Dances, hoops and scoops

While Matt and I were off to his playoff basketball game tonight (more on that in a bit), Bassam and Gracie got dressed up, went out for dinner and then to the Father-Daughter dance at school.

Bassam told Gracie they could go to dinner wherever she wanted.  Her first choice Mexicali Grill?   While we LOVE Mexican food, Bassam suggested that they do something a little "fancier" (preferably where you don't come out smelling out like Mexican food!).  She finally decided they were go to Bricks, which must be fancy because they have white table clothes (albeit with white paper on top of it).

Before leaving, Mom took a slew of  pre-dance, which of course thrilled no one. Countless shots were deleted due to "fake smiles."  Thank goodness for digital cameras (or iPhones, as the case may be!). Gracie's sweet little dress had a light green layer underneath the cream that I'm not sure you can appreciate in this picture, but she was tickled that Dad had a matching green tie.

Of course, before you can get that one nice shot, you get a whole lot of this.  Notice Bassam in the background on the phone of the twirling shots.  He was on call and trying desperately to get things settled enough so he couldn't be taking calls during the dance.   What?  You don't think you'll get your message across with Taylor Swift blaring in the background?!?

And of course, there is the mandatory picture with Charlie, who looks terribly thrilled to be there.

In the end, they had a great time, capped off by ice cream afterwards.

As for Matt and me, the Yellow Jackets lost in the first round of the playoffs 36-19.  Their record during the regular season was 2-6, so it wasn't terribly surprising.   For that reason, and many others, we were glad to close the books on basketball for the year.

It only seemed right that we stop for ice cream on the way home, too.

Memorial Magic

Despite Bassam being on call and gone for almost entire day, it was a pretty fun Saturday.   The kids and I went over to Vanderbilt for the men's basketball alumni game.  Having said that, a non-air conditioned gym is not exactly the best place for an event in August in Nashville. 

Pretty sure they made a killing selling bottled water.

Still, the kids enjoyed sitting on the court floor to watch the game, meeting current and former players (they had an autograph session afterward) and shooting around on the floor of Memorial Gym afterward.

The tall guy with Matt is Will Perdue.  Back in Illinois, we know him as part of 3 championship teams for the Chicago Bulls.  In these parts, he is a former Vanderbilt standout.  He didn't suit up for the game, but coached one of the teams.  

Good match up for Vandy . . . no matter what happens, 'Dores win!

Basketball

As bummed as we were about Matt losing his playoff game this past Tuesday, it was kind of nice not to have to rush off to a basketball game this morning. 

Instead we did it in the afternoon.

And it wasn't for Matt's team, it was for Vanderbilt. 

After having B's parents over for a birthday lunch for my sweet mother-in-law, we headed in to Nashville to see Vandy play Alabama in their second-to-last home game.  Unfortunately the last home game is Wednesday at 8 pm.   Yeah, not gonna happen.

Anyway, after a painfully awful first half, the Commodores ended up beating Alabama by 10.    We're only losing 2 seniors this year, so I have high hopes for a better season next year.

 Okay, high-ish hopes. 

 

We stopped for Mexican for a late dinner and then came home where I pounded out the church newsletter for March.  It took much longer than expected, hence why I'm blogging at 10:45 at night with hopes of being in bed by 11.  

 

Those hopes may not even be "high-ish," but I'm going to try!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day, one and all! Hope your day included celebrating love and a little bit of chocolate!

Our day started early with Matt's last regular season basketball game.  For reasons that are not entirely clear, we played way out in Fairview, which although in our county, was a good 50 minutes away. The kids got a nice win (only our second of the season) and truly looked like they were HAVING FUN!   We beat the other team by 25, but since we've been in their shoes, the families of our team were equally supportive of every basket their team made.  Matt scored two baskets, so he was especially happy.  So proud of how hard he has worked this year. 

The kids were excited about their Valentines from us, GG and Gus and Aunt Dana.   Bassam gave me a super cute bracelet and earlier in the week gave me flowers, although I'm not entirely sure those were for Valentine's Day as much as they were reminding me that I was loved amidst a very, very bad few days (see post dated February 11th).  Since Bassam is avoiding sweets, I gave him an assortment of freshly made beef jerky from our local butcher.  I felt compelled to tell him this wasn't a "sweets for the sweet" kind of thing, because of course, I don't think he's a jerk (or jerky, as the case may be!).

