3 1/2 inches and 13 pounds!

Took Zack to his yearly sports physical.  We found out he's grown 3 1/2 inches and 13 pounds this year.  He's 5'4 and 89 lbs!  While 13 lbs would be enough to send me into a spiraling descent of depression and a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate something or other if it occurred during my physical.... quite the opposite with Zack.  I did an amazing happy dance in the hallway and took that boy straight to 7-11 for slurpees and donuts!  I guess Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and Eggo Waffles will pack on the pounds eventually.  Imagine what we could do if the boy would actually eat some protein and veggies!  Maybe some day....

He can now "officially" get out of his booster seat! :o)  Kidding, he's not really in a booster seat anymore - because he passed the height requirement long ago.  Although legally the weight requirement is 80lbs, so "technically" I could still have made him ride in a booster seat to the 1st day of 7th grade!  :o)  No more... my boy is a BIG boy now!

It's not just a cliche, time really does fly!

Kindergarten

Senior portrait

I don't really even know where to start.  How did we go from this sweet little Kindergarten angel to this amazing, beautiful practically adult?  How can I be the parent of a High School Graduate?  I mean really???  I can still remember high school like it's yesterday.  I don't remember a lot of my younger childhood, as a matter of fact when we were growing up my dad use to always tell us he'd never been a child when we asked.  We thought that was hilarious, until I grew up and now I realize he probably just couldn't remember any of it!  The same holds true for me, except I CAN remember high school, so that must mean I'm not old enough to be the parent of a graduate.

The graduation ceremony was great.  Woodbridge Senior High School is one of the few schools in our county that still has it's ceremony outside in the stadium, so weather is always a factor.  But this time it was relatively cool, stayed overcast and really we couldn't have asked for better conditions.  I didn't cry, but I did get a little teary eyed when they first walked down into the stadium.  But after that I was too busy trying to get pictures to even really think about what was actually happening.  Probably a good thing.

Grandma and Grandpa Art and Grandpa Bud all made the trip down for the events and that helped to make the weekend even more special.

















We finished the evening off at the Melting Pot Fondue restaurant where we gorged on food, laughter and fun.

Inner Wild Child really???

Brenna has been at Senior Beach Week all this week (that's a whole other post).  Apparently she's having a great time which is wonderful because I had my doubts.  She's sharing a house with 15 other kids, 12 of them boys.  You see where I'm going... but I digress...
She texted her father yesterday... "Ate my first oyster and got a henna tattoo on my side."
John was telling me about this text this morning and he says to me...
" I guess she's channeling her inner wild child!"
Really???!!!
Her inner wild child...is eating an oyster and getting a henna tattoo?  Dear Sweet Baby Jesus with all your Baby Jesus powers I hope that's true.
If that's her inner wild child...I say BRING IT!

I'm still processing before I can blog in earnest

Enough said....

She's done it to me again, drat that girl!

So, every year she does it to me and you would think that I would catch on and not be drawn into the drama.  Every 3rd quarter of her high school career Brenna let's her grades plummet, she gives me a heart attack and I begin to very slowly gnash my teeth and pull my hair out!  And so begins the gentle nudging, the kind reminders to do her homework, quiet suggestions about tutoring and the fact that actually studying for a test might be helpful.  This year was no different, except that she waited until the LAST nine weeks to let the grades plummet.  Comes home with and F in  AP Biology Lab, D+ in Algebra II and a D+ in AP Biology Lecture. A's in everything else.  Mind you, Algebra II....REQUIRED FOR COLLEGE, AP Biology....WHAT SHE WANTS TO MAJOR IN IN COLLEGE!
It was not a happy Hyzy household.  And that F in Lab... that wasn't just any old F.... that was a 47 F, a so far down in the bottom of the basement you can't see light F!

But my girl did it.  She worked her tail off, she went to tutoring, she dissected a cat like a professional and I'll be damned if her grades don't reflect it.  She's done and we're waiting for the finals, but she's 1 point away from a B in AP Bio Lecture, got a C in Algebra II and 4 points away from a B in AP Lab!  That's some shit there!  But why o' why does she put me through all this... not only me, but the whole cul-de-sac as I vent and whine and moan day after day.  Why can't teenagers ever do things the easy way??? Why can't they just listen to their parents and do what we say?  Please o' please sweet Baby Jesus let Zack NOT follow in her sisters footsteps or I may not survive the stress!

So you think you can sing...NOT!

Zack is taking chorus again this year.  The kids are required to take a music class and their choices are Band, Orchestra or Chorus; since he was taking guitar lessons when the decision had to be made we chose Chorus.  I mean really, how hard is chorus?  Stand up there, move your mouth and pretend to sing.  Which is exactly what Zack does, except that usually he's also hiding behind the person in front of him or make silly faces at me.  It's painful, if you are going to require these kids to take music class - how about offering something they might actually enjoy.  Music appreciation?  History of music something besides freaking singing or playing an instrument.  But I digress... let me hop down off my soapbox and continue on with my riveting story...

