friday 5

It's Friday.  My sister Jen is coming in to town tonight so I'm happy.  I don't think we've hung out since summer, and I hate when too much time goes by.  It's so hard when school starts, because we have to work around all of our kid's commitments.  And they sure seem to have a lot of commitments. Damn kids.

Nah.  I love my kid's commitments.  I love going to watch Alex play soccer, which is the biggest time suck for me in the fall.  In fact, Jen is coming to see some soccer games this weekend.  It's homecoming weekend in our town, at my old school.  There are all sorts of games going on, football, soccer and field hockey, maybe volleyball.  One thing that I'm looking forward to though is watching the alumni games.  My husband is playing soccer along with my BIL Tbone, who also grew up here, and my sister Ali is playing field hockey.  It's going to be funny to see all of the old graduates playing.  Ali just turned 40, it'll be pretty funny to see her with a field hockey stick again.  Running.  With the stick.  My husband plays soccer fairly regularly, so even though that will be fun to watch, it probably won't be as funny as Ali's game.

Yeah, I know I am making fun of the old players, and of course I'm not actually playing myself.  Yes, well, that's because I am as uncoordinated today as I was back then.  If I got out there and attempted to play soccer or field hockey, someone would get hurt.  And that someone would be me.  I suck at sports and I always have.  I never played any sports in high school.  I'm really good at watching though!  I'm great at cheering them all on from the sidelines!  WooHOO!

Well, I guess time's up!  Happy long weekend to you.

OBX Vacation

Year twelve of vacationing on the Outer Banks with my sisters, their families and my parents, and we spent the last two weeks just hanging and relaxing - all 22 of us.  I wasn't ready to come home.

Family Vacation, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways:


1. The long and predictable drive, complete with a crammed van of sleepy kids, and all of the typical jokes, comments and profanities made with each other on the walkie-talkies.

 2. Family soccer

3. The pool, the pool tunes, misc floating in the pool, the water aerobics classes held by Mom, the races and the underwater breath holding contests, lots and lots of reading in the pool

*please note the girlish Mich Light Lime Cactus that T-bone is trying to conceal in his tube

4. BINGO poolside, for cold hard cash



A few games of twilight bingo too



5. The beach, boogie boarding, sand castles, shells and relaxing 

The "BAYWATCH Life Guard Challenge," that T-Bone shockingly won. I put my $ on John. 

Bren the Gymnast

Getting chased by the waves

Ty and Bren - serious boogie boarding

John flexing while getting ready to hit the waves

Kar and Brookie building a castle

 6. Boot camp by John and KK (not for sissies)

7.  Morning walks and coffee on the deck

This is only part of the crew.  John & KK were kite surfing.

8. Reading, reading and more reading

Alex's foul reading material.

Jen re-reading Dexter.  And snoring in the pool.  Interesting.

9. Heated games of Scrabble, Yahtzee, Boggle and Bananagrams



Indi cheating


10. Family, cousins...

Fronk made it in the pack??

snow... snow... snow...

a cranky little rant

Does everyone else's...

... husband leave their dirty man socks on the living room floor, EVERY night?

... twelve-year-old dumbell kid walk to school without a winter coat on, when it's snowing/sleeting because carrying a coat (once one gets to school) is too much of a pain?

... daughter think her bed is made just because the blankets and pillows are no longer on the floor?

... family walk past a random goldfish cracker smack in the middle of the floor all day long, til someone finally steps on said cracker, grinding it into the rug and making it that much harder for Mom to eventually clean up?

... 4-year-old think that her older sister was born to be her playmate, every waking hour of every single day?

... twelve-year-old "forget" their lunch when their Mom has "gently reminded" them not to forget it (twice), then calls and asks Mom to bring it to school because they are SO HUNGRY they may be forced to eat their best friend's arm?

... children think that the "laundry fairy" is at their beck and call?

... son think it is OK to leave his wet towels on his bedroom carpet on a daily basis?

... kids think it's your job to provide a carnival-like atmosphere on a given day when everyone is "sooooo bored"?

... kids believe they need a friend over every single day?

... four-year-old get annoyed when you ask her to shove over, when she's in YOUR bed?




... son badger you till you feel like smacking him good?

... college-age daughter "forget" to clean up her big, fat messy room when she'll be away (at college) for the next six weeks?



... four-year-old need what seems like A LOT of exceptional entertainment?



... kid start whining and crying over every little thing, when they used to be so easygoing and mild?

some of my favorites... in no particular order

deep bathtubs

cuppies

piano music

my boys

tulips

yummy low cal snacks

rosemary, dill and sea salt.

my girlies

diet dr.

peanut butter cups and peppermint patties

books