Prom is Expensive

This weekend my oldest son will attend his high school prom for the first time. He has asked a friend of his to go with him and she gladly accepted. Today my husband took my son out to rent a hundred dollar tuxedo. That was in addition to the forty five dollar a piece tickets that are needed to get in the door. On top of that, there is a dinner expense for two which will easily exceed another fifty dollars. That is one fancy night out on the town for a fifteen year old that doesn't even have a job. Looks like he is going to be washing cars all summer!

FCAT

This week two of my children will take the FCAT and for those of you who don't know what that is, it is an acronym for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. There is a huge amount of stress that comes with taking and administering this test. So, this morning I woke up an hour earlier to fix a special breakfast for my little darlings to prepare them for their big day. They ate a hearty breakfast and then we were out the door. I have done everything on my end to prepare them for the test. At the end of the school day, both boys came home and said that they thought the test was easy. I didn't tell them this, but I really don't care if the test was easy or not, all I want is for them to do their best. They both were so worried and stressed about the test this morning so I was happy when they came home with smiles on their faces. I think I had more of a concern over their anxiety level than anything else. I just didn't want them to psyche themselves out. In the end, I believe that they both will pass the FCAT and advance to the next grade.

Relay for Life

This weekend we had the most wonderful time giving back to our community and sharing the experience with our children. On Friday night we attended Relay for Life which is an American Cancer Society fundraiser. The event started at six in the evening and ran throughout the night until the next day at noon. My daughter's favorite part of Relay is the butterfly tent where she was able to get a little mini make-over. The tent is in memory of a Plant City High School girl who lost her own battle with cancer five years ago. Both of my sons enjoy the Limbo Line which neither of them was limber enough this year to win. Once it gets dark, the  lights are dimmed and there is a candlelight walk around the track in silence to remember all those who we have lost to the terrible disease. I don't know how much my children understand cancer, but what I do know is that they will remember the wonderful times that they had at Relay for Life and hopefully continue the habit if giving back to the community.

I Love Drama Kids

There are parties, but then again there are parties. And I love a good party just as much as the next person. I like to cut up and visit with old friends surrounded by a ton of great food. This weekend, we had a party of that magnitude. My oldest son performed in his final high school production of the year and so we decided to celebrate after the closing show. All of the cast and crew ended up at our house for some old fashioned barbecue. The title of the play was The History of America Abridged, so we thought barbecue would be very fitting with that theme. The kids began to arrive around 9:30 and ended up staying until 1:00. They ate, played XBOX and then acted out random scenes from other previous productions. My husband and I enjoyed just sitting back and watching them hang out together. Oftentimes drama kids get a bad rap for being a little weird. Yes, they are definitely a different breed. Even more important, they are so incredibly creative! Their minds seem to be filled with so many random facts--and show tunes. It will be very interesting to see where these kids are in ten to fifteen years. I am expecting greatness out of all of them!