Sports & Stuff

Just playing catch-up on some of the things the kids have been up to, so sort of a long post.

Basketball season ended about a month ago. The 3 older kids played on different teams so after spending 6 out of 7 nights a week at the rec for 2 months, things have been a little dull around here.




Audrey ended up only playing in a few of her basketball games. She missed several practices at the beginning of the season because she was sick and being super shy anyway, she felt out of place not knowing anyone. Even the promise of the snack at the end of the game didn't get her out there sometimes.



Jackson continues to play tennis year round and just finished up the Team Tennis Spring season last week. He started baseball this week after not playing since t-ball. He has been a little uneasy about signing up for the last couple of years because most boys his age (11) have kept playing every year and are fairly competitive by this time, but Jackson is a go-getter and decided to give it a shot. I think he'll do great. Maybe the tennis will help with the hand-eye coordination.



Sadie joined Girls On The Run after school, which got her involved in a Fitness Festival for all area schools on Monday where she ran the mile. The GOTR club teaches them self-esteem, healthy habits and preps them for a 5k at the end of the month. I don't think she is a lover of running (sort of like my own love-hate relationship with running) but she enjoys being involved and accomplishing something.



We opted out of soccer this year again. As tempting as it sounded, the potential of being out at the soccer field for a minimum of 3 hours every Saturday didn't fit into the schedule.

Waiting for a shuttle launch.


Probably about 40 miles away, as the crow flies.
It was kind of foggy out that evening.





Rodeo Fun.
Sadie and her cousin.


Audrey brought a friend.



Audrey and her cousin (10 days apart).




Don't know what emotion Justin is expressing here.


Jackson and his boyz (cousins). Gator fans unite.


Poor cow.


I don't have pics of everyone but all but one of my siblings were at the rodeo.




On another note, the 4th grade school play is coming up and I heard through the grapevine that my friend, Stacey, and I are going to be asked to choreograph a song for Sadie's class. Wha? Do they not know Stacey is blind and I just....don't....it's just not my thing?

And The Award Goes To....

I don't know where last week went. Everything is a little hazy after our big night.

For Family Home Evening last Monday night we had our First Annual Parents Choice Awards!!! It was quite a hit. I thought FHE tonight would be a dud in comparison but the kids really look forward to it every week and this week was no exception...even if the paparazzi wasn't here this time.

The kids totally got into it. Including this kid.


Sadie even fashioned a red carpet out of blankets for the event, after she curled her hair and glossed her lips.


Audrey was all decked out too, complete with blue eye shadow to match her dress.


Jackson busted out a collared shirt for the occasion.


And I donned the pink sequins that Steve now wants me to wear every day (it's one of the girls' dress-up dresses so it was a little short, yet it was very stretchy to accommodate all my motherly curves).


We gave the kids about 5 awards each (so there was no arguing about who got more). And we tried to give awards that wouldn't pit them against each other.

A list of the awards:

Does Homework Without A Hassle
Best Bathroom Cleaner
Quietest Kid
Biggest Helper With Justin (they all got that one)
Asks For Permission Most Often
Stays In Bed After Being Put To Bed
Best Veggie Eater
Ready For School First
Neatest Bedroom
Wakes Up The Happiest
Leaves The Least Amount Of Stuff In Car
Gets Along With Others The Best

We told them we wanted to give this one to someone, but there would be no recipient this year.


The hope is that they will keep up the good work all year and work on other awards they might want to get next year.
After we gave out our awards, we gave them blank certificates to give each other awards.

These were Audrey's awards for Jackson and Sadie. So cute. ☺


Jackson's awards for his sisters.


Sadie's awards for Jackson and Audrey.




Sadie makes me a little nervous with how well she knows how to work it.



How Sadie learned how to work it. ↓

Visitors

After picking the kids up on Tuesday afternoon, I asked them to do their chores before they did homework.

"And Sadie, clean the bathroom really good. I want to be able to eat off that toilet."

After the disgusted look I affectionately call her teenager look, she said, "Who's coming over that we have to clean so hard for?"

