First Day Back

Well, today was the first day of school...my babies are in 5th grade and 3rd.  Seems like the years are flying by.  Drama girl started cheerleading for the 5th and 6th grade football team at CAC.  Didn't think she would do it but she did!  I am very proud of her!  I let her decide on her own and other friends helped her decision.  Left her this morning in class.  She had on her new turquoise polo shirt (her fave color) and the other had on a purple polo (fought me yesterday on what he should wear...this is a boy for crying out loud!).  On the way to school, Accountant Husband came to school for the first time on the first day.  Both kids were thrilled.  Drama Girl said "Mom will you come with me and let me get my stuff straightened up?  You always take care of Sports Fanatic (Brett) boy and you don't ever come with me."  Guilt trip ensued, so dad went with Brett (I guess I will call them by their real names).  Brynne (her real name) went into her class, (luckily our good friend is her teacher not that all the teachers there aren't friendly), grabbed her seat, and said "Bye Mom, I can do it."  Ok....made me a little sad, but you know these are the best days of my life. ;) (Just help me to remember that tomorrow when they are at each other's throats!) 

I am going to start posting some recipes that I like to make too....when I can think about it! 

All About Sports Fanatic Boy

This Thursday, Sports Fanatic (SF) Boy and I have to speak at an Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH)Fundraiser Luncheon.  He was chosen as an ACH ambassador.  We are so proud of him and all that he has accomplished.  It is truly phenomenal (yes..I know...I am his parent).

In case some of you didn't know, SF Boy was born deaf in one of his ears and his other ear had lost some hearing in it also.  He was fitted with a hearing aid when he was 8 months old (he is now 8) and until just recently was implanted with a cochlear implant in his deaf ear.  You ask why he didn't get a cochlear implant when he was born?  The audiologists told Accountant Man and I he had enough hearing in his good ear to cover him and insurance wouldn't pay for it either.  BTW, regular health insurance does NOT pay for pediactric hearing aids :).    The audiologists asked us in the fall of 2009 if we would like for Brett to get an implant and we jumped on the bandwagon and never looked back.  Major hospitals around the country were implanting people who had a lot of hearing in one ear and none in the other and gettting good results.  He got his cochlear implant in May 2010 and it was activated a month later.  The first question I asked him with his implant was who his favorite baseball player was and he answered Albert Pujols!  He told me he could hear the birds chirping with it too!

You would not believe the difference it has made in his life!  We are so thankful that God gave us the opportunity to do this.  It is truly amazing the technology that is out there today!!

Despite his hearing loss, I expect him to do his best and I know what his best is.  I love that little guy!

Here he is....third from left.

One of my favorite ones!!

"Don't Say Ain't, Your Mother Will Faint...."

Well, last night at the dinner table, Drama Girl asks me, "Mom, why can't I say ain't?"
Me:  "It is inappropriate grammar and I would not like for you to say it."
Light blub in drama girl's head went off when the word "inappropriate" was used.  In our family, we say that certain things are inappropriate, ie dress, TV shows with bad words like "O My ___", etc.  ( I think I can put etc. there :)) 
Drama girl then says: "Well, you said it was inappropriate, so it must be a bad word".
Me:  Doing an eye roll...what have I gotten myself into?  I think. 
So I proceded to go through contractions and what they mean and she couldn't give me a meaning for ain't.  She still was not satisfied with the explanation I gave her and it continued into this morning.  UGH!

Such as life...kids see things in black and white..

Crazy Drama Girl who sees life in Black and White...there's really nothing wrong with that.

