Lazy Like Their Mama

I have three kids, as you all know, and none of them play sports.  Ryan is more into cars than football.  Kasi would rather draw then play softball or tennis.  And Brandi is my drama child.  She would rather sing, dance, and act than do just about anything else.  I have a feeling that someday, somehow, this child is going to end up starring in her own sitcom.  Knowing her, it will probably be something she writes and directs herself.  She is not only dramatic.  She is opinionated and stubborn, and I can't see her taking direction well, which means she will be doing it all herself.  I say, more power to her.  She just needs to remember her mother when she gets famous.

All three of my kids love to play games on the computer, and on the wii and Playstation.  They have no problem picking up a tennis racket to play on the wii or sitting on my computer and playing ronaldo online.  I know that I should make them do more stuff outdoors, but I was always an inside kid myself, so it's easy for me to understand their unwillingness to be outside, especially with all the games and such available online.  I remember as a preteen spending the summer in my room, reading one book after another.  I did go outside to swim, and once I got into the pool it was very hard to get me out of it.  My kids love to swim, too.  Well, my girls do.  Ryan is sixteen now, and if it doesn't have a motor and four wheels, he has no interest in it whatsoever.

Brandi did join the community service club at her school, and once a month they will walk from the school to a local nursing home to help out.  That counts as exercise, right?

Visiting The FSU Indoor Practice Facility

My son has recently shown an interest in football, which is pretty funny to me since he is almost 16 and never showed an ounce of interest in sports before.   My sister always says he should play football because of his size, but his interest is in watching it.  Specifically, high school football.

Down here in the south, Friday night games are a big deal.  Restaurants stay open late to feed the hungry crowds after games, and rivalries are fierce.  Since my kids changed school districts this year, they are rooting for a new team.  Or so I thought.  Ryan informed me that he wants to go to a game between his new high school and his old high school, and root for his old team.

Nice.

Some of these athletes have real talent for the game, and they go on to play college football.  Now, I do not claim to know the first thing about any sport, but I do know that college football is almost as popular as regular football.  Places like Tallahassee are taking school ball seriously, and have the FSU Indoor Practice Facility for their players to practice in.   These poor high school kids have to practice outdoors no matter what the weather is, but colleges take their football playing seriously, and having indoor practice facilities makes it easier for the players to practice, no matter what the weather.  I know Ryan would love to visit the one in Florida.  My dad has been talking about taking him to an open practice for our local football team, and he seems excited about it.

Now if we could just talk him into playing.  I am sure that would help him drop this weight the doctor wants him to loose really quickly. Plus, it will give him something to do besides sit in his room on his computer all day long.  

FSU Football Parking And Tailgating

I have lived in the south for almost 20 years now.  Wow, that's kind of crazy to say.  Most days it's hard for me to believe that I will be 40 on my next birthday.  I sure don't feel that old.

When I moved to South Carolina, I was surprised by how big a deal football is.  I don't pay much attention to sports in general, but it seems like everyone is headed to high school football games on Friday nights around here.  College football is even more popular than high school football.  I have never been to a game myself (shocking, I know) but I hear tailgating is a big thing.  I bet it's fun to hang out outside the stadium grilling out and spending time with friends.  I'm pretty sure there is a whole lot of drinking going on, too. 

If you are into football, I am sure you know all about the benefits of becoming a booster at the school you support.  If that school happens to be Florida State University, you know all about their tailgating. They offer 14 different FSU football parking lots to tailgate in, and your parking spot depends on your membership level.  I am assuming that this means the more you contribute to the school, the better your parking spot. I am also assuming that as long as you are with your friends and having a good time, location shouldn't matter.  The company of good friends should trump a walk to the stadium.

My son never really got into playing sports, so I still have not experienced the thrill of Friday nights.  Maybe someday, if I have grandsons, they will play sports.  Until then, I will continue to spend my Friday nights at home.  In my pajamas.  Where it's warm.  I hear those Friday nights can get downright chilly.

