Saying no. A lot.

First drive! :O

Jack and I were driving home from his rowing practice the other night. Well, he was driving and I was pretending to not be scared. Kidding. He’s not bad for a beginner driver. I’ve seen worse adult drivers with years of experience. Trust me!

Rowing! Jack 2nd from left.

It was an amazing day, sunny and warm, and the sunset wasn’t going to happen for at least another hour and a half.

me: Jack, when we get home you should come for a walk with me and Moca.

Jack: No thanks. I want to shower and eat, I’m starving.

me: How about 10 minutes. Just to enjoy the last nice hour before it gets dark.

Jack: No.

me: 5 minutes? We can walk around the yard?

Jack: Geez, I literally have to tell you “no” more times than YouTube premium offers. Come on!

me: ?

Whatsitcalled?

Oh man if you’ve ever forgotten the name of something, someone or some place you can really feel for me in this post. I hate when you absolutely KNOW the word or name and you can just PICTURE it, but nope, the old noggin won’t comply with connecting those memory synapses or whatever they are and you sit slack jawed and dumb faced, simply unable to finish your conversation until you figure out that word!

Hate it.

Jack: Dad made the best chicken in the air fryer, it was soooo good!

me: What did he put on it?

Jack: Nothing.

me: No sauce?

Jack: Oh well there was this sauce of Dijon and mayo and lemon I think that he put on the side in these little cups. You know those little ones, what’re they called??

me: You mean those little baking glass dishes? The ones that start with a C?

Jack? C? No they’re like those little cups you know…

me: Hmmm, like what you put creme brûlée in? It’s like C something?

Jack: Sounds like eh at the end? Or something?

We had suddenly stopped caring about the chicken or the sauce. Only this damn little cup! What the heck! We sat and drove in silence. Dammit.

me: Ramekin!!!

Jack: Yeah that’s it!

me: Does not begin with a C hahahah!

Jack: We were so wrong…

And then we talked about the chicken again. Whew.

Subaru Confessions – Teen Style

Jack always says the craziest things while we drive… anywhere. 😂

me: Put your phone away we’re almost there.

Jack: Grunt.

me: I need at least an actual minute to talk to my boy, eh?

Jack: Ok. Here’s something. (And then he says in a weird voice)I look in the toilet, mmmmm I’m hungry!

me: What?? Gross. Honestly Jack, who told you that.

Jack: Me. Hahaha!

me: Seriously? Can’t we have a normal conversation for two minutes sheesh…

Jack: HAHAHAHAHAHA!

me: So not funny. Oohhhh look at those clouds over there. Wait…WHO would actually say that?

Jack: I already told you. Me! Hahahaha! Oh and in band class I found a can of green beans behind the stage. It’s in my backpack.

me: ?

And there you have it people. The brain of a 14-year-old boy. Yep. All honors classes. 🤨😬

Back to the grind

With the first big holiday over, we are back to the sort of normal routine until Christmas break.

Jack is back at rowing, but indoors in a gym, school is going full force (despite a snow day and delay due to ice), and I’m back at work juggling multiple scenarios involving dental marketing, furry creatures and hormonal teens! Good times!

I’m worsting this post as I hurtle down the tracks on a train headed to NYC. We have a dental trade show going on and I’m working the aisles to drive traffic to our booth.

Jack had his first gym session last night. Needless to say he was sore today. He kinda was in a negative mood and I tried to pull him out of it.

me: Anything exciting going on at school today?

Jack: I have a math test.

me: Hmmm I don’t remember you studying last night.

Jack: I did a review packet, it’s fine.

me: But did you do the whole thing?

Jack: No, just the parts I didn’t know. I didn’t have to do the parts I know.

me: You should still review those parts, it can’t hurt.

Jack: Math sucks.

me: I know but you have to pass it so you just have to do your best.

Jack: I got a 71 on my science test.

me: The one you didn’t study for.

Jack: I thought I knew it.

me: You have to study, it can only help you, it won’t hurt.

Jack: You’re putting me in a bad mood.

me: I don’t mean to.

Jack: Then don’t talk about school on the way to school.

me: There’s this football player, Mike Vick, and he abuses dogs like in dog fights?

Jack: I don’t need to hear this!

me: Yeah I guess you’re right. Either way he’s a jerk.

Jack: I hate school.

me: Well let’s turn your attitude around.

Jack: Not possible. I’m gonna have a bad day.

me: You can make yourself have a great day!

Jack: I can’t.

me: If you tell yourself “I can” you will start to believe it. If you only say I can’t, then that’s what you’ll believe.

Jack: Not true.

me: Remember positIve thinking? The last time you really tried, you got 100’s on your tests. You’re an amazing boy and student.

Jack: All moms have to say that.

me: Only when it’s true. I’m not going to lie to you. You are amazing and when you put your mind to it, you can do anything.

(We pulled up to the school drop off, and I really hoped that I helped turn his mood around)

me: Have a great day!

Jack: You too.

☺️☺️☺️

Not sure if Jack will keep himself positively motivated but all I can do is keep trying!

Here’s a text exchange we had (in photos) when I saw an Instagram post that kinda looked like Jack… Lol, virtual restraining order.

😂😂😂😂

Still here! Still saying sh*t! Band Jam!

My gosh a month can fly by, eh? I remember writing every day at one point years ago and then at least once a week. Sigh….. things are changing, Jack is getting older, I’m getting older (aka better) 😂 and things have been getting in the way of me blogging. Well, like life, for instance.

