Competition or Criminal?

Wooo! We had major drama at SWEETHEART'S softball game tonight.

Both SWEETHEART and SUNSHINE had a game tonight. At game time I was the only parent who knew how to keep score. So I ended up keeping score for SUNSHINE'S game and was not able to watch much of SWEETHEART'S.

SUNSHINE'S team beat the only undefeated team in the league 8-2! They played AWESOME. She was catcher for the first half of the game. Not a single ball got past her. She was incredible! I'm so proud of her. She gets in there and makes it happen.

Way to go girl!

I went over to SWEETHEART'S game. Apparently, early in the game a member of the other team gets tagged out at home. As she's getting up she kicks the catcher twice in the crotch. The umpire ejects her from the game. This causes the coaches from that team to go balistic (apparently). One coach accuses the umpire of unjustly kicking lots of girls out of games because 4 years ago he kicked his daughter out of a game.

The umpire tells the coach, "You've just made this personal. If you say one more thing you'll be ejected as well. Do you understand?"

Coach responds, "Yes."

When I get there the umpire makes a call. The girl from the other team left the base early and is called out. Both coaches from the other team again go balistic. Umpire ejects the previous coach. A fan yells explictives. The umpire ejects the fan as well. Still both coaches are yelling and in the umpire's face.

Umpire tells the first coach, "You have 60 seconds to get into the parking lot or I'll call the game."

Coach says, "I'll take all 60 seconds." Coach and fan, in exaggerated slow motion begin walking to the parking lot.

60 seconds later they are just crossing into the outfield. Second coach still yelling, girls from opposing team are screaming (following the lead of their coach).

The umpire calls the game. Coach still yelling. One of our parents tells him to "cool it". The coach yells back at the parent, "You want a piece of me? Come on out here and get it!"

Holy Cow!

As is customary, our team comes out of the dugout to give the final cheer for the opposing team. They cheer, "Ra Ra Ra 'YOU GUYS'!"

The opposing team comes out of the dugout and cheers, "Ra Ra Ra 'US GUYS'!" (rude)

Both teams line up to say, "good game". One player from the opposing team slugs our pitcher and calls her a "B*****".

I'll tell you STRAIGHT UP. If it had been my daughter who'd been kicked or slugged I'd be pressing charges. STRAIGHT UP!

On top of this, thier team was winning 7-1.

I don't get it.

Any of it.

I'm seriously considering not allowing my daughter to play in a game with that team ever again.

I Don't Get It

SUPERSTAR and I are butting heads, big time. For the last while, maybe a couple of weeks, maybe more, whenever I try to put my arm around him, or pat his hand, or try to touch him he flinches away.

Yesterday I asked him to attend SUGAR'S game so that I could go to SUNSHINE'S band concert. (They were at the same time and ending at approximately the same time) He didn't want to, said it would be boring. I told him that I needed him to be with her, support her and stay with her when the game ended until I could get there. He balked and said that there were several games of his that I didn't go to. I told him that I always felt bad about that and appologized whenever that happened, I was doing my best. He is older and better able to take care of himself than SUNSHINE is. Still he balked. I asked, "will you please do this for me?" Still he balked. I asked again, "will you please do this for me?" Three times this happened before he said, "what time do we have to leave?" I told him 6:00. He said, "I'll be home at six." and hung up.

This morning he slept in an hour because seminary is over for the school year. I woke him up with everyone else to read scriptures. He fell asleep during the reading and when we finished I nudged him and said, "SUPERSTAR, you need to go get ready for school." He said, "OK." A few minutes later when he'd not moved I put my hand against his shoulder and said, "SUP, you're going to be late if you don't get up now." He said, "Leave me alone." I did. 30min later he got up and began getting ready for school. He was just stepping out of the shower when the bus passed. SWEETHEART came downstairs and informed me that SUPERSTAR had missed the bus and was still wrapped in a towel and told her that he was not going to get dressed until his clothes were done in the dryer (30 min). She then asked me if since I'm going to have to take SUPERSTAR to school could I also drive SUNSHINE and her to school. I agreed.

