A Baseball Weekend...

Nice that Boston was in first place for these shots, too. :-)

It's been a busy spring. Fun, but busy. This past weekend, the boys had soccer and baseball games as usual. After the baseball game, we invited both boys' baseball teams over to our house for a cookout. Our house is a convenient location, since the field is literally right in our back yard! Kevin and I had talked about doing something like that for years, and it was fun to get to the point of being able to do it. There were tons of kids - almost all boys - running through the house and around the yard. Football games and soccer and tag and... I kept the food coming, filling up the grill with burgers and dogs and slicing up watermelon. Once we were down to a handful of families, I got to take a breath and enjoy myself a bit more, relaxing and talking with friends, and watching the next little league game over the wall.  It was a good time, and it helped that it was a perfect June day - warm and sunny.

On Sunday, we headed to Fenway. Kevin bid on a set of Red Sox tickets at a charity auction, and it included a tour of the park and an opportunity to go onto the field before the game. So cool! The game was really fun, too. It was the first time that both boys were totally into the game the entire time, and we stayed until the very last out. It was great!

On our way home, we noted that the entire week was very full of baseball. Since it was a cool and rainy evening, we decided to cap it all off with a viewing of "Field of Dreams".  As I've said many, many times now:  it's a good thing I love baseball.  

Peeking inside the scoreboard. 

The view is nice from left field.

A Few Things...

Inside Out is wonderful. Have you seen it yet? I keep thinking about it. It's really more of an older kid and adult movie, although my kids enjoyed it. It's very thought-provoking and incredibly imaginative and wonderfully done. Please go see it.

Gun Control And The Need For It. Wonderful post and accompanying videos.

Working moms have more successful daughters and more caring sons.  I think perhaps it's more about having moms who are pursuing personal goals, whether they are making money or not. It's also about having parents who are true partners, both contributing to the home.

My cousin Krista wrote another great post for Huffington Post.  This one made me tear up a bit.

Another frustrating but important article about parenting.  "Affluent parenting can deprive a child of fundamental life skills."  I especially liked the end of the article, comparing our kids childhoods with our own, and thinking about the experiences that we had growing up that our children won't get to have. I will admit that it does make me sad sometimes. I don't want to be as poor as my family was growing up, but I do want to make sure that those same values that I was raised with - responsibility, frugality, empathy... - are passed on.

Interesting article about how optimistic people are always late.  I'm never late. It's probably my biggest pet peeve. I am also a pessimist, so I suppose that fits. I have many optimistic-and-always-running-late friends, though, including the one who shared this article. It's interesting to think about how their minds work.

Free personality test.  It's a quick, 10-minute test. I am a sucker for doing one of these every year or two. They always say the same thing, so I don't know why I'm compelled to take them. My personality is pretty set in stone at this point.  I'm an ISTJ, through and through. These descriptions of strengths and weaknesses are pretty spot on.

This is very random, but I'm thinking I'd like a pair of cute, casual shoes like these Vans.  I'm not sure if I'll think they are comfortable enough, though. What do you think?

Well, this is a not surprising find: Screen addition isn't good for children.  My oldest (Aaron) is 8 and a half, and he already has friends who have their own smart phones. So many of them have been playing Xbox for years, and they've had tablets since they were toddlers. And let's not even mention TV! Just the other day, Aaron made a comment about when he'll be "...in the 5th grade and I'll have a phone...".  I guess he heard that a few of his friends were getting phones then and assumed that he would as well. I had to correct him on that. We'll see how it goes, but I'm going to keep all the screens to a minimum for as long as possible. One day they'll thank me. Or not. I don't care.

I had such fun sharing the Women's World Cup experience with my boys. They love watching soccer, and I love that there is a women's sport that is so awesome to watch.  I think it's important that my boys get to see women being amazing in sports.  I loved this article containing reactions from the 1999 team on this year's World Cup win.

Thinking About...

The weather.  What a gorgeous Fall we have had.  This time of year is always amazing here in New England, but it has been especially brilliant.  Stunning colors, crisp air...  And I'm generally not one to lament the coming of winter, so the chilly mornings are okay by me.

Interior decorating.  I want to give my house that cozy and homey feeling.  The look that is beautiful but still shows that a family lives here.  When I walk into someone else's house that has that feeling, I immediately look around to try to figure out how they got it.  It's the details - books, plants, mementos from travels, art... But the trick is only displaying those things that have real meaning.  And waiting to collect those things takes patience.  Sigh.  

