Catch Up

I know it's been a long time since I blogged but I have just been way too busy with everyday life. Saturday turned out to be one crazy day. Joe's game was very stressful with me coaching. I thought it was bad enough just watching but coaching is a whole different experience. We only just scraped a 1-0 victory and the final quarter of the game seemed to last forever! I got a call to say that Amy's team won their first game so I was happy about that. Then, once Joe's game was finished I tried calling Shaun to ask how the second game went and he said he'd call me right back. 25 mins went by and no call. Then Cara called me presuming I'd spoken to Shaun and she tells me they're just sitting on the side of the road making sure Shaun is ok - the car had broken down! It overheated and the AC started blowing out hot air and then the temperature gage wouldn't budge from H. He pulled over and a couple of parents who were following him got out their unused water bottles and they started filling up the radiator. The car cooled a little and he tried driving a little further but then it overheated again and all of the water suddenly just blew out. So, Amy drove home with another family while Shaun waited for AAA to come. It cost $150 to tow the car back here and then just under $300 to get it fixed. It turned out the thermostat had jammed and it had to be replaced.

On Sunday we were off to Baltimore for day 2 of Amy's tournament. The girls played great and ended up finishing 3rd overall which we were very pleased with especially seeing as it was their first tournament. They lost their first game on Sunday 2-1 but bounced back with a 2-1 win in their final game and it was such a good way to end the day.

This week has just been busy with everyday kind of stuff although I don't seem to really have achieved much overall. I'm desperately playing catch up and it's almost the weekend once again when we have soccer both days. Today Joe went on a trip to Kindergarten with his preschool and he had a really good time. He thought it was so funny that many of the teachers guessed who he was without even knowing his last name! Hopefully it's because he looks like Amy rather than his reputation going before him!!! While he was there I rushed home to mow the lawn while I had the chance. With all the rain we've been getting the grass (or should I say weeds) is growing like crazy. I just got done and it was time to run straight back to preschool. After that he came with me to the doctors office to get my allergy shot, then Safeway and then home. We had a little while at home before getting Amy and after playing at the playground we rushed home once again to get ready to head out. Shaun had an earlier game tonight at 6.30pm so we decided to go and watch him along with some of the other girls and parents from Amy's team. It was their chance to shout at their coach the way he shouts when they play ;-) They had fun and Shaun's team won 5-2!

While I was out shopping today I came across a magazine called Clean Eating. I've been reading a lot about "clean eating" lately and am very interested in how it benefits the body and it is a great way of staying as healthy as possible and trying to fight off cancer cells in the body etc. "Clean eating" is simply about eating foods in their natural state rather than eating processed foods which contain so many preservatives, sugars and fats. I hope I can get really into this and I would love to have a buddy to join me. Anyone up for the challenge? Gina, I think you would like this and I'll have to give you some of the info I have as there's a lot about allergies and keeping kids healthy which I think you'd be interested in. Also Denise, I think you'd like it too. To receive a free issue of the magazine you can sign up here.

Well, I need to go and sort out my kitchen before bedtime. I left it in a bit of a disastrous state earlier. Have a good night!

Crazy Morning

Today has been hectic already and it's only 7.45am!!! We were up at 6.30am getting Shaun and Amy packed up and ready to head off to Baltimore for the soccer tournament. Shaun and I packed up a lot of the stuff last night but you know how it is the next morning. I made their sandwiches fresh this morning and then packed everything in the cooler but there was no room for drinks so I re-packed everything in a bigger cooler! They will not go hungry or thirsty!!! I'm very sad not to be going - especially when I'm the one who gets everyone else organised but, Joe's game is just as important. I get to be Coach for his game today so I hope we win or I'll be getting it in the neck from Shaun! lol

Last night was the Silent Auction at Amy's school. While the Silent Auction goes on in the gym there is a dance for the kids in the cafeteria. Joe decided he didn't want to go so he and Shaun stayed at home. Amy was excited about the dance and she was showered, lotioned and lip glossed all ready to go. She looked really cute and of course I forgot to take a picture!!! Sorry:(

There were some really good items in the auction this year. I was hoping to find that the cafeteria ladies were once again auctioning off time to work with them again but they didn't. Amy did this last year and she loved it. She got to help out in the cafeteria for a couple of days, serving food, taking the money and using the cash register, restocking the chips and snacks etc. Since that wasn't on offer this time I bid on the time with her teacher to have an afternoon with her teacher doing a craft and eating pizza etc - all of the 2nd grade teachers were doing this together. This started to get nasty at the end and a couple of the Moms were pissing me off so I moved on to "a catered lunch with the principal for you and 2 friends" This bid closed at 8.30pm so at 8.20pm I was hovering over the table and then another woman came up as she wanted that one too. They started counting down from 10 - 0 to close the bids and so I started to write slowly with my bid number and $ amount and before I finished the woman behind me shoulder charged me and started scribbling below me. I scowled and told her I hadn't even written in my $ amount yet and by the time I had, the bidding was closed. My elbows are way sharper than yours lady! Yay! So Amy is excited about her upcoming lunch and she's choosing Sophie and Jared to join her.

