Day 3 – Thoughts on Football

Posted on November 3, 2013 by wagfarms

I’m sitting on a couch, supposed to be working on a few assignments, and remembered that I hadn’t completed Day 3 of my 30 Days of Thoughts. And while I planned on doing to in-depth, soul-searching posts, I’m just not feeling it today.

So I’ll write about what’s in front of me…a football game.

I just so happen to be watching the Steelers – Patriots playing, and I have to say, one of my favorite things about Sundays is watching football.

Yeah, I’m one of those girls.

You know, the type that likes sports, prefers to get dirty and (until recently) spent very little time on things like fashion and makeup. I prefer to be outside, not in. I enjoy hunting, fishing and camping (although my idea of “roughing it” is a fully-equipped camper). And there are days that nothing sounds better than a nice cold beer.

My buck from a few years ago…yep, I hunt.

Back to the football…

Here’s why I like watching football:

It’s exciting, ever-changing and speaks to my inner-Neanderthal.
I have four boys. ‘Nuf said.
These dudes are getting paid some big bucks. I might as well watch.
I enjoy the uniform fashion trends.
There’s something about the tradition of football that I enjoy. All levels: pony, high school, college, professional.
I like doing things not expected of me.

There’s a ton of other reasons, but that’s a pretty good start.

I promise, the rest of my 30 Days won’t be this lame. 😉

See you tomorrow!

It’s Football Time!!!

Posted on August 30, 2012 by wagfarms

Tonight is Scooter’s first football game…and I cannot wait! I wasn’t extremely active in sports during my high school days. We lived 16 miles from town and we had to pick and choose the activities we were involved in wisely, so that we weren’t wasting trips to town, working around schedules, etc.

I played basketball until a knee injury sidelined me, and then I became a cheerleader. I quickly found that my calling was supporting others, cheering them on, trying to infuse energy and excitement into situations…I guess I’m still kind of in that mindset.

But tonight I get to cheer on my favorite athlete of all time, my son.

Scooter and his older/younger brothers. He’s the one in the football gear.

With his size and appetite (he’s 8 years old, and he’s 5’1″ and weighs 105 pounds…he’s my NFL hopeful! 😉 Just kidding, of course…kinda), I knew that I would have to bulk it up a bit today. He gets up at 6:40 in the morning, gets on the bus by 7:20 and arrives at school around 8:30. This morning he had a poptart (because breakfast wasn’t ready fast enough) and an egg sandwich. Then when he gets to school he eats breakfast there. His lunch is at 11:20 or so and I won’t see him to feed him until almost 6 tonight. So I packed snacks.

That’s the plan behind the new school lunch guidelines – for parents to take over and provide more nutrition for those kids that need it. And I’m willing to do my part, but there’s a catch. You see, the snacks have to make it to the desired time period. I have to remind my son that he can’t eat them on the way to school. That he needs to save them for in the afternoon. And I have to make sure that the teacher is on board with this.

Normally the snack rule in our school has always been that if one person has a snack, they must bring enough for all…but that has to change with the new rules. And the snacks are supposed to change as well.

Yet, when I pack a snack at 6:30 in the morning, knowing they won’t be ate (hopefully) until 2 in the afternoon, and without the benefits of a refrigerator or a microwave, I’m a tad limited in my options. Grapes, granola bars, fruit snacks…some are healthy, some are not within the new guidelines. But more importantly, they’ll give my son the energy needed to get through the day.

My biggest concern is making sure he has enough energy to be physically active and not get hurt. Because an athlete that can’t focus or is lethargic on the field is a disaster (and an injury) waiting to happen.

I want my son fed AND safe…is that too much to ask?

Craziness

Posted on August 29, 2012 by wagfarms

Sorry about the Wordless Wednesday post yesterday. It wasn’t until last night that I realized that it was only Tuesday. I think my brain is broken.

It’s been a long week already, and it’s only Wednesday (I just had to correct myself from saying it’s Tuesday…brain is still broke.)

Scooter is loving football. He is so excited about learning more about the game and figuring out his strengths/weaknesses. We’ve had quite a few giggles and chuckles over the whole process.

When we were signing up for football, and received his jersey, pads and helmet, the coach asked Scooter what number he would like. There wasn’t a lot to choose from, but Scooter first picked the number 4. Coach made a comment that someone his size should have a bigger number…so Scooter went with 84. Ha!

Another funny memory that will keep me in stitches for months happened Monday afternoon. My mom and dad were returning from vacation and we were waiting at their house to welcome them home. Scooter was at practice, but was adamant that I needed to boil his mouth guard.

Yep, that’s me, in my cheerleading glory. We didn’t do stunts, wear short skirts or anything like that. We supported our team, got the crowd yelling and were able to ride a bus and get into games free! I loved it all!

Now, I was a football cheerleader when I was in high school. I love football and everything that goes with it, but I don’t know the ins and outs of how the guys get from street clothes to full gear. This is all new to me…including a mouth guard. So I thought, maybe the boiling was to disinfect.

I was wrong.

I boiled Scooter’s mouth guard at my parents’ house and fished it out of the water, realizing that something wasn’t quite right. It was kinda funky looking, and a tad bit misshapen…and now had weird marks on it from the tongs. Hmmm…where did I go wrong? (To defend myself, the mouth guard did NOT come with instructions, or if it did, Scooter tossed them as soon as he opened the bag.)

My mother comforted me by saying, “Don’t you know anything!” And then proceeded to explain to me the purpose for boiling the mouth guard and the proper procedure. I was too busy rolling on the floor laughing to take in most of the lecture, but I got the point.

I screwed up. And it was funny. I have no problem laughing at myself.

When Scooter returned from practice, we re-boiled the mouth guard and fit it to his mouth. Tragedy averted. Laughs enjoyed.

When I reported my lesson on Facebook, one handy tip was shared, and I’ll pass it on to you: when you are finished with boiling the mouth guard and have it shaped as needed, when cooling it, use a flavored beverage (Dr. Pepper was suggested), so the mouth guard doesn’t taste just like nasty rubber. We’ll be trying that…

Next time.