Kids Soccer

Has anyone enrolled their child in to organized sports? I’m  willing to bet most parents have. 

My four year old recently started playing organized soccer and I must say, I can already see a diverse population of adults around the field. 

Let me premise this by saying, I’ve never tried to teach a group of children anything in my entire life. Volunteering in my son’s class was no preparation for coaching soccer. Oh, did I mention I’m coaching my son’s soccer team? A small brood ranging from almost 4 years old to 6? Yeah. I’m not entirely sure I made the right decision either. 

At best, both my husband and I played baseball growing up and we’d be better suited baseball parents but our kid has a knack for running and kicking, which is why we chose soccer this summer. 

So, getting back to the diverse population of adults around the field…my interactions with parents have been limited in person, and pretty well communicate via text all of the time. If you don’t know what it is I do for work, I’m front line customer service in a bank. Guys, I’m a people person at work, just not anywhere else. I also love and adore my kids, I just don’t love  and adore all kids. 

My soccer kids are actually not bad. (one practice and one game in to the season, check back with me in a month or so). They’re cute kids, energetic and enthusiastic, everything I absolutely expect from an average 4/5 year old. Does that mean I can hold their attention? Nope. 

Can I get them to follow a direction using as few words as possible so I don’t confuse them? 

Nope. 

One mom graciously offered to help get the kids on track with listening and following direction and help run some drills at practice. She’s also a teacher of the kindergarten variety so she likely has all the tricks. So i’m game (pun intended). 

Now, the whole point of this post is, in a tyke division how competitive should we be and when does it cross the line? 

The average player is 4 or 5 years old, generally first timers and with kids they likely see at school. 

I’ve seen coaches running drills on these kids like winning is the only option. My mind set is, let’s run these kids so they go to bed early, ha! 

So here I am, completely new to soccer, completely new to coaching, already have a parent wanting to help – could it be a competitive parent trying to be polite and her helping may actually be frustration in my lack of knowledge and skills with kids? I’m hoping not but one can never be sure. 

Do I want the kids to win some games? Sure I do. I’d also like to see a few losses because there’s a valuable lesson in losing – it’s totally cliche but I feel in this world we’re in now, it’s all about serving the kids, making sure that they have great grades even if they didn’t deserve it. Kids are being taught to argue and complain until they get their way and seriously guys, this is not how the world works! 

I’m at the older end of the Millennials and have a 50/50 mindset of old school/new school and I have to say, old school line of thinking wins quite a bit. 

So, I’m going to wrap this up, I’m using the app vs. Website and my carpal tunnel is killing me. 

Getting old is such a joy. 

Anyways, drop me a story about your kids being in sports when they were younger! I’m curious to know if anyone truly enjoyed being in the sidelines or was it a nightmare?! 

Ta ta! 

Jenn

Appreciating my Mother

This weekend I helped my mom celebrate her birthday doing things she enjoys which works out great because I enjoy the same things and that makes for a great day. 

So away we went, both kids packed up in the car and we drove off… The weather has been so rotten the last few days and today was no better. Cold temperatures, with a windchill no less and it was pouring rain. I still took the most scenic route possible to our destination because the colours of the leaves, waterfront views and just the overall peacefulness of the drive. I wasn’t sure if my mom would appreciate it as much as I had hoped because of the rain but it appeared as though she was really soaking it in. 

While we shopped, the kids kept us distracted, mainly the four year old because you know, he’s a boy lol. However, there were moments in there where I could really focus on my mom while she held the baby or listening to the four year old telling his stories and in those moments I found myself truly appreciating her.  

This comes after a few years of strain because we all cohabitated together.  When the hubs and I moved out after buying our first home, my relationship with my mom was amazing. It’s still really good to this day and I’m so appreciative of her now, more than ever. It’s taken 31 years and two kids for me to really see my mom as a human being. 

Kind of crazy. It’s like graduating high-school and the first time you see your favorite teacher. When you greet them with their proper name or abbreviated name like Mr. A…. And your teacher is all, my name is Chris. Lol. Ya ok, whatever you say Mr. A. Lol. 

Anyways, long story short, it’s taken me 31 years to see my mom as a human being and not some super human who will always be around and knows everything. I’ve loved her through all the ups and downs all the same but now there’s a level of appreciation that I never had before. 

Funny how having kids of your own changes your perspective on so many things and on so many levels. 

