Good Sportsmanship a Thing Of the Past?

     Last night my son Ryan had a baseball game. We arrived at the park very early due to a miscommunication and were able to watch the game before ours. I have to say it was disheartening and not because any of the boys did anything wrong, it was the coach and a few of the parents from one of the teams.
     I don't understand how the concept of good sportsmanship has fallen so far so fast. Is it the over-paid professionals and their extreme egos that has caused this? Is it that basic decency isn't considered fashionable in a, "do whatever it takes to come out on top," culture? 
     The coach was telling his players to crowd the plate hoping that they would get hit and get to first base. Then he would walk out onto the field to stall the game when they were ahead. He must have called ten time outs.
     Another gem, when his third baseman got run over when he was blocking the plate and got injured he accused the runner of hurting his player on purpose, to the point where the injured kids, relatives ran onto the field to yell at the other coach and the offending player, who was crying in the dug out because he felt bad about hurting the boy. SERIOUSLY! What is up with that? Did I mention that the relative kicked open the field gate and busted the handle in the process?
     Why are some people like this? Do you get your ego stroked when a bunch of 12 year-olds win a baseball game. Is that all you have in your life that it's that important to win at all costs? If I had a kid on that team I would be embarrassed by the coaches behavior.

Today I'm Grateful

      Some of you may have seen my post yesterday about the wheel falling off of my husbands van. When he had it towed to his mechanic, the mechanic had all the other men in the complex (it's two long blocks of buildings that house mechanics that specialize in different types of car repairs) come and look at what had happened to his van. They couldn't believe he was still alive. If he had been on the freeway going 70 miles and hour, like he usually is, he wouldn't be here today. 
     It's things like this that make you step back and realize the blessings you have even if you don't always recognize them.
     Every night when my two youngest boys go to bed we have a prayer and they almost always say, "Please bless Dad in California that he will come home safe." We say these prayers so often that you start to not pay attention to the words and the meaning. I'm ashamed to say that it becomes routine.
     Today I have a new appreciation for those repetitive prayers that two little boys say for their dad. It makes me grateful for the blessings I get when I'm not paying attention.
     I have so much to be grateful for always, but especially today. I needed to acknowledge that publicly.

Strawberry Fluff Dessert, Yumm!

     I have a new recipe for you all to try, and boy is it delicious. It's a strawberry dessert and it's cool, refreshing and easy to make. Thanks Camie Wilcox for the heads up on this one. I made it on Saturday for our Father's Day dinner and it was a huge hit. Of course I had to double it. I'll give you the single version.

3 containers of strawberries-Washed and sliced.
1 quart of vanilla yogurt.
1 large container of Cool Whip-I used the Walmart brand.
2 packages of Jello's White Chocolate instant pudding mix.

Sliced the strawberries and put in a bowl. Mix in other ingredients until fully mixed and serve. It is so good you may want summer to last forever. Trust me on this.

Let me know if you try this yumminess and what you think about it.

Our First Time at Lagoon

     We went to Lagoon yesterday for the first time. We have lived here for six years and this was our first trip. We got in cheap because my daughter works there and we had her family pass.
     We had a great time. I think it was more fun because we didn't pay full price to get in. It wouldn't have been so fun if I had paid $56.00 each to get in. There were eight of us. I'll let you do the math.
     The best part was watching my six-year-old granddaughter go on rides that were terrifying. That girl has guts. I'm so proud, because I'm a chicken. I guard the ice chest as they go on all the rides. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
     One of the most rewarding things about this trip was watching teenagers go on rides where you can't take a purse or your other stuff, set it all down in the bushes just outside the ride without hesitation. In California you don't leave your purse for anything because it won't be there when you get back. Even at Disneyland I wouldn't leave my purse in a stroller. Only in Utah do you see this kind of trust in a public place anymore. And I have to wonder how long that will last.  

Hard Times A-Comin'

     I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately about what is really important in life. As Americans we are so programed from birth to think that we need "things." We spend our lives buying stuff. Some of it we use on a daily basis, but some things sit and collect dust.
     There have been so many times I wish I could go back and not buy whatever it was that I thought I needed.
      Spend, spend, spend, it's what makes our economy go round. At least that's what the government wants us to believe. After the recession started in 2008, many people deeply regretted not having money in their savings accounts. We tend to live paycheck to paycheck here in the U.S. or even worse live on our credit cards. I am the first to admit that saving is hard. After paying the bills and buying food there isn't a lot left at the end of the month.
     The scary thing is what is going to happen when the next big crash happens? How long can our government keep printing money to prop up our economy and not face up to the MASSIVE amount of debt they have buried us in?
     I may not have a degree in economics, but I have run a household for many years, and anyone who has can tell you, you can't spend more than you earn because sooner or later it will bite you in the behind. And I don't care what kind of spin the Washington types are putting on it. We are in trouble, people.

Trust?

     I have never trusted the IRS. It's too big, too life-destroyingly powerful. And now we are supposed to trust the IRS with all of our health information? After the scandal with the tea party and patriot groups? How is that going to work? If you are not on board with all of the current political parties views you will be put off, delayed and harassed until you die of natural causes? That's one way of getting rid of those who don't agree with you.
     I don't like having to share my private health information with the government. I don't like being told what I have to spend my money on. It's un-American and it goes against the constitution of the United States. I don't care what the supreme court says, they are wrong.
     Of course, our constitution is being dismantled a little bit at a time and no one seems to be doing anything about it. I wonder how long it will take before we wake up and see that we have been too busy watching Dancing with the Stars and not paying attention to what is going on around us? Will it be until it's too late? I wonder?
     
    

Road Trip

     Batten down the hatches, it's the last day of school! And we are off. We are taking our boys on a road trip and doing some sight-seeing. We are heading to central Utah for a one day excursion.
     As the boys were arguing this morning before school, I had to ask myself if this was a good idea. Maybe we should just keep them apart as much as possible instead of strapping them into the car right next to each other.
     This could be our first and last trip of the summer depending on how it goes. Why do we do this to ourselves as parents. The fighting and the, "Are we there yet?" and "I'm hungry. When are we stopping to eat?" or the dreaded, "I have to go to the bathroom, again!"
     Since the car was invented this has been the plight of parents around the world.
     I think the pioneers had it easier. When they said, "I'm going to stop this vehicle and make you walk!" They meant it. Oh, to have that option now!