Cleaning

I am cleaning out computer files today and I am off to a good start.  I can't remember if I posted photos from my poptart baking experience so here they are.  These poptarts were my second batch because I used Nutella for all of them.  Elliott, who doesn't like those boxed poptarts, loves mine!  That alone made the recipe a keeper.

 Just a little Nutella in the middle.

 You can see, I just cut and make various sizes - random poptarts = fun!

Makes me wish I had a  hot cup of tea and a poptart - raspberry please.

New

Christmas came a little early for us this year! We are still getting use to it as we hooked this beast up yesterday.

John and I spent Friday together shopping for a tv stand.  Once found, we had to unload it (it was very heavy) and then rearrange the family room.

What do you think?  We are still getting use to it!

Thrilled

I am bouncing with excitement.  John made it home from China.  It was a long two weeks. The kids were good. The dog, not so much but he had his reasons.  We rushed home to run him but it would be almost dark by then.  Our neighbors probably thought we were crazy.  Yelling and playing in the dark.  Our shenanigans had a purpose.  I would stand on one side of the back hill, Elliott on the other side, and Olivia would stay down in the side yard.  We’d yell and get Ruddie to run all over. Obviously we didn’t run him enough because later inside, he’d do bad things and get in trouble.  He survived the two weeks, like we did, but was relieved when dad arrived home. 

I got a lot accomplished during John’s absence. Maybe because I wasn’t busy picking up after him – ha, did I say that?  I stripped the wallpaper off our bathroom walls.  I washed them, primed them and painted two coats. I did not finish this project...so I add it to my long list of things to finish.  I’m okay with having an unfinished craft list but unfinished home improvement projects drives me crazy; however, like other home owners, those do-it-yourself homeowners, we are within the normal range. 

I shopped while John was gone too.  I hit Home Depot a few times – paint, shelving, brackets. I was scheming. If I purchased the necessary pieces needed to install shelving in the pantry, then we could work on one unfinished project.  Well, we did finish the pantry – the interior – but it took a few more trips to Home Depot to complete.  Why are their various brackets for one shelving system, where some work and others don’t?   

Anyway, feast your eyes on the guts of the kitchen pantry:

Beautiful!  There is so much room. This pantry let me organize cupboards and bring more of my kitchen items back upstairs.  I plan to putter every weekend and will soon have all of my kitchen items moved back upstairs.  My kitchen will be complete as baking pans, containers, crockpots, etc. are stored with the kitchen cabinets.   

Did you notice the little hanging shelf?  That is a thoughtful purchase by my man. He thought I might like it.  He was wrong!  I love it!

So cross the pantry off the list. Mark it DONE.

Yes, we know we are missing a door, trim and baseboard.  What do you think we plan to work on over Christmas break?  Jeez…..be happy with me over the pantry. Savor the moment!

Happy Home

This weekend was busy – just like so many other weekends.  It was sad and celebratory.  It was quiet and peaceful. It was dirty and busy. How’s that for a description.

Friday night was Olivia’s last night of cheer practice from 6-8:30 p.m. She was tired after a long week of school and practices. We are always tired on Fridays!  We rushed home to see John because he was leaving in the wee hours of the morning for China.  He was still up taking care of things – making sure he had this and that, getting me contact information, showering.  He got to bed later than planned.  I was quiet all night knowing when I talked to him, I’d cry.  I don’t like when he has to travel. It takes a lot away from his family, we miss him so.  We all experience an emptiness within us that can only be filled upon his return.  We are counting the days until we can hug him again. Time, for this, is passing very slowly.

Saturday was a big day for Olivia and her cheer squad.  Competition day!  We ate breakfast then started to curl her hair as the perm rods I put in her hair last night did not take well.  We were instructed to place ponytails on top of the head, roll the rods and have them sleep in them overnight and do not take them out until we get to competition. Well, I had to see how they ringlets looked.  Her hair is so heavy, and she has enough hair for three people, all we had was a slight curl. So I plugged in some curling irons, got the hairspray and went to work. Curl one section after spraying with hairspray and roll it up on a perm rod.  This took over an hour and we had to leave.  Their coach is a beautician and she was busy at work when we got to the school. We walked into a cloud of hairspray.  She was spraying and frizzing and curling.  The girls’ ponytails were frizzed out.  They looked cute but that was not what I was expecting.  Off to competition an hour away.  We arrived and waited for 3 hours before our squad took the floor.  That gave their coach plenty of time to finish the ponytails. Olivia’s hair was so big but she was beautiful. All she needed was knee-high white boots and we’d have us a Go-Go Girl!  

I’m thinking this is what she needs to be next Halloween (for her party)!   

The girls did a great job!  They came home with honorable mention medals.  Of course they all had long faces because they wanted to place.  I understand that.  When Olivia emailed her father about the competition, she stated it correctly, “we didn’t win because you can only have so many winners but we did have fun.”  I am so proud of our daughter in so many ways. She is also growing up too fast before our eyes.  Today, I let her wear mascara because she asked and she wore it for competition.  It’s one way to ensure she’ll be washing her face daily (that may be only until her father returns).

We ate out at the Olive Garden Saturday night before we returned home.   Elliott did not want to but once he ordered (and he was hungry) he was happy. His meal was good.  We had a nice dinner.  It made for a fun drive back home - full bellies and lots of laughs. 

