Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on May 28, 2009 in
Mom Rants and Raves
Since Brian has turned 14, I have learned a few things besides the fact that I don’t know anything. I am a parent – which apparently rhymes with dumb the the language of teenage. But I do know the 10 questions not to ask a teenage boy. They are as follows:
1. Can I sit next to you?
2. What were you doing in the bathroom?
3. Do you want me to come with you?
4. Is that a clean shirt?
5. Do you have a girlfriend?
6. What are you doing?
7. Did you clean your room?
8. Did you feed the dog?
9. Will you hurry up?
10. Can mom have a kiss and a hug goodbye?
If you dare to ask any of the above I can guarantee you will get either a sigh, a moan, a roll of the eyes, or that look (you know the look I am referring to the one where it looks like they could be constipated), but rarely will you get an answer and the answer will never be yes. Do they even know the word yes anymore?
Exactly at what age do they move out?
Until next time -
C
http://www.aweekinthelifeofaredhead.com
Tags: mom bloggers, mom blogs, parenting blogs, Parenting humor, the next erma bombeck
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Aug 19, 2008 in
Mom Rants and Raves
Every time I sit down to write, I am distracted by the sounds of the Olympic theme music and am moved to distraction to sit bug-eyed, staring at the television, with Brian turning up the volume. We are mesmerized my Michael Phelps and his mother, the Chinese divers, the rowing teams, the woman’s marathon, all the volleyball and the re-viewing of the opening ceremonies. The Olympics were a big part of my home growing up. I remember where I was sitting when Mark Spitz won his seventh medal, or watching Tom Waddle run into the Olympic stadium with my dad yelling at the TV, or jumping up and down with my brother in the family room when the US Hockey team won against the Russians in 1980.
I was lucky enough to attend the Summer Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles. I saw boxing, track and field and some running event. It was fun to experience the camaraderie from the other countries. I especially liked the Koreans. Somewhere buried in one of my trunks is a small pin from Korea. I traded my ear rings with a young girl for it. I have never witnessed a smile so big. It made me wish I had more to give away.
Meanwhile, parents all over the world are wishing that our children find something they love as passionately as the athletes we cheer watching the Olympics.
Because all this getting up at the butt crack of dawn to haul our kids around should lead to SOMETHING!
Sigh, I need to go. Track and field is starting. Besides, I need my sleep. Brian has Water Polo tomorrow…
Until next time-
C
http://www.aweekinthelifeofaredhead.com
Tags: A Week In The Life of A Redhead
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Aug 9, 2008 in
Mom Rants and Raves
When the doctor first told me I was going to have to take a tiny pill every morning for the rest of my life, I didn’t really take it that seriously. I mean, come on, I have been on the birth control pill and forgotten to take it for several days, and nine months later I was not a mommy. Of course, having undiagnosed Hashimotos disease causes infertility, so my chances at pregnancy were thin at best, but that’s not the point. I have to force myself to take my daily vitamins. Is this thyroid pill thing really all that serious?
Let’s not discuss how the symptoms first knocked me on my ass and made me wonder if I was slowly going mad, some retribution for all the fun partying and men I enjoyed during my fun irresponsible single years. The exhaustion from a dying thyroid alone made me feel like I’d been hit by a freight train. Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come in the last five years.
Until I run out of thyroid pills.
Kaiser seems to have issues with getting Armour Thyroid, which is manufactured in Saint Louis. Two weeks ago, upon the swallowing my last pill, I realize Kaiser hasn’t mailed my next three month supply. Hmmmmm. I was now out of pills. I am the great procrastinator at tasks that require long waits, or waiting in line, the drilling of my teeth, figuring calculus problems, watching political speeches and washing my car. I just figured I’d eventually get around to stopping by Kaiser to explore the reason why my refill prescription had gone the way of bell bottom pants. Forest Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Armour probably creates my meds in China, where it ships it to Mexico to be packaged and shipped to a warehouse in Canada, before they are shipped to Kaiser to be shipped to me. Where is that EASY button when you need it?
One day turned to two, then three and the next thing I know I’ve not swallowed an Armour tablet in a week. By last Monday my voice was cracking and a slight sore throat was forming. But I assured myself that all was fine and I’d get around to Kaiser and my meds…. some day… soon.
Suddenly sleep seemed like my new best friend and 12 hours of the sweet slumber is not enough, and my throat is beginning to bother me to the point where I cannot swallow and I FINALLY began thinking, hmmmmm I guess I’d better get out a good book and travel to Kaiser…
But before I can get there, the young man who notices everything, except his dirty clothes on the floor decides he needs to have a little talk with me.
“Mom, you’ve been sleeping a lot…”
(This from a boy who lives for sleep)
“I know … I need to go pick up my meds…”
“You ARE doing that TODAY aren’t you?”
