Biggest Fan, Hardest Critic!!!

I have made a philosophy decision to be my kid's "Biggest Fan and Hardest Critic".  (Remember, I believe it is about the journey and not the destination)  I have enormous "street cred" with my kids because I have often predicted their results with amazing success.  I know how hard they can work.  Until now, early 2012, I have spent most of my sports time with Alex, and Maddie fast approaching.  Natalie has spent most of the time with Andrew and his baseball activities.

Don't read this the wrong way...  but I always thought it was worthless to be constantly positive, because its the failures that make you stronger.  If you fail 70% of the time you make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Working to improve is the "fun" I have in the relationship with my kids and their sports activities...  If they were "GREAT" I wouldn't have any reason to pitch to them after work...  I realize it sounds like I am an Ogor...  but probably not explaining well...  if you strike out three times, looking, I will tell you that you didn't have a good game...  I will also be ready to go to a park, or the lit tennis courts (Alex :-)) to work with you... as I am writing, and reading, I think I am digging a bigger whole...

Well, I just started Asst Coaching on Andrew's team...  and to be fair to him he wasn't use to my "coaching"...  I also believe games are a great place to learn...  we had a few rough first games...  Tom Hanks said it best...  "there is no crying in baseball"...  we have spend a dozen times pitching in the front of the house and continued going to fields to hit...  he is getting better...

Tonight, Andrew's team played a really good team...  Andrew pitched and threw well...  he gave up 12 runs in the first inning without an out...  I said, without and out...  infinity ERA...  he threw hard, threw strikes...  probably didn't get as many calls as he should and had a few errors behind him...  on the books it was his worst pitching performance EVER...  actually, may be the worst pitching performance in the history of baseball...  BUT, he DID FANTASTIC!!!  I was really impressed with how he kept throwing strikes...  he never showed emotion...  never made mental errors...  and when he was pulled after 50 pitches, he made all three outs at first base...  I was VERY PROUD of him...

The best thing about baseball is that there is always another game...

A Favorite Movie - Rudy

In Canada, AMC is playing the movie Rudy this weekend. I have probably seen the movie a few, and I emphasize the few, dozen times. I will still sit through the entire movie as it is one of my favorites.

What I like/love about the movie:

1. I LOVE the music. Listen to the music when Rudy opens the admission letter on the bench, when the football team is practicing and when he is carried off the field. The movie would not be the same without the music.



2. "Who's the wild man now"... D-Bob (John Favreau)
   


3. Dan Devine telling the coach to send Rudy in by moving his hands... I find myself copying the movement.



4. Sean Astin before "Lord of the Rings" and 24... a GREAT Rudy



5. The scene when he opens the letter with his acceptance to Notre Dame. I hope my kids will get the chance to have that feeling.



6. The accomplishment of your dreams


7. Fortune ( Charles Dutton) to Rudy "Oh you are so full of crap. Your five foot nothin', a hundred and nothin' and you hung in with the best college football team in the land for two years, and you were also going to walk out of here with a degree from the University of Norte Dame in this life time you don't have to prove nothing to nobody except yourself and after what you gone through if you haven't done that by now, it aint gonna never happen, now go on back. ."


8. Steele: I want Rudy to dress in my place Coach. He deserves it. Dan Devine: [laughs] Don't be ridiculous, Georgia Tech is one of the top offense teams in the country. [Steele continues to stand and stare at the Devine] Dan Devine: You are an All-American and our Captain, act like it! Steele: I believe I am. [lays his jersey down on Devine's desk and walks out]

I hate to admit it, but the movie makes me cry...

Picture Day?

Today is Picture Day at the kid's school. Why do we still have picture day? I could understand that when I was a kid picture day may have been the one time during the year when you had a portrait opportunity. With the proliferation of digital cameras everyday is picture day. I have learned from MacMom that the "best" pictures are the natural ones that aren't posed. I suspect during my childhood I appeared in 100-200 pictures. I further believe that my kids are in 2000+ pictures each, already, sitting on our hard drive, and backed up to an external drive. No more need for picture day.

“Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey.”

Last year (actually for the last year+) I kept personal notes in my email program about each of my kids and their softball/baseball progress. I am a natural note-taker, it was fun to write and has been fun to look back at. My notes are in my own "script". They are short, to the point and try to be factual. I document things I see and hear, and my thoughts.

