7/2 Daybook:(In which I conclude by becoming Tami Taylor of Friday Night Lights)

Outside my window:
Sun and it'll be a hot one again today.

I am thinking:
of focusing only on the good this week.  Good anything...good food, good songs, good baseball plays, good behavior, good children, good news and certainly, good people.  Whenever I think of something/someone negative, I'll physically write down a positive.  A good list, that's it.  There is way too much good that God has put into the world to be even momentarily distracted by the bad.

I am thankful:
for God's army of good people.  Unselfish, compassionate, graceful, humble people.  For all the friends and relatives who have poured out love and help to my parents in the past week.  Thank you God for goodness...I can add many to my list of folks that reek of goodness. 

In the kitchen:
little redheaded one eating his cereal...that one hasn't learned how to sleep in.

I am wearing:
pjs

I am going:
to take Joe to an appointment to have a freckle removed from the side of his ear.  I guess it's more of a mole and that's why the pediatrician thinks it's time for it to go.  But a mole sounds threatening and a freckle sounds cute.  Is it weird that I'm sad about this?  For thirteen years I've loved that little freckle and I remember how I noticed it on the ear of my sweet boy when I first held him in that Georgetown University hospital bed and stared into his face for hours.  Bye, bye little Joe freckle.  I'll miss you.  I'm sort of a freak, huh?

I am wondering:
if anyone might NOT poop, vomit or throw glass in the pool this week.  It keeps having to be closed.  The lovely and talented Mrs. C. and I were so bummed that the pool kept getting closed last week because it is 612 degrees outside and that makes a couple of gals very cranky, BUT we don't take our frustrations out on the lifeguards or on the mommies of the kids who get sick.  Pretty sure both of those sets of folks are getting the short end of the stick there having to clean that stuff up.  Be kind, people.  (Well, if you find out which rotten person thought it would be funny to throw glass in the pool...maybe a harsh word or two and THEN be kind ;)

I am reading:
I am going to check out The Red Tent  by Anita Diamant again.  I read it years ago and we named our baseball moms party "The Red Tent" party because no men are invited ever and we make sure we don't eat hot dogs or sunflower seeds and we don't drink Gatorade.  The book was great and explaining it to the women who hadn't read it made me want to read it again.  Beautiful story.

I am hoping:
for strikes and base hits and double plays and slides safely into home. 

I am looking forward to:
Mrs. R. being back in town for a bit.  I don't do very well without Mrs. R. within a 30 mile radius so that she can talk me through things.  It takes a village to raise a me.  It really does.  God sent me the most wonderful, funny, wise villagers.  Mrs. R. = Good List.

I am learning:
what a huge dork I am (again).  Who doesn't even realize that her party napkins EXACTLY match her top until half way through her fabulous AllStarBaseballMoms "Join Me in My Red Tent" party?  Me, that's who.

My Prom Date and Me

I am praying:
for the peace of God which trancends all understanding.

I am pondering:
how much you (think) you can learn about your children from playing board games like Monopoly and Life.  One of my kids ended the game of Life with the highest paying job, the most money and the biggest house.  He was completely depressed the entire game because he never landed on any of the family spaces and all he wanted was to be able to have a family and put the kids pegs in his car.  When his poverty stricken brother couldn't pay for one of his "bills", he offered to pay it.  I thought he was the sweetest child ever and I was so impressed with the life lessons I was teaching my children through good old summer fun.  Later in the day, he told that same brother that he was the most annoying person ever and to leave him alone.  *Sigh*

I am listening to:
the dryer spin and Drew eating breakfast.

On my IPod:
Better than a Hallelujah by Amy Grant.  This song got me through some rough days a couple of years ago.  I felt guilty that I was always pouring out sorrow to Him and couldn't move past that sorrow to notice the overflowing blessings in my life.  I'm better at that now...most days.  This is exactly what God needed me to hear.

A quote for today:
"The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid" - Author Unknown
Telling that to my bickering boys this week. We, grown up folks, need to hear it, too, I think.  It shouldn't be that hard to be kind, should it?

A verse for today:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.  Whatever you have received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."  Phillipians 4:8

One of my favorite things:
texts with the lovely and talented Mrs. C. while my family tries to watch tv. I end up sitting on one end of the couch snorting and laughing until tears pour out of my eyes while my children shush me like I'm an undisciplined 8 year old in church.

A few plans for the week:
It's showtime for the AllStars.  After two and a half straight weeks of practicing, Kyle plays his first district game for the 10/11 division tonight and Steve coaches his first district game for the 11/12 division tomorrow night.  I will alternate between quoting Bible verses and channeling Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights.  I've got the accent down so it'll be something like "Y'all...come on now...run the race with perserverance, y'all."  I feel sure that Tami Taylor would've quoted the Bible often if not for those network tv executives thinking that the Bible is so totally offensive to Americans.  As if Lyla Garrity jumping into that pick-up truck with Tim Riggins while her boyfriend, Jason Street, was trying to learn to use his wheelchair wasn't offensive.  NBC, come on, y'all.

A peek into my day:
CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS, CAN'T LOSE.  Go get 'em, Little Thunder.

Daybook idea from http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/