I went up stairs and told SUPERSTAR that we would be leaving in 10min. He balked and said that he couldn't get ready that soon, all his clothes were in the dryer. I said, "then you'd better find something else to wear because I'm leaving in 10min. If you're not ready you'll be riding your bike to school." Pissed and angry he balks again, telling me that school doesn't start for a half hour and it was ridiculous to leave in 10min. I express my frustration about being low on gas and money and when he misses the bus it adds to the stress.

In the car I asked him to put his seatbelt on (something that happens everytime he gets in the car, not once since he was small has he taken the inititive to put on his seat belt without being asked to). He said, "NO." I, with sharpness, said, "Then get out of the car." His head snapped as he looked at me with shock and distain. I stopped the car and said, "You can either put on your seatbelt or get out of the car. I'm OK with either one." He put on his seatbelt and the rest of the ride was made in silence.

I know he's angry and frustrated and so am I. I haven't got the slightest idea what to do or how to understand were he's coming from or how to create some compassion between us.

I know that for the last while we've had one of SWEETHEART'S friends coming to the house often. She is an only child and seems to enjoy the family atmosphere, a bit of chaos and energy that are constants at our house. She has begun imitating some the the things that SWEETHEART does with her siblings, i.e. hugs, inviting SUGAR to sit on her lap, etc. She has also made efforts to get close to me. She offers me a hug every time she comes over, has spent the night several times, helps her self to food, etc. None of these things bother me. I'm glad she feels comfortable at our house. In church last week she sat by me and rested her head on my shoulder.

SUPERSTAR said to DARLING HUSBAND, about the friend, "I hate her. It's like she's trying to be our sister. She's not. And what's she doing hugging on mom? She's my mom not her's." I don't know what to do about this jealously, or if the tension between SUPERSTAR and I the last two days has anything to do with it.. I don't think that the attention she gets from me is taking any attention from my own kids. They always come first. Besides, as far as hugs, SUPERSTAR doesn't even let me hug him.

So I don't get it....

And I haven't got a clue what to do about it.

Blogs I Like

I'm pretty new to this blogging thing. I've got three blogs going...
1. Just for me...only for me.
2. A family blog open only to those I invite...extended family and close friends.
3. This one..public and fairly anonymous.

I'm finding that blogging is quite time consuming but, the thing that I enjoy most is finding other's fun, meaningful blogs that seem to speak to me personally. I'm still looking for someone who blogs about their teens escapades that is still positive and upbeat. Kinda tough.

Anyway, I thought I would share two blogs that I've enjoied. If you stumble across this blog of mine and you know of such a postive, upbeat, fun, meaningful blogger with whom you think I might relate, please, let me know.

Here are two blogs that I like to read:
justbreathinandout.blogspot.com
storiesfor.us

I Passed!

I called yesterday to get my scores for those professional development exams. 70% is passing.
Standard I = 76%
Standard II = 85%
Standard III= 79%

It's interesting that the one standard that I considered the easiest is the one that I scored the lowest. Who'dov thunk?

I went to the university to get my certificate. Thank goodness it states only that I passed all three standards and did not list my scores. Barely passing is not quite as good as simply passing.

What relief

Tag

Joys
1. Watching my kids play base/softball. It is so cool to see them become a little bit better, a little bit quicker, a little bit stronger each time. I love it.
2. Sorry, can't post it here. Just the mere mention of this sacred joy would cause a rating block. (Sad that it something so great has become twisted)
3. Prayer. The best part of my day is a chat with my best friend. I joy in His guidance and trust in His plan for me...It's the BEST!

Fears
1. SUPERSTAR will have his driver license in six months.
2. SWEETHEART will have her driver license in six months.
3. I'll be paying car insurance for two teen drivers in six months.

