Tennis, Anyone?

I made a new friend last year. Her oldest is the same age as my youngest; we met through our daughters. We co-oped for writing, art, and science with a third family, and the girls shared a tiny homeschool ballet class.

J's role in the co-op was hosting a four-year-old boy so the co-op (which included older siblings) could run more smoothly. I think she would have enjoyed teaching, but with a napping toddler at home, it was not to be. And she was a huge help. The four-year-olds had more fun at her house, and the writing class was easier for us other moms to teach. I'm all for multi-age schooling, but some subjects are just plain harder to get through with an active non-reader looking for fun.

Anyway . . . This summer, J is sharing her expertise by teaching tennis to several little ones (5-7 year-olds).  She is an incredible teacher, with a long list of games, prizes, and motivational ideas in addition to her sports knowledge.  She is incredibly positive and patient with the group.  Rebecca is having a blast!

Lately I've been benefiting so much from the generosity of other women who have been willing to share their time and talents with my children.  Thank you, ladies!

Good Sports

Since David's been driving to school (since March 15th--thanks for asking), I've been reveling in my freedom from rush hour. Unfortunately, now that I'm not needed for transportation, I've attended only two lacrosse games this season. Bad mom.

Their team made it into the state tournament, so tomorrow they'll be riding a bus to the game. Four HOURS away. Yikes!

Last week, Len, the younger siblings, and I watched our boys play and their team win on a beautiful, sunny day.These aren't exciting shots except that I can recognize my son. Mostly it's hard to tell who's who under all the gear.And some action: How can you go wrong with a ball and sticks and a game that encourages hitting players with said sticks? I'm pretty sure that's David's favorite part. ;-)Daniel does spend most of his time ready to play. He's the backup goalie, but will likely be a starter next year (our current goalie is graduating). He did play one entire game (strep throat sidelined the other guy) and performed well (11 saves out of 14 shots).

Bummer

Two bikes were stolen from our garage. Aargh!

We keep the doors down most of the time, but sometimes they're up when the kids are outside. Once in a great while a door is inadvertently left up all night, but that's not what happened this time.

I reported the thefts and gave descriptions of the bikes. We even had the serial number of one written down--worth doing! If they were stolen to sell, I'm sure we'll never see them again, but sometimes kids take and ride and ditch bikes. If that is what happened, ours may get to the police station where we'll claim them. I'll probably make a visit or two before giving up, although I'll have to take a knowledgeable child along. I doubt I could recognize the bike I ride, let alone one of theirs!

Homeschool Soccer

Last Wednesday the children played their first soccer games against teams from another park. It was a windy, sunny, fun day.

I kept time for Rebecca's team and so watched only a few minutes of Joe and Marianna's playing. Len was also able to be there with the camera (and Dusty). Rebecca spent her time alternating between energetically chasing the ball, crying in my lap, and walking on the field while holding her coach's hand.

This week it's our turn to travel. Wish us lots of fun with no injuries!

The Amazing Race

Did you watch the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay the other day? It was the most amazing swim I've ever seen! The boys really wanted to stay up, but we sent them to bed an hour before it began.

All night, the commentators had been talking about how the French were favored to win, and that the Australians were also very strong. Phelps swam the first leg, but the Australians finished it first. We held the lead for a short time, but by the final turn the French swimmer (Bernard) was ahead of Lezak (the US swimmer) by .8 of a second. It looked like a lot, too--about a body length, I'd say. About halfway across the pool, Lezak started pouring it on, and touched just .08 ahead of Bernard! It was almost impossible to discern, even in the replays.

The next day, it wasn't enough to say the US had won--I really wanted everyone to that amazing race. You may be able to watch it on NBC's olympic website, but for some reason we can't play their videos. After a few days, a version of the race (not just highlights or photos) showed up on YouTube. It's from a British-sounding broadcast, and the commentary is priceless, especially when you already know the outcome. If you missed seeing the whole swim, treat yourself:

If the link above doesn't work (this video has moved around a few times), try going back to YouTube. The movie's current title is "Beijing 2008 swiming men 4 x 100 m freestyle final". (Yes, swiming is spelled incorrectly.) It's 3:51 long. Good luck.

Midafternoon During the Olympics

Yes, we've been staying up past our bedtimes!