Gracie was off to birthday party for her pal, Anna, at the skating rink later in the day and Matthew got a visit from the sweet classmate he went to see yesterday who brought HIM a Valentine, plus this super awesome Vanderbilt hat.

Needless to say, he loves it. And for Mom, it was cute watching their super-awkward exchange! Such a sweet girl that my son has chosen for his first crush!

 

Bassam cheffed up a yummy dinner of salmon and made-from-scratch chocolate cupcakes.   And now, with happy, full tummies, we've settled in for an evening of basketball (Matt), a movie (Gracie), beer at the neighbors (Bassam) and laundry (me).    I don't feel at all cheated that we're not spending the last hour and half of Valentine's Day together.  It's been a good day together and we all need to unwind in our own way.

 

Although admittedly, I may have gotten the short end of the stick.

Hoops!

It's been a bit of a rough season for Matt's basketball team this year.   Since our coach was staying on, we had the option to stay together as a team.  It was a great team last year with just one loss in the regular season and then making it all the way to the championship game where they came up short.  Needless to say, we were happy for the option to come back!  Five of the seven boy returned to the league and so with two new boys the "Duck Commanders" of 2013-2014 season became the "Wildcats" of 2014-2015.

In addition to the new name, we also moved up an age bracket to the U12 division.  And in that move, one thing I've discovered is that there can be a big difference between an 11 and 12 year old boy.    Our entire team is 11 and all really about the same size.   Our largest kid is no more than 2-3 inches than our shortest kid, which may be Matt.   However, when we are up against a team of primarily 12 year olds, the difference in height is significant.  We lost a couple weeks ago to a largely 12 year old team by 25 points.  Don't get me wrong, we didn't lose simply because they were bigger than us.  They were a better team and we played poorly that day.  But it has made me aware that in the next year, it's likely that Matthew and his buddies are likely to shoot up.

Of course, it's hard to explain to Matt (who is dying to get taller in hopes it will make him better at sports) that his dad didn't have a big growth spurt until the end of high school. Or that my first drivers license at 16 listed my height at 5'5, however I graduated high school at 5'9 and grew another inch in college. He wants to be tall NOW!

The team we played today had several familiar faces from seasons past, so if I had to guess, I think they had four 11 year olds and three 12 year olds.   Their biggest (and perhaps best) player, who was a full head taller and probably 20-30 pounds heavier than our kids, was 11, so age didn't really play a factor. Although we were up by 1 at the half, but they pulled ahead after halftime and Matt's team recorded another loss.   Having said that, of the 21 points they scored, Matthew got 7 of them!  Coach thinks he's been playing scared on offense and told him before the game he HAD to take at least 3 shots.  As it happens, Matt took 5 shots, made 3 of them, plus a free throw!  Whoo hoo!

So despite another loss for the Wildcats, I left the game a super proud momma.  Matthew waited until we got to the car to break out his smile....less anyone think he was happy about the loss.   

Way to play it cool, Matt.

Weekend come and gone . . .

For a weekend with very little on the calendar, it sure went by fast.     The only thing I really remember is Matt's basketball game.....mostly because it was HORRIBLE.    The Wildcats lost by around 30 points. 

Truth is, it may have been more.  They stop adding points once the difference between the two teams exceeds 25 points.  

Needless to say, it made for a very grumpy Matthew. 

I saved my grumpiness for this cool, rainy Monday when I found myself doing 4 loads of laundry and ran errands to Sam's, Publix, Michael's, Joann's and the Boy Scout Store.  

I must say, while it was super cold last week, at least it was sunny.  Today wasn't that cold, but it was so dreary and depressing.   I don't have Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I totally get it! A little sunshine goes a long way!

Here's to sunshine . . . and better luck for Matt's basketball team!

He shoots, he scores . . .

Today marked Matthew's first basketball game of the season.   He is on the same team as last year, with just a couple new players.   They actually had their first game last Saturday, but Matt missed due to the Mini Mu competition.   Unfortunately, they lost badly that day, so he was a little anxious going into today.  The anxiety probably intensified when he saw that a few  of his opponents were well over a head taller than him (and most of his teammates).

