Mama's Boy

Is it normal for my ten year old son to be completely crushed that I wasn't called to be his Primary teacher? 

He should have outgrown me by now, right?

I don't deserve this sweet guy. 

When I was growing up, I was more like Jess.  I needed and expected a little bit of space from my parents.  Not too much... just enough that my friends wouldn't know how attached I really was to them.

Not, Jonathan!  When we are home, he is attached to my side at all times.  I don't get too far without hearing MOM-MEEEEE!!!!   Usually, he needs to tell me something about a Pokemon in his DS or Game Cube game.  Sometimes, he just needs to make sure that I haven't slipped out without telling him (which I NEVER do). 

I worry, because this is not normal 10 year old boy behaviour. I worry about his future wife.  Boy, will she have to be special.  I worry that he is going to magically grow out of his Mama's Boy stage, and I won't be prepared.  For the most part, I just enjoy it.  I enjoy the hugs, kisses and declarations of love that my son still bestows on me.  I am grateful that he is still a Mama's Boy.  Normal is overrated, anyway!

More from Jonathan

Tonight, I picked up Jonathan from the ever-dreaded after-school program (we are trying a new program on Monday).  As we were walking out to the car, a cute little kindergartner was running far ahead of his mom.  The boys said goodbye to each other as we approached our car.  Christian was standing next to his car waiting on his mom and sister to catch up.  I mentioned to Jonathan that I thought the little boy was adorably cute.  This particular boy has very curly hair.  We all know what Jonathan thinks about curly hair.  As the mother rounds the corner to meet up with her waiting son, Jonathan yells, "Christian, I like your afro curls!"  Oh, wow.   Terribly afraid that this mother was going to be offended, I tried to do damage control.  I explained that Jonathan aspired to have hair like Christian's.  She laughed, and shared her displeasure with keeping up with crazy boy curls.  Thankfully, she didn't seem horribly offended by my son.  Seriously, more than once, he referred to his "afro."

That's Just Disturbing... To a Ten Year Old Boy

When I was typing up my Jonathan quotes yesterday, I realized that I forgot a really good one.  Well, I guess that would be relatively speaking.  I think his quotes are good, but I might be the only one.  Not to mention, most of the fun in Jonathan's quotes are the inflection that he uses in his voice.  You kind of miss that when you read it on a blog.

Anyway, I had picked Jonathan up from the dreaded after-school program.  I was explaining to Jonathan that Dad was still at work, and that I was meeting my friends for dinner.  I told him that Jess would be watching him, and that Dad would be home soon.  Jonathan gets nervous about these things, so I was trying to make him feel better.  It seems that he got stuck at the part where he realized that I was meeting the girls for dinner.

Jon:  So, let me get this straight, you and Aunt Angel (dang, Angela, your name has made a lot of appearances on this blog) are going to have dinner with other girls?

Me:  Yep.

Jon:  That is just DISTURBING!

Me:  Why is that?

Jon:  Well, a bunch of girls getting together and having dinner in a restaurant... that is just disturbing.

Me:  What about Daddy?  He and his friends get together and go see movies together.  Is that disturbing?

Jon:  No, not really.

What a ten year old boy thinks about!  I guess he is afraid that it is going to look like some big female double date.

Three men getting together at 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday night in a dark movie theater.  Doesn't that sound more disturbing?  I guess not to a ten year old. That is just three buddies hanging out together.  He can imagine going to a movie with his friends, but not out to a restaurant.

Straight from Jonathan's Mouth

Who Needs Shampoo?
After a recent doctor's appointment, Jonathan and I had to make a trip to CVS.  While we were there, we made one worker laugh by having this conversation:

Me:  Jonathan, are you almost out of shampoo?
Jon:  Ummm, yeah, I ran out.
Me:  (In a surprised voice) When?
Jon:  Yesterday
Me:  What did you wash your hair with this morning?
Jon:  Well... nothing.
Me:  And, why didn't you let me know that you were running out of shampoo?
Jon:  I thought you just went into the bathroom and checked on those things.

