How I Spent My Summer Vacation....

Okay, so school technically started about three weeks ago. And fine, I'm not even the one in school. Whatever.  I'm still going to uphold the fine tradition of English teachers across the nation, and write about my summer vacation. 

My starter baby, my fake-it-til-you-make-it introduction to parenting, graduated from high school. After a lot of late night anguish over homework, stomach aches over girlfriends, Snoopy happy dances because of football games and track meets, and more tears than can ever be counted. And all of that was on my part! But we got him there.

And then he had the nerve to turn 18. He's a big boy now, and able to make big boy choices. And apparently able to withstand big boy pain.  After several years of talking about it, many design and design alterations; after getting my solemn pinkie promise to not only go along with him, but to get one of my own; I celebrated the 18th anniversary of 18 hours of hard labor-the worst pain imaginable (well, had I not been under the most awesome influence of a superb epidural!) by getting a tattoo with the Teenager.

 
My baby, my Bug, decided that this would be a perfect time to venture into his own teenage-hood. He turned 13 this year. I'm still not sure he's telling me the truth about his birthday. I mean, I was there for his birth. And I'm certain it happened only a few short years ago.

This was also the summer I got to remember being 18 again. My 20-year high school reunion. As corny as it sounds, it truly was like no time at all had passed. I walked into the room, squealed when I saw my favorite people on the planet from 20 years ago, ran into hugs that simply defined Best Hug Ever, and the last 20 years melted off of each of us. And in my case? 100 pounds went right along with it.  I could pretend, for 72 hours, that I was just as I was then. Fortunately, my friends went right along with that alternate reality. There is a reason I love them.

And while that experience may be the highlight of my trip home this summer, it can possibly be topped by the journey there and back. Road trip with my boys!! We spent 14 hours, each direction, laughing and singing along in the car. We talked, about girls and life after high school. And we argued over who got to eat the last licorice rope. Had that stubborn Teenager not cheated by sticking them all in his mouth and sliding them back out again, covered in his slimy germs? I totally would have won that argument, too.

Back home again, and time was running out. We still had so much to do, and not a lot of time left.  In true-to-myself fashion, Bug and I fulfilled one of my promises to him in the Go Big or Go Home style we try to embrace here. He had been begging me to dye his hair purple since before school even got out in the spring. Finally, as I was wandering the hair color aisle at the grocery store, fate smiled upon my boy. Fate in the form of the ONLY box of purple hair coloring left on the shelf.  Only after I got it home and in his hair did I check to make sure it was a temporary dye, and is supposed to come out completely after about 24 shampoos. I'm not entirely sure he's using shampoo every morning in the shower, as there is still quite a bit of purple still in there.

And finally, we came to the end of our summer. School started in three days. Was there even time to fit anything else in? Honestly....who did they think they were dealing with?

Night Ranger. Foreigner. Journey.  We saw them all in one night. No matter that the boys really had no idea who Night Ranger was. That portion of the concert was really more for me. But when Journey took the stage? Both my boys (and a couple of extra teenagers I'd picked up for the fun! Mouse and another friend of the Teenager's) were on their feet for the entire set, dancing and air-guitaring their way through song after song. In the rain, because is there a better way to enjoy lawn seats to an amazing concert?

I don't think I realized just how amazing my summer truly was, until just this moment. It was so .... full .... and I didn't even talk about Bug's last All Star baseball experience (beyond amazing!), or the soul-soothing visit with my own mama while I was home for my reunion.

Oh! And did I mention I got a fabulous new haircut?

Huh. Maybe all of those English teachers really do know what they're doing when they ask for these essays, after all.

A Little Bit of Absence....A Little Bit of Growth

Yes, I know I haven't been around here much lately. In fact, I've been so absent that I'm fairly certain most of you, upon seeing a new post pop up in your reader, are finding yourselves wondering just who the heck this Sports Mama person is. And if you DO remember me, you're most likely saying to yourself Oh thank goodness! I was afraid she'd been kidnapped by aliens or joined a cult where she had to give up everything and everyone! What a relief to see her here again!

Or not. But whatever. I'm here again. At least for today.

But! But! But!  It seems I've gone and surprised myself with a few things on these days I haven't been here. For instance, did any of you out there ever know what an amazingly awesome thing SLEEP is?? Or to be more specific, sleeping for more than 3-4 hours a night? Why didn't anyone ever tell me? Or perhaps more accurately, why didn't anyone ever shove a sleep aid down my throat and make a believer out of me before now?

I've also rediscovered what a great sitting-on-the-sofa-catching-up-on-all-our-favorite-shows-that-we-missed-during-baseball-season-and-cuddling sort of man my husband is.  (Don't worry. I didn't expect any of you to have already known that one.)

And......I've also rediscovered what an amazingly forgetful person I can be. Because I know that many, many times I've emerged from a situation or conversation, and thought AH! I need to remember to blog about that when I get back to a computer!. And then..... forgotten. (It's okay. If you already know this truth about me, there really wasn't anything you could have done to help avoid it. Unless you followed me around all day with a laptop, typing everything I say. Any volunteers for that job? The pay is ridiculously low, and there are no health benefits; but you'd get to see the inner workings of my mind. Not enough of an incentive? *sigh* Okay then.)

There are also some things happening in our little household that will most certainly create a shift in our lives as we know them, at the least.  Bug?  Is going into 7th grade. Where there are girls. That like like him. Girls that have prompted the question Mom, how do I talk to them? No, really....what, exactly, am I supposed to say after I say hello??

Jock? Have mercy; this boy is going to be a Senior in high school this fall. And (and this might be possibly the most surprising life-shift happening).... he is fairly certain that he does NOT want to play football this year. That's okay, you can go back and read that again. It was strange to us, too.  But as he and I sat on the track one night at about 11:30pm, between events at a decathlon he was participating in he looked at me and said Mom, I've fallen in love with track. With how good I am at it. With everything about it. With track, I can actually see myself going somewhere with it.

So that's where I've been. Sitting on my sofa, cuddling with my husband, trying to help one son figure out how to get where he wants to go, and praising the other for having enough character to not only recognize a new path in life, but the strength and confidence to take it.

And somewhere in there?  I'm learning how to let go of each of them a little bit more. It's a good thing I've rediscovered cuddling with Coach. It's giving me something to hold onto when my arms are feeling emptier.

Hey There. Remember Me?

That's okay. I understand that you might not. I know I've been a random blogger lately, and I hope you believe me when I tell you that I am probably more frustrated with that than any of you are. Oh who am I kidding? Of course you believe me. My lack of blogging can't possibly frustrate anyone else more than it does me. (But it might be nice if someone, maybe someone who has known me for some time, were to do a wee bit of ego stroking and tell me how deeply I have been missed? Maybe?)

