Movin' on up

We switched from our satellite television provider to one of those big dish network providers.

We went from 45 channels to hundreds of choices.

What do we watch?

V.H.1 Classics, which plays videos from the 80's and 90's. MFH is in heaven.

The three local channels, which cost an extra $5 per month.

Huh.

This makes me question my intelligence.

Sadness

I posted on facebook that I am very sad over the loss of a former student.

It's so difficult. I can't believe that 21 years have gone by since this little boy was in my third grade class. He was so sweet and funny - much like my own son.

He married his childhood sweetheart, and I am not even kidding when I tell you they liked each other in first grade. I remember them in my class together, a couple. Yes, even at nine years old. I left that school when they were in the sixth grade, so imagine my surprise when, years later, I learned that they married the summer they graduated from high school. Six years later they had a baby girl, then three years later, another baby girl - now aged five and two.

Last Saturday night he was at the bar. He got into a fight with a childhood friend, took off in a fit of anger, rolled his vehicle four times, was ejected from the truck and died at the scene.

This beautiful 30 year old wife buried her husband and the father of her children today.

She is due to have her third child any day.

I hope she finds the strength to carry on.

It just keeps getting worse.....

A note to my son.....

Never, under any circumstances, is it okay to have six boys in a hot tub with a naked 16 year old girl.

Rookie

There is a hazing of sorts that happens when the hockey team reconvenes for the year. It's all pretty harmless - eating hot wings, shaving heads, etc.

This year, for the first time, we have a veteran player and a rookie player living in our house. I don't really like what I see. On the surface, it's all good. The two get along well in the house - as long as there are no other veteran players present. Then it's "get me this" or "I want to sit there so move".

One of the local parents cooks dinner for the team every Thursday night. Last night The Rookie didn't attend, stating that only the veterans were invited. I don't believe that. I think they were just being mean. I think if the mom knew that was the story, she'd be upset. I surely would! I expect her to ask me why Jason wasn't there, and I will tell her. (This is the same house where the party occurred two weeks ago - her 16 year old son did indeed tell her he had a party, but failed to include the part about the booze. I'd like to tell her that, too, but MFH cautioned me against it.)

I mentioned to The Boy last night that I hope things settle in soon and the players start treating each other with more respect.

He replied, "Mom, Jason needs to stand up for himself."

Wow.

I hope he remembers that when he is the rookie one day.

Idle hands.....

The hockey players have begun to show up. Some of them have been here for several weeks already, as they are in high school and needed to start school here. Others showed up early just because. They aren't required to check in until Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m.

They've been naughty boys. Last Friday they threw a party at one of the local kid's home when his parents left town for the weekend. The story unraveled when a player left a note at his host house that he was staying overnight at our house. The coach called us to check, and of course they weren't at our house.

I remember when I was smarter than adults myself, even if it does seem like it was ages ago.

The coach called an early morning meeting on Saturday, ran the kids for an hour, and set up a rigorous practice schedule for this week - skating twice a day, getting off the ice at 10:00 p.m. with a 10:30 curfew.

On Sunday, our player texted MFH at 9:30 and asked if a few guys could come over. The curfew was 11:00 for the holiday. The Boy was sleeping, and they seemed rather loud but it was oddly loud - muffled kind of. I told MFH it sounded like they were in the attached garage instead of the family room downstairs, to which he said, "I'm going to casually check on them. It sounds like they're playing drinking games."

I'll be damned if they weren't in the garage playing beer pong. 11 members of the team plus a few girls, and I'll just mention here that all of them are underaged.

It wasn't pretty. MFH lost it. He made them clean up the mess, then lined them all up and told them that each one of them needed to go to the coach and confess, and he expected the coach to call him and confirm it. Then he came upstairs and called the coach himself.

So far not one of them has come forward.

Getting off on the wrong foot

There was an Open House at school last night.

I was surprised that less than half the parents were present.

Anyway, we entered the room and introduced ourselves to The Boy's teacher. She said things are going pretty well with The Boy, although she was worried when she went through his file before school started and read the "cards" which stated that The Boy can be a handful.

Did she really just say that? MFH and I looked at each other, and I'm sure I had those two little lines showing - you know the ones? At the top of your nose, those little vertical lines that make you look either like you're angry or confused most of the time? Those.

For the next 20 minutes I seethed and listened to her talk about her style of teaching and what her expectations are for this year. She is a veteran teacher and I like her style. She hasn't lost her passion in the classroom.

After she was finished and the other parents were gone, I approached her. "I used to teach, and I know how it works in schools," I said. "I realize the teachers talk to one another, and I know it's hard not to form preconceived notions about the children. Yes, my son can be exuberant and has a real zest for life which I love by the way, but he also has many other wonderful qualities. I do hope you'll take the time to find them."

I'm sorry, but I'm around other kids all the time. They ALL can be a handful.