New Orleans!

The Hubs was scheduled to speak at a conference in New Orleans the week after camp so Little Man and I tagged along!  I was worried that it would be crazy humid but it wasn't bad.

Buying a day pass for the trolley/train is the best way to get around.

Can't visit New Orleans with trying the Beignets!

 Reminded me of Indian fry bread with lots of powdered sugar!

 Rickshas outside the French Market

Took a picture of this and sent it to my mom.

She once told me how she went squirrel hunting with her Dad.

Yuk! hahaha

 Local Art

 Pics below are from around Jackson Square

 LM with Praline the mule

Praline's owner was more than happy to educate us on how mules were much more suited to working in the southern heat than horses. And that you have to cross a female horse with a male donkey to produce a mule.  And that you can't make another mule by breeding 2 mules because the male mules "shoot blanks".

I'm sure LM appreciated the education. hahaha

Souvenir shops! 

LM would not get any closer to the gator. hahaha

 Graveyard - LM did not want to go.

 Bourdon Street

We visited the WWII Museum on our last day.  Wow!  Just Wow!

They covered every little detail. 

I'll admit, I teared up quite a few times while walking through and taking it all in.  Its a must visit if you're ever in New Orleans.

Summer - Hit the ground running with Cub Scout Camp!

The week after school let out was filled with Cub Scout camp activities!  Twilight Camp is a week long camp in the evenings (4p-8:30p). This was our first scout camp and I was fortunate enough to be a "Walking Den Leader / Parent".  I quickly realized that I was the ONLY volunteer for the Webelos scheduled for the entire week.  Their Pack Leader was there for 2 of the 5 days and another parent came by for 2 of the 5 days but Day 1 was ALL MINE. :D

The upside is that I'm a Boy Mom...so I can handle crazy boys.  On the first day I had 5 but the rest of the week we combined with 2 other packs and it was a "it takes a village" effort to keep track of 15 boys.  The "Mud Daubers" were a great group of kids!  of course, Dauber was parleyed into Dabber which provided a week long insertion of "The Dab" into general conversation.  Sigh.
I did have a kid from another pack who had his own agenda and I kept having to locate him when walking from one activity to another. :D  Didn't lose him...just had to chase him down.

My guys!

LM front row right

Thankful that the Port-O-Pottys have evolved!

Found a "grab and hover" bar inside so I didn't have to sit on the pee covered seat!  Nice!

 Staying hydrated with his water pack!

 Wearing our stylish hats with "swaps".

The kids swap items off each others hats.

Now we're talking!

BB Guns! 

The Range Master let me shoot once all the boys had a turn.

Not bad for a "Mom". :D

Human Foos Ball!

Learned how to make a shelter out of branches.

Making a bird feeder.

Great job!

The Archery Range Master asked for volunteers to help the boys.  Good thing too because I had a kid who was determined to load his arrow while pointing it in the direction of the kid next to him! 

Dude!

 How to tie different knots.

LM said it was harder than it looked. 

Being silly while waiting on the shuttle bus. 

Video of LM trying to catch crackers in his mouth.

And me almost falling off my bucket!

The boys also learned how to start a campfire, use compasses for navigation and participated in team building exercises.

We had a great time at camp and made a lot of new friends!

Birthday Fun!

My bestie, Karen, and I have Birthdays on the same week! How fun is that?!  So we decided to organize a girls night out to celebrate our special days with great food and drinks!  If you are ever in the Dallas, TX area, you have to eat at Ida-Claire!

We reserved the Airstream trailer they have on the back patio and it was perfect!  Just enough space and privacy for our small party of fun!

A large beer and wine selection, Mint juleps, French 76's and absinthe infused drinks round out the drink menu!

Airstream

Funky fun interior

Cincy, Lisa, Deirdre, Me, Karen and Carrie!

I'm in heaven!

Chicken and Waffles!

Chocolate cake trimmed and garnished with bacon!

Catch Up! Field Day!

Field Day! 

On Field Day, the kids get a couple of hours outside for games, snacks, etc.  You and your buddy can dress up in costumes or whatever and parents volunteer to man the water stations, tattoo booth, tug-of-war and other fun games.

LM and his Rapper buddy, B

Hula Hoop race!

LM in the red shirt.

4th Grade Dudes!

LM is to the right of #19

We're so cool!

To cool for school!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wanted to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Mother in Law, GiGi, Sisters in Law and Aunt!  

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Mom & I - 1969

 Mom, brother Eric & I - 1972?