So, today Joe and I are at home this morning and we'll be leaving around 12.40pm to go to his game. It's going to get up to 80 today so I hope the kids are ok playing soccer in the heat. Other than that we don't have a lot planned. I'd like to cut the grass again as it's really long with all of the rain we had. I might try and get it done before soccer and before it gets too hot. Plus, they are calling for thunderstorms later today. We should be back from Joe's game around 2.45pm and Shaun and Amy should be home around 4pm. Tomorrow all 4 of us will be heading to Baltimore for day 2 of the tournament and I'm excited about that. Hopefully they play well today and lay a good foundation for tomorrow's games. Go Sharks!

It's the weekend!

Friday has always been the start of the weekend for me no matter what we're doing. To me it is just one of those feel good days no matter what. I know Amy has been particularly looking forward to this Friday because it is the night of the school dance and Silent Auction:) While the parents get to peruse the Silent Auction in the gym the kids get to attend a dance in the cafeteria which works out well for everyone. Hopefully Amy won't be too disappointed when we have to leave a little earlier than normal but she has an early game in Baltimore in the morning and she has to leave around 7.45am so she can't be up too late.

Yesterday was a busy day as it usually is on any given Tuesday or Thursday. I had plans to drop both kids off at school and then head home to mow the lawn (weeds) at the back of the house. When I took Amy to school I had to run into the office for something and while I was there I bumped into Melissa, Emma and Darcey. We thought it was funny that all of us were there together and decided that it was a good excuse to go and have coffee at Starbucks. We had fun and it was better than cutting grass but I was a good girl and left after an hour so I could at least achieve something before picking up Joe from preschool. I ran to Walmart to pick up our team photos and then I set out with the task of mowing down all of the weeds in the back yard which had grown ginormous with all the rain we had last weekend. It was a killer trying to mow up and down that steep slope but I finally managed it. The main problem was that the ground was still really wet underneath and I kept slipping. I finished at 11.30am got into my flip flops and headed straight to Joe's school. When I got there he immediately asked if we could go to the park with one of his friends. I really could have done without it but I agreed as long as he promised to leave nicely when it was time to go. We stayed only for a half hour or so and then went to Safeway to get some fresh fruit before heading home. After that I just did some laundry and cleared up a bit before getting Amy.

I had to run Joe's soccer practice again with Shaun being at VA. It went ok and the kids seemed to have fun but it was a little chaotic. The park was really busy and the parking was a nightmare. Shaun called me during practice to say he was going to be later than expected as there was an overturned truck with an oil spill and traffic was awful. So, I then had to go to Amy's practice and get her team started until he got there. He made it there only about 10 mins after me so it didn't turn out to be so bad after all.

My allergies are pretty bad today especially after spending so much time outdoors. My eyes are really itchy and my throat and ears are sore. Tree pollen is extremely high right now so I guess that is what is bothering me so much. I was hoping my allergy shots would've helped me a bit more but it must be a bit too early still to really feel the benefits of that seeing as I'm still on a really low dose.

Well I think that is all for now. Tomorrow is a soccer day for us all. Shaun will go with Amy to her tournament and I will go with Joe to his game. It's killing me not going to Amy's game - I've never missed one before and to miss 2 in one day is not good. Hopefully they will do well. They have been playing so great in practice it would be nice if all of their hard work paid off in the games too. I will be able to go to the games on Sunday so that is something to look forward to. And hopefully I can fill in well as coach of Joe's team on Saturday as they haven't lost a game yet under Shaun. Fingers crossed.

For Gina!

My good friend Gina emailed me today to say the following. "Your blog has become like a newspaper to me and now that you haven't blogged since Friday, I feel like my paper isn't being delivered! Who do I call to complain?" So, here you go girl, updates on my dreary days!

I had actually gotten halfway through a blog entry on Saturday night but then I got interrupted and sidetracked and never got back to it so I just deleted it altogether. I really couldn't get into it on Sunday either and I've just been too busy the last few days to even think about it.

On Saturday Joe had a morning soccer game and they did great! They won again and Joe scored again!!! He's so funny to watch because as soon as he gets the ball he has this huge grin on his face. At this particular game he broke from the crowd and ran the length of the field before shooting and the whole time he had the ball at his feet he was laughing and giggling to himself. You can make it out a little on this photo.