Have a great weekend everyone 🙂 

Catching up

I can’t believe how much time has lapsed since I last wrote.  I realize I just posted an entry, I had to get those thoughts out of my head before acknowledging the huge gap of time between that post and the previous one.  Not much has changed since then. And by not much I mean, we bought a house, we have two children now and a second vehicle. So you know, life.

Anyways, my first born is now in full day Junior Kindergarten and absolutely loving it.  I have to beg for a hug and kiss in the morning when dropping him off.  Our second gem of a child is almost five months old and she’s stolen our hearts right out of her big brother’s hands.  These kids…they make life so animated and colorful. It kind of makes me want more kids – or maybe it’s just my hormones?! HA!  We’ll see about having another in about a year. Right now I’m focussing on the littlest and fiddling with some new hobbies.  I’m sure I’ll get around to writing about them soon enough.

That’s all I wanted to say in this post.  Life is good.

❤

Inner Peace

So recently I was faced with an uncomfortable situation.  My painting partner couldn’t attend a Paintnite due to a conflicting work schedule.  No biggie, right?  I would just find someone to come along with me since the ticket was already paid for and enjoy a couple hours kid free. Except, that’s exactly what did not happen.  I couldn’t have even paid someone to go with me that night.  Totally circumstantial of course but it still stung.

So I did the somewhat unthinkable. I attended a social event alone. I certainly wasn’t going to let 2 tickets go to waste!  I packed up my bag, said goodbye to my little family and ventured off….

It was really awkward to show up there alone, grab a drink alone and find a seat…alone.  Once I sat down, everything was quite familiar; paint, brushes, paper towel and water.  I’ve actually never painted on canvas before so having one in front of me was kinda daunting.  I quickly realized that even if I had a painting buddy with me, we couldn’t have sat together, there were only single seats left at random tables.  So I guess you could say it was meant to be.

After the workshop started and I was able to kind of do my own thing with the painting, I of course got hung up in my own thoughts….there was a lot of frustration, sadness and even some confusion.   I was listening to all of the chatter around me and felt somewhat left out…even though in my heart I was feeling empowered.  How many people would have let both of their tickets go – wasted, money thrown away because of the thought of being in public, participating in a social event, alone?  Normally I would have…but I believe deep down I needed the quiet time.  Time to paint. Time to express myself.  Time to be speechless and basically be mute. I needed to be given that gift of time.

My painting is for my daughter and it’s so much more to me than the colors on the canvas. Maybe one day I’ll explain it to her and the importance it held for me that night. To be alone in a crowded room and work through my emotions and find peace.  

Camping in September

I went camping this past weekend with the famjam and it went a lot better than I had braced myself for.

We left late Friday and arrived at Presqu’ile around 630pm so we scrambled to get our tent set up, the air mattress blown up and playpen positioned.

It took about 2 hours to get the tent set up (of course we had a space heater because of the wee lad) and stocked up with our necessities.  It was pitch black out by the time we sat down for dinner….

Saturday was gloomy, rainy, drizzly and blah.  It didn’t stop our camping group from playing bocci ball, ladder golf and dominos.  We certainly made the best of a wet day – many, many tarps kept us dry.

Has anyone camped with a toddler before?  I suggest you do – I loved having my little guy outside, in nature and with some of his family.  Lucky for us, Jay’s dad has a tent trailer (equipped with a furnace no less) and little D had his naps in there saturday.

I didn’t get an opportunity to take any pictures until Sunday…it was so beautiful after such a crappy night of down pouring rain (we stayed dry in the tent, booya!).

 

I took a little walk around, we were steps away from lake ontario and if anything was going to remind me of the Atlantic (minus the lack of salty air), this was it:

 

 

Since we were there for only a short time, I’d like to go back maybe next July and give it another shot..maybe bring the bikes so we can travel around the park without having to fire up the car (there’s a lighthouse at this particular park that I would have loved to see).

 

Next time, we’ll also be a little more picky about the site…sleeping on an angle wasn’t so much tricky as it was annoying…the site we set up on was actually the neighbouring site.  Our site, we went in on with Jay’s cousin but the slope of the site was so bad only one tent could set up to take advantage of the flattest part…

D slept so well Friday and Saturday and above is his morning nap Sunday!

I think we’ll continue taking our little guy camping…he loved being outside as much as we did.  I don’t know what it was that made it easy (despite the weather) but I can’t say enough, take your kids camping at least twice in one summer to see how your family does (the first time is like a trial run and the second trip you’ll know what worked, didn’t work, if you had too much or too little of something).  It’s soooo worth the planning and the memories are second to none.

Our camping season has come to a close and with that has left me with excitement for the next season (and the idea that maybe we should save for a tent trailer should our family ever get bigger lol)!

