Sick Day

The next time someone has the sniffles and says, "Oh, it's just a cold, no big deal," they are lying to you. It's either not a cold, or it IS a big deal. I have a cold right now, and it is AWFUL, like stay-home-from-work awful, go-to-bed-before-the-kids-do awful, Jenna-sent-me-home-from-Homecoming-early awful. I can't remember ever feeling this bad without a fever or barfing to go along with it. Just a good, old-fashioned cold, the kind they can't cure, but that generic NyQuil does wonders for.

So here I am, at home, well-rested, sweating (because it's 80 degrees outside and our AC is on a timer and I forgot about it until like 3:00 p.m.) and finally getting a little bored with the day. Might as well share my random sick day observations.

I still watch the original CSI, and I caught up on the season during my sick day. It's still a fine show, and Elisabeth Shue is still awesome.

I can't tell if my body is sore from coughing so much, or from being in bed so long. I've been in bed a LOT, starting around 8:15 Saturday night. My lower back is aging much more rapidly than the rest of me, people.

Unfortunately, I've timed being sick perfectly with having an empty fridge. We might eat eat take-out every night this week, because I am NOT setting foot in a Kroger in this delicate state.

The hardest part of my sick day has been being alone with the plate of cake pops my mom and kids made this weekend. I keep walking past it, thinking, "Don't eat a cake pop. Don't eat a cake pop. Don't eat another cake pop."

I finally started taking vitamins regularly a couple of weeks ago, and this is how my body repays me. I was right all along, Chip!

When I'm out of it, Chip takes over the role of Mom very nicely. He even fixed a plate of food last night and then let it get cold while attending to the kids' dinner demands. How very maternal!

Connor can't handle a sick Mom. He wanted to call my boss and tell her to let me stay home Saturday rather than work, then Saturday night he hugged me and loved me and got me everything I asked for. Then last night he made me swear that I wouldn't go to work today, and sweetly tucked me in since I fell asleep before he did.

Chloe can't handle a sick Mom either. People are paying attention to Mom, rather than Chloe? And Mom herself isn't waiting on Chloe hand and foot? She has been unbearable for two days solid now, trying to get us all to remember that she is the most important person in the household world and we should all ignore Mom, unless it's to fuss at Mom for not caring enough about Chloe. She would like things to be back to normal tonight, because MOM is supposed to tuck HER in, not the other way around, thank you very much.

Gidget's like, "Here's the deal- you can stay home  all day if you want, but live with the fact that I lounge on the furniture during weekday hours. I'll look sheepish when you walk in, but I'm not trying to hide who I am anymore, lady."

I just watched an episode of The Mindy Project that had the same plot of an episode of iCarly that I watched this weekend. If any of you can identify that plot, then we are clearly meant to be best friends and need to hang out and watch TV more often.

I'm going back to it tomorrow, whether my body is ready or not. Prepare the hand santizer, King Hall! I'm coming for you!

October Mists

Is there anything more timeless than frolicking with the garden hose?

In late October, it's a little odd. But it wasn't my idea...

The Two Front Teeth Saga

About a month ago, Chloe's two front teeth were perilously loose. One of them was even sticking out at a 45 degree angle. She did not want them touched.

We happened to have a dentist appointment, for a regular checkup. She said, "See how the gum is really red? That's because the one tooth is completely unattached, only held in place by the gum. So your body is treating it like a foreign object and it might get infected." She didn't pull it, though. She knew it would come out in a day or two, and didn't want to turn my oddly-terrified-of-tooth-pulling child off to dentists entirely.

That night at Snowden's Open House/Spaghetti Dinner, her tooth came out in a roll she was eating. How that is better than just pulling it out I'll never know. Gross. So then she looked like this:

Yeah, that other tooth is still sticking out. She looked and sounded pretty silly, but she preferred having Bubba teeth than pulling the other one out. Then things came to a head this week. She sat curled up in Grammy's lap like a baby for two hours, scared to swallow because she might swallow her tooth, then either spitting or slurping when she couldn't take it anymore. GOOD TIMES. Her gums were red, her whole face hurt, and she couldn't even eat a Wendy's Frosty because it hurt too much. She wanted it out so badly, but didn't actually want anyone to touch it. Plus there was a lot of crying. And did I mention slurping? She was freaking out. The rest of us were close.