Goals
1. Finish my degree in Education and teach 4-8th grade. I get so jazzed about teaching. I love the sub jobs in that grade range that I get to teach. It fits my need to laugh, control, guide, and watch that dawing expression of "I get it" come across the face of a frustrated kid. I can hardly wait.
2. Get lasar hair removal on every part of my body below my cheeks. (Maybe not every part) I detest body hair. I haven't the slightest idea why God gave us so much hair. Blech!
3. Exercise...Exercise....Exercise. I weigh more now than I ever did when I was pregnant. I'm hoping to still eat everything that I want to...and maybe when I exercise I'll 'want' to eat better. So..ya, Exercise.

Obsessions/Collections
I'm trying to let go of a few obsessions...so in the interst of not giving them any more power over me I'm going to omit this little section

BUT I love to collect Willow Tree figurines. I have most of the nativity, several family poses, and four angels. I love them. They make me smile.

Random Facts
1. I never use a public bathroom stall with a vent over head. One time in Jr High I heard that there were some boys who would crawl through the ceiling over the girls locker room and watch them through the vents. Even though I'm pretty sure that's not really possible (I think) I'm a bit paranoid. So, I simply avoid the stalls with overhead vents.
2. I've personally met Keith Urban, shook hands with Jay from Rascal Flatts, and just last week I was tapping out a rhythm on the stage of the Grand Ol Opry to the music of Hootie and the Blowfish. I was so close I could smell the leather of 'Hootie's' boots. Yes, I could almost touch the circle in the floor where great country legends have stood.
3. I can curl my tonge, wink with both eyes (one at a time of course), but have never been able to spread my toes. Nope they hardly even wiggle. I've no clue how to send messages from my brain to my toes. It just doesn't happen.

SUGAR Softball

Here's my SUGAR Girl. Isn't she cute?

She is fantastic. She bats second in the line up, plays a lot of second base (there it is again, my kids and second base), catcher and left field. (In minors they play several positions) She is a real power hitter.

I just love seeing her in all that catcher's gear. She is one of the youngest/smallest on her team and looks sort of like a kid with too many coats on in the snow as she walks from the dugout to the plate, but behind that plate she is quick, accurate, a WALL. Today she played second base and was "right on". Her team won by two runs, pulling out from behind in the last inning.

She's a fireball!

SUNSHINE Softball

Here's my SUNSHINE! She has a lot of great games. Last night she hit a double, caught with precision behind the plate and ran the bases like a pro.

She has got a lot of personality and has put it into her playing. Her skills with the ball are so much fun to watch. Here's one of the great things about my girl. She is so great at playing "her" game. Regardless of the way a game is going or the outcome, she is in there doing "her job". She is not one to gloat or to pout. She just enjoys the action, the competition and the sport. I'm really proud of her...'cause this is not something that has come natural to her. The first couple of years playing were quite rough, emotionally. But she's learned how to not "get all up in her head" and just play the game and love it.

Way to go SUNSHINE!

SWEETHEART Softball

SWEETHEART'S game was AWESOME! They played a 'tough' team and pulled out the winning run in the last inning.

As I was walking to the car another parent stopped me and said that he and his wife would award the game ball to her. She played second (what is it with my kids and second base?) Made a double play, caught a couple out of the air and scored on that great slide you see in the picture above.

It has always shocking me to see her play ball. She is such a "girlie girl". Likes to look pretty and sort of floats when she walk (a little prissy). But... put a jersey and visor on her and her whole body language changes. She gets tough and competetive - quite the athlete.

SUPERSTAR Baseball

SUPERSTAR'S game against MV.

Win 8-3

My son is a SUPERSTAR.

Mr second baseman.

Scored the first run of the game.

Double play and lots of great action.

What a stud!

What Do You Say to a Duck in Your House?

The other day I was upstairs working on the computer. I had the back door open on to the upper deck. I heard a noise behind me and saw a duck walking in the door. I got up and said, "Whatcha doin?" I followed the poky duck back out the door. Daddy duck was sitting on the deck and immediately flew away when he saw me. But, mommy just kept waddling across the deck. She pushed and squeezed her self through the railing and floated onto the grass below.

