My father

My parents aren't old. They are merely in their 50's. And, hey, since I turned 30...well, 50 ain't old anymore.

So my mom forced my dad to go to the doctor and do all kinds of tests that you need to do when you're 50. He did blood work, stress test, ultrasound of his legs (because his feet are always cold), etc. Every single test came back ok except the cholesterol test. And he has high blood pressure. But we knew both of those already. Basically, the doc told him that he's just fat and needed to lose some weight and both of things would go away.

BUT, he also had to do an MRI on his neck. About 3 months ago he jerked his neck pretty badly doing something and shortly after that has had this mass in his neck where he jerked it. Well, while he was at the doc the doc made him do an MRI to figure out what it was. We found out the results of the MRI yesterday...it's a swollen gland. But we don't know WHY it's swollen. And it just so happens that it is the exact same spot that he had melanoma a few years ago. So he is doing the biopsy today to see what it is. Hopefully it's just an infection, or a blood blister, or something silly like that. Hopefully it's not cancer. We're praying that it's not cancer. We'll find out in a couple hours exactly what it is.

100-0

I'm conflicted. One of yahoo's top news stories right now is about the Dallas coach that ran up the score of a basketball game to 100-0 a week or so ago. I heard the story the day in passing after it happened and thought he was probably a jerk. But then I read the Yahoo news story. And now I'm conflicted.

According to the news story, the girls were shooting 3-pointers in the 4th quarter. And while that may sound horrible to some, 3-pointers are the hardest shots to make. They weren't doing layups (the easy shots) but going for the hard ones. Some of the comments on the news story suggested that the coach should have told the girls to play opposite handed, or miss shots on purpose. That's what I disagree with.

I come from an athletic background, and my kids are involved in all sorts of sports. Never, ever, not one time would I EVER tell my kids to be less than they can be because someone else wasn't as good as they were. Ever. And I guess that's where I can somewhat see the coach's point of view. I applaud him for not making his girls "less" because their opponents weren't very good. And basketball is a different sport than say baseball or football. With baseball you can change positions up drastically and put kids in unfamiliar spots. Same thing with almost with football...although you obviously wouldn't put a 90 pound kid on the offensive line. But in football you could run the ball more. Whereas in basketball, you're kind of stuck. All positions participate in all plays and you have to know what one kid is doing in order to know what you are doing. So everyone on the court knows the basic fundamentals of each position. Especially if you are a good team.

So after the 100-0 game, the school issued an apology and said that they were a Christian school and the coach shouldn't have done it. The coach emailed the paper shortly thereafter and told them that he would not apologize because his girls had success, and he would never intentionally run up the score. He did what he could to keep the score down while at the same time not compromise the girls' abilities. Therefore, he feels that he has nothing to apologize for. And I agree with that position.

I can see the argument more if you are playing recreational sports. But when you are in a competitive league, and high school and college and beyond are definitely considered competitive, then it's a whole different ball game.

In any other aspect of life, I would never tell or allow my kids to be less than their potential. For me, this same rule applies to sports. You may not always win, but you always play to the best of your ability.

Cheap Bats

Lo and behold, Brendan "NEEDS" a new bat. Again. Although I just bought him one about 8 months ago. Why? Because that was a 2008 bat and he NEEDS a 2009 bat. And, and I 'd never tell him this outloud, he really has outgrown the bat from last year since he grew another 3 or 4 inches since I bought it. And short bats, on tall kids, they really don't work.

So I found this website. www.cheapbats.com. Bats are not cheap. Not the 2009 versions anyway. Wait. No. Not the NAME BRAND 2009 versions. More particularly, not THIS 2009 version: http://www.cheapbats.com/shop/2009-demarini-cf3-baseball-bat-youth-league-dxcfl-11oz-p-1064-c-99_100.html

But MOM, it's "ON SALE" for ONLY $249!

So I made a deal with him. If he could sell his $249 bat that I bought him 8 months ago for at least $125 to one of the smaller kids on the team then I would buy him the new bat....with the help of doing dishes, and laundry, and his homework.

We'll see how that goes.

Inauguration, New President, etc. etc.

