LG

Non-twirly coach
LG expressed the sentiment today that he really misses coaching the girls in soccer. We suckered Clint into the coaching gig this season. Because our lives have been so hectic, we thought we deserved a little break. Clint was so gracious to embrace his new responsibility and he has been a great coach.
But, he is a non-twirly coach…in fact, he is an anti-twirly coach. What is a non-twirly coach, you ask? It’s the kind of coach that picks his team players up one by one and twirls them around in the air every time a player scores.
Now any of you that are “real” athletes know how ridiculous this is. Clint is an “athlete”. What does he do when the girls score? What any real athletic coach should do. And, look, how happy the girls are to join in the ritual. Forget this twirly thing!!! We all could live a lot happier with a good old fashioned Hi-five from time to time.

See, I do pay attention
Let’s just say I get a little excited when watching my girls play soccer.
Let’s just say I get a LITTLE excited and leave it at that.
LG accused me today of only watching Abigail’s team and ignoring Sophia and Bella’s.
He seems to think that the competition with the little ones
just isn’t fierce enough for me.
LG accused me wrongly!
I have pictures to prove it.

Here’s one goal:



Here’s two:





Here’s three:


And, if I showed any more, that would just be bragging!
P.S. “LG, you should be glad that I don’t get overly excited for both age groups.
I am already trying to round up some valium for Abigail’s future games.”

"God is in the wind"

I loved this faith promoting post about roses are red’s visit to the Columbine High School memorial.

I found this scripture to add to the post: Mark 4: 39 & 41

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And
the wind ceased, and there was a great calm …. And they feared exceedingly,
and said one to another, “What manner of man is this,
that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

I tried to capture the wind in photograph. Here is the best I could do for now.

Tears of Joy
I now have a very intimate connection to this scripture:

John 16:20
Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
Here is the name of my husband on the list of those who passed the TN Bar.
G
SHAHERYAR SHER GILL
JENNIFER LAUREN GILLIS
AUTUMN LYNNE GILLMORE
REBECCA BISSON GOBER
LEGRAND GOLD
ANTHONY BRADLEY GRAY
ANTHONY NICHOLAS GRECO
DOUGLAS SCOTT GRISWOLD
SAMANTHA KAY GROSLAND
JORDAN MITCHELL GWIAZDON

Here is the picture of me in the car, driving with my knee, talking on my cell phone, crying tears of relief and joy, while simulatenously capturing the moment for my blog.

P.S. I am seriously considering re-naming my blog to “My Life in My Minivan”

A Note from Ms. Nitz

I have blogged before about Sophia trying to outgrow her shyness.

A while back, I sent a note into Sophia’s teacher to inquire about any areas we could help Sophia improve upon. We had gotten her report card and it said she could work on something to do with language skills.

Here is the note that Ms. Nitz sent back home.

We have talked with Ms. Nitz before about Sophia fitting in socially and Ms. Nitz always tells us that she trys to pay extra attention to kids like Sophia. Ms. Nitz has said, “When children are so delightful and quiet they can easily be forgotten about.”

So, you can imagine my quandry when she sent this note home. Was she serious? Or was she just trying to play with us on Sophia’s quiet and less than excited personality?

I have confused some readers here already, so let me write a little more. Ms. Nitz was serious, Sophia needed to learn how to recognize the word shouted in her book and how the exclamation point is used. Ms. Nitz was not in a “round about” way trying to tell us that Sophia needed to learn how to shout or get excited. When I tend to try and find humor in everything I confuse myself a lot of the time. I was confused over this note until my hubby explained it to me, and I am sorry for not being more concise with the original story.

Bras

At dinner tonight, we had THAT conversation. It went something like this.

Me: “Abigail, you know, you guys are all growing so fast, you will need a bra before you know it.”
Abigail: “No I won’t.”

Me: “Yes, you will, probably by about the 5th grade, enjoy your freedom while it lasts, you only have a couple of years left.”

Abigail: “Some of my friends already have bras. R*** has one, and so does J***.”

Me: “What, J*** has a bra? She doesn’t need a bra.”

LG: “I need a bra more than J*** needs one.” (LG wants me to clarify, just in case any of you would actually worry about, he has no idea what J even looks like, much less her bra size…he just figures that his boobs are bigger than any third graders out there)

And refering to his own breasts may be the only time LeGrand chimes in when the topic of bras comes up. That and when he reminds me that he can still unclasp m….(I better not go there…you remember the rule…the bedroom is off limits.)

Marketing 101 for the Blogging World

Here is LG and I at work on our computers at the same time. This seems to have become our nightly entertainment. We are like an old retired couple. After we get the kids to bed and have a second to relax, I go to my computer to blog, and he goes to his to read my blog! ! (yeah right)

After getting linked on Instapundit a while back, I told LG sarcastically that I had made it in the blogging world. He laughed and said, “Alice the only way you really make it in the blogging world is when all of your friends tell all of their friends to read and the cycle continues for a few years.” Who knew?

So my question is this: All of you friends, are you telling all of your friends? (just kidding) As you read from my last post, you know I don’t have to MAKE it, I love to blog and just plan to keep on writing, even when my comment count gets low. (which is seems to have done lately – hint hint)

So in honor of making it in the blogging world, here is something funny for you all.

