Planning a Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway

It was a last minute decision, but one I will never regret.  I wanted to make plans for my 14 year old freshman and I to get away for a weekend, since she won't have a free weekend for a very long time.  She's getting involved in color guard and lacrosse in high school, so weekends will be a thing of the past for us. We spent the past homeschool year and most of the summer together and needed something fun to do.

First I had to find a place to stay, then I needed to find things to do.  I didn't want to go too far, but create a memorable and relaxing time.  It took me a few hours searching online, but God gave me the one!  Emily had never been to a bed and breakfast, so I made plans for us to stay at  at the Kuebler Waldrip Haus (http://www.kueblerwaldrip.com/) in New Braunfels.  We got the last room they had for two nights on a Saturday and Sunday.  It was rural, which was appealing to the relaxing part of my goal, and I saw they had a fully stocked pond.  I knew she wanted to learn how to fish so that would be one thing we could do fun together.

We could do many other things in the New Braunfels area, outside of San Antonio.  Emily had always wanted to go tubing on the Comal, but we had always spent our time at Schlitterbahn, the world's best waterpark,  instead.  So, I planned to take her tubing on the Comal River, the "longest shortest river in the world." It was a good choice over the Guadalupe River since it stays about 72 degrees year round and has a more family friendly feel.

My plans had to include a nice restaurant.  I'd always wanted to eat at the Gristmill Restauant in the historic district of Gruene.  We'd never made it there knowing they didn't have A/C.  One of my side goals on this trip was to help Emily acclimate to the heat for upcoming guard camp and marching band camp.  Wow, my plans were coming together nicely (patting myself on the back.)

On our trip down IH -35, we could stop at the outlet mall , which we rarely visited, and do another one of her favorite things, shop! So, we had a place to stay with breakfast built in, a restaurant I'd been wanting to go to and a few first time activities, so my planning was done.

Almost...

Media Guru in the Making

As a volunteer social media specialist at my church, I know a little about the topic.  I'm a regular facebooker and the Pinterest queen, and I occasionally tweet.  But, admittedly, I am a novice at the whole blogging process and am learning as I go.  As I research Christian women's blogs,  the new world of blogging opens up to me, and I realize there is so much to learn about this media. 

A lot of blogger's make money, have giveaways, have sponsors, display advertisements, have linky parties, share posts by other bloggers.  There is daily blog maintenance, which includes pinning a post, sharing posts on google +, facebook, twitter and instagram.  One can track pageviews, subscribers, and followers.  

What topics should we write about?  Who is our audience?  Should we include pictures?  Do we need catch words and phrases to promote our blog?  The more I read online, the more questions I have.  Of course, it is normal to be overwhelmed when learning something new.  Some days the reading leads to more learning, and other days are a loss with only more questions.  I have to be careful not to get lost in the computer tunnel and say hello and feed my family, let the dogs out, and such.

With time and reading skills, anyone can be a self-taught social media guru. With the search engines and generous people sharing their information and tips online daily, the information needed is out there.  I look forward to continuing my online education on how to blog effectively. I am so glad it's not up to me to find words, thoughts, ideas, and content.  I am just the deliverer in this position, and I work for a godly women with great writing skills.  

I look forward to traveling this learning journey and using it to minister to others with a terrific church leader, Kat Cannon.  If you want to read some of her stuff you can go to R.E.A.L. Women's Rants and Raves. You may just find her blog on Pinterest or Facebook.  That, my friend, is progress and didn't just happen.  You are invited to read my stuff too, and I hope to use my new found skills to better my blog also.

May you be inspired, and all tips, comments and advice is welcomed!

Back to Public School, Committed and Carpooling

It's only May and her last eighth grade semester homeschooling doesn't end for 17 week days, but Emily has already made the James Bowie High School Color Guard.  Why audition so early?  Because spring band camp starts next week.  Oh no, the Bowie Band and Color Guard (The Guard) doesn't begin practicing when the fall semester hits, these kids will be putting in almost 300 hours rehearsing before the first day of school.  Why, you ask.  Because the James Bowie High School Outdoor Performing Ensemble are BOA Grand National Championship Finalists. That's why!

