Apple of My Irony

Good evening everyone. Been a busy end of September, so let's get right to it. The majority of the week I've been working to get my car situation under control and figured out. Originally they wanted to total it, but I got a call that they want to attempt to fix it and if they can't repair the quarter panel, it'll be considered total. Meanwhile I'll get my rental car this Tuesday and will at least be able to drive legally.

Thursday, I attended recess and lunch with Mia. She was so stoked I joined her and her friends also had fun. They did jump rope at recess so I got to meet a few new friends. Later,  we had practice. The kids were riding high off their big victory, but we still had work to do on space and passing. I had the concept to work on passing between two players with one defender attacking them. We had to set up cones so they didn't cross over and be on top of each other. Sorta worked, but we'll have to work on it at the next practice.

Friday night, I came home to a house full of Jill's friends. Leanne and Jacqui plus Caleb were here. Mia and Caleb tried to sleep in the living room while the other two where in our bed. I slept downstairs the with kids and Jill joined them. Mia couldn't get comfortable so she ended up sleeping on top of me. Great. We woke up early and she got ready for her Picture Day for soccer. Always a hectic event. Had a few late arrivals and a few out of dress but we got them suited up and all the kids looked cute. Then, it was off to the fields!

We got an early lead on the Flamingos with Adalyn getting her 7th goal of the season. Things were looking good. I tried to prep my girls who were going in for subs about space and passing and at the time, they said they got it. The starting lineup was bunching and it was a bit frustrating because we just explained about creating space. The Flamingos got one back and it was 1-1. Damn. The subs went in and we were back in action. Mia was desperately trying to get some chances to score, but kept backing off the ball. Cecilia strangely enough was too at times, which would let them come in on Sofia in goal. Finally, we got our 2nd goal. Adalyn found the net again totaling 8 goals for the season and two for the match. They got one back and it was tied again 2-2 in the 2nd half. Ainslee came off her line trying to kick it instead of pouncing on it and they got it back. Mia had an incredible breakaway shot way too early and wasn't able to pull a goal back for us which would have got us ahead. DAMN. They caught Ainslee out one more time and got the last goal of the game giving us a 2-3 at FT. We were pretty even with them and could have easily got a win if they'd create space and pass more. Mia had a great throw in as well. SO close. Oh well. Much to work on and hopefully everyone will be on the same page. On a positive note, Chelsea beat Liverpool early in the week knocking them out of the Carabaeo Cup and ended up getting a draw Saturday against the Reds. We'll take it. Hazard was a beast in both games.

Later we did apple picking and a corn maze with Jill's crew. They went out to for wine and sushi while I hung out with the kids eating Dominos and watching Big Hero 6. All in all, great weekend.

This week, practice, hopefully get my car fixed and a late game for the Cheetahs. We play an undefeated team so I'm not thrilled about that match. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

U-Turn

What a week it's been. As I type this, I'm watching Chelsea take on West Ham(they unfortunately drew) this morning reflecting on one of the most intense weeks this month. Here we go. Most of the week went as normal. Mia dragging herself to school etc etc. My day off on Thursday can go down as the worst one this year. The morning started out with a torrential downpour. Great. I monitored the rain most the day till it about stopped. I knew the fields would be pretty rough, and the mosquito's this week were absolutely terrible so the added rain would only make things worse, so unfortunately I had to cancel. My DJI Spark drone FINALLY arrived so I was stoked to get to play with that and teach myself how to fly it.

Later in the morning I had a vet appt with Remi. Just a normal update on some shots. On our drive back home, I got in my first car accident. A short woman driving a large semi-truck tried to pull a U-turn and clipped the back end of my Corolla. Remi got tossed to the ground but somehow we survived. The woman claimed she never saw me and thought maybe I was speeding. No, I wasn't speeding. The fact that you tried to do a U-turn with a semi truck into traffic probably wasn't the smartest idea. My tail light is busted (but still works) and I have  gnarly dent with a scrape on the side of my sad Toyota. When I got home, still shook up, I had to call insurance, Jill and as well as talk to a specialist about getting my claim taken care of. Can't believe I got hit. Luckily my car is still drivable but I hope to get it fixed when I can. After school I did an art lesson with one of my students. She was struggling a bit with a horse sketch that she was giving as a gift so Mia and I after school went over and I helped her our. Mia drew a picture of her dog Elsa. Later, we did Stonefire Pizza with Jill since we didn't have practice.

