Wednesday - Day 185 - Soccer Mom?

It is official, I am a soccer mom. Whatever that means.  I do not drive a mini-van or have soccer stickers on the back of my car, but I will be chauffeuring my son back and forth to practice and games, so maybe that's close enough.  

 

Today is the day I sat on the bleachers and watched the little ones dribble the soccer balls and learn how to kick a ball into goalie nets.  We all cheered for our kids.  It's lighthearted and relaxing. 

 

 

I kept an eye on Ty as he wandered around in his own world.  The other parents looked at him in awe, and commented on how cute he is.  He is cute and sweet.  He'll be a soccer player one day as well.  

Maybe I need more then one child playing soccer to officially be a "soccer mom".  It's a joke, my friend Chelley and I have, and we laughed at the label.  It's not really what we wanted, but it kinda just happened, for whatever it's worth. 

I overheard another mom chat with her husband about work.  Maybe it was closer to gossiping, but it made the time pass while waiting for James' turn to come up.  

As I look around at the other moms, I wondered who will I become friendly with? Chelley and I, accidentally, did not request our boys to be on the same team.  Our safety net of each other's company would be gone, forcing us to mingle with other mothers.  What were we thinking?  Next season we will joke about being all by ourselves with the other soccer moms this year.  By next season we will be seasoned and experienced.  

 Max - A "Dynamo" this year
(The Navy Team)

 James - A "Kicker" this year
(The Royal Blue team)

Next year our boys will be first graders, soccer will be old hat and we will be the ones gossiping, with not a care in the world.

Tuesday - Day 184 - Mastering our way

I have a lot of catching up to do if I want James to succeed at playing the piano.

After completing the book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom", and then taking James to his piano  lesson, I now understand the differences between dedicate musicians and those passing through.

I am not a musically talented person, this may be due to music not being my birth right, or it could be that no one pushed me to learn and develop an interest.

In the book, Tiger Mom's girls evolved into prodigies and were breed to play the piano and violin.  They worked ridiculously hard to perfect their musical skills.  They were extremely talented, however without practice they would not have been exceptional.  

A fascinating aspect of the book to me was how the mother had to learn conceptually how to master both instruments while her girls practiced.  Learning to technically play an instrument is not enough, a talented musician feels the music, they become one with their instrument and are able to communicate a story while playing.  All of these aspects are what set apart a person who can play well with one who is truly gifted.  

Making this leap is an extraordinary moment, which is why learning to play at a very young age is an important element to mastering an instrument.  Children have no bounties and can adapt easier and be taught differently then a person who already has life experiences.

John and I agreed we started James' piano lessons a little late, but overall he has potential to play well, if I also choose to learn and grow with him.  He will need to practice and develop a love for playing the piano.  I am curious as to how he will evolve.  

I am faced with a challenge as well.  My love for James will force me to overcome my musical apprehensions.  I must develop a love to learn how to play right along with him and be with him every step of the way. 

Monday - Day 183 - Here today, gone tomorrow

James and l left the campground early today, headed for school.  James had observed the bicycles on the camper exiting in front of us.  

He was excited, yet disappointed at the same time.  "Mom, my friends are leaving!!" he bursted.  

The bittersweet reality of regularly making lots of new friends at the campground is they never stick around.  

This could be a benefit, no pressure on the friendship and the relationship is easygoing.  It can also be a bummer knowing the friendship is short lived.  Another downside is I beleive James forgets or doesn't have time to learn names.  He always refers to them as "my friends" or "those boys".  My son would not do well on social media. ;). 

We waved at "his friends'" camper as we drove by it.  I'm sure their father saw us.  I wondered if they would remember James, did they even know his name? 

James and I talked about it while driving to school.  He understood and was very mature about the nature of his friendships.  James made a point to tell me, "Andrew , never leaves."  Andrew is one of his friends who is also our neighbor and they have been buddies since we moved in.  

I often think James has an easier time with the temporary kids then those who are permanent residents.  I am curious as to how many of the kids passing through are full time travelers, (not weekend warriors). How does it change their interactions with James compared to kids who have only lived in one place their entire lives.  

Children often change and are influenced when they are mainstreamed into the school systems.  Personalities get modeled differently compared to children who are home schooled and travel the country.  They live two distinct worlds.  Both have there benefits and flaws, but I would be interested in understanding the long term effects nonetheless.  

