Twenty Years of Marriage on Leap Day

...makes this our fifth anniversary.  Finally, our anniversaries have caught up to our kids. 

We wanted to spend the day together, but unfortunately could not; we have plans for another weekend.

Sick, Dang It

Everything was going along fine until the cold showed up around noon (yes, I checked my watch).

Bella, Roz and Harrison have all had it - Harrison was home with it today - so I guess I was next. I still managed to get some housework done before I felt like collapsing on the couch.

Dang it again.

It was okay though - it gave me time to work on this.

Plooooop

The school kids had a scheduled two-hour late start at school today, and on those days, pretty much everything stops. By the time Harrison goes to school, it's about three hours until I have to go pick up Bella. That combined with Brennan not feeling well and staying home from his classes, which makes me feel like hovering, made for a very quiet, nothing-getting-done day.

Church and Begging for Cookies

It was an uneventful Sunday, apart from having to take Hubby's bag of soccer balls over to the field so the team could play their game. For Sunday games, he has arranged for his co-coaches, Chris and Dom, to coach the team. I am very appreciative.

Trip to Salem

Bella and Hubby had a soccer game in Salem, and we decided to make a day of it.  As our only working car right now is Brennan's little Swift, only some of us could go, so it ended up being Hubby, Bella, Harrison, Rosalind and me. 

Orchestra Tonight!

And I rocked it!

Someone stole my phone.

I'm guessing Roz. Excuse my messy house.

Harrison played some basketball.

Rosalind played at the trampoline park.

Oh geez.

No wonder I couldn't find them.

This is what I saw when I opened the car door, after I parked in our driveway after church.  It's a good thing most of our roads have those little bump thingies between lanes, because they'll be coming in a lot handier now...

RIP, red cats-eye glasses 2009-2012

Fudge & Dinner

I made lovely fudge today. Wish I could attend Aunt Miriam's birthday party tomorrow but I have to work. Darn it.

Tonight Bri and I ate dinner at Los Potrillos in Camas. Tasty stuff!

Birthday Shoes #1

Somehow Mom and I decided that this birthday was the Blue Shoes birthday.

General Information

This week took suckiness to the extreme. But that isn't what I want to discuss. Tonight is about the sharing of philosophies and coping tactics. 

This morning I was beyond upset. It's been a while since I came that unglued. I was completely gone. 

As I dried up, I decided I must allow myself to think only three thoughts. Three thoughts kept me going:
1. "Love Hubby and the babies."
2. "We just have to put our heads down and power through." (Michael Bluth, Arrested Development)
3. "If they don't love it, they can shove it! Frankly I don't care." (Gilda Radner)

I also allowed my brain DJ to play only one song, which was "Bridge Over Troubled Water". (shut up)

And it worked. It was amazing. Whenever I was reminded of some old or new sucky situation, I chose one of those three thoughts to get me through it, and at least one would be pertinent and comforting.

So there's that. I wanted to write this down in case I have to use it again.

Also of note: If you're a friend and you're unhappily married, I would ask you to please talk to someone who can help you and your spouse. 

I am not that person. 

(This is from an experience that started off as a harmless, "I feel sad about this, this and this situation in my marriage" and has turned into something I feel entirely skeevy for becoming involved with. Don't worry, it's nothing gossip- or bishop-worthy, but for some reason people feel comfortable talking to me about their marital stuff and I'm just going to have to put my foot down from now on. I'm sure you've probably been there.)

(If you haven't, don't tell me)

Sweetheart Ball Tonight!

But we couldn't go, because our brakes are dead. Aww sad!

The Terrible Day

The toilets have been acting up - not flushing normally or at all - so we wondered if something was up. Also, when the white toilet's flush chain broke, we replaced it, but the chain was slightly too long and would get trapped under the lid at the bottom of the toilet tank, causing the water to run continually.

So, we were cleaning up toilet water messes with our towels, and I cleaned another one up this morning. Threw the towels in the washer and started it, got busy with something else. Walked back out into the kitchen to see the floor under the washer was flooded with water; checked the bathrooms, and saw the toilets and BATHTUB were backed up with black chunky water. SICK!

Spent the day on the phone with the landlord, my mom, my visiting teacher, the plumber my landlord called. Hanging up more wet towels. Using the neighbor's bathroom for potty trips. Made the kids use the bathroom at school before I brought them home. When my visiting teacher asked what she could do, I said, dinner! Please! Mom helped us with money for a motel stay.

Instead, we ended up at the wonderful Tu.... Family's home. In addition to being Bella's Seminary teacher, Pam makes some boss breakfast waffles. Bless her. And the dinner my VT had her friend make and bring over (my VT was already feeding another family that evening) was huge and wonderful and fed us for days.

