Five on Friday: What I'll Miss/Not: Teen Sports Edition

As a mother of five with two grown and out on their own, I am very aware of how fleeting these days are. But that doesn't mean I'm going to miss all of it. I know this is true because in my moments of frustration when my kids were younger, other parents would tell me that I'd miss those days and I would argue that I wouldn't.  I can say now with absolute certainty that it's true: I really don't miss all of those days. Babies' snuggles and giggles: yes, Babies taking their dirty diapers off in their cribs: hard no.

Here are my predictions for what I will and will not miss, teen sports edition:

1. These two teen boys constantly talking smack to each other about who's taller, faster and a better athlete: WILL miss. It's silly how frequently they have the same exact arguments but it's in jest and fun banter for me to listen to.

2. The way their sneakers, usually left on our enclosed porch that one must walk through to enter the house, reek: WILL NOT miss. If you haven't ever experienced this stench before I will describe it as not unlike having the olfactory realization that there's a dead animal somewhere in an already stinky barnyard run by a farmer with terrible body odor.

Welcome to our home. Try not to breathe.

3. Getting grass stains out of uniforms: WILL/NOT miss . . . this one's a toss up, because on one hand it's more work for me but on the other hand I really do enjoy the challenge.

4. Sports banquets: WILL NOT.  (Booster club, you do a lovely job. It's not you, it's me.)

5. The three home kids doing sports together: WILL miss.  Currently the 16 & 17-year-olds are student athlete coaches for the 13-year-old's track practices so they are all there together . . . and the 17-year-old drives them. Having them walk in the house chatting about practice is firmly in the "will miss" category . . . especially when there's some smack talk involved.

Five on Friday: Get a Clue . . .

 . . . about perimenopause! (If you say words out loud as you read them, please sing "about perimenopause" like it's a jingle.)

Like fifteen million other women in one hundred eighty countries around the world, I use the Clue app to track my period. I know there was a lot of concern about using such technology after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. but as a grown-ass woman who previously relied on the "uh, I guess it has been a month since I last shed my uterine lining" method of menstrual tracking (and I have plenty "period underwear" to prove it!), that was a chance I was willing to take. 

Menopause is so rarely discussed that I didn't even know what should be known:

Which means that the symptoms widely known as menopause are actually perimenopause. Menopause is one day and the symptoms that follow are postmenopausal. So much to look forward to!

If you're unfamiliar with the Clue app, it has tools to track your moods and sleeping throughout your cycle as well as your pain and flow levels. But it doesn't offer (at least in the free version I use) an appropriate selection for tracking perimenopause. So I would like suggest a new app that's called Get a Clue About Perimenopause (sing it)! It will offer options to track things like:

1. Today was an EATING day! As in non-stop eating. Cannot get full.

2. Closely related: In the entire history of humans and cookies (or other food of your hormones' choice), there has never before been a human that needed cookies (or other food of your hormones' choice) like you did today.

3. Day (drop down choice of 1-38) of the current bloodbath.

This wasn't the only article I found saying it could last up to 38 days.
I found that oddly specific. 

4. Insomnia day (drop down choice 1-1,000).

5. Sure it may seem like you've lost multiple pounds of blood and tissue in the recent (drop down choice of 1-38) days of the current bloodbath but you've also GAINED (drop down choice of 1-15) pounds in the same time frame!!

Five on Friday: Facebook Memories

Before there were Texts with the Teens to look back on for oh-so-sweet memories of conversations with my kids (and long after I gave up writing them down in actual paper journals) . . . there were daily memories on Facebook. I am ever glad to have them--I start most days downstairs in the dark by myself with my coffee so I can take a stroll down memory lane with gems like these:

1.  These days he can dress himself so maybe he could fight fires after all.

2. From a family charade night, my son wrote this and I had to act it out:

("dj playing rap")

3.  The world  may never know what this is supposed to mean:

4. This guy now regularly posts pictures & videos of himself both attending & performing at all manner of concerts:

5. But this one will always tug at my heartstrings the most:

Five on Friday: Texts with the Teens

I know I'm not the only one that relies on text messaging to communicate with my teens, even when we're all in the same house. I could lament this is a lack of face-to-face conversation or I could appreciate the fact that it provides me with running commentary, proof that I *did* ask them to do something and endless entertainment that I can refer back to again and again.

