And So I'm Offering This Simple Phrase

To Kids From 1 to 92:

(Baby V is 1, Grandma - who may disown me for saying this - is 92)

 Although it's been said

 Many times,

 Many ways,

 Merry Christmas

To...YOU!

These are all of the F.A.I.L photos (except that first one) from our Christmas card photo shoot.  Note to self:  Next year, call Gina!

Sports

Lemme preface this post by saying I'm crabby.  REALLY crabby. 

My boys like sports.  More specifically, they enjoy being part of a team.  Oldest Boy isn't exactly "competitive" but he enjoys playing and hanging out with the other boys in his class/on his team.  (Youngest Boy IS competitive, but he doesn't get to participate in basketball yet).  I really enjoy watching them play because it's entertaining and there's not a lot of pressure.  They don't keep score and everyone is supposed to get equal playing time.

I started to get a bit...uneasy about this year when I got an e-mail from the coach stating that, yes, technically all of the boys are supposed to get equal time but it's up to the coach to decide if they're worthy of that (for example, if they miss practice(s) they may not be allowed to play as much).  For the record, the handbook does NOT state that but, whatever.  We rarely miss unless there's an illness, so fine.

Our kids attend a Catholic school so they are supposed to be bound by diocesan rules, particulary for education and elementary sports programs.  Last year, they were allowed a total of 3 events in any given week (with the week running from Sun-Sat, so there could be two events on one weekend and they would count towards separate weeks).  I (apparently mistakenly) assumed that same policy still exists.  Then I got the game schedule.

They are scheduled to play TWO (2!) games in one day.  They are schedule for a total of FOUR (4!!) games/practices this week (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat).  It is just.too.much.  They are 3rd and 4th graders who are still figuring out how to fit homework in with their life and now they have to schedule around basketball?  And while I enjoy sports, it should NEVER be a child's main focus - God, family, education - IN THAT ORDER. 

I have questioned the coaches and haven't received an e-mail from the basketball guys yet.  I did, however, hear back from our cross country coach (who we adore) and she said that yes, it's now the coach's discretion as to how many events they schedule.  Another mom replied and said that, well, in order for the kids to be competitive - and since the other schools do it - they need to practice as often as they can get gym time.  Um, no.  Know why?  THEY DON'T EVEN KEEP SCORE!!  THEY DO NOT NEED TO "BE" COMPETITIVE!!  This is supposed to be a developmental team where everyone plays equally so that they can learn. 

So, now I'm torn.  This is more of a commitment than I was prepared to make, time-wise.  BUT.  I also always tell the kids when you say you're going to do something, you need to do it, and do it to the best of your ability.  Now, I'm still his mom.  I could not take him to 1 or 2 of the events but then I feel like I'm sealing his fate to be a bench-warmer since the coach has already issued a statement that playing time will depend on participation at practice.  &@!#%!!  What's a mama to do?

Mommy Google

Kids ask a lot of questions, a lot of them punctuated with the word "Why?" which can usually be answered with the word "Because".  Lately, though, I've been hit with questions that have required the use of Google (and sometimes more than one search engine).  Here, in no particular order, are my most recent list of kids' questions:

"Mommy, are there white tailed deer in other states?  Like, Florida?" (yes)

"Mommy, how long do bees live?" (Papa said - until you hit them with a newspaper)

"Can tornadoes travel uphill?" (yes)

"Who was the King of England when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock?" (I still can't remember)

"What type of insect comes out at night?" (mosquitos - Me) (crickets - Daddy)

"Who was the King during the Revolutionary War?" (George, I think, but I don't remember his number)

And my personal favorite, and probably the only one I didn't have to Google although looking back maybe I should have:  "Is Justin Beiber real?"

*****
In unrelated but equally hilarious news, I started doing my Thanksgiving baking and that requires that I take my Kitchen Aid appliances (food processor, stand mixer) out of hiding and display them proudly on the kitchen counter.  As soon as Little One spotted the food processor she said, "Wow, Mommy!!  What kinda 'inator' is THAT?!?!"  (If you don't get that, go watch Phineas and Ferb and pay close attention to Doofenshmirtz) (And yes, I could spell that without Google).

Halloween 2012

Due to Hurricane Sandy (which never actually reached our area, thank God), trick-or-treat was rescheduled and the kids went on November 3rd.  The weather still sucked but at least they got to go.  And it wasn't snowing.

The clan:

 Little One as Cinderella*:

 Baby Girl as a Pirate Princess**:

 Youngest Boy as Dave Jones***:

 Oldest Boy as Darth Vader:

*Thank goodness for hand-me-down costumes.  This one was Baby Girl's a couple of years in a row (cost per wear is now well under $5).  (Yes, I calculate stuff like that.  It helps me to justify spending Way Too Much on a good costume if it will be worn by more than one child for more than one year).