On Sunday Shaun and I were both awakened by thunder around 6am. We both said "oh no!" because Amy's game was scheduled for 2pm up in Baltimore and the last one was cancelled due to severe weather. The thunder however seemed to pass and once we got up the weather seemed ok. There were storms forecast throughout the day but when I checked the weather radar it looked like everything was to the west of DC and Baltimore. I also kept a close eye on the league website to see if any field closings had been posted. We were due to meet the team at McDonald's around noon and I checked the website around 11.30am and still no field closures were reported. We were just packing up the last of our things and getting shoes etc on when one of the parents called to say she'd just checked the website and all games had been cancelled! I couldn't believe it! Amy was really disappointed as were we as she's only had one game so far this season. This coming weekend we have a tournament and they are going into it with hardly any games played. We have 2 games on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. The girls will not know what has hit them!!! There is rain forecast for this weekend also but fingers crossed that will push on into next week as the days go by and our tournament will be uninterrupted.

So, instead of going to Baltimore on Sunday we stayed at home. The weather at home suddenly brightened up and it looked like it might be a nice day. Amy needed a new bike helmet so we went up to Walmart while Shaun continued with building the new retaining wall. We got a helmet and also came home with 2 tennis rackets for the kids. They have been wanting them for a long time so I got them so they could exercise outside while Shaun and I worked in the yard. I weeded at the front of the house and got it tidied up quite nicely. Just as I was finishing up we heard the thunder and saw heavy black clouds moving in. The rain came and the kids headed inside and Shaun and I ran to get plastic sheeting to cover up the brickwork as well as clean up all of the cement and tools etc. About a minute into all of that the heavens really opened and the torrential rain came. We were absolutely soaked to the skin by the time we were done. We were laughing saying that we'd probably just get cleaned up and get inside and the rain would stop and the sun would come back out but that never happened. It wasn't long before our front yard was flooded and resembled a quagmire.

We decided a little later to go out for dinner as we had promised Amy we would do that as a reward for her great report card last week. We went to The Greene Turtle in Prince Frederick which just recently opened. Amy wasn't keen and said she wouldn't like it but she was in for a big surprise when she saw that each booth had it's own tv screen with channels you could select for yourself. Talk about a TV dinner in heaven! It was good and the food was very nice. A pleasant night out!

On Monday Amy had the day off school. It was still pouring down when we got up and if it hadn't been for the fact that I'd arranged for Amy to play with Jared at his house then I would happily have stayed in my pj's and kept Joe home from preschool. However, we dropped Joe off and then I took Amy to Jared's house. I left and went home to get some cleaning done and then went back to get Amy around 11.30am. She had a really good time which I never doubted for a moment. We got Joe and then headed to McD's for lunch. The kids played and I read my book which I'd been trying to finish so I could return it to the library. I had tried renewing it as it was overdue but someone else had a hold on it so every day it took me to finish it cost me another 10c. It was worth it though and I really enjoyed it. It was called Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I got it finished before we left and returned it to the library on our way home.

The rest of the day was dreary as it was still raining on and off and everything was soaked and muddy. When we woke up on Tuesday morning the weather was much improved. It was nice to see the sun and blue skies again. I volunteered at Amy's school and then popped to Walmart before heading home to do some laundry. I also remembered that I hadn't finished the newsletter for Joe's soccer team so I did that and set it off printing before going to get Joe from preschool. When we got home I made a start on the directions for the tournament Amy's team has this weekend. I printed maps to get to and from every game, how to get home etc. I bound all the maps together and labelled them so hopefully it is idiot proof! Shaun had also asked me to laminate some papers for Amy's team practice last night so I had that to do also as well as pack up all of our stuff ready to go once Amy was home from school. Shaun is training in VA this week so I am taking Joe's practices - which really just means more chaos for me trying to get everything sorted and out of the door on time.

Today has been a little less hectic but not without drama by any means. I took the kids to school this morning and headed to the grocery store and then onto the Dr's office to get my allergy shot which seems to take longer each week. While I was waiting I started my new read loaned to me by Teresa. It was after 10.30am by the time I made it back home and that only left me an hour before going back to get Joe. I had time to throw in some laundry and empty the dishwasher and that was about it. I clean the preschool classes on Wednesdays so I did Melissa's room and then Joe and I had to run an errand and get him a haircut. We did all that and were home before 1pm. I then put on some stewing steak for dinner (I was making steak and mushroom pies) and pottered around cleaning up and folding laundry etc. We went back to preschool around 2.20pm to finish up the classrooms and I was just finishing up at 3.15pm when I suddenly remembered that the stewing steak was still cooking at home!!!!! I flew out of preschool with Joe and drove home on 2 wheels expecting to see my house in cinders. I couldn't see any smoke in the sky in the direction of our house and I was so relieved to find that there was still some liquid in the pan and nothing had caught fire. Phew! Now off to get Amy.

