Pre-school at Karing Kingdom ... officially ... done ... :*(

Yes, graduation took place this past week. And although our little one will not be headed to kindergarten next fall, she will be going to an elementary school for district-sponsored pre-school, so she is officially done with our favorite pre-school IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

Thank you, teachers for all you've done for our two wonderful kiddos. Both my son and daughter attended this school and they absolutely loved it (so did we!). You can see that my daughter made some great friends, and enjoyed being with her teachers, as well.

Pride

pride noun \ˈprīd\

- delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship (parental pride)

FYI: I wasn't at this game, but got the low-down from my wife, son, and mother. Apparently, he went 3 for 3, hitting twice from the left side and once from the right. Plus, he made at least two nice plays on defense. The picture above shows him fielding a grounder at third base. My wife and my mom tell me that he also made a nice backhanded play while at the pitcher's rubber - and made a nice throw to first base with it as well.

Frustration

frus·tra·tion noun \(ˌ)frəs-ˈtrā-shən\

 - a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

Okay, so now that you have the best definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, let me explain something to you. In the horrible sequel to the movie Major League (obviously named Major League II), the manager claims that all the players can do is make excuses:

"... excuses. That's all u guys do good. It's either a leg thing or a spiritual thing or a psychological thing or a heart attack."

He obviously ends his statement with a fairly legitimate excuse, but the fact remains that there are a number of "reasons" for the lack of focus on baseball and the losing that the Cleveland Indians are going through in the movie.

I can relate.

This year has basically been one thing after another. It started with an apendectomy and a broken collar bone - no, wait, it really started with the Metrodome collapsing and our conference 'Day at the Dome' being cancelled. We also had a late winter snowfall and had to push back our first week of games. Several of the boys in our program went on spring break trips with their families - thereby missing four days of practice in a short season of practices. Work has gotten in the way of several practices and at least a game or two for a couple of players. Sore arms (most likely from not throwing in pre-season) have felled some players for days at a time. We have had three incidents of players getting 'spiked' in the hand (and receiving stitches or other medical attention and missing a game or two). Sadly, one of our players lost his grandmother. IB testing at school has held some players from being on time for a bus, a practice, or both. The flu, stomach viruses, and sinus infections have taken practice and game time. Detention has kept some younger players from participating fully. College visits also have interfered with our ability to practice. As have making up tests, umpiring youth tournaments, allergies, and finally, a field trip to the local amusement park (for physics).

Needless to say, the word of the year is 'frustration.' Yesterday at practice, out of sixteen (16) players that we have on the varsity roster, I had seven (7) show up for practice. A number of them were at the physics field trip (a few 'forgot' to mention that they would be gone for it). At least one was sick. And one player who did show up told me that he would have to have surgery on the date of our first playoff game.

Really? ... really?

Did I mention that we have two players hitting over .300 on the team? ... total. And that the one having surgery is one of those players hitting over .300?

Now, I'm not going to judge, because that's not my job. But I'm frustrated that we can't get the commitment level to work at baseball. And the consequences of not being at that level have shown this year ...

... one win.

1

Day at the Children's Museum

Can you really beat a day at the Children's Museum? Only if you ad in Church, a stop for coffee (for Mom and Dad, of course), and a beautiful day in the sixties with sun to cut the grass, do some gardening, play around, grill out, and relax. Church certainly provided the nice start-up to the day ("Count your blessings." "The Lord is your Shepherd. There is nothing you shall want."), while the Children's Museum provided the necessary physical kick-start for the kids - plus, it seemed to be nice variety for their minds to wander and just think.

As you can clearly see, they had ZERO fun :) What with the roof top sensory exhibit, the human-sized ant hill, the weather warning wheels, the castle Legos, the hands-on water and bubbles, and the grocery store, the kids needed much more to do. They also had fun using their imaginations with the community clinic, metro transit, and US post office exhibits. My daughter threw on the USPS smock/coat and satchel and delivered mail for a good 10-15 minutes :) I told her that it was in her blood :)

Baseball season is here ... for my son ...

My high school team hasn't been doing too well - in case you've missed it in my mood (or if you haven't been checking THAT blog). I take solace in the fact that my son is now playing ball - and having a great time doing so. He's moved up to the highest level of coach pitch and is really enjoying himself. I even made it to watch a game the other night. He just started this week and it seems like the boys are a bit more into it than in last year's league - which is good, since my son wants it to be that way.

The transition from coaching high school to watching elementary school kids play baseball in the same day has never really been an easy one for me, but it does seem a lot more similar lately :) Mostly because my son is getting better (**chest out**) - not because my high school team is much worse (**big sigh**). Anyway, it looks like my son actually knows what he's doing here at shortstop - knees bent, good ready position, glove out and presented to move to the ball, eyes on the action. Pretty cool for a dad to watch.

