Life update

*Hilarious to have Justinbustin's European friend over with expanded taste buds getting them to try zucchini cakes and green beans with goat cheese - things I would make any way, but things the boys would normally pass over except for a small bite. They ended up liking them with Justinbustin's friend's encouragement.

*FINALLY saw our Christmas lights tonight. Did our traditional hot cocoa and expanded to apple cider this year, Night Before Christmas street, scoured a new neighborhood for Rudolphs (found five), and drove by the gone viral Gangnam Style Light Show house. He's turned his music and light show off because he had too much traffic, but it was still fun to see the house regardless. Maybe he'll turn the music and light show back on after Christmas.

*Been going through SO much with Shawner's friends. Had a lot of talks with him about friends and their insecurities and being honest with them. He ended up having a talk with one of his friends about how the friend seemed to be like a character in a book the teacher had read them called A Bad Case of Stripes. The girl had stripes that would change colors or patterns depending on what her friends did. When she finally decided to do what she loved (eat lima beans, which nobody else liked) her stripes changed back to her normal color and her constantly red bow changed to rainbow. Shawners had observed his friend liked to do whatever the person next to him would do, and I gently encouraged him to be honest with his friend. I asked Shawners how the friend responded, and Shawners said he said nothing. I silently thanked God because he could've had an ugly response, and nothing is better than anything ugly. I've noted a marked change in this child's attitude around his friends, and even with me, strangely enough. I commended Shawners for his bravery in talking to his friend and noted that a quiet response was better than what could've been, as well as I seemed to notice a change. I am so proud of him. Inspires me.

*Ready to have the girl talk with Justinbustin. His best friend is 'hanging out' with a girl. Justinbustin called her his girlfriend, but I had to correct him and say his Mom would like him to be good friends, and not put pressure on the relationship by giving a label that is purposeless at this point. She said if they are to hang out it needs to be with a group of friends and his Mom or her Mom needs to be there. She talked to him about not needing to be one on one right now and having that pressure that hanging out one on one can create. She talked to him about saying they are good friends so there is not the pressure to only hang out with her and miss out on so much of life at this age. I LOOOOOVE her perspective and am considering adopting the perspective myself for Justinbustin. So interesting having my boys in public school because I want to do some of the things my sister has done with her boys, but they have to be tweaked slightly because my boys are in public school, and sometimes I am not sure how to do it. Justinbustin's best friend's Mom does so beautifully sometimes. I love hearing how she talks so openly about heavy subjects and deals with them head on with her son. All the while openly admitting she is overwhelmed and has no idea what she's doing.

*More later... Room rep, holiday parties, cologne, college, highschool GPAs, to name a few.