Family pictures.  It is ridiculously hard to get a decent picture of all four of us.  We are even generally pretty good about bringing our good camera with us, but still... Those family shots always seem to be impossible.  Last year, my cousin Erin took pictures for us, and I was so excited to see the results!  Nice pictures!  Where we're dressed, and Kevin's clean-shaven, and the boys aren't covered in mud or food or something.  Unfortunately, Erin lives in Chicago, so we had to find someone else this year, but we did, and with many bribes of lollipops, we all survived the shoot this past weekend.  Now I'm in waiting mode, and I can't wait to see the results!

photo by Cory Schwartz

Pearl Jam.  We saw them in concert last Friday night, and my heart is still smiling.  They really are something special.  After this many years and songs, they don't have an opening band.  It was just Pearl Jam, rocking hard for over three hours.  Eddie Vedder drank three bottles of wine and danced and swung across the stage, and his voice was still amazing.  I figure if these guys, who are all about ten years older than I am, can still rock that hard, then we're all doing alright.  

The Red Sox.  They are one win away from winning the World Series.  All the games are one so late, though, and I've been watching them all, staying up past midnight most nights.  It's fun, but I'm pooped!  Fingers crossed they win tomorrow night so I can get a decent night's sleep.  

Thanksgiving.  It's decided - Thanksgiving will be at our house this year.  So I'm in full menu-planning mode.  I need another green veggie, and I need to decide on desserts and appetizers.  Fun!

But before Thanksgiving...Halloween!  The costumes are ready to go, but we haven't carved our pumpkins yet!  I think that may have to happen today. 

Blogging and the internet.  I went through my blog reader again this week, removing the blogs that don't inspire me any more, or just aren't important to me.  No offense to those blogs, but there's only so much time!  And I've been better at limiting time on the other social media sites - twitter, facebook, instagram.  They're fun, but it's a balancing act to make sure I don't feel the pull to stay connected all day long.  

Water Time...

patiently waiting their turn

We had gorgeous weather at the lake.  Cool evenings, but warm and sunny days.  The boys were able to enjoy the water quite a bit, and we had one especially calm day when we spent the entire day playing with the boat.  It enabled me to get my annual waterski fix, and it even allowed the boys to get their first taste of skiing.  My uncle has an inflatable "easy-ski", and both boys hopped on and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, even remembering to wave to everyone watching from the dock.

skipping rocks is good too

man this felt good

like mother like son

the audience

Weekend Recap

Neighborhood farm at the start of the parade route

What a fun and happy weekend.  The weather was picture-perfect from start to finish, and we enjoyed every moment outside.  We kicked it off on Friday with pizza and brownies to celebrate Kevin's birthday.  He's now 38, which makes me feel a little better.  That month between our birthdays where he is two years younger irritates me just a bit.  

On Saturday morning, Aaron put on his new baseball uniform and walked in a parade with the rest of the town little league teams.  They walk right in our neighborhood and end at the fields next to our house, so it was very convenient.  It was also ridiculously cute, these little guys (and yes a few girls!) in matching outfits.  Tonight is their first game.  

Aaron attended a birthday party, and Nathan and I played at home while Kevin got started on the yard work.  That night, Kevin slept on the couch while I watched 'Lincoln'.  I knew that it was a long movie, so I expected it to feel rather slow in parts, but I was engaged the entire time and thought it went by very quickly.  The acting was tremendous, as expected, and I really enjoyed it.  

We went to the Red Sox game on Sunday, and the difference between last year and this year was striking.  The boys were much more interested in what was going on in the game, especially Aaron.  Nathan was still mostly interested in pizza and ice cream, but he had fun seeing Wally and did not complain.  Aaron asked lots of good questions, and we talked about the players, positions, and the rules during the game.  He was actually upset when we decided to leave before the last inning in order to beat the crowds.  Very cool and very fun.  

Ahhh....the fun part of Spring has arrived, and I am excited!

Let it Snow!

We are nowhere near as hard-core as Sara and family, but we are also very excited about hitting the slopes this Winter.  We have all our equipment, and we have season passes to a local little hill where we plan to spend some time each weekend.  I'm hoping to venture further north to a real mountain later in the season, once we get the little man comfortable.  Yay!  Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

A Few Links...

 

photo by Jamie at A Desert Fete

You're Not Special.  An awesome commencement speech given at a local high school.  You really must read this. 

Summer Guilt.  I feel exactly the same way.  I am so excited to be able to give my boys the gift of a fun and lazy August this year, and I'm looking forward to a long and hopefully sometimes boring summer of 2013. 

