Sunday in My City - Soccer Edition

OK, so technically these pictures were taken on Saturday. And it wasn't actually in my city. But let's not be picky, okay?



Spring Soccer season is officially over, with a roller coaster of an ending.

Their first game was at 11 a.m., and it was a fantastic game. Not only did our team win 7-0, but Andrew scored a goal with an AMAZING shot. Another teammate kicked the ball, the goalie blocked it with a great kick, which went straight to Andrew, who was in mid field. Andrew NAILED the ball and it flew straight into the goal. I literally sat there stunned for a moment, then jumped out of my seat screaming. The coach ran up and hugged me, which made me all teary-eyed, which seems to be a theme of my life at this point! All of the players and parents went wild. The teammates called Andrew their secret weapon, because he kicks with his left foot which catches people off-guard.




So needless to say, that was an awesome game. Afterwards, we had about 4 hours to kill in a very small town with practically nothing to do. We went to Subway for lunch with our friends whose son is also on the team, and John's mom, aunt, and grandmother. Then we went back to the field and watched some of the other games, and tried to keep cool in 94 degree heat!






Then came the second game of the day. The other team was good; so was our team. Both Andrew and Elayna played hard. The game ended with NO score. 0-0. When that happens, they have a 'shoot-out', where kids from each team attempt to kick goals and the one with the most goals wins. It was SO close, but the other team won; 3-2. Our goalie was incredibly disappointed, but he had played a fantastic game. They all played hard and had fun, the most important thing. They got their trophies and are very proud of themselves.

After the game, we took the kids to a new pizza buffet/game room that just opened in a nearby town, and they had a blast.

And now, I'm ready to crash. I'm glad soccer is over for the season, but I know in a few weeks I'll miss it! I'll have to find something else to occupy all my free time. (HA!)

{For more Sundays in my City posts, visit the lovely Unknown Mami.}

Be a good sport. Or I'll punch you in the throat.

It all started when our team made its first goal.

The other team parents decided they didn't like our coaches. All of the refs were making bad calls. You name it, they had a problem with it.

At halftime, one of the mothers stomped over to one of the refs, and complained about our coach, saying that she yells too much. She yells instructions to the kids; she has to be loud. Our soccer games are not held in a library. As the ref put it, "the coach is coaching." The mom said "Well I have a problem with it!" And he basically told her to get over it.

So then it just got worse. They made cracks about our kids, saying all of the calls were going in our team's favor...a constant barrage of smart remarks. The head ref apparently got tired of it, and had to go talk to them and threaten to remove them from the game. They continued to yell at him as he walked away.

Did I mention yet that this is an 11 & under soccer game?

You know how if someone repeatedly pokes you in the same spot over, and over, and over....you're going to eventually snap?

I snapped. I told them they were teaching their kids poor sportsmanship. I told them they needed to remember it was a GAME and these were CHILDREN. And that the children had to learn to lose as well as win, and learn to be GOOD sports.

Of course, I'm sure it went in one ear and out the other. John eventually pulled me away from the madness.

Our team won, 2-1, and it was a totally deserved win.

Last year, our team lost, many times. That's how it goes, in sports. And in life, for that matter.

I just don't understand parents like that. There are no college scholarships riding on these games. In fact, there is absolutely nothing riding on these games. The coaches are volunteers. The refs get paid by the league. The kids, again, are 11 or younger. Many times when the game is over, they cheer and dance and then ask "Who won?" They rarely know the score. The purpose is learning, being active, and having FUN.

I think next game I'm going to sit FAR away from the opposing team's parents! Although my friend (& pastor's wife!) is having a great time telling everyone I almost got in a fight at the kids' soccer game.

"Good coaches teach respect for the opposition, love of competition, the value of trying your best, and how to win and lose graciously."
- Brooks Clark

"If you win through bad sportsmanship, that's no real victory."- Babe Didrikson Zaharias

"When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less."- Paul Brown

"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way."-Jim Courier

Visit PBD and SCC for some more Wordy Posts!

