March Madness

This is one of my favorite times of the year when it comes to sports. Brings back so many great memories. The NCAA basketball tournament is the best sporting event of all time, in my opinion. This year Wylie and Kasey both showed interest in basketball and loved it and I loved it.  Wylie is watching college basketball with me, taking stats at high school games and cheering on the teams in the ACC tournament that I wanted to win. "Mom, why do you like UNC?" So I get to tell him more about Michael Jordan and how I admired him since I was a little kid and how he is the best basketball player ever.  Or he asks, "why do you cheer for Duke?" And I get to explain the importance of a good school academically and also the importance of a great coach, a coach for life, not just basketball.

* side note. I know those of you who are reading this and follow basketball are probably going nuts that I like both UNC and Duke. I know. I know. I get it, but I do. *


Tonight was the time to tell the kids, all three of them about March Madness. When in reality only Wylie is listening.  We sit down at the table and I show them the bracket and tell them all I can that three little minds their age will understand. I think of my Dad and how I did this every year with him since I was a little girl. I even won his office pool a few times. Our March Madness challenge this year is for our family, winner takes all . . . . ten bucks!! 

So I fill out my bracket, Jacques fills out his and then I read all the games and fill in the bracket for the kids.  Wylie took the longest, looking at the seed, thinking about which team he has heard about on ESPN, which team mom likes etc...and then finally picks his team and we move to the next game until there is one team left. His final four picks: Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and UNC.

Tori did her picks next.  Oh my gosh, Wylie and I had the giggles so hard listening to her pick her teams. Her final four teams: Lehigh(15), Long Beach State(12), Harvard(12) and Ohio(13).  She picked Lehigh because, "that is a pretty name," Murry State because she was convinced it was, " mermaid state and I like mermaids!" Long Beach state was a top runner because she "loves the beach." Still unsure how Ohio made the final four, I don't see the connection to anything there but she said it so there they be.

Kasey is now ready to make her picks.She goes a super fast barely letting me read both teams.  Her final four is Xavier, Virginia, Texas and Michigan! Not long after deciding her champion, she says, "what is this even for?"

Game on.


~It's My Life

My Girly Girl

When I was pregnant I remember thinking that I would probably be one of those mom's that had all boys. Why? Because, what the heck would I know about raising a girl. Sure, I am one but I am not the most girly of girls. Sure I like to dress up at weddings and wear cute jeans and shirts to concerts but that is about it.  I didn't even wear make up on my wedding day and  it is still questionable whether I know how to put it on . . .

I do have one very girly girl though and sometimes I worry about what might be in store for us.  Tori is ALL girl. Sure she goes through phases where she only wants to wear dresses and skirts, or only pink things but it is way deeper than that.  First off, a lot of examples I can't remember . . .shoot should have kept up with those baby books. But some that come to mind lately have reminded me that I better become more  open minded and also subscribe to Cover Girl and/or Cosmo.

At a high school basketball game this year; Wylie is so focused on the game and keeping statistics. Kasey, well she is our social butterfly saying hi to all her friends, teachers etc that come up the bleachers and is only worried about going to sit with her friends  at the top of the bleachers (of course). And Tori, well let's just say she is totally uninterested in the game and is only wondering about the cheerleaders, that is until the dance team does the halftime show. Then she is all about the "beautiful dancers" and is upset that they don't come back out again.

Tori constantly notices other girls (women's) shoes and accessories and compliments them whether she knows them or not. Hair accessories, scarves, shoes, and purses you name it.  This is a girl who matches her pony holders with her headband and stick on earrings. Worried that she will never play sports I am, of course, excited that she like gymnastics, you got to be athletic to be good at that, right? And it is NOT dance. So that is a plus for me. So the other day I dvr gymnastics on ESPN and we are watching it and I think she is really into it until she says, " momma will you go backwards I want to see that again, I think one of the girls headbands wasn't sparkly like the other girls and it didn't match." WHAT??? that is what you want to look at. Oh brother. Do I rewind it? Of course. And she was right, it didn't match.

