Shopping Part Deux

Mr. Fabulous needs pants! He can no longer wear his brothers hand me downs as AARP gets taller and skinner the more cereal he eats. Mr. Fabulous becomes more...curvy? The thing is, I had an ace in my pocket. Today is a half day at his school. He has been begging us to not attend as all they are doing is watching movies. (I totally want to try that with my students)

They are probably watching Star Wars as Well

The bargain was made and didn't include either the fiddle of gold or his soul. I told him that if we could go get a hair cut and pants shopping with no talking back or bad attitude, he wouldn't have to go to school today. I have never seen anyone so bold as to skate on that much thin ice. He was willing to try on 5 maybe 6 pairs of pants. I didn't press my luck. He let me come to the dressing room and see them. It was touch and go there for a bit but in the end it was an overall pleasant experience. I don't think he would disagree. He know has pants with legs to make it through the winter and gets to skateboard all day. 

Scoreboard time. 

Both boys have acquired clothing and haircuts recently and there has only been minor huffing and eye rolling

I have not been disowned

I win.

 

All the things

This have been pretty quiet in Lake Wobegon (so sad the Garrison isn't doing Prairie Home anymore).

I digress, things at the home have reached terminal velocity. This week is finals for both AARP and Mr. Fabulous. They seem to be taking things in stride. The High School only requires AARP to be there for his exams thus throwing pickup and drop off into a tail spin (hat tip to click and clack). AARP also was able to get a haircut but, not at the hipster record store barbershop due to availability. He was dismayed at having to shop for an 'outfit' at multiple stores. The hilarity of him claiming that everything he tried on first was perfect was life affirming. I can see myself doing the same thing, having the same angst, and being deathly afraid that I would check his pants size for him. Several stores and discussions of how best to accomplish 'dress to impress' later, we have a nice sweater, button down, tie, and slacks for him to woo in.

Guys, I look good. 

Mr. Fabulous has been acquiring required service hours for school at the public library. I have not seen him much this week except to wake him and give him meds for what we think was walking pneumonia.

This week is also the culmination of the Microbiology unit for Dr. Supermodel. She has never studied micro and is sufficiently overwhelmed and freaked out so as to look like a real med school student now. Apparently she has to learn all the things. To supplement this, she acquired some bouquet of microbes so at to better understand them. This lead to her insides being outsides at speed. She was bedridden and is on a chicken noodle soup and Gatorade diet now whilst studying in bed.

A brief demonstration put on by NASA wasn't good enough for her. She had to see for herself the effects of viral load on the gut. 

Rexy Poo the Second and El Boogie had their christmas program and are making lists at this point. We have put up a fraction of our typical decorations due to adjustments being made to the physical space that The Home utilizes for its housing and activities. The Home is the people and not the space.

That's right people, get excited. Big Cat has finally pulled it off. After years of promising the family that I would get a remodel started on the house it has happened. Great timing as well I might add. approximately 1/3 of my home was torn down and jackhammered up this week. Thats right, studying, projectile vomiting, and recovering all happen in the presence of jackhammers. The dog is not amused.

Totally had it together till the last minute.

Christmas was spared as they will not cut a giant hole in our living room until New Years Day. There is a mountain of dirt, a pile of debris from a destroyed garage and, a Bradford Pear that got what it had coming. We are all very excited for several reasons:
1. AARP and Mr. Fabulous will live on opposite corners of the house soon. They are happy.
2. I get to watch construction happen as I was taught to do by Rexy Poo the First. I was tasked with driving my grandfather around his town to 'check on' various construction projects.
3. P-Daddy and Mimi get to enjoy the process vicariously through us and will visit more often so as to 'check on' progress.
4. Life was getting boring and this will spice it up a bit.

 I was resting on the couch a couple nights ago after the little ones had played in their room until passing out, the big two were pretending to be asleep while playing on their phones in their room, and Dr. Supermodel had banished me due to volatility associated with her intimate knowledge of microbiology, I watched a movie base on some Young Adult Dystopian-Future Novel. I realized that the protagonist had it pretty easy. I am not sure that is what I was supposed to get from the movie?

Think how quiet that would be.

What I was reminded of is that things get crazy and we certainly roll with it and make it work (thanks to a shared calendar and a minivan) but, more importantly, we are blessed beyond measure in our family and I don't say it enough.

High School is Hard

I was not prepared to go through high school a second time. The first time is mostly a foggy memory. This time I am going through as a parent. So far, our grades have been much better than middle school and we survived marching band season. That is pretty good. Then, there was the band trip to be in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philly (Not Macy's). The band took 9, thats right 9, charter busses to New York and Philadelphia for sightseeing, taking in a broadway show, a dinner cruise, and heaven knows what else. Nine buses times 55 or so seats equals too many for me to chaperone.

It went off without a hitch. Well, one small hitch. AARP has found a girl.

Earlier in the fall, we had to acquire a new hairstyle. It is somewhere between "stay golden pony boy" and Don Draper. In order to facilitate this, I had to put on my flannel and Warby Parker glasses and do my best aging hipster parent impersonation. I took him to get his hair cut by hipsters. How did I know they would be hipsters you ask? The barber chairs are in the front window of a record shop/live music venue. Yep. So, now we have lots of hair products at home and are asking for combs for christmas. I hope for keeping in his back pocket to pull out on an "as needed for style" basis.

So about this Science Exam

Perhaps the hair helped with the bus romance. Who knows. He has now been invited to her birthday party. This is a very upper-middle class, suburban party. How do I know you ask? The invitation asks for no presents but rather a donation for a local food pantry. The dress code: Dress to Impress. The location: A Botanical Garden. Her name: a double name. Mary-Something or other. My son has arrived. Well almost. We need another haircut and a dress that will impresses. He did not take the going in a dress suggestion well.

This means we get another trip to the record shop and another shot at trying on clothes. He already told me that he has socks and a belt so, we will only need the other stuff....by Saturday.

What he pictures but with more hair gel

p.s. she is in 10th grade