Wordless Wednesday - The Comedy Gauntlet - College Kids

 This is what it looks like when you enter a comedy battle for the first time...a fun experience

YouTube Video: The Comedy Gauntlet

I was one of 16 competitors. I did not win, but had fun trying.

Fun Friday – A Full House – 5 Tips to Save on Your Energy Bill with College Kids Home

 

Photo Credit: CJS Heating and AC Repair

Do you remember the 80’s sitcom, Full House? It was the TV show where extended lived together. My house doesn’t hold extended family, but it feels like it with college kids taking up space that was once empty.

The energy company sent me an email with a summary of my electric usage for the month. According to them…”based on your usage, your next bill will be higher than this time last year.” Hmm. College kids home.

I was sent tips on how to conserve energy, but not one of them said send the kids back to school. Nor did it say turn the heat down on them during the day. One son already complained to me about the thermostat temperature. He said, “Ma we have to walk around in coats because hot flashes keep you warm.”

I ignored my son and came up with tips for lowering your energy bill with college kids at home:

1.      Eat by candlelight, keep the lights off and watch a movie as a family.

2.      Let your student was all of their clothes in one load: no separation of colors.

3.      Show them (again) how to wash dished by hand; give the dishwasher a break.

4.      Do not allow space heaters to be operated for hours, in an empty room.

5.      You must get in the shower within two minutes of turning it on – no more going to another room for five minutes or walking through the house for random items.

My house is full…with two college students, unpacked duffle bags, pizza boxes, and loud talking and laughter in the middle of the night. Perhaps this is an exaggeration…middle of the night for me is 9pm.

Just like in the sitcoms, every family has their issues. And just like in the sitcoms, we’ll come to some resolution of our problem in 30 minutes. However, it may take an entire season to establish new habits.

What fun tips do you have for lowering your energy bill?

 

Fun Friday – The Grapes of Wrath – When college kids come home – 3 Survival Tips

The aftermath of college kids and grapes

The kitchen was quiet, the lights were off. The floor creaked as I stepped across the linoleum to turn on a light. A quick flick of the switch…and POOF, it was as though I had been sucked into a time zone. It was 30 years ago sharing a house with five other girls, and it was DISH NIGHT. Pots with dried cheese, plates piled high, cups all over the counter. We all hated dish night.

My kitchen present-day, housed dishes in the sink and a cluster of dried-out brittle grape vines lay on the countertop. The grapes of wrath. This was a true tell-tale sign that my sons were home from college. One of them pulled all the grapes from the vine, washed them in a colander and left the remnants for me to discover.

It’s a joy to have everyone home for spring break, but it requires readjustment after the cherubs have been out of the nest for a while. There are multiple sets of shoes near the front door, jackets thrown over the arm of the couch, and pizza boxes that never seem to make it to the trash. How do you handle the short visit?

Here are 3 tips for surviving spring break with college kids home:

1.      Reestablish house rules – try this mantra, “if you mess it up, you clean it up”

2.      Spend time together outside of home – go to a movie together, bowling, indoor golf, etc.

3.      Make it memorable – whatever that means to you; make it fun

At the end of the week, the last child grabs his backpack and laundry bag and tosses them into his car. He waves to his Mama Bear as he backs out of the driveway. You smile from the doorway of your home as you ease the door closed. Your kitchen is clean once again, the floor creaks beneath your slow, quiet steps. No grapevines, no mess. You survived a visit from your college kids…this time.

What do you do to survive a visit from college kids?

Muffins with Mom – Home for the Holidays

The screen door squeaked, locks click clicked, and heavy footsteps trampled across the hardwood floor. From the other room, I heard the endearing words, “MAMA…I’m home.” My sons arrived home one day apart. Each one entering the house with cherubic smiles and a load of dirty laundry. College kids, home for the holidays.

I had already decided that the holiday season would be a time for family and plenty of relaxing. My adult children had other ideas. One sons’ shenanigans began as we prepared for a visit to my mom’s house. I stood in front of my bathroom mirror with my make-up bag spread open across the counter.

As I applied concealer, contour creams, eyebrow pencil, etc., my son popped into my doorway.

“What is that on your face?”

