The Flying Circus Takes the Show on the Road!

Four of our lil’ road trippers!

Who in their right mind would pack three boys, their spouse, plus one rotating cousin in a Honda mini van and travel approximately 5,000 miles through the burning deserts to humid swamps and back to Cali?  Perhaps the words “in their right mind” explains  we are not because we did!

Loud noises, foul smells, unhealthy food, and a thrill a minute entertainment are all essential elements in every circus and they were all present and accounted for on our recent road trip from California to Mississippi and Louisiana.

Less than one hour after the trip was initiated, our Breakfast Zombie, ate three Cheerios and got car sick.  (Note, foul smell number one.) Four boys 13 and under in an already pungent mini van – foul smells two thru six! Now that you understand the “ripeness” of the situation here’s an earful.

Just when I thought the decibel level had reached its max, my eight year old niece switched cars with my 13-year-old nephew (we were caravaning with my sister, brother and mother.)  There is nothing like a budding fashionista/singer-songwriter/creative story-teller talking her way through Texas!  Apparently the words “Aunt Tracey would like to take a nap” sound exactly like Charlie Brown’s teacher, “whaa, whaa, wha, wha, wha, whaaa.”

Don’t get me started with the food on this epic journey.  We ate at one restaurant in Mississippi that had two vegetables on the menu, fried pickles and collard greens.  Our meal consisted of both of the vegetable selections, fried catfish, fried hush puppies and french fries.  San Antonio, is home of the now infamous Chocho’s Mexican Restaurant.  Let’s just say the results of that meal were with us for days!  (Foul smells seven thru infinity)  The long reach of Chocho is something we will joke about forever!

King Kong Nachos from Chacho’s…

By day two of our return trip one of us worn out parents said, “let’s just give them their devices.”  “See ya Newberry Prize Winning audio books, and classic road trip spelling games, hello earphones, ipods, Kindle Fires, iphones, ipads and Samsung Tablets!”  Ahhh, sanity and silence restored!

We absolutely love road tripping!  We love the laughter, the closeness, and the ability to enjoy the diversity and beauty of our amazing country while on the road.  I have so many friends who cringe at the mention of a road trip and would never think to endeavor one with kids in tow.  I can truly say that some of our most fond family moments were forged on these cross-country journeys.  I highly recommend you try it at least once.  When your circus hits the road remember, relax, go with the flow, and repeat your mantra, “this is how we roll!”

Until next time…Fly high and dazzle ’em!

~The Ringmaster

If you have not yet subscribed to the 3 Bros Flying Circus we’d love to reserve a special seat for you!  Just click the upper right hand corner of the post. 

Super Bowl For Super Dummies!

There are two things that lots of women fake.  One is the “big O” and the other is understanding what’s actually happening on the field during the Super Bowl or any Bowl for that matter.  What I am about to confess may surprise many of you.  Since this is not a Valentine’s Day post, you may assume I’m not going to talk about the “big O” today.  Although it will probably spike my blog stats for February!

I can honestly say that I love all things football!  Well, maybe not all things.  I love everything about football except the actual game.

I love the tailgating when done well.  (Shout out to Dr. Dan and Jennifer Levi who know how to throw down a proper Stanford tailgate!)  I love to watch the cheerleaders, mascots (the Stanford Tree is my all time favorite with Hey Reb a close 2nd), bands, crazy fans, jerseys (not the pants – let’s face it nobody looks good in white spandex), cute jackets, warm hats and cozy scarves.  The food and bottomless diet coke are my icing on the cake!

I “came out” to my sister last week confessing my football illiteracy.  She could not believe it!  She and I have probably sat through hundreds of football games either live or on tv and she had no clue that my choice to win the game was based purely on the uniform design.

I know about twenty other people who read this blog who have known me and my sports crazed family for decades who are going to be floored.

When everyone else begins to get excited I look at the field and cheer or boo about whatever is going on at the moment.

I’ve sat in the stands for several Rose Bowls, dozens of USC, UCLA and Stanford games and feigned my disgust for the officials, enthusiasm about the players ability, and concurrence with the coach’s’ calls.