We just had my niece's bday party at our house this past weekend so birthday parties were on the kids' brains. They love picking their theme. Wylie knows his alread and he has to wait til next January. Kasey, well she wants a surprise party. Haha. I told her you don't ask for one of those.  And Tori, what does she want . . . . a cheerleader party! Great. All I think, is 4 months to change her mind. Starting NOW.

Another example today, it was not a good day but a day none the less that at the end of the day I sat down and smiled. Tori has the stomach flu for the first time. I sat her on the counter to give her medicine for her high fever and she threw up all over me and herself. So I grabbed her quick and sat her in the bathroom while I grabbed "the bucket." She was still throwing up but she was so worried about my shirt and her "beautiful heart sweater got puke on it," she couldn't focus on getting "it" in the toilet. So just like the other stuff that goes in the toilet that has been a struggle for her to deal because it is "gross"  this was no exception.  "this is so disgusting, momma." When she went to bed tonight she wanted to wear the "pajamas I don't like in case I puke on them. I don't want to puke on my beautiful pajamas!"




~It's My Life

Fears & Togetherness

Fears? We all have them. Some are easy to understand and some you might wonder why on earth am I scared of that. . . It's like dreams- we wake up and wonder, "whoa what do you think that means?" Well, I have started to wonder that about fears. I have always, since I was a kid, had terrible nightmares and am slightly a big wimp when it comes to certain things: storms, being home alone at night, parking garages at night, parking lots at night etc. I think these are normal, or slightly normal fears-perhaps? Ya? No? Either way, this post isn't about me,haha.

Wylie for years has had the same reoccuring nightmare. He dreams of a bear, large bear, that is trying to attack him in his room and he can not get out.  So he can't sleep with his back to open spaces (for those who don't know his room, it is huge so this is a problem for the open spaces thing) and doesn't like sleeping alone. Luckily, I am always able to get Kasey to sleep in his room with him and that helps resolve the issue for the time being. Days and weeks go by and Kasey asks if she can go back to her room to her own bed and Wylie starts crying and Kasey says, "stop dreaming about bears then Wylie and you won't be scared." After a little "chat" we come to a compromise and move Kasey's trundle bed (bed under her bed) into Wylie's room. Kasey is happy and Wylie is happy. 

Months go by with the two of them sleeping together and Tori is fine and still loves going to bed in her overly clean, organized, perfectly situated room.  Until the drive to the Dairy Queen one night.  Tori looks out her window and sees the moon and literally FREAKS out crying hysterically.  It is a crescent moon and the only thing we can hear from Tori while crying, "the moon is so scary, it's smiling at me and keeps following me!" 

Kasey ( keep in mind never being scared of the moon before) says, " OH YEAH, Tori that moon is freaky!" Both Jacques and I almost simultaneaously yell, "KASEY!" From this moment on, we need to check on moon shape and location each night before bed.  And yes, now she is scared of her window in her room and sleeps in Wylie's room too, on the couch.  After a few weeks go by, we make it as a bed, sheets, real pillows, comforter the whole thing, she is there to stay a while.  

Kasey and Tori are on one side of Wylie's room and Wylie is on the other in his bed. You think we would all be happy right, well no, now the girls are on the other side of the room and Wylie is by himself . . . gosh, Mom what was I thinking. So we pull the mattress off his bed and pull it to the other side of the room, under the window between Kasey's twin trundle bed and the couch Tori is sleeping on. They are all happy and loving this time together at night and SLEEPING ALL NIGHT LONG nightmare free. Oh and still going to bed on time!! Nothing is worse than going to bed scared~ so glad they are they to comfort each other!! 

Kasey in the left corner.          Wylie (below) in the middle under window       Tori (way below) opp side

Love these kids to the moon (haha) and back! 

