Two Down, Two to go

I am back to blogging. As all of you know I write like I talk. That means there will be a lot of misspellings and punctuation errors. Just go with the flow!

Two down Two to Go.

I am 41 years old and seriously cannot believe that I am sitting here in the shop because its the only place with real internet. I have four teenagers. From 19 to 17 years old. Huge span huh? I feel as though I am missing a huge part of our lives already. Jackson joined the military back in April and Cassandra left for UC Davis this last week. Still in the house is Joshua and Jason but man does it seem quiet.

For a mom who loves their children its kind of always a good and bad thing when the kids call because they are homesick. Especially when they are calling a couple times a day. In a way you think to yourself that you  must of done something right because they actually miss being at home. Then other times you feel as if you have done something wrong because they are missing you too much. Did I teach them to be independent enough?

Why is it that no matter how your kids are doing you always feel you could be doing better with them? I mean seriously they both are doing well and decided to go somewhere after college that will get them somewhere in life.

Jackson did great in basic training. He is just finishing his school of Advanced Individual Training and scored a 91 percent. I mean that is amazing. He knows it too and knows that he is doing better now then he even did in High School.

Cassandra got a full ride to UC Davis. She called crying missing the family and worried she wouldn't do well in classes. I knew once the class actually started she would be happier and know she could do it. Classes started. She is happier lol.

So I have two down so to speak and two more kids to go. Its so much more quiet in the house with just two of them left. Its going to go by way too fast too. Joshua is a Senior this year and then next will be Jason who will be one next year. Where has the time gone?

I just cant get over the fact that some day the kids wont need me anymore. Then I have to stop and say "hey not even true" to myself because if my mom was still alive I would still need her. Thankfully I have my MIL or my Father to go to if I still need help.

This Season seems to be an exciting but tough one for me. Most parent cant wait for this stage in life. I am just helping my kids to keep growing and keep becoming independent while staying in their lives even from a distance.

I know the kids miss us as much as we miss them. Soon in a span of two years all four of the kids will be out of the house starting to live their own lives. For now I will text two of them daily to see how they are doing. And the other two seem to think they will get away with murder because we want to spend more time with them lol.

The one thing I do know is no matter what happens in my kids lives I will always be there for them. They each have a part of my heart and soul. I have my own life but if they ever need us I will stop whatever I am doing to help them.

Excited for their new lives and for growing up into amazing young men
and woman.

Love you always, Rae (mom)

College already? She is just a Senior!

I am seriously freaking out. Wouldn't you? Ok, as most of you know I have four teenagers. Jackson graduated last year but we didn't do applications for school or scholarships as he is going in the US Army. I love the fact he is going to serve our country and get a great job Welding. I mean heck they give you every certificate so when he decides to leave the Military he will have a great paying job. I am so proud of him!!

Next is Cassie. She wants to go to a UC school. She also wants to be a Nurse. Its amazing how much UC Davis or UC Irvine or UCLA is! I mean MAN!!!! Its crazy!!!!

Cassie thankfully has the grades to get into those schools. She has a 4.14 GPA. Today we literally spent hours upon hours doing the application to the UC schools. It amazes me that she is a Senior ....Its ONLY almost OCTOBER and we are having to turn in all applications by Nov. 1st! How are parents suppose to know this stuff? I am so glad today we decided to sit down and start looking for scholarships for whatever nursing program she decides to go into. She would like to get a Bachelor in Sciences for Nursing.

I actually pulled my other two boys into the kitchen today to talk to them about what Colleges are asking for. Its not JUST GPA but also extracurricular activities, Awards, Jobs, Volunteering for your community, and much much more. Seriously you have to be an all around child to get into College these days. It was cute to see the boys talking about what they have already been doing and what they were going to add just to be able to get into college in a couple years.

This year Cassie graduates, next year is Joshua and the year after that is Jason. I swear by the time Jason graduates I will be totally a pro at this! You need a scholarship! Bam here is one! You want to get into what college? Oh I know the deadline! Bam! :) I cant help but to laugh at myself.

I feel like everyone can get into some sort of College or University. There are so many programs to help pay. Even Scholarships! Did you know we filled out a scholarship because Cassie's Great Great Grandfather was in WW1 for more than 4 months. YES THEY EVEN HAVE A SCHOLARSHIP FOR THAT! Crazy huh!