Now, if only I could get my high school kids to come watch ... :)

Just kidding ... kind of ... :)

That was weird

Okay. Not exactly sure what the Blogger network was doing. But they shut down the system, removed blog posts and now have the system back up and working - but without a few of the posts that have been made over the past couple of days.

If you missed my post on 'rain is a good thing?', I'm sorry, but I don't have the time or energy now to repeat it. Besides, it ended up not ending up like I originally posted that it ended up. Got all that?

Anyway, my high school team is going to attempt to win our second game of the season today (instead of Tuesday, like i THOUGHT we had already decided on for the rescheduled date). I guess the other school's AD said that they couldn't play on Friday because they had lower level (ninth grade) teams playing on their fields - so they didn't have fields available.

... except that IT'S OUR HOME GAME. (???) Not sure what the actual reasoning was behing the move to play today - except maybe that the other team would have to play five games in six days next week, instead of four games in six days. Whatever the reason, we'll give it a go today.

We beat them last time we faced them this season - for our only 'W' of the year, of course. Hopefully we can put together some effort today and hit the ball enough to beat them again. Two wins would be nice :)

Rain is a good thing? Sure is! ... sometimes :)

It's one of those days, where the rain cancelled our baseball game - and maybe that's okay. We rescheduled and we'll play on Tuesday, so not that much of a loss. We could use a couple days of conditioning inside :)

Plus, what's not to like about a good country song? (Sorry for those of you who are country-phobic.) I was in a good mood, because my AD actually listened to my input on when to reschedule, and my JV coach gets to watch his youngest son play tomorrow night instead of missing it to coach a game that was rescheduled without input. Yeah!

My yard looks good with all this rain, and I'm in the best mood I could be in without the sun shining down on me. God bless, ya'all!!! :)

(5/14/2011) - PS to this message: blogger network was all screwed up, we actually ended up playing Friday - and losing, and it keeps raining, so my mood isn't quite what it could be, but watching "Little Fockers" Friday night with my wife after a nice dinner out at Champps with our neighbors did help quite a bit :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Okay, so I'm a day late. But really, I'm right on time. See, yesterday was my wife's day, so I stayed off the computer. We went to church, got coffee, read the newspaper, she took the kids to the park, we had lunch, she had some time to herself while my daughter slept and my son and I went to the store(s). I made parmesian chicken with egg noodles and wax beans for dinner, we had a couple glasses of wine, and the kids went to bed.

Then, my wife couldn't help it ... she had to iron :( One of these days, I'll get her to relax for an entire day - or at least not do any of the work she doesn't want to do.

Anyway, I backdated a blog and posted a poem that I like. Happy Mother's Day to all the wives, moms, grandma's, aunts, and other women out there who are the best support system, friend, role model, disciplinarian, driver, cook, cleaner, listener - MOTHER, out there!

Angels are Mothers

There are Angels God puts on this Earth
Who care for us and guide us.
You can feel their love and gentleness
as they walk through life beside us.

They do great things for us every day
they whisper in our ears,
they even hold us in their hearts
when we are filled with all our fears.

They are always there to give a hug
and try to make us smile.
They treat us with respect and love,
they treat us like their child.

God blessed me with an Angel,
I’m proud to call my own.
She’s been with me throughout my
life, been with me as I’ve grown.

She’s guided me the best she can,
she’s taught me like no other,
and I’m thankful I’m the lucky one
who get’s to call her... MOTHER

- Kathleen J. Shields

Random thoughts ... and pics ...

What if families were able to live in the same state ... or (*gasp*) ... the same city/town, like they used to? Would we all be happier - or would we end up getting on each others' nerves and metaphorically killing each other?

Somehow I don't think these guys (and girls) would have a problem with living closer. Just sayin' :)

Would we all be closer to nature (like me - being part of this tree), because of the lack of need for all the airports, interstates, and other things that take up space? I don't know. But I sure would like to live closer to ALL of my family.
.

And kids ... since when can kids not behave appropriately in church - maybe since parents won't ask them to behave? Caught some of the other 1st communicants mis-behaving in mass on Saturday night. Sitting right by their parents. Religious education teachers were asking them to behave instead of their parents. Interesting. My niece was an angel, by the way. No need to remind her. But you could tell that, just looking at her, right? :)

And how come the only pen that you WANT to work, doesn't? My little one pouted a bit about it, but what could I do? It's not like she had NINE other pens to use, or at least one that was very similar in color, right? :) Oh well. She's still a cutie.