Facebook Rant

Has anyone who admin’s a facebook account read the recent proposal to change the privacy agreement? 

I suggest you do…and make sure to check your settings and to google yourself…and even check the images on google.  You might just see how easy it is to find yourself and how scarily easy it would be for a catfish to get up in your business.

Now, my facebook is pretty tight (I think)…I try to make it hard for people to find me on purpose.  I generally try to keep it to people who I actually talk to, including friends and family and a few coworkers who contribute something positive to my life.  I’m not out to set any records for having a shit ton of friends.

However, I have an issue with facebook distributing people’s photos and videos just because a)they honestly don’t know how to change their settings or b) they’re just ignorant to the issue which most would say “to each their own”…but I don’t think it’s fair.  

They are saying that they reserve the right to do this…to take the pictures and videos (depending on the privacy settings) and distribute them…like facebook isn’t already a forum to exploit oneself. Seriously.  People already lose jobs or are denied jobs because of their facebook accounts.  Is it really necessary for them to further exploit people so they can gain some $$? obviously.

Was I hallucinating one day when I saw a show where the girl had never taken part of a weightloss program and yet her photo was on the television commercial or website?

UGH!

Go Google yourself. right now.  Hey – don’t forget to check the images section like I said!!!

In the meantime, I’m going to be working on minimizing my facebook page, including photos and videos. Which makes me sad.  I post for my friends and family who live provinces away…I even have a friend who lives in the States who keeps tabs on the famjam through facebook. And now I’m going to deconstruct it because the site sucks so much and you know what? I’m going to break up with it. Ha!  

*sigh*  Before I ramble on anymore, I must say good night to you all.  🙂  

Stay cyber safe! 

Late night rambles

So, I’ve been trying to learn (and let me tell you, teaching yourself something when you know nothing, poses some challenges) how to let go of certain pet peeves. 

Jay and I still minimize what each other does in the course of a “working day”…sure, he works in a warehouse picking boxes for 12 hours a shift…I still think chasing and dealing with a fussy (learning independence while still wanting mommy) baby turning in to a toddler is a full time job.  Yet, I’m still expected to keep the house pristine and have dinner on the table by 6 (even my mother contributed to that)…

I don’t know about any other Momma’s….but even when my kid doesn’t have an ear infection, I still don’t sleep soundly…I still listen to the monitor, USUALLY the one to jump out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to hush up the screaming baby….by the time 6pm rolls around, I don’t even want to look at the kitchen let alone cook…

I don’t want sympathy…empathy maybe….but maybe I’d be less resistant if once in a while someone else cooked, or made sure the garbage was put out every week instead of saying they slept in and didn’t have time.  Maybe if there was a joint effort in cooking or even cleaning up after instead of saying it’s my mess so I have to clean it.  

When I put all of this in to perspective, this really is a dumb issue.  Some women have the gene to just make things happen and are even happy to do so. Hell, women have been programmed for years to do this….I feel like I have some weird mutation (maybe a bit of laziness) where my brain says, I should only do 50% because I’m not the only one who lives here.  

I think the real issue here is maybe I don’t feel appreciated enough and there for lack the motivation to go above and beyond when it comes to anything other than the baby.

Anyways, it’s past my bedtime so I shall go.

Nice chattin’ with ya internet.

Catching up

I’ve not intentionally taken a hiatus…some more changes are taking place in order to achieve our goal of buying a home.

I will officially be working from home starting Sept. 10th!  It guarantees me enough hours to squeak by and meet the requirements.

My original position with the F.I. will remain the same (I’m casual so a few hours here and there will keep me afloat there).  My 2 direct sales jobs are also status quo…trying to keep up with the bare minimum until I can get settled with this new job.

My soon to be toddler took his first solo crawl around the house…today he’s throwing things and chasing after them…and holy crap can he move…I’m going to be in BIG trouble when he transitions from his knees to his little feet.  The good news? There’s my cardio!

So not only am I now in pursuit of specific office equipment, I need to get those baby gates and plug covers and drawer clips that we’ve been procrastinating on getting.  Oh and child care? ouff.  It’s now not a matter of *waaah my baby has to be with someone else all day* it’s: *waaah, how the hell am I going to find someone in a week and a half to babysit part time*?!

So things are a tad bit out of sort around here….I was literally offered a position minutes after the interview process which took place on a Friday.

