My Summertime Companion

I don't leave home without it.

If you are a baseball mom—or soccer, lacrosse, or you name the sport—you may already be acquainted with the power of the rolling cooler. But this post is my homage to what has become one of my most useful, and therefor valuable, possessions. This model, purchased at Stop & Shop for about $30, is my favorite because it has a hard plastic interior and is easy to clean. The styles that have a soft, vinyl inside always get smelly and moldy after one season. This is my third summer hauling this puppy around and she's still growing strong!

Below is my masterlist of items to include in your cooler; I promise it will increase your popularity!

• food and water are the no brainers, but here are some specifics. The beverages should back on the bottom, with loose ice. All sandwiches should be packed in plastic containers, not baggies to avoid the soggy factor. Recycled chinese food containers fit in this cooler perfectly!
• the top, zippered compartment fits lots of snacks easily; just don't then put heavy things on top or instead of having chips, you'll have bits of chips.
• other essentials: sunscreen, bug spray, purelle, wet ones, napkins, plasticware, salt.
• individual gatorade powder packets
• sewing kit (I have used mine to fix a button that popped off a uniform; and not once, but twice, have used the needles to extract sunflower seed shells that got stuck too far up in a ball player's gum (ouch!) because dental floss wasn't working. And yes, the needles were sterilized in between times!
• a stack of paper napkins; twice in one weekend these were used to solve bloody nose crises.
• wash cloths serve myriad purposes; the most important for my family is when the ice in the cooler starts to melt, you have an instant sweat relief rag during really hot summer games.
• bottle opener/cork screw: more valuable for the beach or post game activities.

And best of all, whenever I head out with my partner in tow, I hear the old Bud Lite commercial theme song in my head...except I change "Mr." to "Mrs."

Running Mishap

As I shared in a previous post, I am in the midst of the Couch to 5K program. In fact, as of this post, I am about to complete week 6, 2/3rds of the way through. As with most new endeavors, the process has had its highs and lows. Today I share one of the more absurd moments.

We were a few days into the April vacation and my rambunctious 13-yr-old and his best buddy were restless. My husband, Paul, and I were about to head to the track at our local high school. I suggested the boys grab a football and come with us. Like two oversized and goofy puppies, these man-sized boys bounded to the car. As Paul and I begin our run, the boys head into the center of the track and occupy themselves for the next 30 mins leaping into mid air trying to catch the football at the apex of their jump and then flop on the pole vaulters' mattress.

And then it all went awry.
Very soon into my run, my right bra strap slid off my shoulder. As soon as I pulled it back up, the left strap slid down my left arm and rested in the crease of my left elbow. I put my iPod in my other hand and arighted my left strap. Immediately, the right one goes down again. This unbelievably frustrating process continued for at least a lap and a half of the track. By now, I am so frustrated I am gritting my teeth. Then, a great song came on my ipod and transported me away from the physical rigors of running. Does that happen to you where your brain leaves your body? Well, when my attention returned to the moment, both bra straps we resting comfortable in the crooks of my elbows and my bra was around my waist! I think what drew my attention back to reality was the fact that the drooped bra straps we restricting my natural running motion.

So, with my son and his buddy right there, my solution was to just remove the bra and keep running. I know; I'm a classy girl.

Today's lesson: Foundation garments are important...even in sports.

Funny Story

Just as I am about to serve dinner, my children come bursting into the kitchen and say that they want to go to do parkour, their latest hobby and a fantastic workout, at the local middle school with their buddies who live next door. It is completely irrelevant to them that I have worked for the last hour and a half to make home made turkey/lentil/barley soup, corn bread and salad. They just want to go play. And while I could have said no, I had said no the previous two nights and after all it is Friday.

As I watched them pull away I was venting my frustrations to my hubby Paul, saying things like, "This has to stop. Why don't they (a 13 and 10 year old) understand my feelings?" And many other equally absurd things. The very last thing I said to Paul was, "You know what Paulie? I think I might finally be developing a temper." Heretofore I have been known for having a very long fuse. Anywhooooo....

I decide to turn the corner on my evening by opening a bottle of merlot. I reach down to the wine rack and grabbed a bottle. Now it is time to look closely at the image I posted with this blog. It is the label for the wine I chose. Are you noticing the name?

There is a bitter irony here. Cosmic forces at work? Yes, I think so.

Sidenote: It was quite tasty. Spicy and zippy without having a bite. Paul and I both liked it very much. And it retails for only $10 a bottle. Plus, the vintner is a chic...so I say, "You go girl."

Captain Destruction

Hi my name is Brutus. I am a Halloween baby. Right now, I am just over 9 months old. I was adopted by my family one week before Christmas and in addition to offering an abundance of kisses and cuddles, I have reigned a daily dose of destruction down on my home.

Here's the list of items I have destroyed so far:
• I chewed the linoleum in the kitchen off the floor in large sheets...so much so that we now have a new kitchen floor (you can see the beginning of the wreckage in the top right photo). Secretly, I think my mom is happy.
• I gnawed on the hose that connects the toilet to the plumbing coming out of the wall. Mom was having a party. I heard her say to dad, "Is something running?" When she came in the bathroom and saw water spraying from the hose all over the walls she wasn't very happy.
• I have worked steadily on all four corners of the wooden step stool my mom has had since she was a kid. I think it looks very rustic now.
• I also enjoy the feel of the wicker laundry basket between my teeth (I am sitting atop it, above middle). Whenever mom takes the lid off, I am pretty sure she is handing it to me to consume.
• Whenever I am not in my crate, I like to chew on that too...all aspects of it actually: the clips, the sides of the opening (it's all good).
• The toilet plunger was also quite yummy. I shredded that baby!
• My latest project is peeling the wallpaper off the walls in the downstairs bathroom. Not only does it taste good and provide some fun for me, but also I think it is time for a change in that room.

Pet Peeves

We all have them. I have decided to collect mine and share them. I am not sure if this is some sort of confession, a plea to the rest of the world to adapt to my point of view, or simply cathartic. Here goes...

1. When "ya know" routinely gets inserted into random spots in a sentence.
2. Bickering during backyard sports.
3. When the paper towel dispenser in public bathrooms is hung directly over the trash can.
4. Being interrupted.
5. Being made to be late because of someone else's poor planning.
6. Going to a drive through and then, because the service is too slow, being asked to go park and the server will walk the food out to you. If I had the time to park, I would have done that in the first place, right?
7. Whining. Enough said.
8. Pants that are too tight. Can you say muffin top?
9. Being asked what I want to give or receive for Christmas, birthdays, etc. In my view, getting or giving a gift is being observant and sneaky enough to both discern what others would truly enjoy and drop enough creative hints to be the recipient of treasures I adore. If I fail on either side of the equation, well...that's on me.
10. When a dog's waste isn't picked up by the animal's owner in public places (parks, sidewalks, etc.).
11. Poor communication that leads to misunderstanding...it's so avoidable.
12. The norm that says wearing sneakers with dresses/skirts to take a walk while at work is OK. In my book, it is never OK.
13. Men/boys who pee on the seat. I don't care if you have the aim of a self-guided missile, there is always spray. C'mon now...lift the seat!
14. When children are sent out in public with fevers, sore throats, etc. It is one thing if an adult chooses to do that, but making that choice for a child irks me to no end.

Feel free to comment and add a few of yours. I am quite sure I will have a part two to this post at some point, so don't feel bad if your list is longer than mine!

Photo from Blog Goggles, thank you!

Interesting Tidbit

Oh, and I do mean tidbit. Couldn't be a smaller morsel of info if I tried. But alas, it is all I can muster because I am so sleep deprived that I am losing my grasp on reality. Yesterday morning, I pulled out of my driveway to head off to work and an empty gallon-sized milk jug had blown out of someone's recycling bin onto my lawn. My immediate thought was to want to shoot someone. No lie. This is how I get when I have had waaaaaay too little sleep. Paul and the boys duck and cover.

Anywhoooo, back to my tidbit. The black and white photo of dancers' feet at the left belongs to me and my boys. Thought you'd like to know. Hayden's ridiculously high arches are at the left, Turner's darker-skinned, long, slender calves are in the middle, and that's me on the right.