She cleans up nicely and figures out how to behave most of the time anyway. Besides, how much more can you ask, when she's been sick all week but gets better at the perfect time to take a late night flight to another state (with a brother getting better at just the right time, too), so that we can all enjoy a 1st communion weekend with family in Oho?

Come on?! Could you NOT be melted by this on Easter morning? Easter Bunny brought a stuffed bunny. And a bat :)

Happy Easter, again, everyone. All my love. Just help me get through this spring baseball season and we'll be alright ... maybe.

More than a week ...

It's been more than a week since I last posted. And it's been MORE THAN A WEEK. I'll tell you that I just don't like flying all that much - and I get to do it again in just a short while. Needless to say, spring is really weird this year. If you can call it spring.

As I type it is 38 degrees. It is April 28th. I am halfway through a spring high school baseball season. And it snowed yesterday night in Minneapolis. Just sayin'.

I love ALL my family dearly, but right now, what I wouldn't give for a weekend AWAY from EVERYTHING!

If you've read my previous post, you know that my wife's gramma passed away last week. We went out to Denver for the funeral. Funerals are never fun. But it was nice to see everyone - everyone that just plain loved Grandma Kelly.

I thank my mom SO much for coming up and taking care of the kids while we were gone. And ... while we were gone ... my daughter got sick, my son had at least two evening events to attend, my daughter had to cancel/miss at least four appointments/classes, the high school team I coach got 10-runned (and 1-hit), and my assistant coach got a lengthy call from a parent. Nice :)

Deep breath .... (sigh) ...

Now. With Easter and Grandma's Funeral in the rear view, what else is in store? We'll see, but I'm sure we won't be travelling in the 'slow lane' for anything else this 'spring.'

Can summer just be here already - or am I asking to jump from the frying pan into the fire? Who knows. But God bless.

Mortality and Immortality

As a person of Christian faith - confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church - it is this week, this Holy Week, that allows me to believe in the eternal life. Christ came to Earth specifically to die - and so shall we all. But He came so that we might live - not just our life of flesh in this world, but our risen life with God in heaven.

And so it is both difficult and reassuring that one of our family's beloved should pass this week. My wife's gramma was a blessing to all whom she touched. She was a rock - a mother of four, who burried two husbands of her own. She was a working woman for many years and a single mother for many others. Winnie was a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She was a dancer, a gambler, and a true friend. Winnie was heart and soul, and she was her family - still is.

Winnie passed this Tuesday morning. She was sick, she had suffered enough, and her time came. God called for her and asked her to take her place - to be at rest, at peace. Winnie will watch down over all of us who knew her and her words, her voice, will forever be in our hearts.

Bless you, Gramma. We all love you ... still ... always.

Easter Eggs

If you haven't been able to tell by all the pictures from Halloween (pumpkin carving), Thanksgiving (making dinner), Christmas (decorating the tree), and other holliday activities, I like to watch rather than take part in the festivities. My wife loves helping the kids, and the kids love doing their part. I, on the other hand, just love watching my family enjoy themselves while I think about what the holliday means to me.

Spring is a season of rebirth. Easter comes to help us remember death and life together.

It is a season of changes, of differences. A chance to see and learn new things.

Spring, and Easter itself, bring so many knew ideas into our life. Easter's meaning to me is Christ himself. His death and resurrection guarantee my eternal life. The gift of his life reminds me to give all of mine. To help others live, learn, grow, and achieve - so that they to too might help each other. To me, the beauty of life is that we all live it together, for each other, and for Christ.

Concert Hall

My daughter's pre-school class went to a concert this past Friday. Love for music is a pretty cool thing in my mind, so I was hoping my daughter would really enjoy it. She seems to have a good appreciation for music (and dance), so I was expecting her to really get into the 'hands-on experience' with instruments and the orchestra concert itself.

I don't know if it was a bonus for me to have extra time by myself on Friday morning, or if I would've rather been there with her, but my wife decided to be the chaperone this time - as I went with our son when he went two years ago. My son really loved it - and liked that I had some knowledge, since I played the cello when I was younger. From the pictures and the description aftwerward, I'm thinking my girls enjoyed themselves, too.

The preschool takes a school bus to Concert Hall - which may be one the biggest thrills of the trip (seeing as how my pre-schoolers have always thought the school bus was 'cool' and they'd never rode it before).

Once at Concert Hall, the kids get a little introduction to instruments ... and some time to 'experiment' with them. My daughter liked the cello ... and the violin (especially since it was HER size).

