Hey folks! If you've been following my writing journey on blogspot, then first, thank you. Secondly, I'm going to start dedicating this blogspot blog more to just personal things. If you love my kids as much as I do, then stay right where you are. If you want to mostly follow my writing journey, find out about new releases, listen to me rant and rave and go and on and on about writing, read my flash fiction entries, then head on over to http://laurengreenewrites.com and follow me there! Ideally, I'd like it if you followed both pages, because that'd be cool and all. Secondly, and the last piece of "writing" related work I'm posting on blogspot is this. I'm judging a flash fiction contest today over on http://alissaleonard.blogspot.com/2015/02/finish-that-thought-2-33.html. Go enter so I have someone to judge! This weekend was full of gymnastics. Number One had his first meet since he injured his shoulder. He did well, but he didn't place in the top three overall (crazy from where we were last year). His best score was on pommels/mushroom with a 10.0, which was 2nd place. I'll leave you with this little video, so you can bask in his success as much as I do.
Last night, Number One had a private lesson at gymnastics. He's a level 5 gymnast, but he dislocated his shoulder at the beginning of the year. He's preparing for his first meet of the season this weekend. His coach looked at me last night and said, "You know, all he needs is the confidence. He has such a natural ability, but hedoubts it."
And it got me thinking about, because I have a natural ability to write or at least an inclination to do so, but I doubt how good I am ALL THE TIME. I doubt people will want to read my stuff. I read a great blog with lots of colorful language over at Terrible Minds yesterday, and it really made me think about how we all seem to beat ourselves up and put ourselves down and be our worst critic. And it's stupid. Chuck is right, we do it so we don't have to succeed or push ourselves, or work HARD for something that's supposed to be natural. But guess what folks? It takes working hard to be good and to achieve your goals, even if you are a natural.
My son, at the age of ten, knows that he has to work the high bars over and over again to get his kip. He knows he needs to swing his legs around the mushroom a million times to perfect his spindle and his flares. But, even he, has doubt. Doubt is natural too. Work hard for what you want, even if you are a natural. And if you're not a natural, then work harder and you'll get there. It's determination and hard work that helps you succeed.
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I haven't written in four days, because this weekend was busy and I just had more important things to do, like enjoy my life! Seriously, what a glorious weekend! I couldn't ask for a better one. I love 'Bama in the Spring time...except the allergies of course.
Most of you who connect with me on Facebook know that Number One came in 2nd at the Alabama State Men's Gymnastics' Meet! I was super proud. He had a goal, and he achieved it. All week long he said, "I'm going to place in the top three, in at least one event, and he did! That's my boy! So SO proud of him.
On Sunday, we went to my Mom and Dad's house to enjoy the 70 degree weather. We had a bonfire with all of the fallen branches on my parent's land, and the boys roasted their hot dogs over the fire, as well as s'mores. Before we left to go over there, Number Two kept saying, "I can't wait to eat Smurfs!" Hubby and I laughed about that all day, and we've now decided to call S'mores Smurfs instead...on a permanent basis. Who doesn't love to eat little blue men?
Here Number Two is running from the fire. He actually was not scared, believe it or not. He was running to go get a plate for his hot dog!
Darling Daughter was not too fond of the fire. She would have run like this, but she walked away from me so fast saying, "I want to go home," that I didn't get a photo of her! My sweet niece cajoled her back, and we stood far enough away that she was not scared. Here she and I are, feeling a little bit better about the situation!
What a fun, beautiful weekend. I wish every weekend could be as good, filled with joy, fun and family!
This weekend, we all hopped in the car and went down to Panama City Beach for the Winter on the Beach gymnastics' meet. Originally, only Number One and I were going to go, but I convinced Hubby it would be a fun family trip, and we all went.
So what did we do there? We ate A LOT. We spent A LOT of money. We had a FANTASTIC time.
We arrived around noon on Saturday, and we ate at Back Porch at Pier Park. Panama City has grown up a lot since I last visited. The last time I went was in college, so you know I wasn't so interested in the touristy aspect of the city. In fact, I don't remember much of that trip and that parts I do remember are too wild to be shared!
After lunch, the kids wanted to go down to the beach. We took a detour and paid $9 to walk down a pier first. Everything cost in Panama City Beach. Everything is some what of a rip-off. Once you realize that, you just pay and don't worry about it (until you get home and realize how much money you've spent!).
Then we went down to the beach, and the kids just could not help themselves. They ran right into the water, even though the outside temperature was 60 degrees, and the water was freezing!
After our romp on the beach, the kids were frozen solid. We stripped them at the car, and we put them in their bathing suits (yes, would have been a good idea to have in our bag to begin with!), and then checked into the hotel.
We all wanted to take a nap, and I did not feel well from eating fried pickles at lunch! (That will teach me to eat fried food!). The kids were slap happy though and too excited to sleep, so Hubby took them to the playground and let me sleep. So nice of him!