I was scrambling last week to get a desk, hot pursuit of a telephone head set that doesn’t cost over $100 and at the same time meets the specs of the company. oh ya, and have the worst cough of my life…maybe it was bronchitis? who knows, don’t have time for the doctor lol.

Today, I feel like things are actually coming together (aside from the babysitting)…my home office is coming together (still have to take pictures and send them to the company along with model/serial #’s of my equipment), we have a birthday to go to today, I think I found a headset compliments of Ebay (I felt like myself 8 years ago combing ebay instead of kijiji which was kind of cute), my cough is better though my muscles are still angry at me and we go camping next weekend!  Did I mention my kid had a double ear infection? He’s much better after day 7 of 10 of medicine, eating me out of house and home and crawling everywheeeeere.

PS. We’re still totally in love with our Journey.  Just sayin’.

I also took on another baby, well, toddler as of tomorrow she is.  Just until I start my new job so this house has been cray cray with babies!  I’m thankful every day that I did not have twins!  But also thankful to have an opportunity to give D a little playmate in the comfort of our home 🙂

Anyways, I have limited time to get a grocery list together, my kid down for a nap and fed again before the birthday get together and tidy up the office and take pictures and maybe do some laundry….

side note: my kid is killing himself laughing right now sitting in front of our tower fan…not sure what’s so funny?!

Have a wonderful Labour Day weekend everyone! It’s a beautiful day today in my area and it’s supposed to rain and thunder tomorrow 🙂

Finding Inspiration

I’ve been on pinterest the last few days trying to find inspiration and design ideas for the new home…

It got me thinking about what inspires me in general.  I can define my purpose in life now that it’s totally obvious because, you know, I’m a mom and all.

But what inspires me to do better in my life, to want to provide the best life for my son, myself and Jay?

The more I mull this over, the more I’m finding it’s an internal thing – I don’t know if it’s a maternal instinct or if I’m tapping in to my spiritual self here but I know that my desire to do better and more in life is coming from the core of my being.

I went to a team meeting last night and my “manager” (she’s really becoming a good friend) was doing her speech and she said that she’s taking the word “try” out of her vocab.  And I can see why…

I also plan on doing this, not just for my business, but for my life.  I’m not going to ‘try’ to get a house, we ARE going to buy a house.  I’m not going to try to get full time hours, I’m going to MAKE that shit happen ‘yo. 

I think by taking out that little word, it a) brings more positive energy to you b) less likely to fail and c) makes tasks more of a goal which in turn motivates to have a successful end result.  When you achieve your goals, no matter how small they may be, it’s a victory *insert happy dance* and it helps maintain that positive momentum.  

So, I’ve been inspired to take the word ‘try’ out of my vocabulary (did I mention that already?!!), I want to surround myself with more positive thoughts and energy.  I don’t want to leave room for doubt or an excuse not to achieve something. We’ve achieved the new car, we’re ready for a home of our own and another baby – in that particular order! oh what the hey, maybe throw a wedding in there somewhere. lol.

Do you think it’s possible that the word “inspire” though, has a text book definition, could mean something different to other people? or maybe I’m just too tired and should go to bed? Ha!

G’night all!

Baby brain

I really want to go to bed right now but I think the little guy may have fell asleep in my bed with Jay and don’t want to risk waking him up….

With everything coming around and falling in to place I feel like I may have joined Jay in the baby fever.

I don’t know if I’m ready for #2 – actually, yes, I am ready for #2, I’m just not ready to be pregnant before we move.  The minute we move in to the new place (where ever we end up) then we can broach that topic.

I had an enjoyable first pregnancy – aside from the wicked heartburn.  Everything was new – the belly, the feelings of the baby moving, the emotions and the new vision on life.  I’m very much looking forward to experiencing pregnancy for a second time – hind sight is 20/20 and maybe I’ll do things a little differently but I had a text book pregnancy with D so I must have done something right!

There’s also the fear of our second child never sleeping or having colic.  Then, I genuinely have fear of having a daughter.  

It’s a big topic to get in to (having a daughter)…as girls we absorb so much which affects our confidence, our perceptions of ourselves on so many levels….having so many self image issues myself, how can I raise a daughter to love herself and be confident in who she is on the inside without putting so much pressure on her physical image?  

Why don’t I have as many concerns for my son? I feel like for boys, if you buy decent enough clothes there won’t be any issues.  Knowing, myself and Jay, I think D will take many things personally – I hope we do a good job in teaching him how to cope with other people and make responsible choices with his actions and his words.

Well…I think I’m going to ponder a bit more as I drift to sleep…maybe more to come on this topic 🙂

Night all!