For the Love of Baseball

One of the best feelings of summer is going to a baseball game.

Think about it:
It's hot out, your legs and arms are sticking to the metal seats.
You've got an ice cold beer in your hand and your team (whoever they may be) is up to bat.
The bases are loaded and you can tell something magical is going to happen.
You hear that beautiful crack of the wooden bat hitting perfectly against the ball and watch it fly high up over the opposing players.
Your heart soars and you hold your breath as you watch.
Everyone jumps out of their seat and cheers - and suddenly you're all team-mates. The three runners come in to cross home-base and the batter rocked a triple! You're still smiling when you plop back down to watch some more.
The stadium food and beverages might be overpriced, but that's just part of the game.
Silly mascots are running around and smells of fresh cut grass, beefy hot dogs, salted peanuts and cotton candy waft through the air and you can't help but indulge.

When my husband and I found out we were getting the girls for the entire summer, we were trying to think of fun, memorable stuff to do with them. We found out that our local AA baseball team was hosting a family night campout on the field after one of their games! Way cool.

We got our tickets in advance and on Friday late-afternoon we packed up our camping gear: tent, sleeping bags, pillows etc. (and the kids) and off we went to the game! The kids got to play on the carousel and jumpy-castle that's in the kid play zone, so they were happy. My husband got picked/volunteered for one of the games in between innings which he won and our entire section got a prize! It was a wonderful, action packed game and even better when our home-team won 8-5! Afterwards, the stadium did an 11min fireworks show which rivaled the fireworks we'd seen on the 4th of July. Then we went out to the car to gather our camping gear. If you've ever been on a playing field before you know what I'm talking about - as soon as you step beyond the gate of the stands and set foot on the turf you get butterflies. The heroes of the game just played here on the field...and you find you've got that silly grin on your face again. We set up our tent in center-field, got comfy, took out the popcorn we'd brought along and settled in to watch a family-friendly movie on the jumbo screen. It's quite a sight to see tons of tents set up on a baseball field, and it was quite a treat to be one of them. Besides some noisy camping neighbors, the night went pretty smoothly! There were hardly any bugs - so no need for bug-spray, it was cool outside, the moon was glowing and the crickets were singing.
At 6am the stadium blasted an 'alarm' to get us all moving and out by 7. Dew was heavy on the turf and it was chilly. The magic from the game the night before still lingered in the stands as we disassembled our tent and packed up our belongings. I saw the stadium workers getting ready to clean up and start all over again for the next game. What a great cycle. The tradition of baseball, America's pastime will always hold a special place in my heart.
We made our way to the car with heavy eyelids, yawning and shuffling, and I knew that this experience would be a great summer memory.

Mommy Time

Summer is here again and with it comes tall cold drinks, hot sticky weather, backyard BBQ's and sunshine galore!

A little background:
My husband has two little girls (from his previous marriage) that we get for a few holidays out of the year and usually for the entire summer! The oldest is 7, the youngest 3. Lately, they've been calling me "mommy" which was totally weird/awkward for me at first, but I'm sort of liking it now. I get lots of 'I love you's and hugs and kisses. I mean, who doesn't like a 3 year old with angel-blonde curly hair falling asleep on you? However, with the great stuff also comes the other stuff. Like trying to figure out 3 healthy meals every day for those growing bones, the constant "Why?" question, the occasional temper tantrum, possible injuries. I tend to call myself "The General" because I feel like a General with her troops!

So now that you know a little background, here's what happened yesterday:
It was mid-morning and I had started to clear off our dining room table so I could start folding laundry on it. In the midst of the clearing I saw something spectacular - my new Coastal Living magazine had arrived in the mail the day before and had been hiding beneath the various coupon books and other mail. I set it by my laptop and oh how it glowed! It's bright blue cover against the dark wood grain of the table and the sunshine spearing onto it...it was delicious. I had to page through it! I'm one of those people that likes to relax when reading (be it a magazine or a novel), so I figured once I was done folding the laundry I'd take a little break and go through it. Then all of a sudden it was time for lunch. Yummy honey ham sandwiches on whole wheat bread. Thankfully, my choice was a hit with the girls/troops. While we were eating, I thought Wouldn't it be nice, if after lunch I could stretch out on the cool leather couch in the living room (the girls have taken over the family room which has our one and only tv) get a cold glass of lemonade, maybe re-paint my toenails and above all else, read my new magazine! Oh how nice it would've been...
After lunch, I started carting my items over to the couch. Laptop, cell phone, magazines. Then I went upstairs to try and decide what color toes I should have. At this point the girls, who were playing on our skeleton of a pool table like an indoor jungle gym, had gotten into a tiff and the little one had followed me upstairs to tell on her sister.
To make a long story shorter, by the time I had removed my old, chipped toenail polish and was re-painting them I was completely surrounded. One kid on each side and a dog in front, all huddled in and watching 'mommy.' *sigh*
Then came the inevitable question, "Can you paint my nails?" Well of course I just don't have the heart to say no to the little fashionistas in training. My only request was that they think patriotic. Since the 4th of July is quickly approaching (4 days away!) I figured that if they had patriotic nails that would be awesome. Oh the debate on which colors and where to place them. Finally they decided and off we went. The eldest troop asked to paint her own nails. Since she's notoriously meticulous and always very careful I decide sure! Why not? So long as she sits on the wood floor (just in case). I then proceeded to show her how to open the bottles and wipe the excess paint off inside the bottle-neck before taking the brush out etc. It turns out she does a stellar job!!! Proud mommy right here! There was only one drip on the wood floor, which of course was easy-peasy to clean up.
Somehow in-between all of that, the youngest troop got her blood-red nail polish smeared smack-dab in the middle of her forehead. It looked very much like a major head injury. I had to laugh at this one...it was too funny. I even sent her upstairs to my bathroom where there are floor-length mirrors so she could see herself. Unfortunately I also found some smeared red glitter polish from the little one's toes on the leather couch...not good. But I'm sure it'll come off eventually.