When it was finally time to head upstairs to bed, I convinced her to just let me touch it one time before the night ended. I did, and she pulled away immediately, and I said, "Uh, I know you hate this, but your tooth is now perpendicular to the others so I at least need to put it back in the right direction before leaving you alone." She consented, and obviously I came away with the tooth in my hand. And duh, it didn't hurt because it WAS NOT ATTACHED. She was so happy! And so was I. I had been dying to remove that sucker.

And now she looks like this, which is awesome and entertaining. I hope it takes forever for those teeth to grow in!

Football at Rhodes

Young Tony Danza

Chloe wants to participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities these days. Sadly, we don't have the time or money to do gymnastics, Tae Kwon Do, AND dance (to name just a few) while Connor is simultaneously playing the sport of the season.

But recently we opened Chloe's homework folder to find the greatest note ever. A student at Rhodes was offering a free weekly ballet class to students at Snowden! It seems her idea was to have a class for anyone in the community who wanted to experience dance, and she expected maybe a dozen (poor, underserved) kids to show up. Fortunately, she wasn't too upset when all the cheap-ass middle-class moms showed up en masse with their tutu-loving progeny in tow.

I've wanted Chloe to take dance for some time, but New Ballet Ensemble just seemed to expensive and intense for our fickle curiosity and everything else was in a weird location. This is a perfect opportunity for Chloe to get a feel for things and for us to decide if we need to pursue this beyond just buying the outfit. (Can you believe that the leotard was the only thing we already owned?) We'll see where things stand when we have a semester of classes under our belt.

Gidget approves.

Fair Day

Memphis City School kids are out on the town today while the teachers have an in-service day. I've heard so many people say, "A day off? Already?" like this is the craziest thing ever. But we've always had a Friday off in September, for as long as I can remember as a parent, teacher, and student. Only back when I was a student, it wasn't called "In-Service Day." It was called "Fair Day," remember? It was marketed like some benevolent holiday that allowed us to experience the Mid-South Fair, instead of a time for teachers to actually get work done without having to stop and yell at us to STFU every ten minutes.

I went to the fair here and there, but I don't remember ever begging my parents to let me go. Part of that is because I had plenty of opportunity to experience that kind of stuff at Libertyland and Camden Park (the amusement park in Huntington, WV, where my people are) so the fair wasn't all that novel. We even made trips to Opryland and Kings Island when I was a kid. Amuesment parks were just a thing we did, so I have ridden rides (and accepted the fact that I just don't love them) my whole life. This is not the case for my children.

A few years ago, Connor went to the fair for a friend's birthday. I think it was when he was five, and he swears he doesn't remember it. (This doesn't surprise me, as he probably doesn't remember what he had for breakfast this morning either.) We've never taken the kids before, because the Delta Fair is around Labor Day and they seem to usually be in Nashville for Labor Day. But now we're at the point where their peers are bragging about the rides and the food and the games and they want to go to the fair already, Mom, why won't you take us?!?!?!?

So we did. And I swear, I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it cost a million dollars (plus $5 for parking). I was prepared for that reality, but I was sort of caught off guard by how the kids approached the fair. I've just always been so used to riding rides that I forgot they had no context for it at all. They couldn't figure out what they should or shouldn't ride, because they had no idea what would be fun or what would be scary. We started them off slowly by riding the smaller of the two Ferris Wheels with them. But they still spent a lot of time running around looking at people riding rides before they were ready to commit to something.

Connor got over it quicker than Chloe. Early on, he rode some swing things that were new to him but fairly tame- not the baby swing ride but not the super-high one, either. But Chloe wanted no part of it, so we just watched Connor. Then, two hours later, she rode the super-high swing ride like it was no big thing. And that made sense- she had literally never ridden a ride in her life. She had to ease into it. So it was fun to watch them progress through the fair and see what they said yes and no to. Almost worth wiping out Chip's retirement fund so we could afford a turkey leg before we left. Don't worry- I've already started saving for next year. Now that they've had a taste of it, there's no turning back.

