No Coaching this Season...

I made a decision regarding coaching basketball this season...it's a no go. After weighing the pros and cons I was leaning toward coaching. The discussion with the boys was interesting. At first they were excited about me coaching them- but when I explained that we would not be on the same team as most of their football friends they changed their tune:). I wasn't bothered by this, in fact I expected it. After all we spent so many hours with our football friends and they all grew very close. My husband felt that they would make new friends in basketball, but with only one hour a week of practice- and then after a month the games start I just didn't see how the time would be there to cultivate many new friendships. In the end I based my decision on the possibility that I may be having surgery this winter. If I do need the surgery I could be out anywhere from 2-6 weeks, and I certainly won't be physically able to coach for several weeks. I would love to assist during practices this season while I can and I think that next season I will be sure to sign-up.

The boys have mentioned being nervous about starting basketball since it has been a long time since they played so I took them to an open gym this week. After a little bit of whining we really had fun, and they picked up the skills I taught them pretty quickly. I think the part they loved the most was playing defense on me as I dribbled around. In their eyes I am a wonderful ball-handler! I really enjoyed how impressed they were with my skill, and I surprised myself in that I wasn't terrible after many years of not playing. Let's be clear- I am not a good ball handler...when I played in college dribbling was almost always a sure way to get a turn-over for me...but in the eyes of my sweet 6, 8, and 10 year old boys I was awesome:).

Christmas

This year our Christmas will be a little different for our family.  We are living in a much smaller home, and most of our decorations are out in a small storage shed- buried under who-knows-what.  We don't have a lot of room for a grand tree- yet I still want to make it special for us all.  We have decided to get a live tree (in a container) and after Christmas we will find a nice spot to plant it.  We have always had artificial trees- but we sold ours before our move.  Our decorations are going to be home-made this year.  We are going to do the traditional popcorn string, paper chain garland, and maybe tissue paper flowers all over.  I'm sure the boys will have plenty of ideas of things to decorate the tree with.  I am sure we will miss seeing all the decorations that we have collected over the years, but I am hopeful that we will build lasting memories of the year we shook Christmas up a bit. 

The thing I am going to miss the most is having a fireplace to put the stockings.  I could probably hang them off of one of our cabinets, but it is just not the same.  I am going to try and get creative on a stocking substitute...I am open to suggestions!

I am excited about spending Christmas in our little cozy house and building some new traditions with my family.  I have a feeling that even when we do have access to all our ornaments and decorations we will carry on some of our new home-made adornments in the years to come.

Jinxed

I knew that posting about having 3 good days in row wasn't a good idea.  I jinxed the roll we were on.  Today was filled with bickering, whining, crying, and frustration.  The boys just could not get along with each other today.  I am thankful that tomorrow our friends are coming down for a visit so they will have buddies to play with and I will get to hang out with  my friend...adult time! 

I know the boys felt bad for their behavior today because after being sent to bed early for bickering they went into their room and worked together to clean the room...without my prompting.  No whining, fighting, or bickering.  I am thankful for the little things.

Good Days.

We have had 3 good days in a row.  When I say good I mean productive, focused, cooperative and enjoyable.  This goes for all 3 boys.  That is something to sing about!  Sure one or two of them can have a deccent day- but generally there is one (or more) whiner, procrastinator, stinker in the bunch.  We have completed every scheduled subject and had time for more.  I'm not sure if we have finally found our groove after 12 weeks of school, or if they just got tired of the drama, but whatever the cause I am enjoying it! 

A Child's History of the World

We recently started a new history program called A Child's History of the World that we got from Calvert.  Steve had purchased the book for our school a year or so ago and we had checked it out a few times, but we were using the Story of the World (SOTW)  and so I didn't give it too much attention.  Last year I found that SOTW wasn't keeping the boys attention.  So this year I started reading chapters of CHOTW to see what they thought.  They took to it right away.  The boys love history and they ask to do it all the time.  So far this program is a big hit.  It reminds me a lot of SOTW, but it seems more geared toward little boys.  They enjoy the way history is presented (like a story), and they love to interpret the lesson with an art activity afterward.  We liked it so much we ordered the workbook and lesson book- and the boys are still loving it.  Even though we had covered a lot of history last year, the boys voted to start at the beginning. It's nice to have them excited about history- I sure wasn't when I was a kid.  I look forward to seeing how the year progresses.

Will I or Won't I?

My boys are all signed up for swim team and basketball this winter. They will swim 2 days a week and have basketball practice 1 day a week. Today a friend of mine suggested I coach basketball. Her husband is actually the coach of the team that my youngest boys are on-but apparently the league needs more coaches and she thought of me.


I have coached a lot- and I do enjoy it, but I am concerned that my boys will give me a hard time. In the past when I have coached them I had one hanging on my leg while another whined about any/everything I asked him to do. It was painful! Granted they are a couple of years older now and they did a great job in football- so perhaps they have grown out of that stage. My other hesitation is that they were looking forward to seeing some of their old football teammates regularly again (and I would get to see my new football mom friends too). Tomorrow I will call the community education department and see if I can get some questions answered. Should be interesting...I am leaning toward yes:).

The Droid

I am fickle.  After less than 24 hours with my new phone, I am already a convert.  I had a little difficulty transferring my contacts into the Droid, but since I figured that out last night all is good.  I just spoke to my friend on speaker phone while I was getting ready for the day and I had a clear conversation- something I couldn't have done with the IPhone because the volume was too low.  The Droid is fast.  It has a voice activated search engine that really works.  I am sure there are many features that I am not aware of yet, but I do not miss my old friend the IPhone...and besides- I still have the IPhone...it is just an IPod now.  The best of both worlds I think!

