Lasting Impressions

I was just outside pitching baseballs to my son.  What fun to see his face light up when he hit the baseball.  Nothing says spring is coming like sunshine, blue sky, and a boy with a bat!
Memories of my own softball playing days came crowding in as I watched my sons enjoyment.  Most good, but not all of them.  One in particular stood out.
I never actually played t-ball, but I did go to a practice...once.  The coach lined me all up, put the helmet on my head, handed me a bat, and put the ball on the tee.  Then he stepped back and I took that as my sign to swing.  What I didn't see was a younger kid (mind you I was all of 6 at the time) behind me.  CRACK!! Yep, you guessed it.  My enthusiastic swing caught the poor child right in the head.  Even now, many, many years later I feel the remorse well up inside of me...and also the feeling of being blamed and punished for something that I never intended to happen.  The coach read me the riot act (as a parent I logically understand why, but as a child all I heard was "You horrible, awful kid look what you did!!") and sent me home.  I never darkened the t-ball field again.
So all you parents and coaches out there.  Be careful not to react in such a way as to send a child away from a sport to never return.

Busy Bee Day

I am not sure what happened to spring sunshine. I think April forgot to end so that May flowers could bloom. Here we are on the 18th of June and I have little hope that the corn in our garden will be knee high by the fourth of July. I sure hope September and October are extra nice to make up for this wet, cloudy spring.


In other news I had three extra kids added to the household for the day. My niece Bridget, nephew Seth, and my friends little girl Bailey. All in all I find having friends over can be easier than not having them. Other than general supervision and guidance, oh yeah and feeding them, they entertained themselves pretty well. A few squabbles here and there, but nothing serious. However, it amazes me that adding even one more kid can increase the dishes by so very much, but adding three has pretty much emptied my cupboard bare. I have done dishes no less than 5 times today. Amazing. Had a light bulb turn on after supper...I made the kids clear the table, rinse the dishes, and put them in the dishwasher. Revolutionary I tell ya! I guess I can't totally blame the kids for all the dishes. I made home made mac and cheese for lunch, and homemade chicken enchilada's for supper, and am about to finish making two chocolate cream pies.


David and I spent last Saturday cleaning up the downstairs of our house. I think 80% of that was toys. We have reduced the toys downstairs by probably 90% and it looks so nice, and the kids are actually playing with what is there instead of just stirring them into even greater chaos. It will be one week tomorrow that I have managed to keep the downstairs of my house cleaned. I amaze even myself sometimes.


The kids enjoying the pool...so what if it doesn't have any water in it :)

Muddler Meg

So I'm sitting at my computer with my youngest daughter (2 next Tuesday!) laying on the floor playing beside me, when seemingly out of nowhere two icy little feet land on my leg. This means that she has managed to shove her feet up the leg of my pants and plant them there. Apparently she agrees that she is cold as she has now gone and grabbed her mittens to put on.

My littlest muddler has lost her mittens, deserted the book in the picture, stashed her tights who knows where, smeared apple sauce and fruit juice all over my table...I could go on, but to give her credit she has also washed her own hands and put her shoes in the proper place. I'll take the little steps towards de-muddling my house. Besides which how boring would it be if a house full of children showed no evidence that children actually lived there?!