It was a really strange game tonight.  There were just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter before anyone scored.  It was fast and very physical, kids falling down all over the place.   Matt was right there in it, throwing himself in front of larger players, fighting for a rebounds and he even fouled a couple times.   I could tell his coach was very happy with how he was playing.  And although the super-fast pace isn't great for him on offense, he managed to get a couple shots off and scored once!  In the end, they won 26-12.  Red-faced and sweaty, he climbed in the car and told us, "Maybe the reason they lost last year is because I wasn't there."

Clearly, those 2 points made him pretty confident.
  

Saturday, shorts and the end of a season

The kids woke up this morning and asked what we were doing today and I looked at them and said, "I don't know."

And they stared at me in disbelief. 

No games.  No parties.  No Vanderbilt sports.   No call for Bassam.

Part of the reason for the free day was that the Duck Commanders lost their game last night.  We made it to the third round of the playoffs, but didn't advance to the championship game.  The boys were so disappointed.   They played really tough Friday night, but it wasn't enough. A stop at Steak 'n Shake helped afterward lessened the pain for Matthew, but I could tell he was still bummed when he got up.

The kids and I made a run to Kohls for shorts this morning.  I generally go buy stuff for them (especially Matthew who still doesn't care about clothes at all!), they try it on and I return what doesn't work.  But my schedule is a little crazy next week, so I didn't want to play the return game.  I chose the store I  thought would most likely have decent luck for both of them and off we went.   I asked them to both give me an hour...we loaded up the cart with shorts and swimsuits and then had a marathon session in the fitting room.  

I thank God for putting whoever started putting those adjustable waist things in kids' pants on earth.   Summer tends to be easier for us as you don't have to worry about length with shorts, but there was still a lot of pulling those bands and buttoning them tighter.

I need those in my pants.  Seriously.

Matthew fared much better than Gracie (unusual!) but since she can do dresses and skirts in place of shorts, her needs are slightly less urgent with good weather and spring break almost upon us.

Bassam and Matt hit the golf course in the afternoon and Gracie and I actually scooted in to Nashville for a visit to Nordstrom so I could try on some shorts I had seen online.    Just to be clear, I dread shorts seasons.  It's not even the extra pounds that I'm carrying that makes me feel that way.   My thighs are heavy and even at my fittest, finding shorts that I like and fit well is a challenge.    The fact that I am the pastiest person in the state of Tennessee makes trying them on at the end of winter especially brutal.  A lot of the stores are packed with short-shorts and quite frankly I'm not sure anyone over the age of 40 should be sporting them, no matter how great of shape they are in.   I found a couple pairs that weren't terribly offensive and then let Gracie drag me downstairs to kids shoes where she scored a pair of pink converse and an invitation to participate in the Nordstrom spring fashion show.   I suspect it was the sassy strut she displayed while testing out new shoes that led to the latter, but we had to say no as we won't be around that day. 

The day wrapped up on a fun note as my parents came to stay with Gracie (Matthew was at a sleepover) so Bassam and I could go to dinner and an annual St. Patrick's Day bash that a fellow KES couple throw.

While it wasn't a typical Saturday, a day filled with sunshine, warm temperatures and almost nowhere to be is something I could get used to!

Poetry and basketball

Where did the weekend go?

I'm looking at my weekend to-do list and there are 5 things crossed off.  Not bad, except for the fact that there are another 9 that I didn't get around to.  

I really need to move past this theme of "things I didn't get done" here.  Let's be honest, it doesn't make for an interesting read.   Probably because it's EVERYONE'S reality, not just mine. 

So I'll focus on some joys of the weekend.   Matthew had a basketball game and the Duck Commanders won 36-15!  In the world of youth basketball, this is an unusual score (for reference, the  score in game before us was 19-17 and they had to go in to TRIPLE OVER TIME to break the 17-17 tie!)  Matthew took 4 shots, but just couldn't get them in.  He had 4 rebounds and a steal, so all was not lost.   The Commodores were not so lucky, losing to Kentucky.   Don't get me wrong, it was expected.  And the fact that we only lost by 9 was actually a pretty sweet silver lining.   However, since Vandy just lost their football coach to Penn State, a hoops win over Kentucky would have been pretty amazing.  Alas, it was not meant to be . . .