TGIF

I really don't have much to say tonight- but since I signed up to blog for 30 days straight I am going to make an effort to get something on here.  It has been a long week and I am so glad that the weekend has arrived.  Tomorrow we will all take our time getting up and getting started.  The kids will fight over the remote control and what shows to watch while I try and get the cleaning finished around the house.  Laundry needs attention, and it's time to purge some things and put away summer clothes (yes I am late on this one).  We have birthday parties in the afternoon- 1 for the kids and the other for Steve and I (yeah!).  We will then have a nice peaceful Sunday- no plans as of yet.  Steve is still recovering from knee surgery, so it may be a family movie day.  Have a great evening!

So long IPhone my old friend...

Tonight is my last night with my IPhone.  My 2 year contract is up tomorrow, and I will be switching over to Verizon's new Droid.  I am not entirely doing this of my own free will- my husband is pretty much ripping my IPhone away from me- but he has legitimate issues with my phone.  AT &T does not have the best coverage and I can't count the number of times that I missed his calls or a call was dropped.  His frustration over not being able to reach me is understandable- I was frustrated too...but I LOVE my IPhone.  It is my portable computer, my music/video player, my note pad, my new favorite novel-it is so much more than a phone.  From all the reviews on the Droid it looks like it will be able to do everything my IPhone does, but I am a little nervous about the learning curve.  Rumor has it that Verizon will be getting the IPhone in 2010...who knows, it may be a case of "so long but not good-bye".  IPhone- you will be missed!

It has been almost 2 weeks since football ended.  I have enjoyed the freedom of an open schedule.  We spend longer hours in the classroom- working on assignments, reading books, playing on the computer, or drawing pictures to our hearts content.  With it getting dark by around 5:00 the evening seems very long with the kids.  Although they do get opportunities to run-around during the day they have far too much energy at night.  Bedtime has gone back to becoming a battle and I wake up to cranky boys.  I planned to wait a couple more weeks before starting swim team...but I think they need to get back into physical activity (especially one that sucks the energy out of them).  So back to the busy schedule- and hopefully boys who look forward to bedtime.

November is National Adoption Month.

If you know me or have been following this blog you are aware that our daughter was adopted last year through the state foster/adopt program.  We joke that we could be the poster family for the foster/adopt program, but that we would need to add the phrase "Results not Typical".  Our beautiful girl came home at one day old.  When she was 4 month old she was legally free, and at only 8 months old her adoption was finalized.  Results not typical.  Our experience was amazing.  We didn't experience the bumps in the road that many foster/adopt families face.  We were prepared for them- they just never came.  We have several friends who have adopted through foster/adopt, and some have had a challenging ride, but in the end they would not have changed a thing. 

Celebrating National Adoption Month brings to light that all children deserve a place to call home and a family.  If adoption is something you have been considering don't let preconcieved ideas about foster children scare you away.  There are no guarantees when it comes to becoming a parent and biological parenting can be a risk too.  Becoming a parent is a leap of faith.  Educate yourself and jump.

My Chickens

When we moved to this house in April of last year one of the features that I was most excited about was the chicken coop. I have wanted chickens for a long time, and now I was going to be able to realize that dream (said with my tongue in my cheek!). So shortly after we moved in we joined our neighbor (and landlord) at a livestock auction to add some hens of our own to the coop. The auction was quite an experience and there were many chickens to choose from. We came in with the idea that we would be able to get some "pretty" chickens at a cheap price- but soon found that the pretty ones were going for more than we wanted to spend. I was getting discouraged- and the kids were getting a little desperate when I laid my eyes on 4 pretty Rhode Island Red pullets (a pullet is a young female chicken). I had wanted my hens to be laying already, but the price was right on these beauties, and so we bid on them and won them.

We brought them home to their lovely coop by the lilac bushes and we fed and nurtured them. We watched them grow (and grow) and we soon watched them out-grow all of the other chickens in the coop. I started to think we got some special genetic blend of Rhode Island Red chickens. We waited patiently for eggs to start appearing. It was hard to know if they were laying yet since there were other chickens in the coop, but when some oddly shaped eggs started appearing we were sure they were from our girls.

Then one morning I heard a rooster crow at dawn. Strange I thought since we had no roosters. When I went to the coop to feed them their daily scraps, I looked closely at my GIANT hens. They had beautiful tail feathers and a large comb and waddle. I had seen them before, but I was in denial. The last straw was when Brendan pointed out the talon's on the feet of the hens roosters! I could deny it no more. We had been waiting, watching, nurturing, and expecting eggs from roosters. The next morning I heard 4 roosters crowing. The neighbors love us.

We learned from this experience. After finding the roosters a new home, we spent a little more money on some hens that were already laying. No mistakes this time. Fool me once...

A love/hate relationship.

Over that last several months I have been in control of my eating.  I had conquered my sugar addiction- and my nightly fat snack was becoming a distant memory.  I thought I had it all under control.  Then my favorite holiday comes.  The kids know I love Snickers- so they offer me all theirs.  Ok...1 or 2 won't hurt anything, will it?  Before long 1 or 2 grows into a candy chow down.  The flood gates have been opened.  I feel sick.  I hate  love candy.  Back to the 21day fast I'm afraid...I think I need an intervention.