Fragging: A Whole Lot of Happy, a little bit of sad.

Friday already?! This week has flown by!

But I'm not complaining.

If you visited on Sunday, you saw that Elayna injured her thumb this weekend. She went to the orthopaedic doctor on Tuesday and they said that it was a minor break. They put her in a soft splint, and she goes back next Thursday for a recheck.

It was broken while she was practicing soccer. She decided she wants to try soccer this season, which is great because she and Andrew will be on the same team. We were at the park practicing, just me, John & the kids, when she hurt her thumb - the season hasn't even started yet! But the good news is, she will still be able to play. I'm excited! I think it will be fun - and less hectic! - to have both of them in the same sport, on the same team.

On a sad note: Yesterday, our old dachshund girl, Suzie, passed away. You may remember me posting about her in January. It was sad, but at the same time a relief. Her health was failing and we were struggling with whether or not to have her put to sleep; she didn't seem miserable but she wasn't 'right', either. Thankfully, the decision was taken out of our hands as she passed peacefully in her sleep during the night. It's just going to be so hard to get used to not having her around.

On a happier note: It looks like I will be going to work soon! A friend of ours from church is expanding his business and wants me to handle the new portion of the business. So far it sounds like it's perfect for me right now. I'm excited about that, too.

Last night we got to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I won four tickets from a local TV station. We had a blast! I'll share pictures later. I love winning stuff like that!

We had my FAVE, Chipotle, for dinner afterwards. I LOVE me some Chipotle!

I have gotten some of the most wonderful, heartfelt, supportive comments this week, and I want to thank you all. Most of you I thanked in email, but some of you don't have your email enabled, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate each and every one of you!

That's all from here! We're looking forward to a relaxing weekend with gorgeous weather. I wish you the same! Join in the Fragging Fun at Mrs 4444's place.

P.S. I added Twitter & Facebook share buttons - feel free to use them! ;-)

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a busy and FUN weekend!

Friday night was the first night of Andrew's soccer tournaments. They lost that first game.

On Saturday my husband & oldest son, John & Tim, went to the Gator football game. Elayna was with my parents, so that left me, Shelbie, and Andrew. We all went to my best friend's daughter's birthday party. We had a BLAST!

{me, my best friend Danielle & our daughters, who are also best friends!}

Then we hit the mall.

Me, Shelbie, and Andrew at the mall was quite a combination! We had a great time. Shelbie and I got our eyebrows waxed, and I was explaining the process & the purpose of it to Andrew, and describing reasons why some people get their eyebrows waxed. I asked Andrew if he knew what a "unibrow" was. He said "Yes, but I used to think it was a type of unicorn. Like maybe boys were uniCORNS and girls were uniBROWS." I was rolling!

Then it was time for the next part of the soccer tournaments. This time, they won! Which meant more tournaments Sunday! I had been hoping they wouldn't be too early so we could still make it to church, and we lucked out; his Sunday tournaments started at 2pm. We celebrated at Sonny's BBQ for dinner, where Andrew entertained us even more. He was on a roll!

Sunday was a special day at church, we had a potluck dinner. I took my famous chicken & dumplings, and Shelbie made monkey bread.

Then we headed back to the soccer fields for tournaments. They ended up playing three games on Sunday! They won the first two, but lost the last game, putting them in 2nd place overall. I am SO glad that we signed up for soccer; it has been great for his confidence. He has turned into an excellent player, and his coach is awesome.

Although part of me is glad the sports seasons are over for Elayna & Andrew, I know I'll miss it soon! It's been a lot of fun. I love watching my kids play sports!

I hope y'all had a great weekend!

P.S. Be sure to come back tomorrow for an exciting giveaway!

Best. Billboard. Ever.

Tim Tebow is back in Gainesville.
Gracing a Jockey billboard.
Not in his underoos, unfortunately.
But looking mighty fine, nevertheless.
I can't believe this tiny pic is the ONLY image I can find of it online.
But, it will have to do. Trust me, it puts a smile on my face every time I pass it.
(then turn around and pass it again. And again. And again....)

