Life Lessons...

Connar is a soccer player.  This spring, we realized he needed new cleats and decided to treat him to a "cool" pair.  He's been looking around for a while and had finally picked out the perfect pair of cleats.

Last weekend, his team traveled about three hours out of town for their game.  Our family arrived at the field about an hour before the warm-up.  Time for the boys to run around and play, time for a snack before the game, time to stretch our legs.  Connar wasn't out of the truck for 5 minutes before he came back with a worried look on his face.  "Did you pack my cleats?"  "No buddy, packing your bag is your job."  After a few minutes of digging through the bag, he knew he'd forgotten his cleats.

Cue the iPhone search for a sporting goods or big box store.  We navigated our way several blocks to the store and crossed our fingers that they would have soccer cleats.  There was in fact one pair of cleats that fit Connar.  Perfectly serviceable, though bottom-of-the-line soccer cleats.  As he was tying them and checking the fit he said, "These will work for today."  I smiled a little sadly, and said, "Oh no buddy, these are your new cleats."

Understanding dawned.  His eyes welled up and he nodded.  "Maybe in the fall, I can get the cool ones?"  "We'll see kiddo...why don't you remember these on our next traveling game day?" "Oh I will mommy, I won't forget again!"

Triathlon Training...

I ran my first triathlon two summers ago and I was hooked!  For someone who wasn't sporty growing up, the idea that I could...that I did...finish a triathlon was amazing.  Last year I focused on biking and swimming, and in my two races last summer, these events felt great.  I actually swam and biked better than I had the previous summer.  

Running has been a bit of a challenge for me and I decided to be more intentional in training this year. In the past, I would just run.  I didn't really have a sense of how to train so, I started doing some research.  This article was in last month's Shape Magazine.  Interval training is something I've done with both biking and swimming, but I needed help in figuring out how to get started with running.  

Moving inside to run on a treadmill makes the intervals a bit easier to track.  The interval workouts also, keep the treadmill interesting and are starting to really push my running.  I can already run longer than I could and I am pushing the pace too.  Knowing that so much of sports, especially endurance sports, is mental I have also banished any negative ideas or thoughts about running. My new mantras...I like running...Running makes me stronger...I'll feel great when I'm done! (Sounds cheesy, but it works for me!)


I am excited to be training for three triathlons next summer and excited about being a better runner.

How do you change up your workouts in the fall and winter?

Football Boy...

My youngest son, Aiden, played football this fall.  Football required a different commitment than I expected or than I have been asked to make for any other kids sport.  Wow!  I complained frequently through the season, there were more than a couple meltdowns, and the season wore me out.  But just when I thought we couldn't give any more to football... I looked at this face...and learned a few things about Aiden #6:

* He loves sports and he loves playing football.  When I took this picture, I joked that I would save it for the Senior Yearbook and it's possible that these two cuties will still be playing football together when they're high school seniors. 

* He's a good football player, he understands the game and he knows where he's supposed to be at any given time.  That's Aiden carrying the ball, just before he was tackled. 

* If you look closely, you'll see a #6 on the far left...my boy on top of a great tackle.  This was a moment I cheered loudly for but let me tell you, it's a little disconcerting to hear the other teams fans go wild and see your boy at the bottom of the pile.

* If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said this sport is too much for 6 year olds.  I probably would have said, "There's no way I would let my kid play."  But,  I have learned a lot about my son watching him play football...he's stronger than I thought he was, he's smart and fast, he's a great team player, he's a good sport, he can take a  hit and return one, he's an athlete.

And, I'm a sporty mom.  I don't exactly what that means, or what will be asked of me, but I do know that I will be there...water bottles and snacks in tow...along for the ride.

Fall Sports...Proud Mom...

I am such a proud mom.  

 My kids started sports practice in August and they've worked really hard at their sports.  

They rarely complain about being tired, or having late dinners, homework and short play times.  

They are great sports when they're winning and when they're losing.  

They have fun playing the game and they have fun cheering each other on.  

