Summer Chillin'

Good morning everyone. Only about a week and a half before school starts so we're making the most of the little Summer we've got left. My work schedule adjusted this week to having Thursday off (which should be my weekday-off till October till Mia's soccer season completes. During the week, we made an attempt to get some shoes at the Journey's down the road from our house at the mall. Mia tried on a pair of Vans with kitty mermaids on her sneakers. Didn't like how tight they were on the bridge of her foot. Tried on a pair of mermaid Chuck Taylors. Wasn't a huge fan of how they felt on her ankle because she was wearing a shorter sock. Dammit.

I had not one, not two but THREE art lessons on Thursday. I added a 3rd student, Gigi. My 2nd student's little sister. She's a fun kid that loves to draw. Micah did a great job with her Hermione sketch as well as Gigi did with her grape drawings. I met up with to grab some lunch and we went to my 3rd lesson of the day with Ella. We tackled a tricky sketch of Hagrid, but she nailed it. She's always willing to learn new and challenging mediums and techniques which is amazing. After the lesson, Mia and I went to the Journeys Kidz store at Mayfair in attempt to find some sneakers. Tried a few similar pairs from the other store, wasn't a fan. Just as we were about to leave, she was eyeing up a pair of Doc Martens. She tried a pair that were on clearance and we ended up getting them. She loves these boots, but they weren't sneakers. She NEEDED sneakers. We stopped at Payless and she picked up a cheaper pair for everyday use and gym class. Note to self: Go to Payless next year. Lucky little diva picking up a pair of boots. Good thing I'm pulling in some extra cash doing art lessons :)

Later, we had our 1st team practice for the season. Last year, we were very lucky to have the entire field to ourselves. This season, we're sharing. There were at least 3 other teams across the back field including a much older group on our field. Luckily, they shared it and we were fine. Met all the parents and players and overall, we had a solid first practice. The kids learned proper passing techniques, dribbling, shooting and how to do a throw-in. Already these kids are starting better than my team last season. The majority of my team have played before with the exception of one 1st grader. I received an email a few hours before practice of an extra player to be added. She couldn't make the practice but we'll meet with her next week. Hopefully we can get a scrimmage in. Mia's proudest moment of the day was her booting the ball over the keeper's head and in the net. She's literally told everyone she knows about it. Even yesterday when she went ice skating with her BFF and teammate Cecilia. "CAN YOU BELIEVE I SHOT IT OVER HER HEAD??!" That reminds me, we have a very ambitious and solid player who would like to play keeper this season. I'll probably use the same strategy that I did last season: Play the keeper for one half and switch her out on the field the 2nd half.

As mentioned earlier, Saturday, Mia hung out with Cecilia for the day at the Petit. Both girls really wanted to go ice skating so her Dad dropped her off and we did some open skating. The girls had a blast. They also made some gummy worms/bears with Jill and loved mixing the colors.

Today, I'm watching the Chelsea game while Jill travels to Illinois for a baby shower. Work later. Blah. That's about it for now. This week, Mia's got open house to meet the already familiar 2nd grade teacher, and we've got our 2nd practice for the New Berlin Cheetahs. Thanks for reading!

Kick IT!

Another busy week in the books. August is truly flying by. This week, I started two art lessons with two different students. Both just happen to be friends. I did a 2 hour lesson with Micah, a sorta shy, but very open artist. We drew a warmup sketch of a strawberry, and moved onto the Sorting Hat. Yeah, she's a major Harry Potter fan like Ella. She did a great job with both and was really proud of her work. It's just amazing to see pride in your art, so I was stoked to see that in Micah. Later, I met up with Ella and we did a very tricky Dobby sketch in pen with some color pencil for eyes. Her first mixed media piece. It was a difficult challenge but she nailed it. I believe we're doing Hagrid for the next sketch.

Later, Mia and I met up with Cecilia and her Dad for the NBAA soccer coaches meeting. We got our roster, equipment and team shirts, and info for the season. Mia and Cecilia will be sporting yellow kits this season. I was glad we got anything but pink since we had that last season. Our roster is very even. 4 2nd graders, 4 1st graders. Myself and Cecilia's Dad are looking forward to starting this week with the kids. Both girls immediately grabbed their shirts with preferred numbers and ran out kicking a ball around. Love the enthusiasm. They played a bit on the playground and we eventually had to say goodbye.

