That's Right...I'm RANKED!

One of Genius Golfer's favorite rides at Disneyland is the Astro Balsters.  It is a game/ride.  And he is a gamer at heart.  So this is a natural fit.  I, on the other hand am not a gamer.  I play games with the kids usually so I am the loser and they don't get bent out of shape if they lose.  I figure it is my place as the mom.  It rates right up there with eating the least warm food for dinner, as they all seem to think of "just one more thing" as I'm trying to sit down and eat with them. But that is another blog post.

Amazingly enough, and after several rides, I had a lifetime personal best on Astro Blasters.  You can see the incredibly concentration I had, based on the photo.  You might also notice that GG isn't in the car with me.  Nope.  He wanted to ride separately because I was cramping his "spin style".  You can control your own car's ability to spin in parts of the ride, and he wanted his control all on his own.

On this very same turn, GG saw his score reach nearly 500,000 and he ended up ranked 64th!  He was thrilled.  I imagine it is like what he must have been like when he'd get high score on Space Invaders back in the day and he'd get to put his initials on the scoreboard.

Who says Disneyland is just for kids?!?

Is It Friday YET?!

This has been an incredibly long week. At least it feels like it. I can't tell yet if that is the burnout I am still experiencing from last weekend's big events, or if I have just gotten older and I am more tired and more easily irritable.

I have increased the mileage I am walking each week--I did 3.64 miles yesterday and back to 2.67 today...but my weekly average is way up. And my mind is running faster than that, as it seems to have much to retain and remember and prod me to get done.

I was so tired that last evening I fell asleep watching mindless TV with Genius Golfer, who, I suspect, might have wanted to get frisky after the show. What a sad wife I am. Then I sat up awake for another hour being mad at myself for NOT giving him the time he needs. I mean, he was home before 9 PM for crying out loud. I would have been nice to spend some of that time consciously with him

Afterschool yesterday seemed to be the breaking point for me.

The Girl skipped swim practice so she could study and review and study some more for her AP Government exam that is coming on Tuesday. The Boy, on the other hand, plopped himself down in his usual seat in front of the TV and tried to load a gift card for another twelve months on his Xbox Live account--so he can play some war game that I hate with his cousins and friends online from the comfort of his own TV chair. Well, he couldn't get the Xbox to recognize his account since he couldn't remember his password.

Now, as an organized mom I have a special place where I keep all the kids' computer/electronics info so, in the event such as this, I could help him. But the little nerd never gave me his Xbox info. (Probably thought I'd sabotage his account--'cause I really don't like this game, but no one listened to mean 'ole mom--and he is probably right about the potential for sabotage.) So I had nothing to help him. He called GG and railed on him for tricks to open this (dumb) Xbox account. When GG didn't have anything for him to try, The Boy came back to yell at me.

Now, I can take it when they have good reason to yell at me. And to be honest, they generally do have some good reasons, some times. But this was not one of those times.

Anyhoo, he kept trying different potential passwords and after about 45 minutes of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, he finally guessed correctly. And he got on to play that insipid game.

Fast forward a bit--about 5, I leave The Girl to study, and I leave The Boy with a reminder that he has X, Y, and Z chores to get done tonight. I take off to help set up and host a dinner for the Leaders of, the Moms of, and the Young Women in our stake that are graduating from HS. I was gone for about 3 1/2 hours.

I got home to a house that hasn't been touched since I left--with the exception of part of the lawn that had been poorly mowed and not cleaned up or swept or finished in any way. Blinds were still open. Porch lights were not on. Dishes were not finished. But that blasted game was still on and going...like the Energizer Bunny was playing it. And I guess, he was, just in a different form: The Boy!

I was ticked.

Genius Golfer had beaten me home by about 15 minutes. It was clear his day at work wasn't much better than my afternoon with the Bedlamites we are raising. And the joy of motherhood was sucked from my life for a moment. It was so disappointing.