When I told my dad the story he got a kick out of my response. "Whatch doing?" Today he called me. I asked him, "What do you say to a duck in your house?" He resonded, "The same thing your mother said to me when I peeked in on her in the shower."




This is a view from my deck. The river is just behind those trees.

Mom and Dad and my darling younger sister and her two cute girlies came to visit last week. It was so great to have them with us. She is such a wonderful mom. She tells me that she learned so many good things from watching me parent my kids. But the truth is she does it so much better and with greater kindness than I did. Mom and Dad are awesome and they are such amazing grandparents.

They were all so impressed with the 'wildlife' that grace my back yard. Every time a goose, duck, mink, herron, crane, fish, hawk, etc. could be seen from my kitchen window they would call the girls over to look at it. They went outside to get a closer look often. I realized that I really take my view for granted. What a wonderful world we live in and how lucky am I to have such a beautiful part of it in my back yard. I will definately take time to soak it in more often.

We've Got a Home Run Hitter, Ooh Awe!

Friday was a bit crazy as well. Baseball/Softball season is.


Places to be list:
SUNSHINE game Hillside-starts 6:00 must be there @5:00- takes about 20min from my house to get there. I am the scorekeeper.
SWEETHEART game UNDISCLOSED LOCATION-starts 6:00 must be there @5:30- takes 30-45min from anywhere to get there.
SUPERSTAR at BBall practice-needs ride home sometime between 5:30 and 6:00.


The plan:
Call another team parent, ask her to keep score. Call SUNSHINE'S coach, take her to his house @4:15 let him take her to the game. DARLING HUSBAND arrives at her game at 5:45, and brings her home after the game. Drive out to UNDISCLOSED LOCATION to drop SWEETHEART off a bit early to her game. She has her cell if there are any problems before her team shows up she can call 911. Drive back to the high school to pick up SUPERSTAR. I'm guessing I'll be there close to 6:00. Take him home. He can stay with SUGAR while I'm at SWEETHEART'S game.Drive back to UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, watch SWEETHEART'S game, then bring her home after the game. Sounds pretty good.

What actually happens:Warm 4 frozen dinners (for me, SUGAR, SWEETHEART, and SUNSHINE) we eat them in the car. Leave a message with other team parent about keeping score/call not returned. SUNSHINE'S coach OK to take her to game. Drop her off @4:20. Call DARLING HUSBAND-"You get to keep score tonight." I tell the coach this when I drop SUNSHINE off. DARLING HUSBAND arrives at game, keeps score. Game is "boring" they tell me. The pitcher couldn't pitch strikes. Most runs were walked in. SUNSHINE plays 3rd base the whole game. She's happy. DARLING HUSBAND brings her home.

On the way to UNDISCLOSED LOCATIN to drop SWEETHEART off, @5:00 SUPERSTAR calls, "practice ended early can you come get me?" I tell him it's going to be about an hour before I could be there. "Hang tight, do some homework, I'll be there as soon as I can." Drop off SWEETHEART at 5:30 pick up SUPERSTAR at 6:15. Tell him that I'll leave SUGAR with him while I'm at the game. He's not happy about that. "It's Friday night. I want to hang out with my friends." OK I let him and I take SUGAR with me to SWEETHEART'S game. Arrive at her game at the top of the 2nd inning. It's cold. SWEETHEART plays short stop. Lots of hits for both teams. Exciting game. 2nd at bat SWEETHEART lets a strike go by. I yell, "Come on SWEETHEART, put the bat on it." She tells me later that when she heard my voice she thought, oh my mom's here. I should hit one for her. She hits is HARD over the center fielder's head. She is rounding 3rd by the time they field the ball and start throwing it in. HOME RUN!!!! WOOO HOOO!