Here are some good ones I've gotten recently:

1. Out of nowhere from the 13-year-old:

2. I was watching my 15-year-old son play basketball (what a surprise, I know) and saw him slam into the wall, slide down and lie in a crooked-necked heap on the floor. Right then and there, I texted our chiropractor for an appointment and then sent my son a message to let him know he'd be going the next morning. After the game, he saw it and responded:

(Trust me, this is high praise)

                                                   

3.  13-year-old, again, trying to convince me to get a puppy:

4. After an allegedly successful thrift shop outing:

(Modern teen problems)

5. What about the 17-year-old, you might ask? Oh don't worry. He texts me plenty, too . . 

 

 

Five on Friday: Appreciation Post

Lately I've been very much appreciating:

1. Watching the basketball coaches on the sidelines of games. I recently realized that I enjoy this the same way I enjoy watching the High School band directors conducting at concerts. Passionate, involved, actively participating and obviously invested but not a part of the team (or band). I dig it. 

Not the best example but I felt sort of creepy taking the video. But you can see what I mean, right? The pacing, the clapping . . . dude is definitely a part of the game while not part of the game.

2. Not working weekends. I didn't mind working on Saturdays at my old job and most of the time I actually liked it. But now that I have Saturdays off . . . well, I might like that even better.

3. Winter sunrises. It's been a mild winter (this pics is from the only snow we've had) but I still hate it and long for spring. That being said, I can't deny how gorgeous the winter sunrises are here.

4. Intergenerational friendships. Since I have so many friends that are older than me, as I'm approaching fifty I find myself thinking, "Only fifty? I'm still a baby!" 

5. Large scale art exhibits.

Five on Friday: January So Far

 Hey if the kids can do it on Instagram, I can do it here, right? 

1. Gratefully started the year once again by getting to wish the kids' Great Grandmother a Happy Birthday (#95!)

2.  A smaller milestone but still impressive . . .MLK Day #21

3.  Experienced some weather.

All three teens playing in the snow together. Joy!

4.  Started a puzzle. 

(Started being the operative word here.)

5. Okay . . this picture is from December. But PBS' Driving Jersey will be at Story Slam again tonight and I want to post this entry this morning so I'm taking liberties. See you at the slam tonight or PBS in a month or two.

Five on Friday: New Year, Old Me (?!)

It's 2024 and here I am, still trying to squeeze in exercise, not forget to pick kids up from sports,  plan a Day of Community Service in my quote unquote spare time. The one major difference is that I'm working outside of the home full-time now so let's just say there are some ongoing adjustments. 

1. Kid: "Mom, when do you go to the grocery store?" 

    Me: "I honestly don't even know."

2. I am finally and truly embracing frozen, canned and pre-made.

3. I am literally scheduling in time to schedule things.

4.  Answering even text messages now has a much longer turnaround time. Hang in there, friends, I swear I'll get back to you.

5. As soon as I get some stamps*, I swear this much smaller-than-usual stack of post-holiday cards are getting in the mail. Aaaaany day now.

*AND I couldn't even commit to finding time to stop at the post office.
 Stamps through the mail it is!

Five on Friday: How I Pass Time at Basketball Games

Sure, I spend a lot of time complaining about how much pain I'm in (unless I remember to bring my old lady seat), but how else do I pass time at the high school basketball games?

1. Confused.

2. Stealthily asking Siri to define basketball terms that one might think I'd know by now (See #1)

3. Thoroughly enjoying watching this guy in his element:

4. Likewise with this guy, the un/official team photographer:

5. Playing I spy in the ceiling beams:

Can you find one volleyball and three birdies?