I guess there’s just no motivation like a nagging teenager to kick my butt into gear. Because trust me on this, when I say that my son can nag the fur off a dog. So … to avoid hearing him ask me “have you picked up your meds?” forty thousand more times, I drove to Kaiser and forced them to give me a new supply. There was no way I was coming back home without those pills. I even stopped and took two pills at the water fountain by the pharmacy. The water felt like oatmeal going down my throat. For a minute I thought I was going to have to put the pills under my tongue and let them dissolve, but they finally cooperated and went sweetly into my stomach.
Magically by the next day, the sore throat disappears and my energy begins to return, but Brian’s nagging remains.
“Mom, you’re not going to let your pills run out again are you?”
It seems he is channeling my mother. I thought about his question, because up to that moment I realized I had been living within a belief that my thyroid would get better and I could stop the pills … some day.
“Mom?”
“No Brian. I need to be able to speak to nag you about school homework, dirty clothes, wet towels, using soap, brushing your teeth, feeding the pets, and taking out garbage, so I will not let the pills run out EVER AGAIN.”
“Good.”
Grrrrrrrr …. growing up is tough for this parent.
Until next time-
C
http://www.aweekinthelifeofaredhead.com
Tags: A Week In The Life of A Redhead, hypothyroidism
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Apr 26, 2008 in
Mom Rants and Raves
It is said that inside the CIA, water boarding is cited as the technique that got Khalid Sheik Mohammad, the prime plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to begin to talk and provide information. I can always tell an organization run by too many men, or not enough people who have children.
Because my friends, why water board when you can just have Mr. Kebab, excuse me, Mr. Khalid spend time with a bunch of children, where he is the only one who can see to their needs 24/7? I know many of you survive child extortion torture on a daily basis, but at least the lovely little devils eventually fall asleep and we have our reprieve from:
“Mom?”
“MOM!”
“Mom?”
“Mom, can I…?”
“Mom!?”
“Mom, do you know where (insert everything they never put away here) is…?”
“M O M?”
“Mom…”
“Uh, Mom..?”
“M o m.”
“mom.”
“Mom.”
“Mom, do you have (insert money amounts you will not part with here)?”
“Mom?”
“Mom, I’m hungry.”
“Mom, can we (insert anything you don’t want them doing here)?”
“Mom?”
“Mom.”
“Mom, do you (insert any question you don’t want to answer here)?”
“Mom?”
“Mom…”
“Mom, why can’t I (picture the sound of a shrieking owl, because this is the tone children use when they are determined to have something where you would rather ship them to a boarding school in France than give).”
“Mom, but why?”
“Mom.”
“Mom!”
“Mom.”
“Mom, my friends are (anything following this beginning is never good)”
“Mom.”
“MOM?”
“Mooooommmm….”
“Mom.”
“Mom, I need (whatever-it-is-you-already-bought-them-paid-too-much-for-and-now-they-can’t-find-and-want-you to-buy-it-again-goes-here).”
“Mom?”
“Mom…”
“Mom.”
“mom?”
“Mom!!”
“MOM!!!!”
“M o m.”
“Mom.”
(Sigh) “Mom.”
And this is just the first 15 minutes of our day.
But,
Maybe Mr. Khalid had a bunch of kids and was numb to constant battering of questions 24/7, and found a CIA interrogation a piece of cake by comparison. Maybe the CIA had no choice. I mean, my God, if I can survive the teenage years and the constant battering of “I wannas”, I think could survive swimming the English channel, when I hate cold water, hate water up my nose, fear water where I can’t see the bottom and dislike how I look in a bathing suit… without ever giving away a government secret.
“Mom?”
“MOM!”
Oh, hears a shock. Just now while I’m peacefully writing, Brian is screaming my name, well not my name, my title (MOM) from the front yard, of course we all know Brian wants me to get up from here rather than him having to come in the house and find me.
Hmmm … how long can I sit here and endure the sound of my name being screamed from the front yard?
“MOM??”
Damn, I need to get up … I actually like my neighbors.
Until next time-
C
http://www.aweekinthelifeofaredhead.com
PS. I know there are many of you great Dads out there who also experience this on a daily basis (times 10) feel free to insert “DAD!” where ever you see the word Mom. Because you are probably hearing “Dad?” while reading this and a long list of “Honey dos” from your wife, girlfriend, aging mother etc.
Posted by Catherine, the redhead mom blogger on Apr 17, 2008 in
Mom Rants and Raves
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t bring my gym clothes home this weekend…”
“That’s ok, bring them home on Monday and we’ll wash them then…”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Uh, well I don’t have them…”
“Huh?”
“I need another lock…”
“A GYM lock?”
“Uh… I think so … it’s gone..”
“And your second set of gym clothes…?”
“Gone…”
(Yes, that is my head exploding).
For those of you that need a refresher on this story, click here: Discovery
I’m not sure Brian will make it to 18. I am, after all, a redhead…
Until next time-
C
http://www.aweekinthelifeofaredhead.com
Stumble Upon
Del.icio.us
Buzz
