Checking in Mid-Week

Let me apologize for being a lousy blogger - Life has gotten in the way lately!

First up .... I will share with you THE BALL.......

This is no ordinary softball. This is a ball that Bailey hit OVER THE FENCE this past weekend at a 'college look' tournament. This was actually the second home run for her of the tournament. The first home run ball was a beautiful line drive that happened to hit the top of the fence and dropped. The second one was perfect - cleared the fence and landed in the woods near poison ivy! LOL Not to fear, another softball dad drudged out into the woods to find it for her! I don't think she stopped talking about that hit all weekend! It really was a beautiful hit.

Although she can't be contacted by any of the college scouts yet, these tournaments are doing wonders for her self esteem on the pitching mound and she will be more than mentally ready for college softball, if and when the opportunity arises!


Yesterday was Bailey's 14th Birthday! How is this possible? How can it be that this little monster is growing up on me? LOL She is very definitely growing up to be a wonderful and responsible young lady! Well... maybe? When I got home and opened up the cake I noticed that there had been some adjustments made....

I think it's safe to say that those track marks were made by a finger belonging to the birthday girl. :)

By the time we all made it home last night from our usual busy and hectic Tuesday night schedule, we lit the candles and had cake.
What better way to head off to bed, than after a big plate of chocolate cake and a glass of milk?

Chandler's Tree Farm

A very dear friend of mine has a wonderful website about their family and their son, Chandler that was lost to Leukemia in 1999. Dear little Chandler was only 2 years old - he was such a fighter and so precious; it's no wonder God needed him so soon?

Please take a minute to check out their website regarding the charity they have established in their son's name. Through their loss of Chandler this precious family has built an incredible organization that through only donations, buys Christmas trees and gifts for the children who are patients in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Texas Children's Hospital. You really need to read all about it on their site to fully understand the impact they have on those families in need.

I was privileged to be apart of their efforts last Christmas and it really is a wonderful way to help other families that are fighting for their precious children's' lives. It's also a great way to get the Christmas season started off, as well as reminding the rest of us just how fortunate we are to have healthy children.

The big 'what to be' for Halloween has been decided!

For the past two weeks, Briley has been nagging me constantly about Halloween and what kind of costume she wanted and where are we going trick-or-treating, and who was going to take her, and... and... and....???!!?? I have literally had to threaten her that if I heard another word about costumes or "WHEN" we were going shopping, she wouldn't even get to Trick-or Treat! When I say Nagging - that word just doesn't do her constant, incessant, whining, moaning, and overall obnoxiousness real justice!

You know, I'm a mean mommy - I can do this and not feel the least bit guilty! Besides, I have teenagers - I don't scare easily and I don't make idol threats! LOL

So yesterday I geared myself up for taking her into the Big Halloween Store near the mall - you know - the ones that are only open for a month or so and sell everything you could possible imagine for Halloween from the fun to the gruesome.

Before we even walked into the store I told her the rules (the same ones each year since Brit sported her first halloween pumpkin baby costume) 1)we were not spending a lot of money on this mess (I absolutely despise the whole ordeal of dressing up for 45 minutes of candy begging!)2) She would not be wearing anything gruesome or scary, 3) She would not wear a costume that I considered inappropriate for her age or SKANKY! and finally 4)I was not going to wander and lolly gag around this store looking at this junk for hours - it was going to be quick and painless - PERIOD!!!

Believe it or not - Briley quickly decided that she wanted to be a Genie, BUT there's that whole showing your belly button issue-- She's not much into that and I can't say that I blame her. Moving further around the corner we discovered the Geisha Girl costume, complete with chopsticks for her hair!

I had no idea she would have gone for a costume that was so toned down and let's not forget - CHEAP! Briley was totally excited about it - I think the chopsticks for her hair cinched the deal.

So there you have it,15 mintues in the store and it's decided - Briley will be a Geisha Girl - completely covered in clothing and not a lot of make-up needed to make the costume identifiable.

As soon as we returned home, she was already trying on her costume and annoying everyone in the house pretending to speak Japanese - ugh - this could be a VERY long couple of weeks!

Oh, and the chopstick hair accessories have been hidden until we need to wear them - 'cause I know if left out in plain view they will turn into drum sticks and used all over the house, or they will become a new weapon of choice to be used on sisters or cats. ** Always thinking ahead or trying to prevent some sort of obnoxious behavior!**

I just don't know what to say...

***** SERIOUSLY!!???!!!???****
NOT something on my Christmas list!

I like it....I really really like it?

So maybe it is a Mid-Life-Crisis - But I really do want this car! Possibly it's because I'm a product of the 80's and am grasping on to my memories of the Camaro, and all that having a Camaro represents? Whatever the reason - I really think I NEED this car!

Oh who cares if my kids eat next month? Or who cares if we have electricity and running water? It's just money right? You can't take it with you? Surely I have enough to just spread it around like butter on toast?

Okay - Pinch Me - Back to reality - I'll just longinly glance as these snazzy little numbers pass me on the George Bush Turnpike and I putter along in my Mom-mobile!

It happened.... It really happened???

Say it isn't so?

Tell me I'm dreaming?

How can this be?

I saw my first Christmas commercial of the season? I was in such a state of shock, I don't even remember what was being advertised, but it was there, in big red and white - a cartoon Santa - as big as day! It took me a few seconds to even register what I was seeing ---

How is this possible?

I'm not ready for Christmas!

I'm not ready to think about the ugly greediness of the 'gift giving' season!!

UGH!!!!


**NEXT - without any notice at all, Brit asks me when are we putting up the TREE?

Are you serious? THE TREE??? It's barely OCTOBER!!! I've still got to get through the whole shopping for a Halloween Costume ordeal and the greedy little candy monsters that will plague my front porch and mess up my cute little pumpkin displays!

WHEN ARE WE PUTTING UP THE !@%^$#* TREE????


I'm not listening.... I'm not listening.... I'm not listening....

You can't make me, You can't make me!

I think I finally understand the whole theory of...

a Midlife Crisis!


No... no... I don't mean the part about running off and leaving my children....or whatever other irresponsible behavior usually goes along with a mid-life crisis. What I mean is that I understand the feeling of wanting a change in life, the feeling that I've missed something or a sense of accomplishment - not that my life is worthless - not that.... It's more of a sense of things that I really want to do with myself - things that I can finally give myself permission to do - because it's okay - I'm an adult, I'm not hurting anyone, I'm not taking food out my children's mouths... I'm just deciding that it's okay to be ME - no matter how different or how odd it may seem after being so boring and predictable for 40 years. If I feel like wearing purple Nike's with my navy Capri pants, I really can - there's no fashion police that will stop me and honestly I really don't care what anyone else thinks? It's a freeing spirit - I can if I want to, and I just might want to - who knows?

I've worked in the same boring job forever and now I would just really like run away like a mad woman and never look back, but alas - those pesky creatures that share my DNA would really rather I keep food in the pantry and electricity shooting through the plugs for their many hair dryer,straighteners, cell phone chargers, and televisions. Okay - so I can't run away from work or my children (Don't think I don't contemplate it on an hour by hour basis!), but if I decide that I want to watch the DIY channel for 8 hours on Saturday while still in my PJ's and eating fruit loops, well guess what? I CAN! I give myself permission to!

Oh, I'm sure my crazy thoughts of moving to a ranch in some remote area and living off of the land are just that - crazy thoughts - since I don't have any real viable skills that would last me longer than when the sandwich meat and bottled water runs out - BUT what I am saying is that I understand the feelings and the reasoning behind why so many people feel called to drastically change their lives and it just so happens to occur at the mid-life marker. It's an incredible sense of urgency that THINGS NEED TO CHANGE! That I can totally relate to... I just haven't figured out for myself what THINGS I want to change?

Basically, for me the THING that needs to change to get past this feeling could be something as simple as redecorating my bedroom, a new set of kitchen dishes or decluttering a hall closet? Know what I Mean? Oh Who knows... I could just be rambling because I'm stark raving mad?

Yawning - All Day Long!!

Did you hear that?
It was a large thud sound...my head just hit the desk!

So what's wrong with me that I can't stop yawning ALL DAY LONG? I sleep at night, I sleep during the day, I basically sleep at any given opportunity. Something happens the minute I sit down at my desk and try to work - I start yawning and it lasts all day!!!

I don't mean once or twice an hour - I'm talking about all day long - yawning repeatedly - time after time, sometimes for an hour or so at a time. If given the opportunity I could easily put my head down and go to sleep!

This problem has been going on for MONTHS! I was hoping that once I got my blood pressure all situated and settled that the yawning would stop and I wouldn't be so tired! NOPE, that didn't help. Then I was in hopes that once I could get back to sleeping through the night without any interruptions, I could somehow get my sleep cycles back in order and really overcome this yawning business. NOPE, that didn't help.

I just yawn incessantly - like a big looser - all day! I'm sure the guy sitting outside of my office is sick of hearing me yawn - I mean I try to be quiet about it, but sometimes --not so much! LOL I'm as sleepy as if I had taken two Benadryl or a sleeping pill- it's absolutely crazy!

Oddly enough, when I'm at home on the weekends I don't seem to have this problem. I go along all day, just fine - not yawning myself silly? It's so bad that I have to get up and move around to keep my head from bobbing up and down on my desk - or worse yet - falling face first into the keyboard.

Things to make you go "HMMMM???"

I probably spend too much time alone and looking at my computer screen - that's got to be the reason I sit around and think of odd stuff?

My first quandary is about the brave men and women that die in combat; when their bodies are brought back to the US, have their bodies been embalmed? Are they still wearing the clothes they had on when they were killed? Are they still covered in blood and etc? Do the families get to see their bodies once they are back on US soil and before burial? I don't ask these questions to be rude or disrespectful, I just really wonder? I've never had a close family member or friend die in combat and I've never had to go through this experience.

My next quandary has to do with Email and People; Why oh why do some people think that they have to come by your office or call you to tell you they've sent you an email? I mean... I work all day long sitting in front of the computer screen, I am constantly checking my 'in-box', why do I need someone to make a special point to tell me they sent me an email and then what makes it worse is that they continue to tell me what it was about? HUH? INSERT HUGE EYE ROLLING MOMENT FOR ME! Last time I checked, I could read?

Thirdly and finally, I'm so confused as to why school dietitians even toy with the idea that some 3rd grader is going to be the least bit interested in eating a TUNA BOAT? Seriously? I'm an adult that likes tuna, but some how I just don't find the idea of eating Tuna Fish prepared and served in the school cafeteria as appetising - much less when you add "BOAT" to the idea?

Maybe it's just me?