While Bassam, Matthew and a pal went to the game, Gracie and I went to the Brentwood Woman's Club Poetry Awards ceremony.    Gracie won first place for her poem called "Lost in Books."  Matthew got second place in division for his poem.  So proud of both of them!   Plus, they won CASH!  Seriously?  How awesome is that?  Gracie walked out with a $100 bill in her pocket!  Matthew won $50.    Since I usually have $2.53 in my wallet, there is a good chance I will be borrowing money from them in the next few weeks. 

We rounded off the weekend with church, lots of time playing outside, riding bikes and making s'mores in our porch fireplace.   And in the end, those things were much more fun than the 9 things remaining on the to-do list!

Fast, fast weekend

I'm baaaack!!

It's been three whole days since I've posted anything.    Have you missed me? 

If your life is anything my like mine, your week is all kinds of crazy. You understand that there was no time to blog because you haven't had any time to read it anyway.   

My parents came in to town on Friday.   It had been a busy day at school for me, so it was out to Mexicali for dinner.  Yumm-o!   Bassam was so busy that he didn't even get to join us. I think he rolled in around 8.  Talk about somebody glad for the weekend to get here!

On Saturday, Matthew and some of his scout buddies had to do the second part of their food drive, so they met up at our house, inhaled Krispy Kreme, and then cruised the neighborhood looking for bags of food left on front porches.   The Pack collected over 650 pounds of food, so it ended up being a great project.  Meanwhile, my mom and I checked out this amazing art show in Nashville.   It was billed as a "Valentine's Market" so there was tons of jewelry, which of course we both love.  Lots of "upcycling," ---old things fashioned in to new pieces.  I scored a great bracelet and necklace and my mom got a necklace, too.  We spent the rest of the time admiring all the cute art and other goodies, lamenting the fact that we aren't more crafty and creative.

Which isn't entirely true.  My mom is plenty crafty.  I think she was "sympathy lamenting," for her less-than-crafty daughter.  

Saturday afternoon, we all went to Matthew's basketball game.  The team won, but the real excitement was Matthew's coach getting thrown out of the game for arguing with the referee.   Seriously?    First of all, the kids are 9 years old.  Second, we were WINNING.  

Not pleased about that all.  Not only is it a horrible example for the kids, but has ANYONE ever seen a ref say, "Oh you're right.  I made a bad call."   Shut up, coach. 

So how do you top that on Saturday night?   My mom, dad and I found ourselves playing an impromptu game of  "Name that Tune" with Bassam as he searched through 600,000 possible ringtones on his new phone.

Yes, 600,000!

In all fairness, there must have been 14 different versions of the "Imperial Death March" from Star Wars, so there probably weren't more than 450,000. 

Do we know how to live it up or what!??

On Sunday, we had to divide and conquer a bit.  Gracie and I headed to church early so she could go to her first communion class before worship.  The rest of the family stayed home and we came home right after church, only to change clothes and leave for Vanderbilt 20 minutes later. Gracie participated in the "Be Healthy, Just Cheer" event at Vanderbilt again.  They spent an hour and a half with the dance team learning a routine and then got to perform at half time of the women's basketball game.  GG, Gus, Matthew and Bassam came to the game and got to see her dance.   We ended up leaving shortly after halftime as it was a 3:00 game, Gracie was exhausted and we wanted to be home to relax a bit and enjoy a family dinner, which was some yummy jambalaya that Bassam had made.

By this morning, the kids were back at school, Bassam at work, my parents on the road back to Illinois and I was back in the library kicking off week 2 of book fair.

Back to reality!  

Lost and Found

I found my watch!

But not after completely tearing up my dresser drawers, bathroom drawers and bedside table.

And wouldn't you know, I found it between the couch cushions.   I couldn't explain that if I tried.

Nevertheless, I was super relieved to find it and look forward to the next hunt.   Not really, but I know that one is coming.  I just don't know what it is I will be looking for.