I have decided to post some of the note-taking in this forum and, also continue with my personal notes. In the 90's, I read a newspaper article about Albert (friends call him "Joey") Belle of the Cleveland Indians. The article talked about the meticulous note cards that Albert kept on each at-bat against each pitcher. One note card for each at-bat. He documented each pitch that was thrown to him and ,his reaction, his actions.

I do the "note-taking-thing" for a different reason. I enjoy the journey. I enjoy being a part of the journey. I looked back on a note in the A-mac file from June 12, 2008. Part of my note says, "Needs to work out keeping front knee strong... ". At that time A-mac was bending her front knee and loosing some of her power. It has since been fixed because we worked on it. A softball swing has 1,000's of moving parts and is always requiring improvement.

I enjoy watching my kids learn that they can learn, and the value of setting goals. The notes may be about softball/baseball but the lessons are about life.

Last night was the first exhibition game for A-mac. She batted last. She got up to bat twice and walked twice. It is the beginning of our journey for this season.

"When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there."

Play Ball - MLB Season Opener

I enjoy the beginning of baseball season. Every team, except for the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays, oh wait they were in the World Series last year, make that every team has a chance to win. There is something nice about that.


About a week before the beginning of the season all the TV channels begin showing baseball related movies. I saw The Rookie, A league of Their Own and The Pride of the Yankees. I am watching a show called Curveball: W.P. Kinsella about the author of the novel Shoeless Joe that was eventually turned into the movie Field of Dreams. The documentary shows you don't have to agree with the person to be passionate about their works. In a nutshell, I was disappointed with W.P. and somewhat surprised he could write such a touching story.

I remember my Dad saw the movie Field of Dreams on a Friday night and told me I had to go see it with him on a Saturday. (lots of similarities in this statement) At the time, when I was in my early 20's I am not sure I appreciated all of the themes throughout the movie. I suspect it takes time to understand. I do always remember that my Dad would play catch with me whenever I asked. I hope my kids will continue to learn about the magical themes in this movie as they grow up.

Laughter - Disclosure Opportunity

OK - I want to use this forum to clear my conscience and provide a little disclosure. On average, 3 to 4 times a week I will go into the bathroom after the kids (MacDaddy and Lil' Lefty) have obviously taken a bath/shower and tell them "Hurry Up!! It's time to take a bath"... They giggle and laugh, and complain that I know they have already taken a bath... I play dumb and keep telling them they need to "take a bath". For now, it is guaranteed laughter... probably at my expense... laughter is laughter at any cost... and MacDaddy usually laughs the loudest as I assume because he is the youngest... now for the disclosure... I know that they have already taken a bath and only do the same routine because it is an easy way for us to laugh together...

*Pictures from 2005

Shhh!!! Everyone is Still Sleeping...

I have always been a morning person. The family is still sleeping. I snuck out and walked around the corner to the beach. The house with the "Texas Garbage Can" is where we are staying.

I walked down one house and then between houses to get to the beach

.

Looking down the beach toward Ft. Lauderdale Beach (out of picture range)

I prefer the sunrise over sunset. MacDaddy just woke up... busy day ahead...

Parenting Rules - My Four Big Ones

I realize that as a parent I must be flexible with my rules and change with the times as needed. I read ya' dawg.... (just trying to show my hipness)

I have four general rules that are continually tested. I have already broken on one.

Rule #1 ) No video games. I will buy/supply many "bats and balls", and outdoor activity opportunities to my kids. I have no pride in knowing that my kid is a great Mario Sport player. I have seen the movie The Last Starfighter (1984) and understand that video games are only a training ground for future galactic fighters. I just don't get it. Play outside.

Rule #2 ) No PC in personal room. We will have multiple PCs in the house and kids will have access to a PC in a common room. There are so many things that separate a family as we change that I do not want to provide the opportunity for a kid to disappear into their room for hours on end with their PC.

Rule #3) No TV in a personal room. See Rule #2 for the general concept.

Rule #4) If I am paying the bill for a cell phone I expect it to be answered or a call back within 10 minutes of my call. Texting is great, but to me it is a communication requirement for busy kids.

I have to admit that I have broken on Rule #1 and we have had a Wii for over a year. I somewhat enjoy Guitar Hero/Rock Band but am not sure the Scorpions were thinking "Red Yellow Red Red Red" when they wrote Rock You Like a Hurricane. I suspect if we didn't have 6 months of cold in Canada I might have had a better chance of maintaining my stance on this rule.