Saturday was the big game. Our 3rd game of the season. It was a day we really really needed to improve in skills and win. I requested all of the kids arrive early so we could get in a last minute practice before kickoff since ours was cancelled this week. We started out with running drills, some 1v1 and finally I introduced a new formation. This would debut having RW and LW (or right wing/left wing) on each side of the striker, with a holding center back. The goal was to keep them spaced out. Makes sense right? Opening few minutes, they were starting to bunch up. Come on guys...Early in the half, we scored! I can't remember who got the first one, but the bench and fans went crazy. We haven't had a lead yet this season so it was awesome. Next thing I know, Olivia scored not one but TWO goals. She was in pure shock that her face was grinning from ear to ear. Even Ainslee, who's found the net a few times proudly amped her up with a big hug. Sofia was solid in the back with the keeper without much worry. Cecilia had an incredible 1st half in the back and never let her down. Ainslee found the net before the 1st half concluded. 2nd half, we switched keepers. Ainslee was eager to take on her favorite position and I was excited to see how Sofia would do this half on the field. Just like I hoped, she got a goal. Perfect throw in to her, she spun it around and shot it that went off one of the other player's back and over the short keeper's shoulder. Amazing!

Sophie would also find the net for the very first time as well. She's always been a one-to-watch for me. She's very quick and has a good understanding where to be on the pitch. She can dribble around people like Adalyn so it was only a matter of time before she got her first goal. One of the other shocking goals besides Olivia's double goals was Charley. She was playing in only her 2nd game ever and found the net for the first time. She was so excited. One of the most enjoyable moments of the 2nd half was watching Ainslee dive and roll after every single ball. Her parents told me earlier in the season that she watches a lot of Hope Solo videos (the USWNT goalie) for inspiration. You can tell she loves the position and just like Sophie, she had a cleat sheet as well. The final score was a commanding 8-0. The girls were SO excited that they finally won a game. They were communicating well and passing better. Mia was both excited and bummed. She was stoked she won but still couldn't get a goal. one of the hardest part of being coach in general, is that every single person wants to play. No one wanted to go out ever. Cecilia was even giving her Dad a bit of attitude that she had to sit out to give Jana a chance in the defense. She also really did well both in the back and on the wing. After the match concluded, the girls tackled each other in a big massive team hug. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen as a coach and as a parent. So much excitement from these kids. Everyone happy and stoked for their next game. I'm also glad my parent supporters were patient with these girls and I knew eventually, we could turn this team around and start getting some goals. I was pretty happy that one of my students and her Mom came to cheer us on as well. The rest of the day, we hung out, hand lunch and cleaned the house in preparation for the upcoming weekend with Jill's friends.

 Hopefully my car gets fixed this week and after the game/picture day, we're going to the Elegant Farmer with Jill's crew. Should be a busy but fun weekend. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Skills to Improve

Good morning everyone. As Mia sleeps in this beautiful Sunday morning, I figured I'd get a blog in before getting stuck at work the rest of the day. This was Mia's first full week of school. She's not getting up at 6:30am anymore. Back to the 7:00am roll out of bed. Still loves school and her teacher, just doesn't get up as early as that first week. Minus a few problems with a certain kid in her class, everything seems to be going well.

We had a very not-productive practice Thursday. I only say that because the girls weren't very motivated to learn from their mistakes of last weeks game, and try to fix a few things. We started with a 1v1 challenge which in theory could have worked. We did a scrimmage like usual. Everyone wanted to play keeper for some reason. We started to see some improvement with Ainslee in goal as well as Addy's dribbling. This modest player can get around just about anyone and she proved that Saturday morning.

