A weekly list of things accomplished, enjoyed, learned, tried and remembered.
1.The Parade–Black Forest is a really cool neighborhood in our community. There are many beautiful trails to hike, bike, jog, and ride horses on and it also has a little mini “downtown” area with restaurants, bars and a few unique shops. Every year they have a really fun event called the Black Forest Festival. There’s a pancake breakfast, dozens of craft and sales booths to explore, and fun activities for the kids and whole family.
But, the best part is the parade. And the best part of the parade is the C-A-N-D-Y. We have been going for 4 years now and learned very quickly–bring a grocery bag. Nearly everyone participating in the parade throws out gobs and gobs of candy–all the kids scramble to fill up their sacks. My boys love it–they collect a better haul than on Halloween.
The other fun part of the festival are the Outhouse Races. A handful of the local business–including The Chicken Coop (Super Rockstar’s band SofaKillers play at this bar pretty regularly) compete by pushing an outhouse on wheels about a half mile. I don’t know that you will ever see anything as unique as an outhouse rolling at top speed down a forest road.
2. The Boys–This is a new show that Super Rockstar and I found on Amazon Prime Video to binge watch. It’s about Super Heroes that in public are very super hero y, but behind the scenes are dirty, rotten, spoiled, selfish, diabolical villains. It’s VERY good but, it is very adult–don’t let your kiddos watch this one.
3. Ponderosa–Ponderosa is a really cool nearby camp that our middle school students attend every year. Last year was Morgan’s first year and he just LOVED it. I did NOT love 2 over nights and 3 whole days of not seeing or talking to my son. I was a wreck. BUT, he had such a great time and got to do all sorts of things he never would have if he hadn’t gone.
Fast forward to this year. He’s in 7th grade now and ALL he talked about ALL summer long was getting to go Ponderosa again. He was packed and ready to go 2.6 seconds after I gave him the list of what to bring. Since, I was such an emotional mess last year and made such a nuisance of myself to the entire middle school staff–I decided to try REALLY hard to not be “that” parent this year.
I only went to the school for a minute just to make sure the buses showed up and he got on. Sure, I was hiding like a stalker to take a photo of him, but it was just so I would have a recent photo in case he went missing or something. (safety first) After I saw him get on the bus–I thought “Ok. I can DO this. I’m going to be fine.” So, I went to get a Starbucks down the street. Is it my fault that I knew that the buses would be heading that direction? So, casually slipping in behind them after I got purchased my Grande Americano with cream–timing it perfectly to be leaving the drive through as they rolled past–would just be a natural coincidence. (True confession–I DIDN’T time it perfectly, so I drove back toward the school to see if I had missed them driving by and encountered them heading my way. So, I did a U-turn to follow. I am pathetic. I know.)
I ended up following them the whole 40 minute drive. (I need professional help. That’s clear to me now.)
After that I had a good long talk with myself and realized I was being ridiculous. So, I medicated myself the first night, I hyperventilated through the following day. FINALLY in the afternoon, someone from the school posted pics of the kids on their Facebook page I received “proof of life” that my boy was ok. However, sometime in the late afternoon, I started losing my resolve.
I caved and called one of his teachers to ask if we could come out for a quick visit during their dinner time–just to say hi and then leave him to his bonding or whatever. She was SO gracious. Last year when I asked for this–they treated me so terribly–making me feel like a bother and crazy mom. Ok–so, I AM a crazy Mom. I’m probably stunting his emotional development blah, blah, blah. Don’t care. But, this teacher was so kind and listened to my raving lunatic, over protective Momma’s heart and assured us that it would be fine for us to come out for a visit. In the end Super Rockstar and I decided not to. I think it just made a HUGE difference for his teacher to care about my feelings. Maybe they need to offer free therapy sessions for parents next year. Or a three day supply of wine.
4. An awesome gig and a nasty cut. The Down Syndrome Association in our town hosts a fundraiser walk every August. The night before the walk, Super Rockstar’s band, SofaKillers play a fundraiser gig in support of the walk the following day. My boys and I love going and everyone that comes has an absolute blast. That was the fun part of the night.
The not so fun part happened a couple hours after we got there. I was on the dance floor doing my best dance moves
when Grayson came running up to me shouting “Morgan is bleeding!” My super sonic Momma speed kicked into place and I raced over to where Grayson led me. Upon approach I saw A LOT of blood. I also heard my son wailing in agony. Not good. I tried my best to comfort him and as I held him in my arms I found the source of the blood–a deep gash on his forehead. Apparently he had been rounding a corner at high speed in a game of chase and did a face plant on the concrete floor (he inherited his Momma’s gracefulness). His glasses had smashed against his forehead causing the cut.
Now would be a good time to tell you (maybe I’ve mentioned it before)–I’m not very good in crisis situations. My son was crying VERY loudly, scared because of all the blood he was seeing(why do head wounds bleed SO much?!) and my number one goal was to try to get him to stop. Just stop– screaming, crying, and yelling. (#1 Mom of the year award contender, right here folks). Yes, I was working at getting the bleeding to stop too, but I could not get him to calm down. It was a pretty deep cut and I’m sure it hurt– but it just seemed that his reaction was WAY over the top. At one point I asked him if we needed to knock him out–just so he would quiet down (I know you THOUGHT you were going to be Mom of the year–but this time it’s MINE)
Later after we got home and he and I were both much more calm, I took off the bandage that some very kind men had helped put on my writhing cursing son and showed him the cut. His reaction? “Oh….that’s not so bad. I thought I had a hole in my head.” Apparently that’s why he reacted so hysterically.
I suppose if I thought I had punctured a hole in my head–I would probably react a bit over the top too. I’m sure having Momma say things like –“Stop yelling!” and “Do I need to sedate you?!” didn’t come across as very caring and nurturing. Hmmm. Good tip for next time. (I’m jotting it down now)
5. A really great fundraiser. The Colorado Springs Down Syndrome Association has been doing a fundraiser walk for 20 years now. Super Rockstar connected with them about 17 years ago– back when he was a television news anchor. He was their “celebrity” host kicking off the event, acting as DJ, handing out prizes to the walkers, and awards to the highest fund raisers. His television days ended long ago, but his love for this organization remains. He serves on their walk committee and participates in the event every year.
Our boys and I love it too. They LOVE the toy prize giveaways, the “short cut” for the walk, the bounce houses and especially the various “movie characters” that show up. Their favorite is a Star Wars group called the 501st Legion.
These folks know how to put on an AMAZING event. They are all about supporting kids born with Down Syndrome and their families and they do a fantastic job of hosting an event where everyone who comes has a great time.
Hope you all have a great week!