I am thankful I have good kids. We are lucky this year with Cassie since she does always have straight A's. She also has played sports (Volleyball, Basketball and Softball). She has been on ASB and also Class President and Leadership. She has worked during the summers and all our kids have always volunteered in our community. Makes me feel good like we are doing a semi good job. All our kids have always gotten good to great grades, sports, working and volunteering. Oh and lets not forget they do have plenty of time to be crazy teenagers too (and even sleep in). Totally off the subject but I probably am the only mom in Big Valley that has a 930 bedtime for my kids. Ten o'clock if your a Senior. I think with all the stuff the kids do they need to have good sleep!

Anyways, I am excited and yet a little nervous about the up and coming months to get this all done. I hope that Cassie and I are organized enough to get everything done in a timely fashion. You should see how many things are on my calendar now just for deadlines. Man! Deadlines! Yikes!

Its kind of fun though because you are spending time with your child. Each year I will have that time with each of my boys too. By the time Jason Graduates I am going to be a pro~!

Pray for us so we get into the right schools for what she wants to accomplish in life. If you know of any Scholarships opportunities please make sure to write to me in the comments! We could always use the help!

Tuesday will be the ending of the Gift Certificate to Starbucks Entries. So make sure to comment to get more tries for yourself. Sorry I didn't blog for two days but I had migraines! Hate those!

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Introducing My Kids!!

Josh, Jack,Cassie, and Jason

Having four teenagers is like having a whole High School of kids living at your house. Yes, Yes I know it’s only four of them but we literally have every grade of High school in this house. Our Youngest is in 9^th Grade this year and our oldest is in 12^th grade . I never only have four teenagers living in this house either because someone always has a friend or two or three over. I even have a fifth child that is like our son because he is here so much. He was here more this summer than our own children. He even has a bed here that is his and a drawer for clothes. The first thing he always says to me is “Rae, I am hungry what are you making?” Yep that is JUST like our kids.

Jason, Josh, Cassie and Jackson

Growing up my mom only really ever let us have one person spend the night at a time. I like it better that the kids come here to this house. Let’s be honest…I want to know what they are doing. Am I a strict mom? My kids would definitely say yes. I would say that I am a loving mom who actually cares where they are and what they are doing at all points of the day. My kid’s friends don’t think we are strict because they know our kids are spoiled. We do a lot of family time, take them places all the time, they don’t really want for anything but my one son Joshua always jokingly says “this house is a prison” when I tell him things like 2 popsicles are more than enough. That cracks us up so much that Ryan and I even started to say it.

Our kids have chores every day and have to take care of their animals. They have to have their beds made and rooms clean. Homework done and then they can go off on the quads or play pool or swim. We don’t do the Xbox unless it’s a weekend and if we are going together as a family to an event or shopping or what not they have to come.  They have to have C’s or above. It’s their job to do well at school but we understand that some subject’s kids might struggle at. I mean heck I can’t even do my kids math homework! I have to send them to Ryan for that. I help with all the other subjects though. If they have less than C’s they don’t have any privileges because they apparently don’t have time to keep up their grades.  This doesn’t happen often but it has happened and it’s quickly corrected.

With four teenagers I have four VERY different personalities. I am very lucky though because they all get along well even though they have only been together for the last 7 years. Being a blended family with Ryan bringing in two children and I brought in two….I have heard that we are VERY blessed that they get along and see each other as brothers and sister. I can say to any of them…”go get your brother please” and they will always ask me “which one?”

Jackson

Jackson is our oldest. He is 17 going on what he wishes was 21. He loves sports and loves girl’s lol. I am sure that is just a 17 year old thing. If he dates though over time he is in love of all loves with that girl. Ryan and I just roll our eyes as he doesn’t know true love yet. He is a great driver and can spot a deer from the side of the road before I even see it. This is really helpful when you live on a ranch. He is kind but doesn’t like to show his feelings. He is the one that is always “learning” that our rules are there for a reason. He has been trying to spread his wings for some time now but is the child who actually doesn’t want to leave home. He is always saying he is going to leave and come right back. He is a protector of his siblings and a very hard worker at home. He is a bit of a trash talker but in a joking way. Its pretty darn funny. He loves sports and plays them well. He works at it and at it till he gets better and better. He is good with being a part of a team but he is very competitive on being the best that he can be. We are always telling him he needs to be more humble ha! Jack is definitely mechanical and is in the process of fixing our old BMW for himself. I am lucky because Jackson is the one kid that will sit down with you and talk and talk about what is going on in his day. I bonded with him so fast when we first met 7 years ago. He is definitely my son who I love very much!

