I know...It's been MONTHS

I haven't felt much like blogging, if you couldn't tell. I've been in a foul mood for the last 5-6 months. Been busy with the kids with sports and all and babysitting and all that. I haven't exactly been able to get excited about things that would normally get me excited enough to post something. I miss my blog though. I'm going to try and get back to it, just...not right now. I have to work myself back up, I guess. Hope you all are doing well!

Above is a picture of the boys from Halloween. I made Shane's Hamburger Helper Hand costume and I'm quite proud of it!

Whatever

So, my hockey fun is over. The Blackhawks aren't going anywhere from Detroit but hey, it was a good effort. I don't care about the rest of the teams so I don't care about the Stanley Cup Finals. Done. Done. Done.

In other news, it's time for baseball with the kids. A practice here, a game there, the usual running around. Troy is finally on a team with some kids who aren't quite as wacky or annoying as his last two teams. Thank God, I don't think I could put up with another year of that. He's on the White Sox (FOR SHAME!) but they got new shirts so they don't actually say "White Sox" on them. Shane ended up on a team without a coach so everything was up in the air for awhile. One of the dads finally stepped up and they are having fun. He somehow ended up on the Cubs (THANK GOD) which should more than make up for having to wear a White Sox shirt last year. The older they get the more fun it is to watch. At least they can catch the ball once in a while.

School is over this Friday. I am NOT looking forward to it. I volunteered to help with Field Day for three and a half hours. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm already regretting it.

Did I ever mention how much I can't stand Troy's teacher? She actually replaced his First Teacher, who I loved and adored, so Replacement had a lot to live up to. She's not cutting it. First Teacher was super nice and treated the kids in a soft-spoken, warm way. Even the super wacky kids. First Teacher is on bedrest due to complications with her pregnancy. Shane told me Replacement is the 2nd meanest teacher in the whole school on their list of mean teachers (I know the 1st meanest and I think it's a tie) Replacement is snippy and cold, even to the parents! I wanted to smack Replacement in the face one morning but thought better of it when I saw 24 six and seven year olds looking at us. Most of the parents have been unhappy with Replacement and are just waiting for the year to end and also hoping that the kids aren't scarred from snippy Replacement teacher who should be teaching high school and not elementary students. For this I am thankful for the end of the year. But not the fact that I'm pretty sure my kids will fight a lot and the house will always be messy.

It's June 1st and I went to Troy's baseball game in shorts and sandals, because I was hot and it was a little muggy. We weren't at the field 15 minutes when the temperature dropped about 20 degrees, the sun disappeared and the wind kicked up. By the time we went home my fingers were numb and I was freezing my ass off. WTF??? The f-ing weather around here is ridiculous. Whatever!!!

Patrick Sharp is a Hottie

That. Was. Awesome. Gotta love the crowds in Chicago.

I couldn't watch the rest of the game after the Redwings scored their first goal. It was 3-1 Blackhawks, but in my limited experience with Chicago sports, it just isn't a good sign unless they're up by 5 or 7 goals (touchdowns, runs, etc). I sat outside and waited for updates as the game progressed. Of course, they were tied at the end of the third period. I couldn't watch that either. But then Blawkhawk hottie Patrick Sharp made it into the net and they ACTUALLY won. I don't think they're going to win the series but it was nice to win one at home. Go Blackhawks!

Just for fun...Hockey for The Ladies ...based in Pittsburgh so a little heavy on the Penguins but that's okay.

A Little Compassion Can Go a Long Way....

You know, I just read the most depressing story about a young mother who suffocated her 3 year old and buried him in the sand of a playground. She said she didn't want him growning up with no one caring about him, like she had grown up. Now that's some fucked up shizz. But, that being said, what happened to her? Why hadn't anyone cared about her? What made her the way she is? Why did she think that life was so hard she didn't want her son to endure it? I don't think a lot of people understand the effect of physical, verbal or emotional abuse on children and young people. Sure, there are plenty of people who had fucked up childhoods and grew up to be pretty well-adjusted. And there are those that had great childhoods that grew up to be complete assholes. But everyone is different. Everyone has a different way of coping. She may be mentally ill or clinically depressed? Does it really matter? Maybe she's been reaching and no one noticed. Who knows? Sometimes all it takes is one word of encouragement from someone you respect and like to really make your day. I'm not always the nicest person on earth, but I hope that at least once in my lifetime I said something to someone that helped them through some kind of funk. Maybe just a little something that helped them to get out of some kind of dysfunctional atmosphere, to have a boring yet satisfying day. One without drama and dread. I am always grateful that the only drama I am facing is that my son's baseball team doesn't have a coach. Really not so bad, is it? So, I am going to say something nice to more people, more often. I can't promise it to everyone, but I will try at least. Have a nice, comfortable, satisfying day!

Yes, I Watch DWTS...and I Vote. VOTE

Say it isn't so! How could Gilles and Cheryl NOT WIN THE MIRROR BALL on DWTS?

It's just not my week. First the Blackhawks lose and now my favorite dance team on Dancing With the Stars, Cheryl and Gilles, comes in second place. Not to diss Shawn Johnson, the Olympic gold medalist, but Gilles deserved to win. I blame myself of course. I was actually on a treadmill at the gym on Monday night when DWTS was on. I watched it while sweating my ass off and when the show was over I picked up my cell phone texted "Vote" to Cheryl and Gilles seven times, the maximum allowed from one number, still on the treadmill. I didn't get home in time to actually make phone calls from my home phone and vote some more, so I went to the computer to vote on-line. But I couldn't remember my stupid screen name on the ABC site. I sent a request to have my sign-on info sent to me but it took forever. Of course, they say it may take up to 24 hours to get the info which would have made it impossible for me to vote anyway. So I gave up and went to bed, thinking I would check again in the morning. I was babysitting and ended up going on a long bike ride with a stop at Dunkin Donuts. Then hung out in the backyard since it was so nice out. I thought about going on-line and checking my e-mail but thought that Cheryl and Gilles were a shoo-in and that my votes wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. We ate lunch and when I did check the e-mail there was all my info. SO I dutifully went back the DWTS voting page only to discover that I had missed the deadline by about an hour. If I had paid attention, the deadline was something like Noon Eastern Time. Not Noon Central or whatever. But no matter, they were going to win.

And then they didn't. There was less than a 1 percent difference between 1st and 2nd place! So, yes, I had become complacent, over-confident, sure that everyone was going to vote like me! But alas, no. So from now on. I will vote on time and in every which way that is possible. This will extend to all my local, state and federal elections as well. I REALLY do think that everyone my age, my gender, my everything, thinks like me and it's so not true. I've learned that the people around me actually think I am kind of extreme, which I find funny. They don't understand me and I don't understand them. In my fair city with a population of 170,600, the last mayoral election only had a 13 percent turn out. REALLY? That is pathetic. I voted. Vote. Vote, people, vote! You seriously have nothing to complain about if you don't take 10 minutes to go and vote. Look what happened to Gilles and Cheryl...all because I didn't vote.

GAWD I HATE DETROIT

Khabibulin stopped 35 shots. Chicago loses to Detroit in overtime...3-2.

I so Hate Detroit

Oh Lordy, they've lost the first game...not a good sign. But it ain't over 'til it's over. Go Hawks!