We went to the playground after school and when Amy found some jackets on one of the seats she asked if she could take them to the school lost and found. Sophie went with her and minutes later I could just hear Amy screaming "Mommy!, Mommy!" and she was running towards me crying. Turns out she had been stung by a bee. She was hysterical as she usually is with any kind of trauma and my main concern is always trying to get her calmed down as she's been known to make herself throw up after being so stressed. She finally took a breath and said that she'd walked past a bush and all the bees came out and one stung her. It was right on her elbow and did look nasty. I took her to the school nurse and she put some toothpaste on it to draw out the sting and then put a band aid over it and gave her some ice to ease the swelling. She complained a lot that it hurt but after sitting for 10mins or so she decided she could play again. By the time we got home it was swollen pretty bad but I'm glad to say that by the time she went to bed all of the swelling and redness had gone down :)

What excitement eh? Gina, I think your "newspaper" has turned into a full blown novel!!!!! I'm exhasuted and now want to go and see who gets voted off Idol this week. I bid you all goodnight!

It's Friday!

I love Fridays even when they signify the start to what is going to be a busy weekend! Just not having to make the school runs is enough to make me happy:) Today has been busy as usual running errands etc. Joe does not have school on Fridays so the pair of us headed to Walmart this morning once we'd dropped Amy at school. We needed a few things including flip flops for both kids. The selection of boys styles was extremely lacking so we decided to wait until we went to another store hoping that they would have more choice. After Walmart we did a big grocery shop at Safeway, then to Payless where they didn't have a single pair of flip flops and Kmart where we finally found flip flops for them both. Joe chose Iron Man ones and Amy had instructed me to find lime green as a first choice and pink as a second. The ones I found were both lime green and pink so Mommy did good:) After that we then went to Office Depot for paper and then to Nicks for some fresh pizza dough for dinner. Phew!

The worst bit about coming home is having to empty all of the bags and put everything away - it seems to take me forever. And of course while I'm in the middle of doing that Shaun comes upstairs and asks if I wouldn't mind making him some lunch and to just give him a shout when it's ready! I got sorted pretty quickly and we all had lunch. I had a nice healthy salad which is becoming my staple these days following my fruit smoothie for breakfast. This morning's smoothie was banana, mango and vanilla yogurt. Yumm! Joe and I bought lots of really nice fresh fruit at the store today so I have ample supplies to make plenty more over the next few days. Joe is funny to go food shopping with as he picks such funny things for a kid. He wanted every type of melon they had - cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew, pineapple, apples, etc and then he loves green beans and the likes. Then onto the canned vegetables and he chooses beans in every color - butter beans, lima beans (yuck!) chick peas, kidney beans. How the boy doesn't explode from the waist down is beyond me (although it would make a great blog photo!!!!!)

This afternoon I had some letter writing to do on the computer and I pottered around in the house for a while and then we headed to the post office and on to Amy's school for pick up. It's such a beautiful sunny day here and 80 degrees so we went to the playground for half an hour or so before heading home. The kids are excited for Ben 10 night tonight on the Cartoon Network. It's a new Ben 10 movie that's been advertised for a long time so they are thankful that it's finally today.

Tomorrow Joe has a soccer game at 10.40am locally and then on Sunday Amy has a game up in Dundalk, Baltimore at 2pm. It seems so long since her team played so I'm excited they have a game this weekend. Hopefully it will be wins all round in our house.

Other than soccer this weekend we hope to get out in the garden and cut the grass, pull weeds and tidy the beds up. It really needs doing as it's a mess still and I'd like to get some additional plants put in before the weather starts getting too hot and dry.

That's about all folks. I don't even have a photo to share with you today. I had meant to take one of the kids making their own pizas for dinner tonight but I didn't rmemeber until after we'd eaten them. D'oh!

Wednesday

Another beautiful day here in Maryland and temps should hit 70 today and get warmer by the end of the week. It's so much nicer when the sun is shining and soccer practices are so much more pleasant to attend! Yesterday was our busy Tuesday where I have to get everyone fed, changed and out the door by 4.30pm to head to Joe's practice. It is always a mad rush and the veggies I have for dinner always start wearing off by 5pm!!!! I'm always ravenous by the time we get home.

Joe had a rough night at practice last night and he kept either getting pushed, falling down, getting a ball in the face or something. Then at Amy's practice he and Sawyer were playing at the playground and he twice came over crying - just one of those days I suppose. I think some of it could simply be that his little body is tired. He had soccer on Saturday and Sunday, played with Sawyer for a couple of hours on Monday night at the park, had 2.5hrs playing outside last night etc and it wears him out. At least he's getting plenty of exercise, there's no denying that!

Today is a nicer, calmer day and I love my Wednesday evenings when we don't have to go out anywhere. After school today I'll take the kids to the playground for a little while and then Amy is getting her hair cut ready for school picture day tomorrow. I might even get mine cut while we're there or maybe make an appointment for next week and go alone. I'll see how I feel at the time.

