Call Me Coach

Our soccer season is in full swing now and my job as coach is as frustrating as it is fun! My team is full of girls who don't really care where the ball is or where we need to get it! They would much rather hug and skip down the field hand in hand than actually make contact with the ball, even when it's kicked right to them, and are often seen sitting in the middle of the field picking grass! I only have 2 boys on my team, and the other boy is as easily distracted as the girls...usually by the girls!
Thank goodness for Hurricane Harrison! I'm not speaking as the bias mother, but from a strictly neutral coaching perspective here (are you buying that?! I didn't think so, but it was worth a try!!!) but he really is the star of the team! He's so enthusiastic and plays hard every game, giving 110% and covers the whole field, is an amazing goalie (that's him in net in the last picture) and calls out to the other players to pass him the ball when he's open! He understands the game and what needs to be done to score goals....something the rest of the team lacks! In fact, he picks up the slack and covers all positions, including that of the goalie if they are looking weak in the net! My problem is he plays to win, not for the fun or spirit of the game, and ends up in tears at the end of every game and is in a snit and doesn't want to shake hands with the other (winning!) team! We have not won a game yet...nor come anywhere close! Harrison usually gets one goal per game, and that is the extent of the scoring on our side, while I think the score for the other team is in the double digits every time! We are not a skilled team, despite my best efforts! The last 2 games we played, Harrison actually scored on our own goalie, but was so excited to get a goal, that he did his "Happy-Happy End Zone Dance" regardless of the fact that the other team really didn't need any help on the scoreboard! Hey...when you're 4 yrs old, a goal is a goal....no matter whose net you score on!!! So far the parents have been great, are very supportive, relaxed and easy to deal with. Actually one set of parents are from Saskatoon...how could you go wrong?! The Mom went to Evan Hardy (grad of 1988) and the Dad went to Holy Cross (grad of 1990) for all you Saskatoon people who read this regularily! The other coaches are out there encouraging my Black Panthers to score and for my goalie to make a great save, and the kids are having fun and if they learn a little bit about soccer along the way, then that is just a bonus! As for me...I kinda like being called "Coach"!

Mother's Day

I had a nice Mother's Day, not because I got spoiled, but because I got to enjoy cooking a big turkey dinner for my Mother! She works so hard and is always doing things for others, and never anything for herself. So what better day to show her how loved and appreciated she is, than on Mother's Day?!

I made homemade stuffing from scratch(didn't cheat and use a box!), a 10 lb turkey, cranberries, my special garlic mashed potatoes with lots of butter, sour cream and milk (low fat of course!), gravy, steamed broccoli and carrots, steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce, coleslaw and fruit salad for dessert. It didn't feel like work at all. I put so much love into the meal and made sure it was perfect, just like her! It turned out beautifully if I do say so myself! We also had my Mom's sister Aunt Colleen over, as well as my cousin Evan and his roomate. If you want your food to disappear, just invite two 21 yr old bachelors over for dinner! Too bad they aren't as good at washing dishes as they are at eating turkey!

I got a babyfood jar covered in crepe paper and glitter, filled with candy and a handmade card from preschool, along with a box of chocolates and the cutest card in the history of Mother's Day that his Dad helped him pick out. It said "You deserve a break....so what do you want me to break today? Happy Mother's Day from your son!" How hilarious and appropriate is that coming from my very own Lil Bam-Bam?! That one is a keeper! He also picked the tulips you see in the first picture out of our neighbour's flower bed and proudly gave them to me for Mother's Day! A gift just from him, with nobody's help or inspiration but his own! How could I be mad?! I don't think the neighbours will miss them, do you?!

Here is my little Spiderman. His Dad took him to the circus today and brought him home with his face painted!



Happy Mother's Day!

What did you do for your Mother today? If you are a Mother, what made your day special?

Chirpie Bird

Our beautiful, charming, hilarious, sweet, social and sometimes loud cockatiel "Chirp" has now earned another way to be described....talking bird! Yes....he finally said his first word, which turned out to be 2 words! He's not quite 1 1/2 yrs old yet and I've been inadvertantly teaching him to say his own name! Everytime I pick him up and hold him on my finger, I talk to him and say "Chirpie Bird" over and over again, not intending to teach him to speak, but rather as a way of making simple conversation with him! On Friday April 27, I came home from work and was playing outside with Harrison and hadn't even gone into the house yet, when Ian came flying out the door asking me if I'd heard the bird talk yet. What? Our bird talk?! I thought he'd lost his mind and started laughing, and asked (quite sarcastically!) exactly what the bird was saying! "He's in there saying 'Chirpie Bird' over and over again, the way you say it to him. He sounds just like you!" Is that a compliment?!

Indeed it's true! At first you really had to listen to get "Chirpie Bird" out of it, as it was mired in a bit of a whistle. However, with practice, it's quite clearly "Chirpie Bird" and Harrison is so proud, and so thrilled that his bird talks, he asked if he could take him to preschool for Show and Tell! Chirp will only talk when he's being ignored, which makes it really hard to catch on video! So we ignored him for a good long while from in the kitchen, and once he started to talk, I had to slyly stick the camera around the corner and record him without being seen! Most of the coos and whistles he makes he gets from household noises, and will whistle back the way we whistle to him, no melodies like a songbird. I am not sure what sound he's mimicking at the beginning of the video, sounds like a squeaky toy, but if you listen carefully, you will hear his famous first words "Chirpie Bird" a couple of times, along with Harrison and I trying to coax him into it! He uses it to get our attention, like when he's out of food or needs fresh water, or like I said, is being ignored! I will soon be sick of those words, and wonder what else he is learning that I'm not aware of! I guess I'll just have to keep listening!




Any guesses on what his next words or sentence might be? What do you suggest we try to teach him? I'm working on "I love you"....we'll see!