Guido's Birthday
Yesterday was Guido's birthday. The day before, while he was out pulling weeds, Scooter, Fluffy and I left a Happy Birthday song on his voice mail at work so he would be greeted first thing in the morning (he goes in at 5:30 and no one in the house was going to actually wake up and wish him a happy birthday that early).

After work Scooter had soccer practice and Guido had to coach Fluffy's softball game. So I got some cupcakes, picked up Scooter after soccer, and we raced over for the end of Fluffy's game. The team sang Happy Birthday and embarrassed Guido in exchange for chocolate cupcakes. Then we went to Coyote Cantina for dinner.

We got home just in time for the magician (Scooter) and clown (Fluffy) to give presents to Guido before they went to bed. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good birthday considering it was such a busy day.

Scooter's birthday is in five days.

Creme de la Creme
Region 14's U12 select boys & girls...

Soccer Star
Yay! I finally figured out how to add photos to my blog.

Here's my Scooter!

And here's the team:

Now I need to figure out how to make them all the same size...

F.O.R. Tournament
Instead of another Scooter soccer tournament, this weekend was taken up by Fluffy's basketball tournament. Although her team played in a couple of tournaments last summer, this is the first time there was an actual scoreboard, and they played to place. We squeaked by the Dolphins and beat the Butterflies on Saturday. Sunday was against the dreaded Monarchs for first place. Their coach is pretty harsh, and the parents accept that as the price of being a winning team. (I definitely would have a problem with a coach yelling at my kids that way.) The result is that they are really good. This weekend, our girls played the best they have ever played, but the Monarchs were prepared for every scenario, such as getting up from the floor with the ball without being called for travelling. Luckily, we scored a few baskets and it wasn't a total shutout. We took second place overall for our age bracket. Pretty good, huh? The girls had a good time, which is all that matters.

I knew F.O.R. stood for Friends of Richard, but I always wondered Richard who, and why? Apparently, this guy Richard died in 1959 when he was 18 years old, and his friends and family started a sports program in his name. Kind of sad, and very impressive.

Cottontail Country Classic
Spent yet another weekend watching soccer. The Cottontail Country Classic was held in Diamond Bar. Arsenal began with a strong start, winning their first game 7-0 over Rancho Cucamonga. Fluffy and I got there just as they scored their sixth goal. I thought I saw John shoot the ball into the net, but there was no cheering. In fact, the coach was yelling at the boys to NOT score, to lessen the humiliation of the other team. It was comical watching them trying not to score. If that’s hard to imagine, picture this: their goalie went for a drop kick – he dropped the ball, swung his foot, and completely missed the ball.

The next game was tougher, with Arsenal winning 2-1 over Walnut. And it was downhill from there. They lost their third game 2-4 to Pacific Palisades. They did make it to the semifinals, and they got clobbered 0-5 by Diamond Bar.

I don’t know enough about soccer to know when the calls are bad, but I’ve heard more than once that the referees already know whom they want to win. Sometimes it’s hard not to believe that. I was looking at results from past tournaments. Is it just a coincidence that San Pedro took 1st place in most divisions in the tournament they hosted last year? Same for the Turkey and Hi-5 tournaments. Then there are the teams who want to win at all costs, like the Hawthorne team that got disqualified for entering non-AYSO players. I feel sorry for the rest of the players, but you have to wonder if the rest of the team was in on it. The kids all know each other; how can they NOT notice when someone who hasn’t played in their region is suddenly on their select team? That’s one thing about West Torrance – we go overboard in niceness and playing by the rules, and the kids end up being a little too polite to compete with some of the rougher, dirtier teams. But that’s okay. I like that our kids are nice.

Spring Tent Camp at Leo Carillo
Camped with the Cheyenne Nation at Leo Carillo State Park this weekend. The kids were on spring break all week, and Guido & I both took vacation so we could head out there early. We were the first ones from our tribe there. The Hardgroves arrived a couple of hours later, followed by the Whites and the Bennetts. The Yuengers came on Saturday.

We were at the very tip of the loop, farthest camp in from the road. The bathrooms were close by, and so was the amphitheatre where the entire nation gathered for campfire, as well as the creek.