There's not actually that much to tell everyone right now. In between sports and school it's pretty mundane. Oh, I did register Joe for kindergarten yesterday so that was exciting:) And today I've just been for my allergy shot, ran in to the store to pick up a few things for dinner, cleaned the kitchen floor, put in some laundry and then picked up Joe from school.

Denise was saying on her blog yesterday that posts without photos were boring and I have to agree. I haven't got any pics from the last few days but seeing as I've been posting pics of Joe from his games I thought I better post one of Amy from her game a couple of weeks ago - thankfully she has another game this weekend so I can get some more.

Monday Monday

And so begins another week. Did you all have a good weekend? We had a pretty good one. On Saturday Joe had a game right after lunch. Just as were getting ready to head out we heard thunder and the sky went black. There was no word to say that games had been cancelled so we headed down to the park. When we got there it looked ominous as there was a mass exodus out of the parking lot however, games still appeared to be on. There was a delay as some games had stopped for about 45mins until the thunder and lightning passed so instead of our game starting at 12.50pm it didn't start until around 1.30pm.

We had a good game and although we were missing on of our regular players we still went on to win the game 4-3. We actually would've won by more if the referee had actually known the rules. To say she was hopeless was a bit of an understatement. We didn't do much for the rest of the day really - just hung out at home and the kids played. Yesterday Joe had another game but not until mid afternoon. Once again the sun was shining in the morning and then as soon as it was time to leave the house the clouds came and the rain started. By the time we got to the park it was freezing! We had team photographs first and then we headed over to the game field. We had a full team and the kids were raring to go. The second kick of the game ended in a goal for us and we never stopped after that. We ended up winning 14-0!!!!! We went down a player and they added a player so we played 3v5 for most of the game to try and make it more competitive but we just couldn't stop scoring and the best part was every player on our team scored at least one goal! Joe got two, one from regular play and one from a direct free kick. They were all very pleased with themselves although it was actually a little embarrassing by the end. I felt sorry for the blue team but to be honest they could still be playing now and they wouldn't have scored.

Today I have been at home mostly. I dropped both kids off at school this morning and then went home to work out to my Walk Away The Pounds DVD. I told friends not to call me this morning so I could actually get through a workout without the phone ringing - and it worked. After that I just showered, got dressed, cleaned the bathroom etc and then it was time to go and pick up Joe and clean the preschool. Tonight Amy's team have Technical Training at Hallowing Point Park and we have to be there by 5pm so it will be another afternoon of rushing to get there in time. It is worth it once we are there and Joe gets to play with his friend and I get to walk with the girls. And it certainly helps that the sun is shining.

Not a very exciting update I know but this is life around here and this is what our days consist of for the most part. Every now and then we have excitement - but not that often!!!!!

Absolutely knackered!

For those of you non English people - that means totally worn out although it doesn't sound quite so descriptive!

Today Joe had his friend Sawyer come over to play around 10am. They play together so well and they are really cute. Sawyer goes to pre K in the afternoons so he had to leave just before noon. They had a good time and they already asked if they can do it again soon:) I was able to get some stuff done around the house while they played so it worked out well for all of us.

Today was concrete day. Shaun prepared the trenches this morning and then we called the cement company to tell them we were ready. They came around 1.15pm and the chute wasn't long enough to reach where we needed it so we had to wheelbarrow all of it. It must've been around 60 barrow fulls - and man are we exhausted. Shaun started getting a migraine and not feeling good but we were up against the clock and had to get it done before it set. The sun has been bleaching down today and we are totally sunburned - not a good thing when you are doing hard manual work like that but at least it wasn't raining I suppose. The next stage we hope is putting the grass sod down - I can't wait for that although I'm not looking forward to laying all of that. We will at least be sensible with that and get it delivered in 2 batches which is exactly what we should have done with the cement. You live and learn I guess.

Tomorrow Joe has a game at 12.50pm and then he has another one on Sunday at 2.40pm. It is forecast to rain tomorrow but as long as it's not stormy the game should still be on. Amy doesn't have a game again this weekend which is a shame since her game was cancelled last Sunday. They have been doing great in training and they are really getting to grips with positions and space now which has been their main let down in the past. It will be interesting to watch them next weekend and see them try to put everything into practice.

That's about all I think. I'm so tired just sitting here and my arms are even hurting just typing this - isn't that pathetic? I know I will be hurting when I wake up tomorrow but hopefully once I get up and get moving it won't be so bad. Just think of all those calories burned today!!!!!

Have a great weekend whatever you are up to:)

The Thursday Rush

I had such high hopes for today that I would get done what I needed this morning and be organized and ready to go for soccer tonight. First of all I got home after dropping the kids at school and I was ready to workout to my DVD. Shaun called and then asks me to do something for him - he wanted me to call a couple of places to get prices for concrete and then order from the one with the best price. This is for the footer for the retaining walls. That took me half an hour of calls back and forth but it's finally set for tomorrow now. Then just as I hang up my friend Teresa called and we chatted for way too long. By the time I got off the phone with her it was almost time to head out the door and quickly run to Walmart and Safeway before picking up Joe from school. Now that I have him and we are home I am playing catch up.