I had a large project planned for the weekend since we had results from Elliott’s second-opinion allergy tests.  He is allergic to dust mites. Those nasty little critters that love bedding, carpeting and pillows.  No wonder he had constant symptoms.  Symptoms that were always present.  Seasonal changes did not seem to affect him.  He did not get watery eyes, a runny nose or any of the other various allergy symptoms. Our guest bedroom is not carpeted.  When we were expecting Elliott, we renovated our home.  This renovation included another bedroom and a huge family room.  The new bedroom was designated for Elliott.  We choose laminate flooring when it came to his room since he had RSV when he was 8 weeks old and our pediatrician suggested that as the ideal flooring.  When he got older, we moved him into the bedroom across the hallway from our bedroom.  This bedroom has the oldest carpet in the house (probably Shanghai city for those dust-mites).  So I emptied the guest room. What a job.  It became a dumping ground for anything and everything. All my scrap-booking craft stuff is there as well as other craft items – sewing machine, cross-stitching, and yarn.  I washed the walls, floor, windows and ceiling fan and the closet.  It was clean and smelled clean – I love Murphy’s oil soap.  While washing everything, I had been running up and down the stairs to launder all the bedding.  Everything that went into the “new” bedroom was cleaned – dusted or washed.  As it came together, Elliott seemed indifferent.  I was bummed. Working hard and he wasn’t reacting the way I wanted him to. It ended well though. When he emailed his father, he stated his room was awesome!  And later he told me he really liked it better than his old room. The majority of the items have been moved and put away. I will continue to putter all week long going through boxes and getting rid of items.  I really want a tidy guest room!

Unstoppable

These boys were unstoppable this season. 

 Meet the 2012 7 & 8 year old Southern Tier Youth Football 

SUPER BOWL Champions!

What a season!  Their first game they came together as a team and played hard. It was their only loss of the season (and not a division game).  They won the next six games and the Division Champion title.   

Playoff games – they had two.  They won those games.  Next stop – the Super Bowl!

They played. They won.  They are champions.

Great season and many thanks to the coaches, the parents and community for their support.

So proud of these Panthers!   

It's over

Tonight it ends. 

One more football practice!  Whoot!  We are excited. Our week nights will be less hectic.  

Stay tuned for Monday’s update.

Will these mighty Panthers bring that Super Bowl trophy home?

 

Give them....

A new coach.  A patient coach.  A coach that can teach young girls how to cheer and have fun.  One that doesn’t yell and belittle these young girls. 

How does one believe shouting negative comments, repeatedly, at the squad will produce results?  This type of action just shuts them down.  They turn off their brains and just go through the motions.

What makes a good coach?

When I think of the coaches I had, I see someone that told me what I was doing wrong.  They’d take the time to show me the correct way to do it. If they had to show me more than once, they did, with patience and kindness. I don’t remember any of the coaches berating any of the students the way this coach does.  If I did something wrong during a game, coach would tell me to shake it off and do it right the next time.  They did not yell at me and ask, loudly, why they were wasting their precious time when I am not doing what they want and the way they expect it. This woman is not coach material. I seriously think she has some issues. Seriously.

Coaches need to care, be respectful, motivate, and teach. They should now the sport and having played the sport is very helpful as well. 

On the flip side, how can a coach devote all her attention to the girls and training when parents are talking and making comments?  In addition to that distraction, siblings are running all over the gymnasium.  The coach doesn’t have a chance to have the girls’ full attention.  I think she yells so she can be heard over the noise. I think some of what she yells is not directed to the girls but to the parents.  She is frustrated and is taking it out on the girls.

I struggle with myself. Should I speak out?  Other parents have.  Some have pulled their daughters from the squad.  Is that the right thing to do?  It would not be fair to Olivia.  She has worked so hard learning her routines and she practices all the time. I hear her clapping after I tuck her in. Sometimes I open her door and ask her to go to bed.  You cannot tell this is her first year cheering. She has had a great season.  She looked so beautiful out on the track cheering for the football team. 

For a youth program, this needs to be addressed.  And at last nights practice, two of the youth association board members came to the school.  What parents were there, discussed the situation and we told to bring their concerns to the next youth association meeting.  I said what I had to last night. We also agreed to stick it out because there is one week of practice left and then competition. 

An experience like this, at any age, can effect whether our children participate in sports in the future. Most of the parents, teachers and community members are supportive and want the best for our youth.  One unqualified “coach” can do more damage than people believe.  We need to keep our youth active and involved.  They will want to return to a sport and try other sports, if they have a positive, encouraging season. Sports teach them teamwork, time management, commitment, and other life-long lessons. 

We’ll stick it out.  Olivia wants to go to competition. I don’t blame her. She has worked hard and deserves the chance to experience competition.  I want to see her compete.  I talk to her after each practice to tell her how well she is doing.  I tell her not to think about the comments yelled at her for two hours.  They are not true.  I know the joy and excitement of cheer has left. It has been gone for some time. This is a shame as I wanted Olivia’s first sport to be a gratifying experience.  It’ll be memorable but not in the way it should be.

Competition is less than two weeks away.  I am looking forward to the peacefulness.