The Consequences of Caring.  I am fairly certain that very few of my blog readers will appreciate this one, but it's my blog and I love it.  Even if you don't have an appreciation for sports, perhaps you can appreciate the writing.  It's wonderful.

Audiobooks That'll Make The Family Road Trip Fly By.  My boys are too young for any of these selections, but this article reminded me of the long road trips we have planned this summer.  Purchasing a couple audiobooks is probably a good idea.  I am thinking Roald Dahl would make an excellent road companion.

Weekend Recap

Now this weekend truly felt like a long one.  Gorgeous warm and sunny days filled with playing and laughing and getting things done.  Here are a few highlights:

*Saturday was mostly a day for running errands, but we also sat outside in the sunshine and ate pizza for lunch.  There's also something very satisfying about getting tasks accomplished too, isn't there?  Even if it's just hair cuts and grocery shopping and returning books to the library. 
*Sunday was a day for playing.  We spent the morning at home, riding scooters and running around the yard.  We spent the afternoon at a park in Boston, visiting with good friends we very rarely get to see.  It is always a fun outing to get into the city, and we decided to extend it a bit by going out to dinner afterwards. 
*Monday - a bonus day!  Here in Massachusetts, we celebrate Patriot's Day.  Schools and banks are closed, and although my husband and I typically have to work on this day, we decided to take it this year.  Patriot's Day is also the day of the Boston Marathon, and the Red Sox play an early game, starting at 11AM.  We took the boys to their first game at Fenway Park (100 years old this year!).  We had planned to go watch some of the marathon after the game, hoping to see my friend Sara.  It was a very close game, though, and we stayed until the end.  By the time we were leaving the park, Sara had already finished! 
*The boys had a lot of fun at the baseball game, and the highlight for them was getting ice cream with sprinkles served in a little baseball helmet.
*After the game, we came home and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.  It was so warm that the boys wanted to run through the sprinkler!  A little taste of summer in April.  I'll take it!

Wow - That was an awesome weekend! 

Weekend Recap and a Guest Post

It was our first weekend after the holidays, and it felt a bit quiet.  This is not a bad thing.  Time to catch up, clean, run errands, and plan.  We went to the library, watched movies, played games.  My husband and I also opened up the calendar and spent some time talking through the year's events.  There is a lot going on! 

Sunday was a rather big day - I took my five-year-old to his first day of skiing!  I am so incredibly happy to report that it was a success.  We had a great day together, and his enthusiasm and determination really shone through.  I am looking forward to many more days and weekends spent on the slopes.  In fact, I never thought I'd say this, but I now find myself praying for snow! 

Also, I wrote a guest post over at Lou, Boos and Shoes, so go check it out!  Lou asked several of her blogging friends to contribute to her blog this month, in celebration of her blog's 2nd anniversary.  The theme is "a day in the life".  I describe a typical day of mine, although it must be said that with two little kids and a busy job, my days very often veer outside the "typical"!

Happy Monday!

Go Heels!

Obviously I was watching the game and rooting for my Heels, but I couldn't help watching the sky as well.  What an absolutely stunning backdrop for a basketball game.  Even President Obama enjoyed it.  I did too, especially since Carolina won!

Date Night, the Extended Version

Saturday night's date night was made possible by my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  They graciously agreed to come spend the night with the boys so that Kev and I could head into Boston on our own.  THANK YOU!

Since we used points for our hotel room (the inspiration for this little outing), we splurged on the fun.  We started with an afternoon at Fenway Park, enjoying great seats at an awesome game that the Red Sox won in the bottom of the ninth inning.  When I woke up the next morning with a sore throat, it took me a minute to realize that I wasn't getting sick....I had just yelled too much at the game.  I am a big baseball fan, so for me, there's not much better than spending a glorious summer day at Fenway. 

Oh, and let's mention the weather for a moment.  When I say glorious, I mean glorious.  Upper 70s, sunny, and fabulous.  Warm in the sun, cool in the shade.  Perfect.

After the game, we enjoyed a nice walk through the city back to our hotel.  We went to a late dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - definitely a special-occasion kind of place.  This is the kind of restaurant with professional waiters and bartenders who are incredibly knowledgeable and seem to really enjoy what they do.  The food was spectacular, and the wine complemented it perfectly.  (Both Kevin and I now admit that we do not go to nice restaurants enough, because neither of us had anything to wear.  I think a shopping trip may be in order.)