In Conjunction with Full-Time RVing

What are the long term benefits into adulthood?

In the meantime, I will continue to watch my son learn and grown as friends come in and out of his life.  

I am always very honest with James about the realities of our life.  Enjoy your friends today, because one day they may be gone.  And he reassures me, "I know, mom, it's okay".  

Sunday - Day 182 - A moment in time

Never be too quick to judge your neighbors.  

When we first observed our new neighbor who recently moved in, John and I both commented on him. 

"What's up with the old dude in the old camper, is he by himself?"  

"He only has one folding chair outside."

"Why did they put him right next to us, when there are so many open spots?"

Yes, we often fall victim to quickly judging people we haven't met, it is easy and with little to no knowledge about someone, our human instincts are to think the worse, until we learn otherwise. 

I personally hadn't laid eyes on the guy, but only a few days after he made a home next to ours, John had the privilege of meeting the man and they shared stories.  

Low and behold, the man had a fascinating life and was as nice as could be.  John stood outside our camper and chatted for quite a bit this morning.  I could hear their voices back and forth as I prepared breakfast.  I was curious and knew John would be in shortly with an update.  

Longer then I had anticipated, John entered the camper mosquito bitten.  He quickly reported back his discoveries about our newly acquainted neighbor. 

John learned the man was stung 30 times by that pesky hornets nest I had mentioned in my previous blog.  He was the one who reported it to the office, and in turn they called us about it the same day.  My heart now went out to the faceless, nameless man.

He is 74 yrs old, has owned several companies, was an iron worker, and has built bridges all throughout his life.  However, the most interesting piece of his history was that he was an Army Ranger and a Veteran of the Korean War.  He served in the Bay of Pigs and flew planes.  He told John he truly thought the country was going to go to war at this time.

Our neighbor was personally thanked by President Kennedy after Cuba, when he toured the base, and he shook his hand.  I was in awe. That is such a fabulous memory, a moment in time captured and shared.  I know John was extremely appreciative of this.

The gentleman was heading west to start a tour guide service company and be a teacher.  He also had a really nice, fully equipped, black jeep parked next to his camper which John and I both took note of immediately.  He is planning to give tours in his jeep. 

I bet the guy will give incredible tours.  I have to admit, just when I think I've heard and seen everything, at this campground, someone new comes along.  

I am extremely happy the man was parked next to us.   I didn't get the chance to officially meet him and now he's gone.  I took for granted he'd be staying longer and I had more time.  Isn't that  always the way, we want more time for all those missed opportunities.

My husband does well learning about others, he learns where they've been and where they're going.  He has a knack for quickly finding a common thread with people.  I love that he brought us closer to someone, if only for a moment in time.  

Saturday - Day 181 - Trailer Trash

It rained so hard today, I thought our RV was going to literally float away.  Ironically, we had a milk carton and a bag of trash floating outside.  

Now I know how "trailer trash" came to meaning.  I think we've crossed that line as we always have at least one, (if not a few) bags of trash outside our RV, waiting to be transported to the dump.  It was in this moment, while I observed our floating trash, that the true meaning of trailer trash came to light.  

The truth is, we move our trash daily, mainly to avoid a raccoon raid overnight, but most trash collecting trailers will wait for a nice mountain of trash to pile up before hauling it to the dump.  However, watching our trash float, truly hit the mark for me. 

All kidding aside, for the few hours it down poured, I do not think I had ever seen as much water surrounding us the entire time living here.  I joked that we now had water front property and it was true. 

Low dollar waterfront property

Our poor neighbor had it worse then us and he just moved in two days prior. 
Apparently, he also had a hornets nest at his site as we were cautiously informed by the office earlier to watch 'the baby' until they could remove the nest on Monday. 

Our next door neighbor's site - it was bad!

It is the little things that make living here so memorable.  In the sea of water, we stayed inside and made popcorn, watched movies and enjoyed a cozy afternoon while the rain beat down on us.  I was reminded how fortunate we were to have a safe haven.

James had made friends with a troop of scouts the previous day and they were most likely flooded out or huddled under a tent, attempting to stay dry.  Those poor kids, rained out.....oh the joys of camping in a nutshell.   

Friday - Day 180 - "Oh Chute!"

