A week in review...

Whew! This was a busy week. It is nice to sit down and think through all the events versus spending the day running around some more!

Tuesday and Thursday were busy with baseball. Buddy's team lost both games, but made a great effort and played great ball! The boys are all finding their favorite positions to play and are working more as a team. We have watched them improve over the past few weeks. Buddy was the starting pitcher last night and did a great job. He also performed well at hitting. We are trying to keep him focused on his baseball, but it is hard to keep this athlete in one sport. He wants to learn how to play golf and is practicing basketball outside every day. I am NOT driving for all of that!! :o)

Miss Martha has been going to the baseball games with us and has kept another 4 year old occupied. I think people like to have Martha around because she doesn't consider herself too big to be a helper with the little ones. I am happy that God gave her such a love for children.

Both kids are making headway on their summer library reading club schedule. Martha has put in 14 hours of reading in over the past 2 weeks- about 1 hour a day. For some bookworms that is not a big deal, but for Martha it is great accomplishment. I remember having my nose in a book all day and it probably wasn't the best thing for me. I got out of trying new things, participating in sports, and learned instead how to be completely sedentary and self-absorbed. Looking back, my parents should have put a limit on my reading and done a little more pushing in other directions. Balance, balance, balance.

Buddy and I had a mother/son "date" Wednesday afternoon and found a beautiful hidden beach and hiking trail nearby. We went for a hike and swim. It was great. There is even a lifeguard on duty at this beach. We had a great time, and I am so privileged to have this boy who will hang out with his mom!! I am going to take advantage of it as long as I can.

I drew a line in the sand and gave our internet provider one last chance to get our service up and running strong. I have service and will see if they can keep it coming! I hope so. I miss my blogging therapy!!

Have a good weekened!! Enjoy the 4th!

Moon cycle

My 3 amigos are gone for the weekend...spending time at the "El Rancho Costa Plenty". I will miss spending time at the El Rancho. However, I think my brain and body need some time of peace. I crave those things. The rest of us (myself and Hodge Podge's friend) are going to hang together and have some special R&R. This may include (depending on migraine situation) popcorn, a bed, chocolate, a brisk walk, a book, maybe a movie, SNL, only a few chores (to supress the guilt), a newspaper (and especially the classifieds), watermelon, a lawn chair, a basketball, ice cream, rose scented soap, a "Better Home than Ours" magazine ...........

TGIF

I am finally back online (for at least 5 minutes) and so will try to summarize our week.

Buddy update: Buddy won his game last night!! He started as pitcher, but had a hard time. He had 3 walks and, due to an awesome hit by the other team, gave up 4 runs. It was tough. On the flip side- he made up the runs with his bat! He was 3 for 3 at bat last night! I had to leave early, so I didn't get to see the last exciting inning. It was a much needed win and a real moral booster after losing twice. Buddy told me it was tough to see the faces of the guys on the other team- they were pretty down. However, he wasn't so sad as to want to give up his win! He is just the "devil" out there when he plays- intense!! I wonder where he gets that from? :o)

Martha has had a hard couple of days. She felt tired and weak on Wednesday and almost fainted in the afternoon. A really bad migraine came on and she had it the rest of the day, overnight, and into Thursday. Pork head! (say it slow..poor kid..) (inside joke!!)

I finally made the leap and ordered some homeschooling materials. It is one of my favorite times- getting new books. It keeps the excitement level high for the new year and provides hope- that maybe these new books will contribute greatly to my child's education!!!! Choose wisely, grasshopper!

Summer has begun, and I am happy to welcome it!!! Get out the floaties, towels, and swimsuites! Set aside serious things for a day and go to the beach! If you need any help with that, just let me know. Hodge Podge, Buddy, and Martha would be more than happy to join you in a day of sun, sand, and swimming.

Happy Summer!

Tuesday

I am having a terrible time trying to get internet access, so I hope I can keep up. We are going to switch to a different provider. The company we use now has failed us- completely!!!! I can't wait to have consistent service.