Mom, Grandma Harmon and I - 1990's

Mom & Little Man - 2009

My Mother-in-Law Denise holding Renee

with my husband John in the back

Jay front left and Justin front right

Friendships

Making friends in your 40's is a lot trickier than I remember.  "Back in the day", aka my 20's and 30's, my friends and I always met up for weekend breakfast, hitting happy hour, crashing at each others house, etc.  We were pretty much on each others speed dial!

Now that my 48th Birthday is looming, and my bestie Karen and her family are moving back to California, I find myself in a friendship funk.  Not my first go around with this.  2 years ago my best friend Susan and her family moved out of state.  Hubs jokes, "Why do you keep running them off?!"  Not so funny to me.

I asked my mom once, "Did you have a lot of friends when we were little?" She said she had friends in PTA, the bowling league and the cycling club, but that her time with her kids/family was her priority. 

I get it.  Life gets crazy busy when you have a family!  

When Little Man was born, I had my "New Mommy" friends.  

Then we moved.  Pre-K and Kinder, I found myself in a community where all of the moms worked...which made it hard to get together with the kids or schedule play-dates.  So I went back to school!

Then we moved.  Kinder to Present Day, we live in a community where there are stay at home moms but WOW are they busy!  PTA, charity groups, clubs, boot camp exercise group, etc.  
Not to mention, the "Girl Moms" don't really hang with the "Boy Moms" unless there is a sibling of the opposite sex involved or they have been "besties" forever.  Or the moms who have so many kids that they don't want to schedule play-dates...unless you're taking their kid to your house...every time. :D

I'm also one of the "Older Moms" and I can also be socially awkward / shy ...so there's that. 

I joined PTA, signed up to be Room Parent, tried to schedule play-dates, etc.  But so many kids have their "Go To" friend that they have known since Pre-School so its hard to get scheduled into the rotation.  You REALLY have to be almost aggressive with it!

I was successful in making friends with a couple of Boy Moms.  One of which works full-time (she's wicked smart and funny), the other part-time (the Wild Card mom...never know what she might say, so funny).  We get together for "Girls Night" and also get together with kids in tow.  

Then Karen and her family moved in across the street.  We won the Lottery!  Her 2 girls (2nd Grade and Kinder) are like sisters to LM and Karen is probably the best friend I've had in years.  So nice that we can run across the street to each others home and hang out.  "Having a rough day?  Run over here for a class of wine!  Need a break?  Send the kids over!"  Sucks that they're moving.

So I find myself wondering, "Why does it have to be so hard?!"  Or maybe I'm being boo-hooey because I'm going to be another year OLDER (I have issues...don't get me started), its the anniversary of my cat Katie passing (again...don't get me started) and I know LM will miss having his "sisters" across the street.

Here is a snippet of an article I found while "Googling".  I like the "quality over quantity" paragraph.  

Meeting and Keeping Friends in Your 40s

Courtesy of www.scarymommy.com

Remember the days when your friends were the center of your universe?

Well, thanks to the chaos of work, family, kids, aging parents and grocery shopping, those days are long gone. But the importance of friendship remains the same. Who else can you call in a panic because you don’t have the right shoes to wear to a funeral? Who else will you cry to when one of your children tells you they hate you? Who else will send you condolences when your favorite celebrity from the ’80s dies?

As our kids mature, our relationships do too. We need less drama and more fortitude, and we have less time, and, perhaps, more angst.

Avoid the perfect moms: The one mom who has it all together: She dresses like a model, and her kids eat the healthiest meals and are athletic and academic superstars. She is the one dispensing advice in the schoolyard and has a line of subtle humble brags about her busy schedule and incredible gluten-free baking. Avoid her at all costs. She is the craziest one out there.

Be honest: It was much easier to talk about toddler milestones than it is to really express your fears about your kids as they get older. It’s not easy to admit when your teens are difficult to handle, or your tween seems to be heading off the rails. But if you share the difficult and dark days of parenting older kids with your friends, you will be rewarded when you learn that you are not alone.

Quality over quantity: Sure it’s great to know everyone in the schoolyard, but it’s not enough. Your closest friends in your 40s are probably the ones who are going to be by your side when your parents get sick, when your kids move out, and when you decide to grow out all your grey. These people matter—choose wisely.

Don’t be afraid to make new friends: And I don’t mean “friends” on Facebook. It’s never too late to meet your bosom buddy and be friends for life. You never know when a kindred spirit could walk in—it may be at the hockey rink, the coffee shop or an art class. Embrace it. Friends are the color and texture of life…and you need someone who will tell you when you need your roots done.

**My goal is to nurture the friendships I have and not be afraid to put myself out there to meet new ones.  I'm already making Little Man a list of potential "hang out" friends (we don't say play-date anymore) whose moms I'd like to get to know better.  We have all summer!