At this point, we're done painting and I'm hoping they'll want to watch another show in the family room or play in their room so I can read my magazine without being interrupted... Not quite the case... The YCT (Youngest Child/Troop) was getting sleepy. Oh no!!! No napping in the middle of the day! If she falls asleep she's wide awake when it's time for bedtime! Tickle-torture worked for a few minutes...but I knew what I had to do. Wake her up by giving her a popsicle! This was a little trick my mom used to use on me. It totally worked but having them eating their snack in the adjoining dining room I couldn't read my magazine... The constant telling them to eat over their bowls and don't let the dog eat it, and use your napkin were too distracting. Finally when they'd finished they scooted into the family room. Ta-daaa!!! Time to enjoy. Oh wait, no...not quite...now the dog is going crazy because she sees a giant grey squirrel outside!!! So...I take my laptop, cell phone, magazine and my glass of lemonade and I head upstairs to the loft. Perhaps up here the dog won't see any furry creatures she wants to eat. I am now sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair around a small round table which is currently occupied with a giant puzzle. Hmm. "MOMMY!!!!!!" Uh-oh... Apparently there's a rabbit outside eating our vines in the garden. Great. So I run downstairs and through the house with our 65lb dog chasing after me, smashing into my legs and accidentally scraping up my ankle with her nails which tend to slide uncontrollably on the wood floors. I am now in the family room and look outside and see that stinkin rabbit chomping away in our garden on our grape vines!!! I shoot outside - but by the time I get out there he's gone.
Okay, back upstairs into the loft. Now ECT (the Elder Child/Troop) is with me. She wants to work on the puzzle. *sigh* So I just sip my lemonade and surf the net a little and then what happens? The dog throws up. What else could possibly happen, right? As I'm cleaning up the "ick" on the upstairs carpet I hear "MOMMY!!! THE RABBIT IS BACK!!!" So back I go running down the stairs and outside onto the porch and that rabbit has the gall to still sit there stare at me. Without thinking and nothing to throw at it - I run out into the yard to chase it back into the woods. Afterwards, I look down at my dirt (and probably dog poo) covered feet and freshly painted toe-nails and sigh once more.
I never did get to read my magazine. After I came back in from the rabbit chasing it was time for dinner. My husband was working late and I had made a beef roast in the crock pot which had been cooking all day and made the house smell delectable. I decided to let the girls eat at their regular dinner time and then I'd eat with my man when he got home later. ECT really enjoyed it, but YCT wouldn't even try it!!! It's so frustrating when this happens - and it happens with YCT more often than not. You want them to eat. You want them to eat healthy. When they won't even try something - what do you do? After 10min of her sitting and pouting and my getting more and more frustrated and trying to get through to her that what was in front of her was dinner and that was all she was getting - I bribed her with my husband's favorite salt - Lawry's. She wound up eating most of her potatoes (didn't touch the carrots or the meat)...but at least she got something inside of her.
My man came home a short while later while we were all watching Rocky & Bullwinkle and all was well in my little world. There were of course, the little hiccups in the evening - YCT has heat rash on the back of her neck and wouldn't stop crying when we put her to bed, etc...but all in all it was an okay day. I got to bond with my girls. Paint their nails and enjoy their antics. I got lots of 'I love you's and hugs. There were those little slivers in the day that were just beautiful. However, I was SO happy to crawl into bed and pass out.


It is the next day and I am up early. I have hot coffee and my Coastal Living magazine sitting next to me on the table. Finally, I have time to read it. Enjoy it. Savor it. I have my 'mommy time.' Who knows what today will bring...but I know that in the end I will try and find the good in it.