First things first...........Mike's team WON the sectionals!!!  Wahooo!  They played soooooo good last night.  This is the second time they played this team this season.  The last game they won by 1 point but this game they won by 4 touchdowns!  The team they played was very over confident when they were out on the field practicing before the game.  Their fans were equally over confident.  Our boys were so laid back like it was any normal game. Same with our fans.  That is what helped pay off I guess.  The weather ending up being beautiful.  It had been so cold out in the days before that I went out and bought my husband and I thermal socks, new hats and gloves, and some hand and feet warmers.  We never got cold during the entire game.  We didn't even have to pull out the blankets and wrap up in them.  I think God made it the perfect evening and we are very thankful for it.      Remember that new expensive UnderArmour shirt that we went to buy Mike on Monday night?  Well.....very early on in the game he took some cleats to his arm and it is ruined.  I saw him running towards the sideline and blood was everywhere on the sleeve.  I could also tell there was a big hole in it.  When we talk to Mike today we will see if it will be able to hold out or not.

On the way to the game my husband and I had a long talk about what I blogged about yesterday.  One thing that I failed to think about until on my way home from work yesterday was the way my husband was brought up by his parents.  As I had mentioned he is a sports freak.  He loves just about every sport.  As a young kid he played baseball and instead of his parents staying and watching his games they would drop him off and come back and pick him up after the game was over.  Although my husband will not admit it I know he is hurting very bad because of that.  Sports was his love and his parents did not support him in it.  In some ways he over compensates sports in his kids for what he didn't get from his parents.  He told me that there are only 2 practices in November for his basketball team and if there were more he would have made AJ sit out but it was more a timing issue in order to prepare for their first game.  He also said, which is very true, that sitting out of practice is something AJ would enjoy doing because he would rather play the game than to practice.  He agreed that he puts way too much emphasis on sports and needs to put more on education and making the boys accountable and responsible for their homework and grades.  We found out this morning that AJ ended up failing the Science test yesterday that he did not bring the study guide home for on Tuesday night.  My husband said that he knows we have to take action in order to get the boys to open their eyes and value their education.  He once again said to me this morning that he wishes the boys would take their schooling more like Hylari.  I reminded him of how I handled a situation a few weeks back.  Hylari's Math class was given an opportunity to do some extra credit.  Hylari brought hers home and announced to me that she was not going to do it since she already has an A in the class.  I explained to her how extra credit can never hurt her and it can only help her and that she was going to do the assignment.  She began to throw a big fit about it and kept saying that she was never going to do anything extra if she didn't have to and even if she did do the paper she wasn't going to turn it in.  She proceeded to write "I don't have to turn this paper in" on the worksheet instead of working the Math problems.  I gave her instruction one last time to do the assignment correctly.  She responded to me that it was a waste of her time.  With that I told her to hand me the paper.  I am sorry but education is never a waste of time.  I wadded the paper up and threw it in the trash and then told her I would email her teacher and tell her how she acted about the paper and why it was not turned in.  Of course Hylari ran to the trash can, pulled out the paper and began to work on it.  I told her that was not going to change my mind about emailing the teacher.  I emailed the teacher and told her how Hylari acted and explained why it was all wrinkled.   I explained to my husband how I followed through on my word and chances are Hylari is not going to act that way again because she does not want me letting her teachers know how she acts at home.  I gave her something to remember in case she ever thinks about acting that way again.  She knows what the outcome will be.  We need to do the same thing with the boys.  My husband thinks taking the PC games away will do it but that is not working....besides their mom lets them play the games 24/7 when they are at her house so what is a giving it up a few hours at our house?  They need consequences in which will really make them think about not doing their assignments or what will happen if they do not bring the homework/study material home.  I will keep you posted.

Tonight I am going to a Stampin Up party at my good friend Christine's.  I am not sure what I am going to get.  I was in a Stampin Up club last year and pretty much got everything I wanted.  I know the new book has come out so maybe I will find something that will catch my eye.  I am making myself stay on a $40 budget because I could easily allow myself to get out of hand with this type of stuff.

I must end on a sad note.  If you read my blog from last week you will understand.  All I am going to say is..............

               R.I.P.

Have a great day!!!!