As it turns out he dies still say sh*t even while away at college 😂
Jack and I were talking on the phone earlier. He was getting ready to start packing for his spring break rowing trip and was debating whether or not to get some homework done before break or after, and then was worried about an egg sandwich he took from the dining hall.
Me: Dis you start packing yet?
Jack: No, I have time. I’m wondering if I should go do my homework at the Q center now to get it over with.
Me: That sounds like a good idea so you won’t have to think about it over break.
Jack: I’m not thinking of it at all.
Me: Well if you have time to do it then pack.
Jack: I’m more worried about this egg sandwich.
Me: Uh, what?
Jack: I took an egg sandwich from the dining hall and it’s going to sit here for a week.
Me: So eat it.
Jack: It’s cold.
Me: So heat it up! 🤨
Jack: oh yeah I could eat it now.
Me: Or wrap it up and take it in the van as a snack later.
Jack: I just said I’m eating it now.
Me: Sigh. Ok. Give your dad a call too before you go.
Jack: I would but you’ve been talking forever.
Me: Oy! Ok byeeeeee.
Jack: Oh wait I have to tell you this funny story. This guy was using the bathroom at work and the lights went out so he took a spooky dooky. Hahaha!
Me: Wasn’t that what happened to you last summer.
Jack: No it was some guy on Twitter.
And there you have it, the last mom son convo before Jack’s first ever spring break trip.
Jack is doing great in his second semester at UConn. He’s planning to spend spring break with the rowing team at camp in South Carolina. I wish I was going away on spring break!! It’s still icky and cold here but I heard it’s not exactly hot down in SC. But definitely warmer than CT that’s for sure.
I was trying to get the full scoop about the trip from Jack this week so I know what’s happening and when.
Me: Where’s the agenda? Like what’s the plan?
Jack: There’s this creepy presentation I can show you that has the info in it.
I start flipping through. It is weird looking but I keep going to see if they tell the kids what to pack and what to expect, etc. I get to a big checklist.
Jack: Woah, I didn’t even see that!
Me: Come on, did you not go through this? It has everything you need listed out here.
Jack: Well it kept getting stuck on one page so I gave up.
Me: Nice. Lucky for you I got this far into it. So what’s the driving situation? Does everyone take turns or what?
Jack: We’re driving down in vans and it’s about 12 hours to get there.
Me: Who’s driving?
Jack: The older guys. There’s a driving buddy that has to stay awake with them. Then they swap. There will be lots of breaks.
Me: I can’t believe you’re all leaving at 5pm on a Friday! Like wouldn’t it be better to leave in the morning, miss all the traffic and actually drive during daylight?
Jack: There’s these things on Friday called classes and exams, Mom.
Me: Oh yeah.
Jack: They told us we needed to bring a sleeping bag and mine’s at home and dad doesn’t want to drive it to me tomorrow.
Me: I guess you’ll have to bring the blankets from your bed then.
Jack: Nah, I rented a sleeping bag for $12 from the school.
Me: Okayyyy… maybe want to wash it?
Jack: No way I’m waiting for a sleeping bag to dry tonight Mom.
Me: Good point. Well, ok have a good night and don’t forget to call me before you leave tomorrow.
Jack: How can I? You call me like 3 times a day already.
Yes, it’s been a few minutes since I have written y’all. A LOT has happened in a very short year. A lot. 🙂
How was your 2022? I hope it was easy and breezy.
Our year was typical of any family with a teen graduating and moving to college. All the end-of-year festivities, prom, graduation, summer vacation, summer job, choosing a college, preparing to pay for said college, planning to MOVE to college, you get the idea right?
(Some fun summer vacay pics)
Throw in a dash of, oh I don’t know, SELLING our home at the same time and moving to another town. Yeah that can throw a monkey wrench into things. Jack moved to UConn in August, I packed up and moved out of my home at the end of September…yep moved an entire house by myself…and then traveled for work, came down with COVID and suffered for a few weeks, ugh. Jack got sick in December over Christmas break. Then all was well and we settled into the “after Christmas” lull looking forward to the new year. Enter new year, and my fun spinal injury from a few falls and a few crazy workouts.
