We All Need Friends Like This...

Last night I was at C's baseball practice and it is a whole new game this year. Gone is the tee to hit from and now it is machine pitch for the 6 year olds. As you can imagine, this is quite an adjustment and none of the kids are adept at getting hits off the machine yet. So, we have many swings and many misses, but the boys are looking better each practice.

It was C's turn at bat and his best buddy was on third waiting for him to get a hit. Two older kids were on the first row of bleachers and started talking some trash about C not getting a hit yet, out of earshot of C, but not out of earshot of his buddy B. I had to stifle myself for a moment, debated saying something to the kids, but then, before I could finish the thought, B stepped off third base and yelled over to the two kids, looked them square in the eye and said:

"HEY, THAT'S MY FRIEND! YOU STOP SAYING THAT!"

And wouldn't you know, those two older kids went silent after that. Thank goodness for a 6 year old with enough spirit and courage to do the right thing!

Friday Night Leftovers- The Grumped Up Version

It's Friday Night Leftovers- but it's only fun if you play along.

- I cannot "find" the FNL image button on this pc this morning.

-Speaking of PCs, I need a new one. The current laptop the hubs and I share is on it's last legs, so no downloading photos (in what seems like ages), and I need to get all of my old photos off. How quickly can that be done with an external hard drive? Need to put my pennies together for a new pc, but it's a little lower on the list these days. Boo.

-The little man lost his third tooth last Friday...at school...and swallowed it while eating a donut. And of course I'm thinking, "WHAT? He was eating a DONUT?" Kidding, kidding. He wrote a letter to the TF and she still managed to visit him.

-Shout out to my mama- my parents are keeping the little man tonight so the hubs and I can get a night out...at a nice restaurant...with friends. Much needed right now!

-Don't ask about my crying jag over a pair of Elmo swim trunks (hormones, anyone?). On the positive side, after 6 years of not letting a thing go that was C's, I've talked myself into consigning about 1/2 of it. Now in all of my spare time (HA- what is that?) I need to get it all prepped.

-C is healing nicely from his recent injury- what an ordeal. I don't think being a mom gets easier; as he ups the injury ante my heart sinks into my stomach even more. A broken arm- walk in the park compared to splitting his forehead wide open, right near his eye, and requiring 70+ sutures. Anyone have an abundance of bubble wrap I can start using for him? I cannot even begin to describe what it looked liked prior to having surgery to repair, but believe me when I say it looks AMAZING (below) compared to what we started with. Follow up with the plastic surgeon again on 3/21.

How to enjoy the leftovers:

1. Write out all the random thoughts swimming in your head that don't quite constitute a blog entry of their own.

2. Copy and paste the Leftovers photo onto your post (copy photo, upload to your post).

3. Link back to The Simple Life (http://tsl1.blogspot.com/).

4. Enter your blog name and the permalink to your post into the comments section.

5. Visit all the other leftovers and leave your love over the weekend.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We're a little weary around here...it's been a rough week full of the unexpected, including a hospital stay, and the job is a bit cuh-razy...so let's go to something lighthearted and I'll post on the other stuff another time.

Tonight, at C's bedtime, I read the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. The story told of the Israelites carrying the Ark with them on their journey...

Me: "C, do you know what the Ark is? What it holds?"

C: "It has the Ten Commandments."

Me: (Impressed!) "You're right! Where did you learn that? Sunday school?"

C: "No, Indiana Jones!"

Out of the Mouths of Babes

C was asking about someone this morning, but he was a little confused with the cast of characters we all know. I wasn't quite sure who he was asking me about and he did not know the woman's name, so he finally said...

"You know, the woman who kind of has the Frankenstein head!"

And while I hate to admit it and I'd never made THAT connection before, I knew exactly who he was talking about once he phrased it that way. Gotta love how kids see the world!

Star Student

C is "star student" in his class next week, so his homework this weekend was to complete a poster about himself, answering the questions provided. I just loved his responses and wanted to capture them:

My Favorite...

Ice Cream: cookie dough

Color: red

Book: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Sport: Baseball

Toy: Dragon Castle

Holiday: Christmas

TV Show: Caillou

Movie: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Food: Candy

Pet: Dog

School Subject: Recess

Ice Cream: Cookie Dough

Pizza Topping: Cheese

I am happiest when..."on vacation." (I have no idea where he gets this from ;)

My proudest accomplishment..."making baskets in basketball."

Friday Night Leftovers- The Midnight Version

• IT'S FRIDAY!!! Cannot wait to put this work week behind me.


• Again, how is C almost 6? The past six years have gone by at warp speed.


• The great entertainment in our house right now is that we are dog sitting...not just any dog, but a dog that is smaller than my cat. A shi-poo named Coco that maybe weighs all of a pound or two, that the Shep thinks is prey to chase...more interesting to his prey drive than the cat. And I'm just praying it's a very uneventful weekend with three dogs and one cranky old cat who does not appreciate the intruder.


• C's birthday present is arriving within the next week- a swing set. Really, a beast of a swing set- one that even I can swing on, 6 foot rock wall, fort, enclosed slide. Thank goodness for end of season clearance sales and friends to enjoy it with- the backyard renovation continues, slowly but surely. Now, where to put that zip line? And any bets on our next ER visit?

• I am still volunteering in the classroom on Friday afternoons, and I just love it. These kids crack me up and it's sweet to see at this age they are all friends and enjoy each others' company.


• There is a beautiful and fragrant blue hyacinth blooming on my kitchen table and overruling the funky dog smell (despite a bath, Marley still smells like something dead).


• I'm too exhausted to blog tonight, as evidenced by this post.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Found out today I'm being asked to take on some new work...which is like another FT job in itself...and "no" isn't an option

New work will require travel...every week in March

The little man is getting ready to turn six. SIX!? Where did six years go so quickly?

The little dog smells...terrible. What dead thing did she find to roll in? Despite a bath, she still reeks of decayed organic matter.

Surprising the little man with a trip to NJ...if there isn't Snowmageddon in the forecast.

Finally had time to clean up the blog...happy with the result.

My name is Jeni...and I'm addicted to pomegranates.

I've lost just shy of 7 pounds over the past month.

We made spring break plans, booked one of our favorite places in FL, and the hubs' boss came back and said the hubs can't have that week off. No words fit to print re: that one.