Good Morning and welcome back to the Web!

The children have the opportunity to do, really, whatever they want.
They get to play outside. They get to play in their rooms. They get to watch TV. Sure, they have to go to school and do homework, but that's just a break in a day of freedom.
There aren't a whole lot of rules in the house. It's better to let children be children. That way, they can find out what they like. How they like to play.
More often than not, though, it becomes a test on how far they can push the envelope.
Take, for instance, a trip to the store Wednesday afternoon.
Hey, I figured, it can be a fun outing. The store in question has things the children usually like (bikes, backpacks, boats, skis, boots).
OK, there weren't any toys, but I've learned to stay away from the toy store unless I want to see some real yelling and screaming.
So, after a short drive, the store in question opened it's doors. That's when it quickly went down.
All of them wanted to push the cart. If they weren't pushing the cart, they wanted to climb on the front.
Then there was the running the up, down, around the aisles. Forget having a conversation on what to buy, it was time to break up a wrestling match.
Why a 10-year old feels the need to wrestle with a 4-year old is beyond me. Then again, my brain may have melted years ago.
All right, I'll take the hit and gather them over to the bike area. Little did I know bikes could be used for a smash-up derby, then hurdles.
You would think they never got out of the house.
So, while my head started to pound and my heart started to skip as the glass cups were being banged, it was finally time to leave.
After rushing to the car in a silent, raging walk, a voice came from the back.
'Thanks, that was really fun.'
I guess we'll have to try it again.

Good Morning and welcome to another dry day!

You would think after all these years, you would have things figured out. You look back through time and remember things certain ways.
I look back and remember my early summers as being a time of freedom. We could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.
Go outside and play all day. Run around. Ride bikes. No more cumbersome days of school. Hey, School's Out for Summer!
Well, now, as three pre-teens are running around tearing up the house (and yelling and fighting and yelling some more), I've come to realize that free-for-all needs to be scheduled.
I need to plan out more activities during the day. It's not quite like school, but there is a method to that madness.
Keep them busy. Keep them moving.
Now, here's hoping I can keep up.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning and welcome to the day you need to find the umbrella again!

Look, I'm as happy as anybody the week of rain is over. Those grey days just seem to bring you down. When there are, what, 19 in a row, well, it's hard to keep a positive outlook.
This week, though, has been perfect. The best thing is the start of our youth baseball season. Now, I know some leagues have been playing (and practicing) for a month, but our league is a little more laid back and is all about fun.
With two boys in different leagues, though, the fun begins. It's all about balancing out the schedule, running between games, watching, yelling and the nearest playground (that's for the princess).
Now, the almost 10-year old is in a playing in a league for the first time where the children pitch (it was coach-pitch last season) and they play more-or-less by 'regular' rules. So, we have to get used to three strikes and the intricacies of an umpire.
While Wednesday night's game went relatively smoothly (well, except for those two ground ball home runs by the opposing team), Monday was an experience.
The umpire, in the first game of the season (thanks rain), appeared to be calling balls and strikes like it was the seventh game of the World Series. After about the 100th walk of the night, and three hours into the game, it was finally finished.
After all that, though, there were smiles on the faces of all the players. At least it's all about having fun.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them to onlinedelco@gmail.com