Hello, all.

It's Friday!!! Yay!!!

I'm working on the laundry, the boys are out of school and watching movies, and the Princess is running around the house looking for attention.

We're headed to Mom's for the weekend. The boys want to Trick-or-Treat there, I get to help my sister-in-law with adorable little Hudson, and Hubby will be working at the farm with my brother.

So I have a ton of stuff to pack for the trip: costumes, clothes, etc.

Hopefully the boys will entertain themselves and their sister while I work, and then we'll be off.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my friend, Holly!!!

Later.

Warning: A Rant in Progress

Hey.

Well, t-ball is over. The last game did not go well.

We did lose, which wasn't the problem.

We lost badly, as in, very unsportsman-like on the part of, not the kids, but the parents.

There were a handful of adults who complained to the umps about the scorekeeping, several of the calls, and were frankly getting hysterical about how the kids were playing.

They are little kids. Most of them are up early so their parents can get to work, they are in school and/or daycare all day, and then they are rushed to the t-ball field for the 6pm games, and expected to fully concentrate on the game? Come on.

It was a very cold evening, the Princess refused to keep her jacket on (she thought it was funny to take it off and make me put it back on) so I used that as an excuse to leave the stands.

It was just getting to the point that I was embarrassed by the yelling and carrying on.

Now, I want to make it very clear that I love all our little guys on the team. And I really, really like their parents. I think we've had a fantastic season, and a fantastic group of people this year. Hands down.

But this game, they were just over the top. I was unhappy with the way the other team acted on Saturday, and then our people turned around and acted the same way, or worse. Not cool.

I wanted our team to win just as much as everyone else. It would have been wonderful to go an entire season undefeated. We ended up being 8-1 and we were locked for 1st place anyway. So personally, I think one loss isn't the end of the world. The kids did a great job, they are improving by leaps and bounds every day, and the spring season is going to be fabulous to watch.

But we've got to bring the outrageous anger down a notch. Some days, it is just not our game. Some days, it is. But the adults need to keep it together for the kids. Watching their parents come unglued on the officials, the coaches, or the other team isn't setting the example I want my boys to follow.

So my rant is over now. Please continue on with your day, and have a wonderful rest of the week.

Later.

Hey, everybody.

Well, we had a super busy weekend. The first event to kick off our mad dash around the state was two t-ball games on Saturday morning.

First of all, it was quite chilly. We had the boys in long-johns and long sleeved shirs, plus hoodies while they played. The Princess had thermal jammies, jeans, a long sleeved shirt, hoodie, plus a lighter coat.

Second, it was muddy. The field hadn't dried enough from the soaking it got on Thursday. And twenty-something little boys from the two teams had way more fun throwing themselves down in the mud than playing the game. And the Princess was determined to drop herself into as much of the mud outside the field as she could find.

Third, our team played well, we won both games, but for some reason there was some sort of situation during the first game that came up from a dead ball play, an out for one of our players, and another of our players going back to third base after he thought he scored.

This situation went from bad to worse because the other team kept complaining to the ump (one coach in particular) about how our player at 3rd should have been called out, too.

The ump said no, dead ball (whatever that means), the kid gets to go back to his base, our other player was already out, end of discussion.

But the other team's coach would not let it go.

So the ump tossed him from the game and refused to let him back on the field until the start of the next game.

Our team was a little shocked by the whole thing. Or at least I was. I didn't see the problem. The kid who should have been out was out, the kid who should have gone back to 3rd base went, no one on the other team ever tagged him in an attempt to make a play so there was no reason to insist the player at 3rd should be out, too.

And all this happened in front of both sets of kids and their parents. It just seemed completely ridiculous to me. If the coach had an issue, it needed to be discussed privately, or after the game, but not in a huge scene in front of the children.

For all I know, the other coach had a legit complaint, and I just didn't know the rules well enough to get it.

BUT NOT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS!

Today is supposed to be the last game until the spring season. Hopefully it will be a good game. With no arguing.

If we win, we'll go undefeated for the fall season. But even if we don't, the kids will still have a good time.

