Mom Monday - more summerin' it up!

   

Snake River, ID

 So, I made it to Idaho - who knew I could  navigate in the dark better than broad daylight? It's probably because I was more focused on where I was rather than what I could see and I practiced with the real-time map on the iPad.

What it feels like...

     So, we did a lot of visiting with family, sitting by the lake, and a little kayaking. Even more awesome was mountain biking every day and learning to ride the dirt bike! Too bad my son took it away from me before I went through a few more gears.  I guess there will have to be a next time.....

                                

what it looks like...

     At least I got to ride home in the motor home....has anyone seen my Blueblockers???

     Tomorrow is their last day before school, but NOT their last day of family fun....get ready for camping in bear country over Labor Day weekend -- hide your Pic-n-ic baskets.

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Mom Monday - Summerin' it up!

Another day of combos - this time we mixed it up with art, biking, splashing in the creek, and rock climbing. What more could a couple of Montana boys ask for? 

The Main Street to Mountains trail starts at our favorite place in the world - the Bozeman Library. 

     Like the yellow-brick road, it starts with a circle in the front of the building that goes around the back to an art trail lined with sculptures by local artists.

Someone made this cool chair out of gears...

     And this cow named Ivy..... and lots of other swirly, curvy things. Some look like wire tornadoes and others more geometric. What's neat is that they change them out every so often so it's fun to come back.


     We biked through to where the art trail ends and the Galligator trail starts, which connects to the Sourdough trail that follows Bozeman Creek. The Sourdough is more woodsy and a huge doe ran across our path. Wyatt said he saw her baby, too. 

     And what could be better on a hot day that a picnic at the creek? ....Except maybe a push-up contest in ice water......(I swear, I'm not punishing them, they thought this up!)
     And just to solidify their manliness.....they conquered the rock-climber's ledge at the park.







Too bad my older boys weren't having any fun.....

Josh and Dustin Man-camping at Rat Lake

Mom Monday - finding ways to bond with your teenage sons

     I admit it, I've been at a loss this summer with how to bond with my teenage sons. Mostly we

Biking with the younger ones

just sit and chat late into the night. But, I can't get them to join me hiking or biking because they know I'll be taking a "less-extreme" path with their younger brothers in tow. Anymore, they won't even consider an outing if their younger brothers are going because they know they can't resist picking fights.



     So, it just fell into my lap. I had some tire work done on my VW Bug and decided to change the oil at home. I figured if I could just get it up on the ramps, I could get a look at the access under the rear-engine. It doesn't even have a filter, so you only have to drain it and wipe down the screen.  I convinced my 14-year-old that it was as simple as the picture in the manual......"See, just six bolts to get the panel off"

     Okayyyy, so it took us all day!  We didn't have the right socket, the parts kept falling into the oil drain pan, and putting it back together was more challenging than getting it off. Without him noticing, the grease was running up to his elbow! I ended up having to suit up and get under there to finish it off. Who knew that some foreign cars have bolts go in at a slight angle? 

     Even so,  it was a great afternoon spent learning about cars with my partner-in-oil, Dustin. It gave me a chance treat him like a man and appreciate him for his efforts, regardless of the outcome. I was able to show him how to deal with a problem without losing my cool. We'll always have that mutual frustration with the bolts.

     I can't wait until it needs changing again!!

How do you bond with your teenagers?  Play XBOX? Listen to amped-up Dubstep in the car with the windows rattling and your fillings shaking loose?

Mom Monday- the Art of Combinations

     This second-half of the summer has been all about making up for being overseas in June. When I got back, I had eight mornings spent on an online grammar teaching course and evenings at work. What's a mom to do with only 6 weeks left? Get creative! Combine everything!

     Swimming in the "pond" - combined with a much needed reunion with our old neighbors.
     
 

   BMX course - Um, does the X stand for Xray? Let's just say it didn't end well.....combined taking the boys to lunch and possibly a broken thumb.....

 

   Hiking the "M" - how they've grown! Last time we hiked the "M", I carried my youngest all the way up....and all the way down. This time he made it all the way on his own two feet. I'm so privileged to have my own hiking buddies. And throw in a stop for Slushie's and we've got a day of activity AND treats.

     Biking - Mountain biking in France was one of my life's dreams. My friends in the course were asking me what kind of biking do I do back home - competitive? No, just any kind I can fit into my lifestyle. I had a routine biking on campus, but with my tiny VW Bug, there's no room for a bike. I asked myself, Why am I not biking more at home? Why do I deprive myself of one of my basic needs? I used to bike with the dog until he grew as strong as a locomotive and started trying to yank me into people's yards. So off we go, my not-so-little son and me. Each day around 1pm we hop on and ride around until it's time for me to get ready for work. He probably thinks I'm doing it to entertain him, but I feel great leaving for work with memories of an afternoon well spent.

   And of course, as most school year's come to an end - we received the "strong recommendations" that we must read.....or else....our kid will drop out of school in the 11th grade....and a curse will be put upon us! So how do we find time to hike, bike, read, AND work with only 24 hours in a day?  We bike to the park and read!! Talk about a motivator! No distractions, no older brother poking the back of his head, no racecar noises blasting from the TV.

What's left to combine? Go-Karting and fishing? Camping and school-shopping? Driving lessons and bar-b-Q-ing? Painting and a movie?

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Mom Monday....do quote me!

     Some parents are proud of their kids when they get good grades. Others are proud of their kids if they have character or lots of friends. Some are proudest when their kid tries his hardest at baseball - even when his team loses by 10 runs. We all love our kids for their uniqueness and quirkiness.


     Off and on, the boys and I will talk about language. It usually starts with one of them making a bad choice of words - then we have the talk.....Which is usually me telling them not to use that word, but not stopping there. I like to make them think....I remind them that they are intelligent and kids that use those same (foul or offensive) words over and over to describe something are not showing how smart they really are. Then we try to find a replacement word.

     I have to say I was astonished when my nine-year-old aspiring "Skater-Dude" was throwing in words like "basically" and "literally" and the cherry on top - he used "Quotation marks" with his fingers (and the appropriate sarcasm) while telling a story about his brother.   
     Oh yeah, that's my boy! Now I have to wonder...do "I "do that????

Mom Monday - Lawn Ornaments

     So, I was recently on the receiving end of some parenting criticism. Now that my kids are older and play dates are few and far between, I rarely receive outright criticism from other parents. Someone recently made repeated comments about my sons' bikes and skateboards being all over the front lawn and how they should be disciplined in the same way that this person was taught to keep bikes and things put up - by throwing them away.

Lovely, yes!

     Ummm, okay - maybe this person had very little freedom or fun in life but I'm okay with it. No, I don't enjoy stepping over bikes or having to move skate rails off the driveway before I can park, but every time I see those things I am reminded of wisdom handed down to me by older generations. To those who want to raise kids in sterile homes and pristine yards where lawns are for looking at know this: 

Love them enough to let them? Yes!

     I do enjoy seeing my kids put their things in their places. However, the day that the bikes and skateboards are no longer strewn about, will be a sad day that my children have grown and no longer feel that freedom to hop on a bike, pedal away and back, hop off and run in the house to tell me about their adventure.
      I am thankful that I have healthy children that can ride things on two wheels, hop on skate rails, and shoot hoops. I am thankful that I live in a place where a bike left in a yard remains a bike left in a yard and not a "missing bike". Most of all I am thankful for the women who passed down advice like, "I know they are giving you trouble today, but be thankful that they are healthy enough to dish it out!"



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