This year they decided to "experiment" and they separated the choruses by sex.  Their thinking was that without the girls to impress, the boys would buckle down and take it all seriously and become good little singers.  OBVIOUSLY, no one in the decision making process was or had ever been the parent of a middle school boy nor had any of them seen Animal House.  Frankly, the only thing keeping those boys even slightly civilized is the chance that a cute girl might be looking.  Take that incentive out of the equation and it's like boys gone wild!   So yesterday this letter comes home 

Apparently the boys sucked so bad they decided to cancel the concert.  Really???  I could have told you this was destined for disaster back in August.  Needless to say, but I will anyway, the whole Hyzy house was happy to not have to sit through Man in the Mirror, Seize the Day and according to Zack "some mumbo-jumbo african song."  I don't care what anyone says that boy is taking Home Ec and Shop class next year.  Mama needs a new napkin holder!

World's Best (almost) daughter...otherwise known as Odysseus

The only difference between my travels this week and Odysseys's 10-year long adventure was that he was trying to get home to his family and I was trying to buy cigarettes!  Both were fraught with dangerous places, questionable characters and temptations beyond imagine... Odysseus was successful, I was not.

I little background before I begin my story... My dad has always smoked More cigarettes, at least as long as I have been alive.  I'm not even going to go into the whole smoking vs. not smoking issue. If 30 years of my nagging and 18 years of his grandkids telling him how sad they are that he's going to die because he smokes cigarettes hasn't made him mend his ways, I think we've pretty much done all we can.  Anyway, went to Idaho last summer to visit and the very first day we are all sitting out on the patio socializing and Grandpa Bud lights up... A horrified and shocked silence descended on the backyard!  Grandpa Bud was smoking some sort of plain white cigarette! (John still insists they were Eve's!)  Well, the whole family just sat there in stunned and puzzled amazement until I broke the silence, "What the hell are you smoking?"
Apparently thanks to those "God-Damn Democrat Commies" in Washington, Mores were priced right out of poor downtrodden, persecuted Grandpa's budget.  He would buy a carton and ration them out, smoking "knock off Indian cigarettes from the reservation" in-between.  So for Christmas as a joke, we sent him a carton of cigarettes so he wouldn't have to suffer the indignities of smoking those "pu**y cigarettes"  when he went down to the local bar.

Fast forward to yesterday... Often when we have company  when I make up the guest room, I put a picture from the guest's last visit in a frame and leave a chocolate on the pillow.  But, this was Grandpa Bud, no stinkin' chocolate for him, cigarettes would be just the ticket!...  I began my odyssey early in the morning after all I had plenty to get accomplished.  3 long, hot hours and 10 stores later I would have sold my first born for a carton of Mores, hell I would have given her away for a pack.  I went to Giant, Bloom, Safeway, 2 Gas stations, CVS, a liquor store, the BX, the Commissary and the Class IV store.  There were no Mores to be found, nary a one.  Still haven't found any (except on a Russian website that seemed questionable at best) so...I bought a bottle of Vodka.  Best. Daughter. Ever!

Bake Sale Anyone?

My computer is not a quick fix... it's $500 to replace the LCD monitor or $800+ to buy a new one.  I've started the Hyzyhouse computer repair fund in my Big Jar o' Change I keep on the counter.  Feel free to drop by and drop in some spare change.  I may be doing a daily bake sale on the corner.  Unfortunately since even with Betty Crocker's help and or the little elves pitching in, I'm still not usually asked to bring dessert, I don't have a lot of hope about earning the big bucks that way.  I'm bumming....

Send help, or chocolate, or a stunningly handsome manservant, or a new computer, or money, but for heaven's sake send something!

UPDATED - So on my way home from the Apple store - where I did NOT get my computer fixed on top of everything else - I was distracted rehearsing some speech or other to some member of my family in my head and I almost ran a State Trooper off the road! Obviously my "Oops I'm sorry wave" didn't mollify him and he proceeded to pull me over.  But he was probably really sorry when I burst into tears (yeah raging hormones and stressful life)! Told him I totally deserved the ticket and to just add it to my big pile o'crap! I thnk I might have scared him and he took pity on me and only gave me a warning. Sheesh! I need that vacation NOW!


My computer is broken (thanks Brenna you stinker!), Graduation is in 7 days, my guests arrive in 5 days, we still have Hassenpfeffer kicking rabbit poop and bedding all over the guest room, my husband hates his job - the job that he spends a good 12+ hours a day at if you include his crappy 2 hour commute, Zack can't remember to hand in school work he HAS DONE already so instead of the straight A's we're use to the kid may not make it out of 7th grade, and Brenna is devastated and mopey because we won't buy her a $650 Iphone for graduation....
Calgon take me away!