My Ears are Bleeding

Saturday night we took Jordan to see the Jonas Brothers. We thought that Avril Lavigne was the head liner, boy were we wrong.

We got to the show about 6:30 and it was already packed with screaming girls. At 7:00 Demi Lovato came on. She played for about 40 mins and then we had to wait for the next act. As the lights went out I put Jordan on my shoulder so she could see. I am thinking this is it, but the screaming is not that loud and the girls in front of us are yelling Avril, Avril. I look at Jeff and think we are so screwed. The Jonas Brothers are the last band.

This is the 3rd concert Jordan has gone to this year and she usually does not make it through much of the final act. She is usually asleep by then. Well now she is very mad at us and wants to leave while Avril is on. I take her and buy Cotton Candy, which is so overly priced I think I am going to drop dead right there. I need to sugar her up though so she can see a little of the Jonas Brothers.

So Avril finishes and we wait again. We wait 40 minutes for the Jonas Brothers and it is my living hell. Every time someone sends a message it is " Scream if you like Joe, Nick and Kevin. I do." Then 10,000 girls start screaming and this is just the beginning.

Once the lights go out and the music starts you can not hear anything. I am thinking I have been to many Rock Concerts and nothing compares to this. I could not even her them signing the girls were so loud. Well Jordan had enough after the first song. She wanted to leave so we told her she had to stay for 5 songs. She stood there counting each song just waiting for the pain to end.

After the 5th song we started walking to leave and we went into the building to go to the bathroom. After that we walked out and there were screens that we could watch the show on. We watched to more songs, only because they were from Camp Rock.

We left and I was totally amazed at how many people were leaving. I was also amazed at how I could still here all the screaming from were we parked.

Jordan will have to wait until she is a little order to go to one of these concerts. I am not deaf enough yet and my ears still feel like they are bleeding when I think about it.

Signing

I love to sign. I do it all the time. The kids have Rock Band for the Wii and I am always the vocal when we play. I sign in the car and when I put the kids to bed I sign them a song almost every night.

I would have loved to been a signing and in a former life I think I was. I do not know if I have a great voice. I think I am one of those people who would love to have a great voice, and I really don't

At the concert on Sunday Jared and I were signing to each other. Now at a Rock Concert you have to pretty much scream in order to sign because the music is so loud. Well Jeff recorded us at the concert and when I heard I thought my ears were going to Bleed. I said please don't ever do that again.

I sounded like a dying dog. Jared was very nice about it and said "You only sound that way because this is the 2nd concert in 2 nights and you were screaming not signing" Nice of him to try and save my ego.

So I will continue to sign and hope and dream and know that I will never be on stage some day.

I will have to leave that for Jared. He really wants to be in a band and the more concerts we go to the more he wants it. Since he will be taking vocal for the next 2 weeks he will have a much better shot then I do.

Right of Passage

Sunday night we took the kids to see Linkin Park. Jeff and I took the boys last year and they had a blast. Since their friends, Sammy and Jake, also love Rock Music and Linkin Park we decided to go again this year with them. Jordan came with us this time as well. Lori, my business partner and Sammy and Jake's mom, and her husband went.

This is the kids on the way into the concert. They were all very excited, and ready to Rock Out!

Since this was Sammy and Jake's first concert Lori decided that they should be allowed to get T-Shirts. My children have already been to 4 concerts and they got T-shirts at their first concert so Jeff and I decided we were not getting them new shirts. This made Jared very angry and I thought for a minute that he was going to ruin his night. I was like "You have 2 choices, either be made at me and have an awful time or get over it and have fun with your friends. I personally am going to have fun."


So while we are waiting for Linkin Park to go on the kids were playing and have a great time, that is everyone expect Jared.

Once the concert started everyone started signing and having a great time. Jared even came around and he was rocking out like the rest of us. About 1/2 way through the concert a security guard came up to us. I thought they were going to tell Devon to put his camera away, he had been recording part of the concert with the camera. The guard said "We need you to move into the pavilion because there is some bad weather coming."