I have three more Saturdays full of soccer and football games...three more weeks of 5 practices a week. 

This is something I didn't know to look forward to when they were babies...they make me so proud of them it sometimes hurts.

The Big Photo Challenge...

I love taking pictures in black and white...or converting them to black and white.  There is such lovely simplicity to the photo.  In my family room is a wall of black & white photos and I was working on new pictures of the boys when I saw this challenge.

 This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago at a soccer tournament.  Connar was playing right midfield and scored a tying goal!  I used my zoom lens on my Cannon Rebel.  The reason I bought the lens was to take soccer pictures.

 This picture of Aiden...the boy with the ball...was also taken with the zoom lens.  I took it last weekend at a football jamboree.  I love the shots I am able to get with the sports setting and the zoom lens.

Sporty Mom...

Just two weeks ago, I completed my first triathlon of the season.  Yesterday I ran in ...

Race the River

It was a great experience...my family was on hand to cheer me on...

I swam hard for the 1/2 mile swim...

My bike ride felt really strong...

My transitions were speedy...

I ran my best...still not my favorite event, but my father-in-law makes it look great in the photo...

And I ran into the finish with all I had left...

It was a good day!

Valley Girl Triathlon...

My first triathlon was last year and I loved it!  It was an amazing feeling to "find my sport" in my 30's after living a fairly un-sporty life.  Now I am sporty and it's so much fun!  Today was my first triathlon of this season - Valley Girl.  This is a race that is literally held in my backyard - I rode my bike to the transition zone.  There were so many women I knew competing that the environment was really fun and positive...very inspirational.

My race started in the lake...isn't it beautiful?  The water was wonderful!  I swam 1/3 of a mile and felt really strong.  One thing I need to work on is staying on the course...I kept swimming to the right and ended up spending time to get back in track.  Swimming is a lot of fun though and I tried to remember to enjoy the temperature...it was the only time I wasn't toasty all morning.

I ran out of the water into the transition zone to get my bike...

...and set off on a 12 mile bike race.  I had personal best records in both the swimming and biking this morning...yay!

Back into the transition zone and it's a quick change into my running shoes.  I got new elastic laces and they worked really well to get my shoes on quick.  I headed out for the final leg of the race...a 3 mile run.

Running is my nemesis and I didn't have a PB race this morning but I did find my great friend Tessa during the run and we finished the race together.  We've been training together and work out together most mornings so it was really great to be able to finish this race with her!

And I am a finisher!! I felt strong through most of the race and I had a great time.  I really love triathlons and I love feeling sporty!

World Cup Family…

If you’ve been reading this spring, you know we’re a soccer family.  Right now, we’re a World Cup Family!

A few weeks ago, Kyle listed out all the teams playing in the World Cup.  Each person got to pick their #1 team, and Kyle bought all of us jerseys.  Kyle and Connar had to arm wrestle for England! – you can see who won.  Connar chose the USA, Kyle has England, I chose Spain and Aiden has Brazil.  Once our first teams were in place, we randomly drew teams to divide up the remaining 28 teams.   The boys were excited with every draw and we all have a pretty even roster.
All the boys are looking forward to watching the games, and they’ll have more fun because they have teams to cheer for.   Of course we'll be keeping track of points.  Any person with at least one team that makes it into the semi-finals gets a treat of their choice.  The winner? He or she will receive a $10 gift card to the store of their choice :) I’ll keep you posted on our standings as the World Cup progresses…we’re off to a fun start as England and the USA face off in an early game.  (There’s a bit of trash talk between Connar and his Dad!)

What fun, sporting adventures do you and your family create?

Mom Tips for Kids Sports...

You all know I have sporty kids!  Collectively my boys have participated in t-ball, swimming, basketball, karate, flag football, tennis, skiing/snowboarding, skateboarding and soccer.  That's a lot of practices, a lot of games, a lot of tournaments...a lot of time. 

