It's Officially Official

I am a soccer mom in the true meaning of the words Soccer Mom. I have been playing soccer, on and off, for the past 31 years. I took time off in order to have kids and repair a torn ACL. I tried my hand at volleyball in high school, but soccer kept calling my name.....it missed me as much as I missed playing. When I moved away from home and went to college I signed up to play recreational soccer and the rest is history.

Now the burning question for the last 8 years was "Which one of my boys will play soccer?" I was never really sure if any of them would because none asked to play (and I am not the mom who will force their kid into doing something just because I think they should do it.) Well, at the end of Fall season Trevor asked if he could play. I was thrilled, but we had to wait until Spring....which was a whopping 3 months away. At the time of sign-ups I asked Adam if he would want to play, he was hesitant asking "Trevor are you going to play?" Once he knew the answer for Trevor he made the decision to play. That was even more exciting. Two out of three boys want to play soccer. Yippee!

Adam is #5 on the Purple Dragons.

He really enjoys soccer. I think he is a natural born defender (just like mom). He has taken to the sport like he has been playing since he was 2. Natural! What can I say? He has even scored a few goals. EX.CI.TING!

Trevor is #8 and he plays for the Grey Dragons. Original, I know. Apparently "Dragons" are a popular team name in this league.

Trevor was a little hesitant at the first practice. In fact he told me he wanted to quit and he hated the sport, his team, and his coach. It turns out he was upset because he didn't know the names of his team mates. Once we got that figured out he fell right into it with out any problems. He has progressed well each week and looks forward to practices. Trevor took on a job I would NEVER take. He played goalie in the second half of the game. He did a great job, nobody scored on him. He is very brave to play that position.

I am so proud of them both! (Can you tell?)

Call me a Slacker!

Okay, I am cheating because I am such a slacker these days. Life has taken over. Two of my boys are playing soccer, I am going to an exercise class, running, or playing soccer 5 days a week, already making headway on auction plans (are you still in for a quilt Aunt Spicy?)......and the list goes on. So today I am going to make life easy for myself and do Friday Fill-Ins.

And...here we go!

1. I was a teacher before having children.
2. I was rushing to my connecting flight and I left my book on the previous plane.
3. Why do my boys have to fight in the truck?
4. My very pregnant sister was in my thoughts today.
5. One of my father's favorite sayings was "To hell in a hand basket if we don't change our ways".
6. Overwhelmed--I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging in front of the TV, tomorrow my plans include the Cinco de Mayo party and Sunday, I want to kick butt in cardio kickboxing!

Hard To Be a Baby Bird This Time of Year

Today was one of those days where we had soccer practice and wouldn't be home until well after dinner time. Using some foresight I decided to let the kids run amok while I prepared dinner. Trevor comes running in to tell me that Lucky, our cat, has caught a bird. "Come quick, you have to see this Mom!" he tells me. Knowing that Lucky is very much a bird cat I went outside. I was expecting to see an adult bird with puncture wounds. This is what I found:

This is what I found. Lucky had been "toying" with it like it was a mouse or vole. So I rescued it.

And put it in a shoe box on Julia's counter so she could figure out what to do with it.

We think it came from the nest in the picture above. Trevor found another baby bird that was dead just below the nest.

And this? This is our bird cat.....Lucky.

Superwoman Magic

I love how my kids think that I am Superwoman. They seem to think that they can sit 50 feet away from me and that I am able to inspect a wound, bug, speck of dust from that far away. I keep telling them that I don't have super sonic vision. In their mind I DO have super sonic vision. This makes me laugh because I wear contacts every day and glasses at night when I am tired of the contacts.

I truly enjoy how kids believe anything you tell them when they are young. I especially love how they are like a "sponge" and soak everything they see and hear into their brains and beings and learn so much from it. The fun part of being a parent when they are that young and impressionable is that you can pull the wool over their eyes and they don't even know it. When my kids asked me a question that I didn't have an answer to I always reverted to "Magic".....that was my answer, my explanation for the unknown.

Even better is when their brains mature and they get it. "Magic" means mom doesn't know. It was hysterical when Luke discovered that I didn't know the answer to what ever question being asked. He took one look at me with a knowing look and said "Magic, huh?" Had a good laugh with that one.

If I could be a super hero I think Superwoman with a bit of Magic would be the best combo. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Random Acts of Kindness

This morning I went on a much needed grocery run. Jeff isn't home, so I had to take the boys. I generally wait til they are in school so I can get through much faster and so I don't have to reprimand them while in the store. They feel incredibly comfortable in the grocery store we go to because they have been going with me since birth and just about every sales clerk know who my boys are.

We are going up and down the aisles grabbing the items needed and we get to the meat department. I am looking to see what I want to throw in the cart when Trevor comes over from the pet aisle with a Laser Chase II, you know the kind they point on the ground so cats, dogs, even chickens can chase the little red dot. (All 3 boys have money burning a hole in their pockets). He asks if he has enough to buy it so he can have the cats chase it and ultimately the puppy when we get her. I ask him how much he has and he proceeds to pull ALL change out of his pocket and count it. Mind you, he is on the floor in the meat department counting change while I watch him count and help if needed.

Another older woman is also in the meat department looking to purchase some for her family. She watches Trevor count his change with a smile on her face. After a few minutes of counting and checking with me to see if he is counting right she gets my attention. She asks "Is it okay if I give them some money?" I am hesitant, I don't want the boys to think that people will just hand them money at any given time. Before I even answer she has given each boy $5 to spend as they wish. Wow, that was very nice of her. The boys all said "Thank you" and proceeded to find what they could buy with an extra $5.

I love it when people do Random Acts of Kindness. It is heart warming and shows that there are good people in this world. So when it happens to me or my kids I feel a sense of gratitude, generosity, and compassion. I know it makes me feel good when I do things for others I don't know as well as those I do know.....but I find it more fun to surprise those I don't know and certainly don't expect it.

The most I have done is paid someone's bridge toll as I am paying mine. I do this when I head home from visiting my mom. I don't do it every time, but once in a while.

My question for you is what Random Act of Kindness have you done lately?