First Soccer Game...

Huckleberry had his very first ever soccer game this past Saturday. We braved the sweltering heat and horrendous humidity with no shade for what seemed like hours (turns out it was only 45 minutes). Stretch and I were both quite nervous about how this day would go. Here's why...

An underenthusiastic Huckleberry has been playing soccer now for two weeks. When we signed up (like four months ago) he was totally excited. And then, a week before practice had even started, he mentioned in passing that he'd "changed his mind about playing soccer".

So I gently informed him that the soccer league hadn't changed their mind about cashing my $60 check four months ago. We also told him that he would be a "man of his word" (this saying is used OFTEN in our house) and play out the entire season... enthusiastic, or not.

Here's what a typical Tues/Thurs evening sounds like pre-soccer practice at the Jack House:

me: "Huckleberry get ready for practice".
him: "Fine".

me: "Huckleberry your getting your soccer jersey tonight. Isn't that cool"?
him: "I guess".

me: "Huckleberry aren't you excited about your first game"?
him: "Fifty-fifty". (this is a "charming" new phrase he's learned & one I wish I'd never heard).

So, it was with much tension that we watched to see what he would do. Well - turns out - he did a great job. He listened to the coaches, played well, and actually looked like he wanted to be there. Great. He likes it. Not a total failure.

Then I mention to Huckleberry that his practice was cancelled due to the rain on Tuesday night and you'd think I had just promised him a new set of Legos he was so excited. Looks like we'll be playing one season of soccer.

Oh darn. I guess I'll have to save my sixty bucks and reward myself with two more evenings at home, not lugging around the kids and my stupid folding chair to soccer practice. Oh darn.

Good Family Fun...

My family I went to Paulus' Orchard recently. We picked our own apples off the tree (you can pick from a bushel or a peck) and ran the corn maize. Now, since my kiddos are little, the idea of the corn maize sounded like torture - so we opted for the mini-maize. It was fantastic. Noah ran through it about eight times. The girls and I only twice. (smile) They also have a small play area for the little ones as well. Chicken Nugget and Pumpkin Pie loved the "sand" box which was actually filled with corn kernels. It was a cheap and fun family day. Enjoy the pics:

Mommies Beware...

OK ladies... I do alot of crafts with my kids. Painting, drawing, sculpting, making candles, tie dying... all sorts of stuff. So, I say with some expertise - FLOAM buyers beware!!!

My daughter, Chicken Nugget, is very tactile. She loves playdoh, goop, mixing meatloaf with her hands... anything. I tell her that someday she'll be a surgeon, maneuvering her hands into the core of someone's body. So, when FLOAM came onto the market, we were very excited.

The FLOAM packaging boasts how easy it is to use. Just simply roll it out and cover your favorite objects: a vase, a toy, a picture frame - they even show you a picture of a child's bike that has been completely covered in FLOAM.

And then we opened the container. And touched it. Oh my word! What a mess. It was so sticky, you couldn't shape it, roll it out, or cover something with it... unless you were trying to "floam" your own hands. It was a mess. I decided to let it sit out, with the lid off for a few hours. And it got better. After a few more hours, we were actually able to use it. We tried to cover aluminum foil that we had attempted to make into cool shapes. Nope, wouldn't stick. We tried several other items (no, not the kids' bikes) and then just eventually played with the stuff like PlayDoh instead. Expensive PlayDoh.

Then Chicken Nugget got a package of it for Christmas. This package came as a craft kit - including styrofoam shapes, two small packages of FLOAM, plastic eyes, and pipe cleaners. Yet again, when we opened it, it was horribly goopy - so we had to let it sit out for a few hours. We were able to make two little "creatures" - but not without alot of help from me.

Well, Chicken Nugget must have really gotten the word out that she likes this stuff, because she just received it for her birthday. I've been putting her off casually, each time she asks me, but I didn't get away with that for long. We opened it yesterday and it was so wet, it looked like slime in the bottom of container - it was disgusting. So, I did what I ALWAYS do when someone (smile) buys us this junk... I let it sit out. A few hours later - still too wet. Fast forward to 24 hours later and can see for yourself the results:

Needless to say - if you want to get on my bad side - buy this for my kids. If you want to FLOAM your own hands - buy this for yourself.