NL Central Champs!

The Reds did it! Last night, they clinched the NL Central title in very dramatic fashion. Very suitable though, as it seems the Reds have done everything, win and lose, in dramatic fashion this season. The game was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. Jay Bruce hammered the first pitch he saw out of the park to not only win the game, but to officially send the Reds to the post season for the first time since 1995. Very, very exciting!

I am truly a lifelong Reds fan. While I am too young to actually remember watching the Big Red machine, my family jokes that my first words weren't mama or dada but were Pete Rose and Johnny Bench. I do remember being sad that Johnny Bench was retiring and that at the game where he was honored they gave him a new car. I remember rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 80's because they had Pete Rose. I remember those really, really bad years of the early 80's where Mario Soto pitching was pretty much the only bright spot. I remember Pete Rose returning to the Reds in the mid-80's and breaking Ty Cobb's record at old Riverfront Stadium. I remember so many years where the Reds were in second place at the end of the season and at the beginning of 1989 Marge Schott (owner) stated that she was tired of being a "bridesmaid". I remember thinking "Careful what you wish for" and sure enough, that was the year that the Pete Rose scandal broke and the Reds finished in fifth place.

But then along came 1990. For the first time in major league history, a team won on Opening Day, thusly beginning the season in first place, and maintained first place throughout the entire season. It was such a magical season, going wire-to-wire, and after beating the Pirates for the NL title, they had an improbable sweep of the Oakland A's to win the Series. I remember being at my high school gym decorating for Homecoming and listening to the game as the Reds finished off the Pirates, and rushing home to be with my sister, because I knew it was no fun for her to celebrate alone. I remember watching game four of the World Series, and I can still see in my mind Todd Benzinger making the final catch of the game and jumping into the air. The Reds again won the Central in 1995, but because I was 21 and in college that year, I really don't remember much about it...too busy having fun to follow along. I do remember that the Reds lost to the Braves, although I didn't remember it being in the NLCS (I thought they had lost in the first round). I do remember following devotedly along in 1999. They were a team that wasn't supposed to go anywhere. But they came together as a team with great chemistry, and heading into the final weekend were all prepared to clinch the wild card spot in Milwaukee. Never happened though, and it forced a one game play off for the spot with the Mets. The game was played in Cincinnati, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go. The atmosphere was amazing, but the game itself not-so-much. Al Leiter pitched brilliantly for the Mets, and the Reds' season came to an end.

This century has not been kind to my beloved Reds. Many years, early on with Ken Griffey, Jr., they would jump out to a lead in April and May, and maybe even into June. But then Junior would wind up injured and other things began to fall apart, and by the end of the season they wouldn't even have a winning record. The last couple of years they couldn't even manage to accomplish the strong start and I would usually declare them "done" by the end of July or early August. Last year though, they had the best September of anyone in the game, and we were cautiously optimistic for what that might mean for this year.

And now that we know that last September was indeed an omen of the fun to come this year. It has yet to be determined who the first round opponent will be or when or where the games will begin, but the Reds will continue playing into next week, and that was the most exciting thing about Jay Bruce's dramatic home run last night.

It's getting rougher

Our mornings are definitely getting rougher around here. No longer is the school day exciting, or any of the activities that may happen at the end of the day. We are in our routine, and everyone is tired. The fact that the weather has changed didn't help this morning at all. It was a very cool day yesterday, and rained all afternoon and into the evening. It's still cloudy and rainy this morning...a perfect day to remain under the covers!

Getting it done

Somehow, someway, we seem to be accomplishing in this house everything that needs to be accomplished. It's been tricky sometimes, and has required the help of additional adults, but we seem to have all of the kids where they need to be and, for the most party, when they need to be there. My husband's schedule this time of year is particularly challenging, even though he is no longer coaching football. He's still gone many Fridays helping out at the games, and at least one night a week he is scheduled to work at the concession stand for a soccer game. Add to that his Lions Club, Parish Council, and union meetings and there are days when we barely see him. JC will be officially joining scouts this week, and JR is going to begin karate. And then there is the homework. I'm truly amazed by how much homework is assigned at the elementary level, especially in the 3rd grade. I remembered how tough it was when JR went through, and things haven't changed much for JC. But we are trying very hard to work through it all as a team, and in that respect I'm very proud of the kids for pitching in. Eventually it does all get done!

Weather change!

It's been pretty warm around here again. In fact, on Thursday, we tied a record high for the day at 93. Yuck and yuck! I was grateful that I didn't have to work at the end of the week in our schools without air conditioning and could stay at home and be comfortable. Fortunately, a cold front moved through last evening. We are having absolutely beautiful weather here, and this time I'm truly optimistic we are finished with weather in the 90's. In fact, this week we will struggle on some days to get to 70. I'm even looking forward to those yucky, rainy fall days. We are officially in a drought and besides that, the thought of a warm fire in the fireplace is just spectacular!

