Random Saturday Stuff

• The Yankees lost today
• At least C-man got some hits
• Their next game is Monday night
• Harry is really angry we aren't taking him to the park
• I'm not taking him to the park because he got his 5th laser treatment today
• Harry doesn't like to even get up for the dogwalker now
• At least I mowed the lawn yesterday so that's already done
• Time to go plant some more hostas around the yard before church

The Chronicles of the Roly Poly

It's bug week at summer camp. So C-man has caught bugs, learned about bugs, acted in a play as a bug, and written a bug story. This is his story:

One day a roly poly laid her eggs. A baby roly poly hatched and wandered off. A praying mantis startled him. And he jumped away. 2 days later, he ran into a grasshopper. "Who are you?" "I'm a grasshopper." Roly poly ran away. He encountered a fly. "Who are you?" "Hi, I'm a fly." Roly poly ran away. 2 weeks later, he saw a moth, and said, "Who are you?" I'm a moth." Roly poly ran away. 1 year later, he grows up and find sa  beetle. "Who are you?" I'm a bettle." And roly poly thought, "I'm not worried anymore." And he wasn't.

Summer is almost here

Wordless Wednesday: By the front door

Finding good stuff

I'm getting swallowed up by the crushing pain. So I need to get back to focusing on all the good things around me:

• It's summer. Blazingly hot summer. And that makes me deliriously happy.
• C-man took (and passed) the swim test at the local waterpark we belong to, something he was illogically afraid of last year. So now we have a whole summer to spend in the "deep end".
• We saw Star Trek this weekend, and I've come to the realization that I really, really like Star Trek. And casting Sherlock as Khan - genius!
• Harry's hair is at the length where it is just covering his eyes - true supreme cuteness.
• Pope Francis didn't show up for the Beethoven concert. I'm really loving this Pope.
• I have an extra-long weekend next week and am really looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll be nice weather, and we can take full advantage of being outside and playing in the sun and pool.
• Driving my car still makes me really happy.
• Summer light has been giving me some really nice photos.
• We are booking our vacation in Northern Wisconsin for the last week in August. Ahhhh...

Wrapping it up without the bow

We went to the Lakefront Festival of the Arts this weekend. In all my years in Milwaukee, I'd never been. We've always gone to Strawberry Festival instead. But with C-man's newfound love of art, I thought it could be a good thing. It was interesting. Overpiced, but interesting. Next year, we're going to try Greek Fest.


I went to the Naturopath on Friday. In addition to a few other things that I don't care about, she says I need to stop eating eggs. EGGS! Are you kidding me? Omelets? Bread? Cookies? Sigh... I'm going to try it, because if it can fix me, I guess it's worth it. But man, that stinks!

C-man told me this morning that he hates being yelled at all the time. Sigh. I have been on him too much lately. I love that he feels comfortable saying these things to me. I just hate that it's true right now. So stupid. Seriously, look at that face. No more yelling. I'm going to be a better mom starting today.

Baseball tournaments start next weekend. We're hoping for a win Saturday, but if they do, we can't make my nephew's graduation party Sunday. Ahh, the life of a baseball tournament. He is also supposed to be at another judo tournament. His judo coach isn't very thrilled about his absence for baseball. Oh well.

Next week's the 4th of July already. I am sooo looking forward to the long weekend.

It's a process to get a normal photo sometimes

Shtuff

• I see the naturopath this afternoon.
• The boys are getting much needed hair cuts this evening.
• I refinanced our house loan in less than a day - Score!
• Harry got the first of his 3 frickin' laser treatments yesterday. The verdict is a sprained ankle and arthritis. Poor baby.
• It's been storming like crazy today. So much for the longest day of the year - it's pitch black out!
• There's a Super Moon this weekend.
• I'm thinking we should see Superman and call it a Super Weekend.
• When we aren't at 2 baseball games, of course.
• Last 2 games of the season.
• Until tournaments start the following weekend.
• Let's get this weekend started!

Randomly Thursday

• Why are so many of the places I adore having such serious demonstrations in the streets right now? If Halifax starts burning down, I will know I'm the jinx.
• C-man has his last two regular season games this weekend. But never fear, because then tournaments start. And then it's the All-Star game. And then Fall Ball.
• I've been transplanting hostas into my back yard lately. My arms are totally scratched up from crawling under scraggly bushes to dig them up.
• C-man got hurt twice at camp today. Once in kickball, and once when a kid pushed him off the rock wall while playing tag. We decided his goal for today was to play less dangerous stuff.
• Harry is going in for the first of 3 laser treatments today to help him with his leg pain. The whole house can't stop quoting Austin Powers and the frickin' lasers.
• I think the Supreme Court stalling its decisions on affirmative action and gay marriage is not a good sign.
• Everyone is talking about their summer vacations, and I'm getting jealous. Time to book our last week in August somewhere good. Which is after my trip to New York. Guess I don't have much to whine about.
• I'm getting kind of excited about my visit to the naturopath tomorrow. I've heard such crazy stories, I am really hoping to experience it in person. I could use a little good crazy in my life.
• C-man's best friend has already emailed asking to set up a Facetime session. Poor things miss each other so much.
• Only one more day until the weekend. Wahoo!