I learned a valuable lesson today, one that would stay with me for many years to come.

I made a rash decision to leave the RV through our backdoor, I was planning to grab the leash tied to our picnic table and walk the dog.

I pulled at the main door and quickly realized it was locked.  Our backdoor has never been unlocked due to a manufactures flaw and I had been locking the main door on and off all day to prevent James from running inside and potentially letting the dog run away.

With that said, here I was standing outside the RV, locked out, while Rabbit and Ty were inside, slowing getting out of control. 

What am I going to do?  How can I get inside the camper?  Pry the door open? Try my car key in the lock, which almost worked.  And then it came to me, the laundry chute!

I ran around to the other side of the RV and checked the opening.  Could I push myself through?  Not a chance.

No way I'd fit through that hole

Where was my son?  James could get through the opening with no problem.  All I needed to do was find him.  I looked around briefly, and recruited our neighbor's son to help, he could move quicker on his bike.

While I waited for James' friend to find him, I pushed the screen out of one of the windows closest to the main door and held Ty's hand to relieve his crying.  He wanted me and all I could do was wait for James to come save the day. 

Little Ty reached out this window for me

Five minutes later, James came running over, he understood my directions instantly and was ecstatic to help.  With a little help, he climbed up through the laundry chute and opened the door. 

After he opened the door for me, he climbed backout of the RV through the chute and asked, "Mom, can I do it again?"  I am sure he'll remember the day he climbed through the laundry chute to save mom's day. 

The infamous laundry chute! 
(view from inside) 

I will remember it as the day I was stupid enough to get locked out of the RV and left Ty inside.  Thank God for my son and the laundry chute! 

Thursday - day 179 - It's All about the SNACKS

Getting two little boys ready for school, packing two lunches, making sure they eat breakfast and are dressed nicely for school, can be a challenge in any home.  

Commuting twenty to twenty-five minutes to their schools and getting use to a new drop off routine, forces us to get up earlier then expected.  Keeping the morning activity flowing is a normal routine in homes across the country once the school year is back in full swing.  

I contemplated this idea today, how many of these homes are managing their morning in 250 square feet of living space?  Probably not many.  Incredibly, the fact that John made the beds, walked the dog and contributed to getting James dressed, the morning did not feel nearly as stressful as I would have expected. 

We mange well together as a team and kept out of each other's way when needed, but most importantly  we kept James on tract.  He needed coaxing to get dressed and finish breakfast.  John is extremely good about keeping us on par for time.  He is our vocal alarm when it gets close to leaving the house.

To be totally honest my most difficult task in the mornings is making sure each boy gets the right snacks.  They do not necessarily eat the same things or have the same exact lunch, so I need to be sure I pack each of them only the items they will most likely eat.  

James is good about eating fruits and somewhat healthily items. We've determined a particular brand of turkey is the only one he'll eat without bread and we supplement with grapes, carrots, apple sauce and cut melon, which I put in little tupperware containers.  He will also eat granola bars, goldfish, and fun fruits.  

Ty can't communicate what he prefers, so it is a guessing game based on things he normally eats.  Grapes are hit or miss, raisins are a sure winner, apple sauce sometimes, turkey occasionally, goldfish no problem, leftover pasta in Tupperware, big winner.  Ty is a good eater overall, but packing a lunch is difficult.  Next week he will have a fresh, purchased hot lunch.  Especially after his teacher told me he was trying to eat the other kid's food.  Little Ty knows what he likes, no doubt about that.  

Although, there is some trial and error involved, I'm thinking  after a few weeks, I'll be a pro at this morning routine thing.  One successful day at a time. 

Wednesday - Day 178 - Hire Me!