I suspect that Rule #2 will be tested as higher education is starting to demand the use of a laptop. I am actively trying to re-write my position on this rule.

I believe I am still good on Rule #3 and Rule # 4.

You Can't Always Have What You Want

Or Can You? Where did those ringlet curls go?A-mac always wanted straight hair like Lil' Lefty. Yesterday, after softball practice, A-mac went over a teammates house for a couple of hours. They spent 30 minutes (and one burn to the ear) straightening out her hair with a flat iron. Voila! Here she is with straight hair.

Idle Hands

If idle hands are the devil's tools, we should be safe until the spring.

Monday - MacDaddy hockey practice, A-mac softball
Tuesday - Lil' Lefty softball
Wednesday - A-mac Speed Factory (softball)
Thursday - A-mac softball
Friday - Lil Lefty pitching, Lil Lefty catching
Saturday - MacDaddy hockey game, A-mac hitting, Lil Lefty Speed Factory (softball)
Sunday - Playdium, A-mac baseball, MacDaddy baseball practice

A-mac has basketball after school...

Peace & Tranquility

Anyone with multiple children in the family understand the noise and chaos 3 kids create. Here is Mac peace and tranquility in Cozumel, Mexico. It was a short lived state of mutual harmony between A-mac, Lil' Lefty and MacDaddy.

Full of Hot Air

Ok, I know it is just a balloon. I don't even think the air is hot in the balloon. While sitting on the beach in Florida we saw the Goodrich blimp float by... something peaceful about it... oh yeah, Goodrich doesn't have a blimp, but they make great tires... (circa 70's TV commercial)

Frosty the Snowman

If I remember the story of Frosty the Snowman, Frosty got his magic from the first snow. Well today was officially the first snow for Oakville, Ontario and the entire Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Unofficially, we received about 10 inches in 6 hours. MacMom and I spent more time shoveling the snow off the ice rink, what a mess, than shoveling the driveway. That is the benefit of a Suburban and Yukon in a small driveway. Here is my Top 10 Observations about snow.
1) Kids like snow anytime.
2) Parents like snow the first snowfall of the season... when everthing is white
3) Snow is heavy to shovel
4) Even Canadians don't know how to drive well in the snow, as evidenced by the cars that got stuck in front of our house
5) Everyone likes snow on Christmas Eve - and we will have a white Christmas
6) Parents like snow when they are leaving on vacation to someplace warm
7) Snow blowers are cool
8) Sledding is better with snow
9) Wet snow makes better snowballs and snow forts
10) Dry snow is lighter

Mid Life Assessment

Having recently turned 43 years old I decided to spend several minutes this weekend taking a mid-life assessment of myself. I definitely think there could be discussion on whether I am handsome, scholarly and athletic. Different points of view could be expressed on whether I am a good hudsband, a good father and a good friend.

The one undisputed fact I came up with is, that as a man of 43 years I have great hair. I don't require drys, gels or special potions. I wash daily and let it air dry. I may have some minor receding tendancy but am no where near a bald spot.

Oh, the other good thing I have is a sense of humor.

The End of the Line

MacMom and I were married 14+ years ago in June 1994. In the summer of 1995, we moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Frisco, Texas. We bought our first house, and our first major appliance.

Last week, almost 14 years later, our refrigerator died. We bought a brand new stainless steel refrigerator from Home Depot that will be delivered tomorrow. The old refrigerator sits in our kitchen, empty and cleaned out. We have a freezer in the basement and a refrigerator in the garage. If you want milk for breakfast, during this interim period, you have to walk into the garage to get it. The temperatures have been in the high 30's so our whole backyard could act as a refrigerator.

Fridge History:
The refrigerator was white when we bought it. Our refrigerator held the Pre-made baby formula and food for each of our three kids while the refrigerator resided in our first Frisco home. We lived in this house and all three kids were born there. When it was time to move our family to Iowa, our refrigerator made the move with us. The "Fridge", not the football player, was there when our entire family had the flu. The fridge saw A-mac throw-up all over the kitchen floor and watched our kids play in the hearth room. The Fridge probably saw the deer that routinely walked in the backyard of our house.