The next morning, I still woke up at 6:20AM.  Will my body relearn how to sleep later once my children do?  Despite the early wakeup, I had the luxury of relaxing and getting up when I was ready.  We went to breakfast and headed home, where we found two gorgeous boys who had a blast hanging out with their grandma and aunt.  Winners all around!  We will definitely do that again.

Viva Espana!

No, I'm not blogging today.  I'm still on vacation.  I will, however, be watching the World Cup Final and screaming for Spain.  Win or lose, they've had an awesome and historic tournament, and it's been exciting to watch.  I hope they really make history by winning their first World Cup title.  Then there would be more cute Spaniards jumping all over each other on the field in South Africa as well as dancing in the streets of Spain. 

*images from msnbc.com

Are You Ready for Some Football?

*All images from here

Soccer, to us Americans of course.  Like most Americans, I don't watch a lot of soccer, but I very much enjoy watching the World Cup.  Similar to the Olympics and the Tour de France, the international competition is intoxicating.  I will of course root for the USA, although we're not a powerhouse.  I will cheer for South Africa, although they are not very good and may not even make it through the opening round.  How cool is it that the games are in Africa, though?  Love it.  Mostly, though, I'll be rooting for Spain, in honor of my Spanish brother-in-law.  The very cute Spaniards running around in little shorts are just a bonus.  They are very good and actually have a chance of winning the whole thing.

Will you watch?  Who will you root for?

Update:  In case you needed another reason to watch.....read (view) this:

See You in Sochi

Well, the 2010 Olympics are over. What was your favorite part? I love the Olympics, and although I watched the prime-time coverage most nights, I still feel like I missed so much. I didn't even get to watch curling! (You laugh, but I really do find it fascinating.) I did see a lot, though, and it's hard to pick a favorite moment.

I was so excited to see Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn win their medals, and I was equally bummed to watch their struggles in the later races and the media coverage of their lack of friendship. (They're teammates and competitors - who says they have to love each other? They respect each other, and that should be enough.) I loved watching the snowboard competitions. It's hard to believe, but I remember when the Olympics didn't even include snowboarding. It's infinitely more fun now. Shaun White is incredible. Torah Bright is so cute, and I loved that everyone seemed genuinely excited for her, even her competitors. How the heck did Seth Wescott win that race? My jaw dropped watching him. Kim Yu-Na was elegant and beautiful, and I was entranced by her skating. She reminded me a little of Michelle Kwan, who I also really liked watching. Joannnie Rochette made me cry. I am so sad and so happy for her at the same time. Rachael Flatt was so excited to be there, and she did an amazing job. What was the name of that ski cross guy? From Colorado? I don't even remember his name, because he didn't win, but I loved rooting for him anyway. He went for it at the end and fell on the final jump, resulting in a fourth place finish. But I love that he went all out. I like watching Apolo Ohno and the speed skating events, but I really loved rooting for J.R. Celski - I love watching the young ones, especially those who seem so excited just to be there, representing their country and their sport. Of course there were lots and lots of other great sports - I even enjoy watching the cross-country skiing and ski cross and ski jumping. Aerials is stunning.

I was bummed to miss most of the men's hockey final - I watched some of the overtime period. What a classic. Of course I was rooting for USA, but I was secretly really pleased that Canada won. What a fabulous way to end their Winter Games.

With tons of classic moments, I think Hannah Kearney's Gold medal in the moguls was my favorite. I was off my chair for that one.

Which event had you screaming at the TV?

*Images from NY Times

I Love the Olympics

I love the Olympics. It is so much fun to watch, starting with the parade of athletes during the opening ceremonies. I'll be having fun watching over the next couple weeks. I love the interviews with the snowboarders, who are always totally relaxed and having a blast. I enjoy figure skating. The luge is exciting and scary. The downhill skiing is amazingly fast. The ski jumping is so awesome. Curling kinda cracks me up. And the list goes on.

I hope you enjoy it too! Go team USA!

Images via boston.com

WOOHOOOO!!!!

Go Heels!

*Image from www.espn.com

The National Championship game is tonight. I have to say, the only time I hate living on the East coast is during live national sporting events. A 9:30(ish) start time means I will be extremely tired tomorrow. But if we win, it will be worth it. Go Heels!

Opening Day!

GO SOX!!

Go Tar Heels!

*Image from www.espn.com

I love March Madness. Especially when my Heels win. They are winning this year, and I'm having a lot of fun watching them do it. Looking forward to next weekend's Final Four! Go Heels!

When is UNC's First Game?

Okay, fine. Baseball season is over. When does college basketball start? First game is Nov 15th. I can survive until then.