Today I had the privilege, once again, to get dressed for an interview in a suit and heals in the RV, while preparing Ty for his second day of school.  I'm not sure what is harder, managing Ty or making sure I don't get dog hair on my good clothes. Overall, the second or third time doing anything is always easier.  Today, in retrospect, was easier then the last, especially since I waited until the last minute to get dressed.  I dressed the boys, feed them, and made Ty's lunch, all before I even considered getting myself ready.  It all just seemed to flow without much thought, until I stepped outside in my heals and sank directly into the sand.  It was wet and squishy. "Tippy toes," I reminded myself. "Don't let your heals sink into the ground." We survived.  Ty was dropped off with no issue.  Afterwards, I met John in the parking lot of my interview to transfer James to him.  John was coming home from a business trip and was on his way home from the airport.  James did not have school due to the first week staggered start schedule. James and I arrived to meet John with enough time to get a snack while we waited for John.  It all worked out, although it could have potentially been a logistical nightmare. I had a productive interview, but now I will wait, wait on a call, wait for an opportunity, wait until a glimmer of hope appears on the next stage of my life.  It feels like a very long time since I've been a "working girl", but it too will happen all in good time and when it does, being a "stay at home mom" will feel very far away. In the meantime, I'll focus on my CPA exams while the boys are in school, and enjoy my time with them when they are home.  The job market here is not good, and finding a position will not be easy, but this too will pass and I can only look forward to what awaits in the future.

Tuesday - Day 177 - A Day Without Storms

Ty started school/daycare today. It was pretty effortless. No tears, no fuss. I felt fortunate, it could have been so much more difficult. My littlest man Life can absolutely be difficult, but it doesn't have to be that way all the time.  When life gets complicated, stagnant, or crazy, I stop and think, "What can I change to make it better?" The expression, "this too will pass", is an excellent reminder that even the most difficult circumstances are only temporary.  It is hard to see in the middle of a storm, but the storms always pass and life gets easier again. While living in a camper, many people would consider life hard or a good way to complicate life.  However, others have a very different perspective and perceive it as a simple and freeing life.  It's all about how we look at our lives and the circumstances that create it. I think I was born with a unique gift, creating good out of the bad.  When my life gets in its own way, I tend to part the storm and push through to the other side; with wisdom and strength, feeling good that I had the opportunity to experience those difficult times. As my littlest son begins something new in his life, attending school three days a week, he will learn things without his mom around.  He will make new friends and have a new teacher, someone who will also care for him.  It is a milestone for both of us. It was a good day for Ty and his mom, we successfully crossed over to a new stage of our lives, with minimal effort.  If only everything in life could be this easy.  Life with Ty is easy!

Monday - 176 - bridge to success

Today, James is officially a kindergartener. I can remember my own kindergarten days, and now my son is creating his own memories.  

I watched James as he got ready this morning, ready to conquer his new world with enthusiasm.  He wore his nice shoes and collared shirt.  I fought tears thinking there would be a day he would not need me to pick out his clothes or make his lunch.  It was a sober reminder that he had begun his own life journey and soon (i use this word loosely) he would no longer need to depend on me or his dad for many things.  

First Day of many

He would form his own thoughts, and his own opinions, he would find his own way.  My role would evolve and change from caregiver to life guide to mentor.  Each stage will force me to give up some control over his life decisions and allow him to make his own choices and learn his own lessons.  Mom and dad will no longer have ALL the answers, but we would always be there with love, care and support.  

James had a good day.  He was happy and confident.  I do not doubt he will find his way no matter what life throws at him.  His positive attitude and ability to interact with others sets him apart.  

I look forward to his progress and to watch his growth during this year.  I am told by many parents of school age children that these years move quickly, and before we realize it, our little kindergarteners will have grown into young adults.

I imagine we mentally build a bridge to success.  One end depicting where we have been as children and the other end is where we are headed into adulthood.  The design and architecture of the bridge is very unique personal to each individual. 

  

How will James build his bridge?

Sunday - Day 175 - Footprint of the Future

We checked on the progress of the house today.  Unfortunately, it didn't look like much had changed since last week.  

(That load of trash isn't ours) 

We took all the kids with us and showed them how the foot print of the house had been outlined and elevated in the dirt.  You could stand in the "kitchen" or "living room" and use your imagination as to how everything would look. 

I'm making pasta in our future kitchen

I'm not sure how the kids felt, but I bet it seemed like a long time before an actual house would take the place of the empty lot.  

Each week we will visit the lot to check on progress and take a photo.  Jack offered to pull all the photos together when the house was complete and create a time lapse video.  That day will be the end of one era and the beginning of a new one for our family. 

At the end of this year James will have completed three months of kindergarten.  He will be a different child, living in a new home and understanding new things. 

We all will be in a different place, physically, emotionally and mentally.  It is a journey of personal growth, and in thought a spiritual time travel into our future. That new life feels very far way, yet it will be present sooner then we can think.