Age.

You're only as old as you feel.

Or young, as the case may be.

Today, in the changeroom, I was feeling gooood.  Trying on skinny jeans, which I thought looked not bad, if I do say so myself.

The lovely sales girl told me the same thing.

Then she told me that her mom had a pair and they actually look great on her.

Huh.

You're only as old as you feel.

Don't forget.

We're getting ready to hit the road tomorrow for another week of camping.

Tonight I asked Juliana to make a list of the things she wants to take for the car ride so that she can pack them in the morning.

I just found her list:

Winning - at what cost?

Let me start off by saying that after years in recreational activities, both with my kids and on my own, I am eternally grateful for the people that volunteer at all levels - to organize, to coach, and to bring snacks.  I'm all about being grateful to those who pitch in.

For a number of reasons, I don't coach my kids.  Not the least of which is that they don't respond well to me on their side of the field.  That leaves me as one of the parents who turns up every week to cheer on the kids.

We should feel privileged that our children are still excited about us coming out, game after game, to watch them play.  Every week, they practice, play, and bond with their teammates - each member bringing something different to the group.  In houseleague, it's always a special bunch of kids with a wide range of talents.  You've got some with remarkable skill, you've got some with astounding tenacity, you've got some with incredible empathy, you've got some with fantastic humour, and, unquestionably, every kid that's out there has heart.  They are there because it's how they want to spend their time.

The beauty of houseleague is that it is all about the spirit of the game.  And everyone gets a chance to play.

So when your season is winding down, and the team that has been playing together for months is heading into the playoffs, nothing should change.  Not expectations, not positions, and certainly not playing time.

The danger in getting caught up in playing to win is that equal playing time goes out the window.  And don't think for a second that those kids that are now spending their time warming the bench don't notice.  Those are the kids that are 'on the bubble' about whether to return next year.  Let them finish off this season on a high note.  Whether it's a win or not, let them know that they have contributed as much as everyone else has.  Let the team enjoy a season of playing, having fun, and learning good sportsmanship on and off the field.  Let them all want to return to do it again next year.

It is our job to model fairness.  It's our job to make sure that our kids know that trying their best, making new friends, being generous with praise, improving their skills, and showing respect for both their own team and the others is what is important.  Winning is just a bonus.

Not everyone can win.  But, for darn sure, everyone should have fun trying.

Juliana and her Dad.

I had the most beautiful cuddle with Juliana tonight.

We lay in her bed talking about dads.  Mine and hers.

After a quiet moment of reflection she reached over me, opened her bedside drawer, and said "Mommy, I'm going to keep this picture forever."

And then: "Mommy, why does Daddy have an afro?  Or is it a Bumpit?"

Cabin fever.

Today it rained.  Buckets and buckets.

By mid-day, it was time to make our own fun.

When the webcam finally ran out of film, I decided that we would all speak with an echo for the rest-est-est of the day-day-day.

Juliana pretty much removed herself from the whole situation - first by ignoring me and then by leaving the room.

Sheldon, on the other hand, was annoyed.  Like really annoyed.  But, unfortunately for him, it was the kind of annoyed that right when he was close to losing it he'd start to laugh.  And that, my friends, is what I love about these sorts of games.  It makes me want to play even more!!  I'd let some non-echo time pass, and then when he'd come and ask for something (usually a snack) and I'd only let him have it if he asked with his echo voice.   Did you know what a 14-year old using an echo voice against his will looks like?  It's funny.

Needless to say after all of our rainy day activities we all needed quiet time (read:  a nap).

Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow.  I don't think I can keep up the rainy day pace-ace-ace.



  

Birthday luck.

Today is the day that Peter becomes the same age as me.  At least for a little while.

Happy Birthday to my love.

And remember honey - not everyone is lucky enough to be married to someone like me.  Someone who can buy you everything that you could possibly want for your birthday.  Someone who can do it all with one stop shopping.  At the grocery store.  Two hours before you're due home.

Yup.  You've won the lottery.

xoxo

Camping skills for kids.

Eating applesauce without a spoon.

A skill worth learning if you're on dish duty - one less utensil to wash, dry and put away.

Mike.

On our camping trip we discovered a guy on the highway selling firewood so we gave him our business.

With each purchase, we got one of these:

"Oh, hey, that's great", said Peter after the first visit, "a coaster."  

Mike thought that was funny.  Because it's actually a business card.

If you need firewood, give Mike a call.  Or drop by.

Oh, Mike.  I think you're better off relying on word of mouth.  Or a new marketing guy.

Meanwhile, I hope my cold beer doesn't smudge your info.....

Camping Hot.

"My pillow is soaked and I can't get up because there are pools of sweat in my eyes." (Juliana - Thursday, July 21st, 8:30 a.m.)

We had been camping on the shores of Lake Huron since Tuesday.

It was supposed to be a relaxing week at the beach - reading, biking, eating, hiking, and sleeping.

We just hadn't planned on a heat wave.

What can you do?  We rolled with it.  We did the slow march down to the beach several times a day, spending hours in the waves cooling off. On Thursday, when the news talked of a heat alert, we drove (ever so slowly with the van's A/C on full) to the grocery store.  I think we needed 5 or 6 things.  But we walked (again, ever so slowly) down each and every aisle.  We shopped slow and we paid slow.

Then we returned to the beach to swim away our sweaty crankiness.

That night we had a campfire but we all sat r-e-a-l-l-y far back because there was too much heat from the flames.  (Although the heat didn't stop us from roasting the world's largest marshmallows for our s'mores.)

By Friday the humidity began to break a little and the pools of sweat on our eyeballs disappeared.  We biked to the store and back for ice cream, we fought for time in the hammock, we swam and played more games of frisbee in the water than I can count.  We sat in the shade doing crossword puzzles.  We napped.  We visited the local Flea Market on Sunday and bought sunglasses, books, beer nuts, and an overpriced fuzzy-worm-thing that does tricks.  (Well it did tricks when the guy was demonstrating.  Unfortunately Wormy isn't so obedient for Juliana.)

Surprisingly to many, myself included, I totally loved the biking.  (My bum thought otherwise for a few days but, whatever....)  This was the trip that Juliana became a full fledged off-road cyclist.  If she wasn't in the water then the chances were good that she was trying to find someone (mostly her good sport brother) to do some bicycle exploration with her.  She had many trips to the camp store with Peter and she convinced me to come out on the 18 km bike trail that Peter had taken the kids on earlier in the week.  And they all were right - I had a blast!

  And the sunsets, Jennifer.  Don't forget about the sunsets.

Every night after dinner we would head back to the beach, sometimes for a swim and sometimes not, just to watch that gorgeous, hot sun go down.  A slice of heaven is what that beach became at 9:00 every evening.

Near the end of the week we had a cloudy night but we all trudged to the water anyway.  The air was starting to cool off but the lake still felt warm.  We watched the rain approaching from the distance and then, as it arrived, we swam, exhilarated, under the gigantic raindrops hitting the water.  Walking back to the campsite in the pouring rain I felt like a kid again.  Juliana and I lingered, dripping wet in our bathing suits, barefoot in the puddles, laughing as the rain beat down on us.  It was definitely the highlight of the week for me.

As the temperature dropped a few degrees and the nights became easier to sleep we were able to enjoy the rest of our relaxing week.

Thanks to Lake Huron for the memories.  We miss you already.