A Blogiversary

“General Mayhem's 6th grade Language Arts teacher confiscated his school supplies to save them in the teacher's desk "just in case" the General came to class without supplies. Take a little time to wrap your mind around that concept…”

That was the opening salvo in what has been a fun year of writing. That was the opening line of the very first post on Boarding in Bedlam, the blog I started on April 22, 2009, after I abruptly shut down my old blog Arby’s Archives in the fall of 2008 and took a five month hiatus from the blogosphere. Since starting Bedlam I have written 216 posts, earned 44 followers, and watched the numbers roll on my site meter. I am grateful to each and every reader who visits. I enjoy your comments. I appreciate your support.

To celebrate this occasion, I am providing the follow-up to the first six blogs that I wrote last April.

Blog #1

“General Mayhem's 6th grade Language Arts teacher confiscated his school supplies to save them in the teacher's desk "just in case" the General came to class without supplies. Take a little time to wrap your mind around that concept…”

We returned to homeschooling. Everyone is happier. Except the six grade language arts teacher. He had to buy his own supplies this year.

Blog #2

“Just shy of her fifth birthday, Captain Chaos is a tomboy’s tomboy.”

Just shy of her sixth birthday, the girl still leaves a path of destruction in her wake. Just ask the limping chicken.

Blog #3

“The Boss said that it was time to push the reset button.”

We pushed the reset button and held the girl back from entering kindergarten this year, opting to keep her in preschool for a final year. It was a wise choice. She’s ready to start kindergarten this fall.

Blog #4

“Seat 4 obnoxious 12-year-old boys, one 13-year-old who doesn’t know that he needs deodorant, and one General Mayhem in a car for 4 hours and what do you get?”

I have a new policy for transporting scouts. I stand outside the van and supervise while the boys apply deodorant before climbing into my vehicle. The only aroma that camp fire smell does not mask is B.O. I know this for a fact. I camped on the south lawn of the White House several times last year.

I also put an end to the more questionable jokes shared by the older scouts who either do not know or do not care that there is an adult in the car. After a rather crude sexual joke about women and oral sex, I asked them, “Will someone please explain to me why that joke is acceptable? The next time you tell that joke, think about your mother and your sisters when you tell it.”

Absolute silence followed.

Blog #5

When General Mayhem was a small boy he had three big dreams. “When I grow up I want to be a pilot. Then I want to be an astronaut. Then I want to be Batman!”

This one was settled after the boy came to the realization that some goals just are not realistic. So, he’s going to Batman School.

Blog #6

Just this month, Mayor Wrinkles successfully defended his seat against a challenge by Councilman Newfangled in the recent Apathy, Kansas, mayoral election. If wrinkles were tree rings he’d be in a petrified forest.

Mayor Wrinkles added another ring to the tree this year. In 2005, Wrinkles campaigned for one final term. Last year, Wrinkles campaigned for one final, final term. It remains to be seen whether or not he campaigns for one final, final, final term in three years.

I hope the second year is as fun as the first.