I'm a Tween
Last week, I was taking Jonathan to school.  Jonathan began to talk to me in his really important, I'm trying to be a big man voice.

Jon:  Mommy, did you realize that I am now a tween?
Me:  Really?
Jon:  Yes.  When I turned 10 I became a tween.  Tween means that you are in between a child and a teenager.  Do you get it?  Tween comes from between?

Jonathan's Hair
Back story:  At Jonathan's birthday party, Aunt Angel told Jonathan that she really liked his hair that length.  For me, his hair was getting a little long and hard to work with.  I remember rolling my eyes, and giving Angela a sarcastic thanks.  I knew that comment was going to be replayed in our house.  Sure enough, I heard Fred and Jonathan having the following conversation:

Fred:  Mommy has visiting teaching tonight, so you and I are going down to get that mop on your head cut.
Jon:  (In an indignant tone) What??  Don't you remember what Aunt Angel said?  She said that my hair looks good at this length.

Scoring Points with Mommy
Me:  Hey Jonathan, I just got a call from Primary.  I'm going to substitute in your class again.
Jon:  Oh, yeah! Give me a high-five, Mommy!

Where is The Filter?
Jonathan has struggled off an on at his after-school program.  There are many reasons why it has been a rough road.  It is an extremely long day for him.  He is one of those kids that should have been blessed with a mom that could stay at home with him.  The program really isn't conducive to the needs of ADHD kids, and the teachers really don't "get" him.  Another reason could be, because Jonathan is missing that filter between his brain and his mouth.  He is painfully honest.

I picked him up yesterday, and I could tell he was frustrated.  Thankfully, he hadn't been in trouble.  However, Jonathan's friend had been unfairly punished, and he was not happy about that.  We had barely gotten around the corner.  We probably weren't out of earshot, though.

Jon:  (In anger)  I HATE this place.  It sucks eggs!
Me:  Let's talk about this in the car.  This isn't the place to discuss it.
Jon:  I can't help it!  This place sucks eggs!  It sucks eggs, I tell you!

Where do we learn phrases like "it sucks eggs?"

Catchy Blog Names
My maiden name is Forthman.  Fred and Jonathan had this conversation right in front of me.  All I'm going to say is... RUDE!

Jon:  It is a good thing that our last name isn't Forthman.
Me:  Really?  Why is that?
Jon:  Because, our blog name would be The Forthman Four.  That is just a silly name.
Fred:  Forthman Four is worse than Fortenberry Four?
Jon:  Well, if you ask me, both names are pretty dumb!
Fred:  Yeah, I know what you mean.

Flarp!

Jonathan is positively motivated by junk, so we have gone to a token system with him.  He can earn a token each morning for completing all of the items on this chart in a timely manner.  I have a bag full of fun little items that I bought at Walmart.  Each piece of junk/treasure can be purchased for five tokens.

(Obviously, the chart needs to be reworked.  I forgot many items the first time I put it together.)

Jonathan earned his first treasure today.  He chose what I thought was a container of putty.  I was shopping quickly and didn't look closely at the container.  Upon closer examination, I realized that the container read Flarp!  Noise Putty.  By Flarp, they really mean a word that sounds kind of like flarp.  Turns out it is one of those containers of putty that you stick your finger in, and it makes rude noises. Fun times will be had by all this weekend!

Gotta Be Jazz

Jonathan's fourth grade music program was tonight. They performed jazz songs, and did a wonderful job.

Here is the shy videographer (I think I just made that word up) and her friend, Andee.

The husband who gets cranky when his wife takes extreme close-up pictures of him.

The singer. I swear that I tried to get the red eye out. I think it is the glare from his glasses.

Last, but certainly not least, my very favorite picture. Jonathan was so happy that Jess was there that he kept hugging her after the performance.

He walked all the way out the door with his arm wrapped around her.

