Day 33 - 03/25/2007

For the second week in a row, we slept in on a Sunday, finally getting out of bed around 1015a. Bowling (followed by pool at Westfields) was our excuse this week. We decided not to attempt 1045 Mass and instead opted for 1230p. Of course, the mention of going to Mass brought M to her knees and the weekly Sunday tantrum began. For this, she earned time alone in her room after we got home. We had a talk with her and had her draw up an agreement for her expected behavior (and consequences should she fail to follow through) on Sundays with regard to attending Mass. Let's see whether this tactic works over the long haul; I'm sure it'll be fine short-term.

After Mass I took advantage of the beautiful weather and started cleaning up the yard of all the debris that had accumulated over winter. After raking pretty much the entire yard (D helped out on the side w/ the chestnut hulls), I got this wild idea to thatch the front yard. Ugh. I hate that job, it's such a pain in the ass. That being said, it does pay dividends down the road (or so I told myself as I was earning blisters), so in the long run it'll be worth it. Unfortunately, all the yardwork (coupled with M's behavior) caused me to postpone any softball skills sessions with M (or N if he wanted to join in). Maybe we'll break the gear out one night this week.

After yardwork, I took a quick spin on the bike while D got dinner ready. Although I was tired out from spending the afternoon doing the yard work, getting out and pumping the pedals felt great. I was back home in 25 minutes and was ready to tackle the next few hours before I could hit the sack (I was still tired from the night before). Not so fast, however, as first I read Narnia and then we watched Lost (from 3/21) and afterwards, since it was only 915ish, I decided to finish watching the Sopranos episode I still had on Tivo. One thing turned to another and next thing you know I'm watching the second one and not getting to bed until 1115p. So much for turning in early! Oh well, it's not like I have to wake up at the crack of dawn or anything.