I watched Chelsea beat Cardiff 4-1 before our match. We had our 2nd game of the season at 11:15. When we arrived, a lot of the players were already there warming up. Without my assistant coach, I was riding solo, just like I did all season. I started Sofia in goal and she was phenomenal. Despite letting a few goals in, this kid never backs down and jumps on anything that comes her way. The Jaguar Gummy Girls got a few on us, but we got one back. It had to by Adalyn getting her 4th goal. I don't know why, but it appeared we had way more fans than the other team because after she scored, there was an eruption of cheers from the sidelines. We finally got one back and hopefully could build on the momentum. At that moment, their coach was LIVID that his team let one slip by. He was screaming at his kids and post-game, I had some family members telling me how rough he was. Dude, you're WINNING settle down. They're just kids. We weren't done yet however. Ainslee got her 1st goal of the season, and immediately after when I thought she was going to do her celebratory cartwheel, she just turned and smiled at me. The heat was too much for this kid to do her cartwheel. 2-4 was the final score. It was a tough game, but we had some variables that weren't in our favor. Charley returned after a 2 week absence and we tried Olivia in goal for the very first time. She did mostly okay, but at one point I heard a parent yell "you can USE your hands!" Charley was lost in her first game, mainly because she's never played before and doesn't know the formality of a soccer game. She'll catch up and improve this week. We tried a new formation and I think for the most part it really worked. Cecilia was the solo defender in the back and she had a really solid 2nd half. Totally proud of the pint-size attacking defender. She had a great run with the ball towards the end of the game before it went out. Mia was stoked her friend Hayden had come and watched Cecilia and her play Saturday. Always nice when your friend cheers you on.

After the game, we grabbed some lunch in downtown Waukesha with Jill's family and just sorta chilled out for the remainder of the day. Today. Jill's at church so in a bit I'm going to wake up Mia.

This week, nothing special going on. We'll have our practice Thursday and another match Saturday. Much to improve but we'll get better.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Back to the Grind

Good evening everyone. About a day behind but it was a busy week so yeah..catching up today. Here we go. Last Tuesday was her first day of 2nd grade. She woke up at 6:30 AM ready to go! She did the same thing on Wednesday as well. How does my kid wake up early? She was super excited for school and because I took the day off Tuesday, I got to hear how great it was. She loved they did math with gummy worms :P It was great to reunite with her friends at lunch and recess as well (of course Cecilia). She seems to have balanced everything out nicely in that department. Going into 2nd grade, she wasn't thrilled not to have her BFF in her class, but she knew she'd see her at lunch and recess, so she was okay with that, plus she gets to hang out with her friend Charlie and Ryan during class time that she befriended in Kindergarten. Awesome. Plus, she really really likes her teacher so that's awesome as well. I helped out Jill for a few hours at a school before heading back home for the day. Later, I had to run and pick up some extra backup socks

Thursday, Jill had an early day so I helped her pack up her car and off she went to a Picture Day at another school. I stupidly thought "hey, I'll get a bit more sleep before getting Mia up". My alarm never went off and I woke up at 7:50am. That meant I had about 30 minutes to get Mia to school. She woke up quick, had her breakfast and we were ready to roll. Phew. Never want to do that again. We had practice later in the soggy field. The whole week, we got rain every single day so I didn't know what was the field going to be like. Like I pictured, it was pretty bad. We didn't even use the goal because that section of the field was just a swamp. Jana, one of our players's Dad referred to it as the "swimming pool". We set up about 15 feet away from the field some cones as makeshift goals and had a scrimmage. The kids did fine and we had some great goalies and standout goal scorers which gave me and my assistant coach Kevin confidence going into our first game. We did a team huddle and a 1,2,3 CHEETAHS before calling it a day. Later, we went to Stonefire and took advantage of their new promo before heading home and calling it a night. Friday Mia finally let Jill change her earrings. It was an ordeal. but we had to do it because it's mandatory for soccer games.

Saturday was the big game. Mia slept in her uniform all fired up and ready for the match. They re-positioned the fields this season, which confused everyone. Once we got all of our players, we warmed up and were ready to roll. They got the first goal against us. Ainslee was a bit sketched jumping on the ball and they took advantage of it. Damn. They picked up a couple other ones before Adalyn scored our first goal. Insane. She was playing defense and ended up taking the ball straight to the goal. Crowd went crazy. Seriously. Too funny. Half time came around and we switched out keepers. Addy got another goal which sent their keeper into a sobbing fit. They had to stop the game to comfort her and get her to stop crying. Aww..Cotton Candy picked up another goal  before Addy got our last goal of the match. Her hat trick. Unbelievable. Her family was totally proud. Despite the loss, everyone on the Cheetahs was in good spirits. We had so much possession the first half and could have easily scored 4-5 goals. We'll work on 1v1 at practice as well as trying a new formation. Every single girl wanted to continue playing, and no one wanted to sit out. Sorry guys, I have to always be rotating players in and out. They're all looking forward to the next game.