I've tried to avoid it but I can't. Every news channel, every radio station, every newspaper, every office conversation, every everything is centered around one thing: Our new President is African-American. If I hear the word African-American one more time I'm going to pull my hair out.

I don't think I'm racist. Yes, I'm prejudiced against certain people and certain things, but it has nothing to do with skin color. Hell, some of my own family members fall into that category :)

I think the country as a whole would be more accepting of Obama as President (not that they aren't, just it seems that some people can't get past his skin color) if the doggone media would just STOP referring to him as "African-American." What about his thoughts on foreign policy, or his thoughts of the economy? We don't hear about that much, but he's AFRICAN-AMERICAN and that's all that matters and all we keep being reminded about. I call bullshit on that. I don't care about skin color, so quit throwing that in our faces and tell me what his first plans are.

I think he tries to get past it alot, he mentions it and then follows with a comment about things he wants to do...but interviewers keep going back and want to harp on his ancestry. And seeing black people on TV talking about how much of a change it's going to be for THEM now that there is a colored man in office just kinda makes me throw up a little. Really? You thought that you had it SO BAD before and all of sudden, just because he's black, you're going to get everything you ever wanted? Trust me when I say I'm not hatin' on the Prez, because I'm not. I just wish we as a country could get past the fact that he's black, or mixed, or whatever, and focus on what he is going to DO.

Yes, it's history making. I get that. But you know what? You aren't going to change some people's mind. And that's true about almost everything. But forcing it down our throats is getting to be a bit much for me.

My Schedule

I'm creating the post because I'm TERRIBLE with keeping up a calendar so I need something to refer to when I make commitments. Plus, I need people to know that I'm not exaggerating when I say that all I do at home is sleep :)

M-F: work 7:30 - 4:00...leave home at 6:30 and get home around 5:00

Monday -
Bren baseball practice 6 - 8 pm

Tuesday -
Bren religion, 5:30 - 6:30 (last class is Feb. 17)

Wednesday -
Des religion, 5:30 - 6:30 (last class is Feb. 18);
Bren practice 6-8

Thursday -
Open

Friday -
Bren pitching practice 6-8 pm

Saturday -
Bren practice 9 am - 1 pm

Desi and Nic will start practicing in April and playing ball in May. I have no control over Nicolas' schedule, but by taking the U10 league rep position, I have complete control over Desi's schedule since I'm the one that will make them for all the teams. Although I don't think I can avoid all conflicts, I am going to try my best!

Stupid is as Stupid does

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Cannot say "no" and live my life in ignorant bliss. Stupid.

I was approached to be the U-10 softball league rep for AYSA at a coach's meeting the other night. It's bad enough that I was considering coaching, but I figure I'm the only one who can handle my daughter and since I'm not afraid to bench her or make her run laps, I'm up for it. So I run the 10 and under age group now? Ok. More suckage of valuable free time.

Keith and I are both on the Board for football. We started hard and heavy with that last week. We took a break from it last year to enjoy Brendan's last year with the league, and turned it over with over $13K in the bank. Last year's Board managed to spend all of that, plus an additional $40K, and when we jumped back into it this year we are starting with about $200. Lots of work to do there.

Then we got a call last night and Brendan made the Braves tourney baseball team again. Which means practice 3 days a week and tournaments every weekend starting in March.

Please God let me find the time to honor all of these commitments, maintain my full time paying job, take care of my crippled husband and make sure the electricity and water bill is paid. Amen.

The Grocery Game

A friend of mine turned me on to this website a couple of weeks ago and it has been AWESOME. www.thegrocerygame.com

It's hard to explain in words how it works, but basically you sign up for the store closest to you (either Winn Dixie or Albertson's in our area in most cases) and you get an email list every week. You start off with Sunday's paper and clip coupons. Then you sign in to the website and get the list of prices on items at your local store. It's color coded also. For instance, blue prices mean it's rock bottom and stock up on this item. Green items mean you can get them for FREE if you have your coupons. It somehow works. I went to the store a couple of weeks ago, spent $75.00 and my cabinet and freezer is full.

