It’s March Madness 2013, and in the Hamlin household, that means bracket war.

I disclose:  I have no idea which team is capable of what this year.  I didn’t do any research.  I just made picks based on teams I know had done well before.  (I might have also taken a peek at President Obama’s bracket.  He seems a good a person as any to blatantly steal ideas from.)

March Madness also means less sleep for all of us me, as we sit up together watching just as much basketball as we can stand.  In my case, that’s not nearly as much as the Hamlin boys.  But I can hold my own until 8:30pm.  That’s right, 8:30!  We Hamlin gals need our beauty butt kicking rest. Natalie retires to her play space or Puppy Pal books even before the first quarter of the first game of the afternoon ends.  I, being the elder, try to stick it out until, oh, around halftime of the post-dinner game.

The reason I stay and “watch”?  The camaraderie with the boys!

Our sons could not be more different from each other in the ways they communicate.  Garrett never wastes a word, sometimes goes hours without talking to us at all, and rarely, if ever, extrapolates anything.  Case in point:

Me: Garrett, if you could pick any meal to have as your last meal on earth, with no limitations at all, what would you choose?

Garrett:  Chicken.

Luke, by comparison, is downright verbose.  One might find oneself thinking of icecreambuttercupscowtippingmaplesyrupapplepiedinosaursintutus while Luke is telling a story.  Of course, one might not.  One might simply awaken from one’s snooze, wipe drool from one’s chin and keep on listening.  He’s like one of those old Mainers you hear in the coffee shop in the morning taking his sweet time telling a story you just know he’s told four dozen times before, making it just a little bit juicier every telling.  That’s Luke.  He’s an old geezer stuck in an 11 year old’s body.  And, like those same old men, he does not care one bit if you’re actually listening to him.  He just keeps right on talking.

But during March Madness games, we’re all in one big, loud, yelly conversation.  And it’s relatively equally attended, though I must say I do a lot of shouting “yeah!” and “I know, right!?” because I don’t really know anything at all.  I mean, I know the game of basketball, but when I say I could not care less about who the heck wins this thing, I am not lying.

I care only that I’m there with my boys.  And I actually think that the funnest part for me is that we all accept it’s just a facade.  I know this because when Garrett told me that Pitt had lost (a game I was WATCHING at the time) and I answered “they did?  That messes up my entire bracket!” he just put me in a headlock, gave me a noogie and mumbled “love ya, mom” which is more than he’d said to me all day.

1.  It didn’t snow.  At all.

2.  In fact, spring arrived.  I know this because all three kids disappeared after school every day until dinner, and then were gone again until the sun went down.  Welcome, spring.

3.  My students won Spirit Week at my school. By one point! This made my happy not because they won, per se, but because I had not seen them more positive, enthusiastic or willing to work together toward a common goal all year.

4.  Garrett’s band concert.  Yes, we force him to play the trumpet.  No, he did not thank us for forcing him to play the trumpet.  But we know it’s good for his brain.  And maybe someday he will see.

5.  Have reached the place, in teaching this current 8th grade class, where I am no longer being tested every minute of every day by kids.  This usually happens in October.  It’s been a long process, but we have arrived.  Knock.  Wood.

6.  Won the powerball!  It was only a dollar.  Decided I must be more specific with my prayers.

7.  Received a note on my pillow from Natalie.  It said “I just love you so, so, so, so, so, so, so much.”  Tell me.  What else is there in life?

8.  Got an unexpected gift in the mail – a subscription to a magazine.  Thank you to whoever sent that and made my day!

9.  Got over my need of having to make lists end on a perfect number.  Bam!

1.  Took Luke to Aubuchon Hardware where he chose two patterned rolls of duct tape for a “handbag project”.  He chose rainbow paint splotches, and turqoise and purple animal print, declaring them “manly.”

2.  Had my principal email to tell me I had worn a shirt that was inappropriate and distracting.  And by this highlight, I mean lowlight.

3.  Got to see Matchbox 20 in concert.  Found 4.2 more reasons to feel that getting older doesn’t totally suck.  That Rob Thomas, I am Telling.  You.

4.  Was told we’d be getting a sizable tax return.  Also, I just learned how to spell sizable correctly.

5.  3 and 1/2 months of 60-minute daily swim practices,  22 hours spent at swim meets, 4 vats of chili offered at concessions — with 9 minutes spent actually cheering Luke on during races — have finally ended.  Quietish night at home eating dinner together as a family? Four nights in a row? Priceless.

6.  Discovered what I consider to be a common-sense approach to eating and fitness at GOKALEO.  Started eating more food.  Lost weight.  Admittedly, this highlight started several weeks ago, but it’s still pretty great.

7.  Was able to do 9 diamond push-ups in my P90X workout.  9!  On my feet!  Couldn’t do even 1 when I started.

8.  It didn’t snow.  Much.

9.  Figured out a reason why I learned geometry in high school.  So I could deduce Garrett’s argument about why playing video games when you’re home sick is okay, even though the rule is NO GAMES on school days down to “A plus B does not equal C. And also, A minus C does not equal B.  Therefore, C divided by A can’t be B.”  Since he has not learned geometry yet, this went over very well.  Bam!

10.  Decided that lists need not be even-numbered.  Realized I’m a little OCD on this.  Figured it’s something I can work on.

And how was your week, ya’ll?