Later, Jill and I went to Mayville for my friend Nichole's wedding. Awesome time and as always great to reunite with my old college friends. Sunday, nothing much happened before I went to work.

This week, practice, plenty of work, maybe catch a Chelsea game and Mia's got her game Saturday. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Summer's Gone, Carry On, I'm a Ghost in the Dawn

Hello  everyone. Summer Break officially ends tomorrow on Labor Day, and the diva goes back to school Tuesday. It's bittersweet for a lot of different reasons. First, Summer went by pretty quickly. Traveling a good chunk of July didn't help, but we had an amazing time and made some incredible memories so that's a good trade off :) We didn't get to do her annually lemonade stand which sucks because she always has a great time with friends doing it and loves to give all the money to HAWS. We may try to do something in the Fall if there's time and the weather is good.

She definitely needs to be back at school again. She needs to be on that routine again and having things to do. Plus, it'll be good to reunite with friends again. She had her open house this week and got to meet her new teacher. She technically already has met her at random moments at school so I'm pretty happy she's got her as a 2nd grade teacher. She found out she's got a few other friends in her class as well as some troublemakers. Hopefully there aren't any issues.

Thursday I had my art lessons. Micah worked on a very tricky horse for a friend while her sister did a cartoon of Harry Potter. These girls are super fun to work with. Micah wasn't able to finish it, however she'll get it complete for her friend's belated birthday gift at some point. She's a patient and talented artist and I look forward to seeing when it's complete. I picked up Mia later and we ran over to Ella's house for my last art lesson of the day. We did some water colour painting of some fish. Mia drew her dogs while we had fun painting. I haven't water color painted in a really really long time so it was fun to challenge myself as well as Ella. She did a great job and her fish sorta accidentally had this Japanese style of painting to it. I loved seeing how proud she was.

With school starting this week, I'm not quite sure how the art lesson schedule will work with my 3 students. I have others that are interested so I have to figure out how to work everything out. After Ella's lesson, Mia and I grabbed some snacks and made a quick drive to the zoo. The Summer has been so busy and I feel like we haven't been able to do much together. She was so awesome at Ella's lesson just hanging out, drawing and even talking to both Ella and her Mom so a trip to the zoo before soccer was a great idea.

We got a rare moment watching the lion and lioness roaring in the enclosure. It's been at least 5 years since I've seen that with the diva so it was pretty cool. I think he was irritated with all the kids waving at him. Mia loved watching the tiger playing in the water outside but was pretty bummed the red pandas were not out. The river otters were super cute playing down the slides as well as the baby giraffe attempting to eat the sign outside the habitat.

We had to book it home and get ready for our 2nd soccer practice. Plenty of teams were on the field and we split a quarter of the field with a couple teams. We met our newest addition Ainslee and she already had meshed well with our team. We ran our first scrimmage and went over positions so they get a better idea of what to expect on game day. The girls did really well and I'm most excited to see big improvements from Mia and Cecilia. Both are getting in the mix more and exploring their different skills. Cecilia really likes to play defense while using her loud voice to help and control the back line, while Mia actually is getting into the mix as a striker. I'm hoping the fields eventually dry up and we don't get rain this week. Our newest addition already likes playing goalie so we have a good list of talent for that position. Our two big goal scorers will be Sophie and Sofia. Both found the net 4 times. I hope to develop the rest of the girls into well-rounded players that can be assists in all positions while having fun in the process. My favorite moment was the big team hug after practice. These girls have only had two practices and already really getting along together and bonding.

Later, we went to StoneFire Pizza as sort of a "last night as a family to do fun stuff" before school starts. Over the weekend, I watched Chelsea beat the Cherries, and Sunday the girls drove to Illinois for a housewarming party. Today, we're visiting with my in laws for a Labor Day lunch before I go to work.

This week, possibly art lessons in-between first week of school, soccer and Mia's FIRST game of the season! That's all for now, thanks for reading!

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!