This year, The Guard practices 32 of the 80 days of summer break. That means 72 hours  learning the flag routine and 224 hours practicing it with the marching band in the Texas heat.  No wander the JBHS Color Guard member contractual agreement holds them to all scheduled rehearsals and events, leaving a little over 650 hours of free time in their  48 days this summer.

As a band ensemble mom, I look forward to helping car pool band and guard teens the 5 miles from their homes somewhere near the High School for their three times a day practices with the marching band. It will be interesting driving teenagers to Burger Stadium for their 8:00 am rehearsals.  Then I will make myself available to transport them back and forth for their two hour lunch and dinner breaks in their 13 hour days in the sweltering August temperatures. I will be making sure they have water, food, and a cool place to rest when they are in my care.  It will be a privilege to serve the children of these dedicated band families! Not sure if I'll be up for the 9:00 pm trip getting them back home safely, but by then most of their parents should be off work or the evening shift drivers can handle the task. We know these families are NOT taking vacation in August! Unless they have someone to watch their children, like we will.

How was I supposed to know last year not to schedule our 25th honeymoon cruise to Alaska in August? Thank God for retired parents who can travel here to stay with Emily, so she can make her JBHS Color Guard commitment! If you see my dad and mom dropping her off or picking her up, give them a shout out for me.  They are saving the day for me, for a week!!

So thankful for healthy parents and child who can compete with one of the best marching bands in the nation. I truly believe God has given me a blessed life.  With a supportive husband and an only child, we have more time and means to serve our community.  In each chapter of life, I simple sit back and wait for the opportunities to bless the people God brings into my daughter and my life.  It's better than playing Santa Claus once a year.  I look forward to the daily gig carpooling that will enable me to interact with Emily's new friends. And the week with my husband in the untamed wilderness of God's country!

Emotional Healing Through Homeschool

At the beginning of the 2014/2015 school year, we pulled our 8th grader out of public school. She had been begging me to homeschool her through most of her second semester of her seventh grade year. Her sensitive spirit was getting pummeled every day. She was taking to heart all of the mean things kids were saying to her in the hallways and under their breath in the classroom. She was called names, bad names, and really bad names. Her previous classmates and strangers spewed ugly words at her for no reason. Even the friend she spent the most time with outside of school would turn on her at school. This girl would call her a cow in the lunchroom and make comments about her breaking the seat at their table if she sat on it. She told her and the other kids at the table the seat wasn't big enough for her fat butt. My daughter took her crap and continued to be her friend at home. But soon, my child was not eating lunch at school and to avoid ridicule, she spent her lunch period in the bathroom. Alone.

I knew the situation was bad, because my daughter's sunny demeanor was turning gray. I was letting her ride her tough friendship out, knowing girl's friendships can be on & off in cycles. She always made friends easily, was very outgoing, enjoyed being around people. She was fun- loving, witty, but something had changed in 7th grade.  With all the girls.  She tried to develop a shield, but it closed her off. It didn't protect her enough. She was getting seriously injured as time went by.
And how was her dad & I equipping her?  We told her to hang in there, to stick it out. Not to believe the things people said about her. To forgive the mean girls. To show them how to be kind. Learn to go with the flow, and this time will pass.
She knew she was loved. By all of my friends, by her dad, by her extended family. But that wasn't enough. She needed to be accepted by her peers. Included into their social circles. Brought into their safe havens. She was alone. She was unprotected. And her bestie was the the one whose words cut the deepest. So she worked the hardest to win her approval. She let this girl abuse her, call the shots, demean her, and take away part of her self.