Would you like to hear what might be a really good excuse....er, reason... for my absence? Well, here's what my typical day has been like this week:

Up at 4:30am (or as I prefer to call it: The-Buttcrack-of-Not-Yet-Dawn-Thirty) to take Jock to football weights. Then home for a little bit, only to turn around and pick him up at 6:30. This next thing is really a good thing (and don't you just love how I've decided to share this little bit of news with you all?).... I'm out the door and headed off to MY NEW JOB at 7:30. I get out of there at 5:30, when I take myself off to whatever ball park I'm supposed to be at that night (because I've decided that simply volunteering at my local league level just isn't quite enough insanity, and have progressed to volunteering at the District level; thereby necessitating my presence at ballparks in other leagues. Oh, and I've apparently become the official National Anthem singer for our Little League District. I've performed at all our All Star game openers and championships for all levels, and will be doing the same thing at this year's State tournament for the 9-10 year olds.), and I don't get out of the ballpark until somewhere between 9:30 and 10pm. And even though it's late at that point, I still need to actually unwind and eat something resembling dinner. So I don't seem to make it to bed until somewhere around midnight. If I'm lucky.

So, since I haven't seen my kids all week, I'm posting a couple of my recent favorite shots of them. They both had a birthday this month; Jock turning 16 and Bug turning 11 just a week later. We celebrated at Grandma's house, around Grandma's awesome pool. Here's a glimpse of the children I got to enjoy that day:

Check out his very first set of keys:

Proving that although he has known how to, and been an incredibly competent swimmer for many years.... floaties aren't just for his younger cousins (and yes, that dog is wearing a life vest....).

And yes, he really is just too cool for the rest of us.

Note to self....

Things to remember to blog about this week.....

......First ever blown tire on the freeway! Yay, what fun!

......The latest exercise craze to sweep my house: Dancing with the vacuum. Or it could alternately be titled: How to Both Embarrass Your Children AND Get Them To Join In The Housework Fun!

......Strange and mysterious injuries that befall Bug, and questions on WHY he never notices them until the stupid foot is swollen and purple. Also? Why that doesn't seem to hurt him or slow him down.

......Shaving my legs: It's probably a good idea to do that a bit more often. Saves razor blades that way.

......More things to be thankful I'm raising boys for: Athletic supporters and protective cups laying on the bathroom counter. Or soaking in the bathroom sink. And why I should remember to never actually ask about either of those occurrences.

......High School Baseball: The Fashion Show. Where cleats need to be white, to match the uniforms, and apparently the baseline is the new catwalk. (And if anyone can clue me in as to where I might find such a seemingly elusive item, at a price that doesn't include selling an organ on the black market, I would be ever-so-grateful.)

For now, my thigh muscles are apparently still protesting the sheer amount of vacuum dancing that was done yesterday. A fact which I am heartily disappointed in them for, as they seemed to be having a grand 'ole time while the 80's music was blaring and the boys and I were all singing along while we rocked out.

Stupid thigh muscles. I'm having a long talk with them tonight, let me tell you. I guess I need to remind them that the more painfully they protest, the less likely I am to indulge in the vacuum dance again.

In Case You Were Wondering Where I've Been.....

I know, I know. I've been so bad about posting regularly lately that I think even my most loyal of blog friends has just about given up on me. How some of you manage to have a daily life with jobs and/or kids, and still post amazingly lucid and entertaining posts is completely beyond me. If you have a secret, could you share? (And if it's just that your kids are much more entertaining than mine, can I borrow them for a week or two?)

Let me (try) to get you a bit caught up on life here in the locker room, ok?

Bug..... It was discovered with great hilarity this week that he is just about as tall as I am. I'm still not quite sure how that happened, as I routinely try not to feed him. (I just realized how bad that actually sounds. People, if you can't read the sarcasm in there.... well, you just don't know me. And if you don't know me, you might benefit from the knowledge that my kids? EAT.CONSTANTLY. Seriously, they eat everything in the house. Which wreaks havoc on my grocery bill, you know?)

We also attended the big-deal presentation at the local middle school for parents of next year's incoming 6th graders. Now, it could just be me, but I'm having a really hard time accepting my baby being old enough for Junior High School. I spent a portion of that evening crying sad little mama tears, while hiding in the bathroom. Needless to say, Bug is totally stoked about this whole growing up thing. Me? Not so much.

Jock..... Well, after a grueling three weeks of baseball training camp and a long week of stressful tryouts, we are beyond thrilled to tell everyone that he made the team! Trust me when I tell you that we seriously needed this bright spot right now. On the down side, it means I now have to go find (please God!) inexpensive white cleats and white baseball pants, as that is required for the team. On the plus side of that? There really isn't much that beats an afternoon sitting in the bleachers watching him play ball.

As amazing as I think my kids are (and I really do feel so incredibly fortunate with these two---the respect with which they treat other people, the unselfish way they seem to "get" our current financial situation, the hugs and cuddles every night, and the way they are both just turning into phenomenal young men), sometimes the conversations we have just boggle my mind. Especially when they are conducted via text, where there's actual proof of the lack of ... whatever.

Me (upon noticing that my house seemed to be missing one of it's children): Hey? Were you thinking of letting your mama know when you were going to be home? Cuz I'll pull rank and just tell you when if I don't hear from you. Also? Where are you? (and yes, I typed that all out. I have a very low tolerance for text-speak.)
Jock: Dad didn't tell you?
Me (realizing that yes, Dad HAD told me where he was. He had also admitted to not telling him when to be home, however, and knowing that sometimes the best way to get the teenager to tell me anything is to not admit I already know it): Dude, would I be asking you if he had?
Jock: I'm at Joe's (no, not his real name... and I apparently don't have enough creative brain cells left to give him something more clever. *sigh*) And he just said to call.
Me: Which you haven't. Or we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Jock: Oh. Didn't think I had to.

I paused for a moment here, just to laugh. Really? He didn't think he had to? Huh.

Me: Um, yes. If you're told to, that means you have to.

And then I just told him when to be home, as that would be when dinner would most likely be ready. Signed off with a typical mom comment of I love you.

He came back with Love you, too.

And just like that, I melted. No shock there, is there?

Coach..... Well, baseball season started. Baseball season tends to suck all possible free time from our lives here. Coach spent most of the past two weeks at various baseball tryouts, drafts and meetings. We have a couple of weeks until it really kicks in gear, and then there's no real time to stop and catch your breath until late July, I think. That's ok, though. Keeps him happy. And when he's happy, he does things like vacuum and cook dinner for me. So I'm all about keeping him happy.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! May you recognize the hidden Valentine's in your everyday life, and melt for them all at just the right moments.