A Memphis Day

Saturday was gorgeous, so we spent it outside. First we went to Rock for Love 6 in Overton Square, to get some lunch and see what was happening. Then we ran over to Rhodes for an hour or so to check out the new football field, before heading back to RFL6 to see the Rock n Romp activities that were set to begin later in the day. It was a fun, busy day.

The kids were especially excited about the Huey's Experience, where you could blow toothpicks through straws to your heart's content, write on the walls, and have your face painted. (Although I don't remember ever having my face painted at Huey's, I have done the other things before!) Chloe was disappointed there were no burgers, as her appetitie for red meat is never sated. But she ended up with some cotton candy, so she was willing to overlook this flaw in the experience.

We saw almost everyone we know at RFL6. It was hard to tear ourselves away to check out the game, but Connor really wanted to see some football in person and we all wanted to check out the new field. We had fun at Rhodes, but couldn't wait to get back to the scene at Overton Square. It was such a great Memphis day- so many friends, great music, a Grizzlies-themed bounce house, the amazing work of the Church Health Center- plus the gorgeous weather. Just wonderful.

Then this happened, and my kids died and begged for their own drum kit and took videos to show Grammy because they could not believe this awesomeness.

The day was so perfect that it almost made me forget that I'm mad it's September and summer is almost over! Memphis does a great job of filling September Saturdays with fun things to do. I look forward to enjoying the rest of them with you!

That's Entertainment

Friday night was movie (and hot fudge sundae) night for Team Chockleyblog. OF COURSE, Connor and Chloe stood at the Redbox for several hours arguing over what to rent. (This is why we got the movie before heading into Kroger for our treats- that ice cream would have been soup by the time this ordeal had finished.) Connor was pushing for The Three Stooges or Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Chloe wanted We Bought a Zoo. I was super-excited that both The Rock and Matt Damon were in play here, so I upped our rental from one movie or two. Then Connor stood there trying to argue that our two movies should be the two he wanted to see. Seriously? The ego on that kid! When pressed to pick ONE, he picked the damn Three Stooges movie. SMH!

If you know anything about We Bought a Zoo, then you aren't suprised to hear that I cried for the entire two hours. ENTIRE. TWO. HOURS. I occasionally had to leave the room to gather my composure and not scare the kids. I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The only glaring problem was that 40-something widower Matt Damon, who has two kids, is going to have his rebound relationship with 20-something ScarJo. Who happens to be the head zookeeper. When they break up, things are going to be AWKWARD. I mean, she obviously will have to get a new job, and she's been working there since she was a teenager! She can probably sue him, though, once they get to that point. Probably.

And then, movie #2. I can't rationally discuss the cinematic shit stain that is The Three Stooges. Here are the bits and pieces that my therapist and I have recovered through hypnosis, as I try to salvage parts of my life that were lost that night:
There are nuns in this movie, and they are played by Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, Kate Upton, and Larry David.
Any movie with Sofia Vergara should be rated at least PG-13, just based on her body looking like that.
The entire cast of Jersey Shore is prominently featured in this movie, giving it the timeless quality you would expect from a Three Stooges vehicle.
When Sofia Vergara came on screen, Chloe said, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF THE MEATBALLS! and that was the funniest thing that happened the whole movie.
The DVD was damaged, obviously from someone who extracted revenge on the disc after being subjected to the horrors contained within, and it caused the movie to skip ahead at one point, giving me at least ten minutes of my life back. It's the little things that make family movie night special. From now on, I will include the person who scratched that DVD in my nightly prayers.

Next week? Journey 2: The Mysterious Island! But will I be able to follow the plot if I haven't seen Journey 1?

Weekend

The kids went to Nashville this weekend to hang out with their grandparents. Chip and I were home alone! What does one do when there are no kids to take care of? Good question! Let me answer it for you.