She tried the snare drum, too. Her good friend doesn't seem to like the music quite as much, but maybe that was because of the performer rather than the song? : /

Either way, it seemed to be a great experience for my daughter - and my girls got to hit Olive Garden afterwards with their friends to have a nice lunch out, as well.

My turn to chaperone next time? Hope so. Don't think I want to miss that much fun again. :)

Sometimes, caring just plain hurts

Baseball practice was pretty interesting on Tuesday. We played a horrible game on Monday, losing 12-0 in 6 innings after competing hard on Saturday and taking one of the teams that usually finishes in the top 3 of the conference to extra innings, losing 4-3 in 11. So, I tried to challenge our captains to lead a little stronger and asked a couple JV guys to stick around and practice defense toward the end of practice. I typed out a practice plan, explained it to the captains, and stayed out of the way for the most part - watching and making sure things were going as expected - which they were, for the most part. I even donned the 'tools of ignorance' toward the end of practice since one of our catchers was sick and the other was heading to an independent study class.

I care, right? That's why I do things. I put almost everything I have into this part-time job coaching high school baseball. When we lose, I lose sleep. When we win, I win because I'm excited for the success the boys can feel. I want nothing more than for the 15 (or whatever number) boys we have each year to experience what being a part of a team that accomplishes something is all about.

So, when something happens - I feel it. Period. On Tuesday, nearing the end of practice, one of our junior outfielders (a JV player I had asked to stick around) stopped hard after rounding second base and broke a bone in his lower leg. I ran out to him and he was in pain. I grabbed his hand and told him to breath. My assistant coach called our trainer and then the player's mom. Many of our boys helped make sure that his stuff was all together. And a number of other players either ran to try to find some more help, or stood at specific locations to help direct the car that was coming to pick up our injured player.

Once we got him into a vehicle and on the way to a medical center, I walked toward the mound to take a moment - maybe thank God quickly for giving me the experience, energy, and serenity to deal with the situation. I didn't make it very far before squatting down and crying. All the emotion I had from holding the young man's hand came out. I eventually continued walking off the field, behind the backstop, and toward the tractor in our shed. I dragged the field and moved on. Our team was very caring in its response to such a dramatic event, and I am proud of how everyone helped and CARED.

I'm not sure what will happen with the rest of our week, our varsity season, or even with the rest of these boys' careers. I do know that this one episode, this one accident, has re-affirmed why I do things. Sure, I enjoy baseball, but I coach because I care. And today, I hurt.

Birthday Partied Out

When the weekend started, I thought that it might be a long one. And, wouldn't you know it, it was. Apparently my children have a lot of friends, because we had four birthday parties they were invited to this weekend.

On Friday, my daughter was invited to a pre-school classmate's party at Pump It Up. Always a fun endeavor for the kiddos. She had fun - at least she told me she did. My wife claimed that it was the most calm party she's ever seen at an indoor inflatable jumping place.

Saturday brought two more parties - this time for my son. Of course, the day started out with a 3/4ths trip to the mall to buy Easter clothes (wife and two kids - I had a baseball game to coach). My wife claimed this time that the kids were on their best behavior. They seemed to be when they stopped by the baseball field to watch the high school team I coach. I heard a number of "Hi, Daddy"s from behind the fence, so it made a 4-3 loss in 11 innings all the more bearable.

But, getting back to the birthday parties ... my son ended up heading straight to the bowling alley from the baseball field, and seemed to enjoy himself there as well. I picked him up, brought him home, and my wife soon deposited him a few blocks away at a sleepover birthday party for the night. This one must've completely drained him - at least he looked like it when we stopped by our friends' house later that night to check in on the adults - er, the kids :) ... (nine boys slept over. i think we really were checking on the adults)

In the morning we picked up our son and headed to church. Yes, we made it to church - even with all the parties. Had to - I proclaimed the first reading. And so there was one party left. Around noon, our boy went to his third party of the weekend - this time a trampoline party at Sky Zone. No, I am not kidding, between the two kids, they had an inflatable jumping place birthday party, a bowling party, a sleepover, and a trampoline party all in one weekend.

Round two is next weekend. Two more birthday parties ... so far.

Autism Awareness Month

Loving God,
Bless today in special ways all the children, adults and families who see the world through the window of autism. May Your Spirit burn bright in them and all who celebrate & honor the richness of our diversity during this Autism Awareness month. Grant us, O Lord, the wisdom to see your image reflected in all of our differences, and to recognize the unique gifts we each have to offer.

Amen.

