This Full House Archive

Category: Raising Teens, Tweens & Killer Dust Bunnies

  • Press Release: This Full House Partners with the ESRB in Helping Parents Make a Choice – Because, we are all, by any practical definition of the words, fallible and capable of error.

    Esrbratingsymbols

    Remember, the other day, when I announced (in a very, oh, I dunno, 2001: A Space Odyssey, sort of way) that something wonderful was going to happen?

    Well, I am very excited to (finally) be able to share the latest project that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and I have been working on, together, for the past few weeks.

    Did I mention, they came to my house, we broke bread (together) and then filmed me and ALL four of my kids, about some really great online tools to help parents (like me) figure out, you know, just
    what in the heck is in all those video games all the cool kids are playing, these days, anyways — here’s the offical press release — wanna see the video?

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  • Do you know what video games your kids are playing?

    As most parents (like me) may have already suspected, the computer and video game industry is growing and, according to PC Magazine, the number of U.S. households with game consoles rose notably, up from 33% in 2007 to 38% in 2008.

    Heck, not all video games are bad — we love our Wii and it’s even helped my kids get their grandparents off the couch, too!

    The Internet has the potential of becoming one of, if not, the best
    resource for marketers and corporations looking to "get in touch" with
    their customers.  Some companies get it, most are still trying to.

    Some companies have even partnered with bloggers (like me) and never once asked, you know, what’s up with all these kids?

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  • The Responsibility Project: Because, parents (like me) need a real good kick in the head, sometimes!

    Ever have one of those days?  When things just don’t go right and you can’t seem to find the strength to even, you know, get out of the shower.

    Yeah, me too.

    Then, you come across something that makes you really think (dammit) and, not only that, it inspires you to believe in the magic and healing powers of the human spirit.

    No?

    Then, you have GOT to check out "Tony," written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Grant Heslov (co-owner with George Clooney of Smoke House Pictures) for Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project.

     

    See what I mean?

    What, don’t have the time to watch it?  No worries.  Come back, when you do.  Trust me, you’ll be real glad that you did and perhaps even see it as the best 13 minutes you’ve spent, all day!

    Oh, and I really would like Grant and my fake boyfriend George hear what you guys think.  Why?  Well, taking the personal time to share something truly wonderful, with one another, is what bloggers do best, right?

    No worries, take your time, I’ll wait.

    © 2008 This Full House – All Rights Reserved.

  • Rocks may cover paper, but words can hurt more than sticks and stones!

    Gotoyourroom

    Aaaand, t-shirt says:  "Yeah, I know, go to my room."

    Living in a houseful of girls, who insist that shoving stuff into corners and hiding dirty clothes under the bed is, you know, cleaning, I sometimes forget that we have a son and I don’t mean, like, I forget to pick him up from school (which is a good thing, seeing as my kids go to four different schools) or, that he’s not listed on our tax forms, or anything.

    It’s just that, you know, boys are different.

    Although, I really DO have trouble remembering which is which (all three of my daughters’ names begin with the same letter) there isn’t a day that goes by when my husband, Garth (not his real name) and I don’t find ourselves praying for patience to NOT have to ring their little necks.

    The Boy?  Well, I just send him to his room.  After all, he IS the only one who doesn’t have to share one!

    "Psssst…"

    My oldest daughter is turning 15 in November (I know, but that’s a whole OTHER blog post) and has this way of getting my attention, by making me believe that something in the house has sprung a leak, AGAIN.

    "Can we talk?"

    I had a feeling, it was NOT going to be good news.

    "The Boy called me a name, today."

    [heavy sigh]

     

    "I’ll talk to him about it."

    I had a feeling, judging by the look on her face (yeah, I’m good at that) it was NOT going to be enough.

     

    "Aaaand, have him apologize."

    Silence.

     

    "I’m guessing, a crucifixion is in order."

    After explaining to her what exactly that meant (um, we are in between churches, at the moment) I excused her sisters from the kitchen table (The Boy was playing a video
    game in the living room) and asked her to whisper it in my ear, anyway.

    [eyes go wide]

    Holy crap (yeah, I said it out loud) but, this one was going to hurt!

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  • Got Teens: Then, you NEED to be reading my blog!

    My friend Jenn – whom I love dearly and needs coffee, like most mommies I know – has another thought provoking post (dammit!) about teens and the parents who blog about them.  Namely, me.  Because, you know, I am a mom, with teens, tweens, a precocious seven-year-old and I happen to keep a blog.  Or, two.

    Why?

    Well, it’s like told Jenn:

    "I’ve been blogging for 5 years now (4 kids all under the age of 10, ‘nuf said) and, yes…the stories have
    changed…a little…but, it’s still OUR story and I don’t write about
    anything that I (or, my kids) would be uncomfortable sharing, in real
    life.