And we then celebrated Jack’s 18th birthday in January! I kinda re-injured my back driving for 3 hours to his school for a family dinner. Driving with your left leg can do some damage when your right leg goes numb, so that was a bit dumb on my part. Oy!! So I was injured up until today actually. Just got myself a nice spinal injection to help with the hot mess that my back has become.
Oh and BIRTHDAY PICS! This would be the first year I did not share a photo of the birthday boy and the CAKE!
(OK, I smushed it a bit getting it out of the box.)
Sooo, with all that going on, I have finally found the mental strength to catch you all up on all things Jack! He is still saying sh*t, though it’s less and less sh*t and more and more smart college stuff 🙂
I had this brilliant idea that we would close off the blog with one last post that we would collaborate on. We really meant to, really! But then all the stuff above happened and we really just could not come up for air. And now, I’m sitting on the couch with a semi-numb leg (It’s supposed to clear up in a few days) and Moca the ever-present doggie by my side, and I felt like writing! Finally! But, Jack isn’t here. Soooo….
But, he’s coming home weekend after next. Yay! Then we may do that collaboration. In the meantime I’m shopping for blog book deals because why not! We were featured in the amazing book “Breaking Good” by Madeline Ashe, and you really really must go read it and you’ll feel like Jack is a character in the book because the little dude is based on him. I mean how cool is that!?
And also because there is a new movie out with Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher, and yeah she’s blonde and her name is Debbie (not the cool way I spell it), and her son is named Jack, and he has glasses and all the fun allergies that my Jack has. Maybe they found this blog too and wanted the likeness as well. Who knows? They didn’t ask haha. Nor did we get credit. But alas, there are other Debbie’s and Jack’s out there so I can’t really complain.
Back to my Jack though. He’s doing so well in college, he’s rowing for the school team and just generally being a great human being which I am so proud of.
(Graduation pic again because I love it soooo much!)
Here are a few things he’s texted me in the last few weeks, which is our main way of communicating, along with some phone calls. He’s still hysterical, and will always be uniquely…Jack… 😉
I sent Jack a text of a map, showing the rowing camp “Bob” area he planned to attend over spring break with the team…
Jack: Provides context to nobody. (sends me an image of someone praying). When you beat the camp bob allegations.
me: What?
Jack: Scale? Location?
me: What allegations? Google it on the map for scale and location. It’s your camp.
Jack: My bruh, you are already there.
me: Look it up on your schedule. (I send him a zoomed out map so he can see what he already knows… as in… where the camp is)
Jack: Ah, so literally nowhere.
me: Yeah, on a lake.
Jack: Yes.
me: Sigh.
Another fun exchange, I asked him to give me a call before bed to say goodnight. Yes, I missed him! He left a weird message with a lot of motor sounds like brrm brrm brrm.
me: Btw I so look forward to your voicemails to hear your voide and I save them forever. (annoyed emoji)
Jack: Is this sarcasm?
me: Yes.
Jack: Gotcha.
me: Bur really leave me real ones.
Jack: When I’m famous that’ll be worth millions.
me: beeebeeeeeeebebebebebebebebeb
Jack: If I leave enough they can make an album too.
me: (blank face emoji)
And one more fun back and forth with a political spin haha.
me: Good morning, how’d you sleep?
Jack: I was up watching the state of the union.
me: Oh I didn’t. How was it???
Jack Shame on you. Naysayer of democracy. I’m just kidding it was fine. Capping insulin cost at $35.
me: ok…
Jack Minimum 15% corporate tax, high tax enforcement if you make over 400k.
me: Woah.
Jack: Yeah.
me: No one in our family makes over 400k
Jack: Nice.