Am I a Good Example?

Once upon a time, many years ago, I was teaching in Primary.  I was fairly new to the church, and really new to Primary.  We had worked so hard for our Primary Program.  I remember sitting on the stand helping all of the wiggly and excited children.  I was so focused on those children that I almost missed a very special moment.

The kids were singing, I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ.  I remember looking up to see one of the Mom's with tears in her eyes.  It was at that moment, I realized how powerful that song is coming from such sweet little voices.  Anytime I hear that song, I always think back to that moment.

So, fast forward to last night.  I went to bed with a horrible migraine.  One thing is for sure, if I go to bed with a migraine, I am most definitely going to wake up with an even worse one.  There was no surprise when I woke up at 2:30 a.m.  I swear someone was inside my head with a hammer just pounding away.   Crazy, I know.  But, it is true!   Somehow, through all that pounding, I thought about that moment during the Primary Program when I really listened and heard the worlds to that special song.

I remembered those little voices singing with such conviction:

I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I know who I am, I know God's plan.
I will follow him in faith.
I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I'll honor his name.
I'll do what is right; I will follow His light.
His truth I will proclaim.

Through the pounding in my head, I thought of my own children.  I thought of their testimonies, and their convictions.  I am a convert to this church.  Fred's parents were both converts, and married in the temple.  His family is now less active.  So much rests on my shoulders.  I am the example that they have to look to.  Let's face it, I'm human and can sometimes be a less than stellar example.  I am the one that has to ensure that we are going to church on Sundays.  That we are having family home evening, family scripture time, family prayer and personal prayer.  I am the one that has to make sure that they are learning all the doctrines necessary for them to grow and learn.  I am the one that has to teach them "what they must do to live with Him someday."  No pressure, really.

I thought of their future.  When they are adults will they have strong testimonies?  Will they be married in the temple?  Will they live righteously, and teach their children to live righteously?  When it is all said and done, will I look back and wonder if I did enough while they were young?  Was I a good example?

Hmmm.... I think that I need to look into some good migraine meds.  With thoughts like these, no wonder my head hurts all the time!

Hangin' with Flo

Progressive Insurance finally had their holiday party last night.  Fred and I got all gussied up and headed to Dallas.  We partied with Flo... she was there, really.  We even got our picture made with her.  I am so not lying. 

Okay, technically,  I'm not lying.  She was there in the form of a cardboard cutout.

I Love You

A long, long time ago when I was in the 6th grade, my Granny had to go live in a nursing home.  We went to visit her and took her this little sign.  It was hung on the wall right at her eye level.  I remember that she looked over at the sign and then looked back at me.  In a frail voice, she said "I love you, too."  I cried and cried, because I didn't like seeing her so sick and weak.  After she died, I swore I was done with nursing homes, hospitals and sick grandmothers.

Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way.  Yesterday, we went to see my Grandma in the hospital.  She has been bouncing in between the hospital and the nursing home for several months now.  She looked really good.  There is a lot said for having naturally good skin.  It also helps when you have some of your make-up tattooed on.  Her hair had grown and it was annoying her.  So, we played beauty shop, and I combed and fluffed her hair. 

When we got there she was taking a breathing treatment.  After the treatment, they roll her onto her back and beat on it to loosen up the junk in her lungs.  Mom took the kids out of the room during the beating process.  Grandma was excited to have me watch this process.  This particular caregiver had been a percussionist in high school (I asked).  She basically played a drum solo on Grandma's back.  It was interesting to say the least. 

The kids hadn't seen Grandma in a long time.  She was highly contagious with MRSA, and I couldn't let the kids see her.  Grandma was sure happy to see those kids.  She said things that made them laugh.  Some of those things I can't repeat.  When you are a Grandma, you can say anything you want!  She loved on them and told them how beautiful they were.  That Jonathan is real trooper.  She uses that crazy Grandma strength that older people have, and puts him in a head lock.  She hugs, kisses and pats on him.  And, of course, she tells him how handsome he is and how much she loves his hair.  Good grief, if people keep telling him that, he's never going to get it cut!

