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I wanted to make some holiday treats for our neighbors, but I don’t really enjoy cooking. I asked Briar and Brad to help and we picked some easy treats that wouldn’t require any real cooking – peanut butter and Ritz crackers dipped in chocolate almond bark, pretzels dipped in vanilla almond bark decorated with red and green sprinkles and peppermint brittle – which is melted white chocolate chips mixed with crushed peppermints and then chilled and broken apart.

While Brad was excited and did almost all of the work, Briar retreated to the living room and asked that we yell at him when it came time to crush things. And let me tell you, boys LOVE crushing things.

After finishing, we loaded up Christmas tins and delivered our goodies. Brad proudly told the neighbors what he had made and that he hoped they enjoyed the treats.

He has since thought of several others who he wants to deliver Christmas goodies to ... Looks like I’ll be spending even more time in the kitchen!

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Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The only thing I usually have trouble with is Briar and Brad’s ever-changing Christmas list. They started their list back in August (at my request), but seem to add to it or take away from it daily. They have also made a note of the things they want the most. It made me wonder if all they have thought about is what they will get for Christmas.

I want them to think about what they can give. So … for everything they want to get, they have to list something they want to give. I talked to them about giving from the heart. Gifts can be a hug, a kind word, a hand-made card or gift, or something of your own that may make someone else happy.

The boys have some great ideas and special gifts they hope will make other people’s holiday more special. My hope is that the experience will make Briar and Brad’s Christmas more memorable as well.

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While taking the kids to school the other morning, a song I like came on the radio. I turned it up and started singing along. Briar rolled his eyes at me and said he couldn’t believe I liked those lame songs that all the “typical girls” like right now.

According to Briar and Brad, there are several songs right now that are really popular with all the girls at school. They sing them on break, walking down the halls and in the classrooms. All the boys, evidently, don’t like these songs and make fun of the girls for singing them. Two of those songs happen to be my favorites right now.

I told Briar, that even though I’m a “mom,” I still like a lot of the things that “typical girls” like. Brad laughed at this and agreed that the songs are lame. Of course now I am made fun of a little bit whenever one of the two songs comes on the radio, but I don’t care – I still turn it up and sing along anyway.

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I love Thanksgiving – spending time with family and amazing food! What more can you ask for? I don’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy the Thanksgiving feast – dressing and potato salad are two of my favorites.

Briar and Brad, however, are very picky eaters. They aren’t picky about the same kind of food either – I always have to fix something extra for one of them. I’ve been told not to do this, that when they are hungry they will eat. But they won’t. Briar and Brad are both as stubborn as they are picky.

For Thanksgiving dinner at my father-in-law’s house, Briar fared a little better than Brad. He filled his plate with turkey and mashed potatoes. Brad had corn and a roll.

For supper, we ate at my parent’s house. While the food at my father-in-laws was good – nothing beats the spread my mom puts out. Again, there wasn’t a lot that Briar and Brad liked. Briar ate ham this time. I wanted Brad to have something more than corn again, so I fixed him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

About the time Brad set down to eat his sandwiches, Georgetta, my sister-in-law, asked the kids to say what they are most thankful for. All the responses were the same… family, except for Brad’s. He paused and said, “right now… I’m most thankful for peanut butter and jelly!”

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Every morning, my sister-in-law brings my six-year-old niece, Jarah, to my house. My brother and his wife have to be at work in Jonesboro at six, which leaves them without another way to get Jarah to school. I like doing this because it gives me time with her I wouldn’t otherwise have and I have to take Briar and Brad to school anyway – so it is no trouble for me.

Jarah can be rather difficult at times, though. Everything has to be just right. Her socks have to have the seam in the right place, her shirt can’t be too long and can’t be tucked in, her shoes have to be tied the way she likes them (let me tell you this is a hard one – I tied them six times one morning and she still wasn’t happy with them). Most importantly, she can’t have a hair out of place. I spend quite a bit of time combing it for her and then she always combs it, too.

To my horror, Friday morning, she had a cough drop tangled in her hair. I tried everything I could think of to remove it without having to cut it out. Jarah told me pretty quickly that I was not going to touch her hair with scissors. In the end I had no choice. I had to cut it out. I didn’t use scissors, though. I used my husband’s electric grooming set while Briar and Brad pointed and laughed.

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I completely agree with the saying, “A mother’s work is never done.”

All too often I hear:

“Mom, come here!”
“Mom, I need your help!”
“Mom, when are we going to eat supper – I’m hungry!”
“Mom, Briar won’t get off the computer!”
“Mom, Brad won’t leave me alone!”
“Mom, I need help with my homework!”

These phrases come at me so quickly and they never stop! At 10 and 12, I know I won’t be hearing these phrases from them much longer. Although I look forward to that day now, I know that when it comes I will miss it.

Besides, “Thanks, Mom!” and “I love you, Mom!” more than compensate for anything else.

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At the ages of 10 and 12, my two boys already have this never-ending need to prove me wrong.

Briar, the oldest, decided that he needed his hair trimmed. It had started flipping up at the ends – and he didn’t like that. So, my mom made him an appointment for Friday afternoon.

When he got up in the chair at the beauty shop, I told the stylist that he just wanted it trimmed. To my delight, he said, “No I don’t, I want it short!” He then went on and told our stylist how he wanted his hair cut.

My husband had told Brad that he had to get his bangs trimmed, too. We couldn’t keep them out of his eyes, no matter what we tried. He groaned and complained, but agreed to have them cut as little as possible.

When Briar finished and Brad’s turn came, he got up in the chair and told the stylist not to cut off very much. She trimmed up his bangs and the ends of his hair. Brad took one look in the mirror and said, “Just cut it all off.” I wasn’t sure I heard him right – and the stylist was looking at me unsure of what to do since he had been so adamant about not cutting a lot of it. He wanted it cut like Briar’s. I told her to go ahead and do it.

They both love their new style – just not as much as I do.

I didn’t think they would want their hair short, but they proved me wrong. In this instance, I don’t mind at all.

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What is it with boys and their hair these days? When I was growing up the guys had either really long hair – or really short hair. The few guys with hair at the “in between” length hated it. They were trying to grow really long hair.

It seems these days most of the boys want their hair at that dreaded “in between” length. Both of my boys ~ Briar and Brad ~ wear their hair like this. I don’t like it ~ but I don’t have to wear it either.

I did, however, receive a request from Brad’s teacher to find a way to keep his hair out of his eyes. We are experimenting on different ways to wear his hair that will accomplish this.

Heaven forbid he actually get it cut!

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I’ve been over run with dough…just not the right kind!

Like many other students, my son, Brad, recently sold cookie dough as a fundraiser for Hoxie School. The dough came in Tuesday and we had to deliver it to those who bought from him. Hearing him laugh and talk to people as he delivered the cookie dough was a real treat. What I thought would be a tedious task turned in to the perfect opportunity to have fun and bond with my son.

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