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!