Now, The Boy did sheepishly come and try to apologize, once I yelled at him to shut off that ridiculous game and get his stuff done, shocking him back to reality. But by then, I was ready to give up. Throw in the towel. Raise the white flag.

Friday couldn't come soon enough for me.

And some of my friends and family wonder why I hate the song "Love at Home" with such a passion?!?! Mother's Day (and the whole idea around it) is just a reminder of the things that I am not doing well enough--i.e., controlling my temper, teaching moderation or responsibility or thoughtfulness or accountability, being a good example of kind, loving, nurturing parenting.

Wake me when it is Tuesday.

Good Sports

Tonight we had an activity for the 16-18 year old kids in our stake. We played about four silly games modeled after games on the TV show "A Minute to Win It". We talked about the ways they spend the minutes of their day and the decisions that occur in those minutes. The emphasis, obviously I hope, was that good decisions are necessary all day long and the most important decisions can be made early in their lives and provide happier outcomes.

We started with just about 18 kids there. Four were young men.

I just want give a shout out to people who are good sports. These four young men, though vastly outnumbered, and doing things that were not terribly "manly" games, still stepped up and gave it a good try. Did they win the events? Not by a long shot, but they each participated and played along with us.

I just love that. Too bad so many people scoff or criticize after only just one look and decide that it is "stupid", "a waste of time", or "not worth my energy". I think there is something to be said for being willing to try things, and for doing it with a good attitude.

Up Late in the Neighborhood

For those of you who are keeping track, I got to sleep in today. Yeah!! It was almost 10! That is unheard of around here. Granted we were all up until nearly midnight --and I still missed Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live!

The kids were also up pretty late. That is one of the things that I love about our Cul-De-Sac Life here on the circle. The neighborhood collective of children gets together and plays "night games" all kids included. If you want to play, come on out. This weekend, due to the couple of days off from school, they have been like Friday nights over and over. We have even seen sighting from neighbor friends from the nearby cul-de-sac to our east. I love watching the kids all play together, regardless of age, where they make room for everyone.

We have some kids in high school, some in junior high and the elementary crowd. We even have a couple of kindergarten and preschool friends here that like to play with the "big kids" until they have to come in and go to bed. All are welcome.

We are also lucky in that we have access to a big empty field just on the edge of the cul-de-sac. They have a fort going up and constantly under construction out there. The boys and the girls are making it. Together. Some times the junior high crowd gets the lead on the construction, other times the elementary kids add their ideas to it.

The night games that come up include: "Capture the Flag", "Sardines", and "Escape from Alcatraz". These are creative kids who also made up a game they called "Who's Afraid of Shere-Khan?" But that, they tell me is a summertime night game. Oh. Please, excuse my ignorance. I'm just a mom.

I love that for the most part the kids can tell me, "I'm going outside with Neighbor-Across-the- Street. We'll be in the field" on their way out the door and I don't see them for many hours. Usually I have to go find them for dinner, etc. because they are having so much fun together.

I am also lucky in the fact that the cul-de-sac parent neighbors have similar rules and expectations for their kids as I do. This makes the "we are building fort in the field" an acceptable past time. I hate to be the buzz-kill here, but there are things that go on, even in "good" neighborhoods that can be dangerous or harmful. We can't escape that even on Celestial Circle. But when things have gotten a little too uncomfortable for one family, the other families have welcomed the information and have enforced the society's mores and rules. That makes me feel better when I know that my neighbors would tell me if they saw my kids doing or saying something that they knew I was not OK with, and the reciprocal is also true. I truly love my neighbors.

So, we were all up late, but the kids were doing just what you hope neighborhood friends will do when they are out of school, and the weather is still permitting. They are having fun, including everyone, and outside using their imagination to play together.

Too bad the adults in our town, state, and nation can't follow their lead and do the same. It would be great to hear the candidates got together to play a little game of Sardines!