January's Parting Gift

This morning, I drove to work through a fairly decent snowstorm. I briefly considered taking a personal day to skip the drive, but, my department had scheduled a team building exercise at a local paint-it-yourself place downtown and I really wanted to paint a pretty picture with my friends.

So, I did.

I had never been to the studio before and, I have to admit, I was missing out; that shit's fun. In fact, I was tempted to sign Hugh and myself up for the Valentine's Day couples wine glass painting class that the studio owner told us about. I might do it, still.

Anyway, after the painting, I went to work at the hardware store and then back home, where I got to spend the past twenty minutes watching this...

...it was not nearly as entertaining as painting. It was also a good reminder to me that the worst part of winter is still before us; a fact I usually avoid admitting until sometime in mid-February.

Sigh.

I have a feeling I am going to spend a lot of time focusing on my very summer-like painting while daydreaming about sunshine, flowers, and warm weather. In fact, let's look at it again, right now.

That's better.

File Under: I Can't Do It All

I missed a meeting of the senior class grad party last night. I didn't realize it until just a few seconds ago and I feel somewhat bad about it. I have no good excuse for missing the meeting, I simply forgot about it, and; was enjoying a rare early evening at home following a day that included a meeting with a State official to discuss the audit that my grant program is currently undergoing. My mind was spent, is what I'm saying.

I'll make up for my lapse by volunteering to help with some aspect of the party that doesn't require evening meetings, because, those meetings are my Kryptonite.

And, lest you think I am completely uninvolved with the planning of the senior activities thus far, allow me to defend myself; I have attended the initial planning meeting, I have contributed financially, I have approached businesses and nonprofit organizations for donations, and, I have pulled photos from my archives for the slide show being prepared for the baccalaureate ceremony held prior to graduation.

I have no energy for feeling guilty about missing a meeting.

So...why am I defending myself, you ask? Is guilt hitching a ride despite my declarations of the opposite? Of course it is.

Gah.

Here, look at some of the old pictures I unearthed for the slide show and leave me to wallow in my guilt.

Baby's First Technical

I forgot to mention that the Man-Cub received his first (and, hopefully, last) technical foul while playing in Saturday's game. The ref called the foul when the Cub dropped the F-bomb after being tackled by a member of the opposing team. And, if you just thought to yourself "there is no tackling in basketball", you have a fairly decent understanding of how a mild-mannered child could possibly let loose with an obscenity without realizing he was doing it.

The massive amounts of cold medicine the Cub had ingested earlier in the day probably contributed.

Anyway, yeah. That happened. The Cub apologized to the ref following the game and life went on.

Last night, the Fearsome Foursome played in the last game of their freshman season. As I made my way across the gym to ask them to pose for this year's group photo, I was struck by how much each of them has matured. The Cub now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them, thanks to this summer's growth spurt, but, the maturity goes beyond a few extra inches in height. Happily, the maturity hasn't extended to their behavior, however, and; they were their usual selves while posing for the picture.



The boys played well, coming from twenty points behind in the fourth quarter to ultimately lose the game by a mere point. The Man-Cub had his second three-pointer of the season and brought the coaches off the bench with a steal that ended in a two-point lay-up. His game has improved dramatically since the beginning of the season.

 

 

All four boys played well together and I know they will miss being all together (two of the boys also play on the JV team and will be continuing their season until the end of February) going forward.

 

On the bright side, baseball starts in March and they are all four planning to go out for the team. While I love these boys and enjoy watching their antics, I am not so much looking forward to baseball weather.

 

But I'll suck it up for these four. 

Test Drive

The Teenager spent this past weekend in Aspen, watching The X Games with her friends. Her absence gave me a glimpse into my future with Hugh and the Man-Cub and, I have to admit; I'm afraid I am going to miss the estrogen when she is away at college for months on end.

I'll survive, of course, but, not without a bunch of complaining.

While she was standing in the freezing cold, watching professional snowboarders do their thing, I was basking in the warm glow of testosterone, first at the Man-Cub's basketball games and then at the late showing of Lone Survivor.

For the record, I managed not to cry during the movie. I was as surprised by that turn of events as anyone.

I also managed not to cry at the Man-Cub's basketball games, although, I certainly felt like it at times. The boys played their hearts out, but, with only one player on the bench (several of the other boys had been pulled up to play in the JV game that was taking place at the same time), and, with both the Man-Cub and one of his friends being sick with colds; the team energy was seriously lacking.

In fact, at one point, I was relatively certain that both the Cub and his friend were going to pass out; they were each so pale and spaced-out looking. Luckily, that didn't happen, but, once the second game was over and we got on the road for home, it didn't take long for the Cub to fall asleep in the car.

Then, Sunday morning, the Cub slept in past noon, which is unheard of for him. He appeared to feel worlds better upon waking, however, so I considered it a positive thing.

Speaking of positives; today, The Teenager is back under my roof, and hormonal balance has been restored in my home.

I did ok while she was gone. And, I know that, when the time comes; I am going to enjoy the adventures that living with two dudes can bring, but, for now, I'm going to enjoy having my family together and whole while I still can.

So, all in all, the test drive went well. I'm just not ready to buy the car quite yet.

The Holy Grail of Jeans

A number of years back, I won an eBay auction for a pair of 7 For all Mankind jeans. I had never owned a pair of designer jeans prior to that and, I can honestly say, I didn't get what all the fuss was; I mean, pay over $100 for a pair of jeans? No way! Jeans that expensive would need to be crafted with gold thread and pixie dust. They would have to make my ass look like something from a Victoria's Secret photo shoot, and, we all know that wasn't happening.

Yeah.

The jeans came and my life was transformed, because, while they weren't crafted from golden thread and pixie dust, they did make my ass look fine.

When said ass got too big to wear the jeans, I was devastated, and, every diet and exercise program from then on was designed with the sole intent of getting back into those jeans,

Flash forward six years*.

Guess what I fit into, today?

And, I'll be damned if they didn't make my ass look fine, yet again. Which, means they could, quite possibly, be crafted from pixie dust, after all.

All hail the pixies!

*Yes, I did keep a pair of jeans in my closet for six years, waiting for the day that they might fit again. I am female. And, an optimist. Do not judge me!

Pantry Foraging, Day...Yeah, I Have No Idea

Three bean turkey chili, tacos, and tostadas. And, if you're guessing that there were a lot of cans of beans in my pantry, ding, ding, ding! You're a winner.

In No-Repeat Workday Outfit news, I am on day 43. That's right, 43 days of original outfits with not a repeat to be seen. And, if you're guessing that I have way too many items of clothing in my wardrobe, ding, ding, ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

In news that you couldn't possibly have guessed at; the Man-Cub had an orthodontist appointment this morning and he was thrilled to discover that his braces are scheduled to come off in stages over the next two months. If, however, you just guessed that his excitement has something to do with a certain teenage girl, well, you would be wrong. No girlfriend on the horizon.

Now, can you guess how I am going to end this post?

Just. Like. This....

STFU, Teabag

I start each workday with a cup of hot tea; a nice detox blend that makes me feel like I am doing something healthy for my body. The tea bags that I use feature a little saying on the tag; a saying meant to encourage me toward a Zen attitude for the remainder of the day.

Yesterday, my tea bag got a little preachy with me. I didn't like it.

Teabag has no idea how many balls I have in the air right now. Teabag doesn't know that every day feels like treading water in a vast ocean, with wave after wave pounding against me, arms above my head, holding a ten pound brick like a teenager taking lifeguard training. Teabag has no idea how much pressure I am under, pressure to perform the numerous duties that my two jobs demand. Teabag has no idea just how many forms there are to fill out, committees there are to sit on, checks there are to write, or fires there are to put out when one's daughter is a graduating senior; Teabag doesn't have a daughter.

Teabag has no notion of the internal struggle that I face each day, fearing that the Man-Cub will miss out on my attentions while I fret over his sister. Teabag doesn't have a son who deserves undivided attention and a less-than-scattered mother.

Teabag needs to walk a few miles in my shoes before he tells me to keep up.