First Casualty of the Summer...

So, it's only May and we've lost a pair of flip-flops already (thank you Tanner). We've managed to ruin a swim shirt too (Alex). Oh - and a pair of sunglasses (I have no idea who to blame). Totally ridiculous. At what age do kids learn to be responsible for their own belongings? I'm not the best role model because I misplace things all the time...but was hoping the more sensible genes of their father would show through on this front!

Young Republican

Tanner had to do a research project on a President of his choice. So, he chose George H.W. Bush. Why I wonder? Wouldn't have been my first choice as a kid, or an adult for that matter. He did the homework with Dad while I was shopping for summer clothes for the growing boys, so I'll have to ask in the morning.

Nonetheless, he picked a Republican so he gets five stars for that. Oh wait - we're in West Michigan - Forest Hills text books likely skip over any references to the Democrats. An appropriate choice might have been rigged :)

Nothing like a West Michigan, conservative, Republican upbringing :)

Let the Camping Season Begin!

24 hours from now my buddies will be chowing down smores around a campfire and reading Garfield comic books by flashlight in sleeping bags. Sweet.

I'm Finally a Soccer Mom!

The boys have wanted to play soccer for quite some time. They happily report the results of their friends soccer games after each weekend, and I've always felt conflicted that I haven't let them join a team. I'm really just not sure that they could handle organized team sports. We previously tried basketball and it was really difficult for everyone involved. Individual sports worked well for a while (swimming, gymnastics), but have grown increasingly difficult over time. As the boys get older, the coaches expect more out of them in terms of listening, following direction, independent practice, and more complicated routines/plays. For Alex, nearly all of the above are difficult - any day of the week, any time of day. When he was younger, I would be side-by-side with him in sports classes as his personal coach at the pool, on the basketball court, and on the mats. As he gets older, it's become much more difficult/awkward as the demands of the players are more intense - to the point we had opted out of all sports. For Tanner, he's more manageable but still requires a lot of re-direction. The bigger problem for Tanner is that practices are often in the evenings after his meds are wearing off so he's harder to keep focused and is either really sleepy or really silly.

I heard rumblings through the Special Ed grapevine about something called VIP Soccer. I knew very little, except that it was a soccer team for kids with special needs. I'd been trying to track down contact information for about 6 months and was THRILLED when I finally made contact with the coach this week! She immediately emailed me back saying we were welcome to join in mid-season and that they were welcoming of kids with all levels of ability.

So, at 11am on Saturday we reported to the soccer fields with two very excited little boys. What an incredible program and experience we had! It's a very loose program, which is great for my guys who struggle in the face of too much structure. From 11am - 12pm kids gather at the soccer field where several coaches and older soccer 'buddies' are incredibly welcoming and engaging to whatever kids show up. There were bags of balls and 2 whole fields for the kids to run and play. Parents were all out on the field with their kids...playing goalie, retrieving balls, encouraging kids with physical struggles to make it all the way down the field, and laughing with all kids - whether their own or not. There were kids with varied special needs and it was so nice not to have to worry that the boys weren't doing what they were supposed to. No rules, except to be kind and a good teammate. They bounced back and forth between fields...kicking goals, playing goalie, dribbling the ball down field, making new friends and laughing hysterically much of the time. Alex was affectionately nicknamed 'Giggles' by one of the coaches, which was incredibly appropriate because he must have giggled for 45 minutes straight he was so happy and excited!

I've coached several teams and played team sports (high school, college, intramural, recreation) for nearly 25 years and I have NEVER participated in such an inspiring sporting event. I've never experienced such selfless instructors/buddies and have never felt such an overwhelming sense of pride watching the players on the field (and not only for my kids). I continue to learn more from my own kids and the people who work with them than I'll ever be able to teach in return. I always knew that would be the case in the classroom or therapy environment, but have always considered the field of sports my area of expertise. I stand corrected - in total amazement and with great gratitude for this exceptional program.

I'm finally a soccer mom.

Mother's Day Chat

Alex has a classmate whose family is adopting 2 children from Ethiopia. The class is collecting new or gently used shoes to donate to the orphanage. So, tonight I pulled out a globe and tried to explain it all. I started by talking about the terms orphan and orphanage...what kids at an orphanage may need....what it means to adopt...where is Ethiopia...etc. I told them about how special it would be for the kids to have shoes to play soccer, run in, etc. Then we bagged up a few gently used pairs from the basement.

Here's the boys reaction...I'm guessing most readers can pick out who is who:

Wooden Boy #1 (while focused mostly on a book he's just grabbed and mildly annoyed with the lecture/conversation) : Do they need a soccer ball? That would be much more cooler than these old shoes. And anyway, all this talk about orphigs is making me hungry for a treat. Can we go to Sundaes At The Cottage for ice cream now?

Sigh. Strike 1 for Mom. No deep conversation or visible understanding of the concept it seems. A little too self-absorbed right now to grasp it I'm afraid.

Wooden Boy #2: Mom, it sounds like they need a family, not shoes. Can we just bring one or two home, please? By the way, do they have food? I think food would be more important than shoes. Do you think they celebrate Mother's Day if they don't have a Mom?

Ahh. Success. This one gets it and mind is moving a mile a minute. So much so that my big hearted little man was still wide awake at 9:45pm in his bed tonight and when I asked him what he was thinking about, he responded "Finding some way to go to Ethiopia and help those kids."

Perfect end to Mother's Day. I'll get through to #1 too...it'll just take another fly-by or two. A crash and burn on the first pass never gets me down :)

Shaggy Boys...Cringing Mom

The boys have not had a haircut in a over 2 months now. Up until this point, I had their haircut ~every 5 weeks. They have been BEGGING to grow it out the past couple months and since I was taking a trial run at relinquishing a little control I tried to play along. They think longer hair would be really cool. However, I'm absolutely cringing watching their hair touch the top of their ears. I don't think I can take it any more!

So, like any creative and determined Mom, I noodled this evening attempting to find some way of convincing them it was time for a haircut. I called Tanner into my room and started putting little pigtails in his hair and oohing and ahhing about how I can do his hair now. I told he and Alex that it's like having the little girls I always wanted and never had! That did the trick. Neither wants girl hair and both quickly agreed to a haircut tomorrow :)

Manipulation complete...Mom gets her way this time. Not sure that it will be so easy 5 years from now though!