New Year

This is the time for resolutions. I could resolve to write more, but if you've read my blog, I'm not exactly thriving where that's concerned (it's been five years since my last post). I could resolve to eat better, workout more, be an all around better human being but that's pretty much a daily resolution that I think I fail at by 9 a.m. each day. Instead, I think I'll tell you about my resolutions from last winter, December 2018. I'll take you into the mental and emotional space I was functioning in and try to capture for you how stuck I felt, how bitter my inner voice was sounding, how frustrated I was in pretty much all things personally and professionally. I knew I needed change and was pretty resolute to make some big moves. I made a list of goals in a pretty notebook I had purchased thinking it would make me write more. Here were the two big goals: NEW HOUSE NEW JOB NEW LIFE was basically what I was preparing for, one where I got to take the kids, the husband, and the dog with me (the new dog that is- Griffin; we lost our precious Bruiser in May 2015). And I/we did it. We sold our home and bought a new one that gave us more space and the possibility of quiet. I applied for and got a new job as an instructional coach in my district. The changes have been good but I'll be honest, they've been really hard too. Reflecting on it, I think change is so difficult because there's so much loss even in the midst of good solid gains. It's been nineteen years since I was a newbie at something and I don't like being a newbie all that much. I'm learning, which is good but I don't feel all that impactful in my role just yet. In the long run, this will be good for me; it will make me a more marketable administrator (I went back to school and got my Ed Specialist degree) and/or it will make me a better teacher if I go back into the classroom. But I've lost my people, my colleagues and friends, at least in the day-to-day sense, and that's been hard. I've missed interacting with students and supporting them in developing thoughtful ideas and becoming more confident writers. I do miss my teacher self. I don't know my coach self and that's unnerving. ANYWAY.... As for my sons. Hunter is a 15 year old sophomore. He is an accomplished ninja warrior. He has his Driver's permit and is doing well in school. He can have real attitude but all in all, he's in a very good place personally and academically. Mason is a 12 year old sixth grader who wears size 10 1/2 shoes. He plays travel basketball and is very good at art. He just got an I-phone which is already creating some challenges for us. He is enjoying being connected to his friends through text and FaceTime. So there's my post. I hope that another five years DOESN'T go by before my next post because that will mean Hunter is 20 and Mason is 17. I can't even wrap my mind around that.

Um.... it's 2014

In one of my last posts I admitted how uncommitted I was to blogging in, I think, 2012, and that I'd do much better in 2013. Laugh out loud moment. I am pretty sure I didn't write a single post in 2013. So 2014 is bound to be better, as I'm typing one up right now. I'm not sure what to say. I guess I will start with kid updates. Hunter is closing in on 10-years-old. This morning, he noticed a small blemish on his upper lip and was mortified. He has vowed to begin washing his face everyday. He may have gotten this idea from a film he watched at school about PUBERTY! My head just exploded typing that word in the context of writing about my child. Anyway... I told him he could use my face soap if he wanted. He thought that was a good idea. He has also requested gel for his hair. I've noticed him looking at himself in the mirror. I don't know what to do with that. I don't know what to do with a boy who will be a teenager in the very near future. So on a lighter note, some other things about Hunter. He agreed to play soccer this spring. Next week he gets to decide what instrument he'll play in orchestra (he says the violin). He's struggling with reading. He plays Just Dance nonstop and loves to practice "pop and lock" dancing. He likes techno music. He thinks his dad is the absolute best but still needs his mom to put him to bed at night. Thank God!!!!! Mason is, to use his words, six and a half. He keeps asking me what I'm getting him for his birthday....which is in September. We have three birthdays before his to celebrate so I really don't know what to do with his question. He talks nonstop. He loves kindergarten. Reading is a breeze. In contrast to his brother (who will only read to the dictated 20 minutes), Mason asks "can we read five books tonight?" He has admitted to feeling "left out" sometimes at school, but I think it's more for dramatic impact than it is about telling the truth. I've seen him with his classmates. He is not wanting for friends. He is also going to play soccer this spring. He and I have date night on Friday nights while his brother and dad go racing. Our date night fits this pattern most of the time: drive to Byerlys and buy sushi, a special drink, and a cupcake. Then we typically watch a movie and hang out. He has developed an interest in space and so we are reading a book about space each night before he goes to bed. He has a girlfriend named Sophia. I've met Sophia's parents. According to Sophia's parents, Sophia is "sweet" on Mason. I do think Mason asked Sophia to marry him ("Frozen" style- for those of you who've seen the movie), so there's that. As for us- the mom and the dad- we're still alive. He's almost 38. I'm almost 37. Beyond that, there's nothing more to say. We're doing our best.

Broken Bones and the Future Tom Brady

Mason- WE CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY WITH MY FAMILY. AND IT ISN'T JUST A DAY. THIS PAST CELEBRATION LASTED FROM JULY 3RD THROUGH JULY 10TH. AND IN THE MIDST OF THIS CELEBRATION, MASON SUFFERED A FALL- ALBEIT A SHORT ONE- THAT RESULTED IN A BROKEN ARM. WE WERE AT MY SISTER'S HOUSE AND THE KIDS WERE PLAYING IN THE KIDDIE POOL OUTSIDE. AT ONE POINT, SOMEONE PULLED THE KIDDIE SLIDE OVER TO THE KIDDIE POOL AND THE KIDS WERE USING IT TO SLIDE INTO THE POOL. A GREAT IDEA UNTIL MASON STOOD AT THE VERY TOP AND LOST HIS FOOTING. HE FELL BACKWARDS, LANDING ON HIS RIGHT ARM. HE WAILED OF COURSE AND HIS WRIST SWELLED UP. I'VE NEVER BROKEN ANY BONES, SO I WASN'T SURE HOW TO RESPOND. MASON IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO LIE DOWN ON A TOWEL AND BASICALLY REFUSED TO MOVE. I THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE SPRAINED IT, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE DISTANCE HE FELL WAS VERY SMALL. HE REFUSED TO EAT DINNER BUT WAS ABLE TO SHOVE A CUPCAKE DOWN. :) WHEN MITCH ARRIVED, HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW WE NEEDED TO TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. WE DROVE TO TRIA, WHERE THERE WAS A SHORT WAIT. PROBABLY TWENTY MINUTES AFTER ADMITTANCE, WE KNEW MASON HAD BROKEN HIS ARM. WHEN HE FOUND IT HIS ARM WAS BROKEN, HE BECAME HYSTERICAL. HE TOLD US LATER THAT HE THOUGHT THAT MEANT THEY'D CHOP OFF HIS ARM. HE CALMED DOWN AS THE ARM WAS CASTED. WE TRIED TO GET HIM TO CHOOSE THE COLOR OF HIS CAST, BUT HE REFUSED. WE MADE THE SMART DECISION AND SELECTED RED- SO HIS CAST WOULD MATCH HIS RED AND BLACK CLOTHES. ONCE THE CAST WAS ON, HE FELT GREAT AND RESUMED LIFE AS PRETTY MUCH NORMAL. THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW I'M GOING TO LAST THREE WEEKS IN THIS HEAT WITHOUT GOING TO THE POOL. MY BOYS HAVE ENDLESS ENERGY AND FIGHT CONSTANTLY. OH WHAT WILL WE DO NOW THAT THE POOL ISN'T AN OPTION?!?! ALSO, MASON APOLOGIZED FOR NOT LISTENING TO MY WARNING JUST BEFORE HE STOOD AT THE TOP OF THE SLIDE. HE SAID HE'LL LISTEN THE NEXT TIME I TELL HIM NOT TO DO SOMETHING. AND HE TOLD ME THIS ALL ON HIS OWN. I DID NOT HAVE TO PROMPT HIM :). HUNTER- I THINK WE FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING HUNTER WON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT! THAT MIGHT BE WISHFUL THINKING ON MY PART, SINCE HUNTER IS KNOWN TO COMPLAIN WHEN YOU GIVE HIM CANDY, BUT I'M FEELING HOPEFUL RIGHT NOW. HUNTER IS TOTALLY EXCITED ABOUT FOOTBALL AND WAS OPEN TO US SIGNING HIM UP FOR A FOOTBALL CAMP, WHICH STARTS TONIGHT. WE HAD INVEST IN ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT- HELMET, SHOULDER PADS, MOUTH GUARD, JOCK STRAP! THAT LAST ONE THREW ME FOR A LOOP. HOW CAN I HAVE A CHILD WHO NOW NEEDS TO PROTECT THAT AREA???? I'M SOMETIMES SHOCKED AT HOW QUICKLY HE IS GROWING UP. TACKLE FOOTBALL BEGINS IN FOURTH GRADE AT EDINA AND IT'S WAY EXPENSIVE. I THOUGHT THE ENTRANCE FEE WOULD INCLUDE THE EQUIPMENT. IT DIDN'T. SIGH. ANYWAY, HUNTER SAID THAT FOOTBALL IS "PRETTY MUCH HIS THING" WHICH HE HAS NEVER SAID BEFORE. HE CAN BE VERY RESISTANT TO LOTS OF THINGS SO I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR SOMETHING POSITIVE COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH. WE SHALL SEE.

"Time in a Bottle"- Mason and the Fireman

If I could save time in a bottle: I would save the moment I witnessed this morning as I dropped Mason off at daycare. Today was "dress like a firefighter" day. And of course we had nothing for Mason, so we dressed him in red and that was that. Another mother, however, was more prepared than I as one little boy was decked out, head to toe, in firefighter gear. Mason's reaction to this little boy's costume was so precious, so genuine, so full of appreciation: "Whoa----- that is so cool!" Mason proceeded to circle the boy and then sit right next to him and stare. To Mason, this little firefighter was a celebrity. Mason was completely awestruck! My reaction to his reaction was also "Whoa-----that is so cool" but of course, I didn't show it the way my beautiful little son did. As adults, we are so good at remaining unaffected or looking like we are unaffected. Today I appreciate that both of my sons still cry freely, still stare at super-cool things, and still express their amazement at the little things in life!

The Boys Predict The Future

I did a terrible job keeping track of our life in 2011. I don't know what's changed but I feel busier and more distracted than I ever have as a mother, wife, and teacher. I am going to be better about writing in 2012- I have to be, because the older I get, the worse my short-term and long-term memory gets. Here's what I have to share about the boys and the Mohs family right now:

- Hunter wants to be a gymnast when he grows up and plans to live in California where he can be close to the American Ninja Warrior tryout course and his favorite ninja warriors. Hunter loves to wear all Under Armour clothing. He has a friend at school, Aidan J., who wears all black Under Amour and Hunter wants to follow suit. Santa bought Hunter a brand new Under Armour football sweatshirt this Christmas. He can pair that with his t-shirt and black pants. Monday is the day of the week that Hunter wears all black Under Armour. In regards to Hunter's future, he does plan to get married. His reason: he doesn't want to live alone. However, talking about future spouses upsets him greatly. There is a lot of blushing and very little information divulged.

- Mason wants to be three things when he grows up: president, a builder (we talked about the word architect), and airplane driver (another vocab lesson- pilot). Mason wants to have ten babies when he grows up. The names: Lucas and Bowser. Nine Lucases and 1 Bowser. He wants to marry Lillian from schoool. Mason is a big kid. He is able to wear clothes that Hunter stopped wearing a little over a year ago. I bet he could pass for a six year old. Right now he finds life with his brother incredibly frustrating. I have spent about half of this break breaking up fights between the two brothers. They enjoy the same things and are always trying to "one up" the other.

- As for me- I swear that the act of my sitting down sets off an alarm in my boys' heads (yes, that includes my husband). The second I sit down, someone finds me and asks me or tells me to do something. Get me a glass of milk. Take me potty. Can you go to the store? Get me. Can you? Get me. Can you? That's pretty much my day at home with these three men.

- As for Mitch- he is playing a lot of Madden on his new Playstation 3. He is also obsessing about trucks and, as always, his I-phone. He also came up with a new show for he and I to watch together- "How I Met Your Mother." We tend to find shows and then watch anywhere from three to seven episodes in an evening. It's kind of our thing :).

Here's hoping that I can continue to update "You" on our life! :)