I at least have dinner halfway prepared for tonight. We're having buffalo wings and salad. The chicken has been coated in the flour mixture and is now setting in the fridge. I'll bake them a bit later and then dip them in the wing sauce. Hopefully Shaun will get home in time to at least eat something before soccer starts at 5pm otherwise we won't be home until around 7.45pm. I really need to try and get the back of my car sorted out before we head out tonight. There's all kinds of equipment just thrown in and piled up - I don't even really know what exactly is in there but I do know it could be organized a bit better.

Did any of you watch Idol Gives Back last night? I did and I thought it was a lot better than last year. Not that last years was bad or anything - just thought they did a better job of it this year. Amy watched the first 1/2 hour with me and she was shocked at the sight of the little African kids with no food or clean water. She disappeared for a few minutes and came back with $2 from her piggy bank. My heart melted! She said she really wanted the kids to have some food and clean water and could I help her donate it? Well of course I could. I went online and said I'd make a donation too and add her money onto mine. She then goes off to tell Joe all about it and he came with $1 from his piggy bank and said he had enough video games already and the kids could have some of his money too. I am very proud of them both for that! When Amy woke up this morning she came straight into our room and asked if the kids would have her money yet - she knows it gets taken from my account immediately but I had to explain that it will go into a big pot with money from all of the other people and then they'll decide how to best spend it but to be assured that her money will be used to help someone in need. Deep stuff!

All of you people lurking in the background come out and show yourselves!!!!! Gina, I know you're there taking a peek at what we've been up to! By the looks of my comments it would seem that Denise is the only one who visits on most days;-)

Well this isn't getting anything around the house done and I must make a move and at least eat lunch (I forgot to eat breakfast!) The sun is shining brightly today and it's beautiful outside so I am looking forward to my walk tonight at Amy's practice. Hope all of you have a great day!

It's Wednesday!

And how is everyone today? I felt a bit "blah" this morning but I know it's just the weather. Another dreary day in Maryland. Just when you think Spring has finally sprung the weather changes for the worst. As I was wandering the aisles of Safeway this morning looking for inspiration for dinner tonight I just couldn't stand the thought of more salad today - it's just too cold and miserable. I need real warm comfort food today so I opted for some healthy vegetable soup for lunch and peppercorn pork tenderloin with steamed veggies for dinner. Yum! Actually, now that I've been talking about the weather the sun has miraculously come through the clouds although according to the forecast we will have more clouds than sun for the remainder of the week and possibly even snow for the beginning of next week!

Did you watch American Idol last night. What the heck was going on with Paula's boobs? Talk about trying to stuff 10lbs of potatoes into a 5lb bag!!!! She looked like a trollop although Randy, Simon and Ryan were not complaining!!! I've been singing Angels all day and I agree with Simon - how was that not a hit in the States?

Today's funny story. A friend of mine works as an ER nurse and one night last week a mother brought in her 18month old who was running a 105.2F fever. The Mom was asked what treatments etc she had given the child to try and bring her temperature down. Mom said she hadn't given any medicine as she wasn't sure of the correct dosage. What she did instead was to strap raw onions onto the bottom of the kids feet!!!!! She was telling me that as she was trying to examine this kid that her eyes were constantly streaming and burning from the onion fumes which were apparently really strong. In the end she said to the mom that she needed her to take off the onions and take them out to the trash so her eyes would stop watering. Mom then announced that the onions had already been removed in the car - what she was now smelling was the leftover scent on the socks and skin - wow! Imagine what her car must've smelled like????? The moral of the story - if your kid has a fever and you're unsure of the medicine dosage - call the pharmacy!! Do not use raw onions - the only effect they have is eye irritation!!!!

Well it's taken me that long to finish this post that the sun is now shining high in the sky and the sky is blue:) It seems so long since we saw that. Hopefully it will last at least a few hours so the kids can get out and play after school. We have no soccer tonight so Amy and Joe will be very happy to go to the playground and not have to rush to get home.

That's about all for today I think. Until next time........

Can't think of a wittty title for today;-)

I know it's hard to believe but I just can't be witty every day. Some days I just need a day off to recoup ;-)

Sunday turned out to be a pretty long and boring day once Amy's game was cancelled. I didn't make it to the dump like I intended. The kids were bored and so they kept fighting and bickering with one another on and off the whole day. Oh what joy!

Yesterday was back into the routine of school and sports. I did a quick run to the grocery store after taking both kids to school and then I came home to tackle some of the treasures ie. crap, in our garage. I found at least 10 large empty boxes which I then broke down for recylcing. It took me almost an hour to sort that lot out and then head to the dump. Isn't the life of a Mom just so enthralling? When I got to the dump they had just started the changing of the guard (actually it was the changing of the dumpsters but that doesn't sound quite as cool) so I had to sit there for 15 mins til they re-opened. Then I had to race back home to swap cars and head to preschool to pick up Joe.

