Fantasy Football

"you are kidding, right?"

That was Noah's comment when I told him that I was planning to join my work unit's fantasy football league.  He went on to mention how he quit playing a couple of years ago because of all the time that it took and quite frankly, he was kind of tired of it.

After all, I am the one who despises wasting time.  I can't stand video games, won't watch a movie twice and usually have to be doing something else (like folding laundry) the first time I watch something.  If Noah had a smart phone I would probably have chucked it into a lake by now (seriously, tell me, how do people put up with their spouses extramarital affairs disguised as smart phones?).  Following football every Sunday and considering drafts, strategy and bye weeks doesn't exactly sound like something I would normally consider a productive way to spend my life.

Regardless of the incongruity of it all, I was determined to play and I assured him that he didn't have to help me at all if he didn't want to be a participant.  I told him that I was just going to call his buddy, who spends a great deal of time and energy on FF, and have him give me some general recommendations.  After all, I know people who play, and it cannot be that complicated. Of course, he couldn't leave it like that and so we came up with a name- "Pigtail Wave", and got our players all drafted.

Do you know what?  I love playing fantasy football.  I am a competitive person by nature, but I don't have a lot of outlets for my competitiveness at this time and stage of my life.  Beating a 6 year old in Candy Land doesn't exactly cut it, and I simply don't have the time or the athletic ability to excel in a sport.  I run "against" people at the gym (only they don't know it), but even that isn't quite enough.

So even though Pigtail Wave is a horrible team, full of heartaches and missed opportunities, I look forward to the weekends.  The boys are enthusiastic and cheer for my players and get excited if we win.  N and I talk about football and I actually have learned quite a bit! 

Next year I may put together a league so that we each can have our own team- we have 7 people in the family so can practically make our own league, and I think that could be really fun.  Or, maybe I will play at work again so that the fam can all be on the same team (mine) and cheer together. 

The possibilities are endless.

Monday Night Laundry

 I felt like a little squirrel hauling homemade applesauce down to the freezer today.  Tomorrow I will be freezing some of our homegrown carrots.  I am slightly proud of my carrots this year - I have never had much luck, and look how big these are!  And they have good flavor too!

I am decompressing at the computer tonight.  It was one of those days- rainy and cold and the kids didn't get out to play.  I honestly don't know what we are going to do all winter- my boys need their freedom and they need to run.  I swear they need at least 3 hours of outdoor large motor time to be manageable. 

Certainly they will be playing outside regardless of the cold, and they can always run on the treadmill, but somehow it is not quite the same.

Sometimes Lincoln and Deacon hide behind the video chairs across the room from each other and throw balls at each other.  Sort of like an indoor snowball fight.

*sigh*

I spent some time and money on some new clothes, but then I realized that I should really be spending the extra money on a cute (and warm) winter coat.  That is all people see anyway when you go anywhere for about 7 months out of the year here.

So now I am officially in the market for a long, super warm coat.

And maybe someone to manage the laundry...

I Can See!

I have been wanting to get LASIK surgery for years and years and I finally got it done a couple of weeks ago!

Yahoo!  I now see 20/15 out of my left eye and 20/20 out of my right.  No contacts, no glasses.  It is incredibly freeing and every morning when I open my eyes and can read the clock I feel thankful.

It was incredibly quick, and my recovery has been easy.  My new driver's license has arrived in the mail, and I haven't had any trouble with dry eyes. 

Amazing.

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins for pie! Yum!

Again

What a whirlwind life is.

Everyn and I walked into the Y this morning, I needed to catch up on some mileage for my October challenge and she was accompanying me.  I was holding her sweet little hand and we were walking slowly together, just the two of us. 

An older man walked by, stopped and smiled at us.  "oh, how I miss my kids being little like that", he said.

I smiled back and said, "I love it.  It is such a fun time."

He replied with a, "it just goes by way too fast".

And I looked at our shadows- the two of us, me tall with a bag on my shoulder and reaching down to a little hand.  Her, in her goofy overalls and hair sticking up all over and her little hand reaching up, holding mine.

I know most young moms don't like to hear when older people say, "I miss those days"- because they complain that those people have selective memories- that they are forgetting the fatigue, the endless demands, the sibling fights and the buckling, the shoes and the messy eaters.

But I am in these days, and I know that I am going to miss them when they are gone. And I am trying to cling to them even as they are flying by me - because truthfully,  I don't really care about the mess, and I don't really mind the selflessness of being a mother.  I just care about the little hand inside mine, and I know it won't be there very long.

*Soon I will tell you about my Lasix surgery, my dear Grandma, my October challenge, my wardrobe make over, fantasy football and some quote of the days.  Oh, and a fall photo shoot!  Soon, very soon...*

Books!

I love reading to my children.  I love reading simple books, chapter books, nonfiction, fiction.  I also love to listen to audio books.  I am sure I have mentioned on my blog before how I consider audio books to be one of the greatest inventions of all time.

As soon as we get in the car I turn on the current book and the kids are instantly quiet and engaged. It is also a bonus to get read alouds done while driving - I love multi-tasking!

On any typical day I read  a handful of younger kids books for the little ones and then 1-2 chapters from 2 books that we have going simultaneously.  And then of course, the audio books.

This is the list of books I plan to read to them or listen to over the next 10 months- mostly books from the 1st, 2nd and 4th grade Sonlight lists ( this list does not include short chapter books we pick up at the library):

1.Caddie Woodlawn
2.Cheaper By the Dozen
3.The Great Turkey Walk
4.The Great Wheel
5.In Search of the Source
6.Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
7.Rules of the Road
8.Across Five Aprils
9.Oh My Godmother: The Glitter Trap
10.The Tale of Despereaux
11.All Sail Set: A Romance of the Flying Cloud
12.The One and Only Ivan
13.Little Britches: Father and I were Ranchers
14.Miracle on Maple Hill
15.Moccasin Trail
16.The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems
17.The Winged Watchman
18.The Kitchen Madonna
19.Thee, Hannah!
20.Understood Betsy
21.Dragon Howl
22.Detectives in Togas
23.Follow My Leader
24.Gooney Bird Greene
25.Greek Myths for Young Children
26.Henry Huggins
27.The Year of Miss Agnes
28.The Family Under the Bridge
29.A Little Princess
30.The Cricket in Times Square
31.Kildee House
32.Red Sails to Capri
33.The School Story
34.The Apprentice
35.Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess (Platt)
36.The Child's Garden of Verses (Stevenson)
37.The Door in the Wall (de Angeli)
38.The Little Riders
39.The Minstril in the Tower
40.Tales of Robin Hood
41.The 21 Balloons
42.White Stallion of Lipizza
43.Captain Nobody
44.The Adventure of Sir Lancelot the Great
45.Sticks Across the Chimney: The Story of Denmark
46.Charlotte's Web
47. Rainy Day Poems
48.Homer Price
 49.Mr. Popper's Penguins
50.The Wheel on the School
51.Little Pear
52.Mrs Piggle-Wiggle

Ready for Preschool!

Berean is going to preschool at our homeschool group one morning a week.  She loves it, especially all of the friends that she has to play with.  She is also in Cubbies at Awana and a dance class.  Friends, crafts and talking are all very important to her!