Matthew had his first basketball game this morning.  He fouled twice, made 5 or 6 good (but unsuccessful) attempts at baskets, had a good steal and managed to keep the guys he was defending from scoring, too.   Although his team won 29-14, the game was actually more even matched than the score would tell.  One of the kids on Matthew's team hit almost every shot he put up.   Haven't seen his do anything like that in practice, so it was a nice surprise for game day.   The other surprise was the fact that some other family also brought post-game treats today.   As the official "team mom" of Matthew's team, I am responsible for coordinating the schedule.   I volunteered for the first week and sent out an email to the rest of the team with a link to fill up the rest of the schedule (using one of my very favorite websites--signupgenius.com).  As of this morning, not one other stinkin' family had bothered to sign up yet.  

It's Gatorade and goldfish crackers, people.  It's just not that complicated.

In other news, I've decided I'm currently paying the price for my clear complexion during my teen years.   Or maybe for not being as kind to my sister as I should have in regards to her less-than-clear complexion.  Either way, on Christmas Eve I had one of those horrible lumps on my nose that was still under the skin and hadn't fully emerged as a pimple.  It hurt like crazy, so after attempting the whole warm compress thing and what not, when Christmas rolled around I attempted to pop it.        

Bad, bad, bad.

Reallllly bad. 

All I ended up with was a big open sore on my nose that developed into a scabby mess.  And it took well over a week to heel up.  In fact, today was the first day I looked at it and though it was almost back to normal.  And guess what?   This afternoon, just centimeters below the "scene of the crime," I can feel another one forming!

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

I've suggested to my husband that it might actually be a tumor and not "30-something acne."   He was unimpressed by my diagnosis, which was especially irritating since I couldn't even get him to look up from the football game to look at it.  When I muttered something under my breath about that he suggested that maybe it wasn't "30-something acne" at all, but "40-something acne."

Low blow. 

I realize an update on my complexion wasn't exactly what you were probably hoping for when you stopped by today.  I'll try to work on something a little more exciting for tomorrow. And to keep my hands off my face.

Basketball, tacos and leprechauns

Is it a busy end to the week or a busy kick off to a busy weekend? 

Doesn't much matter.  It was another day of fabulously warm weather.  Another day to avoid laundry (although I did sneak a load in yesterday).   And of course, another day of MARCH MADNESS!

The day started out at school as I was the classroom volunteer in Gracie's room.  The kids were wound up and I almost felt bad for my second reason for being there. 

After centers the kids were off to PE and a few other moms, Gracie's teacher and I were ready to make a secret leprechaun attack while the kids were gone.  The teacher had already sprinkled glitter about and we left gifts of cupcakes, stickers, green Gatorade and my contribution, a St. Patty's day snack mix.   

I had originally intended to make St. Patrick's Day popcorn. Yes, it's green.   Gross in your mind and mine, but the intended audience was 5 and 6 year olds so green is okay.    I made a trial batch (thank goodness!) on Wednesday evening and decided it was just too sticky.   Future orthodontic issues may be unavoidable, but cavities are!  So, last night I made up a snack mix of  Lucky Charms cereal, pretzels, green M&Ms, green jelly bellies and a chocolate gold coin and put them in cello bags with green ribbon.   I was feeling pretty pleased with it until I saw the Leprechaun Trail Mix my pal Mindy had whipped up.

If she wasn't such a good friend I'm fairly certain I would resent her non-stop creativity and baking prowess.   But alas, she is as good as gold. 

After we finished up at school, I rolled downtown to the Vandy bookstore to pick up a SEC Championship shirt for Bassam.  Am I a good wife or what?  

As I was pulling on to campus, B called me to say he had wrapped up at work early and asked if I wanted to join him at the tournament before the kids got home.   Lucky for me, I was just a few minutes away, so decided it was officially a "play hooky" kind of day.

 Nashville has 2nd and 3rd round games for the tournament this year.   Even though Vandy is placing elsewhere,  we thought it would be fun to get a pair of tickets as there would be Friday/Sunday games.  We saw the Texas vs Cincy and then I had to head back to B'wood to meet the bus.    On our way to the parking garage, there was a radio station on Broadway handing out these fabulously huge foam hats shaped like tacos.  They were doing a cross promotion with Taco Bell and their new tacos with a Doritos shell. 