“Make-up.”

“Oh, I thought you were doing Painting with a Twist.”

And he wonders why he often appears in my blog posts. This was one of many moments we treasure as a family. Are you creating family memories? If not, it’s not too late to begin. It doesn’t cost a dime and the moments are usually priceless.

My sons both attend college out of state. Our Thanksgiving gathering revolved around family updates. Each one of them said, “Ma I’m going to need some groceries.”

 I said, “Me too. We can’t all need food at the same time.”

My younger son looked at his brother and said, “One of us is going to have to come home.” They both chuckled. Their banter continued throughout the night. The “Grown-ups” (my brother and me) claimed a comfortable spot on the couch, watched a movie, napped, and woke up in time to see the end of the movie.

Siblings, breaking bread together

It was the best night ever…having everyone home for the holidays.

It’s your turn, go out and create memories.

Muffins with Mom – 3 Signs that it’s time to send your child back to school – college bound

When kids have too much time on their hands...time to refocus and prepare for back to school.

My college son - the younger years

Binders, notebooks, ink pens and backpacks, these are all signs that back to school is near. In my house, the back to school indicators are a little different. It’s back to college for my cherubs.

Before I even noticed school supplies on the store shelves, there were situations that caused me to cry out, “When does school start for you?” Here are 3 signs that can cause you to encourage your young adult child to prepare for departure.

1.      You tell your child to unload the dishwasher and he says, “I didn’t use any of those dishes.”

2.      There seven pairs of shoes scattered near your front door, and none of them are yours.

3.      You’re out late and your child sends a text message saying, “What’s for dinner?” You know this child can cook because he’s sent you photos of his delectable dinners when he was away at school.

The irony of these situations is that you know you have taught your child about responsibility. This was evident to me one sunny day as I walked past my sons’ car in the driveway of our house. I noticed his windows were part of the way down.

I peeked into my son’s car, there was no trash on the floor or in the door pockets. No stains on the seats. Thoughts began to form in my head. I could take the empty Gator Aid bottle he left in my car and toss it through his window. Maybe I could drop a small candy wrapper on floor mat, for him to discover later. Hmmm.

Had I carried out my plot, it would have been considered a bad parenting moment. The drawback to that plan is that somehow I would still come out as the looser. My son would have needed to use my supplies to clean up the mess. When I told my son what I thought about doing he said, “Wow, that’s childish.”

“Saying you didn’t use any of the dishes is not childish?” I retorted.

Life’s little lessons continue, even after your children graduate from high school.

What would you add to the list of signs that it’s time for back to school?

Muffins with Mom – The Mystery of the Missing Money

Photo Credit: Process and Faith

Sweat trickled down the middle of my back as the sun accomplished its job of providing warmth, extreme warmth. The metal chair I plopped down on caused me to immediately pop up like a piece of toast from a toaster. To say it was hot outside would be an understatement. Just as I settled into the enjoyment of the event, my cell phone chimed.

“Ma, have you seen that form I need to send to the college?”

This was the beginning of the mystery of the missing money. Well…it wasn’t actually missing money, but the form that needed to be completed in order to potentially receive money to help with college.

“Did you check the file drawer?”

“Yes.”

“Look on top of the file cabinet, you might need to move a few papers around.”

“Okay.”

I arrived home and asked my son whether he found the missing form. He had not. I asked if he had checked on top of the file cabinet. “Yes.”

I marched up the flight of stairs, into our “study room” and straight to the file cabinet. After shuffling a couple of papers, there it was in plain sight, the folder I told my son to look for. I beckoned for my son to come hither.

My son entered the room and I nodded my head toward the file cabinet. He went over to the file cabinet, moved two pieces of paper and uncovered the folder I told him to look for.

“Oh, I didn’t look for a folder. I was looking for a sheet of paper.”

The mystery of the missing money/form was solved.

“There’s a lesson in this somewhere,” I told my son.

“Yeah, I should have actually looked where you told me to look for the form.”

“BINGO.”

Sometimes situations appear to be a mystery in the eyes of our children. However, with our guidance, love, and encouragement, they learn to solve their own mysteries real and imagined.

Have you solved any parenting mysteries lately?