I'm still a fan.

I have been many, many things in my life. A daughter, an actress, a basketball/volleyball/softball player, a co-ed, a girlfriend, a bitch, a mother, a co-worker, and a VIKINGS FAN!
Hearts were broken last night as Vikings fans were brought to tears by our beloved team. We lost the NFC Championship game in a wretchedly sad 28-31 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints didn't win, WE LOST.
Some people say it wasn't so bad since it was the Saints...uh, it was pretty frickin' bad in Minnesota! The fumbles, the missed calls, the turnovers, and so on. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it and that really bothered me. Worst of all, the icing on the cake, the creme de la creme...a Favre interception on the last play that SHOULD have been a run, resulting in a field goal and a win for the Vikings. Alas, I am not a NFL coach (though sometimes I think I would do a better job) and I'm not sure what transpired between Brett Favre and Brad Childress.
Some people blame Favre for the interception. Yep, it was a bad call on his part, but in all honesty we wouldn't have even been in that position if it hadn't been for Brett. How many times throughout the course of the season did he lead a charge down field and throw a great pass to win the game? At least two that I can think of off the top of my head.
Some people will blame Childress. As the head coach, he should be held partially responsible but I don't think it was entirely his fault. A lot of Minnesotans will be calling for his resignation. I disagree with that also. Brad Childress has done nothing but grow the Vikings team, building a better season each year he's been head coach. Bringing Brett Favre to Minnesota was a brilliant plan.
I think the whole game was really a perfect storm. We were on the road which is not good for the Vikes. We were playing in an incredibly loud stadium. We were playing at night. The Vikings have only won one night game all season (as big of a Vikings fan that I am, I would gladly give back the win to the Packers to have won last night!) And let's not forget THREE multimillion dollar athletes fumbling the ball. Petersen is known for his lack of holding on to the ball, but to have Berrian and Harvin fumble at key moments in the game plus a HUGE interception from Favre...it was bad. I'm actually surprised that we didn't lose by more!

Yeah, it sucks that we lost. The game was tight from beginning to end. If the players on the field had looked around and gotten their act together, we wouldn't have been called for 12 men in the huddle resulting in a penalty which put us out of field goal range. I think the pass call at the end of regulation was a poor one, had that gone any other way I'm sure we would have come away with a win. If we had won the coin toss, we probably would have been able to get down within field goal range and win too. If we would have gotten a break on any of the reviewed calls in overtime, I think the swing of the game would have been changed. It all went the Saints' way and that is okay. Some day, SOME DAY it has to go our way! If by chance we can hold on to all our receivers, our running backs, AND Favre stays one more season (or we get another QB of that caliber) we absolutely have a chance to get to the Super Bowl next year. It's just too bad it didn't come together for us this year.
My biggest pet peeve is when people are fair weather fans. Don't take your loyalty away just from one or two bad calls. Getting the shitty end of the stick is part of being a Vikings fan. You never know when it's coming, but you know it will. Unfortunately, it came in the most inopportune time this year.

I'M STILL A HUGE VIKINGS FAN! SKOL VIKINGS GO!!!

Deep Thoughts, By Whale With a Why

As my maternity leave draws to a close I have started becoming very introspective.
On one hand...
A large part of me can't wait to get back to work. My job makes me feel important in a respectful way, a way that being a mom cannot suffice. I like having a routine, waking up at the same time, going to the same place every day and having a completely different day each time. I really enjoy fixing problems (in my job that is a daily occurrence) and I like helping people when they need help. I like making money and I often feel like I'm a very large contributor to society. I enjoy working on a computer, seeing adults, and having adult conversations.
On the other hand...
A large part of me wants to stay home with my kids. I want to have play dates with other kids and go to the Children's Museum every day. Being a mom makes me feel loved and accepted in a way that nothing else can. I want to watch them grow and learn, I want to teach them how to cook and bake and how to play duck duck goose (yes it's GOOSE even though we live in Minnesota.) We would dance and play goofy games all day. I want to join the YMCA and go swimming and play gymnastics. I want to be that wonderful house wife that has dinner on the table when my man gets home. The house would be clean and organized, I would have the perfect family.
Reality...
I will start back at work next week. I will sleep in by accident and have to rush to work. I will go to the same place every day and have the exact same day. I will not always be able to take a shower! I will stay home with my kids on the weekends and my days off and they will have complete meltdowns and throw fits. I will work because I have to. We will go to the museum occasionally and hang out with our friends that have kids. I will work on the computer all day and not want to touch it once I come home. I will have adult conversations and play Castle with blocks all in one day. We may not join the YMCA, but we will have a jungle gym in our living room. I will cook when I can and bake on occasion. My house will be chaotic and messy. I will love it. I will be home. We will be the best family that we can be!
Somehow it will all work out and the only thing I can do is hold on for this wild ride!

My Son The Negotiator

The Prince has become quite the negotiator lately. Everything has a "but..." after it.
"Can I have some marshmallows?"
"Not right now, we're going to have dinner."
"But, I will have just one now and then have dinner."
What?!? Where does he get this stuff?
I am sure that I'm at least partly to blame. I'm always playing the bribe game.
"If you eat all your lunch, we can take a bath later!"
I tried this gem today, "Let's eat lunch and then we can clean up the living room!" (with as much excitement as I could!!)
The Prince replied with, "I will eat lunch and then play with Playdough." Obviously I was going to have to take a different angle!
We recently just spent hours upon hours in the car. He was even negotiating his potty breaks!
"Mommy, I will go potty and then we will watch a movie." I would listen to the same movie over and over again in the car as long as I don't have to listen to whining!
He's really quite good. Even I can't argue with his logic sometimes. I just hope that he can put those wonderful skills to a good use someday!