**She actually wanted to be Angelica from Pirates of the Caribbean.  Um, no.  Those costumes are NOT meant for young girls, no matter what they try to tell you.  As it was, I had to put leggings on under her costume and it had absolutely nothing to do with the weather!!  Note to costume manufacturers:  Not every parent wants their child to look like a hooker on Halloween.

***The pirate, from Pirates of the Caribbean.  Not the Monkee.  From, you know, the Monkees.

May She Rest In Peace

My mother-in-law, my husband's mom, my children's grandma Joanne passed away last week. 

When someone suffers from a debilitating disease like Alzheimer's, you mourn them twice.  First, the person they were for their entire lives is lost to you - they become someone else - and you mourn the fact that that person will never be there again.  Then, their body dies and you mourn the hope - hope that there would be a cure, that they could somehow be there again. 

We attended the funeral with our 3 oldest children (Little One stayed with Aunt Jo)(Thank God for Aunt Jo).  This was something they have never experienced and there were a lot of questions, although not as many as I was expecting.  Oldest Boy took it the hardest because he remembers her as she was.  She lived with us for the first 5 years of his life and was an intricate part of our daily routine.  My kids far, far, FAR exceeded my expectations for their behavior that day.  I am unbelievably proud of the respect and decorum they showed, especially considering their young ages. 

Grandma Joanne

September 20, 1927 - October 29, 2012

May She Rest In Peace

You can donate to Alzheimer's research by clicking HERE.

Great Pumpkin Race

The Race That Started It All

2 years ago, the first 5K race at the kids' school was held.  I wasn't a runner.  I wasn't even a fast walker.  But I was determined that I would participate in the next one.  And I did.  That's how it all started - I wanted to contribute to an event that benefits my children's education.

This year, I ran that same race with both of my boys (and my sister).  It was raining (and not just a drizzle, either) so we skipped the costumes and wore our race-day t-shirts.  They blew the horn for us to start and everyone took offf.  My sister, who was assigned the task of running with Oldest Boy, said, "Oh, crap!  They're ALL faster than me!"  I knew she didn't have to worry - the boys have a hard time with the concept of "pace".  They typically run a less-than-2 mile race (for xc), so my plan was to let them run those two miles and then catch them for the final mile - and that's how it worked out with Youngest Boy.  He was D.O.N.E after 2.  It doesn't help that he had to run zig-zag to JUMP in every puddle (while the rest of us ran zig-zag to AVOID the puddles), but he still finished, as did the rest of us.  Youngest Boy even took 3rd in his age group!  WOOT!  I am SOOO proud of both of them for finishing, especially considering they have never had to run in inclement weather.

The Mommy - 31:03.50
Youngest Boy - 33:17.20 (I ran back and raced him in to the finish)
Oldest Boy - 38:36.90 (Lulu raced him in, as did Papa)
Lulu (my sister) - 38:38.30 (I think it was closer than 2 seconds...and she purposely ran with her nephew)

We party-ed it up in the gym afterwards and I was glad we were there for Youngest Boy to get his medal.  Can't wait for next year!!

I Love Fall

 I love fall.  We have a wooded lot (1.25 acres) and that means there's a lot of leaves to rake.  And, as luck would have it, we spend our anniversary (11 years on October 6) raking them every.single.year.  Well, last year we got married again but that was a special occasion.  Because 'tis the season, I'll let you in on how we do it.  Mr. MOTH takes the riding mower and rides in circles around the yard, essentially blowing all of the leaves into nice lines.  Then the kids and I rake them into humongous piles.  Then the kids jump in said piles until one of us yells at them.  Once all of the piles are formed (and reformed.  And then formed again.  And probably at least once more), we rake them onto those classy blue tarps - you know the ones that are usually covering some unpleasantness in a redneck's yard - and dump them into the fully wooded area.  It takes about 1.5 hours.  It used to take us about 4-5 until we figured this out.

Also at this time of year, Cross Country season comes to an end.  The boys had their championship race on Saturday - a 1.8 mile trail with a big hill and a wooden castle at the end.  Oldest Boy's time was 22:14 and Youngest Boy's was 17:51.  They did fine.  It's really an experience and there are HUNDREDS of kids.  In case you need a visual, here's what 300 of them look like (this is only one of the 6 races - the JV open):

They had their end-of-year party on Sunday night.  Monday night basketball started.  {SIGH}  And it's time to start looking for a house closer to the school again...