(43-296) School's Out!

We've been having the most unusual weather for this time of year in Phoenix.  It's been cool and windy, and despite the havoc that it's wreaking on my allergies, I find it delightful.  However, it makes it all the more difficult to believe that schools out now; and summer vacation has begun.

You know I've been looking forward to my kids being done with school; so today is a VERY happy day for us.  I'm proud to say that my kids all brought home beautiful, report cards.  Nicky had a 3.89 and given the level of difficulty of his schoolwork, I'm quite pleased with that.  Lyndzi had a 4.0, and Kelsie was only in first grade, so her report card consisted of a lot of plus signs rather than grades. Nicely done Ramos kids!!

The kids kinda took it easy today once they got home from school.  I made one of Nicky and Lyndzi's favorite dinners (Italian sausage and linguine), and then I went to a soccer board meeting.

When I came home and sat down to write my blog, I did what I always do.  Scrolled down the page to see if I had any new followers, reviewed the live feed to see who's read what and where they're from, and checked out what new blogs were posted by the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out team.  The title of Kai's post caught my eye, so I hopped over to "Enjoy The Ride Today!" to see "A Laugh..."  and indeed I got one from The Ultimate Dog Tease video that she posted.  I actually laughed out loud; so I called my kids over so that I could show it to them.  They thought it was a riot, and made me play it a couple of times.  So in honor of the beginning of our summer and the first good laugh that we've had.  Not to mention (say it with me), "The Greater good"  of course.  I'm going to share  it with you.

I know that we're going to have the best summer EVER.  And I sure hope that you do too.  I've been waiting for this day to come, and now that it's here I'm going to look forward to my next milestone, which is just four days away...The 300th consecutive post of the 43 series of "The Bumpy Ride," and then you know what comes after that...just 66 days, and 66 posts until I'll be 44!  So much to look forward to, so many things to appreciate  and so many more lessons to learn.  I'd better get busy...
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-193) ALL AROUND ALL-STAR

When I wrote "A Spirit Lift," I shared ten things that I was looking forward to; and #9 was Date Day. I explained that Luis and I were planning to celebrate Valentine's Day early, on Friday; so when I returned home from volunteering in Kelsie and Lyndzi's classes, Luis and I were on our way.  Luis told me that he needed to stop at Autozone to get some oil for the minivan; and then we could get going; but while I was waiting in the car; the school nurse called and said that she had Nicky in her office; he had fever, he wasn't feeling well, and he needed to be picked up.  I told her that we'd be there in five minutes.

I have to admit, that when the nurse said that it was Nicky that she had in her office, I was really surprised; because he hadn't exhibited any signs of being ill.  When I got to the nurse's office, she told me that Nicky had 100.4 temp, was coughing and complaining of a headache.  We took Nicky home, he rested; and other than a low grade fever, he seemed to be doing OK; so the kids and I met Jenny and her kids for dinner, since it was the SMF's night out.

Nicky ate dinner, but his energy seemed lower than usual; and he started to get very tired.  Once we got home, I could hear that Nicky was now congested and in need of a breathing treatment.  During his breathing treatment I asked him if he could see himself playing soccer in the morning if he felt just like this; and he said no.  I told him that I knew that he would be very disappointed if he had to miss the All-Star game; but that I wanted him to focus on how proud he should be of himself, for being invited to play.  I asked if he thought I should let his coach know that he wasn't going to be able to play; but he asked me to wait until morning.

I set my alarm for 8am, thinking that if Nicky wasn't going to be well enough for the All-Star game, it should give his coach time to ask someone else; since the game was scheduled for 11.  But by 3am I could hear Nicky coughing, so I got up and went to him.  We took his temperature and he had 102.4  I gave him a breathing treatment and emailed his coach; and I have to say that I thought Nicky handled his disappointment amazingly well.

By 745 I heard Nicky coughing again, so I got up and he was crying.  He was  congested, and uncomfortable and he was BURNING up with 106 temp.  We took his temperature again, because we were shocked that it was so high; and we got a reading of 102.5; so Luis reasoned that he must have been sleeping on the ear that was 106.  We gave Nicky Ibuprofen and a breathing treatment; and I took him to Urgent Care.

Once again, I have to sing the praises of Alliance Urgent Care as we had no wait; and the personnel were lovely.  Nicky was diagnosed with Acute Bronchitis and Sinusitis; and they prescribed an antibiotic, a cough syrup with Codeine; and yes, steroids for the Asthma.

I don't know why I'm so surprised that within 12 hours Nicky went from seeming absolutely fine; to being so sick; because that's EXACTLY what had happened to Lyndzi just a couple of weeks ago; and yet, it seems unbelievable nonetheless.  I can't tell you how extraordinarily proud I am of how well Nicky coped with his disappointment over the All-Star game; and I thing that just goes to show that Nicky really is an ALL AROUND ALL STAR.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-116) My Girl's Got COURAGE

We've been having a sensational soccer season.  At the risk of jinxing us; I'll tell you that all three of my kid's teams are undefeated thus far.  Lyndzi and Kelsie have each had one tie in addition to their victories; and Nicky's team has won every game.  Although all three kids have very different skill levels, each of the games have been nothing short of fantastic.

Today Lyndzi's coach wasn't at the game, because he went backpacking; so a couple of Dad's filled in coaching The T-N-T for him.  The coach had provided the Dad's with a lineup; that included Lyndzi playing forward or defender in the first half; and goalie (her preferred position,) in the second half.  We were playing a team that we've beaten before; but two seasons ago, this team was the team to beat; and our kids remember that.

