Is anybody there??

Wow,
A whole week has gone by.

Is the 'New' Wearing Off?

Uh Oh! It has been several days with no post. Is this the end, has the shiny-new car smell worn off? Ok, not quite yet. It seems I'm blogging just for me, because I don't think Bock-Kid-1 has looked at this. However, in the scheme of things, it is hard to make time for a new enterprise like blogging when there are so many other things going on in life. Take school projects, finals, and family matters like visiting relatives. All worthwhile and very important things to do but for now it puts Mom's new 'toy' on the back burner. I suppose it would be good to look into blog etiquette so as not to go too far into other people's lives (like complaining about their kids) or, at least move away so they can't find me when I do...
Right now we are working on Bock-Kid-2's 2nd Egyptian art project involving clay-aaaaiiieeee-this stuff is expensive. It seems like each project we have done for school has run $20-$40 dollars. Investing in your kid's education is important, but at what point does it turn into grade buying? Maybe that point is when mom trys to motivate kid by going to the craft store but then starts going gung-ho with ideas.
Last year we did a $35 diorama for Paul Revere's last ride because while looking for figures to populate, Mom got the idea we should get stickers from the scrapbook aisle to be trees, boats, fish, etc. Funny thing, we didn't even take a picture of it for posterity before I convinced pack rat Bock-Kid to part with it.
Hmmmm. Maybe what they say is true, when your kids go to school and you help them with their projects, the parent is the one getting the grade. I remember my mom doing a huge amount of research and drafting letters for me to copy to get things for a report I was doing. Perhaps it is all just Karma and we are just getting a chance to turn in our 'own' work. Someday when my kids have their own, they can do the projects...

Pinching Pennies

Each day brings more grim economic news. Just reading, and sharing with the boys, that the average middle class income is $63,091. So much for thinking we were in the middle class.
One can either despair, or chose to believe everthing will work out ok. I am working hard on having faith and remembering God has brought us through tougher times than these.
The thing I remind the boys of is, what a great opportunity they have to learn about being frugal. Something which will put them ahead of the crowd when things turn around.
While I was being a worry wart about some disturbing news from work, my dear eldest offered to take a quarter off from school. Absolutely NOT! It is funny how one quarter can become two and then they multiply and suddenly you are 40 and have no degree to fall back on in the face of educational discrimination by employers.
We can work together to curb things which do not bring value to our family and learn to entertain ourselves. My children don't really know how to cook, because most of our meals have been pre-prepared, fast food or very, very simple-now is a great time to teach them.
This is where the rubber meets the road and we now have to walk the talk. When things get tough do we pull back from others, or do we stay 'all in' with the things we value-church, charity, those less fortunate from ourselves. I think it is critical to remember there are always those less fortunate than us.
I was talking with someone today whose childhood was lived through the Great Depression. Their means are certainly more than ours, but I find they have exactly the same fears as we do. Losing 50-60% of your portfolio brings the same worries whether that portfolio was worth $5 thousand or $5 million, will there be enough money for necessities?
Here is a challenge, to earnestly review your values and decide what is a necessity and what we can do to pull together during these tough times.

Why Is Losing Weight So Hard?

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. How very true. It is amazing how our bodies adapt to holding on to weight. I am in the beginning stages of a change in my lifestyle. I have been on Weight Watchers for 8 weeks now and only have 10 pounds lost to show for it. My very dear friend Cathleen has lost 57 pounds, she has been doing WW for about 10 months to a year. She looks amazingly fabulous. It is so hard to be patient and trust the plan to work even when there isn't movement on the scale.
There are a million reasons for losing weight. Health and appearance, to stop the constant, well meaning voices of those who feel the way to show they care is to focus on my weight. "You are such a pretty girl, if only you would lose some weight." I have had to come to terms with the fact who I am is much more than people see, I need to stop hiding behind the weight and stop punishing myself for others' misguided but well meaning attempts to get me to lose weight.
This should be an interesting, wild ride.
Look for updates along the way

Ten Year Old + Trombone = Patience Required

My youngest, a great kid who is wise beyond his years, had the opportunity to take band this year in school. He will tell you he is not the tallest kid in his class (I think it is because we didn't give him milk with added hormones-yeah Smith Brothers Dairy) but the instrument he chose-- the trombone!

At this point, his reach will not allow him to extend it all the way and the case is more than half as tall as he is. He says he thought it would be an interesting instrument. Apparently no one else thought so, because he is the only one in his band.

It is interesting how interest fades in proportion to the difficulty of the task ahead? We just had another one of our scintillating conversations about practice time and how one can't quit band in the middle of the year (at least if you live in our house).

What he doesn't hear, is how much he has improved since the first attempts and swollen lips. It is nice hear actual notes coming out of the thing.

Our advice to him, keep practicing, because when you are the only trombone in the band and everyone will hear when you make a mistake.

Like the Sound a Chicken Makes

Names are not my strong suit, I meet a lot of interesting people and since the time I was a kid, I have the darndest time remembering their names.
I try to get people's names by introducing myself, and inevitably the conversation goes something like this.

"Hi, I'm Tiffany Bock."

"Dock?"

"No, Bock."

"Block?"

"Bock."

"Bach"

"No, Bock, B-O-C like Charlie-K, you know, like the sound a chicken makes"

"Oh, is that German?"

"Yes"

I wonder if they mean the name or the chicken sounds?

Perhaps I'm not the one with the name problem, because a lot of people I see the second time say "Oh, hi Ms. Bock." At least something about me was memorable...

Me, I say "Hi!"

Really?

My eldest, who has been advised to go out and conquer the world while he still knows everything, pronounces judgement on my intelligence and credibility with this one small word.

Really?

Emphasis on the first syllable, drag it out a little and finsh it up quickly.
Perhaps it seems fitting for yet another new technological try out on Mom's part. He was shocked to find out I was on Facebook, until I confessed it had been so long since I logged on that I have no idea what the username and password are, ditto LinkedIn, ditto SecondLife. Don't feel to badly about the SecondLife, as I am still trying to get the hang of the first life.

Welcome to a window on our world, but watch out because you never know what might come out of the Bock's.