Cassie

Cassie is next in line. She is 16. She is my overachiever who does not even want to get below an A-. I never have to ask her to clean her room as she always already has it done. He is kind of type A as she doesn’t want things moved and get anxiety if we clean her carpets and something might get moved out of place. She is an avid reader and loves to draw. I love that she draws. She has such talent and not just because I say that because I am her mother but because she just is really good. She has an eye for Art. Especially Anime which is Japanese Cartoon Art. Cassie beats to her own drum and doesn’t care. I love this about her because she isn’t afraid to be herself. She is more of a leader than a follower. She doesn’t care what people think of her. She definitely is the child who will tell you something but then turn it around to be in her favor. She has this amazing way of writing. I want to actually do a book with her and have her do the animation but truly I think she could do it all on her own. She is always writing manuscripts and they are amazing.  She is a cat lover but does love her puppy Sebastian. She is very caring and tries to show you through cards and paintings and such. Cassie also cares a lot about her family. She keeps every card ever given to her by family no matter what the occasion was. She loves music. Boy does this child love music. I think for two years she never didn’t have headphones on her head or around her neck. She knows almost every word to every song too. Even the oldies. That always amazes me. She can hear something and it just sticks in her head. To be the only girl in the house too is amazing because she can hold her own but she fights dirty. Trust me she can whip you with her tongue if she chose to. Luckily she doesn’t do it often. I love her very much! She is my princess.

Joshua

Joshua is our third child and by far the tallest child. At 15 years old he is already 6’3’’. It’s hard to look up at him and tell him to go to his room if he has been misbehaving. This doesn’t actually happen that often because Joshua definitely has a big moral compass. He is very black and white and not grey in the middle. This sometimes can get him in trouble as he will tell you exactly what he feels about a situation. Most of the time though he has a very valid point. At the same time though he is the one who tells us he is in trouble before we find out. All the other kids won’t even say anything until we find out. Joshua is definitely our goofy kid in the house. I still remember his first day of 7^th grade when he came to a new school. He walked down the hallway, did a somersault and then kept on walking like nothing ever happened. He is always cracking us up. He is pretty quick witted and can have a good comeback in no time flat. Joshua is sensitive though and doesn’t like it when people are mean to others especially if it’s to one of us. He still has a polar bear stuffed animal that his Nana gave to him before she passed away that is very special to him. He has a great memory too and always tells us stories of when he was “younger” and what he did.  He is a thinker and not much of a talker of his feelings. It has to be a pretty special day when he opens way up and tells you how he feels. These are the times we really sit down and listen. He is definitely my son that I love very much!

Jason

Jason is only 3 months younger than Joshua. He is going to be 15 this month. Jason is the youngest of the family and wears that title proudly. He sneakily can get out of work because he is younger and the older boys tend to do it. Jason is sensitive for sure. You have to be careful with how you joke with him as it may hurt his feelings. He is the kid though that will always hug you goodnight and always say I love you. He will search for you in the house to do it even and not go to bed till he has done it. Jason loves to be around people and yet likes his alone time also. He has many friends and blends in really well. He is very endearing as he will ask if you are okay if you hurt yourself. It’s funny though because we always tell him that he needs his hearing checked because he doesn’t always hear what you say. Once we said we were going to the store and he told all the other kids we went to go buy a new car. He swears he heard that. If the TV is on you can’t get his attention. He loves baseball and animals. He is very kind to all the animals and always willing to help with them. If you ask the other kids they say Jason gets away with the most. If you ask Jason though…his life is hardJ He is addicted to sugar and loves candy. If there is one piece left in the house he will definitely find it. Cracks me up every time. We used to load his stocking full of gum because he loves it so much.  He is definitely my son that I love very much!

I love my kids so much! They all have these great personalities and are going to grow up and really go far. They all have the love in their heart and are good people. For teenagers we are very blessed that they don’t get in trouble much. They love their family and we still get hugs from them. We are very blessed to have these kids. They are the apple of my eye, the light of my life. I don’t know what I would ever do without them. Man I sound super sappy but hey it’s true! I love them! Our love for our kids isn’t divided…..its multiplied!

 

 

Teenage Driver

I have four teenagers and that freaks me out when it come to driving! Today though I have my first official Teenage Driver. Jackson got his license after having his permit for a year. He is our oldest and although we have two kids who are of age to drive only one is interested in it. Cassie doesn't even have her permit yet and says she isn't ready. So we are waiting.

I am freaked out thinking about driving! I know in away there is a relief of all the driving I have to do with four teenagers that he will be able to run to the store or take himself to a meeting but I am still freaking out. FREAKING OUT! LOL!!

I remember turning 16 and being so excited to drive. My parents let me drive to the corner store with my sister and I thought I was the coolest person in the world! The ENTIRE WORLD! All we did was go to the corner store, buy a soda and come home. I remember seeing my dad peeking out the window. Ryan and I aren't much different.