We feel completely crappy and helpless, but supported and loved and crowd-surfed. And grateful.

Never Before... and Never Again

I love these shoes a) because they were cheap b) because they're blue c) because they're absolutely darling.

But I don't love them because they are d) good work shoes. They were the opposite of good work shoes.

Ouch.

I took a picture to remind me not to make the same mistake twice... if only all mistakes in life were so photographable.

At the WinCo parking lot

My car was just smacked with a flying empty Cookie Crisp box.  What is the universe trying to tell me?

I've also seen two dead 'possums while driving around.  This one is a real mindbender.

Just Whatevs

 There was some oldest/youngest wrestling/gaming.  Check her long hair in the first pic.  Nice sunny day and dirty floor... apparently my husband was right: "that floor ain't gonna vacuum itself"

Carter thinks this isn't him, but he was trying on Harrison's red polo top to see if it fit.  And making gang signs or something.

Sigh

On the way home from church, enjoying a conversation with the three oldest, I hear this coming from the backseat: 

C "murmur murmur", 

R "SHUT UUUUUUP!" 

Over and over again.

Me: C, don't talk to her if you're just trying to make her mad.

C: I'm NOT trying to make her mad!  (murmur murmur)

R: SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP

Me: R, what is he saying to you?

R: HE SAYS I YELL AT EVERYTHIIIIIIIIING

Pinewood Derby

But first: Basketball at Wy'East.

Pinewood Derby was lots of fun this year, combining with two other wards! Right Hubby?

(He was bugged that they held it on a Saturday instead of on Thursday night like it's always been - he had to miss it. So did Nathan's parents.)

Mr. C and his car, after it was weighed and more weight added

The LONG SILVER TURD weight

Our good buddy Nathan

Harrison enjoying a Twinkie racer.

Silly boys gotsta be silly.

Little Roz looks on surrounded by peeps

Not a Sports Mom???

(said in my best Llug from Willow, "Not a woman???" voice)

At my children's sporting events, I feel a keen sense of discomfort, not unlike sitting in the dentist office reception area. (Please no root canal...)

I've been married to the very sporty Brian for twenty years next month and had a number of sporty children. Thankfully, some are more like me than like him, or I'd feel completely outnumbered in this land of mud and sweaty uniforms and insane frantic yelling parents. These people must surely come from another planet, or at least bleed a different color. 

Normally I am OK with feeling so out of every sports loop. Today I can't shake it, so it's off to the self analysis room for me. What's my problem? 

For one thing: Dude, I don't care which team wins. They should all have fun and be polite to each other. This is basketball, not brain surgery. 

Two: I love my boy. He is cute and I like watching him play basketball. However, I'd be just as fine watching him do a funny dance, weed the garden, tell me what happened at school today, and pretty much anything else that doesn't require sitting on hard bleachers in a freezing gym with no cell phone service or access to food.

Three: Unless I know them, the other parents run the gamut from weird to odious to bad-smelling. Sometimes all three, and almost always loud and obnoxious. What's more, I'm pretty sure I put off a severe "I hate sports and I'm not that enthralled with you, either" vibe so again, unless we know each other, they keep their distance. It's a little lonely but it's probably for the best, given all the above reasons.

Fourth: The darling husband, whose knowledge, skill, and interest in all things sporty leave me feeling practically crippled as a spectator. "How do they look as a team?" he just texted, on his way to our daughter's soccer tournament. Um, well... color-coordinated? 

I might as well ask him how many generations ago his ancestors came from England - then we could have matching blank stares.

Fifth: I have no clue what's going on, so any sanctions the referees may foist on my child or his team seem completely unfair, bringing out my Mama Bear response. "HOW DARE THEY. Oh, my kid fouled another kid? Oh. Oops."

Sixth: Taking my youngest along. She is normally well-behaved, but today not so much, which probably heightened my "Why do I hate doing this so much?" anxiety.

It hits me today, again, that when you're a parent, you sometimes do things for your children for the sole reason that you love them. It's not enjoyable (I wish I felt differently). It seems like a gigantic waste of time (ditto). You can think of thirteen hundred different situations you'd rather be in than sitting behind some smelly shouting grandmother with your butt in pain (ditto again).

I miss whatever gene I was supposed to inherit that would somehow help me love sports. The Sports Force, sadly, is not with me.

I Have a Birthday

Shout hooray!

And enjoy these beautiful pink roses, courtesy of Grannie and Grandpa Bob.

Hubby stayed home from work for my birthday. We went out to lunch at Little Italy's Trattoria. YUM.