Easter Countdown

Apparently in our house we really like to count down to big events and holidays.  My oldest son now has a calendar in his room and knows what month it is and what we are doing on any given day.  It just occurred to me this afternoon that not only is it the first day of spring but it is 12 days until Easter Sunday.  I was digging through the Easter supplies and came across an egg carton with plastic refillable eggs that my son had made in Story hour at church last year.  I thought, "Am I too late?"  But if you include today and Easter Sunday it is 12 days.  So I found a couple more egg cartons and filled them with numbered eggs and we'll begin today to countdown.  (I only had enough small candy to put in the first one so I'll go to the store tomorrow to get some Easter specific candy and fill up the rest.)  It is pretty simple but fun for the kids.

With a Bushel and a Peck of Spring Fun,

Steph

Confessions of a Basketball Widow

I don't really get it - the sport of basketball that is.  I didn't play it in school (except for one awkward season in Gr. 8).  I might have been more athletic had I been encouraged, but I lacked the confidence and coordination.  However, I ended up marrying a true, through and through Jock.  I love his passion for sports, but I don't like watching it on TV.  I love that he has an amazing memory for sports trivia, but I don't like that he doesn't come to bed cause he's checking on stats.  He played at the University level and I would watch the games but usually chatted with his mom most of the time and didn't really follow the game.  Now he is a coach for a senior high boys team and it is pretty time consuming. 

And that is how I see it, as time consuming.  I don't see it as a passion he has for the sport, to work with kids, to instill positive qualities in the youth, to be a role model, to use his gifts and abilities to God's glory.  I don't see that he's under constant scrutiny from parents, fans and the public.  I don't see that he works a full day as an elementary school teacher, on his feet, talking and imparting knowledge and then has to run a 2 hour practice or coach a game in the evening.  And I really don't get what he actually does as a coach during a game to play the right players and run the right plays.  But I do know that he is the one that gets called when they loose a big game and a kid is bummed that he didn't get to play, or that he has to talk about the details to every concerned and semi-knowledgeable fan that watched.  I am tired after a long season of putting the kids to bed by myself or going to bed by myself (it's not all bad, but some weeks are busier than others).  But I am not on show.  I am not being scrutinized, criticized and "on" all the time.  I don't even know what goes on in the brain of the man I am married to, but as I watch him coach (which unfortunately with kid's bed schedules or kids tearing around the gym, I don't actually "watch" that much basketball) I feel like I want to be right beside him, holding his hand.  Tomorrow when he's tired on a Saturday and not eager to complete my honey do list, maybe I'll have a little compassion, a little empathy and give the guy a break.  There are days that I want to throw in the towel and have a fit cause I had a hard day with the kids and he wasn't here - but he is doing something for a greater purpose than himself and I love him for it.  I hope they win tonight (they're playing in the semi-finals of Provincials as I write).  But if they don't I will love him and not hold it against him - maybe there's something to be said for being clueless about sports.

With a barrel and a heap of love,

Steph