We went into the pavilion and took the first 5 seats we could find. The kids were so very excited because now they were even closer. Jared informed me that he would like to sit in here from now on. We never sit in the pavilion because I am afraid it will be to loud and there really isn't any room to run around. Now I know if we take Jared he would like to sit there.

Jordan feel sleep as usually. This time she only slept for 1 song and it was right at the very end. So we are making progress with her.

After the concert we decided we would try and go to Denny's. Around here going to Denny's after a concert is a Right of Passage. It is like you have officially made it to the big time. So we went to Denny's. We had to wake Jordan up and she looked 1/2 dead and she ate all of her food.

I am hoping this is something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. They have crazy wild parents that like to ROCK OUT, sing and the top of their lungs and dance around with not a care in the world.

Concert

Friday night we took the kids to see Hinder, Staind, and 3 Doors Down. We had a blast. Jordan was jumping around and headbanging like she has been doing this for years. At one point she came to me and said, "Momma, my head hurts."

I was like "Well if stopped all the head banging for a few minutes and just relaxed a little it might hurt so much." So she sat with me and feel asleep.

I did not realize that this concert was going to go so late, when Staind went on it was 9:00 and we still had one more band after that. Jordan feel asleep during Staind's last song and she slept though most of 3 Doors Down. Although she slept for part of the concert, she still had a great time and this is something she will remember for the rest of her life.

Jared and his best friend, Gage, could not stop talking about the concert. Jared would like to be in band some day and I always tell him, if that is what he wants then go for it. Since Gage was with us they both decided that being on stage is something they can do. Yesterday they spent the afternoon at Gage's writing songs and coming up with new beats. Someday maybe they will be on the stage and I will be in the front row cheering them on.

While Devon has fun at concerts, this one was to late for him. He is my artsy fartsy kid that loves to draw and look at the world quietly. Sometimes I think he only goes to concerts because that is what Jeff and I like to do. Someday he will confess that going to concerts was never really his favorite thing to do.

So we have another one tonight and I think everyone is very excited about this one. I will tell you all about it.

Tip of the Day

Give your kids some freedoms!

Yesterday my sister, Laura and her family were over swimming in my pool. My niece is 2 1/2 years old and she had a new bubble on yesterday. The new bubble does not give her as much support as the old one, so she actually has to swim a little in it. Laura and her husband, Eric, kept trying to get their daugther, Adrienne, into the pool. She would just sit on the ladder and whine that she did not want to come in.

I looked at Laura and said leave her a lone. Eric was busy with the baby, they have a 7 month old daughter Casey, so he had left Adrienne alone. I said she will come in when she is ready. So Laura stopped taking to her and what do you know. The next minute Adrienne was off the ladder and swimming.

You have to give kids freedoms whether they are 2 or 22. They need to know that they can do things on their own because you are not always going to be there to hold their hand. If they fall and need help getting back up you will be there for them, the need to fall first though.

So give them little freedoms every now and then and see how much they amaze you by the things that they can do. Children are not as fragile and unintelligent as we may think. They are very smart and learn things very easily.

Tip of the Day

Enjoy time for yourself.

I used to feel guilty about spending time by myself doing something I enjoy or spending time with my friends. Now I love it. I love being with my children and I also realized that I did not need to be with the all the time.

It has made me a better mother and wife because I am now doing things for me. That way I do not feel like I am just some one's mother or wife. I am starting to get me back a little and I love it.

So today do one thing for yourself. Whether it is reading a book or taking a long shower. Enjoy the quiet and love yourself for it.

Why am i so Tired

Maybe because my 11 year old is driving me crazy. He is a great kid and I love spending time with him. He is also very hyper and loves to bother this brother and sister all the time. Like this morning.

It is not even 9:00 and he is running around the house making all kinds of noises and just being a pain. He will sit on the couch and just start bugging one of them. I am so tired of hearing. "Jared, stop it, or Cut it out"

I tried to explain to him why this is a problem and he does not see it that way.

One day when he has an 11 year old and he is complaining about the same things I will be right there reminding him of these days.