The Fridge again jumped on the moving truck back to Texas, and into our second Frisco home. This was move #2 for the Fridge. It was nice to get back to Texas. Iowa was not good to us. The Fridge knew it.

In Texas, the Fridge needed a make-over. This was a make-over before there were TV shows about make-overs. The Fridge was a trend-setter. MacMom painted the Fridge "chalkboard" paint and the Fridge became the scheduling center piece of our house. The Fridge also gained a new friend. As our family grew, we bought a stand-alone freezer. For obvious reasons, we kept the two of them apart. We were not ready for a "dorm room refrigerator".

The Fridge went international with our move to Canada in 2006. This was the third move for the Fridge. The Fridge was expected to sit-the-bench in the garage, as our home was to have an existing refrigerator. However, we liked our Fridge better and moved it into the kitchen. The Fridge was called back into action. The home's new, but small refrigerator went into the garage.

Our 3 kids are "fully active" and the Fridge has remained the scheduling centerpiece of our house. Weekly calendars, in chalk, are written on the Fridge and monthly calendars are hung to the Fridge. The Fridge holds the magnetic milk bag opening knife (see previous milk-in-a-bag post). The Fridge has been with us through a lot... 14+ plus years of life with our family. Who knows what new things will happen. Who knows if refrigerators made today will last 14 years.

I am an Artiste

I wish I could tell you I set this picture up by using low apeture and shutter mode with a specific ISO settiing in full manual. Unfortunately, all I was trying to do was get a picture of Lil Lefty throwing her first Squirt (12u) pitch from 35 feet. The initial feedback was I did a horrible job. I remember taking the picture, hitting the button and it seemed like an eternity waiting while the camera did "stuff" before the picture was snapped. I think using the word "stuff" has confirmed that I do not know the inner-workings camera technology.

MacMom is REALLY good at taking pictures. I enjoy looking at her pictures. It is very hard for me to take pictures during an event because I like to see the action first hand. The ultimate "Proud Dad" trade off is, do you watch the action as it happens or try to capture a piece of it for review at a later time. At MacDaddy's hockey game on Saturday he had a full ice break-away goal, skated through the oponents and scored in the "5 hole". He also had a "One timer" slap shot that was the best I had seen at his age. (aside: 5 hole is the space between the feet. One timer means the puck is coming at you and you slap shoot it without stopping the puck) I got pictures/movies of neither. I wish I had. I am sure there will be more.

MacMom had uploaded all the pictures onto our computer and I ran a back-up (See "Our Digital World" post... you can teach an old dog new tricks) I looked through all of the pictures. If you click on the picture above it will bring the picture into your full screen.

As I looked at the picture I realized it is kind of cool. Lil Lefty's hair is "flowing" in the middle of the picture. You can see the black and orange colors of her new uniforms. The yellow circle of the ball is also in the middle and if you follow the circle from the top you can see the ball carry all the way to the batter who is out of camera sight. If you understand your fastpitch mechanics you can see she turned over her wrist where the back of her hand is facing up. This is an area we will work on correcting in the winter to provide consistency in her "flipping". You can see the car lights in the background. Lil Lefty is the only Tiger player in the picture showing it can be lonely having the responsibility of pitching and you can see four player from the other team on the bench watching as Lil Lefty pitches.

After several minutes of further review I have realized that my picture was not horrible.

I realized that I am an "Artiste"

Our Digital World

Big D here. I love the digital world. I love movies, pictures and words stored in a box and reviewed on a screen. After about 1/2 a dozen computer crashes over the past 10 years and the most previous one about a month ago, I have learned that our digital world is not perfect. We had a back-up external hard drive that was not configured correctly and we lost a "chunk" of picture and movies. That is the bad! We lost the hundreds of $ of iTunes content that we had purchased over the past 2 years. But, in our digital world, I had receipts for everything bought on iTunes and was able to get them to allow me to re-download the content. Three days to re-download and a day to back-up to the external hard drive and we seem to be back in the digital age.

I am a note taker. My email used to have a 10 GB capacity, then it moved to 20GB and then to 500 GB. Now they don't even report the capacity. During the kids ball seasons, I took notes after each activity and stored them in the "Notes" section of my email. I enjoy reviewing and seeing the progress archived in notes.

We have had several video cameras during the 14 years of our married life. I am sure that we have a box of tapes with birthday parties, family activities, sporting events and that video of when we bought our first home... remember that one MacMom? The problem is, what do I play them on? I know they can be converted to DVD. But along with loving the mediums, I like them short... give me five - 30 second videos over a hour long VHS tape any day.