 

(Posted this on Facebook today, too. Not sure where I got it. Thought is was great. I think we need to think more and more about celebrating differences, about cognitive and mental difficulties and disabilities, and about generally helping and loving each other for who we are. Seems to me that 'winning' becomes such a catch phrase in all of society. I'm as competitive as anybody I know, but sometimes I think we forget that life is a 'team sport' and we are all, in fact, on the same team. We can't please everyone, and we may not all have the same plan to help - but our plan should be to help. Just sayin')

Pampered :)

If you haven't figured it out yet, I do most of the cooking in the household. Not because my wife can't cook - by far! She's a great cook and makes wonderful dishes - especially when she bakes :) No, I cook because I'm home and because I cook pretty well myself. Anyway, I've ruined my share of cookware so far. Needless to say, 'non-stick' should not go in the dish-washer. My bad.

So, my wife was invited to a Pampered Chef party a few weeks ago (maybe a month?) and decided that we needed new cookware. I couldn't have agreed more - especially since I'm the one who basically ruined our last set of pots and pans. A few days later, the new pan she ordered arrived. Awe-some! I will not be runining this one.

But that's not the end of the story. No. See, we decided to host a Pampered Chef party ourselves so that we could get the massive rewards and discounts. Well, really, it was Holly hosting, because I don't think any of my friends would've wanted to come over, sit around a table and talk about cookware and Pampered Chef products while eating 'girlie' appetizers and drinking wine.

I popped my head in and out while taking care of the kiddos and then getting them ready for bed on Saturday. Our Pampered Chef advisor was really great about the whole party, and at the end, when everyone left, I got to help make sure we got all our goodies ordered. I'm thrilled! Ok, so I'm not your ordinary guy. So what? I get to say I'm getting all my pots and pans ... and more. And then I get to go to coach baseball this afternoon. Life is really great, isn't it :)

How do you lose a video camera? ... Short answer: You don't.

Okay, so we have an older video camera that uses mini-cassettes but was very handy when the kids were born and were young(er). It has since been replace by a digital video recorder. The older camera is still nice to use for video-taping my baseball players. Easy to plug into most televisions and just use the on-camera controls to fast forward, pause, etc.

I've used it the last couple of years to record hitters during tryouts and then varsity players during batting practice. I use it to take a fourth or fifth look at hitters during tryouts, and the entire varsity team can use it to look at and disect their swings.

I went to look for it this spring so that I could record tryouts again ... and I couldn't find it. There are usually a couple of places that I put my baseball coaching stuff at the end of the season so that it is out of the way but ready to use when the season comes back around again. It wasn't in any of those places - neither at school or at home. I was starting to get worried. (and so was my wife)

See, I keep all the tapes in the bag with the video camera - because the tapes without the camera are useless, and vice versa. But a couple of those tapes happen to be from when the kids were born and very young - so, like I said, my wife was getting worried.

After two weeks, I finally noticed that I was missing several of the items I usually have in my office at school for baseball season. First, my stapler. Then, the small box of push pins. Finally, today, I noticed that my ice-coolers (for ice sleeves - good for icing arms after pitching) were also nowhere to be found ... and then!

Epiphany! I remembered that I had cleaned out the mechanical room last summer and had ended up with some extra room for a box - a box with ice-coolers ... push pins ... markers ... a stapler ... and a video camera bag - complete with video camera and tapes.

Yeah!

I got attitude - yes I do! I got attitude! How 'bout you?!?!

This is pretty much my daughter - to a T! For good and for bad, she's got it ... attitude :)
.

Sea Life AND Maple Maze

After the Bagers' loss in the men's basketball tourney on Thursday night, this BadgerCubinMN needed some 'pepping up' this weekend. Good timing - some of our friends from Wisconsin came up to spend some time :)

They arrived on Friday afternoon, we enjoyed some good pizza, the kiddos played together, and we even got a chance to show 'em all some of our favorite family games. Saturday brought some time to go to the 'new' aquarium at the mall - Sea Life. (Basicially, the old aquarium just got a little renovation ... and you go through it in the opposit direction as you used to.) But it is still a fun time - never gets old walking underneath the water as sharks and rays swim around you. Plus, you get to pet a starfish and horseshoe crab, so you got that going for you :)

On Sunday, we took our friends to the community center. There's this play structure that is basically like a McDonald's Playland on steroids. The kids had a blast. We went after church but before noon. Apparently it's still busy then. I don't have any pictures of the kiddos, so this 'stock photo' of the play area will have to do. Not sure if my son or daughter, or their friend, ever stopped running, climbing or jumping - so not sure the camera would've done any good if I HAD taken it with me. Oh well.

Sunday was said to see come - as our friends had to head out. But the weekend was a blast. Thanks, Foxes!



... by the way - snow is still on the ground ... uggh :(

Really? ... Really?!?!

