The secret to dealing with a teenager

Good School Day

I just had a pleasant morning getting my teenager off to school. Taking myself out of the equation was the answer. I set the alarm for 7:30 as I went to drop his brother. On returning I knocked, said good morning, asked if he’d like me to make him some breakfast and gave consequences for not being ready on time. In this case I would keep his skateboard for one day over the weekend. I made breakfast and every 15 minutes I shouted out time left. Before deadline he was ready to go. Love it!

No threats, cursing, throwing or whinning.  Oh yea, all that bad behavior was mine.  Left a bad taste in my mouth.  Mostly my teenage did what he wanted laughed at my freaking out and we usually rushed to school. No cool conversation just nagging.  YUK.  Specific request, more specific consequences and  matter of fact points.  Why didn't someone tell me it could be this easy!

Recycling at Home

Over the next year I will be sharing home recycling ideas every week. On My Arts site
http://badartworld.blogspot.com I will share my pre-cycle and recycle arts and crafts projects.
I am continually creating and I am recycling obsessed. While I don’t expect most people to adopt all my practices for recycling and pre-cycling I hope one can read to lift ideas to fit their lifestyle. These sites are complementary because they help me with work, family and life in general. In all aspects, no matter how small my part is I am always concerned with creating a better world. If we all do just a little we could accomplish a lot.

One step parental advice

If you have a child of any age you need to check out Circle of Moms. I just read the best article there dealing with smart mouth teens. The article was right on target with wonderful advice. The site allows moms to ask question and give advice. It gives perspective on many topics and the valuable experience of others. It also helps moms connect in the real world. Circle is a good resouce for any mom or dad.

Last Day of Summer Fun

Deep Eddy Austin, Texas  Ausgust 21, 2011

We spent the day at Deep Eddie a popular watering hole in Austin, Texas. I had a great day with my boys. One fished off the pier most of the day in a mad competition of catch and release with a friend. I swam with my youngest son. We went for a walk and got to see an awesome game of Kayak Polo. That was an exciting high energy competition. My youngest a runner, avid swimmer and biker thought he'd love to try it. A cool Dad walked us through the rules and I know we'll be back to catch a game if not jump in a kayak. Well, tired we’re ready as we’ll ever be for the first day of school. Here’s to school. God Bless you all and I wish everyone a great year.

Skating and the San Marcos Library

I just love San Marcos Library. It is a open building with lots of comfy chairs and wonderful displays. I spent my time with magazines I like to look at but don’t purchase. The smaller branches in Austin don’t have as many subscriptions as they once did. I took a group of boys to the skate board park that shares the same parking lot as the library. The boys had a great skate session and enjoyed an empty park for an hour before the locals showed up. The park is larger than Austin’s Mabel Davis and has lots of street features. I will take the boys to this skate park again knowing I can enjoy this jewel of library.

http://www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/departments/library/index.html

Recycle Hockey Jersey Baskets

Recently I was given a bundle of hockey jerseys that had been used to make quilts. Chris Wenz, of Over the Top Quilting Studio, apologized for the mess. I’m sure she was thinking what will she do with that. I spent the summer cutting a large bag jerseys into yarn. The rough, polyester fabrics turned out to be perfect for baskets. The colors are bright and bold while and the fabric is thick and durable.

All the handmade crochet rag rugs and baskets are projects of love. I like unusable fabric with no life. When fabrics are cut into strips the colors and textures change and have a new depth. The baskets show how even the must unexpected material can have a second life.

Barton Creek Farmers Market

I like to supplement my shopping at the local Farmer’s Market. I go with a pocket full of small bill and my shopping bag. I picked up okra, egg plant, natural cleaners and breakfast on a recent trip. Further, it’s a great place to find unique gifts. Bird feeders, by Dan Baker, caught my attention for birthday gifts. You can see Dan’s work on face book. Barton Creek has a tiny but extra special petting zoo too. Bunnies and chicks were my favs. Well, I’ll see you are the market.

What I needed

This song is just what I needed this morning. It's a very cool take on a Cars tune Check it out.
badart