Here's my Mom Tips for participating in team sports...
* Keep your schedule in mind:  It's very easy to overschedule kids because there's always something fun being offered, and of course your kids want to play.  However, before you sign up consider your child's other needs...how much homework they have, how much time they need to relax, and their actual interest in the sport.  Consider your family's calendar also...can you still have dinner together every night? My boys play only one sport at a time.  When we decided to purchase season tickets for skiing, we let them know that they wouldn't be on basketball teams.
* Keep your kids interests and abilities in mind: We all think our kids are exceptional (and we should be their biggest cheerleaders!) but remember that they will be playing with other kids.  I have seen many 3 and 4 year olds put on a team or into a camp before they really wanted to be there.  This causes the coach to spend more time with crying or disinterest than with coaching the kids who want to be there.
*Talk with your coach: Most coaches at younger levels are volunteer parents.  Let them know if your child has special needs.  Be upfront about your schedule as well, if you'll be playing more than one sport at a time, let the coaches know rather than just arrive late or leave early.  Most people appreciate a heads-up.
*Be your Kids Cheerleader! Let the coach, coach and you should cheer.  Be their first model of good sportmanship!  Understand the rules of the game for their level of play and reinforce these in practice.  Practice the game with your kids at home so that they are prepared for the team practice.

A Soccer Mom...

This year I coached my six year olds soccer team, The Fireballs.  I had no idea what I was getting into when I agreed to be the coach.  I signed Aiden up for soccer early last summer and in August got a call from the soccer association saying there would be no team unless a coach could be found.  I've never played soccer and had no idea what to do, but my husband assured me I would be great, so I took on the challenge.

In our area soccer runs 8 weeks in the fall and 8 weeks in the spring.  I had one practice during the week and we usually had one game on Saturday (there were a couple double-headers thrown in there).  I got to spend 16 weeks with some pretty amazing boys.  Watching the kids learn skills, learn to play together as a team, learn to be gracious winners and good sports when they lost, watching them grin when a play worked and high-five their buddies was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I appreciate the parents who trusted me with their kids and the boys for trusting me to be their coach. 

The Fireballs had a great season!  I was priviliged to coach boys who wanted to play the game and who had more heart that I can describe.  I did not have typical 6 year olds.  They came to play and really came together as a team.  My boys were at their best when they worked together and they learned teamwork in a way I haven't seen in kids so young.   They were a unique group of kids and I will miss being their coach!

I will treasure the opportunity I had to be one of Aiden's first coaches!

The Big Photo Challenge...

This week's Big Photo Challenge was Three...I was a bit stumped at first, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  My inspiration came yesterday during Connar's soccer game. 

Connar plays keeper and forward - yesterday was his last game this season.  Last week he tried out for two different clubs and was picked up by a team for next year.  He was so excited, as this is the first time he's tried out for something.  I definitely noticed a difference in the way he played yesterday...he ended with one of his personal best games. 

I use a Canon Rebel xsi and had the sports setting on yesterday.  That enabled me to capture multiple shots in a row, like these.  My entry for three...three shots of an great kick, by an amazing U11 Keeper!

My Sporty Kids & A Guest Post…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my experience running Bloomsday with Connar.  Today, I have a special Guest Post from my father-in-law about his experience running Bloomsday with Aiden!

How do you get a 6 year old to walk a 7.5 mile mini marathon?
The first Sunday in May, Spokane celebrates spring with a 7.5 mile run/walk/carried/strollered race through town. Aiden has participated every year since he was 1 year old. At first he rode in a stroller the whole way and gradually worked his way up to stroller/walking and, last year, carried/walking. This year Aiden wanted to walk the whole race all by himself.
So how do you get a 6 year old to walk 7.5 miles?  Welcome to The Amazing Race (Bloomsday Edition).
Having participating in the race for 25 years, we know the course well and have many pictures of us with friends and family in the race. We built a small scrap book with pictures that provided clues and challenges for Aiden to overcome roadblocks and detours along the course.
Each mile Aiden was given a card from the book that challenged him to complete a task during that mile such as find 9 items, meet 6 other Bloomies, not let a stroller pass him or hand out water at the water table. At the end of the mile Aiden would win a reward like a medal, a poptart, or bubbles. This breaks it up into seven 1 mile walks with rests in between.  Aiden was very eager to begin and complete each new mile.
We also enlisted help of family members to meet us along the race. One of the items Aiden won was green tea, which he traded to his Uncle Derrick for ice cream!
We took pictures of Aiden at every challenge, reward, mile marker and the finish line. We printed the pictures and inserted them in the book also.  Aiden now has a wonderful scrap book with all of the challenges and pictures of his Amazing Race.