 ~It's My Life

My Persuasive speech

It's spring 1998 and I am about to give my first speech in college. A 30 minute persuasive speech to the class. I  was beyond nervous about the idea of speaking for 30 minutes about anything let a loan a speech to try to persuade my professor and classmates. I knew it had to be something that I was passionate about that I could speak mostly from the heart but with facts backing me up. My speech was: Why children should be involved in sports.

This was an easy speech to prepare for and there are so many facts statistically about the benefits of athletics to prove this to be a piece of cake. Benefits far greater than "it's just good for your health." I prepared well, presented it well and it was received well from my classmates, who had to fill out a survey on my persuasiveness. My professor, however, gave me a C. I was so upset and went to talk to him about it and all he said to me was, " I personally don't believe in the importance of sports growing up."

Why is this coming up now? Because this week has been a week of registering my kids for spring and summer activities. I look at my calendar figuring which kid can do which sports camp when and if I can make it from dropping kid A off and get kid B to their "thing" on time. Trying to figure out how to fit in our camping trip, our summer trip, family reunion etc. All of this and they are 8,6 and 4 years old. I have officially started to analyze my life as a VERY involved kid and it's importance. But my feelings of a Mom have set in.  I don't want to spend every night running them to different sports, not having dinner together and the three of them not spending quality time together. I am not ready to give up our family trips we plan every year and our camping trips that have brought us so many memories. For those of you who think, "you can still do all of that." Of course we can but I believe once you commit to a team, you show up. That's part of being part of a team and teaching commitment. I specifically remember my last summer of camping and going to Michigan to visit my cousins with my family, I was 8. I wish I had more of those summers with my family looking back now.

 Sports were so important, gave me something to work towards, goals to achieve, kept me focused, made me work harder at school, made me determined, helped make me make good decisions, stayed true to good morals, made good choices, had good friends all because sports were so important to me I was not willing to sacrifice my success to a poor choice in judgement. It had a HUGE impact on  who I am today. And I like who I am today.

 But as I sit here, sports are such a little part of my life now and life is good and as much I as love them I am not sure I am ready to give up my kids, my family time, my kids time together to sports. Do sports have to be everything, no. But they do consume a lot of your time, and then multiply it by 3 kids. So what do I do? Did I sign them up?  Of course I did because even though my heart is sad that this time we spend together every night will eventually have new meaning, I know there is nothing better than to give my kids the opportunity to succeed at something they love.  As much as I want our family time, our family camping trips, our summer trips to last forever I know that the new chapter of our life with them will give them great joy and give them something so important, teach them so many lessons that they can carry with them the rest of their life. ( insert tears)

So yes Wylie, I signed you up for spring baseball, summer baseball camp, summer bball camp, and a baseball training camp.  And Kasey you will get to do tennis lessons, basketball camp, soccer and  your art camp. And Tori, of course I will let you keep "playing" gymnastics because you love it so much.  Mom and Dad will sit there so proud of you as you find your passion.  (Well maybe we won't be sitting together because we will be too busy going back and forth but you get my point.)



~It's My Life~

New Year. New Blog.

New year, new blog & new title.

 Wondering where the titles comes from? There is more too it than you might think. 

JBJ- Jacques & JoLynn Baumer, how obvious is that. Well . . . it could also coincidentally be the initials of my all time favorite musician, Jon Bon Jovi.  It's my life because well, THIS IS MY LIFE.  And. . . .it could also be the title to my all time favorite song by mister Jon Bon Jovi. It was plain as day to me that there could be no other title.

A few weeks back we are shopping for a new pair of shoes for Wylie at Dick's Sporting Goods.  All three kids along on a busy day so it is loud as usual in the store. All of a sudden Wylie says, " guys (me, Kasey and Tori) be quiet!" And in unison Kasey and Tori scream, "It's Bon Jovi Mom!"

Love them & my life