The Buddy update: For those of you bored to death of baseball updates, just skip ahead. For the patient, I will let you know this was an awesome game- the best yet. His team lost 10- 11, BUT they had a terrific rally. Buddy hit what I will call a home run (it is technically a triple with a throwing error) and a single. He also walked once. He scored 2 runs. He didn't pitch tonight. He has now established himself as a pitcher and hitter who can contribute to his team. It is a blessing for us to watch him play- especially to see his discipline and willingness to work. I fully believe in competition. It is one of those God given innate qualities that causes people to excel. Without competition there wouldn't be a reason to move ahead or improve- can you imagine life without it? It would be like socialism in Russia- dead.

We had a great stay-at-home day. There are certain chores that require a day at home- laundry being one of them. We had piles of clothes everywhere. Martha and Buddy had major room cleanup duty. It was painful to watch them sift through all their junk, but necessary. I had to intervene, threaten them with a loss of privileges, and do a small amount of verbal "encouragement" to keep them going.

I've had a steady stream of Backyard Friends (Bluebirds, see picture below) visit since I have provided worms. We have other Backyard Friends (Orioles and Finches) who love the grape jelly and orange slices. I love to see the bright orange, blue, and red birds eating just a few feet away. I used to watch the Mourning Doves, Woodpeckers, and Sparrows in the front of the yard, but they just don't compare in beauty to these other colorful creatures!!

Hope you are having a good week!!

Playing catch and catch-up

A few things have happened since I last wrote. Buddy had a Thursday game on the 14th. He smiled pretty (or handsomely) for team pictures, but suffered his first loss of the season. Buddy was the starting pitcher and did not give up any runs or walks during his two innings. Unfortunately, the next pitcher gave up 10 runs, which put them in a very deep hole that they were unable to crawl out of.

We spend some time this evening doing some batting and fielding practice as a family. Buddy pitched and hit some balls. Steve couldn't resist hitting a few of Buddy's pitches out to me, Hodge Podge, in the outfield. I daydreamed about being a star softball player while the "boys" had their practice.

Pretty, pretty princess (Martha) sat and read a book (and let all the foul balls whiz past), while the rest of us played and sweated in the 87 degree weather.

Hodge podge's friend had a hard day without his family. He spent his time sleeping and worrying that we would never return. He was so happy to see us come home and give him a little pat pat.

We had an All-American Father's Day weekend, with All-American Father's Day food and fellowship after church. It was a wonderful day.

Ode to Steve

To dad who makes us laugh,
to dad who knows us inside out,
we will not deprive you of your bath,
nor shirk our chores with a pout.

With one sock off, with one sock on,
With applesauce breakfasts, with blueberry lips,
We will help with sticks on the lawn,
We will smile at all your quips.

To a 'who are you do it?' dad,
To a 'doh!' and an 'excellent' dad,
To our 'Newman!' dad,
We give you our love.

Buddy goes bananas!

What a game! Who knew that Little League could be so exciting? Our Buddy closed the game out and got the save. He has a 2-0 record with 2 RBI's and, now, one save. He pitched the last 2 innings and struck out 3 boys and only walked 1 boy.(which is pretty awesome in Little League where the pitching is so poor that almost everyone walks!)He found his niche- pitching! We are so happy for him. We are developing a whole cheering section of families. Martha attended the game with us- I can't tell for sure if she was interested in the game or the $1 twist cone she knew was coming??? At the end of the game (which was a close one) we all just lost our minds and cheered, clappped, and yelled. It was great! Of course, it isn't about winning or losing...

Today we have a day at the park. We are attending 2 play groups. In between the two, we are going to go to the library to sign Martha and Buddy up for the summer book club. Martha is into Trixie Belden BIG TIME and can't seem to put the books down. This is so funny to me because I went through the same phase about 25 years ago. I read almost every Trixie Belden book I could get my hands on. When I finished those, I moved on to Nancy Drew. When I finished those, I moved on to Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and some romance novels (Teehee...hormones had kicked in....).Anyway..Martha loves to read when she finds something she thinks is worth reading.

I better get things ready to go for the day.

Blessings,
Hodge Podge

Feelin' Hot, hot, hot

It is going to be a scorcher today! I can feel the water in the air!

