I Brought Home a Souvenir

"Mom, don't freak out. I'm o.k. but I brought home a souvenir". That's what Alex said when he came home from baseball practice early this evening. Me freak out. What would I have to freak out about other than the humongous contusion on his left hand. You know, the hand that he writes with.

Long story short, Alex got hit with a pitch while at batting practice today. Only my kid would endure the rest of the practice before telling someone how bad it was. "Hey dad, look at the souvenir I'm taking home today". Uh do we really need to explain that souvenirs are from trips not injuries sustained from playing sports? I guess we do.

Thankfully no broken bones just a nasty contusion with lots of swelling. A nice splint and rest for about a week or so and he should be good as new.

Cherry Chomper To The Rescue

Well it's that time of year again. It's cherry season. If your kids are anything like mine they love cherries. I love cherries too but not the mess of pitting them. On a lark I picked up this cute little tool called a Cherry Chomper and gave it a whirl. Now I wouldn't go pitting several pounds of cherries with it but for a fruit salad or a bowl of cherries it works quite nicely. The best part was that the kids had a lot of fun with it too.

http://www.talismandesigns.com/html/cherry%20pitter.html

They're Grrrrreat

Alex and his baseball team, The Tigers, had their opening game tonight. What a beautiful night for baseball. The kids did a great job and Alex even got a hit. What a great way to kick off the season. They're Grrrreat! Go Tigers!

Teach Your Children Well

I am a stickler for good manners. My children may be rowdy and loud but they have good manners. This is something we try to reinforce on a daily basis. Little reminders here and there about how to greet people, when to hold the door, give up their seat and to remember to say "please" and "thank you". Now and again I find great books that reinforce these concepts and recently I found two: Madeline says Merci, and Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

All Grown Up

My the time has flown by quickly. My babies are babies no more. In a little over a month Alex will be turning eight. This fall Max will be entering the hallowed halls of Kindergarten. Two small souls who still need love, encouragement and support but not nearly as much as they once did.

Just last week Max set foot in his preschool for the very last time. I must confess that it was both exciting and a little sad. I dedicated three years of my life to that school. My kids and I made wonderful friendships there and I grew as a mom. I will miss it dearly.

Now it is time to move on to bigger and better things. As I firmly believe that as one door closes another one opens. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I don't, but I'll be waiting with anticipation.