Overwhelming

We are all feeling a little overwhelmed and exhausted here. I'm not even sure I completely understand why. I don't feel that my children are overscheduled, yet we all seem to be edgy and a little tense. I'm beginning to remember why last year I so didn't like the month of September.

We did have a rather busy weekend. Friday evening my wonderful husband took JR and several friends for a "guys night" of miniature golf and ice cream. From the sounds of it they all had a wonderful time. Saturday morning, bright and early at 9, HT had a soccer game. My little guy is so not a morning person. Either that, or he really, really isn't into soccer. That afternoon, the kids stayed with my grandmother while we spent a couple of hours at my cousins' house. Some relatives were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. It was great getting to see so many people! That evening my in-laws arrived and we had a nice dinner with them. Sunday morning was Sunday School and church, then we spent the day at my parents house with more extended family. I could tell by that evening that everyone was just worn out. We got everyone into bed at their normal bedtime, but had to be up early Monday so that I could go to work. My in-laws generously volunteered to take the kids to breakfast, and that was enjoyed by all! The past two days have really been nothing but our normal school and soccer routine, but I knew it was a bad sign when JR fell asleep before 7:00 last night. I'm grateful that he did though. Today, we have absolutely nothing on our calendar. Here's hoping we can all get some much needed sleep!

Lots of germs

In spite of the fact that I have done my fall cleaning in both the living room and dining room, it seems as though there are some germs floating around here. My ailments are mostly allergy and sinus related, although I think I've gone and developed a head cold. Fortunately it's staying in my head and not settling down in my chest. HT on the other hand, has a horrible cough. I still think it's somewhat sinus related, but I'm only giving it a few more days before I take him to the doctor. No sense in him being miserable. And poor JC has been vomiting since 1am this morning. It's been several hours so I'm hoping that maybe she is past the worst of it. She seems to be sleeping soundly now, and for that I'm grateful. I'm hoping so much that we can keep anyone else from getting it. My in-laws arrive tomorrow and I would hate for any of the kids to be sick while they are here. Hopefully we will all have a healthy weekend!

Not the best of days

I'll be honest. Today was a rough day. Actually, for the 6-1/2 hours that the kids were gone, it was fine. Then they came home and things got ugly. They wanted no part of that nasty word: responsibility. I know they are still adjusting to routine, and I don't mind gentle reminding, but when I have to remind them that I've already reminded them once, I get a little less pleasant. My personal "favorite" moment was when I asked JC to get me some hangers from her closet and she rolled her eyes at me. Seriously?!!!! She is eight years old! AGH!!!!! On the upside, tomorrow is another day!

Weekend recap

We had a really nice weekend, but I had forgotten how short the weekends are during the school year. After HT's soccer on Saturday, we pretty much sat around and watched college football. SOOOOOO disappointed that our Irish couldn't hang on to a victory over Michigan. It was so close, but just didn't happen! OSU prevailed over Miami though, and our Reds took two out of three from the Pirates (I could write a diatribe about the series, but maybe that's another post). The Steelers had an overtime victory yesterday, and the Bengals lost. As a Steelers fan, it is always fun to watch the Bengals disintegrate before our very eyes, and by adding T.O. to the mix, well, it might be as much fun as prime time television dramas (sorry to all (any?) of the Bengals fans reading this)!

JR also got to go to his first ever group sleepover. If I could hand pick kids for him to hang out with, it would pretty much be the ones who were at this sleepover. Such a nice group of boys! It sounds like he had a really great time, although sleeping wasn't really on the agenda. I have to say, I'm really proud of how well he managed to hold himself together throughout the day. It wasn't until about 6:30 last evening that he really hit a wall and just kind of became an emotional, crumbling mess. We put all three to bed at 7:30, and since they were all asleep by 8:00, I think it showed we made the right decision.

Our church's Sunday School program began again yesterday. Church is often a struggle for me, because I was not raised in the same faith as my husband and often find myself disagreeing with some of the teachings of the church we attend. But one of the things that I really do enjoy about the church is that it's a small church, and I love the sense of community that really comes across in the church. I really enjoyed getting to visit with so many other families. My wonderful husband is a Sunday School teacher, and I know that he while he's not always crazy about getting up and going each Sunday, he's also happy to do his part.

This evening we will be signing JC up for girl scouts. She's very excited and has been counting down the days for weeks!

Seasons

I really can't believe how quickly it is turning into fall around here. As miserable as the weather was during August, and I mean really miserable, it is just as beautiful here now. We could use some rain, but it's hard to complain when we are having such gorgeous weather. The humidity has been low and the evenings and nights have been very cool. Things are turning so brown here because it's been so dry, and it just really, really looks like fall. It's very peaceful!