This is from TODAY! ... and it's STILL SNOWING!!!

My two loves ...

High school baseball practice started today. I'm busy. I get to be around baseball almost every day. And I get to teach baseball to a bunch of young-adults truly interested in the game. It's fun ... but ...

It also means that I entrust my kids to a nanny for the afternoon. This is something that is difficult for me - a stay-at-home dad. I mean, I've basically been with the kids for the majority of the past three years. But every spring, I make the decision to walk away from them for afternoons/evenings to coach baseball.

So, basically, I'm torn between my two real loves - baseball and my family. Times get busy, and my life becomes quite different. I truly understand how someone can have two loves and have a difficult time choosing. Good thing I don't really have to choose between the two ... but every day when I leave, I'm still quite ... well ... torn.

One, two ... three? Keep it up! We're proud of you!

Usually I have a rule that I go by: First praise, then pick things to improve. I do it for myself and I do it for my kids (the two that are mine and the ones that I teach and coach). I've never really talked about this rule with anyone, but my son already knows it because it's what we do with school, sports, and whatever else we're learning/working on. Sometime's he gets frustrated with it because he just wants to have fun - but really, he likes getting better, so he always seems to be okay with it.

When my son brought home his first report card (from first tri-mester) from first grade in November, we had some nice things to praise, and we had a few things we figured he could improve upon. Basically, we decided that he should be getting S+ and O on everything that pertained, and 3 or 3+ on all skills marked by number (1-4). Many of his first report marks were in this range, but a few fell below - at S or 2/2+.

He has worked on a number of things since then, but the end of the second tri-mester quickly jumped on us. So, it was this past Wednesday, that he brought home his second report card (from second tri-mester) from first grade.

As we started to look over it, of course, there was first praise, as we noticed that some of his 3's had gone up to 3+ and a few of his S's had gone up to S+. Also of note was his Math scores - which were 4's and O's. My chest started to bow out (with just a little pride) as I recalled his teacher saying that they really didn't give out 4's (unless someone is way above grade level). And we kept looking the report card over. We decided to pick out three things to improve upon - just as we had in November. So we started back at the beginning of the report card and picked one thing out, then another ... then ... - well, then it was hard to pick out a third.

After further review, this papa couldn't be more proud. Seriously - even me - most critical and in need of something, anything, to improve upon - could only pick out two REAL things to ask him to improve. For gosh sakes - he had all 3+ and S+ or O's. What more can a parent ask? So, for our third improvement: "Keep It Up! We're proud of you!"

Flower Man

Everytime I think about what our front room looked like for the first few years we lived in the current house, I think about the color white. I do this because for a number of years after moving in, we left the front room alone. It remained as it was when we moved in - as it was when the builders finished putting the white coat of builder's primer on for the owners before us.

The 'white room' became brown only when we hired a painter to come in and take care of the two-story vaulted ceiling room with it's staircase and landing. Needless to say, once the painting was out of the way the room became 'new' again to us.

Since then, we have gradually added pieces. First a piano. Then two sitting chairs and a love seat. And of course, a coffee table and end table - better to set down coffee during relaxing weekend hours reading the newspaper.

This past weekend, my wife and I made a run to a couple of stores to purchase the 'stuff' we would put on the walls. My wife, thinking me to be a 'man's man', believed that I would not go for 'flowery' stuff on the walls. In fairness, she probably also thought this because every time she picks out bright pastel colors, I balk and ask for something else.

Of course ... if they're not bright pastel ... then I'm the flower man :)

Saving more than you spend ... kind of

Went to Pier One Imports and Kohls today to purchase some 'accent pieces' for the front room. This means: art for the wall (think BIG ART, because it's a vaulted ceiling, right) and a floor lamp for the poorly lit room.

At Pier One, we found a floor lamp on clearance and had a 10% off coupon, plus we had $20 in Pier One Rewards. So, a floor lamp that was originally $160, we took out the door for $75 ... or somewhere around there. Savings = $85

Next up: Kohls for wall art. Decided to try two large framed textured art pieces for over the piano and a 'branch-type-thing' with lots of 'shiny' pieces for over the love seat. Also purchased a couple other pieces as 'back up' that actually might hang on the stairs wall.

Kohls' items seem to ALWAYS be on sale, so it's hard to know what you actually 'save.' But I'll take a shot at it. :) The two large pieces were marked at $120, and the three other pieces were each marked at $70. It was a 50% off sale, so the total came down from $450 to $225. Then, we had a 20% off coupon from our Kohl's catalog, which took the price down to around $185. If you do the math, we saved $265.

Now, do I feel bad about spending $260 today on art and a floor lamp? Or do I feel good about SAVING around $350?