I just beat the tag at 2nd AND got dirty!

Just Fine

People I don't know have been asking me if I am okay. Which translates into, "You look like serious hell." I don't have the energy to explain I have an autoimmune disease and how that affects me, so instead, I tell them I am just fine. We always all know it is a lie, but whatever.

I haven't heard from the rheumatologist even though the new drug has been approved for over a month. I have totally given up on them. I don't really believe the diagnosis anymore anyway. Something is wrong, but after all the drugs they've thrown at it that haven't worked, I don't think they have it right. So I am done chasing them. I have a naturopath appointment later this week. Maybe we can wave some shaman sticks at it or something. At this point, it can't do any worse. I just wish it weren't so depressing and hopeless feeling. I have zero control over my ability to even smile. I hate that.

Love

Star Power

Is it a fielder?

Is it a hitter?

Is it a base runner?

No! It's an All-Star! Coming to you on July 7th at this year's Rookie League All-Star Game!

And can we all just breathe a big sigh of relief and say, "THANK GOD!" It was his big goal at the beginning of the year, and would have been totally crushed if he hadn't been voted in. I think he did deserve it, but am really glad the coaches agreed.

What a charmed year this child has been having so far...

Hitting streak

The game at Helfaer Field this morning was rained out. And yet, the Yankees played on the Glendale fields at the same time. It wasn't raining. Sucky. The kids were really looking forward to playing at Miller Park, too. But alas, the Yankees pulled off a nice win despite it. C-man went 3-3 hitting and was great in the field. And tomorrow, second verse, same as the first. Except this time, it's against the Brewers.

Let's get this summer started

This morning, I put my child on the bus for his last day two hours of 2nd grade. (2 hours!? What the heck?) A bittersweet day for C-man - saying goodbye to a teacher he's liked, but more importantly, to his very best friend who is leaving the state after school today. But he's happy because he's an 8 year old boy who is almost on summer vacation.

This school year seemed to fly by so much faster than the others. Work was a bit insane for me, and I felt like I totally lost 3 months of my life. 3 months of that little toothless smile. What a shame.

So now we move into summer. Those happy, sunny, warm days when the craziness is about it being fun and not about having to get homework done or being somewhere at any specific time. Instead, it's about needing to do laundry because the clothes are all dirty from playing on the beach or sliding into too many bases.

Ahhh... I've been waiting for this.

Gnarly

Taken before the leaves budded out, this photo accurately describes how I'm feeling today. Inside, I am gnarled and knotted in a way that doesn't feel like it'll ever straighten out.

Wordless Wednesday: Neigh

Smiles

And it's Monday again

Ahh, sweet Monday. They say if you think positively the rest will follow. So far, I'm not buying it. A positive person would call me negative, however, which negates the whole process, I guess. Whatever. Mondays suck.

Between 3 baseball games, a fun fest event at the baseball park, and a going away party, I took about 600 photos this weekend. It took hours to process last night. But the good news is that I now have a good list of which shots of which kids I still need for the annual baseball video, and can just start working on catching them instead of taking shots of the whole team. It makes it a bit simpler.

C-man's best friend leaves for Texas this week. They are both crushed. It's too bad, because this would have been the summer they could have biked to one another's houses (the houses were 6 blocks apart) and had a good ol' 8 year old time. Going to miss that kid. At least we gave him an Aaron Rodgers jersey as a parting gift. A long-standing joke between us, since the entire family are Bears fans.

I divided up a bunch of hostas and transplanted them this weekend. I finally had a day when I felt decent enough and the weather was decent enough to be able to do it. They'll probably have to move if we redo some drainage, but it was still kind of satisfying.

Have I mentioned my rheumatologist's office STILL hasn't scheduled me for the infusions I was approved for a month ago? I'm kind of considering skipping the whole nonsense now.

Bouncing back

C-man had 3 baseball games in 3 days. A death march of sorts. More so when you had to watch Friday's game, which was a 3 strikeout game. That's never happened before. Ever. The kid was a wreck. So we went to the park to practice until we couldn't see anymore after the game. Saturday, he struck out again. Unheard of. It was becoming a total head game. I was looking into getting him in to some one-on-one coaching to try to get him some confidence before he lost it all. But then he got on base with a crappy little blooper. Things seemed to change.

