<p>Oh, that’s making me cry…</p>
<p>Seriously, I would be in heaven if my boy would make me another lanyard.</p>
<p>That is a lovely poem. Lanyards are a wonderful gift to receive when they are made by a child and given with love.</p>
<p>One year two of the kids made those “jewelry boxes” where you glue macaroni and other pasta on a little box and spray paint it…one is silver and the other is gold. They are in my drawer and hold my Christmas jewelry.</p>
<p>One year my son got me a pin at a church bazaar where they could buy gifts for their parents for Christmas; I received an identical one for Mother’s Day the next year because “you liked it so much, Mom.” Still have both of the matching pins.</p>
<p>thanks, missypie. I love Billy Collins and that poem in particular.</p>
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<p>Yeah, I’ve had to be careful with how much I rave over certain gifts. I have about a dozen of the Bath & Body Works room sprays due to my enthusiasm in receiving the first one.</p>
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<p>You’re smarter than I am. I heard it one year on Mother’s Day on Prairie Home Companion. I thought it was something Garrison Keilor or his writers made up. But then today D texted me that they were listening to the Lanyard Poem…so I realized it was a “legit” poem and looked it up. Nice that the AP exam is over and they can listen to cool poetry.</p>
<p>well, I was going to say it’s in the one book of Billy Collins poetry that I own, but I just checked and it’s not. maybe I remember hearing it instead of reading it…? maybe on the same PHC show?</p>
<p>DTE - brag away!! </p>
<p>MissyPie - what a beautiful poem. Thanks for posting it.</p>
<p>Woody - I think my D has “left” her HS friends. I don’t even think for the most part they even occasionally IM any more. She is very into college :)</p>
<p>Billie Collins is such an accessible poet. That is his greatest strength I think. That is one of his poems I too like very much. Thanks for sharing it here, MP.</p>
<p>missy—thanks, I loved that poem…think I’ll share it with my kids, yes, the lanyard handed to us with sticky fingers makes it even</p>
<p>downtoearth–that’s quite impressive that they found a spot for your daughter. be proud, be very proud.</p>
<p>theanalyst–hope you enjoy your s’s graduation, he sounds like he is headed for wonderful opportunities abroad</p>
<p>Never heard of Billie Collins the poem was lovely. I miss the days of macaroni covered boxes.I loved the buying a second pin Sabaray. its a lovely trait in a man to remember!
D2 did a nice job at her dance recital. good day for the kids. What is the saying, " you are only as happy as your Happiest child" or something like that. One thing I know for sure, this is a group of loving and caring moms.</p>
<p>Congratulations, downtoearth! Please share all these triumphs. I figure we need to brag some on this board and get it out of our system so we are not one of “those” parents in real life!</p>
<p>Thank you for posting the Billy Collins poem, MissyPie. What a poet! I’ll never forget hearing him read some of his poems on NPR. I was in the Target parking lot and absolutely mesmerized-couldn’t go in and do my errand until he was done. He read a poem about getting an annoying song stuck in your head that just had me howling to myself in the car. He said he gave it a different title on various occasions, depending on the song. That day he called it “Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady.”</p>
<p>Still not a single job interview for Son. Yesterday I came up with three more places that take on-line applications. Of course you know what Mr. Very ADD did…started all three, completed zero.</p>
<p>Tonight is the very last ever middle school choir concert - after eight years. Yay! Younger D is hoping for a “most valuable” award, but they’re based on student votes, so with girls it’s often a popularity contest. (Son received two “most valuable” awards in 8th grade choir - not due to popularity-when all was said and done he said, “I’m not bragging when I say there is really no one else who could have gotten them” - meaning, there weren’t any other tenors who could actually sing.) </p>
<p>I can’t even go near the Diet/Exercise thread because this is the season of the year with concert/recital/parents’ meeting every single night so I haven’t worked out in weeks.</p>
<p>You’re really getting into the season of “last time”, missypie. </p>
<p>Has he checked Craigslist for job opportunities? Online apps are so painful to complete. Do you have any friends or neighbors that could give him a boost in the application process? </p>
<p>Analyst, hope there’s good weather for the activites this weekend. I haven’t heard a peep from D but H did, interestingly enough. Evidently she is having a good time at the beach but not being a big partier is a bit bored. How bored can one be relaxing on the beach, I wonder? That’s the kind of boredom I could live with, I think.</p>
<p>Yeah, we’re just all so ready to be done with the middle school. Isn’t it universal? When your last child leaves elementary school, you have all those sweet memories of starting kindergarten, etc. When your last child leaves high school…well, we know what it feels like to have a child leave HS. But middle school? Not a lot of warm fuzzies there.</p>
<p>I keep forgetting about Craig’s List when I’m at home. It’s blocked at work.</p>
<p>Missypie - I am afraid of going back to the Diet/Exercise thread, too. Maybe we can walk in together next week sometime.</p>
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<p>Eddie, I lurked on that thread earlier this week and some folks were actually wondering where you were!!! That means you must be way more dedicated than I am, because I haven’t posted there for weeks and weeks and no one has cared!</p>
<p>Yes, eddie, please come back to the exercise thread. Heck, I started the darn thread and they don’t care when I’m not there but they really miss you! I am buying a bicycle. NM is going great guns with her exercise routine but I haven’t been as dedicated, I guess. Remember, we’re making lifestyle changes…lapses are to be expected…we can do it! </p>
<p>D found her job through craigslist. A lot of “friendlier” employers - more the entrepreneuers and fewer chain type places at least in her neck of the woods.</p>