I’m hoping when he’s home in a few weekends we will really sit down and collaborate! Not sure if we should officially end the blog, but it’s been tossed around. We shall see! If any of you want us to continue into college days, send me a message, I would love to hear from you. ::
I’m assuming this is the end. Anything is possible but when Jack leaves FOR COLLEGE next month, I mean, what other shit can I write about? Will he even call me regularly, never mind provide actual instances that I can quote from for this blog? Hmmmm…
A LOT has happened since May the 4th, my last post. It was a literal whirlwind of activity for Jack’s end-of-senior-year activities, graduation (OMG!), prepping for college and waiting for acceptances to come in, selecting a college (UConn-Go Huskies!) and a major in Engineering, oh and just a few other things like selling our home of 18 years!! Yea it’s been crazy and if you add in a few vacations and Jack’s summer internship, there’s hardly enough time to squeeze in a little blog post.
Jack also finished his rowing career for now. His club had an end of season banquet and they wished all the seniors well and sent them off with some nice parting gifts. It was a fun chapter in his life. Jack wont row for UConn (“they practice at 5am Mom!!!”) even through I really wanted him to try. Ah well. 🙂
Jack is currently in DC for a VHS Collection concert and mini vacay with his dad. nice right!!??
But the weeks that we have left to pack and purge and move Jack to UConn and us out of the house are so few.
me: Jack, when you get back from DC we really have to get your things packed for college and your room packed for moving.
Jack: There’s plenty of time for that.
me: Ummm there are only two weekends left until we go on vacation and then come back and move you to UConn.
Jack: Oh that’s plenty of time! I have all the nights after I intern plus I have Fridays off and then those two weekends. My room won’t take that long.
me: But there’s the entire house to do, not just your room.
Jack: Isn’t that what we pay movers for?
me: Gahhhhhhh!
Ready for promThe GRR crewGraduation 🙂Our trip to UConn for orientationLast time on the dock at GRR, Housatonic RiverThe final oar carry
the 5-year-old Wookie
I keep forgetting that each time Jack turns a year older I need to update my blog header! I’ve been doing this since Jack was 5, and started on another blogging platform. I liked the Shir My 5-year-old says title. I miss it! Because when I switched to WordPress, I had the dumb idea that I would switch the blog title each year. So I started with Shit My 6-year-old Says, and probably lost all of my original followers!
They weren’t really that bright back then 😉
Though if you are one of the original followers, I’m obviously NOT talking to you and would LOVE you to leave a comment telling everyone how smart and selective you were back then when you discovered us here and still follow us! That would be cool.
So now, I’m remembering I gotsta get back in Photishop and do something clever like cross that 10 out and put 11 haha.
I’m still mad that I didn’t keep the 5 in the URL. But what did I know back then. Go see. I was crazy!!!!!
Sooo, yesterday’s post about college had me looking back in some older posts and I found this from year 1. Pretty funny. I hope you agree!
Jack has always loved playing college, ever since he was little. He would pretend he was in class or teaching class or eating at the cafeteria (his personal favorite). So I have high hopes that he will actually GO to college. Lord knows we talk about it enough.
Jack has bee so into filming and vlogging and editing lately that we are trying to get him into the NYU film school summer camp. For two weeks. For a million dollars. No, actually just a few thousand. But still! Regular summer camp costs like $250 or something per week. Sigh.
We’re riding on the train right now heading to NYC and Jack just noticed this poster:
Jack: Mom, I might want to go to college there.
me: Really? Actual college for filming?
Jack: Yeah, either there or Brigham Young.
me: ?
The randomness of it all…
He’s not very excited about me taking pictures of him while he sings Celebration.
And in other news…sad news…our beloved kitty Ed has passed away after a very short but aggressive battle with cancer. We will miss him terribly.
Sh*t My 6-Year-Old Says (but he's 18 now) 