We brought Grandma a little valentine bear that said I Love U on it.  I didn't think about the similarities between that bear and the sign that we once gave my Granny.  That is, until she looked at the bear and then looked over at me.  And, she said, "I love you, too."  This time I was big girl and didn't cry.  I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of my Grandma.  I know that once she has completed her earthly trials, she will return again to be with Him.  I just hate those earthly trials.  But, they are a part of life that we must all endure.

Cutie Patooties

These pictures were taken just before we left for church last Sunday.

Double-Digits

My baby turned ten yesterday... double digits... he now has to hold up all ten of his fingers to show is age.  Where or where did the time go?

Somehow this lucky boy scored another birthday dinner out of us.  I asked Jonathan what he wanted me to fix for his birthday.  Fred, knowing that he would say spaghetti, wondered aloud if Jonathan might like to go out for his birthday.  I, seriously, thought that we had just gone out to Fuddruckers for his birthday.  Jonathan quickly jumped at the idea of going out to eat... on a school night, no less.  No one was surprised when he chose his very favorite hamburger joint, Mooyah.  Neither one of us can figure out why he chose Fuddruckers on Saturday.  He barely even ate his hamburger.  But, last night, he tore that Mooyah burger up.

Yes, I am that kind of mother.  The one who treats her baby to a chocolate milkshake on his birthday.  The one who lets her baby have a milkshake even though he has a milk allergy.  The one who sent her son to school the next day coughing, because he had too much milk.  That's me!

Birthday Plans Gone Wild

Jonathan will be 10 tomorrow.  We talked about it and decided on a small family dinner with just MaMaw, Grady and the Simmons family.  Fuddruckers was Jonathan's restaurant of choice, so I started coordinating a lunch or dinner for Saturday.  At the same time that I started coordinating Jonathan's birthday dinner, discussions started about another birthday dinner.  This one would celebrate Jonathan's birthday along with our friends Abie and Dave's.  The latter celebration hadn't quite gotten off the ground, because of some scheduling conflicts.  Then, we received word that the cousins couldn't make Jonathan's birthday dinner.  As all this is happening, my Visiting Teacher asked Jonathan what he was doing for his birthday.  He replied that he was having a Laser Tag party.  What???  That was NEVER discussed.  Okay, so long story short, we threw together a last minute party with a few really good friends that had an opening in their schedule.

We started the festivities yesterday afternoon at Fuddruckers.  We had my parents, the Garstka's, plus Abie and Stacey.  I have learned that Fuddruckers is not a great place for a large group.  We crammed ourselves in this booth, and then we had the three girls at a separate table.

The girls' table

After Fuddruckers we went down the street to Strikz.  There we celebrated with cake, played laser tag and arcade games.

The Fortenberry Four getting ready for cake at Strikz

No birthday candles on his cake this year.  Technically, we weren't supposed to bring outside food into Strikz.  We were celebrating fast before we got caught.  I thought candles might give us away!

Jonathan has requested this cake two years in a row. You poke holes in the cake and chocolate pudding down in the holes. The frosting is actually chocolate pudding mixed with cool whip. I like it, and I don't even like cake!

The big boys and the kids

The obligatory silly pose. The kids never miss an opportunity to pose in a goofy manner.

The birthday boy!

All ten of us... men, women and children alike participated in Laser Tag.  Oh what fun we had playing girls against guys.  I took my camera out to the car, so that it wouldn't be left unattended while we were doing Laser Tag.  As a result, I missed tons of good photo opportunities after we finished with Laser Tag. 