So, when my friend Stacie Deberry told me about her latest venture, I was delighted!  Stacie is CEO of Sports Basix.  A company which offers digital tutorials for the football illiterate like me!!!  In fact her company covers various sports, but football is the one I know  knew nothing about.

I must admit I was a little intimidated but one minute into the tutorial I was relaxed and learning.  Stacie’s soothing yet commanding voice reassured me that I was going to have no problem learning this game.  Twenty something minutes later, the video was over and I knew the basics of football.

Now when I say basics I mean basics.  She begins Video One by saying “this is a football.”  She goes on to teach about the basic player positions and their roles.  Stacie is positioned in the foreground, while videos, graphics and illustrations appear behind her in the background to visually reinforce what she is teaching.

Video two begins with a pop quiz as a refresher of Video One and then moves on to teach about the officials and penalties that they may call.  Did you know that “offsides” can only be called on the defense and a “false start” is the same call but for the offense?  Or that “pass interference” can be called on either offensive or defensive players?  I did not, but now I’m in the know! 

Stacie concludes Football Basix Video Two by encouraging her students.  She tells us now that we know the basics of football we may experience the following

• “Bond with co-workers”
• “Establish report with clients”
• “Significant other will enjoy cuddling on the couch with you while watching the game”
• “Your kids will be excited that you really understand what’s going on in the game”

Who knew that learning more about football could bring so much more joy to my life!  I’ve always admired the chicks who can talk like a dude when it comes to football and with Sports Basix, I’m well on my way!  In fact, 43% of the NFL’s audience is now female and 1/3 of the “core fans” whom the NFL classifies as “avid” are women.  I may just become one of their growing legion!

You still have time to beef up on your football knowledge right before the big game!  Check Stacie out over at Sports Basix.  Impress your hubby and friends. Heck impress and amaze yourself, you’ll finally understand what’s on the big screen!

You’ll be glad you did, your cooler cred is on the way up already!

Perhaps next week we will tackle that other thing many women fake, just in time for Valentines Day!

Until next time…Fly high and dazzle ’em!

~ The Ringmaster

If you have not yet subscribed to the 3 Bros Flying Circus we’d love to reserve a special seat for you!  Just click the “please reserve a ringside seat for me” in the upper right hand corner of the post. 

Who Am I? If I don’t know by now it’s time to make something up!

I’ve just accepted a “Zero to Hero: 30 Days to a Better Blog” challenge.  Those of you who know me well know that I don’t back down from challenges, particularly if they don’t involve eating something gross, wearing something gross, or looking at something gross.  So just as you thought I would, I’ve accepted the challenge and hope to complete all of the tasks associated with it.

Day one involves telling you about me.  Since this blog has been visited by folks from all around the world as opposed to just the grandparents, aunts and uncles of my kids (as I originally planned) – I’ve decided instead to introduce you to The Ringmaster of The 3 Bros Flying Circus.  She’s my avatar, a rock star in her own mind.  She is super comfortable with being a mediocre mom to three funny, active prepubescent boys, and an adoring wife to one hot handsome hubby.

I blog because I like the spin the Ringmaster puts on all our flaws and shortcomings.  She sees everything through the lens of grace and sees me for who I am, an ever-evolving being created in the image of a Perfect God who happens to have a fabulous sense of humor.  She reminds me to lighten up and enjoy the moments as the gifts which we call “now”.

Since beginning my blog in late August, I’ve written mostly about my three sons, handsome hubby and the circus we call home.  As we fly high into the new year, I’d like to hear from you.  Are there other topics that you might enjoy exploring with the Ringmaster? (no crafts or recipes please, not that I don’t enjoy cooking but let’s leave those to the well-organized supermom bloggers among us)  When was the last time someone asked you to run away to join the circus? If you blog, what will you write about this year? If you haven’t done so already, I hope that you will take a moment to reserve a Ringside Seat by clicking “follow subscribe by email”.  Until next time, fly high and dazzle ’em!

~  The Ringmaster