We had a good weekend of camping at Sibley State Park. The weather was pretty good and the temperatures were great. We stood atop Mt. Tom and saw a nice, panoramic view of the area around New London.

I am also a part of a Bible study that started meeting yesterday- Monday. We are studying the book of Colossians. It has been so good to read through this great book of the Bible! Paul writes, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.." 2:6 I've heard it said, "Life is a journey". I like the walk/journey analogy. We are to take each day, step by step, minute by minute for the Lord- learning more about Him, following what He has taught us, and passing His good news on to others. Each of Paul's books in the NT fulfill this goal- he provides warnings and practical teaching and leaves us with firm commands to pass these things on. Paul was able to say, "because of the hope laid up for you which you previously heard....the gospel, which has come to you....the grace of God in truth just as you learned it..." (Colossians 1:5-7) SOMEONE had to share these truths and SOMEONE had to pass along their faith. What a wonderful kick in the pants! ;o)

We have baseball game #2 tonight! So far, Buddy has a 1-0 record with 1 RBI. I will keep you posted of his stats.

Blessings to you on this hot Tuesday in June!

Introductions

To any new visitors (aka Grandma): I must make introductions-
Steve- Hodge's husband, named after MVP Steve Nash
Martha- Hodge's creative daughter
Buddy- the ever energetic and hungry son
Hodge Podge's friend- loyal and also hungry family dog

I felt these names provided my paranoid mind some sense of anonymity and also added a little creative flair to my writing. :o)

Mid-week freeze

It is a cold Wednesday today. I've decided to take advantage of it and fix a roast with all the trimmings for supper. I don't like to heat up the house with the oven during the summer. Martha is especially happy about the roast!

I better keep the Administrator Guy off of this site. He does not seem to be very supportive! I thought he might benefit from this artistic outlet, but I've changed my mind. He can start his own blog.

Hodge's friend (see picture below) is losing some weight. He has been on a diet for 2 weeks now and he seems to be a little lighter. He is desperate for food, and will grab and run with anything that comes within a foot of his face. I have been giving him a walk each day. Last night after the predictable 20 minutes he sat down in the middle of the road and refused to walk any further. I don't know what the Dog Whisperer would have advised, but I just asked him where he wanted to go and he walked me back home.

Buddy has picture day for baseball this Thursday. I am so "taken" with him in his uniform that I think I might actually get a little package of pictures. I am such a pushover. I should wear a sign that says, "Prey on me".

Steve mowed the lawn last night and it looks pretty "sweet". It has finally rained enough to produce a nice, green lawn. I feel like we fit in with the neighborhood now. All that's left is to stick out our pink flamingo.

Time to go and check on supper. I have parcelled out a 340 calorie twist donut and hear 1/3 of it calling my name- the kids are gone- it is the perfect opportunity. :o)

Administrator guy

I want to state for the record that I do not endorse the opinions shared on this so called blog. They are the confused meanderings of a troubled mind. Please keep this in mind as you read on.

Sincerely, The Administrator

We're Back!!

We are home after a week of camping. I know this will sound a little "gross", but I think the car just vomitted us out once it pulled into our driveway. We had bags here, there and everywhere. We were all in dirty camping clothes, and we looked a little "rough". We probably even smelled like campfire smoke. We came back a day early because Buddy had his first baseball game this afternoon.

His game was great! He was walked a couple of times and got an official RBI because he was 4th to be walked giving and automatic run. It was so much fun to see him out in his baseball gear- cleats, cap, and c_ p. He He He ;0) (for those of you with a ?, I can clue you in later!!!) His team won by 10 points.

Martha had a great time camping. She crocheted, played games, and talked- a lot!! She had a friend with her, so it was especially good!

I have been spoiled. My husband's parents let us use their camper. I feel like I cannot go back to the flimsy, uncomfortable, and inconvenient tent life again. We were so thankful to have the camper- especially during the rainy periods. I really enjoyed the walking, biking, and sight-seeing. The mosquitos were out in huge numbers, but the scenery was so beautiful. I think everyone should giving camping a try at least once!