If I had my camera, I would have taken the following pictures:

• Jonathan and Madison playing game after game of air hockey.  I said that they looked like little miniature versions of Fred and Angela.  When they worked at Mountasia, Fred and Angela would spend hours perfecting their air hockey skills.  Mountasia actually sent them to an Air Hockey Tournament where they failed miserably.
• Jonathan playing pool with Stacey and then later he played Angela.  Oh how that boy loves his Aunt Angel.  I think it is because she is very patient and listens to everything he says... even though it takes him a good thirty minutes to get one thought articulated.
• Everyone in their Laser Tag vest.  We came in after a group of teenage girls.  Many of the vests had to be loosened.  I was lucky... I think I must have grabbed a vest that was worn by an actual adult.
• Jessie and Stacey shooting hoops.
•  The little ones playing ski-ball.
• Madison's experiment... dumping salt, pepper and tabasco sauce into a cup.  I can't tell you how hard I sneezed while I was cleaning up the experiment.

I am glad that we ended up putting a little impromptu party together.  We had so much fun that we've decided to get together on MLK day for another play date!

Is that Really Jonathan?

Is this really my son?  I found him reading a book instead of playing video games on a Friday night?

Oh Brother

Jonathan looks like Joey Tribbiani from FRIENDS when he would deliver his infamous pick-up line... "How you doin'?"

If I were a Princess

If I were a Princess (a cat named Princess, that is)  I would:

lie down on the Queen's bed.  The morning sun streams down on that bed quite nicely.  It makes a great place for sunning.  What might the Queen do to make that spot even better, you ask?  She can fold her nice warm laundry on my favorite bed.  For some reason, the Queen likes to work really fast.  I think she is worried about the Princess' hair being deposited on the clothes.

What might happen after the Queen gets done folding her laundry?  Well, if I were a Princess, I might curl up on the Queen's pillow and relax.  Yes, I am aware that Queen is in need of a headboard.  I think the King said that the Queen's headboard didn't work on the current bed frame.  The headboard is in the garage.  I'm pretty sure the King hopes that the Queen has forgotten about the headboard, and won't ask about it anymore.  That King is so silly!

Winter Wonderland

December 29th brought more snow to our area!  What a wonderful holiday season for us Texans.  It isn't often that we see snow... especially during the Christmas season.

This is what I found as I ventured home last Tuesday.  Beautiful!

Me and My Steven

Once upon a time, I was a high school band geek.  Shocking, I know.  I'm sure you had me pegged as a popular, cheerleader type.  My friend, Steven, was also a band geek.  He was two years younger than me, but we bonded instantly.  This was an era before cell phones and texting.  Steven and I would spend hours on the phone.  Our parents would call home to give us instructions (like to start dinner or do the dishes), only to get a constant busy signal.  This was also before call waiting.  We watched soap operas together over the phone, and then discussed the "shocking" plot.  Seriously, I was naive, so it never occured to me that this was not normal "guy" behavior.

As I went to college, we stayed close.  Then we reunited at Univeristy of North Texas.  My junior and sentior year were his freshman and sophomore year.  We had lunch together each day, and still discussed the "shocking" plots of our favorite soaps.  Hanging with Steven my junior year, helped me get over the fact that I was missing Fred (he was an enormous 40 minutes away in Plano).  This time I was not so naive, and wasn't shocked when he ventured out of the closet.

After Fred and I got married, we would occasionally call or meet for dinner.  Then we both became busy with life, and lost touch.  I became obsessed with finding Steven.  I found a Steven Parker in Allen.  I called and left several crazy messages for the wrong Steven Parker.  I wonder what his wife thought?  I heard through my mom that he had moved to Colorado.  I still worried and wondered and hoped that I might see him again.

One day, through the mircale of Facebook, we reconnected.  It was great to hear that he was doing well.  But, the happiest day came a few weeks ago when Steven posted that he would be in town.  The emails started flying, and before we knew it, there was a get together planned.  I almost didn't go, because I didn't graduate the same year as the others.  In the end, I knew that if I didn't go I would regret it.  So, last Monday I ventured out to Plano to meet up with my old friend.  And, it was like time stood still.  We had so much fun visiting and reminiscing.  There was only one problem.  It seems that some of us girls had confided a few secrets to Steven regarding our future husbands.  Since so much time had lapsed, I guess Steven thought it would be okay to divulge our secrets! Embarrassing, to say the least.