I.  Must.  Have.  One.  

The hat, not the taco.

But of course,  I couldn't come home with one.  

At which point, I forced sweetly asked my husband if he would go get one, too.   They had handed out the last one, so it actually meant asking the gal distributing them if she could come up with one more.    Luckily, she did.  And I had the two happiest kids in Tennessee. 

It really is the little things, isn't it?

And did I mention, Bassam looks really good in the taco hat, too? 

Tonight, B and Matthew went back to the arena and saw Michigan get upset.  Matthew apparently spent a portion of the evening being grumpy about Mizzou getting knocked out since he had picked them to make it all they way to the championship game.

They don't call it March Madness for nothing. 

As for Gracie and I, after eating with M & B at a new Mediterranean place in Nashville (hardly worth mentioning--it probably won't make it.), we did a little shopping at Nordstorm and then came home and painted toenails and watched "What's New, Scooby Doo."     

Those meddling kids and their dog . . . .

Vandy Saturday

Saturday has been crazy and it's hard to believe, it's not over yet.

Gracie and I arrived at Vanderbilt this morning at 7:30 am.   Yes, 7:30 am on A SATURDAY!!!!

Now it's not like I would otherwise be sleeping at 7:30 on Saturday, but I probably wouldn't be up, dressed, packed for the day and in downtown Nashville.   

But I was today.

Gracie participated in the "Be Healthy, Just Cheer" event for Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.   The Scouts (Daisies through Juniors)  went to Vanderbilt today for a dance clinic and will perform tomorrow at halftime of the women's basketball game versus LSU.   A friend of mine (the mom of a girl who Gracie used to do ballet with) is now the coach of the Vandy dance team who was running the clinic.   Needless to say, she made sure Gracie had a front row spot.   Because we were going to the Vandy men's game afterwards, Gracie was decked out in her Vanderbilt cheer outfit and was ready for action.  Her pal Alex and another preschool friend were also there, which was icing on the cake!. 

After the clinic, we met up with Bassam and Matthew at new hot dog place in Nashville called Cori's DogHouse.  It's pretty good and they make a decent Chicago dog (along with a zillion other choices--pretty impressive), except they serve their all their dogs on a grilled bread.  I'm not completely sold on that, but I ate the whole thing, so clearly it wasn't bad!

After lunch we were off to the men's basketball game at Vanderbilt.  We were playing MTSU who was 20-2, so I'll admit, I was a little worried going in.    But I think we brought a good luck charm with us.

Matthew got to be the "Tip Off Kid" before the game.  This basically entails getting the ball and taking it to the referees right before tip off.   And of course, being on the scoreboard while you do it.   Do you think Matthew was excited about that? 

Oh yeah!

Being the tip off kid is usually reserved for the kids of big donors.   Probably REALLY BIG donors.  Trust me when I tell you, we are not.   That is, unless that counts repaying medical school loans.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Lucky for us, Uncle Wad knows a few people in the right places and was able to make it happen for Matthew.  He has been trying all season, but as you can imagine, it's not easy.  We are so grateful to him, because it was truly the best surprise for Matthew, who found out this morning.  

Not to be left out of the action, Gracie also got to go down to the court when my friend Mandy invited Gracie to join the dance team towards the end of the second half when they throw t-shirts out to the crowd during a time out.   Then two of the girls on the team let Gracie borrow a pom pom and she got to do a little cheer with them.    She apparently made it on to the scoreboard, too, although I didn't see it, as I was just too busy enjoying watch her jump around and clap off beat!  

We are home for a little bit and are supposed to head off to a basketball game at Lipscomb University which is hosting an adoption fundraiser for some friends of ours.   We're all pretty tired (and Matthew battling a cold), but hopefully we'll still make it. 

Basketball and cell phone irritation

 Today marked Matthew's LAST basketball game of the season. Sad for it to end, but it gives us two free Saturdays before soccer games start, so there is a silver lining. Matthew had a terrific game. Solid defense and he took more shots from the field. He was at the free throw line four times. I managed to get pictures of  three of them . . . and I gotta tell you, the kids has unusual form! Still, he was glad to score in the last game!

