Kick! Kick! Kick!

Soccer went well again today. C was a pretty good listener until the end when he was kind of done. But that is to be expected at some point with 2 and 3 year olds. The uniforms on the group are just darling. I can't handle it. I really hope we can get a group picture before this is all over but I don't want to be the one to ask. 

There were a lot of dads there this week. I think some of the moms went home an explained how their kids did last week, and the "my kid is going to like sports" dads rallied and showed up. It didn't make a huge difference for some of the kids though, in fact one dad was just getting all riled up and then his kid got all riled up and it just wasn't good. 

So M did a good job watching from the stroller. We would talk about what was going on and she seemed to like watching a lot. So at the end, after the kids had dispersed to the playground I let her out and handed her C's ball. She immediately put in on the ground and took off, kicking the ball. She might just be a soccer savant because she kicked it across the field and all the way into the goal. It was kind of amazing. 

I might have to get some good camping chairs and a soccer ball fleece tie blanket, maybe start practicing slicing oranges, because it looks as though I might yet turn out to be a soccer mom. 

Soccer Champ!

C started his soccer camp this week. It is run by a British soccer company and his coach, Scott, is British with the accent to boot. (LOVE IT.) I wasn't quite sure how it would go this morning but I was pretty hopeful. He's been in school now for a few weeks and he did swim lessons this summer so I figured it was totally worth a shot. 

It was. There are 10 kids in his class and I would put C in the top 4 as far as listening and participation goes. While that may sound like I am bragging, I can admit I did a little sideline coaching to help him but that's NOTHING compared to some of the parents who spent the entire 45 minutes helicoptering over their child on the field. Or the two kids who wouldn't play at all. 

The camp is about learning skills, not competition, which I like. Since, you know, he's three and doesn't know how to play soccer. The whole day was based off pirates. They learned how to "scrub the deck." (Dribble)

This is him running and dribbling. I took it at a weird moment but I was totally impressed by how well he did.

They "climbed to the crow's nest" (Toe Taps)

He was also really good at this. 

They also learned how to "be the Captain" (stop the ball) "shoot cannonballs" (shooting the ball) and "protect it from the albatross" (I assume this was the basic of saves?) We will work on him picking up his soccer ball for next week but all in all I think he was certainly on par. 

Here, they were supposed to be carrying their ball over for a team meeting. He did pick up his ball quite a bit at the beginning though. #keepitreal

Towards the end, they played a game where they kicked the ball to knock over cones (in the game they were called penguins but C called them "crayons.") and he really enjoyed that. Might have to get a small pack of cones for the yard. 

This is what M thought about soccer camp: 

#notimpressed

But let's just talk for a second about jeggings. I wouldn't in a million years wear them myself but she got an outfit that came with them for Christmas last year and they just now fit... and holy moly. She looks put together but she's also comfy? I'm sold. Can you pair jeggings with a onesie or only shirts? What's the fashion rule for toddlers?

At the very end of class they got their jerseys and shorts so prepare for the ridiculous cuteness that will be those pictures for the next 5 weeks. Also: I am glad I went with soccer socks and shin guards but skipped the cleats. Cleats would have been overkill but socks and shin guards had him right on par with most of the class.

Fantasy Football: What I've Learned So Far

My cousin who I last saw when I was 10 started a family fantasy football league. I know only a little about football, my knowledge comes down mostly to: beat the Packers. But anyway, I joined. It's kind of fun. My dad, his siblings, all of my cousins, my mom, and Husband all had a draft last weekend.

That was kind of fun. I prepped lists and did some practice drafts and tried. And even though Yahoo gives my draft a B- rating, I was pretty happy with my team.

So football started this week (if you are under a rock and you weren't quite sure) and I'm learning a lot.

Pretty much it's all a guessing game and anything can happen. 

Also, if you watch your stats and scoreboard all afternoon you'll drive yourself crazy. 

Learning a lot in this family bonding football league. So go Team Sportsball! Beat the other team!

7 Because It's Friday

one. Due to an extremely last minute project (invented by his boss yesterday at about 3:00) Husband had to go into work at 6:00. I think we have established here that me + mornings = not the best of friends ... so I was not a fan but whatever. At 7:15 I was still bleary-eyed from the wake up of the group, post diaper change but not quite to the go downstairs stage. C was like, "Ish Mom," (he spends a lot of time with me) "a bug."

It was a spider of quarter size proportions. VERY fuzzy and sadly, very quick. This spider had a spouse/sibling/friend in my room earlier in the summer and there was a very dramatic text message interchange as I watched it crawl across the ceiling while I was stuck nursing M. Suffice it to say, Husband did not think a spider was a worthy reason to leave work to rescue me, but he did in fact, commit murder later that evening.