Then there was today. He hit the ball hard. He fielded the ball like an animal. He made a really cool back-handed pickup at third and got a guy out and held the runner to what normally would have been a double or even triple in this league. He retired the side with 3 outs at 3rd, in fact. Totally unstoppable.

And he got the game ball. The resiliency of this child never ceases to amaze me. I was sick to my stomach for him on Friday because he was totally embarrassed and not himself. And today, he had the game of his young little life. I am so very proud of him. There's something to learn there, for sure!

Ending the work week

It's so disappointing what the media is not covering about Turkey these days. I have to search and search past the articles on Paula Dean's new line of butter and what stupid thing Anthony Weiner is saying today to find any information. But they are still in the streets, and Erdogan is losing the battle of popularity he has so long held. Absolutely facinating - not just because we've been there, but because this is a country of people who will not be pushed around.

Tonight starts our weekend of baseball - 3 games in 3 days. We also have a going away party, I need to read in church Saturday night, and just need to get the usual stuff done. And the weather is supposed to be stupid cold for this time of year. Bummer.

The MMSD (Sewerage District) is officially at fault for this spring's sewer backup into the local garden center. The Village is still denying it caused ours, however. So now we have to spend $300 to have a camera put in our sewer to prove whether we are at fault. I hate this Village.

Enjoy your weekend!

When I grow up

While doing his homework...

C-man: "I hate identifying the verbs. It's not like I am ever going to need this."
Me: "I use that skill every day at work - identifying, conjugating, making sure I'm using the perfect word."
C-man: "Yeah, Mom, but I'm not going to get a writing job. I'm going to be in sports."

And there you have it.

This is why I should always carry my camera

We went to the Brewers game last night for a work event of Beerman's. I realized on my way to get Beerman and have a drink at his work pub before the game that I had forgotten my camera. But no worries. We were heading to the Gehl Club seats and C-man wasn't with us, so it wasn't necessary. There was a ton of lovely food - fresh carved beef, nacho bar, pierogis and sausage, fruit, cheese platters, mini burgers and brats, you name it. But no cake. There were no desserts at all. And so I went on a hunt until Nicole, our lovely server, told me there was pastry chef made cakes out in the hallway.

And so I went. And boy, did I find them. After much deliberation between the apple cake, giant cupcakes and chocolate cake, (This included discussion with the cake server and the pastry chef himself) I went with the chocolate cake that was as big as my head. Then in the 4th inning, they brought cookies and brownies around. And I detonated those too. I mean, what else was I going to do during this tense game since I couldn't take photos? And in the 7th inning, there were fudgscicles and dreamscicles. And I ate those too. After all, we had to celebrate being on the jumbo tron! By the 8th inning, I was physically shaking I was so sugared up. I wanted to moan and complain out loud, but knew I couldn't, because I am a 37 year old woman who just chose to eat the equivalent of an elephant's weight in sugar.

So today, I have a sugar hangover and am drinking green tea while I try to hold myself together. Next time, I need to bring my camera to occupy myself, because it's clear, I have absolutely no self control! But at least we saw an amazing game and had a really fun night out.

Waiting for summer

I'm so glad summer vacation is almost here for C-man. While I still have to work, and he still has summer camp and baseball and judo and speech and whatever else he's up to, everything seems to relax. The late summer nights of it being light past 9 p.m. mean delayed bedtimes and more time outside being silly. It means more laughs and less worry. I love that about summer vacation. Less than 2 weeks to go...

Lazy trips

As I made my way north to see Kyle's graduation, I went the long, slow way. I was alone and had time. Normally, I despise road trips. But that's when I'm going from Point A to Point B, and get totally annoyed that it takes so darned long. This felt a bit different though. My A to B was sort of a "whenever", and so I took the opportunity to stop and photograph some cows and barns along the way. I love taking pictures of barns - the weathered wood, the different places of collapse that invariably happens with old buildings, the lazy animals, the colorful equipment nearby - It makes for fabulous and peaceful imagery that I so often fly by without having time to stop and capture it.
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In other not-so-serene-news, Turkey is rising up. What started as a demonstration against development in a park is now fueling the opposition's need for a platform. It's facinating for us to watch unfold, having only recently having been there. But more facinating is my complete conviction that the people will overcome on this one. I have no doubt in the strength of these people to hold on to what they love. I just hope it doesn't require much more bloodshed.

Happiness

Graduated.

I was feeling a little old knowing that Kyle was graduating.

Until I walked over to take his picture and he did this mid-ceremony. Yeah, he's not that old after all. Awesome.