As the coach handed out trophies he had a special accolade for each of the boys.   He named Matthew, "Defensive Player of the Year."   Matthew was so proud . . . and so were we!   Especially today since he spent more than a quarter guarding a kid who was a full head taller than him and probably 20 pounds heavier (and he didn't score once on Matty's watch!).

After lunch we stopped by the Verizon store to have them take look at my cell phone which has been shutting itself often A LOT lately.  Usually after I send texts, but it's not unusual for me to grab it out of my bag and find that it's turned off.   I mean, it's all good to have a cell phone so that the school or whoever can reach you in an emergency, but if the phone is off (and you don't know it), it ceases to be helpful.

But I digress . . . .

Mr. 22-year-old-Verizon-store- employee was less than helpful.    After determining I didn't have insurance and there wasn't really anything they could do to fix it (because have no idea why it's happening), he shared these little nuggets of insights . . .

1.   "You know, you can come back in a little over a month, April 1st, and you'll be eligible for an upgrade. Here's my card.  I'd love to help you out."

2.  "Would you be interested in a new charger or case for your phone?"  Ummm . . . for this phone that isn't working right?  Sure!

3.  "We can activate an old phone you have laying around the house in the meantime."  When I mention we donate our phones to victim service organziations or the Phones for Soliders programs he says, "Wow, I bet you're sorry you did that!"   Umm . . . no actually I'm not.

Despite this, the rest of the day was good.  Bassam took the kids to see Gnomeo and Juliet and I did some major (and much needed) house cleaning.  Beer at Warren's and now Bassam is cheffng up some wings!  

Party, Party!

An insanely busy, albeit fun Saturday.  

We started out the day at the basketball courts  Well, actually Bassam started out the day at work (call weekend--boo!), but the rest of us started at the basketball courts.   The Blue Sharks won 9-2.    Although Matthew didn't score, his coach told him it was his best game yet.  His defense was great and he even had a couple steals.  And . . . no fouls.

Gracie had two birthday parties today. The first was a for a ballet friend and it was held at Divas and Dudes--a kids' salon.   Make up, up-dos and nail polish --OH MY!   I'm not personally quite ready for my daughter to enter that world, but she had a good time just the same.  It did make me laugh to see that of all the girls there she was the one who chose GREEN nail polish.   That's my girl!  Her fancy hair lasted about 20 minutes after she got home (thankfully, I got a couple pictures first!) then she started wrestling with Matthew and the dog and she looked like her old self (but with glitter smeared all over her face). 

Party #2 was at My Gym and was for one of her preschool pals.  They have great parties . . . so no surprise she came home a  happy and sweaty mess (and still covered with glitter!). 

We decided to have dinner out at Mexicali tonight and ran into Matthew's caseworker from when he started in Tennessee Early Intervention Services back in 2005   We haven't seen her since Matthew turned 3 and his services transferred over to Williamson County Schools, but she recognized him immediately.   It was such a joy sharing with her his progress and letting her know that he was now a 1st grader with no IEP.    Sometimes I forget how many people were part of getting Matthew where he is today.  

He shoots . . . he SCORES!!!

The Blue Sharks got a nice one in the win column today after last week's very one sided battle.  Matthew played strong defense, although he did foul once.   Then in the third quarter he finally took a shot, but was fouled in the process so he got two free throws and made the second one! Yeah!  He was so excited -- and so were we!  I was able to get this shot of the ball dropping through the net (and Matthew's hands nervously in front of his mouth!).

Bassam and Matthew headed over to the Vanderbilt game afterwards for some more hoop action.  Gracie and I grabbed lunch and then hit up Learning Express.  Y'all . . . . girlfriend has a party EVERY SATURDAY for the next THREE WEEKS!!  Must be nice to have such a busy social calendar.   Somehow I don't think driving her to those parties every Saturday for the next three weeks qualifies me as having a busy social life, but it will keep me busy.    Regardless, we had fun picking out things for her friends.  Plus, while we were waiting to have some things wrapped she spotted these cutie little clip earrings.   Yes, I totally caved, but what's not to love about little green turtles on your earlobes?!??  Plus it seemed like a a nice way to cap off our fun "girls' afternoon!"

