The greatest day EVER

The boys are curled up on the couch. Dad is slumped in a chair. And here I am.

Exhaustion has silenced us -- though we are all quietly proud of the marathon of youth sporting events that occurred today.

We are in the youth sports no-man's land zone: one sport hasn't ended, but another has begun.

Hello baseball! Scooch over basketball, gotta make room...

Jack woke up at 4 a.m. at the prospect of this day.

Neil and I left the house at 7:15 a.m. to make his 8 a.m. basketball game (gotta be there a half hour early, don'tcha know). It was his last game (several assists, some seriously good defense and a layup that was beautiful).

After basketball, we met Jack and Dean at the baseball field. Jack's game started at 9 a.m. Jack pitched three innings (9 strikeouts, and yes, I am bragging but I gave birth to him). Double A baseball is all about stealing. Lots and lots of stolen bases.

Jack's game ended at 11 a.m., just in time for Neil's end-of-the-basketball-season party. Pizza for everyone!

Neil got a pizza, trophy and some junk from the little vending machines. Life is good.

Then it was off to Neil's 1 p.m. baseball game (gotta be there a half hour early of course!). Rookie league is fun. It's machine-pitched baseball. I forgot how long Rookie games are... everyone bats, everyone goes around the bases, most innings are called because of the maximum number of runs per team... It takes a loooooong time.

But hey, we had time. Just enough time to run home, let the dogs out to run for a bit and get ready for Jack's 5 p.m. basketball game.

A good game of basketball too. You don't have to read this, but just for the Yerem family history books... Jack had three baskets, 4 assists and he was a defensive machine. He also took a shot right in the face, right to the brand new glasses on his face. Those of you who wear glasses can feel his pain. Those of you who have to pay for your kids' glasses can feel my pain. Mom had a minor heart attack. The sports goggles will be in next week.

And so ends the GREATEST SPORTS DAY EVER -- according to my sons...

Progress

Not bad for my first try, huh? It is actually the third or fourth, but my first finished try...  I think it actually looks like Neil.

I'm thinking this striped back ground and a black frame. Let's see how long that takes.

Something creative

OK. I did shop online. I bought these. I think they are going in the living room on a wall. We'll see how that turns out.

I did manage to yell at the kids. Does that count as "something creative"? I didn't think so either.

Today I'm working on silhouettes. Just like the kind your mom and dad bought of you at Disneyland so many years ago...

So far we are on version 3. The kids are getting a little annoyed with this project. 

Did I mention that Jack is home sick too?

Sick and Tired

Speaking in Facebook-ese:

JoAnn is tired of sick kids and rain.

Neil is out of school sick. He's had a fever on and off since Friday when I picked him up from school. He was whimpering and complaining of a headache when he got in the car... the rest is a long weekend on the couch with a sick kid on top of me.

We'll be going to the pediatrician shortly.

I need to do something besides sick-kid duty. This afternoon (somewhere before, after or during school pick up, practice drop off  for Jack and making dinner for everyone) something creative is going to happen. Don't know what it is, but it's gonna happen. 

Or maybe I'll just shop online...

Vocabulary enrichment

Neil's new favorite word is "buttocks." Thank you iCarly. I appreciate it.

Neil loves the sound of it: "buttocks"-- "buuuuuttttocks"-- "buttoooooooocks"-- "buuuuttttttoooooccccckkksssss"

Try it. It is mildly entertaining.

Of course, for Neil it is massivly entertaining. I've caught him humming a little buttocks song as he plays a video game or as he's building a LEGO thingy.

I've even heard him sitting a Clone on another Star Wars-related character and saying, "How do you like my buttocks?"

The junior high years are going to be very long and very painful for mom.

Actually stay-at-home momming

Video games, forts, dart guns, Legos and freshly baked cookies are happening at my house today.

No practices. No school work. No fundraising panic.

Just pajama day.

Stressed out

Rain postponed the school Tri-R-athon on Friday so we'll be Reading, Running and 'Rithmaticking tomorrow morning...

I'd like it to be over. Will it rain? Will it snow? Will we raise any money? 

The economy stinks, the event got postponed, the principal will be off campus for a meeting... will the whole thing fall apart?

Not that I'm panicking ahead of time...

Call me Steven Spielberg

I made a movie today. That's what happens when you upgrade your Mac and actually take a workshop so you know how to use the software.

I'm crazy like that.

See when I first got my Mac, I played and played and hobbled my way through the programs. Macs are pretty easy and you can sort of figure it out.

But it seemed each time I made a slideshow or a dvd, I did it a slightly different way. I was just guessing each time.

So I signed up for a class -- which was yesterday. Today I made a movie of Neil's t-ball experience last spring. I even made myself cry. He is awfully cute and awfully little. And now he is the star of his own movie.

It's amazing what a little bit of information will do for you. 

800 Ring Pops

It takes approximately 19 minutes to purchase, pay for and load 800 Ring Pops from a big box store into your minivan. And it only cost $191.20. It seems like 800 of anything for that amount of money is reasonable.

 

Why do I need 800 Ring Pops, you ask?

I have a serious addiction to them, and I don't want to run out. I have a special closet filled with them. It's temperature-controlled.

Not really. But you knew that. The special closet is reserved for coffee and chocolate.

The Tri-R-athon is coming. R you ready? I'm not, but I'm getting there. There will be Reading, Running and 'Rithmatic-ing on Friday -- all in the name of raising money for P.E., computer and music education at the kids' school.

That is -- of course -- if there is not the torrential downpour predicted... Please let the weathermen/women/whatever be wrong. Please let the Doppler 7000 not have anything to share. Please let it hold off until 3 p.m. on Friday. I'm sorry if it ruins your weekend plans, but I have a fundraiser to run here.

Every kid gets a Ring Pop if they turn in a pledge form and funds for the fundraiser. It's amazing how hard kids will work for a Ring Pop. If I were going to deal something to children, it would not be drugs. It would be Ring Pops and Nerds Ropes...

Ring Pops garner a great deal of attention. I was almost mugged in the lower grades when kids saw me delivering Ring Pops to their classrooms. Suddenly they wanted to know what they had to do to get one. Suddenly they had heard of the Tri-R-athon.

Visual motivation is good.