My three sons at Laguna Beach January 2009

Now please don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but I’ve always preferred it when they were in school, especially when they were younger.

For years and years, I’d hear other mothers say, “I’m so looking forward to the summer when we no longer have hectic schedules.” For some reason, I never agreed with them. Well that may not be surprising, since I tend to have different opinions about many things–perhaps living in different countries does that to a person.

You see, I have the guilt thing going during the summer. I’m fortunate that I don’t have to be in an office at a certain time, however, I force myself to stick to a writing schedule. I also stick to a gym schedule every morning at 6 a.m., as I want my husband and I to stay fit for our older years. Since I cannot sit in an office chair for most of the day, without knowing that the blood is flowing in my veins first, I have a disciplined schedule for myself, whether or not my kids are on vacation.

The guilt kicks in when I know my kids enjoy me taking them out to breakfast, or to shop, or for a coffee or tea and a chat. Yes, two out of three sons are still home with me, and they enjoy my company–at least that’s what I keep telling myself. I feel like I can go for 2-3 days max without taking them anywhere, and then I have to entertain them. Besides, Austin, my 18-year-old is off to UCSB, a gorgeous campus on the Pacific coast– see some photos here University of California in Santa Barbara at the end of July. I feel guilty if I don’t enjoy his company as much as possible before he leaves for four years of college.

As far as sports and friends, Jordan, 15, comes to the gym at 6 a.m. with me to run, and Austin jogs, plays tennis or kickball with his friends. The rest of the time they like to stay home, watch TV or sit in front of their computer.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you have guilt like me?

Should I just quit feeling guilty?

Creativity, babies, great music and laughter, a recipe for SUCCESS.

I loved this ad. Very few ads have an affect on me, but this one certainly works. I’m heading out the door to buy some EVIAN water.

For those of you still wondering about the results of the exam I took for the FSOT, Foreign Service Officer Test– well I didn’t pass. Although a little disappointed, it’s also a relief as there would have been a timing conflict with my volunteering in Belize in October, The FSOT requires a six-month training period in Virginia.

Instead, I’ll watch the babies dance one more time to stay positive.

Have you already seen this ad?

Does advertising have an effect on your purchasing habits?

Do you remember the last time you laughed so hard, you cried?

Last night, warm tears meandered down my cheeks like lava trails. So what if my mascara messed up, I hadn’t laughed so hard since childhood. It was the kind of laughter you can’t control, it just takes over, and you can’t stop.

Jordan, my youngest son and I, have the same sense of humor. It seems strange that my 15-year-old son can make me laugh more than my husband. Sometimes I feel guilty about it, but he imitates my laughter to perfection–snort included–and I become a kid again. One giggle leads to another and quickly spins out of control.

If you don’t laugh, this Panda will make you smile.

We imitate others and so the following quote from Science Daily makes sense: “It seems that it’s absolutely true that ‘laugh and the whole world laughs with you’,” says Dr Sophie Scott, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL. “We’ve known for some time now that when we are talking to someone, we often mirror their behaviour, copying the words they use and mimicking their gestures. Now we’ve shown that the same appears to apply to laughter, too — at least at the level of the brain.”

So when was the last time you laughed? I mean really laughed?

Do you use humor in your daily life?

Are you good at telling jokes?

My son, Jordan, is on the left in the green shirt which he designed using photo shop.

As with most families in the northern hemisphere, it’s summertime, which means twelve weeks off. What to do? sports, summer camps, summer school, volunteering, or jobs? With a fifteen-year-old, it’s different. They’re a little too young to get a summer job, and often quite lazy.

Well this year’s different. Jordan, my youngest son, has shown some initiative, and I’m feeling quite proud of him. He wants to earn some money for his passion: Paintballing. Now, don’t get me started on the pros and cons of paintballing, instead, let me focus on initiative.

“Mom, I’d like to come with you to the gym,” Jordan said.

“You sure you want to wake up at 6 a.m.?” I said.

“Yep. I want to run faster, for paintballing.”

So for the past ten days, Jordan has been going to bed around 9 p.m., and waking up on time so he can jog on the treadmill for an hour with his i-pod glued to his ears.

He researched jobs online and filled out and faxed a lengthy application for Yogurtland.

He ordered a couple of DVD’s on paintballing, with his birthday money, and the minute UPS delivered them, he got out his notebook and wrote down seven pages on paintballing techniques.

“You should start your own paintballing blog,” I said. “Perhaps you can form your own team and get sponsored.”

I wanted to plant the seed in his head.

So whether it’s paintballing, coin-collecting or skate-boarding, I really don’t mind what his passion is. All I care about is that he shows initiative.

Do you have or know of a teenager who has shown initiative?