Joe was funny yesterday. They made a castle for their craft at school yesterday and he was just so excited about it. All it was was 2 turrets at either end and one piece of construction paper in between with a door drawn on it. Well, he had all sorts of plans for me once we got home. I was instructed to make the other 3 walls and attach them so it looked like a proper castle and then he got all of his little Star Wars Lego figures to play in it. It was so cute. He couldn't stop talking! Today he's already told me that when he gets home from school I need to help him make another castle for the bad guys!

Amy had technical training for soccer last night so it was another rush after school to get home, get ready, get fed and head out by 4.30pm. We had Hannah come along with us and we met everyone else there. It was freezing! The Moms and I walked but the field was really wet so it wasn't as enjoyable as usual. Joe of course got up to his eyes in mud and no matter how many times I told him to get out of the ditch I would find him back in it seconds later. Typical boy. The girls had fun training and at the end there was a presentation from Soccer 94 to CSA for $6,500. This is money that is left over from the World Cup and the Olympics and CSA applied for a grant and got it. The money will go towards buying equipment for Monday night training. There was a photo taken of all the kids and coaches you can see it here. Who is that guy in white draped across the grass right in the front row?????

Today is pretty blah weather wise. They keep saying that it will brighten up but it's still drizzling and cloudy. We have practices again tonight so hopefully it's a bit warmer by then. This morning I volunteered in Amy's class helping with reading and then photocopying and such like. After that I headed to Safeway for a couple of things and then home. Right now I need to hot tail it out of here and go and get Joe. I'm back, did you miss me?

Emma was saying yesterday that as she was reading this she half expected me to be typing with one hand and making a cake with the other - not quite. But today I am typing this and finishing up and printing my newsletters ready for soccer tonight. I had done most of the work on Saturday right after Joe's game while it was still fresh in my mind but I never got to print the final copies.

Have any of you seen Randy Pausch on TV before? He is the guy who gave "The Last Lecture" at the university where he taught last year. He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and his lecture was about living out your dreams. I saw him on Oprah last year and thought he was just such a cool guy who has an amazing spirit. If you haven't seen it before you can see the lecture he gave on Oprah here (it really isn't morbid or depressing). Tomorrow night he is doing an ABC special at 10pm with Dianne Sawyer. If you will be watching Idol be sure to TiVo ABC at 10pm EST.

Ok my final piece of news for the day: My cousin Kirsty who had the kidney transplant last Thursday is doing great! The Drs are very pleased with her recovery and progress and they're even talking of her going home already. Andy on the otter hand hasn't been recovering too well. He's been pretty sick and he isn't able to lie down and has to sleep sitting up. His feet are really swollen up too. Hopefully in the next few days he will start to improve. I think he went home far too soon just so the hospital had an empty bed.

Now I need to eat lunch and make that castle that my son is sitting waiting so patiently for :-)

Soggy Sunday

Amy's game has been cancelled today due to the rain. It has rained all night so the field conditions for this morning are not good. Bummer! It probably means it will be rescheduled for next Sunday when we were supposed to have a week off and Joe has a game that day too. I will no doubt take Joe and Shaun will go to Amy's game.

Joe had his first game yesterday and it went really well. They tied 3-3 and our little guys played great. All of our teams goals were scored by a girl we have on our team who's really good. Joe had a shot on goal but it went just wide. He did good though. Here's a pic of him in action.

So, what will we do today now that our plans have drastically changed? I may just get some stuff done around here that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to. I would like to get some stuff out of the garage taken to the dump if nothing else and at least clear a little bit of space in there so we can fill it up again ;-) It is too wet to do anything outside and our yard hasn't had any grass put down yet so it's still really muddy from Shaun digging a few weekends ago. He dug the trenches out yesterday ready for the concrete footers for the retaining wall. Hopefully we can get the concrete poured soon and then put down the grass and have it all looking nice.

Happy Sunday to you all!

Soccer Saturday.

Thursday night did not end up as crazy as it normally is. The heavens opened and the rain was in for the night so Shaun reluctantly cancelled both practices. What we did instead was go to the Art Show at Amy's school and look at the work she had produced all centered around the theme of the circus. It was cute!

Yesterday Joe and I spent the morning at home so I could try and catch up on laundry and the likes. Amy had 2hr early dismissal from school so we picked her up at 1.35pm and went to the playground for a little while. After that we just came home and chilled out. Shaun was going to take Amy to goalie training down in Prince Frederick but then the guy organizing it called to say it had been cancelled as the fields were closed due to all the rain. So, we went out to dinner instead. We went to Mama Lucia's in Prince Frederick. The restaurant is very nice and so is the ambiance but, the food was lacking. Shaun and I both had pasta - he had shrimp and I had lasagna. We first got our salads which were completely drenched in dressing instead of it being on the side as normal. The pasta was ok but certainly nothing to write home about (although isn't that what I'm pretty much doing now? lol). The kids both had pizza and they were happy with theirs but overall it was disappointing and we were wishing we'd just gone to Applebees!

