Thursday, December 21, 2006

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

That's right, people. Bowl season is upon us. Day after day of football, all day long. Mama Chris is getting all tingly just thinking about it. Her husband, on the other hand, is already counting all the various ways he can think of to get away from the television and her mania. It's been three weeks! Three. Whole. Weeks. Since I watched a decent days' worth of college football. The pros have been subbing, but it's just not the same, although I must extend my thanks to the Ravens for doing so well in my time of need.

It started Monday (or was it Tuesday - I can't remember what I ate for lunch today so don't ask me specifics like that - unless it was about things that happened ten years ago. Then I'm good) with a, well, kind of boring game. It doesn't get much better really until New Year's weekend. And then once Notre Dame plays LSU, it's all over. I'm not going to discuss how that game might end up because I refuse to believe that ND doesn't have a chance and I'd hate to eat my words if I said they'll kick LSU's ass. So I'll just not say anything at all.

Yeah, I don't give a crap about OSU and Florida. Unless Florida wins. Then I'd be impressed.See, I'm always rooting for the underdog. Unless that underdog is playing Notre Dame.

The only thing that gets my dear old hubby through this glorious time is knowing that it's all over until next September. Seriously, how did I end up married to a total sports-hater? I'm not a big rah-rah type. I really just love football, especially the give-it-their-all way the college teams play. Okay, so I'm kind of rah-rah about Notre Dame. And Maryland. And whoever's playing Florida State. My father-in-law finally got someone to watch sports with when Tom married me. He's more into NFL and baseball, but we can hang, especially on January 1. Tom? Just not into it. Actually, kind of rabidly against fandom in general - you know the overbearing, all encompassing level that some people take it to? And really I agree with him. Football is entertainment, not a way of life. Not unless someone is paying you millions upon millions of dollars to participate in it.

I barely even have the heart to tell him that I'll be watching the Ravens in the playoffs. So, just until February (optimistically speaking). Oh, and then I'll probably get into March Madness yet again. But then once it's April, I'm off of sports until September. Mostly. I mean, if a baseball game's the only thing on, I'll probably watch it.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

I caved...

I've been swearing that I would not buy my mother-in-law clothing or anything for her house this year because she never wears or uses the stuff we buy her. Well, after weeks of searching and getting a little panicky that Christmas is FIVE FREAKING DAYS AWAY!!!! I just bought her some new sweaters and a new blanket for her sofa. I bought my brother-in-law some clothes too, but he asked me to, so that was pretty easy. I'm down to my parents. The people who have everything. I think I"m going to end up going with photos of the kids. Who doesn't love that, right?

And I know I said I was done with the kids, but I found something I've been looking for today and I had to get it. I think I'm now officially done with the kids. Until the next time I go out. No, really, they're done.

Monday, December 18, 2006

One week...

Yeah. That's all there is until Christmas. One week. Seven days. And all I can think is how I'm caught up in the commercial. I'm not super religious. Okay, I'm not really religious at all. I'm completely weirded out by my 3.5 year old coming home from her Catholic preschool telling me about baby Jesus. I mean, I expected this sort of thing when I signed her up there, so I'm not at all offended, just weirded out. I was raised Catholic and the preschool is very easy on the religion - basic Christian stuff, nothing over the top, so it's not a problem.

Where was I going with all that? Oh, what Christmas means to me. It's not the gift-giving or the religious aspects that signify Christmas to me. It's family. I've been thinking about my style - specifically photographically-speaking, but just in all my endeavors and it all comes down to the same thing. Family is the most important thing to me. One of my problems now is focusing on my own little family rather than my larger extended family. I just know that change is coming as we all get older, our kids get older and more of my cousins have their own kids. Christmas won't be the same and I'm trying to hang on for as long as I can.

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping it all gets done so I can relax and enjoy it all.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Breaking the streak...

2006 will go down as the first year since 2000 (including 2000) that I haven't been pregnant. I say that and think "that can't be right." But it is. For at least part of every year since Y2K, I've been pregnant at least part of the year. Except this one. And I'm partly sad, but mostly okay with it. Every day that goes by, my life gets a little easier. Baby S - not so much a baby anymore as a toddler - is becoming ever so independent. She is, in fact, helping herself to a cookie as I type. Be right back.

Mr. T is in school all day and while I miss him, it's so nice to grocery shop with just two kids again. Miss G is in preschool and for those five hours a week, I only have one child to worry about. And she's usually sleeping then. I can actually get things done without having to answer 356 questions about what I'm doing.

I said to a mother at school the other day that it's now or never. We either have the fourth child now or we stay at three. In the past, I've said that I think I will regret not having another years from now. Lately, I'm not so sure. I think if I'd gone into my pregnancy with Baby S thinking it was my last, I would be okay with it having been my last. I've been trying to enjoy her babyhood as if she were my last child. Maybe that's why I don't feel as called to have that fourth baby anymore.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

I think my mom card is in jeopardy...

Mr. T is known by all who love him to be a bit, well, how do I put this? A bit particular about certain things. Some might go so far as to call him anal-retentive. Not me, of course. He just likes things his way. I can respect that, actually. He's not a neat freak and his things don't interfere with life...very often. He just has things in his head the way he wants them and real life better match up or be prepared to be changed. And if it can't be changed, he has a total meltdown. We're working on that part.

So today while he was at school, Miss G and I finished decorating the Christmas tree. I moved some ornaments that the kids had put on the very ends of branches to sturdier sections. As soon as Mr. T got home from school and saw this, he nonchalantly set about moving all the ornaments I had moved (that he had placed) back to where he had them. Back to the bowing, bending, breaking branches. I showed him why they needed to be on stronger branches and moved them to ones myself. He went back and moved them to other sturdy branches. Ones he picked out.

This is where the mom card gets iffy. I told him he is not to touch the tree at all from this point on. No moving any ornaments at all. As I'm telling him this, though, I couldn't keep my stern face. I just started laughing at how typically Mr. T the whole thing was. And worse, as I was talking to him, he reached out to move another ornament to where he wanted it. And I laughed as I was reminding him what I'd just told him. Isn't that like the first thing they tell you not to do in Parenting 101? Oops. There goes my mom card.

I'm not really worried about this, though. I mean I'm constantly trying to help him relax about whatever bizarre things he decides to obsess over and yet not crush that part of his spirit, because really it is him. It's part of the essence of Mr. T. I see my job as his parent - at least part of it - as helping him fit himself into the world - knowing when to change and when not to, what to change and what not to, how to do things the "right" way and how to stay true to yourself.