Another Email

 I have come to the conclusion that our family must look odd from an outside view. Robby's room is littered with WWII military artifacts while my basement has been converted to a small warehouse to store the items for his traveling holocaust museum. While it has become normal for us to discuss both historical and contemporary military tactics over the dinner table, I recognize that this is not fodder for normal family conversations.  

Timmy, heavily influenced the adoration for his big brother, has become a sponge for the WWII knowledge and trivia that Robby offers up on a regular basis. Because of this, Timmy has a unique insight and perspective that is not held by most 9 year olds. Unfortunately, he has to learn that what is comfortable conversation at home may not be appropriate for school.

Yesterday I received (another) email from Timmy's teacher reprimanding him for discussing "war" in school. He had been reprimanded earlier in the week for hosting an epic battle between his "geometry city" and two of his classmates cities. The boys had a great time playing their game until it was shut down by their teachers. We told Timmy that he wasn't allowed to play war in school and I thought the issue was closed.

The email yesterday took me off guard because Timmy's teacher accused him of referencing war again during a class discussion. It turns out that the class was learning about evaluating sources on the internet to determine if they are authentic or propaganda. Timmy was asked to explain propaganda. He replied, "Well, anything that was written by Joseph Goebbels was propaganda for sure. He tried to scare everybody with his hate."

His teacher was offended. Timmy was removed from the classroom and put into a private "break out room," which is the equivalent of detention, for talking about war. My issue with this is that he didn't talk about war. He referenced a historical example of extreme propaganda.  I disagree with his punishment, but I'm not sure if I should just let it go or push back.

Happy Birthday Scott

 Today is special in our family because it is Scott's birthday!  

Our family loves birthdays and any reason to celebrate. Even though Scott isn't delighted with adding a digit to his year, he is looking forward to our family party. A favorite dinner, a few presents, a lot of doting and a red velvet cake will top off the celebration tonight. His birthday marks the beginning of our family busy season.

The spring and early summer have always been heavy with birthdays, anniversaries and various reasons to celebrate. This year the parties will be magnified because we are adding graduations and retirements to the mix. I feel like I've been treading water to stay afloat in a stressful 2024. Everything is about to get considerably more complicated as we try to navigate retiring, college and moving within the next few months.

I suppose I'll worry about packing, moving and living with a retired husband later. Today is all about celebrating Scott. The boys are so lucky to have him as their dad. I am so lucky to have found him! 

Happy Birthday Scott!

Battle Ready

 It feels odd in the house this morning. Scott is home because schools are closed for election day. It feels strange having him home, not being ill, on a random Tuesday. I suppose this is a peek at what our future may be with him being retired. 

It's always a little harder to get everybody on their schedule when Scott is home from work. The boys tend to want to mirror their father and lounge. Unfortunately for them, they do have school today. Sigh. I know that I am going to have to be the bad guy (again) and insist upon logging in. I suppose I am worried that these one-off battles will become an everyday occurrence when Scott is retired and home each day.

I guess I can worry about that next year.  In the meantime, I'll fortify myself with some more coffee and prepare for battle.

MerMagic Con Wrap-Up

 We had an amazing- I mean 'mer-mazing' weekend! Although we were busy and we aren't starting the week feeling refreshed or ready, the past few days have been fantastic. Robby's FlexyFriends were very well received at both the craft fair and the MerMagic Con. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people and making new connections. It is fun to watch FlexyFriends grow and expand into new areas.

On Saturday Robby and Scott were in Leesburg at the Spring Bling Craft Fair while my sister and I were in Silver Spring at MerMagic Con. This was my first con event and it was spectacular. I've never before been around so many accepting, loving and completely body inclusive individuals. I wish I had the confidence to strut in shells and a tail!

Saturday evening the boys packed up in Leesburg and drove to the event hotel. Excited to embrace new experiences, we went out for Korean BBQ for dinner. Unfortunately it wasn't our favorite but we were thrilled to walk by a Burger Fi on the way back to the hotel so that dinner #2 could be secured. (Although we didn't enjoy the food, the experience was fun. Watching Scott try kimchi was worth the price of the meal!)

Sunday morning we headed back to MerMagic Con for day #2. Robby and Scott were able to experience Mer culture and met so many wonderful people. They were even able to pose with some mermaids! 

*A hint in case you ever meet a mermaid. Never ask a mermaid how much the silicone tail weighs. Apparently it was offensive. Every time I walked past that pod of mermaids they screeched at me because that is what angry Mers do. It was so funny and done in great fun, but it was certainly enough to embarrass my teen.