A while ago I read this explanation of Marketing. It was originally written about a woman bragging about her sexy skills. (if you know what I mean) I cleaned it up, and made it apply to those of us with blogging addiction.

Perhaps the following examples will help us all learn something today about Marketing:

You see another blog. You open it and leave a comment, “I’m the best blogger around.” That’s Direct Marketing.

Your blogging friend goes to another blog and says, “Check this out” and links to your blog saying “She’s the best blogger around”. That’s Advertising.

You go back to the blog after they’ve left you a comment. You get their e-mail address and send an e-mail to them along with links to all of your best work…”Check out my blog, I’m the best blogger around” That’s Telemarketing.

You write a post that somehow compliments every other blogger that you know. You offer free prizes and excessive linkage to everyone you know with a “P.S. message”, “I’m the best blogger in the world.” That’s Public Relations.

Somebody just comes to your blog out of the blue and they leave you a comment, “I hear you have the best blog in the world” That’s Brand Recognition.

You have the best blog in the world, and you use your power to convince other people to visit other people and places. Now you are a Sales Rep.

Your mother-in-law starts her own blog, and calls you to help her figure stuff out. She knows that you are the best blogger in the world. That’s Tech Support.

You leave over a thousand comments on blogs that you have never visited or never intend to revisit, you leave the comment “I am the best blogger!” with a link that says, “Come and see for yourself”. That’s Spam.

Rear View Mirror

While on the road to pick up Sophia from school today, I noticed that Bella has picked up my love for rock and roll. It is hard to tell from the video, but she is a head boppin’ fool. (I have to apologize to my mother in law here who hates it when I drive and operate anything other than the car at the same time) Bella’s rock out session was much better before she realized that I was trying to catch her in the act. I resorted to videoing her through the rear view window so she would act naturally. I think that she still kind of knew what I was doing because she isn’t half as zealous as before in this video. When I got done and put my camera in my purse Bella said, “Mommy are you going to put me on your blog?” She didn’t want me to, but I hope she’ll forgive me someday. She is kind of blog shy.

I am always happy when I can catch something entertaining while driving in my car. Have you noticed my new K-town label. K-town is label for the things I see around Knoxville; it’s amazing the things you notice from your car when looking for blog photos. (usually while driving in the car – because you all know that I am in my car a good two hours every day) So, I was trying to figure out how I was going to come up with an excuse to post this cute blurb of Bella. I don’t want this to my “kid” blog. I don’t like reading other people’s blog when all they blog about is their children. (I do like to read about their children, just not ALL the time)

Sheila, my new blogging friend, just gave me the best excuse ever, to post my rear view mirror catch. WOW! I only had to wait three hourse to find a good reason to justify posting about my children again. Anyway, read Sheila’s post with a rear view mirror analogy. I loved it. It is good advice for all of us who need to learn to let go of our mistakes.

Free Entertainment

Here is a photo of one source of free entertainment…a tree swing. This one just happens to be in our yard.

Another source of free entertainment is the American mall. The mall, free? What? How is that? Keep reading. I shop at the mall about once a year. I just think everything is so OVERPRICED! I can’t even afford the underwear that they sell at the mall. But I’ve learned to be a smart mother and I now can use every lack of funds moment to my advantage.

A few months ago, we stopped in at the mall just to eat at the food court.) O.k. so I go to the mall more than once a year, but going to the food court doesn’t count.) About twice a year, we like to go as a family and let everyone get whatever kind of food they want.

After all 5 of us have ordered food from different establishments we give our kids a lesson in sharing and divide the smor·gas·bord around the table. When we have each eaten every possible food group and we can feel them sloshing around in our digestive systems, we can’t help but feel like we’ve made it in life! The food court is a true symbol of American life. When your whole family can get their favorite mass produced food and enjoy it at the same table, you know you live in America. Or Japan, but we aren’t counting the fact that everyone in Japan has rice as their same favorite food.

Well, how do we top a night off when we have all just gorged ourselves on MSG? After forking out $20 for food, we are then ready for some free entertainment. First, we stop at the little kiddie quarter rides. The kids know we won’t pay the quarter, but they think it is fun to climb in anyways. It is the same concept for LG. As I watch the kids on the kiddie rides, he goes inside the video game store. LG knows that I won’t give him the quarter, but he likes to climb anyway.

And, then, before we leave the mall, I get my entertainment….no, not the IceCream Dots, but watching the family take bottomless rides on the….you’ve got it.. the escalators. Even though the girls have graduated from calling the escalators “alligators”, they still always love to ride. Now, as Mormons, you know we don’t believe in excess, (so we try not to go overboard on the riding) but we ride just enough to properly bother every possible mall-goer who believes the escalator was made only for floor transition. My daughters are 8, 6, and 4 and still think it is the escalator is the greatest invention in the whole wide world. LG usually putters out after 2 ups and 2 downs, but I like to keep on riding, so that I can keep getting a good glance at the girls smiling from ear to ear.

So, see, ladies, there are advantages (besides appeasing your budget nazi husbands) to only going to the mall three times a year….all kinds of free entertainment right under your nose.

And the quote of the day:

“I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it can only
become stairs. There would never be an escalator temporarily out of order sign,
only an escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience.” ~ Mitch
Hedberg