My optomist brain tells me that I got what I needed/wanted and saved more than I spent. Plus, it's not all about money, right? At least that's what I think ... kind of.

Don't burst my bubble, though :)

Sky Zone

Kids had fun at Sky Zone yesterday for a birthday party. Both were invited and I thank our friends for that. I'm sure my daughter would've had a great time on her own, but my son loved it as well - even if he had to jump on the trampolines with kids half his age :)

I quickly posted on Facebook how "cool" the place was, and eventually described it as a trampoline place where my daughter's friend was having his birthday party. Just as quickly I was reminded ...

"Eh-hem....Ben introduced her to his guy friends as his girlfriend." (by Ben's mom)

Funny. Four-year olds ... ok, so Ben's five ... whatever :)

MARCH 10TH - WEAR BLACK TODAY!

Wisconsin's Republican state senators held a committee to pass a bill late Wednesday night. It started as a "budget repair bill" but was passed without any language in it besides anti-union legislation. Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, has stayed true to his word to shove the bill down Wisconsin's throat, no matter how many thousands of protestors show up at his doorstep. Two unions that supported him during his election now won't even help him clean out his capitol - the Madison Police and Dane County Sheriff will not help evacuate protestors.

Mr. Walker, you are an elected official of the great state of Wisconsin. Your oath as an Eagle Scout asks you to "Help other people at all times." And the Wisconsin constitution states, "All people are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights ... to secure these rights, governments are instituted, DERIVING THEIR POWERS FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED."

Gov. Walker, you are not helping nor are you respecting the rights of the people and you no longer have the consent of the governed.

PLEASE WEAR BLACK ON THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH AND/OR FRIDAY, MARCH 11TH IN SUPPORT OF WISCONSIN MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS, UNIONS, AND THE STRONG HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.

You may not agree with all that I believe, but I know you believe in education, the strength of middle class workers, and the decency and rights of all people. Thank you.

How much do I actually yell at him?

Snow balls were thrown. Anger was fueled. Asked to stop, nobody did. Tackling ensued. Snow balls continued to be thrown. The anger grew. More tackling and kicking followed. Then laughter, as somebody tried to defuse the situation with silliness. Everyone walked away, unscathed. No blood, no tears, no foul?

There are two sides to every story ... and then there's the truth somewhere in the middle. Or, as is more normal in our world, there are multiple informants, with their stories, participants with theirs, and the truth ... well, only God knows.

My son decided that if the older kids weren't going to stop, that he was going to stop them - by tackling them. Not the greatest decision in the world, but what do I tell him besides, 'we don't fight' and 'walk away'? My wife and I impressed upon him the need to hold himself in high regard and realize that he doesn't need to do or say a thing to be who he his, blessed and loved in this world by his family, and God.

But in reality ... he fought. Not good. So there was and will be punishment.

And on this Ash Wednesay ...
"Have mercy on me, O God ... and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:1-2
And help my son make better choices, especially on his walks home from school, if you could, please.
Thank You.

With One Breath; Ain't it Grand!

My wife and I don't go "out on the town" that often. In fact, we hardly ever hire a babysitter so that we can go out to dinner or to a movie or show or anything, so it's always a perfect storm when the annual fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis comes around. Horrible disease. Great night out. http://www.withonebreath.org/

One of my wife's former co-workers basically runs the event. Her eldest daughter has CF and it's a strong passion she has to find a cure. For the past six years, they've put on a pretty big fund raiser, with bands playing, a silent auction, and several raffles, in addition to a few kegs of beer, appetizers, and some "free" blackjack. Basically, it's just plain cool.

We've been to the event at O'Gara's Bar & Grill in St. Paul the last several years and really enjoy it. The music is pretty good, the food is nice, and the beer is free :) ... okay, so you pay an event fee to get into With One Breath, but the only cash I threw around for the rest of the night was for tips ... and for the silent auction, technically, I guess.

In 2010, we brought along our neighbors and had some fun with them. After a trip with all four of us through the silent auction area, the two men strolled through one last time near the end of the bidding. When we got back to the women, we told them about bidding on The Billies, a band. First reaction: "oh, cool ..." Second thoughts a few seconds later: "What are we going to do with a band!?!" Anyway, for 2011, I was instructed not to bid on any bands. (I didn't.)

My wife and I went alone again this year, but we always enjoy talking to Jill, my wife's ex-coworker who is the event coordinator. And we seem to have settled on the one thing we will be bidding on every year.

