Teenage boys aren't what they used to be. At least not around here.

Twenty years ago (has it really been that long!?!), it seemed that all teenaged boys did was flex their muscles, say really stupid stuff, and wonder where the party was. Oh. And they drooled over every girl who passed them by. Except me.

It wasn't that they snubbed me. They just always viewed me as, "one of the guys". Until several years ago, my closest friends were usually dudes. Sometimes they were even straight. Now that I'm married, having best guy friends doesn't seem like such a great idea. You know. Appearances and all.

About a week ago, Collin had his best friends over to spend the night. There were five of them all told. I wasn't sure how crazy things would get, but I was ready to open the spare can of Whoop-Ass I keep in the pantry. Lucky for them me, it's still there.

See, back in the day, I was hanging out with public and private school guys. They had reps to protect. Images to maintain. Everything about who they were that mattered was on the outside. They were wild. They took ridiculous risks. Things moved fast and hard.

The boys who invaded my house last week are all homeschooled. Everything about who they are that matters is on the inside. They're awesome guys. Conversations that night ranged from the trips they're taking this summer, to famous military battles, to the origins of the species. They discussed and shared their favorite books, as well as their favorite video games. No one snuck cigarettes or booze into my house... although I did have to quash their hopes of playing "M" rated Halo. They watched Monty Python and played Guitar Hero and woke up extra early to get in a game of Dungeons and Dragons before breakfast. And each one of them had a wonderful time. They told me so. Repeatedly.

The best part? They let me hang out with them. I didn't invade their entire evening or anything, but my son and his friends were glad to have me around. I guess I've still got it... just one of the guys. This time, though, I'm totally honored!

So no... teenage boys aren't what they used to be. At least not around here. And this homeschoolin' momma couldn't be happier.

I've been tagged! I didn't even know I was playing...

Apparently in this case, being "tagged" means I'm supposed to tell the whole wide myhomeschoolplace.com world eight fascinating facts about me. Just eight?

1) I list "Buddhist" as my religion. This is not necessarily true. I consider Buddhism a philosophy, not a religion. Buddha does not ask me to worship him, but to consider his guidance on my journey through this lifetime. I plan to write a post (or several)about this soon...

2) My first concert was Willie Nelson. I was in the fourth grade at the time and couldn't understand why my mom wouldn't let me wear my t-shirt from the show to school the next day, just because it smelled a little weird. I now know that smell was all the doobie smoke in the air that penetrated the cotton fibers of my kick-ass baseball jersey style tee, with Willie's goofy face on the front and all the tour dates and cities listed on the back. I wore the $#!+ out of that shirt.

3) I do not shop at Walmart. Gross abuses of eminent domain laws, exploitation of their suppliers, their racist, sexist and ageist hiring practices, and the general assumption that Satan himself has to be behind their ridiculously low prices all factored into my boycott decision.

4) I want to see the Northern Lights before I die. This will be my one, and only, willing foray into arctic conditions.

5) I would rather drown than freeze to death. That given, I'd rather drink at a Tiki bar somewhere sunny than drown or freeze... even though I don't drink.

6) I worked for eight years in law enforcement. During that time I was Intern Coordinator for a major metropolitan police department, a 911 call-taker and dispatcher, a desk officer, and crime analyst. I have also been a nightclub bouncer, pre-school teacher, nail technician and PR/marketing specialist. I sold home alarm systems for a while, too.

7) I believe in things a lot of people roll their eyes at... like "signs", guardian angels, spirits, Feng Shui, "The Secret" and an innate good in people.

8) If I could have one hour back in my life, I would spend it talking to my dad. About everything. And I would hold his hand the whole time.

OK, OK... so "fascinating" might have been a jump.

Now it's apparently my turn to tag people.? I would tag Samantha, but she tagged me.? I'm tagging anyone who wants to be tagged... and Dana.? I HAVE?to tag Dana!? Everyone else I would tag has already been tagged.? Debbie and Melyssa get around!