In the words of Gator sports announcer Mick Hubert....

"Oh, my!"

Thursday Tantrum....

.....seems like a good title for this post, although I've been having tantrums pretty much all week.
Ya know how sometimes people just seem to know just what buttons to push, and then they go out of their way to push them?
Especially little people?
Anyway.
Here is my tantrum for today:

I am FED UP with adults giving my children candy!

What is it about adults, who are in charge of my children, doling out candy all the time? Teachers, pastors, coaches, Bible school leaders, etc. They've all given candy to my kids.

I'm not talking about on holidays. I can grit my teeth and deal with the candy overload on Halloween & Valentine's Day.

But I know I'm not the only parent out there who tries to limit their kids' candy intake. We all know that candy is full of sugar, just empty calories. It causes cavities, and certain candies can ruin expensive dental work. We have a serious problem with childhood obesity in this country, and giving candy - or any junk food - frequently as a reward is sending a bad message.

So it puts me in the position of either letting it go and throwing up my hands, or taking away this "reward" my kids were given for doing a good job, behaving well, or some other good deed.

On Tuesday my son came home with a pack of Starbursts. Yes, a package, not just a couple. They were given to him by his soccer coach, whom I adore, by the way. My friend picked him up from soccer for me, so I wasn't there to say "No thanks!" to the coach. Instead, I had to be the meanie who took the Starbursts away. Andrew has had a ton of dental work at his young age; he didn't get any dental care until he was about 5 or 6. He has fillings, crowns, spacers, I don't even know what all he has in his mouth, and Starbursts could snatch all of that stuff right out. Now, Andrew knows he is not allowed to have that type of candy, but of course, he conveniently "forgot". That's another tantrum for another time.

Earlier that night, after Elayna's volleyball game, they were passing out Little Debbie Snack Cakes. One of the little girls on the team quietly asked me, "Do they have eggs in them?" We checked the package and sure enough, they contained egg whites. This little girl is a vegan, so she didn't get a treat.

I really think, if we're creative, we can come up with some good alternatives to candy. How about sugar free gum? Fruit? Stickers, tattoos, Silly Bandz?
I know that candy is cheap and easy to come by, but let's do better for our kids. They deserve it!

What do you think? Does this drive you crazy too, or am I just a Mean Mama?

Just Peeking In...

I miss blogging like crazy!

