pictureless post

It's Sunday night at 8:30, the kids are sleeping, and the house is a complete disaster zone - there are books and toys everywhere, most of the kitchen furniture/stuff is in the living room (Steve is putting a new floor in in the kitchen), and the kitchen is a mess. Despite the incredible need to organize, tidy, and clean up, I am going to throw in the towel and go to bed. I will. The kids were both up multiple times in the night last night in tears and tantrums because we wouldn't sleep in their beds - and they wouldn't take no for an answer for at least an hour (at 4am). In all fairness, Hendrik is sick, but he didn't seem at all sick in the night, just stubborn and ready to push boundaries way past any and all  tolerable limits. They finally fell asleep - and so did we - but were up and ready to squeeze us out of bed at 7:15 (why they don't do this on school days continues to baffle us). Hendrik spent the day in the down and out doldrums (on the couch, sick), and Alana and I made it outside to sweep, play with sidewalk chalk, hit the mall (to order some new glasses for Hendrik) and then do some snow and water experiments in the front yard. After our last two regular season games in Toronto, it was a nice day of nothing and no obligation- despite the fact that they are there, calling constantly (now, mostly school). The head coach of the team is back and ready to lead the way again, so I have resumed my role as an assistant even though I'd have liked to see the season out at the head of the bench. If all goes well in our quarter-finals next weekend we'll be back in Toronto in two weeks for semis and hopefully finals - and then who knows! Maybe we'll win a ticket to Nationals in Brandon (mid-March); this is the ultimate goal, so we'll keep working hard to get there. I really enjoyed the experience as head coach, but the only way I can see myself doing it as a career is if there are more family friendly practice times; without fail I missed dinner and/or bedtime every night we had a practice (key word = night). I know it's different south of the border (though I think there are some teams in the CIS that train earlier in the afternoon), but when I went to school we trained in the early afternoon - allowing for some semblance of normality in the everyday lives of our coaches and their families.

Anyways, bed. The list for tomorrow: clean up, do homework and volleyball stuff, and tend to the sick kid. My fingers (and yours too please) are crossed that our babes sleep better tonight than last.