Golf

Aside from my husband, all of the men in my family love to golf.  In fact, every year, my dad and three brothers-in-law go on a weekend golfing trip.  They spend the weekend swinging clubs and hanging out together.

The women are never invited, but I think that's because none of us are golfers.  Now, my sisters could all rock a women’s golf skort, but I am sure there is more to the game than looking fashionable.  I would have to find some extra large ladies golf shirts and pants, because there is no way I would wear a skort.  I just don't have the legs for it.  I'm way too short.  I am sure that there are ladies golf jackets that I wouldn't mind wearing.  Maybe next year my sisters and I will get matching jackets and challenge the guys to a game.

Or maybe not. I know people think playing golf is relaxing, but I don't get it.  You spend the afternoon trying to get a little ball into a little hole.  This doesn't sound relaxing to me.  In fact, it sounds extremely frustrating.  I get fed up playing mini golf.  I guess it's one of those things that you have to practice for a long time before it becomes fun.

Is that the secret, guys?

I Am Not A Sports Fan

Growing up, my dad watched a lot of sports.

Baseball. Football. Hockey.

The Mets. The Jets. The Rangers. All New York teams.

The only sport he never really watched was basketball. I'm not really sure why he didn't watch that particular sport. You would think that growing up in a house where there was sports on the television so often, that I would be a huge fan.

Not so much. My husband isn't a sports fan either. He'll watch the races, but that bores me. In fact, I think the only sport I would consider watching would be hockey, and living in the South now, hockey is not that popular. Football seems to be the favorite around here. Close behind that would be basketball. In fact, I hear a lot about basketball betting, with people trying to make some easy money. The thing is, you have to know what you are betting on. Randomly picking teams, which is something I would totally do, is not a smart way to bet. You need to know the team, and the stats, and all that other stuff that makes no sense to me.

I think I should just stick to my reality shows, and let my sisters bet on the games.

One Of The Busiest Flush Days Of The Year

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 2000 Flushes. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Super Bowl.

Football and parties.

Every year, the Super Bowl is held right around my birthday. In fact, there have been years when it has been on my birthday. Luckily, neither my husband nor I care too much about the sport, so we never watch. My sister, however, always has hundreds of people over to her house, and they watch the game on several televisions, ranging from her huge, big screen to the little television in her kitchen. As the mother of four boys, she loves sports as much as they do. She always has been a tomboy herself, so God really knew what he was doing when he gave her boys.

I know there are millions of other households that also host Super Bowl parties, so think about this little useless piece of information:

Super Bowl Sunday is notoriously one of the busiest days of the year for toilets: 90 million toilets will be flushed during halftime.

I find this highly amusing, and so true if you think about it. So, if you are hosting a party like my sister does, you need to make sure that your bathroom is super clean. If you are like me, and even when your bathroom is at it's cleanest it still looks horrible, you should enter the "Is Your Bowl Ready for the Big Game?" sweepstakes. The grand prize is a $10,000 bathroom makeover. Just think of how many compliments you could get next year on your bathroom if you won! There are also 99 weekly prizes (coupons for free 2000 flushes products) as well as $1 off coupons you can print from the sweepstakes site. You can Enter to Win daily, increasing your chance at those prizes.

So remember, when planning your next Super Bowl party, make sure you clean your toilets. They will be getting a lot of use, and should start out sparkling clean.

Who knows what they will look like when the party is over.

Football Time Already?

I've been reading people's status updates on Facebook, and yesterday there were a whole lot of football related ones. Is it that time of year again? Not being a sports fan myself, I never know which sports play when. I don't make football picks or follow the stats.

I prefer a good reality show or movie to hours watching grown men play games.

I know, I'm in the minority, and I'm okay with that. :)

Twilight Football

Watch this:

The first thing I have to say is that these guys are a little insane! Who in their right mind would get in the ring with a bull to kick around a soccer ball? The second thing I am going to say is that the video is totally awesome! Did you see the way the guys were jumping over the bull? Talk about acrobatics. It's kind of like Ultimate Harlem Globetrotters, with the risk of death. Very cool. I wouldn't mind watching this in person, although I have a tendency to cover my eyes when there is a chance of people get hurt, so I probably wouldn't see much of it anyway. I wonder how many times these guys got the horns?