Just a quick note to let you all know what's going on in my life, now that I am able to do so.

~~~I quit my job!!~~~

Now you may remember that I actually loved my job, and wonder why I'm all happy. But here's the thing = loved the job, hated the workplace. Know what I mean? 'Nough said.

It was one of those situations where I may have went along for a whole lot longer, being unhappy but staying stuck in my rut (you may also remember that I am very resistant to change!).
But a few things happened at work & outside of work that lit a fire under my butt and made me realize it was time to take the plunge.
Thankfully, John was super-supportive.

So, I did it! And then I immediately enrolled in a CNA (certified nursing assistant) course. This will enable me to do a large variety of jobs, but the ones I'm interested in are Home Health Care or Hospice. I'm going to take care of old men! (and women) Originally I only had home health care in mind, but my pastor is very involved with our local hospice and feels pretty certain that he could get me on there. If so, I'm going to try that first. I have had some experience in death & dying working in the ICU, and think I could handle hospice. In fact, I think I'd do a great job there and my pastor is very supportive and encouraging.

This is what I was talking about when I mentioned Serendipity a couple of weeks ago - that soccer mom that I randomly started talking to? A few years ago she did exactly what I had been wanting to do - quit her job (at the same hospital I just left!), got her CNA and went into home health care. She now does home health care privately, she has her own clientele and does very well, and loves what she does. It was one of those almost surreal moments where I knew I was in the right place at the right time! It was like a sign.
Then when I saw my pastor at Elayna's volleyball practice, and told him what I was doing, he told me about hospice, and it was like yet another sign! I am absolutely certain that I am right where God wants me to be right now, and I'm just trying to keep following His lead.

Today is the third day of my CNA course. I will be done on Friday, and then I will take the exam within 3-6 weeks. So far, so good, although getting back into a day shift schedule is super weird and kicking my butt! The classes are all day. Then I'm taking the kids to their sports and doing dinner & all the other usual Mom stuff. So I'm super busy and super tired!

Fortunately there is a Starbucks directly across the street from the school. Also? My blood pressure cuff and stethoscope? PURPLE, baby!!!


The ONE drawback of all of this is that my blogging time is now basically zero. Neither of our computers (PC or laptop) are working, and now that I'm not working I don't have that internet access/time. So, until I get another laptop, netbook, whatever....my blogging will be very few and far between. And since I'm not working at the moment, and when I do start I will take a pay cut initially....that won't be any time very soon.




I miss you all and want to catch up so badly! I'm at the library now, and will do as much catching up as I can (there are no games or practices tonight, hooray!).

So, that's it in a nutshell. There's so much more going on too, we are thoroughly enjoying the fall weather and had a fantastic weekend. The kids' sports are going very well also.
It's all good, except for the bloggy department! So, if you have a spare netbook just lying around, I'll be glad to give you my address. HA!

I am Officially a Soccer Mom.

I've been a Baseball Mom, a Tumbling Mom, a Volleyball Mom, and a Softball Mom.
But now, for the first time, I am officially a Soccer Mom.
I reckon this means I've moved up to the Big Leagues!

Today I signed Andrew up for soccer, and Elayna for volleyball.
I have no idea how I'm going to manage both of them playing sports at the same time, especially since John works in the evenings, when most games and practices are held.

But hey, I'm a Soccer Mom. I can do this!

This is a big deal for Andrew. He has anxiety, and has always been very reluctant to play sports. But on the advice of his physicians, we decided to make it a non-optional thing. He got to choose the sport, but he had to choose something. So, he chose soccer. We talked about it at the end of last school year, and now the season is finally starting. We've mentioned it a few times casually and he seemed okay with it.
So today when I actually signed him up, I wasn't sure how he would react.
He was SO happy! He couldn't wait to call his Nana and tell her, and he announced it as if he were saying he had just won the candy lottery!
"Nana, GUESS what Mama just did? She signed me up for SOCCER!!!"
I think this will be very good for him.



And Elayna had planned to play softball again this fall, but she has also been interested in volleyball ever since Shelbie played last year. So at the last minute (literally, I had started filling out the softball form), she changed her mind and decided to give volleyball a try. I think she'll enjoy it.

Me on the other hand....well, hey! It's fall, at least I can have Pumpkin Spice Lattes to keep me going!

Weekend WrapUp

I seriously had one of the best weekends ever.
First of all, Friday night, I had my date. I met Beth, a.k.a. Manic Mother, for the first time. We had dinner together. I was a little nervous....what if we had nothing in common and couldn't think of anything to say to each other? And just stared at each other in awkward silence??


