Soccer on a Saturday, "Dis Ewayne", and Retail Therapy
Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 9:52PM Michaela is playing soccer again this spring. She has played with a couple of different teams since she is homeschooled (the YMCA here forms the teams according to grade and school) and this is her second season with this particular group. She never seems to have a problem making friends with the girls even though the others are together every schoolday.
Michaela's team is one of the best teams in the...league? It's not a league, but I don't know the word I ought to use. At any rate, I think they were one of three teams that had an equal amount of wins, losses, and ties in the fall. This season they have won all of their games so far. They are aggressive enough to keep the ball at the opposing team's goal and so when Michaela plays defense she looks like this...
or this...
It kind of made me laugh and it kind of made me sad. She looks so alone. There is a teammate to her right on the opposite side of the field, but for a while they didn't do a whole lot!
The other team did make their way to Michaela's team's goal several times, so the action finally got a little closer.
And she did get her foot on the ball some, though I didn't catch that on film (digital, whatever).
She got her hands on the ball, too...a throw in...
It was a pretty day, a little on the chilly side, but once Christian and Eliana ran around for a few minutes they were all right. Actually, Eliana was fine from the beginning, but Christian fussed about the cold for a while when we first arrived. Here is a formula that will help you out in the future: late night + early morning = SUPER CRAB. Use it wisely. Or be wise and don't use it. Glad I can help you out with these parenting skills...I've got 'em coming out the wazoo.
Do you know what? If I went to the doctor and he or she informed me I had a wazoo, and that something was coming out of it, I would be afraid. That's what. Also, I don't recommend googling "wazoo".
Speaking of coming out the wazoo...or someplace close...here are my children, two by two, who will hopefully rescue you from the strange place I've taken you just now.
They had a good day. I am so grateful that they love each other so much. Even though there are many moments when they antagonize and irritate one another like oversized gnats, for the most part they love to be together.
Here is something fun. Well, for me anyway. After the game (which they won) I dropped the kids off at the house of a sweet lady we know from church (I've talked about her and her husband before) and then I went shopping. When I called to ask "Dis Ewayne" (or Ms. Elaine for those of you who are not up on your Eliana speak) if she was up for them coming over (this was her idea yesterday) she squealed and said,"I can't wait!" They couldn't wait either! Ms. Elaine and Mr. Rex have a hot tub over at their house. I packed up changes of clothes, swim diapers, and suits and we headed over there. They cast me nary a glance as I tried to say goodbye and tell them I'd return soon.
You've heard, I'm sure, of the fabulously fun line that is making a brief appearance at Target, "Liberty of London"? Well this, my friends, is the face of "Liberty of Dallas", and its appearance at Target (and then Kohl's) was even briefer than that of "L of L", but you better believe it was just as fabulously fun (if not quite as whimsical and oh-so-lovely)...
Look! There are no children in the back of the car! Only Christian's trash. Nice. I headed to a couple of different stores, with my long-alfalfa hair coming out the top of my head, my wrinkles, and my bags. I perused every single sale rack that Kohl's had (in the women's department). I can't even remember the last time I looked at a sale rack, much less twenty-six of them. Shopping with children does not usually allow for filtering the items you can count on one hand that are worth picking up from the thousands of items that are all jumbled up amongst the clothes on the heavily discounted racks. (Did you understand that sentence at all?) It took some time, but it was rejuvenating.
When I returned to pick up the kids I found that they were languishing without me. They had no idea what to do or whom to turn to in my absence. The very meaning of their lives had been rocked to the core since I had been away, and they now were facing an existential crisis of epic proportions. Abandoned, desperate, and traumatized, that's what they were. Just look.
I wish they could have had more fun. Maybe next time.
Obviously they did have fun, and they got good and worn out, too, which was good for me by bedtime.
It is a good thing that they were able to crash (relatively) early tonight. Tomorrow morning Michaela and Christian are singing in the two sanctuary services at our church; this is a Palm Sunday tradition and it is so lovely. I am a genius and knew not to use the never-fail late night + early morning = SUPER CRAB in order to prepare for such a thing. I will now fare thee well before I have to apply this formula to myself.
--edited to add, 5:00 a.m.: Apparently playing soccer and throwing up are highly connected activities at our house. Poor girl! But she did get it all in the toilet.
Reader Comments (3)
Oh, I am glad you got to get out by yourself! Fun, fun! Your kids look like they had a blast! Good luck with the super crabs tomorrow!
Well I took the half of the loaf I didn't eat to go...I couldn't see asking for more when that big half was staring at the waiter. But next time! I'll definitely do it next time!
Isn't shopping alone so much better than you ever imagined back when you got to do it all the time?
Ahhhhh.
So glad you got some time to yourself. What a blessing. And you used it well!
Sorry about the return of the puke though. Gross.