Obviously, this guy wanted to exact revenge for the death of the other, and because it has impeccable timing, picked the only day with my designated killer of insects gone early. By the time I put a paper towel on the end of the Swiffer stick to go into battle, it had disappeared. I kid you not. Which, of course, is the WORST. Because now every tickle of hair is the spider no longer on the ceiling but ON ME. I have already jumped in recoil five times in the last hour. I am living in a constant state of fear. It's going to be a long day.

two. It was my week for preschool this week and I also hosted book club last night. All of the planning and cleaning has made this short week feel very long.

three. C starts a soccer program on Monday. It's just 6 weeks and just to see if he has any interest at all in soccer. I think it will be cute and I am inferring that the program will be very small. (Since they resent the email to sign up just yesterday...) Perfect.

four. For my second day of Letter L, we made a fine motor lollipop tree, (putting dum dums in colander holes) read a lion book, made lion masks, did yellow painted hand prints on our lemonade stand signs and used our painted finger to trace the letter L (Down down down, over, over, over) made lemonade. did lacing cards, had a special lion dance party, sang "Aikendrum" and played upon our ladles, walked the giant L on the floor, made an L with their bodies, went on a lion hunt, and sold our lemonade to the moms the cost of which was 1 penny because Lincoln. In case you needed some L ideas of your own.

five. 

Oh the comment sections. So entertaining. So infuriating. So many times you just have to wonder "Why?"

six. Do you ever look at the milestones your children are supposed to be hitting and see the red flags in your own actions? Apparently, by the middle of October, M is should be pointing at things. Only I never point. Never. How would she ever learn to point unless I do? So I have started and she has started and things are good. Sometimes those charts are really more a guideline for the parenting I swear.

seven. In the most awkward thing you'll read on the internet today, M thinks toilet paper is among the best toys. First you can unroll it, then run around with it and sit in the big pile of it, entertainment for days. But to combat that for the most part we have been leaving it on the counter. Only someone (neither kid will fess up) walked off with the spring rod and now we can't find it. I was so happy no one had to use the bathroom last night! It looks so trashy to just have the roll on the counter.

Yes. A whole take about the placement of our toilet paper roll. Excitement abounds over this way. Have a good weekend and wish me God Speed since after two trips upstairs with Mr. Potty Trained the spider is still MIA.

A Typical We Host Preschool Morning

7:00 Everyone is up and we are eating breakfast. Both parents are running around trying to do last minute cleaning/stashing/fixing breakfasting. I make muffins for the snack. C has to use the bathroom with 4 minutes left to go on the muffins bake time. Chaos. But muffins look good and no accidents so that's a win!

8:00 Everyone gets dressed. I clean up muffin mess, and breakfast mess. I keep putting out stuff for school and making sure the plan is solid. I run some cardboard boxes from the porch to the garage. In the rain. Because it always rains when I host preschool. 

8:30 I sit to just breathe for a minute. Then keep going with the making sure everything is ready to go.

9:00 M goes down for nap with a snuggle and some milk. C watches Puffin Rock. (Newish on Netflix. He likes it. I am meh.) 

9:14 M is taking a LONG time to drink this milk and I start to panic. I still have some stuff to do.

9:22 I am back downstairs and getting out the black construction paper for Abraham Lincoln hats. There is no black construction paper. How is that possible? We've never done a black craft?! Okay, they used some for bear noses and eyes 2 weeks ago but that doesn't use up all the black. But apparently it does. Crap. 

9:24 Furiously text Husband to vent about construction paper issue. Lay out the blue fish blanket for circle time. Set out Duplos. 

9:30 Our friends are here! L for Legos on the blue blanket while I get a backup craft ready. 

9:40 Legos (Duplos) are all cleaned up and we start circle time. Attendance, weather, introduce the letter L, how to write the letter L, trace the sandpaper letter and we read our L story. 

The Very Lazy Ladybug is a hit. Kids act out the characteristics of the animals the ladybug rides. Smiles all around. L

9:55: Last-minute Ladybug craft. I thought it was going to go a little bit better but 2/3 are over it two minutes in. I push them through the craft and get them to glue on the dots I made while they were coloring then trying to escape. I herd the cats three-year-olds back to the table to use the glue sticks. They like glue sticks. 

10:03: They all have to wash hands because one of them was sticky and asked to wash hands. No one can be left out. 

10:05: Counting to 12 with Ladybug Shakers. I show the kids the ladybug jars I made them. They are not impressed. I give them bowls of 12 red hots (ladybugs) and we start to count to 12 and put them in our jars. C is done way before J. MC hasn't started putting red hots in yet. 

10:10: We are supposed to shake our shakers to Ladybug Picnic. I can't get the internet to work. Stupid rain. Seriously, I need a 51 second clip and I can't get it to work.

10:15 I have finally gotten the Sesame Street DVD in, cued up to Ladybug Picnic and no one moves. They're tv zombies watching the 51 second clip. It isn't even exciting. I remind them to dance and shake the shakers. 2/3 do. That's almost like success. I make the executive decision to skip the rest of music time right now. 