See, it's this nice hotel in downtown Minneapolis. And in 2010, in addition to bidding on the band, I also bid on a Twins' Tickets / Hotel Stay combination. We ended up being able to do the Twins game in the spring (saw our first Twins game from row 17, behind the backstop, if I remember correctly) and the Grand Hotel stay in the fall (for my wife's birthday). In 2011, the Grand Hotel stay was packaged in combination with Guthrie Theatre passes. We won ... again. :) Needless to say, another "grand" birthday present for my special woman :)

What will we watch? Father knows best.

While my wife was on a business trip for work most of Thursday and Friday, I had some extra time with the kids - especially bath and bed time, which my wife usually takes full advantage. It was nice to have her home on Thursday morning before she left for the aiport, and since my son had been home sick with a head cold on Wednesday, my wife decided to drop him off at school before heading off for her flight.
.
As my son came home from school on Thursday, I set out to find something that we could all watch together for a family 'movie night'. Fairly quickly, I realized that my son and daughter would not come to a consesus. My son, though, came up with a solution: he would watch his movie downstairs, while my daughter and I would watch ours in the living room. I allowed this for the night, but quickly decided in my head that Friday would be another 'movie night' for the three of us.
.
After school on Friday, I made sure the kids had a good meal - steak, rice, brocolli, beans. Then, I mentioned that we could watch a movie again after dinner. Realizing the struggle it had been to come to agreement on anything the night before, I suggested we watch Madagascar together, thinking that they would jump at the fact that I had suggested it rather than their dreaded sibling (okay, they don't really 'dread' each other, but I take a little dramatic license, here).
.

After roughly thirty minutes of arguing between my daughter and son about what movie to watch (since neither wanted to watch my suggestion - Madagascar), we ended up on the couch together, laughing up a storm ...

... watching Madagascar.

2011 Basketball Season Finale

Ok, you don't even want to know how difficult it was to get these pictures on here, much less arrange them in any particular order. Anyway ... in his last game of the year, my son got to score a few buckets (I think 4 from what I see on the videos now.) He also got to do a 'jump ball' - which is strange for any level these days. And he received a medal. Very proud of the way he shook hands with the other team. Pretty good picture of his team, the "Dunkin' Devils"!!! And he even thanked all of his coaches.

Check out the four videos. One on this post has him playing through a bruised rib, diving for a loose ball, double-dribbling, and making a shot. The other videos catch him at various stages of making his four shots on the day. The last video misses his shot, but shows the ball going through. You can tell his range, though.
 He did miss on the day ... trust me ... but only a couple :)

"Nice shot, buddy!"

Sports Saturday

This past Saturday is still a blur to me. Good thing the Badger men's basketball team didn't play until Sunday. That would've been a travesty - to miss senior day at the Kohl.

Anyway, it all started with the youth baseball clinic that I run every year at the school where I coach. Two ninety-minute sessions with pizza for the clinicians in between sessions. My son came along and brought a friend. Still trying to figure out why they weren't exhausted after both sessions. After cleaning up and putting things away, we made it home to relax ... for about an hour.

Then, we headed out to basketball. My son played his last game of 1st and 2nd grade hoops. He's had a blast and really loved this season. My mom made the trip up for the weekend, so it was neat to have her come along and watch the game. This particular game even saw my son score quite a few hoops. And my wife had a neat little story to relay after we got home. Seems that the mom sitting next to my wife had a son on the other team. Every time my son got the ball in some space or on a breakaway, the mom would just say, "Oh, that's two." (every time!) Now, think. This is 1st and 2nd grade hoops. So, nothing's a given. But I do have to admit that he made a few shots :)

Proud daddy.

Pictures to follow? Hopefully. Still working on getting videos to load again, too.

Tidbits from today's gospel

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" - Matthew 6:27

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- Matthew 6:34: "

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
- Matthew 6:24

Successfull Youth Baseball Clinic

Ever wonder what it's like to entertain 20-40 six- to thirteen-year-olds for 90 minutes ... while they throw balls and swing bats? Well, that's what we did today ... and it actually went pretty well.

My assistant coaches and I ran a youth baseball clinic for the third year in a row (that I've been head coach, anyway). I had nine of our high school ball players help out - and I couldn't have been more happy with their efforts.

Now, as for the six- to thirteen-year-olds ... well, they did pretty good, too. Between fielding pop-flies and ground balls in a gym, and swinging at balls on tees, it wasn't too hectic and yet everybody seemed to get enough activity ... and maybe they even learned a little bit more about baseball? Who knows.

No matter what, a good time was had by all, and in the end we raised a little money for our baseball program, too.

Side note: Somebody needs to remind me to bring my camera next time. Watching a particular seven-year-old fit right in with the ten- to thirteen-year-old group makes a particular dad pretty proud. :)