The Coyotes hosted a family version of The Amazing Race. They had us running back and forth between camp and the beach, and up and down the beach, performing tasks and getting clues. The kids loved it, and the parents were ready to collapse. Looking back it was fun, but it was torture when we were in the midst of it.

The kids were supposed to have at least one adult with them, and Scooter’s group consisted of him, Andrew and Alex. When I told him they needed an adult, he said, “We have Andrew. He’s our adult.” And I went screaming down the beach after him, “Whaddaya mean, he’s in sixth grade, he’s just one year older than you!” And he ran off laughing. He had a good time.

The weather was great, not too cold and not too hot. During the day the kids played in the creek and tossed around nerfootballs. At night, we burned marshmallows in our fire pit. At the end of camp, Lauren & Fluffy handed out Rainbow Nerds to all the kids in the nation (and some Nerd-loving parents, too).

It was a great camp, and our last as Rainbow Maidens. I love the family tent camps. I’m sure we’ll have fun in Trailblazers, but it’s sad to see the end of this group as we know it, and sadder knowing it marks the growing up of our kids.

Kidland
Fluffy and Scooter are a constant source of amusement to me. It probably doesn't mean anything to anyone else, but it just tickled me when Scooter was complaining about something at camp and Fluffy said to him, "You're supposed to be enjoying the Great Outdoors! It might not be great, but you're still outdoors!"

Then she started telling me about Kidland, where kids can do whatever they want and they don't have to brush their teeth. No adults are allowed, except me and Janet, because I'm nice and Thea might start to miss Janet after a while.

They really live in a totally different world from us. I want to go there.

Baby Scooter
We were at home one day and Scooter came up to me and asked in a sad, little voice, "Mom, will you play with me?"

I wonder how much longer I'll hear that. It's nice to know that they need me for more than just food, clean clothes and money.

Founders Cup
Enjoyed another weekend of tournament soccer. This time it was the Founders Cup in San Pedro. The weather was pleasant, and the games were awesome. Scooter scored his first goal of this select season. I'm not sure if he was trying to score, but it was a sight to behold. He hooked the ball with his foot, and it lobbed over the goalie's head and right into the net. I was screaming like a maniac because "that's my kid who just scored!" I was thrilled for Scooter, not just because he scored. He looked so happy, with his teammates cheering around him, high-fiving him, and slapping him on the back. I wish he could experience that kind of joy more often. I know it was a great boost to his confidence and sense of self-worth. He's been playing better and better, but this was just the thing he needed to make him realize that he IS a good player and can score just like everyone else on the team.

Our last three games were played at the Field of Dreams. That is a nice field. No lights, but the ground is flat and grassy and there are no gopher holes or sprinkler heads (how do they keep it so green?). The view is pretty spectacular, too, considering it's San Pedro. It was a great weekend!

The team ended up in 3rd/4th place (it's weird how they figure it out):
4-0 win over Rancho Cucamonga
1-3 loss to Ontario
3-1 win over Palos Verdes (Scooter scored!)
4-2 win over Walnut in overtime (quarterfinal)
1-4 loss to North Torrance (semifinal)
2nd place in pool play, 3rd place overall

Other tournaments we've played so far:

*Turkey Tournament (hosted by North Torrance) - 4th place overall

*Christmas Classic (hosted by West Torrance) - 3rd place overall (correction by Scooter)

*Hi-5 New Year's Day Tournament (hosted by Fountain Valley)

*Grape Stomp (hosted by Rancho Cucamonga) - 3rd place overall
4-2 win over Chino
2-2 with Culver City
2-3 loss to Ventura
3-1 win over South Torrance
2nd place in pool play

Upcoming tournaments:
*Cottontail Country Classic (hosted by Diamond Bar)
*Spring Fling (hosted by Walnut)
*Top Gun (hosted by Miramar)
*San Pedro Classic (hosted by San Pedro)

Scooter's Going to Top Gun!!
more to come...

Three Funerals & No Wedding
Fluffy commented the other day, "Do you know that I've already been to three funerals and not one wedding? Why is that?"