That night, we went to dinner at Reggae J's. I had a great grilled shrimp salad, and the service was impeccable. Actually, the service at every restaurant we went to was great. Montgomery waiters/waitresses could learn a few things from their peers in PCB, Florida.
After dinner, we stopped by Kilwin's, a wonderful chocolate shop at Pier Park. We ran into Cara, who used to work at the kid's daycare! She works and lives in Panama City now, and it was a wonderful surprise to see her. We all had homemade ice cream, and I marveled at the chocolate high heels that Cara's boss makes:
After that, we all hit the hay. We're such night owls! The lights were out in the hotel by 8:30!!!
The next day we woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel, then Number One and I headed out to his meet. Hubby took the other two to the playground to enjoy some time with them (there's no way they would sit through the meet!). Number One did okay. He came in 8th All Around.
His scores of the day were as follows:
Floor: 6.6 (usually his best or second best event, but he went out of bounds) -- No Place
Pommel: 6.7 (messed up on mushroom) - No Place
Rings: 9.9 -- Best Event of the Day. Came in 4th.
Vault: 8.0 -- We'll take this after last meet. His form looked great. 7th Place.
P-Bars: 8.9 -- 7th Place
H-Bars: 8.7 -- 7th Place -- Coach Ken said something about him not being as polished on H-Bars this time.
I told Number One he needs to really work on pommel and H-Bars, and he said, "No, I need to work on Rings. It's my favorite!" So funny! The boy knows what he likes, and he excels at what he likes!
After the meet, we met up with Hubby again and enjoyed lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Yum! Then the kids and I went walking around (because they were restless), and we stopped in a t-shirt shop where I spent a fortune on crappy t-shirts, because the guy talked me into it. Hubby says I am a sucker, and he is right!!!
Then we said goodbye to the beach, and by this time all the kids were exhausted, especially Darling Daughter, who hitched a ride on Hubby's shoulders, and I took these priceless photos of her!
I've been slacking in the running department this week. Yesterday, I swore I would wake up today (Friday) and go for a run, and I didn't. Last time I ran I had a horrible shin splint, and I thought I would just rest it. Well, I haven't run since last weekend. It's not like I haven't been active though. I went to Taekwondo on Monday and Tuesday and then kisado on Wednesday. I skipped yesterday and went out to Mexican with the family instead.
I know that with running, I really need to keep it up for my mileage. I was disappointed this week though. I had intentions of signing up for the Shamrock Shuffle. I even blogged about it: Right Here. Well, I double booked. I can't run that day, because Number One's State Meet for gymnastics is that day in Birmingham. It's more important for me to support Number One than to go run a 10K. I think the disappointment led to me making excuses about why I couldn't run this week. I just need to get myself back out there. No excuses, right?
Darling Daughter woke up early this morning too, at 4:45. Right now she's parked in front of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing with her beads and her Mardi Gras money. I told her if she wakes up that early she needs to be quiet so I can write. I have my headphones on, and I'm listening to "Skinny Love," by Bon Iver over and over again. I love this song. There's something about his voice and the pure emotion that emanates from the song that makes me want to listen to this song over and over again. The loss of love, something turning out the opposite way of what you expected, everyone in the world has had those feelings before. I can relate.
Anyway, I totally digressed and this blog is just one big ramble so I'll just keep going with it. Yesterday I tried some of Darling Daughter's summer clothes on her. I went a little crazy buying for her this year, because I haven't bought clothes for her in about a year (or just a few clothes to fill in where we didn't have hand-me-downs). Hubby took this fantastic photo of Darling Daughter and me last night, and I just love it. I never realized how much she and I look alike, but we totally do. Two peas in a pod. My sidekick. My shadow. I love this girl so much.
I think I'm going to end my reckless ramblings and go work on my novel for an hour before it's time to get ready for work, and make it through Friday. I won't be blogging this weekend, because Number One has another meet, and we'll be out town. A Florida meet, so the competition will be even harder than Georgia.
We are smack in the middle of Gymnastics's Meet Season for Number One. The traveling is killing me. I never knew how much sitting in a car and driving places could tire you out. Plus, eating yucky food on the road.
This weekend, Number One and I stayed with my friend Stacy. She and I've been friends since we were four! We used to both take piano lessons at Mrs. Nichols' house. Friends for a lifetime, literally. It's wonderful to have friends like that, who you can leave and come back to and it's like no time has ever past. You're so comfortable with them, they're almost part of your family. I really need to thank Stacy's husband Amir for making sure we had healthy food at their house. And by the way: Number One LOVED the smoothie you made. He talked about it three times on the ride home!
Number One attended the GAA's Men's Invitational in Kennesaw, Georgia. We had to be there at 8 AM on Saturday morning (which is 7 AM our time).
We woke up, and I was just chatting with Stacy in the kitchen, and she says, "When are you going to get Number One up?"