It was a great night, and I enjoyed catching up with old friends.  And, Mike Pope, I forgive you for saying that I'm starting to look like my mother!  (Mom, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with looking like you.)

Hello 2010

We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year's. We had an invitation to spend New Year's Eve with our good friends, the Garstka's. I know we would have had a great time, but we ended up passing on the invitation. We have been running nonstop this month, and I decided that we all needed a break. I guess I was right, because Fred was the only one who stayed awake last night. Fred came into the bedroom, and I popped up really quick. I told him not to worry that I was just resting my eyes. I assured him that I had every intention of staying awake to greet the new year. He laughed and informed me that the new year had started four minutes ago. Oops... I guess I was doing more than resting my eyes.

Jonathan didn't even make it to 9:00 p.m. We're not sure what time Jess fell asleep. The light was on in her room, so we thought she was awake. At 11:15 p.m. we discovered that her light was on, but she was sound asleep. How sad are we? Maybe we'll do better next year.

I had stopped at the grocery store on my lunch hour and bought sparkling pear juice.  My Grandma gave me these goblets one year for Christmas.  They were hers, and she thought that I might like them.  I pulled them out last night to celebrate the new year.  Since we all fell asleep early, they were used this morning.  Jonathan thought it was an awesome thing to drink sparkling pear juice out of the big goblets.  Jess and I were not sure if we liked the pear or not.  Jonathan thought it was fantastic.  In fact, the bottle of sparkling pear juice was gone before lunch today.

Fred and the kids lounged around today.  I was dressed in my lounging clothes, but certainly didn't lounge.  I was busy cleaning and reorganizing after the Christmas craziness.  The decorations have been put away, and homes have been found for all of the wonderful gifts that we received.

The new year is always a time for goal setting.  Some years I have a long list of goals that I want to achieve.  Then there are some years that I hardly give it a thought.  This is one of those years where I feel very ambitious and have a nice long list of goals and resolutions. 

Parenting is the area where I have the most need for improvement.  I have struggled with my parenting skills for the last thirteen years.  Both of my kids have some special needs, and I haven't done a very good job in meeting those needs. I spent most of the day putting together some tools that I hope will help me as I work towards being a better parent.

Last month I started listening to a set of CD's called Celebrate Calm.  These CD's are targeted towards parents with ADHD kids.  Most of the ideas and concepts should also help Jess.  One of the suggestions was to get a simple white board and list all that is expected of your child.  Today was a lazy day at home, so the list resembles a chore list.  However, it could be a list that would let Jonathan know that he has Karate, will be getting a hair cut, and that we will be getting groceries before lunch.  Just something so that he knows what to expect throughout the day.  ADHD kids don't do well with surprises, and I am not always good at communicating the tasks and events that will occur throughout the day.

For family scripture time, I am going to incorporate the use of these seminary scripture mastery cards.  I spent the evening laminating three sets.  I have to trim them out and put them on rings tomorrow.  I will be passing them out during Family Home Evening on Sunday.

I also made this list for Jonathan to hang in his room.  I keep his morning routine very consistent.  However, we still have to remind him to brush his teeth, or to put his shoes on.  One morning, I went to work early.  Jonathan didn't brush his teeth that morning, because Daddy didn't tell him to.  I am hoping that I can just keep referring him to the chart, until he realizes that ALL of these things have to be done EVERY morning.  Some mornings he is great, and needs very little reminders.  Then there are the mornings where he just looks at you with a blank stare.

This is just a start.  I am continuing to research and learn, and hope to come up with more ways to help our family.  2010 is off to a great start!

P.S. Sorry that these pictures are so boring.  No people pictures were taken today.  Did I mention that we spent the day in our loungewear?