Now, if only someone would manage to smuggle me a box of conversation hearts.......

Baseball in Hell

At no point in your life is it ever really, truly enjoyable to STILL be at a Little League game--for 9 year olds!-- at 10:30 at night. Really. I don't care if it IS your kid pitching the best game of his life and he's hitting back to back to back home runs. If that stupid game has now gone on for three hours because YOU CAN'T BREAK THE STUPID TIE... it's too long. And it's not fun.

It's even less fun if you don't have a kid in the game, and you're just there because at some point you thought it would be a GREAT idea to volunteer to be on the board for said Little League, and your city is hosting the All Star tournament for this age group, and you are the designated board member on duty for the night. And you've been at the field since 4:00 pm. Setting up the scorekeeper's tables at both fields being used. Getting the concession stand ready to open ON TIME. Coordinating and directing multiple score keepers and coaches from 10 other cities. With no help from the other--male--members of the board. Actually, with no help from anyone other than your teenage son (who has been nothing short of amazingly wonderful all week long, helping his poor, pathetic mother out the way he has!). At all. Really--no one. Oh... and it was 113 degrees at 4:00 pm. And its STILL over 100 degrees at 10:30 pm.

Oh yes. And you've done this Exact.Same.Thing every night this week.

What was that definition of insanity? Doing the exact same thing repeatedly, and expecting different results? I think that might also be the definition of Little League Volunteer.

Have I mentioned that I ran again, and was elected again, to the board for next season? All that sweat that has been seen running down my face this week? Yeah, that was my brain seeping out my pores.

Because At Least One of You Worried....

No, I didn't get washed away by the freak rain here last week. I also didn't take the opportunity to learn how to swim.

I am, however, drowning.

I am caught up in end of school year stuff with both boys. Keeping Bug on track and focused this time of year could legitimately be a full time job for someone who didn't already have one. Or two. On the flip side, Jock has done a spectacular job of pushing himself these last couple of months to make sure ALL of his grades are at or above a "C" level, and with his struggles with the evil that is Algebra, that's saying something. He has done this on his own, as his dad and I are clueless when it comes to his math class. He's also pushed himself to stay on track and not procrastinate in his English class. I am so incredibly proud of him.

I'm also swamped with end of season baseball stuff for both boys, and the Little League board stuff. We just finished the post season, and are gearing up for the Tournament of Champions and All-Stars. Um, so I guess its not really end of season yet. Explains why I'm still so busy with it all.

The company I work for decided, rather abruptly if one were to rely strictly on when the actual employees were informed, to move offices. This week. I was informed on Friday.

I am trying to cram 24 hours of continuing education credit into a week. Around working full time, baseball full time, the whole full time mom gig I've got in process, and trying to get out of here for a mini-vacation. And lest you think too highly of me... I will point out that I'm something of a procrastinator (yes, Jock came by this trait quite genetically). My license expires on Saturday. I've only had two years to get these 24 hours completed.

That mini-vacation? I'm sure I've mentioned it. I'm leaving tomorrow (although its after midnight, so I guess it's really today?) night for Denver to visit with my mom for a few days. I am really very excited about this trip, even if I am taking work with me. I'm not quite fully packed yet, and my plane leaves in approximately 19 hours.

I'm pretty sure I've left something out up there, but you get the drift. I'm sorry this is a sucky, uninspired post. Hopefully, you'll all forgive me and catch up to me in a few days. I'll get around to each of your blogs in the next couple of days as I'm relaxing and catching my breath at my parents' house. There's nothing quite like being able to sleep in at mom's house to make you feel refreshed. Of course, that might also have something to do with the fact that I am going by myself. No kids. No Coach. No dogs. No being on call for work.

I might just figure out how to "swim" through this after all.

Honey....Some Things You Should Know

Dear Coach,

Yes, I know I've been remarkably awful lately at keeping you informed of what exactly is going on in our lives, and the lives of those important to us. Baseball season keeps us so busy, and you and I both know that it is a true rarity for us to be able to do more than wave and blow kisses as we pass each other coming and going. Dinners together are a distant memory, and I'm not sure we even remember what it means to cuddle these days. (And on a side note, dear? We probably need to get to that soon, as its getting ever closer to the Fires of Hell temperatures the damn Arizona summers bring on. And I've never been that into you all sweaty and gross. And I'm pretty sure you've never been that into me all sweaty and gross. I'm jes' sayin....)

So in a better, more valiant effort to keep you in the loop..... I'm here to tell you a few things I think I might have neglected to let you in on.

First, have you seen the kitchen? I can't find a counter top anywhere in there, and I know we had at least one a couple of months ago. Also, we seem to be missing every single fork we own. So I'm thinking we're going to need to learn how to eat spaghetti with a spoon.

The little dog is out of food. And, um... I think she has been for a couple of weeks now. I've just been filling her dish with the big dog's food. She likes it, but now that you know that, it probably explains the new level of energy she's been showing.

I believe we're having dinner with your mother this weekend. It was supposed to be lunch, but between baseball games for our boys, soccer games for our darling nieces, and Little League board meetings (oh yeah... I've got one of those this weekend, too!)... I think we end up way past the lunch hour.

Have we decided that we are going to be more ecologically friendly? The spiders are getting out of hand, and I'm guessing that means you haven't sprayed lately. Or is it that you're being money-conscious, and spider-webs make great sunscreens on the windows? Could you let me know? I'd like to be prepared next time one looks up at me with all eight eyes from the faucet I use to fill the dogs' water dish outside. I'd hate to accidentally kill some new pet of yours.

Also, have we decided to grow our bushes out front into trees? I'm all for more shade here, especially as it starts getting ridiculously hot, but they're kinda scratchy. And not very pretty. And the tree we do have in the backyard? Um, not to alarm you or anything, but I think it might be alive and steadily inching its way to our bedroom window. Or quite possibly the spiders have just strung webbing from the branches to our window, and its pulling them closer. Either way, its reaching for me every time I walk outside to the kennel.

If you do get an urge to look for the kitchen, try not to disturb the cereal bowls the boys have left there. I know that they look like they are just bowls filled with milk in solid form sporting a spoon for a handle.... but I've got it on good authority that they just possibly might be extra credit science projects. Probably best not to touch those until the end of the school year. (Although since that time frame coincides with the end of baseball season, maybe that warning isn't really necessary?)