Friday night, Mia and Jill made a cute plushie fox. Not an easy thing to make but the end result is pretty cute. Saturday, Jill and I watched Chelsea beat the Gunners 3-2. Solid game but we let them back in. Gotta work on our defense. Later, we did some cleaning, met up with Mia's cousins Easton and Cam and aunt and uncle Ashley and Andy at the park. Warm day out, but the kids had fun. Mia did some tricky hula-hooping. I've never seen her do that well at hula hooping so it was pretty cute. We tried Mechi's frozen yogurt for the first time. Very tasty.

Later, we cut some grass, Mia played outside and we made some tacos. Today, they left early in the day to help uncle Tommy move into his new condo. I've been working on graphic design stuff before head off to work. This week I've got more art lessons, Mia's got Picture Day and we've got our first practice. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Reunited At Last

Good afternoon everyone. Back to work this week and it's been hell. Boss has been gone so like usual, everything has been lousy. Mia got to hang out with long time friends Gracie and Hannah on Tuesday. It was a warm day at the park but the kids had fun. Always nice catching up with them and their Mom. I think Mia would like to hang with Hannah one-on-one some time. Their Mom can't wait for the girls to start school again, which I can totally relate at times. Wish the girls had more time to hang out together. Summer just goes so fast.

Wednesday was art lesson day with Ella. We drew a jellyfish with pencils on toned paper. We didn't get to finish it, but she totally got the concept and I look forward to seeing how hers turned out. She is such a fantastic artist and wants to tackle another Harry Potter-themed lesson this week. I may be adding another kid to my art lesson schedule so we'll have to see if/when that happens.

I spent a lot of time video-editing our recent trip. I think it turned out pretty good. Wish at moments I would have done more video work. Still have to show both sets of our parents.

Saturday, we didn't do too much. The first Premier League matches for the season started so I watched Chelsea beat Huddersfield 3-0. Great match and awesome to see our new keeper in action.  Jill had to photograph her brother's friend's baby at the studio. We had Noodles later and watched some of a movie before Mia got tired. Today, they went to Illinois to help her friend Jacqui unpack so I had a few hours to myself to clean before I went to work.

This week, I have some graphic design work to accomplish, more photo editing, art lesson and I have the coaches meeting this Wednesday for Mia's team. We'll get the roster, schedule, "jerseys" and equipment for the season. Should be an exciting 2nd season of rec soccer. Mia's super excited to start, but I still need to do some work with her skills.

That's all for now thanks for reading!

Tea for 5

Greetings everyone. Well, we're all back to work officially post-vacation. Jill's been back since we got back into WI, and I finally returned to work today. Ugh. The time off was so nice and enjoyable and unfortunately, I don't think I got to enjoy the post-vacation off time. Let's get into that..

Throughout the week, I've been tutoring my awesome 7th grade student Ella (who's doing AMAZING by the way) and have been here and there picking up some school supplies for Mia. She did a bit of back-to-school clothing shopping as well. Always a bit tricky because she hates pants but she did find a pair that are comfy enough to wear this year. We also had to take a visit to Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up some new cleats. Her beloved black/pink Adidas cleats outgrew her, so she picked out some black/neon yellow Nike boots for the season. Just like she used to do when she was a tiny toddler. She used to try on random boots and dribble soccer balls around the aisles. After she laced her new boots up, we found a ball and she got some kicks in. With some great powerful passes to me, she was pleasantly pleased with these boots so we paid and were on our way.

Friday, Mia went clothing shopping with my Mom and than later had a tea party with her friends Noelle, Katelyn and their sisters. Great fun playing and eating little treats! These kids always have the best time pretending to run a bakery, a kitchen, etc.

Saturday, we packed up the car and went to Steven's Point. Jill helped her friend and former roommate Willa photograph a wedding. We got to hang out and catch up with her and her family. Mia enjoyed spending time with their 11 year old kiddo Hanna. She's a tween alright, but super sweet and enjoyed playing with Mia. Sunday, we did breakfast and went to Sculpture Park checking out all the fun contraptions and creations. We said our goodbyes and made the drive back home. Later, had dinner with Jill's parents for the evening.

This week, play date tomorrow with long time friends Hannah and Gracie, I've got a tutoring lesson on Wednesday and hopefully enjoy what we can of the week.  Premier League officially starts this week. Chelsea needs to kick it into high gear and start the season off winning!

That's all for now, thanks for reading!