But there was nothing to worry about. We started talking immediately and never stopped. I think we annoyed the waiter because we took forever to order. We were busy talking! Beth is open and real and I just love her. I can't wait to meet up again! Oh and it was so dark we didn't get any pictures. =( Next time!
Then, when I left there, Shelbie's volleyball tournaments were still going on. I made it in time to catch the last two games, AND see her team win the championship! SCORE! Those girls were so proud of themselves.



Then, Saturday was Elayna's last softball game. She played very well and they won the game. So both girls' seasons are now over and ended on a very good note!



John & I went straight from there to Beef O'Brady's (for those of you who don't have one near you, it's a family-oriented sports restaurant). John and I had already planned on going there to watch the Gator game, and Elayna's team also met there after the game for a celebratory lunch. I watched part of the game, visited with Elayna, and also did some (mostly-window) shopping. I'm really wanting to try shopping at only small businesses this year and I got some great ideas walking down Main Street in our little town.



Sunday, we literally spent the whole day at church. It was our day to help with set up, then we had service (in which we were officially announced as members), then lunch, then set up for our fall festival. We woke up to pouring rain and were worried that it would be canceled, but it was just moved inside. The show went on, and it was a lot of fun. My girls came home early from their dad's and Andrew came home early from his grandma's so that they could attend the festival. They had a blast! My parents came to the festival too.
And now I'm at work, feeling very sleepy but very content after such an enjoyable weekend!



Today's Question of the Day is:

What is your ball-game of choice? Have you ever played? Or are you just a spectator?

My answer: I have really enjoyed watching volleyball. Softball is fun too, and I always loved watching Tim play baseball back in the day. But I think it's the fast-paced action that has made volleyball really fun for me to watch this season!

And if you want to link up with the Weekend Wrap Up, you know what to do! Seriously, it's free and painless...I promise!



P.S. One last thing - go enter my giveaway!

Friday Fragalicious

It's Friday, and you know the drill - I'm Fragging. Go to Half Past Kissin' Time if you want to know more!








~* It's been another exhausting week with sports every night. We have officially determined that I am Shelbie's team's good luck charm. When I don't go, they lose! Woops. Hey, I can't be at two places at once. I went to Elayna's game last night. They won - and she got a home run!


~* Shelbie was telling me that her friend's mom is "cracking down on her". We'll just call this friend Suzy Q. The friend just got braces and her mom took away her favorite gum & candy. I said "Shelbie, that's only considered cracking down when you're talking about Suzy Q" (a very spoiled kid). Shelbie said "Mom, you don't understand. That would be like someone taking away your Diet Dr Pepper, your chocolate, AND your Snuggie." Well, alrighty then, that certainly puts things into perspective!


~* Speaking of Snuggies, my Mom got Elayna her own Snuggie. It's pink and it's adorable! I need to take a picture of the two of us, Snuggie-ing.


~* I won a custom Twitter design from Nap Warden & A Southern Fairytale! Yay me!


~* November is Prematurity Awareness Month. If you'd like to donate to the March for Babies, click here! =)

~* One more thing. When I do my Weekend Wrap-Up on Monday, I'm going to add a McKlinky. So if you want to join in, do a weekend wrap-up post of your own and then come over and add your link!

*Have a great weekend!*

Friday Fragments ~ I'm the Fave!

WOOHOO, I finally won the coveted Friday Fragmenter Award! My fragment from last week about Buck and his comment on the Rice Krispies website was Mrs 4444's Favorite Fragment of the week. As I told her in the comments, "I'd like to thank the academy, Rice Krispies, and of course, Buck!"

And now Friday has rolled around again, so it's time for more Fragments. Visit Mrs4444 at Half Past Kissin Time to see other Fragmented Fragmenters Fragging!

>* I've worked at this hospital for exactly three years today. In that three years, I never once came across the issue of a patient needing a vegetarian diet...until recently. You know, AFTER I fell off the vegetarian wagon. Since then it happened TWICE. I think it's the work of these guys. They're trying to make me feel bad.

>* My friend Manic Mother has a really fun photo contest going on. It's a Bad Hair photo contest, and the winner will get a new blog header & button designed by Manic Mother herself! Go visit her blog, which she designed, to see how talented she is, and submit your Bad Hair photo too!

>* This afternoon, Shelbie and I are going shopping for her Halloween costume. She wants to be a cowgirl, so we're going thrift-store-shopping for boots, a hat, and a flannel shirt. I also promised her we'd go to Starbucks while we were out. Ohh, the sacrifices I make for my children! The pumpkin spice flavored sacrifices! *sigh*

>* Speaking of Shelbie, her volleyball team is still undefeated! Can I get a woot-woot?!
Elayna has a game on Saturday. She is not loooving softball. She likes it, but I think in the spring, she's going to try volleyball.

>* I'll leave you with a shot of part of our Halloween decorations. It's really cool at night when the jack o'lanterns are lit up!

>* We still have more decorations to get out before the Big Night! We'll try not to go overboard, though.....

Have a wonderful weekend!