Laundry is a continuing issue here, isn't it? For future reference, socks can be found in the dryer, your jeans can be located on the back of the sofa, your work shirts are all hanging up in the doorway to the laundry room, and your underwear *should* be in your drawer. If you can't find it there, check on top of the box that is still sitting in our closet. That's most likely where I was last seen with the laundry basket. Oh, and clean towels are probably going to be found in the basket sitting behind the sofa. Give 'em a good shake before you use them, as there has been an increase in flying dog hair these days, and those two hang out in the living room a lot lately.

Speaking of the dog hair, try not to disturb the getting-larger-by-the-day pile under the bar stool by the shelf unit, mm'kay? I'm pretty sure Bug is trying to grow his own pet. He'd be awfully heartbroken if you somehow got rid of "Spike".

The various food items you keep noticing in every room of the house? Those aren't being left there by careless, lazy children. Oh no. I'm trying a new foraging routine out. If we leave food out for them, they won't start up with the "I'm hungry, Mom... what's for dinner?" bit they usually pull when we get home from practice or games. If it works, I will have revolutionized the way parents everywhere feed their busy kids.

Heck, it might even free up a little more time to fit in yet another activity!

Love you baby!

Air Kisses and Ghost Hugs,

Sports Mama

PS: Your dinner is in the microwave. Of course, I think it might be the one I left for you a couple of days ago. Add a bit of water, it should still be ok.

One In Which I MIGHT Look Stupid

By the time I got off work on Friday, I had been on the clock for somewhere in the vicinity of ten hours. Give or take a few minutes. It had been a really long week, with what felt like very little sleep involved. And realistically? It really wasn't that much sleep. On average last week, I only got about 4 hours of sleep a night. Like I said, it had been a long week.

So I was driving down my street, thinking about the million and one things I still had to do that night before I could call it quits. I knew that there was no way I was even going to be able to LOOK at my pj's until at least midnight, let alone get out of the uncomfortable but unfortunately absolutely necessary upper torso binding device that all women wear, but those of us who have had children are forevermore unable to go without. I was not looking forward to another four to five hours in that thing, is all I'm saying.

My new next door neighbors have a rather large truck, and a long flatbed trailer that they had parked in front of our house as they were moving in a couple of weeks ago. (Stay with me here. This comes together nicely in a minute.) So when I saw the truck and trailer parked in the street as I turned the corner, I just assumed that they had been finishing up their move. As I drove down the street, there was a small group of teenage boys in front of the driveway on their skateboards. I didn't recognize them, but figured they were just using that area for some reason known only to them, and as long as they didn't move too many of the rocks from my front yard onto the sidewalk, I didn't really care. So I motioned to them that I needed to turn into that driveway, and could they please move. They all looked at me like I was off my rocker. I mean, why would I want to get into that driveway? So I said (although my windows were rolled up, so I can't be sure they heard me), "Boys, its my house, that's my driveway, and I want to put my vehicle into it." And then I made little shooing motions with my hands. One of them shrugged his shoulders, they all grabbed their boards, and they moved out of the way. I proceeded to pull around the massive truck parked in front of the house, and into the driveway.

Which is when I looked up at the house numbers. I'm not sure why I did, only that its something I seem to do on a fairly regular basis. I don't know. Maybe I'm subconsciously thinking that while I've been away, some strange "house swap" would have occurred? Regardless, I looked up at the house numbers there by the garage door.

Oh crap. This was not my house. This was not my driveway. Oh.My.Gawd.

I quickly backed out, and looked at the boys standing there laughing at me. Held my hands up in an "Oops, sorry about that" gesture, and proceeded to drive along to my own house. Two doors down. Where my own teenager met me in the garage, and didn't have a skateboard anywhere near him.

When I told him what I had just done (and no, I have no idea why I told him that, only that it was obviously in the front of my mind when he asked how my day had gone; and NO, Coach still does not know this happened. Why on earth would I want to give that man any more reason to consider me the comic relief in his life??), he started laughing. Hysterically. And then gave me what is probably a brilliant piece of advice.

Um, Mom? You might want to start getting some sleep sometime soon.

Yeah. Maybe. That, or we could just move. You know... two doors down. Since I already know how to find THAT house.

Iiiiiiittttttsssss Friday!!!

Yes. Yes it is.

Do you look forward to your weekend because you get to do things like sleep in? Hang out in your pj's all day long? Not shower for a couple of days? (Ok, so its a toss up as to whether that's a good thing or not!) Go out with friends, or your Significant Other? Or, in the realm of Blogland... go Blog Hopping?

Yeah. I'd like to look forward to those things, too. Well, I think I'd still shower every day, although I might wait until afternoon to do it. ('Cuz I'm a rebel like that, you know.) However, in my world, weekends are just about busier than weekdays.

Take tomorrow, for instance. We've got a baseball game at 8:30 AM, another one at 11:00 AM, my nieces have a soccer game (*sidenote.... how cute is it to watch 6 year olds running around for an hour looking like they have no clue?) at 1:00 PM, and then I have a tentative Little League meeting at 5:00 PM. So I will be leaving my house at about 7:30 AM, and not returning until somewhere in the vicinity of 7:30 PM. That means I've got to get up and moving by 6:30 tomorrow morning. And I'm pretty sure that's against some law somewhere.

Sunday might be ok. After all, I'll just be spending the entire day doing grocery shopping and laundry. Although if you've read me for any amount of time now, you have an inkling of just how stinkin' long laundry takes me in my house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And, since I don't have much to offer in the way of brilliance today, and realistically? I won't be around this weekend, I'm leaving you with some of my early favorites. If you're new, please... stay a while and get to know me. If you've been here so long you've got your own spot on the sofa, kick back and reminisce with me.

Boys.... Gotta Love 'Em

Weekend Randomness

My Family...They Loves Me

The First Football Game

Calories Don't Count When.....

Have a great weekend, everyone! If you haven't heard from me by Tuesday, send a rescue party with some chocolate to Arizona, will you?

Scratch That

I had an entirely different post started here. In fact, I've spent the last 45 minutes on it trying to put into words everything I'm feeling. But, it struck me as too much self-pity to dump on the internet. Besides, its a familiar issue to me, and I know that while eventually it will come back to plague me again, I'll be able to push it back into the dark corners of my mind soon enough to not obsess over it.

So, I decided to scratch it. I'm starting over.

Sadly, I don't think I have much to say. I'm in another one of those valleys I've warned you all about. However, since I want you all to keep coming back I'm trying to avoid the whole pity party thing. If it starts to look like I'm wandering over to the dark side, and you just don't feel like wading through it all with me, please feel free to take a break and go visit some of the awesome people on my sidebar, my MVB's. Or take a tour through the Visiting Teams.

Just be sure to come back to me, ok? I know I'll be back to sunshine and rainbow posting soon enough.