At the end of the game our pitcher is tired and not throwing well, another pitcher comes in, she twists her ankle and not pitching well. We're up by only one run. 2 outs, tieing run on third, we need an out to end the game. Coach calls time, walks on to the field and says, "SWEETHEART" SWEETHEART in shock, says, "SWEETHEART? Did he say me?" She hasn't pitched in more than a year. That's not something she even practices. She walks to the circle, umpire gives her 8 warm up pitches. Most bounce way before the plate, only one is a strike. "Batter up!" Batter swings at a bad pitch-stike 1. She pitches a slow strike, batter dinks it to the 2nd baseman, she's thrown out at 1st-game over.

It is so cooll - Home run and she shut down the last batter. Way to go!

So, How Was Your Day?

9:30 Take SUPERSTAR to high school for BBall game.
9:40 Take SUGAR to SBall practice. Watch she and SWEETHEART practice catching until coach shows
10:00 Go to store to purchase items needed to make cake and a pretty platter to donate with the cake. No fresh raspberries - "heck" frozen will have to do.
10:30 Put cake in the oven for BBall fundraiser later tonight
11:00 Begin cleaning house in preparation for SUPERSTAR'S group (for speech class) to meet.
House is a wreck!
11:30 DARLING HUSBAND calls and asks me to meet him at Staples to prepare the advertisement for a donation of 4 night stay at Tamarack (for the fundraiser tonight). He has to get to Nampa for a golf tournament that begins at 12:30

11:40 At Staples working in Microsoft Publisher to create photos, text, etc. for color copies of booklet that will show of the Tamarack property. DARLING HUSBAND calls. He left his clubs in the car. "I'm at the course and I don't have time to go all the way back to the house and get back in time. Will you please go to the house, get my clubs and meet me on Chinden Rd?" No he's not kidding. "Why don't you just bag it?" If he bags it his golf partner misses the tournament too. Go the the house, get clubs, drive down Chinden, meet DARLING HUSBAND, give clubs.

11:55 pick up SUGAR from practice
12:00 SUPERSTAR'S games starts - I'm no where close to being there.
12:20 SUGAR practice finally ends
12:30 Get SUGAR back home
12:40 Back at Staples working on Publisher. Finally get it ready to print. Staples "Girl" says, "the color printer on photo paper could take a while. I'll call you when its ready."
1:30 Starving. Stop at Wendy's get a burger
1:40 Begin to drive toward the game. I am supposed to have the Tamarack "stuff" to give to Lisa at the game. It's not ready. I plan to tell her I will bring it with me to the fundraiser with the cake. SUPERSTAR calls - the game is over. 10 run'd them only played 5 innings.
2:00 Pick SUPERSTAR up
2:10 Scramble to get kids to help pick up the house. House still a wreck!
2:45 Take SWEETHEART to Softball Practice
3:00 Prepare Fudge frosting and frost the cake. Thaw raspberries, place strategically and beautifully around the cake and on top. Drizzle white icing in curvy circles around berries and over the cake. BEAUTIFUL. Put cake in fridge.
4:oo House is less of a wreck. Close laundry room door.
4:30 Call Staples. "How are my color copies coming along?" oops, co-worker printed and did not notice a line across all copies. "You could come down and look at them. I think there is a problem with the copy machine and the way the paper is being fed in."
4:40 At Staples. Yep, nasty line on photos. Lots of options discussed. End up taking all the copies (no charge). Will decide tomorrow how to deal with the problem.
5:00 SWEETHEART'S practice ends. I'm not there yet. Yesterday she asked me to be there early so that she could get to a suprise party for a friend at 5:30. She calls, "How close are you mom?" "I'll be there in 10 min" I HATE being late. SUPERSTAR'S study group begins. I had hoped to be able to help. SUPERSTAR was upset about the goup he was put with and did not trust the follow-thru of individuals. Instead, I'm no help at all. I'm hardly even there.
5:10 pick up SWEETHEART. She gets in shower and says she will be ready at 5:50 and then I can take her and Haley to the party.
5:20 Look at cake. Raspberries has turned to mush, raspberry 'mush juice' puddled on the cake, smeared in the icing. Cake looks like CRAP!