Saturday morning Chip drove the kids to Exit 101, halfway to Nashville. I went to Jazzercise instead of accompanying him. As it is, the kids hug and kiss me before each Jazzercise class as if I'm going to be away from them for several days, rather than just an hour, so I figured we could just kill two birds with one stone this time.

After my class, I called Chip to see if he was home yet. Not quite. "Do you need me for any reason?" the mom in me asked. "Nope," he replied. OMG. No one needs me? I went to the Farmer's Market, and then to my mom's house. I got home when I felt like it. No one complained. This is crazy.

When I got home, I fixed lunch for only myself. Then I read a book while Chip processed pictures from a wedding he shot recently. Music played in the background. No one talked. Blissful.

Next, we went to a 901 Day concert at Shangri-La and heard Caleb Sweazy, Jeff Hulet, and Chad Nixon play some songs. Then we went to see The Dark Knight Rises. That movie is not even animated! After the movie, the skies were dark and scary. We went to Sharky's and rode out the storm watching college football in their bar while eating sushi and other seafood-y things. Another meal I did not fix.

The most amazing thing that happened Saturday was that we were flipping channels that night and came across a Sammy Hagar concert. This led us to look him up on the internet (because who is that badass chick playing bass for him?), at which time I learned that Sammy is going to be 65 next month. Sixty-five. As in, YEARS OLD. He was born one year after my mom. How is that possible? My mind is blown.

On Sunday, we slept in. Not even the cat attempted to wake us up early. Have I ever been this lucky? Perhaps sometime around the year 2000, when I didn't have kids or pets. I barely remember that time. Then we both walked the dog, together. Isn't that a weird thing to be excited about? No one had to stay home with the kids, and no whining kids were dragged along on the walk despite their most urgent wishes to be lazy and immobile. Next, we went to brunch with Tiffany and Mark at South of Beale. Then I got to see Chip's new office and we walked around the music festival before heading home. Then we did quiet, solitary things like read, shop, process pictures, etc. There might have been napping. It probably would have been a good time to clean or pay bills, but that just seemed silly.

Sunday night we cooked a good dinner and watched The Hunger Games. Then we went to bed at a decent hour and slept in the next day. Sleep! SO MUCH SLEEP! It was glorious. Then we went and picked up the kids, and not a minute too soon, because I missed them like crazy.

Tacky Day!

In an awesome break from the monotony of school uniforms, today at school was Tacky Day!

Yes, yes they are the same height now.

All the Things She Said

"I've never had Taco Bell, but it looks DELICIOUS!"
-while watching a Taco Bell commercial

"Is somebody winning?"
-while watching a basketball game

"I've always wanted to ride in a submarine!"
-apropos of nothing

"Uh, yeah girl!"
-when told by her mother that this pizza has both chicken and bacon

"Not women TOO!?!?"
-when discovering that women only recently were granted civil rights

"Mommy, I will eat this Nutella like it's my JOB!"
-upon tasting Nutella for the first time

"Will you wax my ears?"
-when feeling some sinus pressure in her ears

"Merida, I had no idea your story would be so sad!"
-speaking to the Merida doll she brought with us when we saw Brave

"It's everything I've ever wanted!"
-while holding me by my shoulders and looking deep into my eyes, after describing the Baconator commercial in detail

"You just got SERVED! By the Serve Master!"
-after winning a game of Skip-Bo

"I don't really like British teeth."
"This guy is no Pitbull."
"Are there not any black people in England?"
"Is their queen not allowed to smile?"
"That guy is too old to be a prince!"
-while watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics

Oops! Week Two

Did I let the whole week slip by without saying hi? That's because this is the week when it all caught up with us. I am dragging! I've let two weeks of getting up early go by without really putting myself to bed any earlier. The kids haven't had any meltdowns yet, but Chip and I have maybe not been our best selves every morning. I promise I'll make those lunches ahead of time next week! Either that or just buy ten Lunchables this weekend and call it a day. The siren song of processed, packaged food is calling me, and maybe global warming isn't so bad, right? (Kidding! Jeez, don't call child services or Al Gore or anything. I'll be strong.)