Wow, that's really sad. I guess we're so old that no one's getting married and they're all starting to die off?

Granny Vest
Lisa bought me a Liz Claiborne vest a long time ago. I never wore it because I never had anything to match it. It's knitted, with rows in various light, country-kitchen pastel colors. I finally wore it a few weeks ago with a plain white shirt and jeans. I asked Fluffy afterward if she thought it looked nice, and she said, "Well, it's okay..." And I asked what she really thought, and she said it was kind of grandma-like.

Sorry, Auntie Lisa, but I think it's going back in the closet for another 20 years.

Go Scooter!
The jogathon was last week Friday. Fluffy asked Scooter if he heard her cheering for him when it was his grade's turn. That's so cute. They fight like crazy, but they still come out to support each other.

More Insurance
I had this really weird dream the other night. Scooter, Fluffy & I were in a hotel in New York, way up on one of the higher floors. We had a really nice suite; in fact, it looked like an apartment. Anyway, we were watching our big screen TV when all of a sudden there was a loud, long, thunderlike noise. Then there was a big flash of blue light that came in through the edges around the front door. We looked out the big picture-window glass walls and saw all these planes flying really low over the city. Kind of reminiscent of 9/11, but the planes looked like old Japanese war planes. In my dream, I thought, WWIII? I told my kids to put on their shoes,and grab a few things for me to throw in a backpack. I was telling them to make sure they tied their shoelaces tight so their shoes wouldn't fall off when we ran, and things like that. (they wear their shoes so loose that they always fly off their feet when they run)

I woke up suddenly and thought, I need to make an earthquake kit. After all these years in SoCal and we still don't have any back-ups for an emergency. We have a kit for each kid at school and at the Y, and it seems so redudant to store so much food and water that we'll toss out at the end of the year, and clothes that won't fit when we finally get them back. To store another bag full of food, water and clothes seems like such a waste. But the alternative... I guess it's just another form of insurance.

My Gifted Children
Had our parent teacher conferences for both kids. Scooter's was the same as usual. Above average, but not stellar. Kinda shy and a little lazy. Has potential. Gee, sounds like me when I was a kid. Probably what they say about most kids. Fluffy on the other hand has her teacher confused. She's lazy on certain projects; then she turns around and writes three pages when the teacher asks for one paragraph. Teacher thinks Fluffy might be bored. She said she's within the top two or three in the class, but she's not sure if she's gifted or just high-achieving. High-achieving? My kid? Ha ha ha ha ha! Anyway, now Guido is hot to have her tested (when has he NOT asked about having the kids tested?) for GATE, which really is a moot point since there's no money in the budget for a GATE program.

So I kind of gave Fluffy the gist of the conversation, and now she is on a roll to prove how smart she really is. So cute.

I also think Scooter is a lot smarter than he lets on. Sometimes I think he's afraid to shine I don't know why. Kind of a fear of success. That, and laziness. After all, look at his parents.

Or maybe he really isn't that smart. After all, he did set the microwave on fire.

Honor the Dead Possum
I was backing out of the driveway to take the kids to school and go to work. As I got to the bottom of the driveway and onto the street, I looked out my window and right there next to my door on the road was a huge dead possum. Naturally, I screamed, and the kids scrambled over each other to try and see it. Fluffy started rambling about how "we need to have a funeral to honor the dead possum, and all the possums will come and they'll get run over, and we'll have more funerals to honor those dead possums, and more possums will come and they'll get run over, and it's going to be really hard to drive with all these dead possums on the road." She is so weird.

Rancho Cucamonga Grape Stomp
Spent the weekend in Cucamonga at a soccer tournament (yes, it's as far is it sounds). It was raining HARD the first day. This is one of those that's bad no that's good things that Fluffy likes to do. Scooter had a fairly early morning game. It was raining really hard, but they didn't call it off. (that's bad) About halfway there, our car started to break down. We had to come back home and get our other car and Scooter missed the entire game. (that's good because he didn't have to play in the rain) We had a break, so we went looking for lunch and couldn't find the pizza place where everyone was meeting. That's bad. No, that's good, because we ended up with another family at their in-laws' house and had a much better time than we would have had at the pizza place. We watched Napoleon Dynamite, and now we all talk like him.