Baseball is Over....:(

Well, hello everyone out there!  I am sad to report that baseball season is over...:(  I really enjoy watching my kids play sports.  Sports Fanatic boy did very well this season (over .700 batting average highest on the team) in pitching machine.  He had a great catch last night on the pitcher's mound.  A caught line drive.  I can say I really like watching baseball.  I love watching the St. Louis Cardinals.  We subscribe to the channel that carries all their games.  I got into the games because there was nothing else decent to watch on TV with my kids during the summer.  Of course, Accountant Man was already into it, but his love of it died a little when we first got married.  When we had kids, he started loving it again.  The only thing about watching your kids play sports is that Mama Bear starts coming out when your child is (or so you think it is) being unfairly treated.  Don't tell me that it doesn't happen with your kid.  Now, I know you are going to say, well, it is only pitching machine, but these games can sometimes get intense.  There are only teenagers calling the game (personally there needs to be an adult representative on standby, I think).  On the subject of teenage umpires, I was standing at the concession stand accidentally overhearing a conversation:

Guy who runs the park (who is 60something years old) to teenage umpire:  You made the right call at home plate the boy was out.  Good job.

Teenager to guy:  I know.

Guy who runs the park:  You made a good call.

Teenager:  I know.

What happened to "Thank you, sir." or just "Thanks."?  Manners are in order here.  If that was my son, I would have thumped him on the head!  I am rambling here.   Guess I need to wrap up this post for today.  Long live baseball and long live summer!

My Sweet Sports Fanatic

My boy LOVES Baseball!

Win Some, Lose Some, I Guess

Thinking about Sports Fanatic Boy's baseball game last night....I know everyone is trying to be positive, but when did everyone settle for just being mediocre?  My son is hearing impaired and mediocre is not in our vocabulary.  I know his limits and I know when he can be challenged.   He would not be where he is today if he had not been challenged.  I know what my son can do and if it is not his best, than he is in trouble.  Now, I know everyone has their off days, but I expect my son to strive to do his best.   Some kids today think they can be Albert Pujols just by playing a baseball game.  It takes lots of hard work, listening to people who have been there, perserverance, and PRACTICE.  You can't get better if you don't practice.   Just had to get that off my chest....:)  Back to family life next time...stay tuned.

So Much to Write About, Where Do I Start? Food!!

I have wanted to get back on here, but as I said before in the last blog,...busy, busy, busy.  I really don't know where to start. Do I chronicle my everyday life?  Write about my favorite recipes I like to make?  Household tips?  Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, said to just write even though you have writer's block, so here I go.   So much to write about. The first part of this week has brought me trying to figure out my food menu for the next 4 weeks.  I don't like to do this.  It is all I can do to sit down (that's another topic) and force myself to go through multiple recipes and decide what we are going to eat for the next 4 weeks.  It really makes my life a lot easier.  I don't know what I am complaining about. 

Here is how it goes:

I have a big black binder with dividers for each week.  I list all the ingredients for 5 recipes a week on a piece of notebook paper (that's my shopping list).  I put the recipes behind the shopping list.  I do this for each week.  Of course, life happens and I may have to change and adapt recipes for a certain week.  Each Monday, I take my made-out shopping list in my folder, make a copy with my printer, and voila!  There is my shopping list.  I rotate every 4 weeks.  This allows us to try different recipes, too.

Accountant man says this is a great way to "budget" (I hate that word) our grocery money.  Luckily, drama girl and sports fanantic boy are not picky (I don't know how that happened), and I can try different things.

Still not finished with it....next time maybe I will blog about my family. :)  Stay tuned.....

The Pioneer Woman is My Idol

Well, I decided to start this thing.  I don't know where it will take me, but I was truly inspired by reading The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.  That book made me think.  She just blogs on her website about everyday life on the farm.  She came from living her life with her parents on the golf course to marrying a cowboy who makes his living from ranching.  Simple life.  Where did it go?  I am always on the go....therapy (my son is hearing impaired - later about that), some seasonal sporting event, church, etc.  My Iphone is stuck to my hand (what did I do without that).  Like I just said, where did the simple life go?  Working the land (not that I would work the land), cooking dinner every night where everyone was at the dinner table.  I know I was busy growing up, but were we really this busy?!  I am content staying at home taking care of what needs to be taken care of while Accountant Man (have to come up with a better name for him) is slaving away at his office.  My house is not perfect.  My kids are not perfect.  I am not perfect.  But I do like smelling fresh cut grass, getting up before my kids to enjoy the quiet, watching my kids at anything they do, loving Accountant Man (still don't like the name), and loving God.