Aiden was a real trooper and walked the whole race. We weren’t the first to finish but as the proverb says: It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.

How do you make big challenges fun and attainable?

Bloomsday & My Sporty Kids…

I was so proud of my son Connar today!  Several months ago he asked me if I would run Bloomsday (a huge, 7.2 mile road race) with him.  I agreed.  Honestly…I didn’t think he would run far, I thought we would walk most of it – I completely underestimated him!

Bloomsday is huge…our group crossed the starting line about half an hour after the top seeded runners began the race.  {There was actually an announcement before we began, that the race had been won}.  I kept telling Connar that he could set the pace, I would follow him.  When we started he took off like a shot, running like a pro and he didn’t slow down until the 4-mile marker.  I was so impressed, he wove in and out of the crowd and just kept running.   I was amazed and so proud of him. 

Around 4 miles…he started getting tired and needed a quick pit stop.  We stopped at the bottom of Doomsday hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connar and I walked up the hill, and ran/walk to the Fire Department water station…we kept saying, “We’re almost to Daddy!” From there we truly were almost done.  Connar was really tired and his stomach hurt, but he kept going….running a bit and then walking to catch his breath.

When we turned the corner to the Finish Line I was overwhelmed and teared up.  Connar gave me a high 5 and a grin saying, “thanks for running this with me Mommy!” What an overwhelming mom moment…I even forgot to get a picture.  We ran all the way across the finish!  It’s an unbelievable feeling to be awed by your kid….this was a great day!

A Mom in Transition…

This afternoon made me laugh…it was so typical of the transition from working-mom to soccer-mom (literally).  Let me start by telling you that my husband surprised me with an iphone for my birthday last weekend.  He included a plug-in for my truck that allows me to talk hands-free and listen to music at the same time.  It feels a little bit like command central…but it sure came in handy today.

I’ve mentioned my husband’s schedule before…when he works it’s 24 hour shifts (but he works 1 on and 3 off)  Today he was at work and I was on my way home from work, when my son called.  The music muted while I was able to talk hands-free.  I was in the middle of letting him know that we had a quick trip to the doctors office, he would have to miss soccer practice and then we would head to his brothers practice.  While we were talking, another call came through…press hold & answer.  It’s the mom driving car pool for the older kids soccer practice.  She was thrilled that Connar had to skip practice…her youngest son had his first baseball game today and she needed her older son to skip practice as well.  This was perfect for both of us!  Switch back to Connar…he and his brother need to be ready to leave when I get home.  My aunt, who was with the boys this afternoon, helped Aiden get ready for soccer practice.

When I got home…they were ready to go.  I dropped the soccer goals off with the mom who was going to help the kids get started…took Connar to the doctor to check out a strange reaction to a vaccination (he’s just fine!), then headed back to the park just in time for soccer practice with Aiden and his team.  Connar alternated helping with the soccer scrimmage and skating in the skateboard park.  All in an afternoon for this mom!

What are your daily transitions?  What helps them run smoothly?

Sporty Kids…

Our weather has been dreadful lately…really cold and windy.  I didn’t realize how much it was affecting my mood until yesterday…when it was sunny and beautiful!  Both my boys had soccer practice yesterday and I coach the U6 boys team.  We had such a great time out in the sun playing soccer.  My whole mood shifted.  The boys were goofy and playful, but at the same time focused on playing the game.   It was a great reminder to me that sometimes I take life way too seriously and I need to just drop everything and kick a ball around the park.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside with your kids?  What simple things remind you to relax and enjoy life?