Soccer Saturday

Today's Tallies:
Time spent on a (gusting, icy) windy soccer field for two different children's games: 2 1/2 hours
My weight despite really watching it yesterday: 141 lbs. 15 pounds heavier than last year at this time. :-(
Test scores on the four tests I took this week: 100%, 100%+ (thanks to an extra credit point), 85%, 82%. Ouch on the last two.
Time I spent on the couch snuggling with my three youngest when I should have been studying, writing for income, or cleaning: 3 1/2 hours (that were worth every minute)

Weekend Projects: Get the garden started, declutter my kitchen, write a 700-page paper on ethanol, do 14 chemistry problems, study for Spanish test, design a killer research project for Biology. Plus laundry and all the mom stuff. See why I shouldn't have been on the couch?

It's What's for Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with homemade pesto sauce, steamed broccoli, canteloupe. Under five bucks and soooo good. Just make sure you have a lunch or breakfast with a decent amount of protein.

Interesting thought of the day: I should not get my children a treat that is contingent on good behavior if I have no intentions of taking away the treat. For instance, fifty-something-dollar-a-pop tickets to Walking with the Dinosaurs. Was I really going to toss one of the tickets if they didn't eat dinner? Really? Luckily, they ate their pesto despite its appalling color (green) and I wasn't forced to find out.

Comments on Comments: I recently rejected a comment to my post on Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Now, on another board I read that Jon and Kate Gosselin actually google themselves and then leave anonymous nasty comments on blogs where people criticize them. I'm not saying they do this, but the post had a few Kate-isms and was particularly vitriolic. Plus, he/she totally contradicted themself. In one line, Anonymous told me I was jealous and in the next he/she said Kate has it really hard. Um, if she has it that hard, why would I be jealous? And I'm not jealous of her exploited, overexposed children who have no privacy or normalcy, nor am I jealous of her interesting-in-a-car-wreck-kinda-way marriage. What am I jealous of, her appalling overuse of disposable plates and cups or her porcupine-ish hair? And I think raising six children the same age would actually be easier once they hit two or so, because you are flying in all different directions with a large family with normal spacing. And she shouldn't have a weekly television show if she wants a quiet life and no commentary on her family.

I rejected the comment because it brought nothing to the discussion. Just namecalling. Try again, Anonymous; I'll publish even rude comments if they have some value.

The one I'm jealous of is Michelle Duggar, not so much her beautiful family as much as her sweet nature and unfailingly positive attitude. In difficult situations, I have actually found myself thinking, how would Michelle respond to this? I think the Duggars are awesome parents despite any other differences between our lifestyles.