I Need A Nap...Even If It's Only Ten Minutes

I am losing my mind. I am over-committed, over-worked, over-stressed and just plain over it! I would like to punch the woman in the mouth, fifty years ago, who thought women needed to be liberated! I am literally burning the candle at both ends. If I am not at work, I am working at home like a mad woman. If I am not at home, I am working late at my job. Geeze, I gotta find some balance. Basketball is right around the corner and I am wondering who will have a nervous breakdown first, me or coach. I can honestly say, I cant remember the last time either of us just "took five", seriously. Anyhoo...yeah, I know, get over it. Parenthood is exhausting, just let me lie down for ten minutes.

Hence, crazy life, I have not had a moments free time to blog. This IS my outlet and I have not had time to plug in for weeks.

Let's see in the last three weeks; I have celebrated my birthday, yep 29 again and again. Justice told me I was 112. Spent a child-less evening in St. Louis with Coach. I had a little R&R at the spa while he watched football in the hotel, then we partied like Rock Stars till the wee hours of the night. Good times! Probably the first time, in over 5 years, we let our hair down. Celebrated Cameron's birthday. More details to come. Yes, Cameron's party gets a post of its own.

I have to wonder, how do other parents do it? Coach and I give so much to our jobs and so much to our kids, when we DO get an extra moment--we just want to lie down for ten minutes! I feel guilty 24/7 about my of role in motherhood. I regularly feel nothing is ever enough. My house is a mess, well, most of the time. Laundry always needs done. I am not a very good cook. When I am home playing with my kids, I am often mentally at work. Again, balance. I am so VERY LUCKY to have a spouse that is commited to helping with any and every task needed to keep Keeneville going! I am beginning to think some of the negativity I hear ALL DAY at work is showing up in my blog tonight. Yikes. I need to adjust my attitude. I apologize. Better yet, I think I need to go to bed....

May the force be with all the mother and fathers who are trying to find a balance this week...

Are You A Baby?

Cameron Meyer Keene is pure genius. You ask why? Well, because he has already mastered 6 keys to success:

1) Persistence: he never quits. Ever. When he wants something… to be fed, to be changed, or hold a toy… he does not stop until he gets what he wants. Right now he is learning to walk… and he spends hours and hours “practicing.”

How persistent are you in getting what you want? How relentless are you in your development?


2) Communication: he speaks his mind. Granted, it’s in the form of crying, grunting, laughing, and Gibberish... but he does communicate. And he is an attentive listener. When elmo is talking, Cameron is listening! He communicates with me (the leader) and he communicates with Justice(teammate).

Does everyone on your team know their role? Their strengths and weaknesses? The team’s goals? Is this being communicated among coaches and players?

Quick side note: I am the Head Coach of our family; Coach Keene, the lowly assistant. Sorry dear, I told your secret...

3) Enthusiasm: he has a passion for everything he does! When he is happy, he bounces around and his face light up the room. When he isn't, he flail this limbs and cries like a wild hyena.

How much passion do you have for the game? Is your enthusiasm contagious? Do you raise the level of those around you?


4) Structure: he is on a schedule. He goes to sleep at the same time every night, get up at the same time every day, and eat (and nap) at scheduled intervals. He has a consistent routine.

Do you have a daily routine? Do your workouts/practices have structure or are they haphazard?


5) Uninhibited: He does not care about looking cool. He will (literally) crap his pants while staring directly at you. He don’t care if he falls on his face or vomits on my shirt. He is comfortable at being Cameron, and hes not afraid to make mistakes.

Are you worried what others will think if you make a mistake? Do you only practice the skills you are good at so you don’t look bad?


6) Imagination: Cameron thinks outside of the box. He can spend an hour playing with a ball of tissue paper. He makes the most of what he has.

How much imagination do you put in to your own workouts/practices? When you are doing drills, do you imagine there is a defender… or do you just do the drill?

So there you have it, Cameron has figured out the 6 keys to success. Now, it’s Coach Keene and my job, as parents, to make sure Justice and Cameron maintain these traits as they get older. If they go through life with persistence, can effectively communicate, have an unbridled enthusiasm, have a consistent daily schedule, aren’t afraid to make mistakes, and can think creatively… they will be successful in whatever they choose to do. So I ask, Are you a baby?

Happy Labor Day from Our Family to Yours!

The Tub People

We ARE the tub people. We buy more rubber maid tubs to store crap in than anyone in Macomb. We have every color of tub under the rainbow in our basement. Coach had a brilliant idea yesterday, to clean out our storage areas and re-organize all our crap for the winter. I was thinking on this beautiful Labor Day weekend to, ummm, RELAX? On a side bar,that is yet another thing the Keene's are terrible at, relaxing. We are high strung by nature, from daddy bear all the way to the wee little bear..anyhoo. Mission accomplished, one storage area organized, yet about 4 more to go. So what do you think the hold up was? Yes, indeed, we needed more rubber maid tubs. The entire Keene tribe made a fast trip to Wal-Mart, two carts and all, and loaded up with more flipping storage tubs. I swear we are nuts. After 12 long family hours of organizing, we threw in the towel, at least for the night. We have the basement left and my closet. Oh wait, and another closet. Good progress for 1 day, but believe it or not, we need more tubs. Good gravy...

Speaking of tubs, have you ever read the children's book, "The Tub People?" A drama in the lives of seven wooden figures: parents, grandmother, doctor, policeman, child, dog. Mostly, they stand in that order on the edge of a bathtub; sometimes they have adventures in the bath--riding on the soap, bobbing about. One day, as the others watch in helpless dismay, the child goes down the drain; the others mourn his absence till at last the drain clogs, a plumber is summoned, and the child is restored to the family--which gets a new home on a windowsill whence the vast mountains of a rumpled bed may occasionally be explored. And now, for the first time, the child quietly changes position to stand between his parents. The unspoken, unseen other story, in which a human child plays with these toys, makes this curiously intriguing. Justice really likes this book. I find it rather unusual, but it works.

Well, guess I will get my dirty little people into the tub. We had a fun day at Grams and Papa's and this momma bear could handle a few quiet minutes tonight in the tub herself...Happy Labor Day!

I Am A Purpose...

Oh, be careful little feet where you go...
Oh, be careful little feet where you go...
Because the Father up above is looking down with love,
Oh, be careful little feet where you go...

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Such a crazy week, this small thought today is actually a great meditation for a weekend. No matter the path, the road is already paved. Breathe, one day at a time.

P.S. I love Cameron's teeny lil' feet....dirt and all!

Cameron LOVES His John Deere's

Cameron Sharing His Binkie With Great-Grandpa Terry

JC and Great-Grandpa Terry, Waiting For The School Bus!

Pre-K or Bust~ What A Good Week At School!

There Goes My Heart.....(Sniff, Sniff)