It's the Lack of Emetrol

This weekend I decided my parenting skills could be called into question when I found all of these events transpired in one week.

1. One of my children, he will remain nameless, spent the entire day Saturday wearing no underwear. It was not by choice; he had nothing clean to wear.

2. At Thursday night's basketball game, I found Keagan's Henry and Mudge book was book marked with a tag from my last bottle of wine. You can read the entire story just a few entries down.

3. At this same basketball game, I clapped and cheered when Evan got his first foul because I felt like his skills as a defensive player far outshined any free throw shots an eight year old could make.

4. My boys downed 12 cups of Itailan ice is 18 hours, and I justified it by claiming the mango flavoring was our fruit for the day.

5. I served Sonic for dinner not once but for two nights this week. The second night, as we awaited our food, Keagan said, "Oh, I know that guy on skates. He served us on our date night, Mom." Yeah, we frequent the Sonic a lot.

I could blame it all on my lack of Emetrol, but I would be remiss if I did not admit that this is pretty much the norm in our house. At this point, my biggest worry, is trying to calculate the soonest date I can stop at Sonic again this week and not have the boy on skates label me as one of his regulars. 

He Said It

This year for Christmas the boys received the new Super Mario Wii game, and when they aren't in the middle of a heavily contested Madden football game, then the boys will play Mario. Tonight Keagan ran into my room with the most serious look on his face and pleaded, "Mom, come pway with us so that we can beat Browser Junior's Brother and move to the next level!"

I replied, "You mean PLLLLAY? Oh, Keagan. You know I don't a thing about playing those games. I would pop your bubble and you would die for sure."

"Mom, I didn't say play. I know you aren't good at the Wii. I said PRRRRRAY. Pray that God would help us defeat the enemy just like we pray at church." 

Emetrol, Reisling, and Book Marks

It's all a bit hazy for me now that it is fifteen years after the fact, but when I was a junior in college, I was under so much stress that I would drink bottles of Emetrol to help ease the queasiness and flu-like symptoms that persited that year. Today I am fairly certain that I had an ulcer, but I had no idea then that you could be 21 and walking around a college campus with stomach ulcers. I mean that was something reserved for fifty something year olds that drank too much and had some high powered position with some top performing company. Or so I thought.

During that year, maybe a couple of times a day, I would guzzle a swig of Emetrol, pop three Advil, and chase them with a swig of diet soda. And the pains ended until they started again.

This week I have longed for a swig or two of Emetrol. I have no idea why the queasiness has returned when life is relatively calm for us right now, but I think my younger son's collection of girls' phone numbers might be one reason. It might also involve that termite inspection bill I received in the mail this week. After that five minute walk-through of my house, I learned pest control businesses must rank in the top ten of top hourly pay. No doubt the inspector is livin' it up right now on some beach without any thoughts of bottles of Emetrol.

With a non-existant supply of meds, I decided a bottle of wine would do the trick. This past weekend I emptied the bottle myself and felt much more relaxed. That was until I noticed Keagan was using the label from my bottle of wine as a book mark in his library book! I shudder to think what his teacher thought this week when he came to school with a bookmark extolling the virtues of a nice Riesling.

Oh my goodness! You guessed it...the queasiness...it has returned. 

Another One Bites the Dust

I almost hate to post this. My superstitions have me believing that if I do, then our winning streak in basketball will come to an end. Just a few weeks ago I prayed for one win; I have since begun to pray about the championship game. This is because I believe in the impossible. I think my encouragement from the sidelines and my constant screams of "Hands Up!" might be the key to our success. We are on a roll with four wins, and I just can't give it all up so easily.

Therefore, my screams of "man up" will continue for at least two more weeks.

Evan's double over time winning shot taken in the last 52 seconds of tonight's game was not captured on film. You may be surprised to learn that in my excitement I had the camera pointing at the court's floor and not on the winning play. One really nice lady offered to share her footage with me, and she even agreed to post the video this evening on facebook. "Friend me," she said over her shoulder. The only problem is I have no idea who she is.

This will have to do for now - until we win our spot in the championship game that is.

876-5309 Part II

My little boy and his little black book...I always knew Keagan would be the son to come home with a collection of girls' phone numbers, but I never thought it would happen in kindergarten!

Evan's Version of Today's Events:

Mom, Keagan got a girl's number today at school.

Keagan's Version:

I don't know what happened today. I was just sittin' at my desk, doin' my writin' assignment. Oh, yeah! I got candy today for doin' so good with my story about the Cowboys. Then, next thing, I find a piece of paper tucked in under my pencil box and I'm like what's this? I open it and it is Shelby's cell phone number. I'm like okay, but I won't go out with girls that toot at circle time. I can't do my skip countin' when she does that right in front of me. Then I get all confused with the community helpers. Don't worry, Mom, I told her we could be friends.

At the time, I was having a hard time discerning an appropriate response because so many wrongs just make it real difficult to know where to start.

So I asked, "What kind of candy did you get?"

He Said It

It's Saturday night and Evan and I are watching the football game. I've got a glass of wine; Evan has his cup of rootbeer. We are snuggled in the oversized chair cheering for our team when Keagan walks in. It's been hours since he has left the play room. Between Wii games, a playdate, and a game of knights, he has played all afternoon, but he walks in and notices Evan sitting so close. So that there is no doubt of which son should be the favorite, he gently reminds me: "Mom, do you know how lucky you are to have a kid like me? I'd say very, very lucky!"