The afternoon game was a little drizzly and cold, but not nearly as bad as the morning game.

The next day was much nicer. Fluffy caught a ladybug and whenever she put it on the ground, Guido or I would accidentally step on it, and Fluffy would have to rescue it again. It was a pretty tough ladybug. We ended up having a funeral for it.

Arsenal played on the opposite field which was right next to a big, grassy hill. And you know what you have to do when there's a big, grassy hill - you HAVE to slide down the hill. Fluffy was having a blast rolling down the hill, so I finally joined her and we slid down on our rain jackets. I'm sure I looked like an idiot. I was the ONLY parent doing it. When the boys were done with their game, they all slid down the hill until they got yelled at by their parents. Then I felt really bad for being such a bad influence. But not that bad, because Fluffy and I had fun.

Arsenal took third place overall and got medals. Some of their games were brutal, and even when they lost and tied, those were the best games they ever played.

I LOVE WATCHING SCOOTER'S SOCCER!

Mom Dilemma
In my monthly Drumbeats article, I wrote, in part "...Busy as we are with Olympics, Ice Dogs hockey and our upcoming Mall Rat Scavenger Hunt, we added another monthly Rainbow get-together – Potlatch Parties! Although Nikki’s potlatch idea never really took off...it did launch an interest among the girls...Jax drew pictures, Lor made a birthday card for her teacher, Fluffy made paper crowns, while Jo attached patches to her vest, Vi knitted a poncho, and I cut out tiny paper doll clothes. It was a great way to wind down from the busy weekend, help our kids with their projects, enjoy grown-up company, and get a few tasks out of the way at the same time. Efficiency and satisfaction rates are high this month..."

Whenever moms say they are too busy to join us and people ask how we have time to do all these things, that's how. We just squeeze 'em in wherever we can.

Our stay-at-home counterparts think we're neglectful of our children and selfish for putting our careers first. Pfft! What career? It's a job, a means to an end, the "end" being food, clothing and shelter. Oh yeah, and saving for my kids' college education. On top of my "day job," I cook, clean the house, do the laundry; I've sewn Halloween costumes, baked cupcakes for the class on the kids' birthdays, cooked for their school potlucks; I've been soccer team mom, basketball team mom, room mom, banner maker, party planner; I've read to them since before they were born; I check their homework; I go to all their games and most practices; we ride bikes together, play tennis, picnic, do science experiments, play with Legos & Barbies, cook, sing, and talk about everything; I take them to school every morning and I kiss them goodnight, every night. I still wish I could spend more time with them!

It's true, I don't have time to volunteer at school on a daily basis. I haven't created elaborate scrapbooks for future reference. My house isn't very clean, and my cooking skills suck. When my kids are grown and off on their own, it won't be the memory of a clean house or a really good pot roast that makes us smile. I hope we'll have much more than that. And we won't have to look at a scrapbook to remind us of the good times we shared; the memories will be forever etched in our hearts and minds.

Drinking Air
I love the way Scooter and Fluffy describe things. We had this really GOOD Italian bottled water (can't remember what it was called, but it must have been expensive since we had it at that extremely overpriced restaurant in Las Vegas). Scooter loved it and was trying to describe it. "It's like drinking something that isn't even there. You can't even feel it going down. It's so smooth. It's like it's invisible!" I love that!

I Can See Your Underwear
Scooter keeps bugging me for boxers. Since I don't have guy parts, I don't really know this, but I figure they should have a little support, especially when you're a kid running and jumping all over the place and all. So we compromised that he could wear them to sleep, but he has to wear regular briefs during the day. He loves wearing them. Loves the freedom and the cool breeze, I guess.

We went to Target to buy more this weekend. He was so embarrassed to be seen with them. He tried to hide them in his jacket. When we got to the checkout, he was all embarrassed again, and the checker, who was young and cute, told him, "Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed," and Scooter was so embarrassed, he practically crawled into the bins we were buying. He's so cute. He runs around the house nekkid, but can't be seen carrying a package of boxers.