On a different note, I gotta tell you that there is nothing quite like a nine year old boy with a severe case of the giggles at bedtime to make you feel calm and at peace inside. God absolutely knew what He was doing when He gifted me with that little boy.

To Feel, Or Not To Feel.......

..... guilty for not even attempting to blog over the last couple of days? That is the question. Ok, so maybe its not such a good question, but it seemed like a pretty good way to start this off.

I know I generally try to keep this fairly light, and frequently poke fun at myself and my family. Maybe it's by complete design that I try to make myself look like a wonderful wife and mother; a Super Mom, able to juggle everything on a daily basis. Someone who is always in complete control of all aspects of my life at any given point in time. Have any of you actually subscribed to that particular school of thought? If so, you might want to opt out of this post. It's ok. You can keep checking your readers, or just pop back here in a day or so, to see if I've posted anything new. I'll be ok with that. But for those of you who had that annoyingly persistent suspicion that there was maybe more to me than what I've shared.... feel free to stick around. I only ask that you hold all throwing of rotten fruits and veggies until after all is said and done, ok?

Have you maybe, just a little bit, picked up on the fact that I seem to have been afflicted with the "Pollyanna Disease" for quite some time now? It's true. I always seem to find the one bright, positive point to any given situation I find myself in. Drives Coach nuts, actually. He doesn't quite "get" how I can do that, when he so often doesn't see the positive. At all, let alone as clearly as I seem to. And I've been doing it for so long, that it's really just second nature now. Its who I am, and what I do. It's an automatic part of what makes me .... me. And I really wouldn't change that aspect of me. Its gotten my family through some pretty rough patches.

But it gets tiring sometimes, and the burden of being the one to always be positive... heavy.

I've talked quite a bit about Bug, and his quirks. His mood disorders have all been obtained quite naturally, definitely proving the "Nature" vs "Nurture" dispute. I'm so sad to admit that I've tainted his gene pool. See, I'm bipolar. Or manic depressive. Whatever you want to call it. What's worse, is that I'm an UNMEDICATED manic depressive. That, my friends, is a scary thing to be. Scary for me, certainly. But it is also not always a pleasant thing for my family.

I won't go into the reasons I'm not currently on medication. Suffice it to say that a choice had to be made, and I have placed my child's medications above my own. Most of the time, I truly am able to control things with diet and just generally taking care of myself. But its the days when I can't ..... those are the days that I look back on and wonder how I've still managed to keep a husband and children. I look back on those days and wonder how they can all be so forgiving of me, and continue to love me. The last few days .... well, its been quite difficult to get back to my happy place, that's all. I knew it had reached a bad point when I was driving home from work the other night, and I could feel my soul literally craving an evening spent with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure on continuous loop.

And it IS bad right now. I haven't cuddled with my husband in DAYS, when normally I have to cuddle at least once daily. I am irritated with every little thing my kids are trying to excitedly tell me about at least a thousand times every night. Tonight was the first night I actually cooked something for dinner in days, and I even messed that up (hello? What is tuna casserole if you forget to include the tuna?!?). I've found myself getting extremely impatient with everyone at work, and just generally snapping at everyone I talk to. All I want to do is lay in bed. I don't even want to get out and shower. I just want to lay there. Awake, asleep... doesn't matter. The purpose is just to hide away from everyone.

These are the moments when I push myself to my busiest. Its almost like I'm running away from the feeling of needing to hide, and if I run fast enough, and keep enough activities between it and myself, it won't be able to catch me and overpower me. Silly, I know. But for years now, that mental image has kept me on this side of "normal".

So forgive me when it seems like I've gone MIA for a few days. Those missing days are when I'm digging the deepest into my soul, finding the me in there that is usually so in control. I take that time to get re-grounded, and to reacquaint myself with the reasons why I bother trying to control this inner demon at all. I always know when I've been found, as I start apologizing to Coach for being so horrible, and I start listening to my kids.

Lucky for me, they're still telling me they love me.

But it probably wouldn't hurt to break down and buy a copy of Bill & Ted to have on standby.

Not A Big Fan of Peanuts, But I'll Take Some Of Those Cracker Jacks

I'm sure you've all noticed that I don't generally post on the weekends. No? Huh. Not an observant lot, are you? :) I kid. I know you've all noticed. On the other hand, only a small handful of YOU post on the weekends, so maybe you haven't noticed simply because you're not around.

Either way, consider this fair warning: From this point on, my posting will be erratic. I'll be just as likely to post on a Saturday as I am on a Wednesday. It will also be most likely filled with baseball stuff. Try not to get used to it. Eventually I'll go back to my weekday ways.

Its official. Baseball season has started here. Yes, in Arizona - Spring starts in February. Sincere apologies go out to all my bloggy friends in snow covered areas (Karen, Hallie and Sue immediately come to mind).

Coach is ....well, coaching. He's the manager of Bug's team. He's also the Director of one of the older divisions in our Little League. This means that not only will he need to be present for the tryouts for the division he's coaching (which will span two days, plus one more for the actual draft), he needs to be present at the tryouts for the older division (again, two tryout days plus one draft day). Then, he jumps into practices (before Opening Day, usually 2-3 a week) and then games (2 a week), going through the end of May.

I'm the Secretary and Information Officer of our Little League board, and the Team Mom for Bug's team. So, I get to be at weekly board meetings, all nights of tryouts for all divisions, all draft nights, an all day presence at Opening Day ceremonies and activities (at last check, I'm also scheduled to sing the National Anthem that morning!), at least a couple of nights a week spent at the field as Officer of The Day for all games scheduled that night (or all day on Saturday, should I get so lucky!), and Bug's games.

Bug has it easy. All he has to do is go to practices and games, and pitch and hit to win. He'll do fine.

Jock..... well, (drum roll, please!) ....

HE MADE THE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM!!!

Yes, I know that I just shouted that at all of you. Sorry I didn't warn you first to step back or cover your ears or something. But I'm still just so stinkin' excited about it! (*On a sidenote.... I sat through the last night of tryouts for that, and it was NERVEWRACKING! I don't know how those boys did it. It was being treated as a regular practice, with a controlled scrimmage going on, and the coach kept calling them over individually to talk with each of them for a few minutes to let them know either why they did or did not make the team. It was almost impossible to tell which ones made it and who didn't. They were all so upbeat and positive. I have to give huge pats on the back to all the parents out here... not a single one of those boys started pouting or getting angry while they were there after finding out they didn't make the team. They got done talking to the coach and headed back out to whatever it was they were doing before he called them over. At the end of practice, Jock walked over to Coach and I and started talking about something, and I said Well?!?! And he said Oh, I made it. Then started grinning like a loon. Love that boy!) So he's got practice every day, and games once a week.

