no wonder some of us are a little loopy

Amy found this site. It explains a lot:

"Before the 20th century, it was rare for people to move out of the town they grew up in. You moved once: when you left your parents' house to get married. Today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the average American will move 11.7 times in his or her lifetime, often going from one state to another. The result is that our communities have been decimated, and it's mothers who stay at home who bear the brunt of this change. The table below highlights some of the reasons why:

THEN	NOW
Women's daily work involved life-or-death issues. There was no McDonalds if you didn't cook dinner. Women's work was important to survival.	Household work still needs to be done, but no longer involves matters of life or death -- if you don't cook dinner there's always McDonald's -- so it's not recognized as being "important".
Other children lived nearby whose families you knew well. You could send your kids outside to play to have a few moments to yourself.	You're all alone -- you don't know your neighbors very well, family does not live nearby, your street is deserted during the day. It's like you and your kids are on a desert island.
Divorce was almost unheard-of.	Divorce is common. Everyone has heard horror stories of women who didn't have jobs being financially and emotionally devastated when their husbands left them. No matter how good your marriage, you can't help but feel a little vulnerable if you're not bringing in an income.
Your immediate and extended family all lived in the same town. If you had a problem -- anything from illness to spousal abuse to money -- people were right there who "had your back".	Your immediate and extended family are scattered all over the country. They don't know what's going on in your day-to-day life and couldn't help you in an emergency.
You knew the people who lived near you, most of them being relatives or people you'd known for a long time.	You don't know most of your neighbors, certainly not most people in the neighborhood. You don't feel comfortable letting your kids run around the neighborhood unsupervised.
Your friends were geographically close to you, often people you'd known your whole life.	Friends with whom you develop bonds often leave to move across the country. Just when you get to know someone with whom you click they move, often thousands of miles away.
You got public recognition for your accomplishments: people in your community knew if you were a great seamstress, had an immaculate yard, etc.	Only your husband is aware of your accomplishments (and sometimes it seems like even he doesn't notice).

In short: to be your children's primary caretaker is the most natural thing in the world; but to be alone with your children in a house all day, every day where you are the sole person available to provide for their safety, nutrition and entertainment, is totally unnatural. It tests the limits of psychological endurance."

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I'm going to continue with my day now and try not to feel too sorry for myself :-)

Busy weekend

Aunt Jo came for a visit:



Then we went to the bay area to take on our favorite hike near Point Reyes. This is why we love it:

and the temperature was about 60 degrees (if you can't tell, temperature is very important to me).

If you look closely at the top of the hill, maybe you can see the elk. There's a heard of them that live here.



And we have smiles. Yes, I repeat, we have smiles:



Maybe he's just happy because of his good night's sleep (9 hrs for the last three nights).

since you asked...

At least Jordan and Stacy liked my potatoes (and they were gone, so I must not have made enough - sorry)! Here's how I did them, so you can attempt to replicate the magic:

I used the small golden-type potatoes (not sure what they're called since my sweet husband picked them up for me at Raley's -- but you can use any kind).

I cube them up and toss them in a bowl with a little oil (about two tablespoons -- this was canola) season salt (probably 1 1/2 teaspoons) and pepper -- this time also chopped red onion but you could add anything (bell peppers would be great).

I used a cast iron skillet heated to medium with a good amount of oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

When the pan is hot dump the potatoes in and stir, then cover for about 5 min so potatoes start cook a little. Remove the lid, stir and crank up the heat to high so they brown up. Stir every 2 - 5 min. so they don't get stuck and burn.

It's not an exact science. They're done when they look done!

Projectiles

Paul is "launching" his lunch and Phillip is launching into the TOC's.

Any mom's have tips for projectile spitting up? Paul is really happy and healthy, so it doesn't bother me much that he empties his stomach once in a while. He's still growing and sleeping great. It's just kinda gross and I'd like it to stop. So far he's doused me with recently swallowed breast milk once on Friday, then last night and again this afternoon. This is more than your average spit-up -- trust me, it's projectile. I'm thinking he must be eating too much too fast, but I kinda like it that way (minus the vomit). I read that too much caffeine might be a cause. I really hope that's not it.

Anyway...on to baseball...

The first round of the Tournament of Champions is tonight -- 6pm -- Eastern Little League. This is all very exciting. It's 96 degrees right now. If they win tonight they play Friday. Same time...same place...hopefully a few degrees cooler.

Baseball Tonight

quick update on Phillip's baseball season...

we've had a great year. Phillip's had some really great coaches and teammates. Their team has been very successful. Phillip has contributed some to their success :-) but mostly he's been learning a lot and working on improving his skills and baseball fundamentals! (i.e. - "oooohhhh, so THAT'S a curve ball!")

Tonight is Phillip's last regular season game. Their team has a chance of making the TOC (Tournament of Champions) where they'll play the best teams form surrounding Little Leagues. We'll keep you posted...


*** update on the update ***


it was a great come-from-behind, on-the-edge-of-the-bleachers win with the A's emerging victorious. Phillip had a clutch base-hit and eventually scored one of the essential game winning runs! You should see his face when he doesn't strike out. Priceless.

So, I guess the A's are in first place and will proceed to post-season play next week.