5:25 Mother-in-law calls. Brother-in-law in town, dinner tonight at her house. I must tell her there's no way. I complain about my cake. She suggests buying one from Pastry Perfection. GOOD IDEA. Leave to buy new cake. (After all it is 10 min away) I can be back before SWEETHEART needs ride.
5:35 Buy beautiful coconut lemon cake.
5:50 SWEETHEART calls. I'm nearly home. "Mom, since you weren't here Hayley called Skip. He's going to take us to the party". "I'm sorry"
6:00 Scoop chocolate cake off pretty platter, wash pretty plater, take coconut cake out of box, drizzle icing in swirls on to platter, put new cake on plater, sprinkle coconut so it "looks" like I could have made it. Take photo copies (with funky line) put in a report cover. Looks OK. Print directions to fundraiser from mapquest.com
6:20 leave with new cake and color copie Tamarack thing. Mapquest says will take 15 min. Fundraiser starts at 6:30 (10min). Drive one block, realize I forgot to grab purse, turn around and get purse.
6:30 Still driving. I think I'm lost. Yep, not right. Turn around. In a rush, going too fast, police car, flashing lights. I asked him for directions... Thank you for the verbal warning. What a nice man.
7:00 Still driving. I think I'm lost. Yep, not right. Text DARLING HUSBAND nasty messages and curse his golf tournament.
7:15 Crying. SUPERSTART calls. "We're done with our group. Could you take someone home then drop me off at SWEETHEART'S party?" "Yes, I'm almost home."
7:30 Take kid home, Take SUPERSTAR to party, phone dies.

Still yet to do:
Prepare Sunday Lesson
Study for professional development test to be taken Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday.
Fold and Hang laundry
Cake and Tamarack Donation never made it to the fundraiser. I'm certain that I now appear like an even bigger "flake" than they thought I was before.

Now I have two cakes. It's a good thing I like being 20lbs over weight.

So, how was YOUR day?

Vertical Angles

Yesterday and Today I substituted for a sixth grade class at the middle school. I have such a great time with these kids. The teacher I subbed for teaches one period of World Civ, two periods of General Math and two periods of science. My favorites! I especially love teaching math. I get jazzed about presenting a concept then giving the assingment and then working with individual students. It is during that individual instruction that I see the "light" go on and the independence of thought take shape.

Yesterday I presented a lesson on angles: acute, obtuse, right, straight, vertical, supplementary and complimentary. I was magnificant (or so I thought). In one of the classes I taught there is an aid who is assingned to assist because the class is so large. As I was walking around helping individual students I over heard her describe vertical as a line opposite from horizontal. I was confused as to why she would use that analogy with vertical angles. I stopped her and breifly described vertical angles to her as the angles opposite eachother when two lines intercect, each has the same measure. She looked at me blankly, I moved on. Well, today I was correcting the assingment from yesterday and I'll be danged if every student she stopped to help labled the two intercecting lines instead of the angles. I was so discouraged. I'm sure that the teacher will look at those papers and say, "stupid sub." The thing is there were SO many students who made this mistake that I can't be sure that I didn't explain the concept well enough or if it's easier to locate a line than it is to locate angles or if the aid was talking lines and not angles.
Who knows? But, I left discouraged and with a headache.

His Plan

I've been thinking today about giving away the expectations I've had - the way I want things/life to be in exchange for living in the NOW - accepting the present. I'm thinking that I need to concentrate on the journey instead of the destination. When I consider only the destination I have preconceived ideas of how to get there and whether what is now is actually connected to the destination. When perhaps this isn't my journey, this is God's plan and I'm exactly where I need to be and He will take and guide me to the destination. It's not my plan that I follow it is HIS plan. With that in mind I'm OK allowing God to be the guide - after all I trust in His Plan, His Destination for me and the journey He has intended for me to be on.So for today I will experience the path, the journey, the events that occur. I will be present to them, participate in them, feel the feelings and do the work for this day. I will joy in my relationships and keep my Guide/Friend/Father/God in sight so that I am lead to the path He intends and am guided toward the destination I trust He has intended for me.