Oh... and did I mention that he's also on the track team? No? Well, he is. And they also practice every day. And there is weekly meets. At least, I think there's only one a week. I'm not sure on that one, yet.

And we've still got to fit in homework, our day jobs, some family time, and a birthday or two (my 35th is coming up in less than a month, and my SIL's is the day after mine. Of course, she won't be 35, she'll only be 22. :) But we've celebrated our days together for the last seven years, and it's a lot more fun to plan now that she's legal! This year we're actually contemplating getting tattooed. I've got something in mind, and actually would like Jock to design it for me. If I go that route, I'll let you all know!). This is my life until the end of May. At which point, football season begins again for Jock, with spring training starting up the last two weeks of May. And if you don't remember how crazy-busy my life gets during football season, go back and ready some of my posts between August and the beginning of November last year!

So you can see where I might be just the teensiest little bit busy occasionally, right? Don't jump ship on me, though, ok?

Oh.... and if anyone wants to send ready-made-all-mom-has-to-do-is-heat-and-serve dinners? My boys would love you. It would get them out of nothing but ramen or cereal when we don't get home at night until almost bedtime.

"Nobody Move! I Can't Find My Brain!"

I decided tonight that that is going to be my new favorite quote. Thank you, Captain Sparrow.

My life is so beyond busy at the moment, and gearing up to be even more so. Don't misunderstand. I wouldn't change it; in fact, I really love everything about it that is contributing to the business.

I just need an 8th day to the week, maybe. I'd even settle for possibly just 26 hours a day on the seven days we currently have.

I might have mentioned a couple of times what I do for a living. If not, or if you're new here and don't particularly feel like trolling back through my old posts to find out, I'll tell you again. I'm a Property Manager of single family rental homes here in the Phoenix Valley. I absolutely LOVE my job. Let me make that very clear. (And not just because there is a chance my bosses read my blog! I really do love my job!) That being said, it is incredibly mentally demanding. And very busy. Extremely busy. I work for a fledgling company that has a really awesome vision and fantastic focus towards growth. Currently, the portfolio I manage is just under 75 houses. We are looking to double that amount soon, hopefully in the next 30 days.

So without going into too much detail, just know that I am kept very busy all day long. And, more often than not, I'm bringing something home to work on. Sometimes, that works out. Other times, not so much. Mostly because I live in an area that apparently is a bit of a technological dead zone, and both my desktop and laptop computer often mutiny while at my house. I try not to take it personal.

But I really think it has something to do with my actual house. Because EVERYTHING here mutinies! The computers, my kids, the dogs (who absolutely refuse to go outside in the rain.... and it hasn't stopped raining since LAST night here). I even have a theory that this house is the reason I can't cook.

(OH!! Except for tonight. Amy at Memories and Musings of a Mommy gave me an absolutely fantabulous spaghetti sauce recipe, that everyone actually ate! Thanks, Amy!)

And now we are about to go full speed ahead into baseball season for both boys. Both? I meant ALL THREE, as Coach also coaches Bug's team. And me? Not only am I in attendance at ALL of Jock's games and the Team Mom for Bug's team, I'm also the Secretary of the Little League Board. Which naturally means I've got 85 jobs to do during the season.

Honestly? Busy though it may be, I wouldn't trade a moment of my life for anyone else's.

Unless of course they had that extra day. Then I might have to work something out.

Gone Crazy. Be Back Soon.

I saw that in an email my mom sent me today, and it feels strangely and comfortingly appropriate and familiar. Seems I've got blog-writer's block. Who knew that could happen when you're only writing about real life?

What's worse is that I can't seem to organize any of the million and one thoughts scrambling around in my head to try to make even a semi-sensible post tonight. So, I've decided.... why not go with the flow, here? Why try to organize them at all? These thoughts are appearing at random, so I'll just list them that way. Maybe that's what they want???

One of my all-time favorite shows is American Gladiators. I watched that show with complete devotion and dedication for its entire run. You have no idea how totally thrilled I was when I located it once again on ESPN Classic in re-runs! Now, I've watched the entire run again. At least three times. In succession. Although I am somewhat apprehensive to watch the new version debuting in January. And maybe not so surprisingly..... both Jock and Bug enjoy watching it with me. Coach, though, just rolls his eyes. However... he enjoys the WWE.

I am a Keifer Sutherland closet stalker. That just means that all of my stalking is done in my own mind. I totally love him. Coach and I have agreed that should Keifer ever show up on our doorstep offering to take me away, Coach and the boys would stay behind happily. He would, however, ask for child support. Selfish man.

There is not a single male body on this planet that can wear denim as well as Trace Adkins. Anywhere. Put that man in jeans, a tight, shoulder-and-chest defining t-shirt, boots and a cowboy hat..... place him in my direct line of sight....and I lose all ability to form a coherent sentence. For at least three minutes.

One of the most awesome compliments Jock has ever gotten recently came from the Varsity baseball coach. Apparently Jock has been showing up the returning senior members of the Varsity team the last couple of weeks at baseball camp. And he's only a freshman. So when everyone had to run laps around the field and Jock beat everyone by at least five full seconds.... his coach called him a psycho. You should have seen the grin on that boy's face that night when he was telling his dad and I about it.

Bug told me tonight during our bedtime ritual (we lay on his bed and I sing a couple of times through all the verses of Amazing Grace for him) that he likes that its getting colder here. It means we can snuggle more and sweat less. That, and now I'll be more open to his suggestions of Starbucks' hot cocoa!

As if I needed one more reason to both be glad I married him in the first place, AND decided to keep him? Coach had dinner duty tonight since I was at a Little League board meeting. He made sloppy joes. But the best part? He made a vegetable to go with it! The three of them sat down and had sloppy joes and edamame. Strange combo, but it worked for them!

Ya know what? I live in my own little world. But that's ok. They know me here.

Next Rest Stop.....

.... not for several more days! :)

I've been really bad about keeping up with my blog, and with all of the blogs I read as well, lately. I'll be able to fill everyone in more later, probably next week, but in the meantime, I'll try to at least get in a word or two at night. Things are changing with work, and staying predictably busy at home, but I've discovered that this blog is one of the few sanity savers I've got, so I'm going to make every attempt to immerse myself in it for a bit each day.

For today, I've just got some bits of randomness to share.

