up too fast!!  (All you parents think the same of your own children, don't you?)  Let's look back through the school years...

5th Grade

4th Grade

3rd Grade (Picture FAIL)

2nd Grade

1st Grade

Kindergarten

OK - let me wipe the tears away so I can say Happy Wordless Wednesday!!  See more Wordless Wednesday pics at 5 Minutes For Mom!

Have a lovely day my friends and give those kiddos a big hug!