I said, "Oh, I'll give him a little bit longer to sleep."
Then I glanced at the clock and it said 7:15! "Stacy, is that the right time?"
She nodded, and we went into full motion, waking up Number One, throwing on gymnastics's clothes, scarfing down part of a waffle, and then eating mint chocolate chip cookies in the car! My iPhone had not changed over to Eastern time, so when I woke up I thought it was only 6:15!
We made it to the meet at 8:01, and my child who is punctual like I am said, "Mom, I'm late!"
Of course, he wasn't. They were just warming up on the floor. The gym was well lit, and I went upstairs to join the other parents, grab a cup of coffee from the concession stand, and watch Number One compete.
Number One and the United Boy's Team before the competition at the GAA Men's Invitational
He did well, but the competition was fierce, and I think he was still weak from strep the week before and from going to Nashville and missing a few days in the gym. Coach Ken was super proud of him though, and so was I.
Here are his scores for the day:
Floor: 9.3 -- 4th overall (and I don't really have a video for this, because I didn't know he had started! This was his best place of the day).
Pommel: 8.2 -- 8th overall (proud of this, as pommel horse is usually his weakest!)
Vault: 8.2 -- did not place. He did a flip on vault, and then started crying. It was heartbreaking for me, but he sat up, stuck his arm in the air, looked at the judge, and sucked it up until he joined his group. Ken said it was his proudest moment of the meet, because Number One showed integrity and sportsmanship, even though he was upset with himself, and he scored better than we thought he would.
Rings: 8.3 -- tied for 6th with another child on his team.
P Bars: 8.6 -- did not place
H-Bars: 9.7 -- did not place. I looked at the list, and he came in 10th with that high of a score. Like I said, fierce competition. A child on his team took 1st in this event though!
He came in 8th all around, and I was so proud of him. Afterwards, we went out to eat Chinese with Stacy and her son, and then saw Frankenweenie at the $1 theater. Then Number One fell into bed around 6 PM and slept until 7 the next morning. He was worn out!
I just spent half an hour searching the house for my iPhone headphones. Half an hour. My guess is that one of the little people who live with me has taken them. I used to have two sets, so if one was misplaced (as is often the case in the disorganized world I live in) I'd have the other pair to wear.
I finally decided it was getting too late in the morning to run and that looking for my headphones was not productive. I needed them, because I'm doing this training program on RunKeeper and today I was supposed to do an 8x1 run: 1 minute Steady then 1.30 minutes Slow, Repeat 8 times for a total of 20 minutes. I needed RunKeeper to tell me when to slow and when to go "steady." I'm going to have to search the kids' rooms tonight, find my headphones, and then run. I have to stay on my schedule. It's my goal for the New Year.
One of my co-workers told me about a Kid's Marathon that W K Upchurch is sponsoring near us. I went on the website yesterday, and I registered Number One (without asking him--how's that for parenting?). I think this is such a great idea to get kids active. They run or walk the first 25 miles on their own, leading up to the race day. There's a sheet that can be printed off and filled in to show they've completed their 25 miles. On race day, they (along with one parent) run the remaining 1.2 miles. They receive a medal and the satisfaction of knowing that they've "completed" a marathon. Such a great idea!!! I'm excited to take Number One out running with me now.
And speaking of Number One: He finally received his ultra-expensive gymnastics's uniform, and boy was he proud of himself! He claims this is a Level 5 uniform. He's a Level 4, but his coach says he will definitely move up after this season. He can pretty much already do the back handspring. He's just perfecting it.
And yes, the muscle pose is his typical pose. So proud of my guy and how far he has come over the last year. He's really found his motivation, and has made himself happier. When you have a challenging child, you always worry about their mental well being. I'm starting to worry less and less about Number One, as I see him dedicate his life to a sport he loves, making good grades, and starting to make the right choices. He's found his passion in life. I'm just wondering how the 8 years passed by so fast.
I remember when he was 6 months old telling my Mom I couldn't believe how fast the time went by, and she laughed at me and said, "You'll be saying that in a minute, but he'll be 20." And she's right. Time moves too quickly to waste even a minute of it not doing what you love. I've realized that this year, and I've poured my heart back into writing.
Number One has always been full of energy. He started crawling early, and he seems to move all the time, even in his sleep.
In February, he asked to do gymnastics again. He had gone when he was little, and he had gone over a few summers at daycare, and he just really enjoyed it. I thought, sure, why not? An hour gymnastics class, once a week.
Over the summer he was picked for the boy's team. He now attends gymnastics 6 hours a week. He has done really well with it, and it gives him a place to channel his energy.
This past weekend, we took him up to Pelham for his first meet, the Get A Grip meet, and he came in third all around for his age group. Here are a few photos and videos of our day!
He scored an 9.0 on the Rings.
Caden scored an 8.3 on the High Bar.
Caden scored 8.4 on the floor, and he came in 2nd place.