Cartwheels and free throws

That's what the Helou kids have to work on. 

Matthew had hoop practice last night.   The boys were pretty fired up after losing Saturday 24 to 4.   Ouch.  I wasn't there to see it--but according to one of the coaches, our opponent had a kid who made everything he shot, many of which were three pointers (although only worth 2 points in YMCA league basketball).     Matthew was good on defense  although this go 'round had two fouls called on him (see that doesn't sound so good --but the coach assures me he was going awesome!).   Yesterday's practice was lots of rebounding (which none of them tend to do!) and shooting, including free throws.  Hopefully it will help for next weekend's game.  

Gracie started gymnastics last week. I can't remember if I wrote about that or not.  She declared she was not playing soccer this spring, so we agreed to let her try something else until swimming started up.  She joined a class that has been together since the fall, so she is a bit behind, but having a great time.   We had our second class today and it looks like cartwheels is where we should focus our efforts this week (which would be so much easier if she could go outside and do it).   Gracie's habit of looking at you out of the corner of her eye is being called out, as the teacher tells her she needs to look straight on before doing a tumble.  If being good at gymnastics is an incentive for her to lose that Gracie-ism, I'm all about it.  The opthomologist told us it wasn't anything to do with her eyes--just a habit she had adopted.  She suggested it would pass if we didn't make a big deal about it.  I'm not sure that approach has panned out, so hopefully some encouragement from Miss Stacey at gymnastics will do the trick.

Toss it and hoops!

Borrowing an idea from Mindy over at Double Chocolate Thoughts again . . . . my resolution to "purge more" (purge STUFF, of course), will be far more productive if I put a number on it.   She set the goal at 10 a day. For you math people out there, that makes for purging 3,650 items in 2011. 

I went way above that today--hauling three bags over to the Goodwill.  Plus, I cleaned out my bathroom drawers tossing out countless toiletry/cosmetic-type items.  Then I went into the medicine boxes and got rid of all the stuff that expired.   I'm not gonna lie. I tossed a big haul.  Compacts with just a smidge of blush left, a bottle of foundation that never worked for me, gift-with-purchase tubes of mascara that make your lashes look spikey and weird (yet for some reason I held on to them!), not to mention the expired Nyquil gelcaps and Dramamine tablets. 

Whew!

In more exciting news, Matthew had his first basketball game this morning.  In a completely un-motherly moment I didn't have either a camera or video camera with me.   I was, however, the "snack mom" so I was kind of  laden down with Capri Sun, goldfish crackers and fruit roll ups.   The team was counting on me!

Anyway, the Sharks lost  . . . but only by a few points.    Matthew played decent defense, but was called three times for double dribbling.   Oops!    I have a feeling there will be lots of work on rebounding (not sure our team got a single one) and dribbling at practice on Monday!

Last day . . . .

Last day of Winter Break. . . . at least for Matthew. Gracie goes back to school on Wednesday.   The kids and I went to Glow Galaxy for open play.  Matthew brought Gavin and we met up with Gracie's pal, Sophie.   They were a sweaty, smiling mess when we left, so I think it was a success.  

Matthew had basketball practice tonight . . . first game is this weekend.  Due to break and snow days, his team has only practiced twice.   Saturday will definitely be entertaining.   Matthew's coach had to get on him a couple times for playing very aggressive defense. I'm not really sure where he picked it up . . . but safe to say, it has to go.  His shooting has really improved.  Not sure how that will translate when he has someone guarding him, but he's having a great time.

Changing of the sports . . .

Last basketball practice tonight. Meanwhile I cancelled Gracie's soccer practice because it was so crappy out earlier. Most parents of 3 year old girls do not subscribe to the philosophy of toughening up/bundling up and by 11 am I already had 3 emails/calls asking if we were going to call practice. Of course, now it's kinda sunny (but still quite cold). Was able to get some field time for Saturday to do a make up with whoever was free. This is good because it is supposed to be awesome out this weekend. But this is also bad because our weekend is already jam packed.

Just part of the fun . . . . .