The Suns Shine Bright Tonight

I think the heavens parted this evening and sent angels upon the basketball courts of the youth center's gym. Miraculous action is the only way I can describe tonight's win - even if it was only by two points. It probably also had something to do with allowing Evan to double dribble the entire game without a whistle blown, but angels and miracles make for a better story.

I am wondering if the aspirations of having my older son play tight end for some unnamed college football team just might be usurped by the newest dream: having my son play for some unnamed college basketball team. I feel like I might have created some type of basketball prodigy because I found today that he can dribble with his left hand and shoot with his right. If that isn't college material, then I don't know what is. And if that isn't enough, his tongue is out the entire time. I'm thinking we are on to something.

Thursday night we hit the courts again. I am going to pray for additional help from the heavens, but if that is not available, then I'll keep my fingers crossed for a ref with a blind eye to Evan's double dribble action. Otherwise, I am back to the dream of my baby playing tight end. 

Snow Day

After living in Kansas and learning how to drive in snow, after living in Germany and learning how to live in snow six months out of the year, and after surviving two blizzards in Virginia last year, I never thought we would move to Georgia and have a snow day.

But we are.

If I had the camera, I would show you proof of the one tiny speck of freezing rain that fell this morning at 0910 just seconds before it melted. Unfortunately, Wes seemed to think that the camera would be put to better use at Fort Leonardwood where inches upon inches of snow is probably expected in the next few weeks.

Apparently, in Low Country anyway, the word snow has a very different meaning than in the above mentioned places. In coastal Georgia, the fear of snow was enough to cancel school. I think it is fair to say that there might have been some overreacting. Or maybe someone just didn't want to have to get out of bed this morning, and this was a sure fire way to secure extra sleep.

Either way, I'll take a day off.

The Perfect Date

Keagan is a mama's boy and has been from the moment he was born. When he was an infant, he cried if Wes looked at him - no lie. I think it was his first birthday before he actually let my mom hold him for any length of time, and even then, he sat on the edge of her lap ready to sprint to me should she try to lock him into a bear hug.

On Tuesday night, after spending two full weeks together for the holidays, Keagan broke down into tears and said, "Mom, I just miss you so much when I am away from you. I can't go back to school tomorrow and be away from you. I'll be so sad."

So long story short, Keagan and I had a date night Friday night, a time for just the two of us to spend some time together. He had maybe three or four places to choose from in the greater Hinesville metropolitan area. Only one other option if you remove anything on post from the list. Certain he would choose for us to play a game of laser tag, I put my best game face on and prepared to act completely surprised with the suggestion. Then he quietly whispered in my ear, "I think we should go to Sonic."

What can I say? The boy knows his mama likes the tots with extra cheese and a diet cherry limeaid.

So there we were waiting for the guy on skates to deliver our treats. My Friday night date was sitting in his booster seat, retelling a joke he had heard at school that ended with "I-C-U-P", and all the while debating the super powers of Captain America and SpiderMan. Certainly the night proved too full of excitement for him because he fell asleep on our way back home.

Yard Art: Tacky or Tasteful

Every once in a while I have an opinion. Some might say a strong opinion. It's possible that I have expressed those opinions a time or two.

Today, on our way home, we passed the new neighbors' house, and I hear this from the backseat, "That house is really nice with the red brick and white fence, but why would they put those TACKY statues of lions in the yard?" And the son sitting on the other end of the back seat: "That's like something you would see in a SKETCHY neighborhood."

As if in unison, I am asked, "Mom, what do you think?"

Either my one or two opinions concerning yard art have been expressed one too many times, or my boys are watching way too much of HGTV. I'm thinking that marathon weekend of International House Hunters last month may be to blame because I don't think I have ever said anything derogatory about yard art, multi-colored blinking Christmas lights, or inflatable Christmas decorations.

Yeah, I'm sure it must be the HGTV.

Suns Don't Shine

My great friend Maria happened to attend last night's basketball game, the first of the season, and she remembered her camera. She was nice enough to take a few shots of Evan. Since I returned to school this week, after two full weeks of vacation, I seem to have lost the fine art of remembering and accomplishing ten things at once. Hence, my camera sitting on the desk at home instead of the bleachers of the Jordan Youth Gym during game time. She went so far as to add this nice orange border, and since I still scrapbook by hand, I can't even begin to figure out how she did that. 

After another hectic day today, the details of last night's game are slowly drifting. However, I do remember several reminders from Wes to sit down and keep quiet. I remember the parents behind me asking if Evan played football. I think that must have followed the semi-tackle taking place at center court during the first minute of play. I remember some key defensive plays that had me screaming wildly. (This is probably where I should insert reminders from Wes to sit down and keep quiet.) I clearly remember all four shots that were made by Evan, and luckily, I remember them better than the twenty-something shots that were missed. I remember some bright red faces (from exertion; not bad tempers), and I remember the opposing team's number 11. I think I just might see him on TV one day.

Sadly our first game ended in defeat. However, I am considering it a complete victory that we only lost by four points. We have another game on Thursday, and I can't imagine doing anything else but screaming wildly for the SUNS! I think I might even consider getting out of my seat a time or two.