So you can see I survived the Thanksgiving holiday. I don't mind admitting it was a close call. We spent pretty much the entire four day weekend at my in-laws house. Which, on most days, is not a bad thing. However, the house felt incredibly over-populated with small creatures. My 2 year old twin nephews. My 6 year old twin nieces. My two dogs. My MIL's two dogs. My two boys. *Although, in fairness, my boys really can't be accused of being small creatures any longer.* I have to admit, somewhat shamefully, that Coach and I were never so glad to be back in our own house, doing our own thing, as we were on Sunday night. There is no random screaming that comes from my boys. When they fight, you can understand what they are saying. They do not pull plants off tables. They do not throw food on the floor. They do not tell me "no" expecting no consequences. (That really is the key there. They do tell me no upon occasion, but realize that they won't get away with it!) And.... this is really important here.... my boys are fully potty trained.
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My oldest dog is a little mutt. She's a cross between a Corgi and a Terrier. You know, one of those "she's so ugly she's cute" dogs. Apparently, she hurt herself getting out of my truck when we finally came home for the weekend on Sunday. She's limping around the house. However, since she has been observed to be playing with our other dog quite energetically, I think she's faking it. After all, she's just spent the entire weekend being overlooked in favor of the bigger dogs and the children. And really, she's a bit of an attention whore.
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When the family was playing Totally 80's Trivial Pursuit this weekend, I was teamed up with Bug. Who, being less than a decade old, knows absolutely SQUAT about the 80's. However, I usually know quite a bit, which was apparently enough to cause my loving in-laws to decide to handicap my team by putting Bug on it. Anyway, we were moving along quite nicely, when I got stumped by a music question I absolutely should have known. "What girl group sang 'Venus'?" I could hear the song in my head. Even sang a few bars for the family. I could picture the video in my mind. What I could NOT do was name the group. Which was when my darling little Bug, in all his helpfulness, said to me: Well, if you can see the video, try focusing on the words in the bottom left corner. Gotta love the wisdom of that kid.
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And finally... the inevitable has happened. I really didn't think it would, since I'm so smart and all, but it did. My teenage son was actually able to teach me something on the computer. Have you all noticed the music playing now when you're reading my blog? See that nifty little play list over on the left, there? Yup. He showed me where to go online, and how to put one of those on my blog.


Cool, huh?

It Was An Adventure!

Ok, so we're on Day 4 now without being able to see. Can I tell you again just how much this sucks?

However, today we actually had to go somewhere. Which meant that I had to make an effort to appear somewhat normal. Now, I have of course showered over the last few days, even though I have not ventured out of my house. But (and for those men out there that might be reading this, if you'd like to skip this part, feel free. I won't be offended. I'll let you know in big bold letters when its safe to join the party again!)..... I haven't shaved.

Oh, the armpits were safe enough. Those are close enough to my eyes that I felt reasonably confident that I could safely handle a razor there. However, my legs are not that close to my eyes. In fact, for as short as I am, they are actually surprisingly quite far away from my eyes. Even when I'm bent in half as far as I can possibly go. So, feeling like I had used up my allotment of insane actions on Wednesday, I didn't think taking a sharp blade to my legs was necessarily something I should do. Fortunately, I wasn't going anywhere, and having survived two pregnancies with me, Coach had previously been exposed to my less-than-smooth lower limbs. But, as I said earlier, we had to go somewhere today that required me to put a bit of effort into my appearance. So, I shaved my legs.

Now, for those of you who might be "visually impaired" out there, you understand how challenging it is to shower when you can't see, anyway. I mean, you spend the entire time hoping you've grabbed the right bottle. Face cleanser instead of shaving gel. Shampoo instead of conditioner, and then conditioner instead of shampoo. Conditioner instead of body wash. And... I know at least the men out there will appreciate this one... your own razor and not his. Now, try to attack something with a reasonably sharp blade that is at least a couple of feet beyond where you can see clearly. I'm sure you can understand my dilemma. But I'm happy to report that I accomplished it with no bloodshed. (Ok boys... you can join back in now.)

Once I got out of the shower, I had to manage to put myself together, with the end result actually looking like myself. By sitting on the bathroom counter and placing my face not more than two inches from the mirror, I was able to get my makeup on. And, aside from the still slight puffiness of the right eye, it looked ok. I decided it might not be a good idea to try to blow dry my hair with my glasses on, since I generally do that with my head upside down anyway. Well, I even managed to do that ok. So then I popped my glasses on my face, remembered to get dressed, and pronounced myself fit for public observation. Off we went!

Now, I must admit something to you all here. I'm a bit of a control freak (I know... shocking!), so it always unnerves me somewhat to let Coach drive when we go anywhere. Normally I can handle it. Today it was a bit of a challenge. Being a passenger in a car when you can't see much further than the hood is kinda scary. I had no idea! And apparently the antibiotics have made my eyes a *touch* sensitive to sunlight. I couldn't open them without pain. And if I could get them open, I got instantly dizzy from the attempt to focus a mostly blurry image going 60 mph. *sigh* I finally decided that laying back and closing my eyes was the best way to go. That seemed to be the only way we'd get to our destination in one piece, without my constantly throwing my arm out and whacking Coach as I tried to balance myself.

Turns out I was pretty dead on in my prediction of trampling small children at the pizza parlor. I simply couldn't see them as they ran around my feet. And if Coach or one of the boys wandered more than a few feet from me, I completely lost them. I really just tried to stay in one place. It seemed safer that way. For everyone else. You understand.

Then we decided to do grocery shopping today instead of tomorrow. I say "we", but everyone out there knows that it was really Coach's decision, right? I mean, tomorrow is football. Should have been a no-brainer. Duh. Anyhow..... we had both boys with us. This was amusing on so many levels for them. Poor Bug got stuck leading me to the restroom at one point, and letting me hold on to his arm so I didn't lose him. At nine years old, he feels he's outgrown holding my hand, so this was probably quite painfully embarrassing for him. And then later, when Bug had to go again (folks, our grocery store trips generally turn into all day events. They last several hours. I really couldn't tell you why.) Coach gave Jock the option of going with him to make sure we didn't lose him, or staying with me. Jock, thinking he was getting the better end of the deal, opted to stay with me. Ha! After my umpteenth request to read to me what was on the shelves we were passing, I think he would have preferred to be chasing Bug.

We did eventually get through the obstacle course... I mean, the grocery store.... and headed home. By this time, the sun was going down, so it didn't hurt my poor little eyes. After unloading the truck, it was off to spend the evening with Coach's brother and his children. I think I might have mentioned them before... two sets of twins? Loads of fun on a good day, an awesome challenge on a day like today. Chasing after two year old boys when you can't see them at a distance OR up close as they are tiny, little grasshoppers is always fun. Really. I recommend it to everyone. And for giggles, throw in some newly developed mud puddles in the back yard. Total joy.