I spend more time working I guess… though you’d think now that Jack is older and spends so much time alone or with friends, I’d have more time to write! I can’t tell you how many nights recently I’ve thought about blogging and chose an extra half hour of sleep instead.

It’s a kind of crazy routine… and this is withOUT the rowing practice each day which starts up again next week! Oy! Work, school, pets, chores, homework, shopping, travel, etc…

But also, as I’ve mentioned, there isn’t a whole lot of CONTENT these days. I mean, I hear jack and his friends talking but can barely understand what they’re saying, never mind transcribe it into a coherent blog post.

Take yesterday for example. We went to a band jam where Jack’s friend’s band was competing. We took Jack’s friend A plus Jack’s friend’s friend B with us. Here is the gist of the conversation 😂😂😂

Jack: (holding his phone out to friend A) Look, look, what it looks like when when Rickert is in charge.

Friend A: Dude, he was the worst.

Friend B: I heard he’s totally in charge now.

Jack: Ya, that’s insane.

Friend A: (holding out his phone) No one, literally no one, not a soul and then …. (insane laughter) Everyine looks at his phone and whatever meme is currently on it.

Friend B: (Giggling and laughing at everything they say)

Jack: (holds out his phone) Look the bus with flaming wheels. (They all laugh)

Friend A: Still giggling. So did you hear about so and so who likes whatsername? She was like whatever and then she was fighting with her so we were like calm down and be friends so then they sorta got along but not really and then she liked him and now they’re dating but SHE didn’t realize that (hahahahaha), etc…//

I mean, I have no clue what they’re even saying or laughing at so how can I construct a blog post out of that sh*t??? 😱😱😱

Oy!

Hopefully I’ll have more to write about over the break! Stay tuned!

Fear of… what??

me: Jack finish your apple, you leave so much on the core!

Jack: I have a disproportionate fear of apple cores.

me: What?

Jack: They’re all weird feeling and (he shudders)…

me: I get it. I have a fear of eating even a tiny piece of egg shell. The thought of crunching on that makes me actually nauseous.

Jack: Now that’s not normal.

me: 🤨

Quote of the day – rowing

Jack has been rowing now for a few months and has been doing workouts regularly for the first time ever. His 14-year-old body is starting to feel it.

We were in the car driving home from rowing when Jack turned in his seat and I heard his back crack sounding like snapping a celery stick. Gross!

Then he turned and did the other side.

Jack: Ahhhhh, I’ve mastered the art of cracking my spine like a glow stick.

😱😱😱

Subaru Confession: Maturity??

Jack and I were in the car on the way to school this morning. He was giving me an update on one of his classes and why his seat was moved. (Not his fault).

me: Well, I bet you can concentrate better now, at the very least.

Jack: Yep. There’s a time for work and a time for play.

me: (!) What have you done with Jack…? That sounds… mature!

(I swear he winked and pointed a finger at me)

Totally not what I expected him to say. Right??

As we drove along we talked about a few other things… and about a friend of his that I mistakenly thought did something that someone else did.

me: Well, I’m glad that wasn’t him because I would have been really disappointed.

Jack: And now you finally sound like a typical parent.

me: Sheesh.

Jack’s unique brand of … humor

me: If you really want to do a favor for someone or help them, don’t ask them if they want help, because most people say no no it’s ok I’m fine.

Jack: Then how do you help?

me: You have to tell them you’re going to help and just say you’ll do whatever it is. Like if you know someone needs a ride somewhere you don’t say Do you need a ride? You just say hey I’ll pick you up at 7.

Jack: No matter what the agreed upon time was?

me: Sigh, yes if they need a ride at 9 you force them to take a ride at 7. Sheesh.

Jack: (excited to tell me a joke) This guy went to the doctor and said “I have a problem. I always poop at 8am on the dot.” The doctor says “Well what’s wrong with that? That sounds very healthy.” And the guy says, “I wake up at 9am.”

me: Ha. Where do hear this stuff?

Jack: Around.

Funny Jokes

Is that redundant? LOL. Jack and I were driving to school this morning, we missed the bus, sort of on purpose. The alarm went off and I just didn’t want to get up. So I shut it off and pretended that we had a power outage ha ha. But of course cats and dogs have their internal clocks and they won’t let me sleep very long. 😦

Quick update on cats and dogs… Moca caught the lovely virus, or parasite rather, Giardia. This was right before Thanksgiving, and she’s only just now gotten slightly better. Talk about a skinny dog OMG. And Bella went in for dental surgery on Monday so she is in a little bit of pain this week and not eating well… as you could expect.

Jack broke his foot again for the second time, or toe rather, same foot same break same spot same everything.

My house is like an infirmary, the morning routine goes like this, feed the cat, feed the dog, feed the boy, give the cat liquid pain medicine, give the dog one and a half pills for tummy troubles, wrap the boys toe, wipe the dogs foot and other toe because she also has an infection LOL, makes probiotic in the dogs lunch so that the dog walker can feed that to her at noon, repeat.

But it’s the season of CHEER I tell you! Perpetual hope! I’m still smiling.

So, we were driving to school and I was listening to Christmas music and being goofy and telling dumb jokes, and laughing at them by myself naturally.

Jack: that’s not funny.

Me: what? You mean my joke? Oh I get it, it’s not funny because no one’s laughing.

Jack: no, it’s not funny because you don’t know how to tell a joke.

Me: Sigh.