10:18 I set them up at the table with the new reusable sticker books I bought. C understands them because I had him play with them before. The girls are a little confused. But it's bathroom time and that's what these are for, a quiet distraction during bathroom time. 2/3 use the potty successfully and the holdout did try. Hands are washed. 

10:29 Snack time. Lemon poppy seed muffins and water. 

10:35 C is already done with his 3 mini muffins and has spilled his water everywhere. He gets another muffin because he asks and the girls haven't even made it through their first muffin. 

10:40 I go get M from nap and bring her down and set her up in the fort. J is done with snack too. MC still has 2 muffins. What the heck? They're like 2 bites big! 

10:42 I start Wheels on the Bus because C and J are going crazy waiting on MC. Then we do Little Red Wagon. They used to not like that song but they're really into it today. MC joins in, final muffin in hand. I can live with that. 

10:45 I get the Ladybug Counting Games and spread them out on the blue blanket. I introduce the game. J has set her's up correctly, but I don't know if it's a fluke or if she's that good at counting?! Probably a fluke. C and MC are enjoying playing with the ladybugs but not so much the counting the spots. Whatever. 

10:53 We move to the kitchen for making log cabins. I become very glad I set these up early. C immediately pulls his milk carton off the plate and wrecks all the tape. I retape his up. I start slathering frosting on the cartons explaining the activity. 

10:57 I begin reading the Abraham Lincoln book and talking to the kids about Lincoln, while they stick pretzels on the milk cabins to make log cabins. L is for Lincoln and Logs. J is having a really rough time. She is just making a mess. C and MC are having a ball. I help J with hers. 

11:10 Everyone washes hands for playtime. J uses my apron as a towel. Apparently the playtime today is centered on Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I lead the kids in an imaginative play, singing the theme song and getting on the couch boat. 

11:20 I put on Pandora on the Jake and the Neverland Pirate station and begin loading up backpacks with the ladybug game and ladybug craft. The kids are all playing nicely. Even M. She likes playtime with the school kids, she gets to feel like a big kid. 

11:28 The first mom is here and I give her the report and they take off. MC still has that final muffin in her hand. she's had it for an hour. I guess she's in a slow eating phase. I hope that's not contagious! Right as they go down the path in the backyard, mom #2 pulls in. 

11:36 Everyone is gone and I sit down to breathe just a few minutes before we make lunch. I still want to do the Abraham Lincoln craft. I decide to do it on Thursday. Lincoln is far more important than lemons. 

Happy Labor Day.

Hey O! How's it going on this lovely day of Labor? Pretty good? Same here. I love a good national holiday. Except for the no mail part. I could do without that. 

I have often wondered why no one gets all upset about people shopping on Labor Day but they do care about people shopping on Thanksgiving? I was going to stage a personal protest of this by having a big ole turkey dinner today, but it's hot and I don't like turkey. So we will be grilling cheeseburgers. How utterly predictable, but tasty I'm sure. 

Honestly, there's nothing much new to report. I am gearing up for this week in which I host preschool and book club so there's been lots of prep work.

M has decided in the past week to really buckle down and work on her games, so now she can clap and do "So Big!" I don't know why my kids hold out for so long on actual palm to palm clapping. C was a late clapper. M has been banging toys together and signing "more" for a long time now. But now that she's got the clapping thing down everything she does deserves a round of applause.

She has also learned how to climb up the step stool. Whether it is opened or closed. She is keeping me on my toes for sure. 

A totally unrelated picture of my guy post penguin cupcake on my birthday last week. He liked it. He was a messy sugar fest and very happy. 

Alright, well, that's basically what I know. Which is not a lot. Ah well. Happy Labor Day! Have some turkey or something grilled. It's all good. 

September. Already.

So like I predicted last week, the glorious weather has gone and left us muggy hot summer in it's place again. I'm not surprised at all by this, my birthday has seldom had lovely weather. But September is officially here with the promise that Fall is a mere 20 days away. It's all going to snowball from there... M's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. We are going to blink and it will be 2016!!

I'm 29. That is so bizarre. I know a lot of people who stop here at my age but I'm going strong until at least 31 because I am excited for my golden birthday. :) My birthday was really low-key because it was Monday and a normal work day for Husband but it went okay.

The shower on Saturday was actually really good. We had just the right amount of attendees and the right amount of friends of the bride mixed in with the relatives. It was super fun. The games and coloring contest went very well, except no one was really that good at Name That Tune. Do you want to play?

12 songs and artists. 24 points possible. The answers are at the end. This was the design from her shower invitation and we put it in the video. I didn't think it was that hard (every single song was on the top 150 first dance songs list) but maybe I just listen to too much music?

I've got to fold some laundry before M wakes up and I have to go pick up C from school so have a wonderful day!