Connor has a lot of homework. A lot more than he's used to, anyway. And the problem is, he is just so slow! He'll do anything to avoid actually putting pencil to paper and answering the questions. So I think he's making it worse than it has to be. Luckily, he's not putting up any resistance yet- that will come later, I'm sure.

Chloe's teacher had strep throat to start the week, then today is out to take her kid back to college. I know those things can't be avoided, but two subs in the second week of school? Let it be noted for the record that I don't like that.

I love worrying about these minor elementary school problems, though, and look forward to many more years of it. Yesterday, the first-year students moved into the dorms at Rhodes, and today their parents will drive off, leaving their babies behind. It's too much to think about. Last night, both of my kids ended up in bed with me during the storm. I lay there while they sweated and squirmed all over me and thought about the kids spending their first night in the dorms. Did the storm scare them? Did they feel empowered, weathering it on their own? I can't even imagine what they're thinking, because I'm too far on the other side now. I could only imagine their parents, listening to that storm from their hotel rooms, patting the empty spot beside them on the mattress where their babies used to run for comfort. Did the parents feel scared? Did they feel empowered? I'm sure that when the time comes, we'll all be ready. But last night I smothered them with kisses and held on as tightly as I could. And they welcomed it.

Week One

Connor has been happy with his class, despite the lack of BFFs. (Also, he didn't have any night terrors associated with the start of school this year, last week or this week. It's been crazy!) He hasn't had much to say about his schedule or what they're doing in class yet. Maybe I'll get him talking by Labor Day. The only thing I've really heard is that the fan on their AC is bent, so it makes really loud noises all day. That's good information, son. Keep up the good work.

He does seem to love his teacher, although he (obviously) hasn't given me any specific reason why. My guess? It's because she's a thirty-something white lady. My boy loves a substitute Mom! He had one in Kindergarten and then again last year in Third Grade. At least this year he changes classes, and his other teacher is not just another "Mom." In fact, he informed me that she was "older," but then a few days later told me that meant 42. Seriously, I'll cut him if he ever again refers to that as "older."

Chloe has had a great week, of course. I would love to be Chloe for a day- to be tall, smart, funny, and generally unburdened by negative thoughts must be the greatest life ever. Her reports from school are things like, "On Friday we get ice cream with sprinkles!" and "I forgot to tell you- a girl swallowed a penny yesterday!" Plus, she loves her new after school classroom at Idlewild- downstairs with Miss Lauren and Miss Emerald! She's waited so long to be with them! When I picked her up yesterday she grabbed my hand to show me the cool stuff in the science center. Then she skipped off, singing to herself. I picture rainbows and unicorns surrounding her at all times. Surely they're there in her mind, right?

(That last sentence would have been awesome if had been talking about both kids and said "Surely they're there in their minds, right?" Because I'm a nerd. But I digress.)

I did get one shocking report from Chloe Wednesday night- she didn't really play with anyone on the playground that day! I was all, Oh no! but she kind of shrugged it off. Apparently there are some established friend pairings that she's not jumping in on. I encouraged her to reach out anyway. Thursday I followed up- how did it go? She said she was still playing mostly alone. (And she was still not nearly as worried about it as I was.) I mentioned some specific girls who had been in her kindergarten class- what's the deal with them? Who do they play with? "Oh Mom," she replied, "They play Twilight! That's why I don't play with them!" So now I will remove my nose from her beeswax because clearly she has a handle on recess and doesn't need my advice. Also? I've totally raised her right.

Preview of weeks 2-36: I buy books every time they send home a Scholastic order form; homework volume picks up; homework meltdowns happen with increasing frequency; I quit ironing clothes and making lunches ahead of time; we start arriving at school late. Sound familiar? I know- I can hardly wait either. Happy new school year, folks!

Play Ball!

This year, Connor played baseball for GSL. The folks at Idlewild mean well, but they just don't have enough volunteers to run a great program. And I'm not willing to volunteer, so I'm not judging. I just decided to find a place with other parents who are way more awesome than I am. I got Max and Ayden on board, and our city school kids infiltrated the fancy team.

