"There's no crying in baseball"

Tom Hanks may have made this phrase iconic but I beg to differ after the events that unfolded today. First and foremost I must start off at the beginning. Tom's grandma was hospitalized and Tom needed to see her up in New York. This left me home with three boys. Two of the three had their first baseball practices today for the season and the third with plans to go to his girlfriends for the day. So up early we were and preparing ourselves for the first ball practice. This 10am show stopper was for Andrew. Today was a monumental day as this not only was the first day of practice , but however the first day of being on any organized team. The pressure was on. Andrew was primed and ready....complete with glove and baseball cap on. The coach cued the parents to start playing a little warm-up catch with the kids. Off we go into a piece of the field all our own. Mom makes the first pitch (an under-handed throw) and manages to clobber Andrew right on the left cheek. This starts the tears flowing. The glove is then pitched to the ground and I'm already pinning on my "Bad Mother of the Year Award". When I finally get him calmed down I realize that he was less concerned with the hitting of the cheek incident as he was upset that he didn't catch the ball. I attempt to make my little leaguer feel better only to deal with an hour long practice of mostly tears and frustrations. So yes there is crying in baseball.

However the second ball practice wasn't as bad. Joshua seems to be a real pro at the sport this year. He loves to practice and seems to have a real good arm. He was practicing on first base tonight and was all grins. Then came his shot at hitting. Batter up! He cranked that ball right past shortstop and turned to see if I had seen his hit. In fact he would not stop looking at me until I verbally acknowledged it. In which I had to do so each and every time he hit the ball. He was so proud of himself. With all of the weeks of practice and games ahead I should be a baseball pro myself by the end of the season or at least a fan.

Yummy dinner

Spring Break is almost to an end and this week has brought fun times outside and overnight sleepovers. Kyle has been away two nights and he has also had friends spend the night. Which isn't too bad. Especially since my new found favorite friend of his is "Adam". He is staying for a second night tonight and much to my delight he planned a meal for our family. He is planning on becoming a chef after high school and opening a restaurant with his brother(whom is also a chef). He made us yummy chicken breasts with a rice dish that has oodles of cheese in it. Some snow peas and yes a dessert to finish off with. The best part is that I didn't even supply the food. This kid supplied it all. Now you know why I love him so much. :-) I quickly told him that he was welcome anytime.... Now if only Kyle would take some pointers and make a few meals here and there I would be happy. However I did want to cry at dinner. During a casual conversation, Adam told us that he fixes dinner almost every night for his family. However his parents work long hours and that they do not sit together at a dinner table. He said that he usually eats his meals either in his room or the family room. He said that he enjoyed eating at the table with all of us. I felt so bad for him. We always eat together as a family and I guess I take that piece of family time for advantage. So my hats off to Adam for a superb dinner and he is welcome to join us at our kitchen table anytime.

Mass Organization can sometimes lead to Chaos!

Ever been too organized? Found perfect homes for items while cleaning only to forget where you put them? This happens to me all the time. I like to refer to it as "Organizational Alzheimer's". I love a clean spotless house. I love to rummage through closets and rid myself of items I no longer use (yes I know it's a bit of a sickness). Countless times I find myself purging kitchen drawers full of junk and rearranging items for that perfect fit. Then it happens. Tom comes in and looks for a specific item in its old spot. Like magic it has disappeared. Then the question comes. "Ellen where did you move my whatchamacallit?". I stand there puzzled while he tells me where it should be and no longer is. I ponder a bit longer...which only frustrates him. I can't help it I suffer from "Organizational Alzheimer's". For the life of me I will be wiped blank of all knowledge as to where the whatchamacallit is now. I feverishly tear through cabinets, drawers, closets until alas I find it. It's always in the last place you look (HA HA). TA-DA!!!!! Eureka I've found it. This is when Tom gives me the bewildered look and goes on about his business.

While Tom may not suffer from "organizational Alzheimer's", he surely suffers from "Pack Ratitis". This too can be quite a challenge to overcome. Our garage represents the chaos ensued by 7 or more model airplanes with all their bits and parts. And don't get me started on the hundreds of tools for this and that he has collected over the years. I keep threatening to clean house and haul in a dumpster to unload all his crap. But instead I will continue to nag him endlessly until he finally decides he has no chance in hell of getting me off of his back. :-) And to think our Anniversary is coming up. What a gift! Organization would be tops on my list!

Who made the legal driving age 16?

I sat through one of the most disturbing driver's educational seminar for teens ever. I walked in all hyped and happy that my oldest would be 16 this summer and that my "Mom's taxi" days with him were dwindling quickly. After an hour and fifteen minute seminar with insurance agents, State police, motor vehicle admin & trauma nurses I was in tears. The horror stories and legalities of being the parent of a new driver were far too much for me to take all in. I was prepared to come home and never let my kids out of my sight again. The memorial tribute and all the graphic pictures of fatal car accidents had me in tears. There were two people in the tribute that Kyle had been friends with that were killed within the last two years. This really hit home to him the seriousness of what seems like fun can sometimes lead to deadly mistakes. With that we had a lengthy discussion on the way home and ultimately decided that he would not be driving to school next year and that for the first year to year and a half it would be best for him to always have us in the vehicle to educate him on the rules of the road and allow him to improve on his driving skills. Although this may sound harsh to some, Tom and I would rather have our son at home alive then to throw caution to the wind and allow him free reigns with a motor vehicle. Plus I reminded him that with public transportation "school bus" there were no $3.16 per gallon gas fees. We'll see if he's still O.K. with this master plan come August. I should start thinking now and listing all the really good reasons why he shouldn't drive alone..... I may need them then.

My baby is all grown up!