At home things were better than at school and we didn't really know how badly our child was being wounded. We didn't know the power of the lunchroom drama and our girl was too ashamed to reveal it. This girl flew under the parental radar like a pro. She held my daughter's heart in her hand and only squeezed it when we were not looking. Clever!
Instead of coming clean at a parent meeting between the girls and moms, the girl sat silent and made my daughter out to be a fool. Later she set up her up for a fall. It worked and her mother banned my child from her child. She believed her daughter's lies and severed ties between us all. Thank God!

We felt relieved. It was a loss at first but we've become healthier without these people in our lives. And we forgave them.

This week is spring break, and we are two-thirds finished with our eighth grade year of homeschooling together. My daughter has really blossomed cognitively, mentally, physically, and emotionally and socially.  She has made new friends at her homeschooling academies and rekindled old friendships worth keeping. Best of all, she has figured out she sold herself short in her previous relationship and mistakenly gave someone else power over her.

My daughter is happy, witty and fun-loving again. Her grayness has become a calm blue with highlights of sunny yellow.
So glad to have my girl back!

Stay tuned for more about our homeschool days...and plans for high school...

Lessons in Protecting My Child's Innocence

After saying, "No" for months, I activated my old iPhone for my teen daughter.  I knew this meant more work for me to keep a watch on her social media activities and protect her from sexual predators.  I was willing to invest in that, so she could have this luxury item.  Immediately she started filling up her screen with apps, so I did too.  I learned about a tracker app, Life 360, and now I feel empowered about keeping tabs on my daughter's physical location.  It checks her in when she gets home and I get an email.  Plus it shows registered sex offenders who live around us. Just letting her be outside can be dangerous these days. I rely on the buddy system most of the time.

So, Not only do I have to protect her from sexual predators near and far, i's my job to protect her mind too. The filth in the world now has a direct line to my child if I am not careful.  A friend recommended I always have the password for all devices that plug in.  Sage advice.  And I know how sneaky teens can be...I was one once.

Things have gone along well so far until recently, when I became suspicious of the hours of "reading" she was doing on her phone.  She had been asking me to get the app too and read things I am interested in. She told me she was reading fanfic about her favorite boy band and described what that was, no I didn't know.  I put her off, thinking all was good, not taking her up on her offer or checking into this further.  Was she trying to ask me to check on her? Making sure she was abiding by the conservative rule of thumb of our home? 

Not long ago She got a Facebook account because she became of legal age, but I knew that medium was passé.  Instagram and Snapchat were the next new apps teens were into.  I made myself aware of these foto apps by having accounts and sending out pix on them too. ( No I'm not trying to be a hip mom). Thank God I had worked with the youth at church to observe the changing trends of the next best app.  I would have been focused on watching the wrong app for insight into my daughter's developing social media habits.

That is just it, these apps trend in and out faster and faster and a parent can have a difficult time keeping a good grasp on their teens safety let alone protect their children's innocence. But I

won't be fooled or left behind in the uploading dust of my daughter. I have relied on other mom's advise and always welcome yours! Dad's too.

Now to my latest catch, the wattpad app.  It has a worthy description and it seems like a great reading and publishing resource.  Ya, right!  I finally took our girl up on her offer to try it and immediately became alarmed.  I was able to read some pretty racy stuff and there is even easily accessible rated R literature on this sight. Along with real authors, anyone can publish graphic pieces of a story and get immediate feedback by world hungry teens.  There are no rating filters in place, that I saw.  If you are reading other teens writings the format is very alluring.  The reader is left hanging chapter by chapter, until the "author" publishes the next excerpt. I imagine the feedback gives the young authorship more incentive to create a more adult text each time they post more of their fiction. And some start out with lusty scenes I never want my teen to read.

Needless to say, I have been awakened to the increasing intensity of this job of protecting my daughter's innocence.  We both deleted our wattapps and from now on I will take her up on her offer of checking out the true content of an app she asks to download.

What experiences have you encountered that might aid me in keeping some of my girl's innocence intact?