We reached the age where the kids do their own pitching. Oh dear lord it was brutal. But worst of all? Connor wanted to give it a shot. The inning he pitched was the longest of my life! I think I am going to ban pitching/goalie/quarterback from the list of positions Connor is allowed to play. I can't stand the pressure!

He was actually surprisingly confident, which made it harder when he sucked. Although to be fair, almost all of them suck at pitching at this age. And many of them suck in the field, too- Connor threw a double play ball that was fielded into three runs scored. Of course, when you're nine, a hit is a hit- he wasn't interested in my talk of "E-6." Now he doesn't want to pitch anymore, although by next year, when he's on the older side of this age group, he might be better. But if he wants to go ahead and retire as a pitcher, I'm not going to complain!

In any case, it was a fun season. I feel like he learned more about baseball in two months than he did in the three previous seasons combined. They won some and lost some, and really enjoyed the experience. I'm so glad that GSL let us crash their party! Here's hoping we can sneak onto a basketball team, too!

First Day

Chloe marched into first grade like she owns the place this morning. Little girls rushed up to hug her as soon as she walked in, and she didn't look back. For a minute I was concerned because most of her friends are in a different class, but I soon realized that most of MY friends are in that other class. Chloe knew everyone in her class and wasn't worried at all. I guess it's time for ME to start making some new friends, not her!

She got the teacher I had hoped she'd get. Mrs. Holloway is rumored to be very musical and use lots of songs and things in her teaching. That's got Chloe written all over it. A lot of other parents recommended her, and Mrs. Berry (our perfect kindergarten teacher who has set the bar unreasonably high) said she felt Chloe and Mrs. Holloway would be a good match. I believe anything Mrs. Berry has to say, so there you go.

Connor started fourth grade, and I have to say- I didn't know anything about fourth grade before today. I didn't know the teachers, I didn't know how the whole multiple teacher thing would work, nothing. I just knew where fourth grade was- the same place where I did my student teaching and where I had my very first class as a brand new teacher in January 2000. And guess what? My classroom is Connor's classroom! Crazy.

(Photo by Chip on the SECOND day of school, since he totally forgot to take a picture on the first day!)

He has Mrs. Thompson for homeroom, social studies and language arts. At some point during the day, his class switches over to Mrs. Bailey for math and science. He seems pretty excited about the multiple teacher aspect of things. I can't imagine he can keep up with books/papers/assignments from one class to the next, since he can't always make it from my car to his classroom with his lunchbox. It will be good practice for him as he starts transitioning toward middle school. OMG, let's not talk about it.

Opposite of Chloe, I saw plenty of names I recognized on Connor's class list, but all he could see were the omissions. His three best buddies- A, H and W- are all in a different class. Together. How will he ever live!?!? I pointed out that he might actually be able to focus on learning if he's not goofing off all the time. He wasn't amused. But I do feel bad for him- if we lived in the neighborhood he could just bike over to these guys' houses and play whenever he wanted. But because we're out here, it's harder for him to stay in the loop when he's not in the same class. It makes me feel guilty that we're stuck in this house and I've done it all wrong. But I'll just be sure and have more sleepovers and be more aggressive in planning playdates. And maybe- just maybe- that boy will branch out and make new friends. It could happen, I swear! I'll show him by making new first grade parent friends. We can do it together, Connor!

One day down, 179 to go! Woohoo!

P.S. Happy birthday, Mom!

In LONDON, Angland

We're watching the Olympics. They are in London, England. Chip and I are unable to stop ourselves from doing the following:

When someone on TV says "England," one of us says, "Angland?" and the other says, "Japan's sending Playstations!" or something else from the following sketch. Warning: language!

When someone on TV says, "In London. . ." one of us shouts, "IN LONDON?!?!?"

And then we laugh, EVERY TIME, because we're total dorks. And then the kids say, "What's so funny?" and we tell them they wouldn't think it's funny, and they pout because we're having fun and they aren't in on it. Just so you have the full picture there.

