Learning to listen and other things

I have really missed my bloggy friends and I know I've been M.I.A lately. Renaissance Man misses me writing on my blog too! He said, "I miss reading your posts....and I miss your bloggy friends." Isn't that sweet? (I still think he should start his own blog, but he's put that project in the back burner for now.)

Though school has started, I have been taking seminars on "How to prepare your teenager for the S.A.T's" & "How to get your teenager prepared for college" & "How to spice up the bed"...oops, won't talk about that seminar! Moe has been in school for almost a month and surprisingly my schedule is still busy. I do plan to relax by the end of this week so I can catch up and read your blogs!

Last week was Moe's "Back to School Night." As I was walking at his high school campus, it occurred to me that this was the last "Back to School Night" for us. That's it. This is the last year of dealing with the attendance office, parent/teacher conferences, carpooling, making school lunches, receiving report cards, and high school dances. And I'm not ready for any of that to end....well, except for lunches, they're a pain to make!


I also can't help but wonder, if I have done everything I could to prepare him for the world outside of high school & home. Have I sheltered him too much? Have I taught him enough gospel principles to sustain him during trying times? Does he know that he should NEVER EVER mix whites with colors? I've taught him those things, but will he remember? Is it ever enough? What else does he need to know?

I'm determined to make this a memorable year for him. Along the way I've forgotten that quantity time doesn't equal quality time. When Moe wants to talk to me even when it's past 10pm and my eyes are ready to shut, I pinch myself hard so I can stay awake and listen to him. When Moe is upset and starts to rant and rave, I'll listen instead of trying to solve his problems for him. I'll stop trying to always be right just because I'm the mom. Sometimes I'm not right and that's hard for me to swallow.

I'm going to stop tearing up every time Moe talks excitedly about leaving for college. I need to "man up" and LISTEN. For my son's last year at home, I am determined to do more listening and less talking.

And I'm not ready for him to leave home. I'll never be ready.


On a lighter note, I discovered this website that's called "yearbook yourself" & was trying on a few looks for a new blog profile picture. What do you think?



I call this the "ultra hip cool mom" picture!





















This is the "PTA Mom" of the year look.






















And this is my favorite. Since I have curly hair, I have never been able to have my hair look like this. I've always wanted this hairstyle even when it went out of style. I call this the "Charlie Angels Wings look."





















I debated whether to have the majority take a poll on which picture I should use for my profile and decided against it. I've always wanted wings, so I took on the "Charlie Angels" look. Have a great week everyone & I look forward to reading your blogs later this week!