Soccer success

Today was the beginning of soccer season for HT. He is the only one of our three playing this year. It was a successful beginning to the season! His black cast even matches his uniform. After his game we joined some friends for lunch, then went to watch their older son play his game this afternoon. Right now we are getting ready to settle in for the ND/Michigan game, played at the same time as the Miami/Ohio State game. Thank goodness for remote controls!

Enjoying a day off

Having worked the last two days makes me appreciate my quiet days at home all the more! I loved the Kindergartners, but they are such a high energy group! I'm so glad that I enjoyed subbing though. Both my husband and I were concerned that I was counting on this to be a part-time job while the kids are in school but that I would end up hating it. Not at all! I loved it, and like I said, it makes me even more grateful for the quiet days.

It's really looking and feeling like fall around here. We had such a hot and dry August. One of the driest on record in fact, so everything is turning brown and dying already. I don't think we are going to have a very colorful fall at all. The temps have been wonderful this week. Once we got past Tuesday, and what is hopefully the last day of 90's, we've been in the low 70's all week and down into the upper 40's at night. It's really enjoyable!

I survived day one

Yep, I made it through my first day of subbing. To be honest, I'm exhausted. I got to sub as a Kindergarten teacher, which leaves absolutely no time for being bored (or for sitting, as my aching feet can attest). I think the hardest part of being a sub for Kindergarten is that we are only in the second week of school, so they really have no clue what they are doing either. They are so cute though, and make it hard to ever get angry. I'm ready to go back again tomorrow, but first I'm ready for a nap!

Going to work

Tomorrow is my official return back into the working world. I'm so excited, and definitely a little nervous as well. It also required some logistical planning, because I actually need to be at a different elementary school than the one my kids attend. Normally I would not agree to work over there, but I was specifically requested by the Kindergarten teacher who works there in the morning and at our school in the afternoon. She also happens to be a friend, and I'm grateful for her requesting me so I have another friend who is willing to help me out for the next two mornings. Hard to believe after nearly five years, I'm going to be earning a paycheck!

Great ending to Summer!

This weekend was really a great ending to the summer. Saturday was a beautifully cool day...we actually needed jackets and long pants! I felt sooooo lousy thanks to allergies and sinuses, but there was college football on ALL day which made the day tolerable. The kids were content to hang out and do their own thing all day long, and of course a big fuss was made by many over HT's new cast. Sunday was an even more perfect day. The temps were in the low 70's, low humidity, and bright and sunny. Days just don't get any better than that. We spent the entire day at the lake with my dad. I can't imagine any day that could have been more perfect. There were lots of bike rides, golf cart rides, yummy foods to eat, and for JR, two solid hours of fishing. For dinner we built a bonfire and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. The kids eventually went inside and watched a movie, but my husband, dad and I stayed outside well into the evening. I think I saw more stars in the sky that night than I may have ever seen in my life. I know I'll never forget that. It was after 10 before we left, and nearly Midnight before we were home. The kids slept on the way home, but there were still lots of grumps yesterday. We managed to accomplish many errands and chores yesterday and everyone got a good night sleep last night. I really think this past weekend is going to go down as one of my most favorite ever!

All casted up

HT had an appointment with the "bone doctor" (as HT calls him) this morning. There was no debate whatsoever, the thumb was being put in a cast. Only for three weeks, but a cast none the less. HT chose black in honor of the Steelers and is walking around proudly to show it off. I'm happy that he can still play soccer and actually is safer running around now than he was before, and on the upside (in my opinion only) is the fact that because his thumb is now completely immobilized, he can no longer play video games!

It's really too soon

The kids are off school today. They were off yesterday. And of course, they will be off Monday. So yes, their school calendar had them going for three "long" days before they were rewarded with a five day weekend. Way, way, way too soon to be experiencing this much togetherness again. There aren't words to describe how "too soon" it is. I'm pretty sure my blood pressure is up. It would be nice to have them home if they actually behaved like responsible human beings. Instead, they are behaving like wild monkeys at the zoo, and I have reached my limit for zoo animals today. The kicker is that JC is actually behaving the best, but that might be because she is spending the day with her aunt and isn't actually in the house (she is actually at the zoo, by the way, so who knows what behavior she will imitate upon her arrival at home). I have no idea who devised this school calendar, but I would bet a large sum of money that it wasn't a stay-at-home mom!

Or, maybe it is...

We just received a call from the urgent care. In spite of the doctor assuring us HT's thumb was not broken, upon review by the radiologist, there is a hairline fracture. AGH!!!! I feel awful that we haven't been more careful with his thumb, but my mother assures me that we did the best we could with the information we had. I know it isn't like he's been writhing in pain, but I still feel badly. I'm working on locating a pediatric orthopedist now!