Of course, it is a "pay for" website. $1 for 4 week trial period, then $10 per 8 weeks after that. Well worth it to me. What I figured doing is getting my Winn Dixie list, going through and marking all the items I need and getting those. Then getting my other items at my normal grocery store or Walmart. I believe this is going to be a good thing. You should check it out!

Oh, and if you do decide to check it out, when it asks for the reference of the person that sent you there, you can put in my email address: kscoleman2@cox.net

Cousins

Keith and I were talking last night about the size of my family. My immediate family is quite small. My dad, my mom, my brother, my sister, me, my husband, my 3 kids and my grandmother. Those are the people that I consider my immediate family. Family gatherings are fun and focused 100% on my kids...it's all about making sure they have fun.

However, my extended family is quite large. There are 31 first cousins (1 is deceased and 1 will be born in May, 3 are not blood and therefore have not been with us since birth, but they are accepted just the same). I know every single one of them by name and can mostly tell you the order they were born. There was a baby boom and I think 4 or 5 of them were born within months of each other and I sometimes get those confused, but I'm pretty close. Me and my first cousins are now having kids. So, that makes those kids my 2nd cousins. And those kids and my kids would be 3rd cousins. That's how it works right? I am close, and my kids will be close, to those 2nd and 3rd cousins. Did I mention that this extended family is all on my mom's side of the family? I have no 1st cousins on my dad's side as me and my siblings were the only kids born on that side (which leads to extra spoiled great-grandkids).

So, let me briefly describe Christmas' with my extended family. My mom has 10 brothers and sisters. All are married. So that is 22 adults right there. Then there are the previously mentioned 31 first cousins (minus 2). 6 of us are married, and 2 have their almost husband's attend. Keeping up yet? That makes 59 people right there. Add the third generation of kids and that is 9 more people. 68 people. And counting. Our generation is still having kids and many aren't even married yet.

So right at this moment I have 68 people in my extended family. I know them all, I love them all, and while closer to some that others, I feel close to each and every one of them. I love my extended family. I love getting together with my extended family. I love being a "grown up" and being able to sit back and laugh at the simplemindedness of some of my aunts and uncles.

But most of all? Most of all I love the fact that my kids are going to grow up with this 68 and counting extended family and love and be loved by each and every one of them. I love that they are going to be close to their THIRD COUSINS, and possibly their fourth and fifths. I can't even name some of my third cousins. I'm not close to them, and the ones that I am close to number many already.

I don't always tolerate my extended family. I don't always agree with them either. But I love them. And I know them. And I'm glad that the closeness of family and a strong family unit is something that my kids will know. I can't imagine a Christmas Eve without 68 (and counting) people crammed into a 20 x 20 living room opening presents, running around, and being loud.

**edited to add the 1st cousin that is a cousin by marriage, but in our family, it doesn't matter. she's just like a blood cousin**
**edited again because there were 2 cousins by marriage that I forgot about, plus I didn't include my parents in the brother/sister adult count. math is not my forte :)**

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

2008 Recap:

1. Destiny broken arm (2 trips to ER, 3 to ortho)
2. Brendan bruised elbow
3. Keith broken leg, bed rest for 4 months, surgery, huge deductible paid WITH TWO WEEKS LEFT IN THE YEAR.

Hopefully, 2009 brings us better luck in the whole broken bones department. Regardless, I've realized that the high deductible health plan is not in our best interest for 2009. So I switched us back to the PPO plan. At the end of this year I will do a cost comparison to see which plan is actually better.

Also, some goals for 2009:

1. More patience with my kids
2. More time spent doing family activities that do not revolve around sports
3. TAKE A REAL VACATION!
4. Drink more water, eat less McDonald's
5. Play with Wii Fit at least 30 minutes per day and at least 3 times a week
6. Save more, spend less. More specifically, put aside at least $20/check out of both Keith and I's checks...when he goes back to work.
7. Cook more, eat out less. More specifically, plan weekly meals and cook accordingly. I'm often caught in the trap of getting home late from work, tired, aggravated from traffic, and don't feel like cooking. So we eat out.
8. Plan more one on one time with each child
9. Devote more time to myself, even if it means going in the bathroom and locking the door for 15 minutes everyday.

I'm thinking these are more goals, and not necessarily resolutions. These are things that I should strive to be better at for more than just this year.