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

Chloe Lou Retton

A while back, Chloe took gymnastics for a couple of months. She was. . . not exactly a natural, and it was kind of expensive, so we dropped it.

Last fall, she convinced us she was ready to start back. Wings Gymnastics has classes twice a week at Idlewild, and the price seemed more reasonable now that we aren't in daycare, so we signed her up. She has loved it.

I was surprised by how much she enjoyed it, considering she couldn't even really do a cartwheel. She didn't care- she practiced her afflicted-looking cartwheels all the time, and looked forward to each class. Her teacher, Miss Mary Hannah, is really patient with all ages and skill levels. Chloe talked for months about the recital her class would have in May, and couldn't wait to show us what she'd been doing. And we were all surprised to see that she actually held her own out there.

One of the instructors, who isn't her normal teacher, spotted her the first time she went on the beam at the recital. She didn't touch Chloe at all, and Chloe did great. Only later did I realize that her everyday teacher almost never takes her hands off of Chloe on the beam! Yet at this recital, in front of everyone, Chloe just sucked it up and did it with no fear and no complaints. I realized this weeks later, and I just want to hug Chloe for hours whenever I think of how she handled herself at the recital.

About a month after the recital, Chloe was doing her usual nightime routine of practicing cartwheels and handstands in front of the TV while the rest of us tried to watch basketball. And suddenly she just did a cartwheel! All that practice finally paid off, when something clicked inside her and the cartwheel happened like it was supposed to. It has really been fun to watch her growth in gymnastics- especially since some of our kids (hint: not Chloe) tend to give up right away if they aren't perfect at something on the first try.

Chloe is just basically a ball of self-confidence, and it amazes me. She is my idol.

National Anthem

The Olympics have started, and my kids are totally invested for the first time. I think this is awesome. We watched the opening ceremonies from our condo on the beach, and I fondly remembered watching a lot of the 1984 Summer Olympics from a condo at the beach, down the road in Destin. (Perhaps I need to start branching out, vacation-wise?) Of course Connor was going to love every event, from skeet shooting to basketball, because he's my son and if our team is playing, we're all in. But even Chloe can lower herself to watch sports when two of her favorite activities, swimming and gymnastics, come on.

You aren't surprised to know that I wander around the house belting out off-key renditions of the National Anthem basically all the time now. Chip knows me well enough to know that, in my head, I'm totally singing Whitney's version. So he always counters with Beyonce's version. Some couples fight about money, or infidelity, or how to raise their kids. Not us. If divorce papers are ever drawn up, Whitney vs. Beyonce will be mentioned in the first paragraph.

I present my case:

This is it. This is the standard diva anthem. This became a Top 20 hit! No one else has done that with The Star Spangled Banner! I believe that if this video were shot in HD and Whitney looked like Beyonce, Chip would maybe see my side of the argument differently. (Do not listen to him when he talks about ambitious chord progression.)

Chip's case:

Blah blah, chord progression, he's picturing her naked, etc. I agree that this is wonderful. But she's no Whitney.

Please feel free to pick a side. (Especially since  I already know you're going to pick Whitney. Duh.)

In case you're now worried that diva National Anthems have driven a permanent wedge between me and Chip, you should know that we are in total agreement as far as National Anthem fails go. We've decided that there is just no way to pick between Carl Lewis and Clent Bowers. It would be like naming a favorite child! These guys are so important to us!

Enjoy all of these, but particularly the segment starting at 1:25.

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

Hey Girl

Hey there. How is everyone? We're doing okay, thanks for asking.

Not to be dramatic, but the first half of 2012 was just monumentally awful for us, in a "first world problems" kind of way. In my adult life, I've only had one other time period that was as stressful. I have cried a LOT of tears so far this year. It hasn't been pretty.

However.

The kids don't know about all the adult stresses. They've had a great year. And things have turned around enough as a whole that I think I'm ready to be chatty again. I've got lots to tell you about my awesome kids, and plenty of fantastic pictures to illustrate their awesomeness. So let's get back to normal, shall we?

See you soon,
The Chockleyblogs

Nine