We live on this really long road. Its oh about 3 miles and you can see all the way down it before you turn on the main road to go to our town. Its pretty funny because we let Jackson drive to go and get celebratory pizza and there was Ryan and I looking in binoculars to make sure he wasn't speeding past the neighbors house at the end of those 3 miles. Sometimes I do crack me up!

It has been funny day. When Jackson was standing in line to get his license you could see the excitement in his face and the dread of "what if I don't pass" feeling. Then what happens? We left one of the papers at home that we needed. So we had to go all the way back and get it and get back to the DMV. I think that stressed him out more because now he was overthinking everything.

Finally we are back with everything and he gets to get in the car. Ryan and I wish him luck and he starts walking out. We hear the lady say, "Which car is yours?" and hear him reply, "The Ferrari at the end there". Mind you he is actually pointing to my Chevy Equinox. She quickly retorts, "Well put the top down and lets go cruising" LOL! I am glad he had someone who helped him get into a relaxed mood but really took her job seriously.

As Ryan and I waited you could tell we were anxious because we kept looking out the window and talking about how old we were now! Teenage drivers scare me. I think that is why we waited till he was more mature and 17. I knew though when he got back whether he passed or not he would try to say he didn't.

As he walked in and tried to look sad and said he didn't pass. I laughed and then he laughed. He couldn't lie to save his life. He passed!

He finished his paperwork and the lady told us all his provisions since he cant drive between the hours of 11pm to 5am and he cant have friends in the car for the first year or till he is 18 whichever one comes first. She told him that we can take his driving privileges away at anytime. He told her that he knew that because we had been telling him since the day he got his permit. :) We were pretty pleased too because she said he had gotten the top score of the year. Mind you its April too not Jan 3rd or something:)

So I have a teenage driver. I better get used to it because I have 3 more kids to go one after another. We are going to take this slow. I wanted him though to have the memory that I did on the day I got my license of being able to go out. I asked him how it felt and he said it was pretty awesome. I am sure it helped that he saw a friend or two in the store. He got his license. Still funny that he told his friends that he was going to a Dr appointment just in case he didn't pass. Yep...that's my kid. Just happy he is happy and got his license.

Science....its whats before dinner

I have to say I love science. I may not be a scientist but I definitely love watching my kids do projects for school. I love seeing what ideas they come up with and how they get to the conclusion to see if their hypothesis was right or not.

Last night we were able to go to the schools open house for the Science Club. They had their science fair and it was pretty neat to look at all the students work. Cassie, our daughter, is the President of the Science club. Our sons Josh and Jason also did a project for their class:) For such a small school they had a good amount of kids do this! Love seeing that enthusiasm for science.

I will go youngest to oldest this time. Jason and his friend Kyle did a project talking about what music helps you to study. They did no music, Dub step and classical music. They thought it would be dub step (its like a techno for us old people). The conclusion however was classical music helped students on their testing:) He got second place in his division and we are so proud of them. He was pretty proud too because he kept telling us that next year he is SO going to get first place:)

Kyle and Jason

Joshua was next. He actually went home sick from school so wasn't able to go to the fair that night (hence why I don't have pics of him just his project). He did a project to see if you could use glow sticks and make the flower actually end up glowing. He thought that yes it would work but the conclusion was no it did not. Good idea though! He got third place in his division and we were really proud of him also.

Josh project...

Cassie and her partner Chase did a really good job also. They wont first place in their division and both of them are hoping to win in the next round to be able to go to state. They did a Let it Grow project seeing if Alfalfa grows better in incandescent light or Fluorescent lights. It will be fun to see if they will go to the next stage.

I am really proud of my kids, as I am daily anyways. It was nice to see them work on something and do it themselves. They got to see how much work they put into it and how well they did all on their own.

Here are all the kids that showed up last night and their amazing teacher Ms. Lewis who without her it wouldn't of been possible. Its awesome to have a teacher that really puts herself out there. She is in the red poke dot shirt. The kids love her and she is so passionate about science and what she does! Cant ask for more than that!

Ms Lewis and Cassie

It was a good night! Here are a couple more pictures....

Jason was so excited

Cassie giving speech to crowd

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Seriously! How did this happen?

Its Friday! YEAH!

I love Fridays! Its the end of the week and its usually our family night. We all stay up late and spend time together but best thing is....we know we can sleep in the next day! Woo hoo I love Fridays!