Today Joe's team, The Green Dragons have their first game. It should be fun. It's amazing going back to working with 5&6yr olds playing soccer and forgetting how little they really know. Shaun started coaching Amy's team at this age and it's amazing how much they have progressed in the last couple of years. We have some good players on Joe's team but we also have one who just does not want to play. We will see how that works itself out today - should be interesting!

I have no idea what we are doing for the rest of the day - probably just pottering around at home and folding laundry, putting it away etc. Very exciting eh? Hope you all have a Super Saturday!

Not a minute to spare!

It has been a crazy week and I really haven't had time to get on here and post about anything. I know I said I would update about Amy's soccer game but by the time we got home on Sunday night we were all exhausted and hungry!!!

Amy's game went really well although they lost 4-2. They played great and it was so different watching a really tough and competitive game. It certainly was a step up in competition level and the girls rose to the challenge. To watch it was very stressful!

After getting back from the game I had cupcakes to start decorating for a birthday lunch I was going to on Monday. My friends Melissa and Gina have birthdays close together so we celebrated on the same day at Fabulous Brew. I had decided to make a cupcake bouquet and while it looked pretty - it was not easy to drive with!

That night Amy's team were taking part in training in Prince Frederick and then they were training younger rec players later that evening. I picked up another of the girls along with Amy, brought them home, got them to do homework and get dressed, ate a quick bite and then we were out by 4.30pm and on our way. Training started at 5pm and while Shaun and the girls took part in that, the Moms and I walked. This is something which is becoming a habit now at practices and it's a good way for us all to keep fit and talk :) Joe played with his friend and fellow team mate, Sawyer and then they both took part in the rec training. The turn out from Rec players was very disappointing. Our girls were supposed to be working with the 5-6yr old girls. Only 1 turned up and she was from Shaun's coed team. Another group of players were going to work with the 5-6yr old boys and the only 2 to turn up were Joe and Sawyer. The girls were all fighting over Joe and they all thought he was cute. He played them! What we ended up doing was getting everyone together and splitting into groups. The older girls worked with Amy's team and the 5-6yr olds and it worked out really well. Amy and her friends had such a good time and the older girls taught them some tricks which they thought was really cool!

We got home from that and Shaun got changed and headed straight out to his own soccer game which started at 9.15pm. He wasn't home until around 11pm. Amy and Joe were straight in the shower, in pj's, ate a snack and were off to bed. Phew! Then it was time for me to start on another cake for my friend Gina's birthday the following day. She recently got back from a cruise and stated that she wanted to buy her own island. In the meantime I made her one out of cake! I was working on that until 12.15am before heading off to bed. I got up and finished it the next morning once I had finished volunteering in Amy's school. Once it was done I was out the door again to pick up Joe and then head to Gina's. Our friend Rose who moved to Portland last year was here to visit so it was great for us all to get together again. The kids were happy to see one another and I know Aiden had been waiting all week to see his buddy Joe.

After leaving there and picking up Amy it was a crazy time getting ready to head out to soccer once again at 4.30pm. Practices were good though and I got lots of walking done once again. The kids were exhausted by the time we were done as they had been out running around for almost 3hrs.

Yesterday was busy also and I tried to get some stuff done around the house although I wasn't quite as successful as I would've liked. After picking up Joe I clean one of the classrooms in his preschool and then I have to go back later in the afternoon to finish up the rest once they are finished for the day. I hate Wednesday afternoons but free tuition is well worth it. Last night I then had website training online for our soccer team. It was a conference call where we all dialled in and then followed along the demo online. It went pretty well although our phone decided to die halfway through! It was pretty straightforward though and I've managed to update a little since then. You can check out the CSA Sharks right here.

Today I've been doing stuff on the computer for our team newsletter and I've also been calling hotels for the last few hours trying to secure rooms for a soccer tournament our club is hosting in June. Someone else was supposed to be doing it but muggins here is doing it now. It's actually not too bad - just time consuming. Tonight we have practice again. Joe's is from 5-6pm and Amy's is 6-7.30pm. After that Shaun has a meeting to go to from 7.30 - 9pm and I'm going to try to get to Amy's school for the art show before it closes at 8pm. Hopefully we can make it.

And that is about all we have been up to!

Please keep my cousin Kirsty and her husband Andy in your thoughts today. Kirsty is having a kidney transplant and Andy is her donor. It's amazing that he is the one who is the perfect match - she can pick them well, can't she? Surgery is long and I'm still waiting to hear how everything has gone. Hopefully not much longer.