On September 22, 2009, Twilight Football games are going to be played in Italy, France, the UK, Spain, Argentina and Australia. They will show how Exmor R™ CMOS Sensor technology can capture incredible detail and fast-moving action in low light filming conditions, which is one of the toughest challenges in digital camera photography. The Twilight Football grand final will be held in South Africa, the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM. The matches will take place at waterfalls, castles, deserts and glaciers, which will make for difficult terrain for the players.

I am excited to see the beautiful photographs that will be taken. I mean, how can you not get gorgeous shots at castles and waterfalls?

Fantasy Football

I am going to share something with you that shocks some people.

We do not watch football in our house.

I know there are a lot of people who don't watch sports, but living in the South, football is huge. I mean huge! Local people can't understand why we are not at the high school football games on Friday nights, or glued to our televisions on the weekends watching whatever games happen to be on. Growing up, my dad watched all kinds of sports, but they just never interested me. My husband grew up at the dirt track, so racing is his thing.

I do, however, have three brothers-in-law who love football. In fact, two of them love it so much they play Fantasy Football. My sister's husband runs a league for his friends, so I asked him what resources he uses to keep track of everything. He said he uses a site like WaiverWire, where everything he needs is in one place. He said it is important to keep up with each players stats and injuries, so having access to over one hundred local NFL team news feeds is great. Good software for drafting is also important, as well as knowing exactly who you want to have on your team.

I was also told that having somewhere to "hang out and brag" and share secrets is also fun, and the forums on WaiverWire provide that place. I wanted to see what guys were saying there, so I checked it out, and to be honest, I had no idea what they were talking about. It was pretty technical stuff, and I think you need to know just a little about football to follow. My brothers-in-law, however, would be able to gobble up all the information.

I think I need to start by reading a copy of Football for Dummies, or something along those lines.

New York Yankees

My sister Tami still lives in New York. My mom is going up next weekend for her baby shower. I wish I could go too, but it's just not in the cards. I am hoping to go up next year, and when I'm up there, I want to take Ryan and the girls to a baseball game at the new Yankee's Stadium. I have to find Baseball Tickets For Sale for the five of us. The kids have never been to a major sporting event before, and I think they would love it. I don't think I have ever been to a baseball game, either. I have been to hockey games, and they were fun. I just hope we can save enough money to make the trip up there.

Sports

The only sport we watch in our house is racing, and I'm not even sure that qualifies as a sport. I grew up watching hockey and baseball with my dad, though I was never really into it, and my husband grew up going to the local dirt track. We've been married almost fourteen years, and I don't think we've ever watched a sporting event on television. My sister, however, is still a sports freak. She has three boys, so there are sports on television all the time, and the boys play every sport imaginable. If there is anyone who would enjoy sports chat it would be my sister and her husband. They would enjoy bragging about their team's wins and talking smack with other people.

THG Worldwide

Have you ever heard of THG Worldwide? I hadn't, until this morning. It is pretty interesting what they do, on a global level. You see, THG is one of the world's leading corporate hospitality and sports marketing companies. What does this mean? I wasn't too sure, so I did a little research, and discovered that they organize events. They take care of all the details, so that the host companies aren't stressed by the little, or big things. It's funny, but while reading about this company, all I could envision was the television show, The Apprentice, when they had to do that task with the basketball players. At least I think it was basketball. Either way, that is what I thought about when reading about this company.

Right now, Paul Meakins is in charge of their Chicago office. He has helped make this particular office THG’s second-highest producing location in the United States. So if you live anywhere in that area, you could be lucky enough to take advantage his expertise. THG has also started a blog that details the events they are doing, and also has testimonials from satisfied customers. They are also posting open positions they have available, so if you are looking for work in this particular field, you can find the details on their blog.