To which I defensively responded, "Why does someone have to be coming over for me to expect you to do a really good job? How about do it because you're supposed to do a good job?" (Classic Mom line)

Okay, so there really was someone coming over....but I still stand by that last statement.

Steve's parents stopped by for a night and a day on their way to meet up with Steve's uncle and aunt. After we met them for dinner, they came with us back to our house.

As soon as we walked in the door, Sadie starts dancing around.
"Grandma, come see how clean our house is!
Look over here!
It smells really good in here, doesn't it?!
Doesn't everything look so clean?!
I cleaned the bathroom really, really good!"

This is how I imagined my mother-in-law translated that:

"Grandma, you should have seen our house a few hours ago!
You couldn't even walk in here!
It was freaking disgusting and it smelled like a dead skunk!
My mom made us work all afternoon to get it clean!"

In reality, I did my usual tidying, while the kids were at school. When I got the call that visitors were on the way, I had the kids step it up a little when they got home from school and I refilled my Glade Plug-In's (after I disposed of the dead skunk).

When we had fewer children (one), I had time to be more meticulous. My current policy is "You get what you get."
I like it neat and tidy and usually it is presentable, but let's just be real here. I have four kids. We are BUSY. Enough said.

Obviously, I like having a little notice. Who wouldn't? Especially for infrequent visitors, but I don't stress about it (except for the toilet, no one wants a nasty toilet for company).

*In my mother-in-law's defense, I don't think she cares what our house looks like. She had four children too. She gets it. The last time they visited, I had 8 loads of laundry on my bed. She didn't roll her eyes or shake her head. She folded it for me.

Sweet Spring

How many people does it take to eat a half flat of fresh picked strawberries in two days?



Six!

Well, five actually. Justin hasn't yet acquired a taste for the finer things in life.

March Forth!

I knew I was a little scary looking first thing in the morning, but this is ridiculous.



Does this mean 7 years of bad luck? Good luck?
Nah, it just means a new mirror. Maybe a whole new bathroom, that's what I want. When we moved here we bought the house we could afford. We bought the house we loved the best out of the ones we could afford. And I do love it. Maybe because it was built around the time I was born. But probably because it has been a labor of love. Literally, a lot of blood, sweat and tears have been put into this baby with some more updating yet to be done. Someday we will probably move and I'll be really sad (my parents said the same thing about 45 years ago and never budged).
Anyway, that isn't even the reason I was posting. I just wanted to post a picture and that's what I came up with.

I am choosing today to March Forth with some of my goals that have taken second chair recently with holidays, post holidays, sick kids (multiple times), basketball season, blah blah blah, so many excuses for my rut.

I guess the Number One priority is to use my time more wisely. I don't think blogging is a waste of time. I'm preserving history here. Besides, it only takes a few minutes to post something (most of the time).

Facebook is a whole other story. I'm slowly burning out on it anyway so not really a problem.

My scale is telling me "Girl, a little too much eating and not enough exercising lately" so I'm back on exercising regularly instead of here and there. Even if a coughing child keeps me up all night.

You know how when you move out of a place you get rid of all the stuff you've acquired (aka: junk) since you moved in? Well, we usually have moved by now so I'm pretending we are moving and getting rid of lots of stuff. Simplify. There is nothing like it.

I love my kids. I post about them often because they are my life, my purpose in being alive at this moment and I enjoy being around them. There is something special about a child at any age. I have loved each age, milestone and era that my kids have entered.
Don't get me wrong, my kids drive me crazy and get on my nerves. I wish they would hear me the first time when I ask them if their homework is done or to go take a shower. They disobey. I get mad and make threats to ground them and sometimes actually follow through. They fight with each other. They are so noisy, I have to hide in the garage to make a phone call.
But they're kids and they deserve the best I can give them and that's a happy mom who uses her time wisely so that she's available to help them, play with them and enjoy them. I'll make a better effort to save my projects to be worked on, blogging, emailing, reading and all other hobbies to be done during nap time or bed time.

Now, if you'll excuse me. Justin is napping and the treadmill is calling my name!