The last two days were the boys first two days of cancelled school due to the coronavirus. We have chosen to not look at this as Second Spring Break, but instead to stay home as much as possible. We sat down and gave the boys some goals for the week, one of which was for them to clean their rooms. In theory this task would only take about 30 minutes, if they didn’t complain and just cleaned their room. As any parent knows, this is not how it went down.

One of them chose to completely empty their closet and throw all his belongings on his bed. Day two, he is still unable to sleep in his own bed.

The oldest did a decent job. He still has some laundry to take care of, but the room is good.

The subject of this blog is my tidy child. His room got a little disheveled with various baseball cards, so he organized them and then cleaned his room. I took a look at it today and it didn’t look done. I asked him to go finish it up and as he was doing so, he informed me that he threw away his recorder from grade school.

Aside from the fact that I minored in music and it just hurts me to know that an instrument (as annoying as the recorder can be) was wasted, I have one more child that will need a recorder next year. It didn’t cost much – I don’t even remember how much, but that really wasn’t the point. I just didn’t want to buy a third recorder. The first one was lost in a move and I was ridiculously excited to have saved the second one. I’m not sure why.

So, the conversation started:

Kid: I threw away my recorder

Me: WHY???
Kid: I was done with it

Other Kid: It was an instrument. Why would you throw it away?

Wasteful Kid (now known as WK): Who even gives a crap?

Me: I do!

WK: Well, it didn’t even sound that good.

Other Kid: Maybe it was you playing it and not the recorder

Me: I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT! (High five to other kid)

WK: It was only $15! Who gives a crap???
Me: Again, I give a crap. Since it’s only $15 you can pay for the next one.

In a power play he huffed and puffed and stuffed his bag from the orthodontist into my purse before he went back into his room and emerged with more trash. He then went back into his room and emerged with more trash.

WK: May I please have your permission to throw this trash away? Would you like to keep this and play it?

At this point I really didn’t love having a clone of myself.

The oldest then went in his room and began playing recorder music to let us know what the youngest would be missing out on.

WK: You guys are annoying. You sound almost like that recorder.

Third Kid enter stage left: What recorder?

Me: The one he threw away.

Third Kid: Now I’ll never learn the recorder? Thanks a lot!!!

Other Kid: He claimed it didn’t sound that good anyway, but we think it was him.

WK: WHO GIVES A CRAP!!!!!

This is day two.  DAY TWO.

Every December Eric and I discuss some of the goals we have for the new year. These are NOT resolutions. I break resolutions within 15 minutes of waking up the morning of January 1. The goals we discuss usually fall under the umbrella of a theme we have thought about for our family. Since this is my first post in as many months as it seems January has lasted, you can guess that one of my goals was to write again. Like not once for another 18 months, but on a regular basis. I realize this will limit my game playing time on my phone, but I am willing to make the sacrifice.

As anyone who has met me knows, I hate football. Like really hate it. I have tried to like it — I really have. It is just mind-numbingly ridiculous. Obviously, the Big Game is this weekend, and it just so happens that I am slightly interested in something more than the halftime show this year!

The year Eric and I got together the football team that was playing in St. Louis won the Super Bowl. I don’t really know how they did after that win, other than I know they did not win anymore Super Bowls. We lived in Springfield, MO a couple years later and most Ozarkians are Kansas City Chiefs fans. I thought it would be fun to irritate Eric by saying I loved the Chiefs anytime that he talked about the former St. Louis team.

I was right on two fronts. It DID irritate him, and it WAS fun!

Fast forward lots of years, three kids and a cross-country move, and the team that played in St. Louis evaporated into thin air. My boys were left without an NFL team for which to root. Eric posed the question, “What team should we support now?”

My answer was of course my beloved Chiefs. Because football.

This is where the story actually gets interesting. Ish.

Would you like to know what other team I chose?

The 49ers.

Why? Because I love San Francisco, of course!

So I basically predicted the 2020 Super Bowl a few years ago. I will be rooting for the Chiefs on Sunday because I have a ton more friends that like the Chiefs than I do friends who like the 49ers and this has to be the determining factor since the outfits they wear are similar.

So here. My first post of 2020 is about football. It may be my only post ever on this subject and I’m pretty sure everyone is ok with that.

GO SPORTS!!!

“National Only Child Day. Each year on April 10, brothers and sisters across America celebrate the annual Siblings Day holiday. But what about the millions of Americans who don’t have any bothers or sisters? April 12 is National Only Child Day, a special day that celebrates the only child in the family.” – Google

I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate my parents’ wise decision to only have me. Read more »