Manic Monday

1. Snow! Finally! Yipeee!!
2. This weekend we kept our niece Amelia overnight and had a great time.....not "I think I want to have another kid" fun, but FUN.
3. Tess had a basketball game this weekend and gave me a mind full of thoughts. She was being an aggressive player and it made parents on the other team mad. Unfortunately I happened to be sitting near them and overheard, not that they were trying to be discreet. The mama bear in me raged, the rational adult in me just sat quietly and smiled(okay, it was a smirk, because I did think they were being ridiculous). Here is the deal. Tess does play aggressive and she does have A LOT to learn. She loves the game and loves to hustle....sometimes acting before she thinks it all the way through. The good news is we can help her acquire the skills to make her a good basketball player, but we can't teach the competitive spirit she has....she was born with it and we just have to help her learn to use it in a smart way. Of course I had several snarky comments I wanted to say to these parents, but ultimately it just hurt my feelings. I had to remind myself that these people don't know my daughter or know what a compassionate, loving girl she is. She doesn't have an evil bone in her body....but she DOES happen to have several competitive ones.
4. Speaking of Tess and sports, we have had to have the "talk" about making choices regarding what sport she wants to continue to play(realistically) and what it will take to continue to the next level. Tough to do. It feels so wrong to have to "discourage" your child from playing a sport she loves, simply because she needs to start focusing (already, at age 10) on her future. Looks like softball is getting the axe, much to her dismay.
5. Our Samantha played in her first softball game of the season for Drake. They head to the southern states in a few days so hopefully it will be warm and perfect for playing ball. We pray that her hip is strong and steady for her. Can't wait to spend some weekends this spring watching softball. I feel a trip to Des Moines in our future!
6. Last weekend we had three clients committ suicide. tragic. Makes all of us at work feel small and inadequate, like we didn't do enough, even if they weren't our specific patient. I know it is part of the business, and surprisingly it is rare, but it doesn't make it any easier. Especially when they are young people. Such a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
7. Speaking of death, I am sad about Whitney and I am really irritated by all the people demonizing her for having a substance abuse problem that probably led to her death. Seriously people. I appreciate that many many people/heroes die every day and don't get the publicity that Whitney's death has gotten. Well, they didn't lead the public life, and if they were true heroes, they wouldn't have wanted the fuss anyway. Quit the bitching and enjoy some tribute music honoring a musical icon. Addiction is very real.
8. Tess is scheduled to get her braces off in three weeks. Initially I panicked thinking this was it, she was done with braces and I am NOT nearly impressed enough with the results. There have been some milestones in what the spacers and expander accomplished....however there are some teeth that have shifted to weird places and she still has several baby teeth left to lose! She gets fitted for a retainer and will wear that for an unknown amount of time before getting more braces I guess. I have already set the bait for Tess to be uber conscious of keeping track of her retainer. I explained how expensive they are to replace, and that most people lose it at least once. If Tess manages to keep track of her retainer without losing it, I will give her part of the money it would have cost us to replace it. And yes, I know that is $$$. I am hoping the incentive works. Tess loves a challenge.
9. Anyone else enjoy The Grammys last night? I love me some LL Cool J and thought him opening with a prayer was just WOW. loved that. Bruno Mars totally blew me away. Adele is just adorable. I wanted to hug Bon Iver. Paul McCartney's Valentine song was smooth and made me want to download it....I could hear Andy singing it.
10. I both love and hate big decisions. I love when change is happening and the feeling of excitement and rush of adrenaline from the unknowns. I also am a control freak and fight like crazy to avoid previously mentioned unknowns. We are right in the midst of deciding what to do about our future home plans. Sell, buy, build, BLECH. So much to think about. Sometimes I do not even feel old enough to be making these types of decisions. But then I am reminded that this is the future of my family and I need to suck it up and make some smart choices.