That's all for now.

Later.

Hello, all.

Woohoo, it's Friday!

I would love to say I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend at home with my family, but that's not really the case. This weekend is going to be go-go-go for everybody.

Today is going to be me fighting The Princess for writing time, followed by picking the boys up from school and running to pick up gifts for my sister-in-law's baby shower on Sunday.

Tomorrow is t-ball, a writer's meeting, and a trip to Mom's house, where I am so happy I get to see my little nephew again. Oh, yeah . . . and my brother and sister-in-law.

Sunday is two baby showers, more time with baby Hudson, and scrambling like crazy to meet my word count goals for those two days.

The Princess has decided that naps are no longer necessary, which is making for long days for Mommy. Especially when trying to write. The minute she hears the click of the keyboard, she assumes it's party time, and crawls into my lap (on top of the computer), and demands her turn slapping at the keys.

And when I put her down, she throws herself on the floor and has a tantrum worthy of an Academy Award.

So this should be a very interesting weekend, seeing if I can get everything done.

Hope your weekend goes well. Everyone stay safe.

Later.

Hola!

It's the middle of the week. Duh. Y'all know that already.

I'm very tired today. The kids are feeling better. Their team won the t-ball game on Monday, we play again tomorrow, and two make up games on Saturday morning. I also have my writer's group meeting on Saturday afternoon.

Then we're headed to Mom's Saturday night, and going to my sister-in-law's baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Two of them, actually.

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead, and need to keep our family as healthy as possible to handle the frantic pace we're expecting.

Not to mention I'm trying to finish my manuscript in the next 6 days. So I've been channelling the Little Engine That Could . . . I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

Hope the rest of your week goes well, and I'll check back with you on Friday.

Later.

Hello.

Well, we are coming off an excellent anniversary weekend, and have landed straight in . . .

Disaster.

Hubby and I enjoyed our time alone, we picked the kids up, and had a pretty good evening hearing about their wonderful adventures with Mimi and Papa Max.

We got everyone in the bath, teeth brushed, and tucked in for the night.

Then about 1am, one of the twins crawled into our bed, crying.

"I don't feel good, Mommy." Cough, cough, cough. "I'm hot." Like a blazing inferno.

Uh, oh.

When we picked the kids up, Mimi warned us that they all seemed to have a slight tickle in their throats. We discussed symptoms and decided that allergies were the likely culprit.

We didn't think too much about it, and the children played all evening with friends. Everyone seemed fine.

But the wee morning hours rolled by with my son alternating between coughing, crying, and laying on top of me in the bed with fever-reducer in his system and a cold rag plastered to his forehead.

Hubby was smart enough (or perhaps a little chicken) to get out of the room and take refuge in the guest bed. However, his reprieve was short lived as the other two kids ended up in bed with him.

So what started out as a fabulous weekend at home with my husband transformed into a long, stress-filled night in the end.

The alone-time with Hubby was amazing. Having one son home from school and unable to play t-ball tonight with his team, while his little sister does her best to pick, pull, and harrass, has not made for the start of a good week.

But hopefully things will get better.

Have a great week, and everyone stay healthy.

Later.

Howdy, folks!

Hope you had a wonderful week, and have plans for a wonderful weekend, too.

I got a late start on my blog this morning because I slept in today. And the reason I slept in is because I had no kids waking me up with a running leap to the midsection. And the reason I had no kids is because they are with their grandparents for the next two days.

THANK YOU MIMI AND PAPA MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I don't think there are words to truly describe how grateful I am to have this little bit of alone-time with my husband.

He's running a few errands this morning, and giving me the chance to catch up on my blog writing, and my blog reading (there are some interesting debates going on in the publishing world, but I won't bore you with that right now), and I'm hoping to get a little writing done before we go out this afternoon.

I have a mushy romance movie from Netflix on my coffee table, waiting to be watched, and we might even go walking at the lake, or head for the Botanical Gardens, or . . . the possibilities are endless.

So I'd better go. Enjoy your weekend. I intend to enjoy mine!

Later.