After the kids were home from school and basketball practice I decided that today we would go through all our clothes once again. I swear the kids don't ever stop growing. How did this happen again? How did we end up with so many clothes and they aren't fitting? Our youngest two ..Josh and Jason (both 14) have been growing leaps and bounds this year. Shoes and pants are constantly going to the thrift store or friends. Joshua is 6'1'' and Jason is 5'6'' but it took him forever to grow. Both of their legs are super long so Jeans become close to high waters a lot. Always shopping for new pants.

Josh and Jason my 14 year olds

Thankfully Jasons mom also does some shopping for him too which is nice when he goes to visit. Its helpful. As I had said before Jackson and Jason are biological brothers. Cassie and Josh are biological siblings. The kids don't know the difference though. They are all ours to us and the kids don't view each other as step siblings at all. You can tell because laughing or fighting is all the same between them all lol.

Whelp with some moaning and groaning mainly from the boys we went through all their clothes. It all started with Ryan going through all his pants to give to the thrift shop. I guess I should add we love our little thrift shop for the simple fact that you can donate there and all the proceeds go to our small community pool. We ended up between us all with 6 garbage bags of good clothes for others, one bag that can be turned into rags, and a couple of new things that can be given to our family members. It was nice to do this.....even though we have to do it often. It was pretty funny when I was in the laundry room and Jackson told me to come find Cassie. She was hidden under the pile of clothes. Kind of easy to find someone who is squirming and laughing:)

Growing up we always gave our clothes to others. I am of sound mind that after you wash something its not new anyways. If we get hand me downs that we like I am all for it! Kids grow fast. Why buy 40 dollar T-shirts or 150 dollar pants. Don't get me wrong we do have some of those things but that's only if the kids work and save their own money for certain items. I want them to like their clothes otherwise to me its a waste of money because they will not wear them. At this age its hard for others to buy them clothes too. I remember being picky as a teen but our kids have to learn to not be that picky. Its about function over fashion. Does it fit? It is going to keep you warm? Is it comfortable? Ryan's favorite T shirts are the super hero ones that are like 5 dollars. I have shopped many times from Goodwill or thrift stores to find awesome things. The shirt I get the most complements on was actually a 2.00 find at Goodwill. We do love others stores like Zumiez, Lane Bryant, Torrid, Hot Topic, Etc....

So YEAH!!! We are cleaned out again and can figure out how many shirts and pants everyone has to get whoever has grown out of things caught up to the others. Somehow Josh always ends up with less clothes than anyone else because he is growing leaps and bounds. So today will be spent ordering him some new clothes online. That is one hard thing about living on a ranch and hour or more away from stores. So Amazon is my best friend. Having Prime Shipping is my second best friend. Whatever you need to your door in just two days. Wow! Saves a lot of time, gas and money.

After doing all this the kids were hungry. Because Jason's teeth were still sore from getting braces yesterday we decided on homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Its a super yummy good recipe so I thought I would share my meatball recipe. The sauce you can use homemade (mine is canned from this summer still) or you can just use Ragu or Presto Sauce. I decided to take pictures too so you can see how yummy. We had dinner which is always our family time. Then we watched a movie together. By the time all that was done it was 1230 and everyone was very ready for bed. I love spending time with my family. Its something I hope they always remember and also something I know I will never forget. Its fun to hear about their days. To have them ask for our advice on things. Its not always easy things to answer either. Just the fact they ask though really makes my heart swell from joy though.

Here is some Pics and then the Meatball Recipe so you can enjoy it in your own home...

Finished Rae's Meatballs

before all stirred together

Rae's Meatballs
3 pounds ground beef (remember we have a large family and I want some for next day)
3 large eggs
1.5 cups chopped onion (we like purple)
1 tablespoon of oregano dried
3 tablespoon basil fresh
1 tablespoon parsley fresh or dried
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1.5 cup of parmigiano- reggiano grated
1-2 tablespoons of diced garlic

Take all these ingredients and mix together. I just use my hands or a wooden spoon. After fully mixed take two Tablespoons of mixture at a time and roll into balls. Set on plate. After all the mixture is in balls take over to your sauce. Sauce should be on medium heat in pan. Put one by one meatballs into the sauce. Do not stir. Keep on medium heat for 20 minutes covered. After 20 minutes gently stir the meatballs. They should be rising to the top of the sauce. Cover 15 more minutes and Voila its done. Scoop sauce with meatballs over cooked Spaghetti. Add little basil and shredded parmigiano on the top. Serve:)


Hope you like the recipe and try it.


Sauce before I put meatballs in

Finished Product...YUM!

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Question: When you outgrow clothes or decide you do not like them anymore.....what do you do with them?