I love the idea of a blog. It allows me to memorialize activities, and thoughts, that I can later review and enjoy. The blog is for me. (I really like it when MacMom corrects my spelling or syntax.) You are welcome to watch it evolve, but realize I am not trying to make a statement or communicate information to the world... just documenting life! It fits well with "Our Digital World".

One last thought, I really like Christmas cards. I like the chaos of getting the three kids together for one photo to create our photo card. I really enjoy the one page summary of our year that MacMom writes, and we as a family "wordsmith" before including in the card. Living in Canada, we try to save a couple hundred bucks and mail our cards from the US when we visit relatives for Thanksgiving. To mail each card from Canada would cost us $1.60 per card verses whatever the US postal rate is up to now. So expect your card early. I look forward to heading out to our mailbox and finding your card. I like reading the Christmas cards and catching up with your family news and looking at the pictures of family and friends included in the card.

This is a transition year with the start of the blog (thanks to Mrs. Nelson for explaining how easy it is). I suspect we will have a full year summary in the Christmas card this year, but as all good ideas evolve future Christmas cards will probably just give you the link to the summary of Mac life on our blog.

Milk in a Bag?

Milk bags are rectangular plastic bags that hold milk. They are usually stored in a pitcher with one of the corners cut off to allow for pouring. A typical milk bag contains one liter of milk and is purchased in bundles three for about $4.79.

It takes some effort to place the milk bags into the pitcher because they seem to be made larger than the plastic pitchers you purchase to put them in. After placing the milk bag into the pitcher you need to smack the bottom of the pitcher on the counter or table until the bag slides all the way down into the pitcher. Even then, too much of the bag is up over the top of the pitcher.
A milk bag is then opened with a small razor blade type envelope opener. The trick is to cut the corner off just right. The size of the hole you cut should be fairly small so when you go to pour the milk you have a small stream. Now, having 3 kids in the house that cut the corner off of milk bags gives us large corner holes. When you slightly tip the pitcher the milk gushes out like Niagara Falls. It makes a mess with milk all over the counter and down inside the pitcher. Worst of all is that you can’t cry over spilled milk! The milk bag is stored in the fridge just like a milk jug, but it sits there unsealed/open and the air from the refrigerator and smells from your food flavor your milk if you don’t drink it fast enough. I guess that’s why each bag is only one liter.

And there we have it. The milk bags in all it's glorious action. I want my plastic milk jug back!!!

I Wisj I had Taken Typing Class is High School

Big D here. When I attended high school I took several AP (Advanced Placement) classes in history, math and English. These classes were designed to get a fast start on college and often qualified for college credit. An argument could be made that these classes helped make me a well rounded individual. Unfortunately, and surprsingly, I feel I use very little of what I learned in these classes in my every day life.

I wisj I had taken typing. I spend more time during the day typing and often hit the "j" key when I want to hit the "h" key... pause... figure it out... I would be more productive at my job if I could type without looking at the keyboard and use more than five fingers...

Last night I took A-mac to the speed factory. The speed factory is an individual business where he works with kids in groups to improve their coordination, explosion and agility. As I have watched all my kids in their activities I have realized that no one has ever taught them how to run. You would think this comes naturally but I believe it can be improved with proper technique and dedication. Several parents have taken their kids and everyone I have talked with gives high marks. Speed, unfortunately, is not one of the genetic qualities I have handed down to my kids.

Movie Quote: If you have seen the Rocky movies you may recall this quote from Mickey when he is working with Rocky on his speed before his big rematch with Apollo CReed in Rocky II.

[During Rocky's retraining] Mickey: "Speed, greasey fast speed. You're gonna eat lightnin'; you're gonna crap thunder. "

One Dog Year Equals Seven Human Years

We have all heard this statement. Last night at about 2am our two+ year old dog, COCO woke up and jumped off our bed. I heard her. In the back of my mind, I was hoping MacMom would get up and take her downstairs to let her out. The dog sat on the floor and whined...wimpered. I decided to get up and go let her out.

Got downstairs and all COCO wanted was a drink off water. She got her drink, turned around and walked back upstairs and jumped back into bed.

Did I really just walk a 14 year old downstairs to get a drink of water?