WINNERS!!

Two posts in two days! Wow...what's the world coming to?!

Last night, The Boy had a football game. Normally, they play Saturdays but since we had such a rainy October, some of the games were rained out. Not all of them will be able to be made up, but some will, and one was last night.

It was a home game, which was a lot of fun. At first it didn't look good - the other team appeared to be pretty big. But our boys showed them who was boss. The game opened with our boys scoring a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, the other team answered with a touchdown of their own. Maybe that was what the boys needed to egg them on...or maybe it was that one of their bigger players, who had been out with an injury almost all season, was finally back! They proceeded to score twenty more unanswered points! Apparently, that pissed off the other team, because they answered with two touchdowns of their own. We were pretty worried at that point, but our boys were able to stop the other team and hold them off for a 26 - 20 victory; their first this season.

We're very proud of the team. The Boy played really well and had some spectacular tackles.

It's so much more fun to cheer for the winning team!! There is one game left. Maybe we can win again...after all, it is another home game...!

WHAT a week!!!

Well, it's been a pretty busy week in our home and I don't see signs of anything slowing, which is unfortunate, but what can ya do?!

I started my new job last Monday, so I've been trying to get organized and settled with that. This week has been better so far, but there is much to learn.

Friday afternoon, The Boy came home upset. His girlfriend told him she no longer wanted to be his girlfriend. That hurt him pretty badly. We talked a lot this weekend (he and I, her parents and us, him and her parents...every combination possible...) and all is well again. They are no longer a couple, but they are still friends, which is what we all wanted to see. We are good friends with her parents, so it'd have been really awkward if they could not get along!

Saturday was busy as well; the kids' school held their annual fall festival and I worked a good part of the morning there. The Boy's football game for the afternoon had been cancelled, which was good, because that left more time to prep for the Halloween festivities. The Girl went trick-or-treating (dressed as a devil) and The Boy stayed home and handed out candy. After we finished trick-or-treating, we went to the neighbor's house for a party.

Sunday morning, it was off to Sunday School, followed by a trip to the mall and a belated birthday luncheon for The Girl. My parents were in town for the weekend, so we had a late celebration.

As I said, a whole lot of busy and no break in the near future. Keeps us on our toes, though!

Happy Birthday to The Girl

Today is The Girl's birthday. She's 11. Oh. My. God. How in the hell did that happen? When did it happen?!

I'm blown away by the amazing person she has become. She annoys the holy hell out of me a lot of the time, but she's a great kid. She's smart, athletic, funny, and strong. She's very independent - a trait I'm not overly fond of most of the time, but will relish later. Much later.

Right now, she's emotional. It drives us crazy and pisses her off. When she gets into a tizzy about something, we can't help but laugh. That pisses her off even more. Then, I annoy her. On purpose. C'mon - don't even pretend you don't do it too! It's fun! The Husband is far nicer than I; he tries not to push her buttons. He's a good guy.

So far this year, the birthday has included lunch at the American Girl Place in New York City (along with a doll and a whole lot of clothes), a small Vera Bradley purse, and two "birthday dinners" with friends. There will still be cake and presents tonight, and another birthday outing next week with the grandparents.

Happy Birthday, Muffin! I love you.

Subtlety at its finest

Last night, I went out to dinner with a friend. It was nothing special...we went to a Chinese buffet. It used to be one of the better buffets in town, but has since gone downhill. Apparently, the new owners don't run it quite like the old ones did. The food is average, at best, and the prices are a bit higher.

The place must've noticed that their business is not quite what it once was and the servers notice it in tips. My proof? My bill.

I have never seen anything like this! Sorry for the fuzzy picture; it was not easy to take a picture of my receipt without looking like an idiot. The servers were eating at the next table!

I got a job!!

Remember that interview I had a few weeks ago? They called today and I received an official offer! I start Monday. I'm so excited!

Of course this means my blogging may be scarce for a bit while I get my bearings, but once I'm in the swing of things, I'll pick back up.

Punishment

Remember when I posted yesterday about the football game The Boy's team lost on Saturday? Apparently, the head coach thought the team could have and should have done better. He punished the crap out of the team at practice today.

It was pretty bad.

I will never understand some people.

Football recap

So...I mentioned that whirlwind of activity. I *think* it is slowing, but I can't be sure! Still, I hope it is.

We went on a quick vacation. I say quick because we had to fit the vacation between The Boy's football games, which occur every Saturday.

You'll notice that I have not written much about The Boy's football season. The biggest reason is because it does not compare with last season...or the year before, for that matter. This year, The Boy plays on the middle school team. Traditionally, middle school teams (at least around here) play 7th & 8th graders only. Since my kids go to a small school and a lot of the MS players moved up to high school this year, the school allowed the 6th grade boys to play. The team has about 10 or 11 6th graders...and there are only about 20 kids on the team! Some of these boys have never played organized tackle football before. Needless to say, they do not have a good record.

That being said, The Boy is having a great time. He is playing his heart out. Most of the time, he plays nearly the whole game.

Except this week.

This week, The Boy was punished. He missed practice all week and the coaches decided that was not acceptable. They benched him.

Normally, I'd have no problem with this; it is the coach's prerogative to play the players he chooses and to bench those he feels need to be benched. My problem is that the kids were out of school this week. We went out of town. Many people went out of town. That's what you do when you have a week off from school. Since we left the state and The Boy is not quite 12 years old, he was not able to stay home alone. We went to visit family; he is part of the family, so he came with us. Punishing him for that is a bit unreasonable.

Also, he was not the only boy who went out of town. I don't know if the others who missed practice were not played, as I don't know all the boys who were out of town. I do know that some of the boys who WERE here all week played no more than The Boy, which is odd. They lost the game 40something to nothing. The few plays The Boy played were great. He managed to tackle a boy at least twice his size and, in another play, was able to recover a loose ball.

The best part? He did not complain even ONCE about not playing. He knew it was a possibility and he handled it well. He stayed with the coach - by his side the entire game - but did not complain at all. In fact, we were almost to the car before he said one word about his not playing. I'm so proud of him.