The first half was a little tougher for us than usual, and by the time half time arrived we were losing one to two.  Lyndzi told me that she was a little nervous to play goalie, since the other team was playing so hard; and they were losing for the first time this season.   Lyndzi felt that if they lost, it would be her fault; so she wasn't sure that she wanted to take that chance.  The Dad's called the team together for a pep talk.  They asked Lyndzi if she was ready to be goalie; and I heard her tell them that she was a little nervous.  I "thought" that they were looking for a replacement; but the next thing I knew, my girl was putting her goalie jersey on.  I went over to the meeting and gave Lyndzi a BIG hug, and told her how very proud of her I was, for being afraid and trying anyway. 

As she took to the field, the Dad's were talking her up, telling her what a great goalie she was; and that she had nothing to fear.  They said that as long as she had a good time playing, everything would be OK.

T-N-T was back in true form by the second half and they scored early, scored again, and again and again.  The opposing team scored one goal on Lyndzi and one goal only; although they attempted four.  The game ended with T-N-T winning five to three.

EVERYONE was so proud of Lyndzi and told her what a terrific job she did; and just as we were about to walk away, one of the Dad's said "Lyndzi, how many goals did they score on you?"  And Lyndzi quietly said "one."  He then repeated his question, and with a bit more confidence and a big smile; Lyndzi answered "ONE."  He then went on to tell Lyndzi; "They scored one; and you were right where you were supposed to be.  You went for it, and it slipped; but it was a lucky goal; not one that had anything to do with your error."  He then said, "Lyndzi, win or lose; as long as you give it your all and have fun, that's all that any of us care about."  He told her that she did a great job; and I thanked him very much for talking to her.

John Wayne said " Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway;" and today Lyndzi did just that.  I think that she was very brave to face her fear; and I'm so glad that she was successful despite it.

You all know that my kids make me proud on a daily basis; but today is different.  Today I am proud FOR Lyndzi because she made her own difficult decision and showed everyone her strength of character and ability. ANYONE can agree to play goalie when they have a big lead or are playing a weaker team; but to know that you might lose and give it your all anyway; now THAT is courageous.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Was it PRIDE?

What to have for dinner is a nightly topic that takes TOO MUCH time in our household. I don't know why I just don't plan something and make it. OK, well sometimes I DO. But typically there is some type of discussion in which I ask "what do you want for dinner?" The conversation doesn't ALWAYS involve all 5 of us, because let's face it too many cooks... But usually, I ask Luis (if it's one of the 3 nights that he is home for dinner) or I ask the kids, or yeah, there are nights that I do ask EVERYONE. I don't remember my Mom ever asking me what I wanted, she just made dinner and it was ALWAYS terrific. But then again, she was a more confident cook than I am with a much more extensive repertoire. I shall remind you of #43 on my 100 Random Things About Me list : People tell me that I'm a good cook, but I have a limited repertoire. So with that being said; maybe I ask for suggestions because I LIKE to take everyone's feelings and desires into consideration or maybe it's because I just can't make up my mind. (Shocker!) But I think ultimately, it's because I want to make everyone HAPPY.

Well last Friday night, after an extensive discussion about dinner; Luis and I decided that he was going to cook. He was going to make Pizza for the kids (with dough from Trader Joe's - which I HIGHLY recommend. It's only $1.99, it's easy and it's GOOD.) And he was going to make Mexican eggs and bacon for he and I.

Luis did a BEAUTIFUL job on the pizza, and while he was cooking the rest of our dinner, I was emptying the dishwasher. A few minutes before the pizza was ready to come out of the oven, I grabbed my Pampered Chef cooling rack, and proudly boasted "I think I got this cooling rack for free when I hosted that Pampered Chef party, and I have to say it is one of the BEST things I ever got; because we use it all the time." And as if my chest wasn't already big enough, I think I puffed up a couple of sizes because I was SO proud of myself.

I put the cooling rack on the kitchen island and within a minute or two it was time for Luis to take the pizza out of the oven. As Luis leaned into the oven and saw his bubbling work of art, he bragged, "This pizza looks GOOD! I am THE BEST pizza maker ever!!" And with that he proceeded to put the tray on the WONDERFUL cooling rack, and the tray and pizza promptly slid right off the rack onto the floor. As it was coasting off the rack,(which seemed like slow motion to me of course) Luis shouted "Pooh" (because that's what he calls me) and I replied "What did you want me to do? Was I supposed to grab the hot pizza with my bare hands, or the tray for that matter? " But he claimed that he wanted to point out that my PRIZED cooling rack had a leg tilting off of the island and this was why the pizza crashed to the ground. OK! Since I ALWAYS double check the stability of the cooling rack (because I fear precisely what happened,) I don't believe this was the case.

Anyway, we stood there for a moment, looking at our delicious pizza oozing cheese all over the kitchen floor. The kids had come in when they heard the commotion and sadly witnessed Luis scooping the masterpiece off of the floor. They were disappointed to say the least, but I assured them that we would take another stab at making the pizza some time during the weekend and they were appeased. I told Luis "This is what we get for acting so PROUD." We laughed, and then I left for Del Taco, so I could get the kids some dinner.

Yes, I know sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. There may not be any cosmic reason that the pizza slid to the floor. It MAY BE be that the cooling rack wasn't sitting well on the island (although I HIGHLY doubt it.) It may be that the pan was slippery and that's why it careened off the rack, or, since I'm constantly seeking the GREATER GOOD, I am certainly willing to consider that it MAY have been about the pride. But, there is one other possibility; maybe I just needed something to blog about.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING