It's St. Paddy's Day!

The day for shamrocks, leprechauns, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness beer, and dodgeball!

Yes, I said dodgeball.

What? You don't dress your kids up like leprechauns and set them loose on a gym floor, ready to pummel the heck out of the competition?

Oh.

Well....you're not living, my friend.

This evening, I did just that; I handed out hats and shamrock-themed bling, paid the $15 entry fee for my team, and then sat back and watched my boys win the championship.

Then, we danced an Irish jig in celebration.

Ok, I'm totally kidding about the dancing part.

 

Anticipation....

The Girls and I just booked a weekend at an Arizona resort; we have been missing each other and are seriously looking forward to spending some quality bonding time together.

This trip may-or may not-involve pedicures, massages, sunbathing, outlet mall shopping and mechanical bull riding and, I cannot wait!

Less then a month to go!

Aloha!

As I type this, Katie and the Queen Bee are frolicking on a Hawaiian beach. I know this because they sent me the pictures to prove it.

 

They worked hard for the money for this Spring break vacation and I am happy that they are getting to have the experience. 

I might also be a bit jealous, but that is neither here nor there. 

And So It Begins

The boys played a couple of great games today. Unfortunately, they lost both games, but, since they weren't  league games, neither loss will count against our record. It was basically a scrimmage, if you will.

It was still nice to see the boys back on the field, and to spend time with both my mom and my fellow Booster moms (we had been going through withdrawls since our weekend basketball trips ended, all of two weeks ago).

Despite the scores of the games, the boys played really well, and it was especially nice to have all four of my Fearsome Foursome back on a field together. That said, do you think I managed to get a single picture of them together today? I did not. In my defense, when the sun went behind a bank of clouds and the wind kicked up, right around the beginning of the second game, I was too busy trying to prevent frostbite to my fingers to be messing around with my camera.

These pictures from the earlier game will have to suffice.

I'll get more pictures as the season goes on, I'm sure. Plus, with any luck, the other schools we play at won't have a brand new fence around the field, like the field at my old high school did today; the links were too tight to shoot through and there was not a gap to be found anywhere in the fence. I know, I looked.

After the games, we came back to Mom's to thaw out a bit before heading to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. Currently, Mom and the Man-Cub are grabbing dessert at the Dairy Queen and I am debating whether or not I want to make a trip out to Phoebe's house for a visit. I am dog-tired and achy from the cold, and, Phoebe did spend the better part of the first game with us, so, I might take a raincheck on the visit and cuddle up with an electric blanket and my Kindle, instead.

Decisions, decisions.

Friday Favorites: This Is My Valley

The Man-Cub was not able to make the trip to Mayberry with me today; his coach preferred that he ride the bus with the team, tomorrow. The Cub was ok with that, and, so was I, because, sometimes I enjoy being able to belt out my tunes with no teenagers to roll their eyes in obvious jealousy of my superior vocal ability.

Because that's got to be what all that eyerolling is about.

Anyhoodle, being alone also gave me the freedom to make the trip at my own pace, which, means that I got to stop to pee more frequently than usual, also without all the eyerolling.

Bonus!

I also stopped a few times to take pictures, which, I would probably not have taken the time to do had the Cub been with me. My heart always swells just a tad once I crest the summit of the mountain range that separates Mayberry from Petticoat Junction, and, today was no exception; the beauty of my alpine valley is staggering, and, photos really don't do it justice, but, that didn't stop me from trying. 

This weekend, the annual Crane Festival is happening. The geese above will have to share their wetland with the larger birds for a few days, and, if I'm lucky, I will spot a few to photograph before I head back home on Sunday.

Fingers crossed.

We're Jellin'

The Man-Cub's first baseball game of the season takes place this Saturday. It's being played in Mayberry, which gives me an awesome excuse to visit my mom. The Man-Cub is going to ask his coach if he can ride down with me tomorrow instead of on the bus with the team on Saturday morning; if that happens, it also gives me an opportunity to converse with my son (captive audience!).

If the coach doesn't approve that plan, I'll just have to crank up my music, open the sunroof, and entertain myself on the drive (Hugh has a middle school wrestling match to officiate), then, Mom and I will meet the Cub at the ball field on Saturday.

Either way, I am looking forward to the trip.

A couple of days ago, one of the senior moms texted me to see if I would help put together lunch for the boys, so, I am planning to make hoagies when I get to Mom's. I am also going to contribute a couple of batches of Gatorblox*, which, prior to last night, I hadn't made in ages; back when The Teenager was playing volleyball, to be exact.

The good news is, it came back to me like riding a bike. Which, isn't that shocking considering how easy the recipe is.

Gatorade, unflavored gelatin, and a touch of regular Jello are all that you need. Boil three cups of Gatorade. Sprinkle four packages of unflavored gelatin over an additional cup of Gatorade, let set for a minute. Pour in boiling Gatorade and about a quarter of a small package of flavored Jello. Stir until dissolved. Let mixture cool for a bit before pouring into a 9X13 glass pan and chill in the fridge until firm. Cut into squares (or, circles, or hearts, or whatthefuckever you like) and store in fridge in an airtight container.

Easy, peasy, and the kids love them.

Now, I am off to pack for tomorrow's trip. I finally get to break out the baseball bling!

*When we were kids, these treats were called Knox Blox, because they were apparently invented by the good people at Knox. Mom used to make them for us to take to weekend swim meets. When my kids were small, they were overtaken by Jello Jigglers; Jello having taken over the market, I guess. But, they will always be Knox Blox to me. Except for when they are made with Gatorade, obviously.

Promposals Are an Actual Thing

The Man-Cub asked his girlfriend to prom today.

Sounds simple, right? I mean, pimple-faced boys have been asking girls to prom since the 1950's; the boy asks, the girl either says yes or no, and there you have it. My own prom invitation came on the tail-end of a walk to class, with a casual, "See you after English. Oh, yeah, hey, by the way, we're going to prom, right? Cool".

Kids these days? Make a huge production out of this stuff. I've heard rumors of singing telegrams and invitations spelled out in rose petals spread across football fields. Crazy stuff.

Luckily, while the Cub wanted his invitation to be special, he didn't want to go nuts. After consulting with his girlfriend's best friend, he came up with the idea to present his girlfriend with a single rose, bearing a tag with a single word of the invitation at the beginning of each class during the school day (he had a similar idea for a homecoming invitation not too long ago, but never got the chance to ask (long story) thank goodness this time, he had the "yes" pretty much in the bag).

The Cub asked for my assistance in purchasing the flowers and in making the tags, but, the rest of the plan was all him. He charmed the school secretary into delivering the roses each hour, until, the final word "me", at which point he showed up with a much larger sign and a full dozen roses.

It was a pretty sweet plan and it worked out; the girlfriend said yes (she's probably been waiting for him to get off his hiney and ask for weeks now).

Looks like it's time to get this handsome guy fitted for a tuxedo!