Tag: sports

children, humor, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Party Foul

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The "Jumpman" logo is used by Nike t...
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My night was incredibly eventful.  Not in a dance until dawn kind of way (unfortunately) but in a let’s see how many times Full Speed can wake up Mommy and Daddy kind of way.  Turns out, he can do so a lot.

He’s been attending basketball camp this week and it isn’t exactly going his way.  This is his first experience with the sport and to put it politely, it may not be something that comes naturally to him.

Who cares?  I certainly don’t.  I’m glad he has this opportunity to try something new and he’s only six for heaven’s sake.  He’s not meant to be Michael Jordan.  He’s meant to be active have fun.

Since he’s not having 100% fun he’s had a series of mysterious stomach ailments, supposed overwhelming fatigue and monsters in his room that disrupt everyone’s sleep.

It’s a good thing he looks so adorable in his Air Jordan’s otherwise this kid might earn a Mommy-technical foul.  And, blissfully, there’s only one more day of camp.

This smile seems genuine. Maybe he's starting to actually enjoy himself?
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bad day, children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, Taekwondo

Grace is a Name I Call Myself

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I took both boys to taekwondo.  It was rainy and the sky was clouded in a way that made me feel kind of doomy.  For some reason, I did not have a proper attitude.  My attitude could have stemmed from the twisted knee I sustained during last Friday’s Zumba class (yes, I clearly am highly coordinated) and it twinged with regret every time I took a step.  Or, I am starting to really, truly be over the YEAR ROUND taekwondo situation (Mad Dog, please take note).  Yes, with most activities there is a distinctive start point and end point.  Taekwondo is infinite.  Apparently, my boys can become 128th degree black belts and me?  I would like to start earning my black belt in lounging or slacking off in general.  But, alas, this will never happen.  Even if for some reason we suspend all kung-fu type activity in our home, there will be another activity or goal to replace it. 

My goal?  To try to remain gracious even when I feel completely the opposite.

How am I doing Mad Dog? 

On second thought, better not answer that.  You know with me trying to be more gracious and all.

bad day, children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Booted

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Mad Dog on the field in happier, less questioning times...
A football (or soccer ball) icon.
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In Mad Dog’s soccer history, which believe me is full of fascinating tidbits, while he was aggressively thundering through his high school career, he never ever got kicked out of a game.  Yellow card, yes.  Booted?  Not once.

Well, times change.  Mad Dog got himself booted from the last game of T.Puzzle and Full Speed’s season.  It didn’t matter that he was the coach.  He. Got. Booted.

It was the strangest thing to watch.  Parents and spectators alike were beyond befuddled.  One minute the game is going along smoothly, the next the referee marches off the field and Mad Dog takes to the bench.  Eventually, he had to remove himself completely from the field.  Apparently the ref couldn’t even stand to look at him.

This particular referee and Mad Dog had developed a contentious relationship over the course of the season.  She didn’t like to consistently follow the rules and Mad Dog consistently questioned this logic.

I live in a house of questions.  If one boy isn’t asking me something most surely another one is.  These questions can be polite, that isn’t the issue.  Sometimes it’s the quantity of the questions that wears on one’s sanity.

I’m not saying Mad Dog wasn’t right to want rule consistency for his team.  Asking about it a lot did little to help his case.  So what happened?

He got booted.

I have to admit, he handled it like a gentleman.  I’m sure most in his situation would have gone off the deep end when asked to leave the field.  He did what he was told and remained calm.

On the flipside parents were outraged.  Some began to chant, “Win it for Coach!’  Which to the shock of all in attendance, our team actually did (we were like 1-5 at this point and while we have heart, we lack in pretty much anything else required of good soccer). 

We may have played mostly unskilled and unremarkable soccer throughout the season, but friends, this is a season that will go down in history.

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children, happiness, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Coast to Coast

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This soccer season has not reached the level of success that Mad Dog’s and Full Speed’s first season did.  I’m being kind here.

I know, I know, it’s not suppose to be about the winning.  It’s suppose to be about the learning and the teamwork, right? 

Who are we kidding?  It’s about the winning.

Sometimes it physically pains me to watch my boys go down in the flames of defeat.  It pains me even more when Mad Dog is in a less than cheerful mood for several hours following another heart wrenching loss.

There are some positives.  I will never tire of watching Full Speed never tire of running the field during games.  His new nickname is ‘Coast to Coast’ because the kid never backs down and will be wherever the ball is at any given moment.  It is a sight to behold. 

Full Speed gets set to head Coast to Coast.

Watching T.Puzzle evolve from the first game has been humorous and heartwarming.  The first several games he sort of ran near the ball but he didn’t like to actually come into contact with it.   Now, he’s mastered some legitimate blocks as goalie and on more than one occasion got a foot on the ball while in play.  These were proud moments for me.

Mad Dog helps T.Puzzle toss in bounds.

Looks like I’m officially a soccer Mom.

Maybe I’m evolving too.

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums

Soccer, Sunshine & the Stinky Face

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Disney Sports Soccer
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Yesterday, the four of us hopped on our bikes and headed to the soccer fields.  The mail lady commented on how she wished she could join us in the sunshine as we whizzed by.

Full Speed rode his big boy bike.  No training wheels, no how.

We were golden.  We did some drills (all according to Mad Dog’s direction–my soccer knowledge consists of ‘kick the ball’ and ‘don’t use your hands’). 

The best part was when Mad Dog played ‘keep away’ from the me and the boys.  It took all three of us, intense concentration and sometimes we caught a break to occasionally knock the ball from Mad Dog’s skilled feet.  The boys loved this game. 

Then, Mad Dog tried to have Full Speed run a  ‘dribbling’ drill.  Apparently this means doing something with your feet and has nothing to do with the fine motor control of retaining saliva in your mouth.  Since Full Speed wasn’t good at controlling the ball in this manner; he pouted, cried and acted like a very spoiled two year old. 

The bike ride home was drama-filled and drawn out.  Full Speed refused to pedal (he’s not so great at riding without training wheels yet either).

At least the weather was lovely.

Eventually, Mad Dog had to coax Full Speed home on foot and I had to carry his bike while balancing mine with my free hand.  It was a long walk home.

I’m so thankful for second chances and new days.

So far so good.

I guess sometimes you need to go to the brink of bad behavior before you can return to the land of the well-behaved.
 

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