The Very Important Question

Shhh...don't tell the boys, but I've heard that Santa is bringing one of the popular music games for the Wii this year, but doesn't know which one to buy. So the very important question is: Guitar Hero 5, Rock Band 2, or Band Hero????? Keep in mind the boys are 14, 8, and 6. Some of the song lyrics on GH5 and RB2 are definitely not young kid appropriate, even with curse words bleeped out or omitted. The song choices on BH are more to the boys taste in music (whereas I would prefer GH5 or RB2, but Santa's not shopping for me), and seem overall more suited for younger kids. But BH is quite a bit more expensive. I am not sure which systems are compatible with which other systems either - which might make a difference (as in could I buy GH5 later and get my rock on using the BH instruments)? Any advice for Santa?

C's First Wrestling Match

Division I novice, 52 lbs (sorry for the lousy photo quality - my camera does not take good shots in gymnasiums). The first match was really close, I think it ended up 12-9 (C lost), and he was ahead in the second until he got pinned in the last quarter. C did a great job, especially for his first ever tournament. Despite being only semi-coherent upon arrival (getting up at 4:30 and driving for an hour and 40 minutes will do that) I managed to get him to the right mats and the right time, and had a good time watching the boys from our team.
C's first match (C is on top)

(C on left)

Should I be concerned...

...that my two youngest sons both have an Easy Bake Oven on their Christmas list? One wants it to bake himself chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting, which he plans to eat every day for breakfast. The other thinks the oven would be handy for conducting scientific experiments. Oh my!

You mean I'm actually supposed to write something?

I just can't seem to get back into the groove of blogging. My last post was so boring I put myself to sleep - all those words just to say I'm busy. I've had lots of things going on I could blog about - tons of kid stuff...parent teacher conferences, basketball games, wrestling, the ongoing ADHD med saga, E's sudden increase in bruising and hives. I could talk about dating, our first fight (which wasn't really a fight as much as it was a communication issue), and how hard it is to balance dating and parenting sometimes. There are some family issues I could talk about - although I probably wouldn't feel right saying too much about those things online. Or the upcoming changes in my prescription drug coverage which means I'm going to cry every time I go to the pharmacy next year (as in my costs are more than doubling and who has an extra $250-$300 each month to spend on drugs - because that is how much my costs are going up!) But every evening, once the kids are in bed, and I've got a little free time for myself, the words just won't come. I sit and stare and the screen and that blank white box....and type out a few words, then erase them. Then type out a few more words, and erase them too. Eventually I give up, thinking maybe I'll post tomorrow. Or the next day. But the words never come. And then I sign on to the evil time waster that is FB and fritter away the next two hours doing pretty much nothing of importance. Somehow FB seems easier right now because it isn't so much of a commitment - I rarely post anything about myself there. I can respond to a friend with a single word, or click a "like" button and skip the words entirely. I can play my games without interacting with a soul....and most nights am perfectly happy to do so. But FB isn't....well, it isn't here, it isn't a place to dump the stuff that weighs on my mind. It isn't a safe place for me. Unfortunately, the blog isn't either...and I think that is another very real part of why I can't seem to write anymore. So in summary, I'm still here. My brain is sluggish and I can't seem to think of anything to say worth saying, but I'm here. 4 1/2 plus years of blogging and I'm reduced to writing about why I can't write. Pathetic.

Clone Me

My Thursday schedule:

5:30 am Drag self out of bed and stumble into shower
6:00 am Pry E and C out of bed to get ready
6:30 am Everyone fed and out the door
7:00 am Work
3:30 pm Sneak out of work 30 minutes early
4:00 pm Pick N up from basketball practice (unless he makes varsity in which case then he has a game)
5:00 pm Only open slot left for Thursday for parent teacher conference with C's teacher
5:30 pm Have C at the high school for wrestling practice
6:00 pm PTO meeting at middle school
6:30 pm Pick C up from wrestling practice
6:30 pm Basketball parent meeting at middle school
6:30 pm Parent teacher conference with E's teacher
7:00 pm Finally remember to feed children
7:30 pm Bug children to do homework
8:00 pm Check homework, get backpacks ready for next day, throw kids in showers and baths
8:30 pm Bedtime (ha, more like 9, but it's a goal, okay)
9:00 pm Wash dishes, straighten house
9:30 pm Turn on computer because goodness only knows I can't go to bed without checking my farms on FB....world might end if I forget you know
11:30 pm Finally force myself to turn off computer and go to bed

Ummm...something has got to give. I asked both teachers if we could reschedule. Unfortunately the only other available times are on Friday morning. And Friday is the dreaded 5th workday, where I work from 7 am until late at night and cannot leave work because we are under deadline. Even if we weren't under deadline, I'm a 45 minute drive each way from the school and have no vacation time left to cover an absence. I can skip the PTO meeting, but cannot skip the basketball parent meeting. And, depending on which team N ends up for basketball, he might be having his first game that day as well.

There simply isn't enough of me to go around these days.

Sunshiny Day

The weather is simply beautiful in OK right now - perfect for those five mile walks at the lake.









And, the promised Trick or Treat night photos:

Happy Halloween!

I know, I'm cheating with a photo post....but I tell ya, until someone figures out a way to clone me, I'm running in all directions right now!

Pumpkin carving and assorted pics (also on FB and Flickr), with Trick or Treat photos to follow later.

C's pumpkin

Love this portrait of E with messy pumpkin hands

C was Mr Neatnik

E, digging into those pumpkin guts. Unfortunately, shortly after this photo was taken, he started breaking out into massive head to toe hives. Guess we can add pumpkin guts to his list of allergies!

C's sweet smile

A Kid Oriented Kind of Week

This week has been one kid activity after another, culminating in today's all-kid all-day kind of day. C started wrestling this week...and absolutely loves it! The first day he had trouble focusing, since his ADHD meds wear off about the time he gets home from school. So I talked to his pediatrician and he gave us a Rx for a short acting med for those evening practice days. We tried the new med for the first time on Friday - and it was a definite success. So the weekend saw us out buying wrestling gear...sheesh...this stuff is not cheap! But, that's okay...I learned a long time ago that the costs just keep going up up up every year with kids and factor that into my budget. This week was also the third grade open house and musical. The kids all did such a great job! E was nervous, I could see him swaying on the risers (was praying he wouldn't take after me and faint - I did that more than once!) but he hung in there. At the open house, I got to see how his class work was coming along. They are learning cursive writing this year - and fine motor coordination has always been a challenge for E, so I was really impressed to see that he has very lovely cursive writing - far better than his printed script.

In addition to shopping this weekend, we also went to the movies and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The boys really enjoyed it - all three gave it a thumbs up. I thought it was cute, although ultimately forgettable. Then again, I think that about a lot of movies. We went out to lunch before the movie, and had ice cream for dinner on the way home. They were all three so well behaved today that they earned extra wii and DS time tonight, so I got some peace and quiet while the boys were all absorbed in their electronics. The guy who still has no name has been sick - have felt bad for him - not fun at all. I think he has gotten past the worst of it now though, which is good because I miss him but don't want his germs! The other situation...it's still ongoing, although really only a minor annoyance at this point and not something I'm spending much time worrying about. Hopefully someday it will be over and I can stop wondering what will happen next.