The Quiet Door

Several years ago Dave and I got a new microwave. It was pretty. It was just the right size. It cooked food just fine. And we hated it.

For some reason this microwave was not designed with teenagers in mind. Yes, teenagers. You see, teenagers tend to want to eat at all times of the night on the weekends and of course this involves microwaving. Well, our microwave was impossible to close quietly. No matter what you did, there was always a very loud "CLUNK!" when it closed. And this woke us up. Every. Time.

So when this loud closing microwave expired in the middle of the night this weekend, in a very stinky/smoky way I might add, my only requirement for our next microwave was that it close quietly.


And the very next day Dave came home with a brand spankin' new microwave. It is pretty. It cooks food just fine. It closes quietly. And we love it.

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Asleep

You know how when your kids were little you could just stare at them for hours on end...as they played, as they ate, as they sang and danced. But once they become teenagers if you attempt to stare at them, you're greeted with, "What are you looking at?!?!"

So while I'm not always a huge fan of teenage hormones, I have to say that I've found a perk that I particularly love...the "sleeping in" perk. When I go into their rooms at noon on the weekends to wake them up so they can finally start their day, I'm afforded uninterrupted staring time. I can leisurely take in the serenity of their sleeping faces, the way they sleep as though they know they're safe, the shadow of a mustache appearing, and the small twitches of their dreaming eyes. Occasionally they'll wake up and catch me, admonishing me with a "You're creepy, mom!" But most of the time I'm able to lean in and kiss their cheek to wake them up.

Pure mommy bliss.

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Shooting Straight about Money

We've always been really honest with our kids about money.  They know how much we make, what we spend, what we can afford, and which times of year are more or less stressful money-wise.  And I think this is why conversations like this can happen.  That and he's just a really cool kid.


Little guy:  "You wouldn't believe what kinds of cars some of my friends are getting from their parents."


My little guy is fifteen and a lot of his friends are right at that getting-a-drivers-license age. 


Me:  "Really?"

Little guy:  "Yeah, one guy is getting a $60,000 truck from his dad, another is getting a Porche, and some twins are both getting Jeeps."

Me:  "And you get to share my Prius."

Little guy:  "Yeah, I'm fine with that."


I love how squarely his head is planted on his shoulders.

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Up All Night

At about 6:45 this morning my little guy came in our carport door.  He'd spent the night at a friend's house and I'd expected to go pick him up around 9:00 as we had plans at 10:00.


Me:  "Gosh, you're up early."

Little guy:  "Not up early...still up from yesterday," he beamed at me.

Me:  "You've been up all night?"

Little guy:  "Yup.  And I feel great!"

Me:  "I still expect you to do what we planned."

Little guy:  "I know.  I'll just stay up through then."

Me:  "No, you won't."


And within fifteen minutes that guy was asleep...of course.

I'm sort of nice so I let him sleep till 9:00 at which time I made him take a shower and get moving.


Showered - then fell asleep.

Got clean clothes out - then fell asleep.

Got half way dressed - then fell asleep.

Sat at the table - then fell asleep.

Got in the car - then fell asleep.

I shook his leg to wake him up - "Awesome!" he yelled in his sleep.


Way to rock sleep-deprived dreamland, little dude!

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