For the two year olds. Not so much for the 34-year-old-blind-as-a-bat auntie.

*sigh* But they're in bed now, and I made brownie bite cookies.

I just might survive until Monday morning, when I can finally put my contacts back in.

Randomness

Aha! And you thought you could escape my notice today? I think not!

Ok. Seriously. Apparently I'm having some difficulty coming up with something to write about today. Its not that I don't have a lot on my mind. Actually, its probably the total opposite. If anything, there is probably too much on my mind right now.

It occurs to me that even though we haven't gotten through Halloween yet, I'd better begin thinking about Christmas. Getting through that particular holiday gets harder and harder every year with my kids. Not that its ever bad. Its not. Its just that Matchbox cars and cardboard boxes don't make them as happy as they used to. And no, my boys aren't as greedy as that just made them sound. The problem is that I want to do more and more for them as they get older. And I'm finding that I can't.

I'm also thinking about how they're growing up right in front of me. Its not the fact that Jock is a full 6 inches taller than me. Its not that he's shaving now. Its not that Bug seems to have overnight aged about 3 years. Its not even that they don't want to cuddle with me so much anymore. (Although that makes me sad.) Its more that I find myself remembering more often how lovable they were as babies and toddlers. Or how excited they used to be to tell me all about their day, and I never had to pry the information out of them.

I find myself remembering how much fun Coach and I had when we were dating. On our first date, he took me to see Pinocchio. I am a huge Disney fan, and that was one of the sweetest things anyone had done for me. I remember when he met my baby brother, who at the time was one of the most important people in my life. Coach took The Baby and I to lunch, and told him that he could have anything he wanted off the menu. Which really probably wasn't the smartest thing Coach could have done. My brother was only 8 at the time, and his eyes were MUCH bigger than his stomach. Coach reassured me that it was no big deal; he'd said "anything". (Still wonder why I married him?)

It dawned on me that our 15th anniversary is coming up in about 6 weeks. We have always talked about renewing our vows on our 15th anniversary, especially the last couple of years when we discovered we liked each other again. And I guess I'm just kind of bummed that we aren't going to be able to do that, for a lot more reasons than just because we haven't even started planning for it. I'm not writing off the idea, though. I'm just going to have to think a bit harder about it.

So yeah. As you can see there is a lot of stuff running around in my head. Random stuff. I couldn't tell you why I'm thinking about most of what I'm thinking about. All I know is that my mind is so full I can't shut it down most of the time.

*sigh* That's ok. Sleep is highly overrated, anyway.

Monday, Monday....

....da daaaa, da da da da....

Ok. I can't remember any more words to that song. However, that has not stopped it from traveling around and around in my brain all morning! I haven't quite decided if that song snippet floating around is worse that the others that randomly float in there...

• The theme from the Inspector Gadget cartoon.
• Puff the Magic Dragon.
• Amazing Grace (to the tune of Gilligan's Island)
• You Are My Sunshine

And does anyone still wonder why I think I'm losing my mind occasionally? :)

However, I will endeavor to push past this and talk about my weekend. 'Cuz really, I know you're all just dying to hear how it went. Right?

Bug had a game on Saturday. I'd like to say we won, but since I try to teach my children by example, and I'm really wanting them to know that lying is bad, I can't say that. *sigh* We lost. Of course, that's not really a news flash. Our team really isn't that good. Oh... individual players are awesome (Bug among them, as I'll show when I go into details in a minute), but as a team.... well, we kinda suck. I know. I know. That is a horrible thing for a sports mom to say. But its true. Wish it wasn't, but there ya go. So anyway, Bug had a pretty good game. Do you remember this game? Um, yeah. So apparently its now all the rage to be knocked out on the field. At least if you are one of my offspring. Bug was down for the count again this weekend. This time, though, it happened later in the game. And he didn't actually get a concussion. At least, according to the medic on the field who let him go back in to play again after sitting out a couple of plays. And who knew that I could hold my breath for five minutes? Maybe if Bug keeps this up, I'll be able to set a new record for not breathing? Guess he really was fine, though, because shortly after that he ran the ball for 30 yards, which was the longest yardage our team got that day. These poor boys. I really wish they'd win one. But with only two games left, it doesn't look promising.

Coach went to the ASU game this weekend with his brother, so that left the boys and I to amuse ourselves. So.... we went to Bahama Bucks. And I introduced Jock to the delicious pleasure of adding cream to your shaved ice. Mmmmm.... He's hooked. :)

Anyway, its rather busy in my office today. I'm really supposed to be working, not talking to you delightful people. :) So, I'd best be off.

But you can bet that I'll probably be humming this at some point today:

do d'do d'do Inspector Gadget, do d'do d'do Doo Doo, Doo Doo....

Friday, Friday, Friday

Iiiiiiittttsssss Friday!!!

Can I just mention how really happy that makes me? Words can not even begin to express how happy Friday's make me!


Sadly, I'm giving up on Bill & Ted. *sigh* Every time I think we might be able to fit them in, something comes up to make that not happen. Coach has cousins come into town for one night only. Homecoming football games happen. My dad shows up (ok.. that was a good thing, but it still kept me away from Bill & Ted).

Bug has a game this Saturday. His season is winding down, as well. Only four more games to go. I'm excited about this game, as Bug followed last week's amazing game (that boy was all over the field, tackling everyone! He is a defensive monster! If you've got the ball, you'd better hope you can run faster than he can. And that kid is one fast little dude!) with a really good week at practice. So tomorrow's game should be fun for us to watch. Unfortunately, our team hasn't won a single game yet, so we're not really counting on that whole "victory dinner" thing. But we'll probably head out to Dippin' Dots if Bug gets his jersey dirty enough! His goal each week is to get so much playing time and so much action on that field that his jersey is no longer white! :) Let's just say that I can almost support the employees at the Spray~N~Wash plant single-handed!

And more than likely we'll end up doing something with the in-laws. We usually do. **we really need to get some friends!** **and yes, I really do love Coach's family!**

Keep in mind.... all of this will all be done by the time Saturday ends. Because on Sunday......

FOOTBALL!!!!!

All. Day. Long. There is no respite from that sport in my house. If a game isn't on , be it for half time or whatever, the channel gets shifted over to any other game they can find. If they can't find a game, we find ourselves watching ESPN Sports Center. Although this weekend will probably actually find Coach channel surfing between a couple different sports since we've also entered the baseball post season. With our current hometown boys playing (Go D-Backs!) and our favorite hometown boys playing (GO ROCKIES!!!!), Coach and the boys will definitely be keeping track of the games.

I know I've mentioned that I love having boys. And I really do. But sometimes I wonder.....

Would life be any easier with daughters instead? :)