    Although, my kids are in school full-time, my job is far from being done. I will have TWO teenagers, in a couple of months (ACK!) and personally, I feel that being their mom has become even harder.

    However, my reasons for keeping This Full House remain the same – blogging is cheaper than therapy!"

    Then, one of my kids goes and bleeds all over herself and what if I told you that the first thing I did was Twitter it?

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  • Cake or Death?

    Daddy_2

    It’s been a really difficult week for my husband, Garth (not his real name) what, with all the banking bru-ha-ha of late and STILL trying really hard to reassure his customers that everything is, you know, fine.  Then, driving into work one morning and hearing on the radio that he…um…works for someone else.

    Niiiiice.

    Then, his uncle was hospitalized and Garth (not his real name) stopped by the soccer fields on Monday, to switch cars with me (mine is better at highway speeds and doesn’t rattle as much, like his) so, he could take my MIL up to see her brother, perhaps for the last time, which was a good thing.

    [takes deep breath]

    Because, he was moved into Hospice on Wednesday and has been pretty much unconscious since then.

    Yesterday, Uncle Jimmy lost his battle with THE BITCH that is Cancer and we spent most of last night figuring out the best way to tell the kids.

    Garth (not his real name) thought it would be best to wait until the morning and that’s when my Hungarian kicked in and I was all, like, break out the wine and let’s talk about death, baby!

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  • Shaking It Up On the Soccer Field of Good and Evil

    Thisfullhousesoccer

    Mini-me (on far left, wearing red) at her soccer team’s first practice, last night.

    Does your kid play soccer?  Baseball?  Football?  How about basketball, hockey or softball?  Yes?

    [nods head]

    Perhaps, you’ve even coached a team, or two.

    Like, my kids’ coaches (two of them are playing soccer, this year) who volunteer their time, year after year, one season into the next and sometimes more than one sports, at a time.

    PHEW.

    Don’t get me wrong, my husband would love to coach, but Garth (not his real name) gets home really late and sometimes is scheduled to work three weekends out of the month.

    Me?  Well, as I see it, teaching kids sports means a) one would need to know a little something about that particular sport and b) being able to physically, you know, do it.

    I mean, giving birth to 4 babies, I can’t do a jumping jack, or sneeze, without having certain parts of my body begin to leak (you’re welcome) sometimes, all at once (I’m sure) besides, my uterus might fall out, or something.

    Still.

    Some of these guys are diehard dedicated to involving themselves in nearly every aspect of their children’s lives and I can’t help but think, you know, what kind of day job allows these people ALL that free time?

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  • Summer’s almost over, time to cram for school!

    Dunebabies

    Dune baby, dune baby, give me a smile — or, not.

    In less than 2 weeks, our summer will be over and — having directed nearly all of my attentions to raising kids and killer dust bunnies, for the last 15 years — perhaps you’d be surprised, as I am, to learn that I haven’t done a gosh-darned thing to get the kids ready for back-to-school.

    Besides, doing nothing….I mean.

    My husband, Garth (not his real name) and I have been busy — although, taking a quick look outside — you really couldn’t tell.

    We’ve slowly been mowing, planting, weeding and transplanting our way through the seemingly endless amount of chores that come with having a big backyard.  Not to mention, keeping our house from falling down and crashing into our 100-year-old neighbor’s immaculately kept lawn.

    Yeah, you heard right — she’s turning 100, next month — so, where do we get off feeling so tired, all the time?

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  • Twilight Moms and the Dads who love them, or NOT.

    I began my obsession with Twilight
    in the Summer of 2007, when my oldest daughter insisted that…YES…it
    would keep her interest and…OF COURSE…the genre would make an
    absolutely perfect fit into her summer reading list.

    "It’s a vampire love story!"

    Uh-huh.

    So, I read it first to make sure that it was really, you know, appropriate for teen readers and…WHAM…it truly was love at first bite.

    [cringe]

    Don’t worry, Stephenie Meyer writes way gooder than me and has taken a story line that is not really that unique — like, how love overcomes all obstacles, sort of — but, presents it in a totally refreshing way.

    I’m nearly finished reading the latest in the Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn" and my husband, Garth (not his real name) truly believes that at least one member of our family may very well be a vampire, or werewolf.

    And it ain’t isn’t me, either!

    [Warning:  this blog post has a pretty scary ending and is NOT recommended reading for the faint of heart – especially, if you are a Dad!]

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  • Three things you should NEVER talk about while on a family vacation!

    Jettyathigbee_2

    Why don’t you take a long walk on a…um…oh my…but, that’s one looooong jetty!

    We just got back from spending a 4-day family getaway with Mini-me’s godparents, my parents and my Aunt Elizabeth (she’s my father’s youngest sister, who I happened to be named after, and…YES…she happens to be a lovable DORK, too) who’s visiting from Hungary for the summer.

    Yes, we are ALL still speaking to each other…sort of.

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