The baby of our family has officially turned "5". I can't believe it really has been that long since he came with leaps and bounds into this world. It really just feels like it was not long ago that Tom and I were anticipating his arrival. With that said, it has also been almost 5 years since we moved to Delaware. Just 2 short weeks after his arrival we packed up the homestead and moved the family to the First state. However, even after 5 years of being here I still get lost easily and have trouble navigating my way to & from some destinations. But as long as I know the way to Wal-Mart, Target & the Mall we should be fine.

Does this new hair-do make my boobs look bigger?

Well I have gotten a few reactions via phone & e-mail. A few in particular was that my boobs appeared bigger and that I look younger. YEAH!!! I'll take both compliments and run with them. I attempted a different look today. Instead of using the flat iron I left my naturally curly hair alone and just flattened the front. I think it looks a bit better. I also snuck back to the salon for a touch-up on my bangs. They were just too long for me. Now all I need is some highlights, a tan, and to be 15 pounds lighter and I'll be satisfied (am I realistic or what?).

The weekend here looks pretty wet. Joshua was to have had baseball tryouts tomorrow but I believe it will be rescheduled for the following weekend. Kyle is hangin' with a friend tomorrow and Andrew hangin' with Mom (lucky him). I am going to attempt to clean the basement. Tomorrow is also our first family clean-up morning. Hopefully all goes well and within one hour we are done chores for the day. It sounds like a great plan we'll see how this really pans out. Wish me luck!

The "New Hair-do"

Yesterday was a big step for me. I walked into the salon and requested that the stylist give me a new do. Something hip and easy to fix. I was tired of always resorting to pulling my hair back into a ponytail because it was just too much hair for me to style. Therefore it had to be of a length that was too short for any quick up do's. With that said she went right to work. Just a quick note: I have seen this stylist on other occasions so I wasn't too worried :-) Next thing I knew my hair in the back was completely chopped off. A small gasp escaped from my lips (I was desperately looking for super glue or perhaps a hair weave at this point would do). Yikes! After a few more large chops at my hair I sat there in shock. It was new and hip! Maybe not really what I was looking for , but new & hip. The kids noticed right away. Kyle's first words to me were "You look like Amy". Amy is my younger hipper cousin (so I'm taking that as a compliment). Joshua said it was "different" and Andrew just took a double look and went on. However one of my dear sweet preschoolers today proclaimed that my hair "looked funny". I'm also gonna take it as a compliment and move on. It will surely take me some time to learn how to use the flat iron and style my hair every morning but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Let me know what you think about the new improvements, flop or hit?

Mammograms & Mommies

Well I survived my first mammogram. I was scared from all the hoopla from other women about pain and agony, but I really felt like it was nothing at all. Now of course I am not overly well endowed so that could have something to do with it. However; I would do a mammogram any day over a pelvic exam. While I was a bit uncomfortable with a perfect stranger positioning my boob in all different fashions, I did become more comfortable after the first couple x-rays. My one and only complaint was the temperature of the room. It was like an iceberg in there. Especially since your practically naked from the waist up. But once I was moved to the second exam room for the ultrasound I was quickly warmed up with nice toasty towels. I wish I had one of those towel warmers in my house. How nice it would be to take a morning shower and dry off with one of those ready and waiting. I watched the ultrasound and while I have no M.D. behind my name I feel pretty confident that all will turn out well and the lumps found are merely cysts.

Kyle came home shortly after my arrival back home and spotted a Burger King cup in the trash (boy you can't get away with anything with kids around) and began to question me about my daily travels and if I had eaten at B.K. If the evidence in the trash wasn't enough. While I explained why I was entitled to a fast food snack he caught only the part of my explanation that indicated an ultrasound (men's selective hearing I suppose) and quickly popped his head around the corner and said with surprise "Your not pregnant are you?", "Tell me you are not you having another baby?'. According to him ultrasounds are only for pregnancies. When I explained the situation he let out a sigh of relief. I guess that was hid way of telling me were crazy if we even think about having another one. YIKES!

Laundry Day

My laundry seems like a never ending task. I feel like I do 50 loads a week. The more I wash the larger the dirty heap of clothes seems to grow. I wash, dry, fold, iron and repeat this cycle on what seems a daily basis. Once upon a time I used to do laundry once a week. Now I'm lucky if I can get away with doing laundry 3 times a week. I've even placed a laundry basket in each child's room and now do their laundry in one large load. This makes it a bit easier to fold as each load is then promptly returned folded and neat in a basket. However now I am starting to feel overwhelmed amongst all of the other household chores. So we will now be having family clean-up day on Saturday mornings. Tom & I are planning on assigning weekly rotating jobs to the boys and working for at least 1 hour each Saturday morning. Kyle is a great help already, but a few extra helpful chores won't kill him. Andrew will now tackle vacuuming the stairs while I will teach Joshua the art of scrubbing tubs & toilets. I'll let you all know if this plan works out for us. Keeping my fingers crossed.

"Les Mis"

WOW! Our oldest rocked out the house with various vocal solo performances in the school play. I was in tears when he first walked on stage. It has been a long time since I have heard him sing. He wouldn't even give me a sneak peek at his songs during the last two months of practice. So there I sat mesmerized that my baby boy is growing up fast. He looked like a young man up there on the stage. All of the performers blew me away. We have some really talented kids out there. Watch out Broadway!

With all this excitement this weekend, I can hardly believe its Sunday afternoon. Back to the grind tomorrow morning. However with Easter just a few weeks away I am surely looking forward to Spring Break. A little warm weather would be nice as well. March came in like a lion yesterday (along with 50 mile an hour wind gusts), but the boys had a great time flying kites out back. Let's just hope that the old adage is true and that March goes out like a lamb now.