Yoga is exercise

We've been busy with a visit from some wonderful friends, last days of school work, the everyday business of life, baseball and whatever else has been thrown our way.

I've been eating better. I might not see results but I sure can feel them. I sleep better and I definitely feel better.

Since my last run posted , I have done some home exercises and did 20 min of running up the hill and walking down the hill. Butt kickers is what I like to call them.

I was showing my friend yesterday my little so called muscle on my biceps. Telling her that AB just kept looking at me when I was bragging about it and Hubster is a good man by telling me that it seems like they are getting bigger. She asked if I lifted weights. I said no. Simply because lifting 5lb weights every other week is not going to get me some definition in my muscles. And going to the gym every three weeks is not going to cut it either.

I do think that maybe my arms are getting a little toned just with the combination of exercises I do. I get bored doing one thing over and over. I have to break that monotony. I sort've make up my own exercise combinations and it works for me.

But the thing that I have been doing that is helping out my core(that also helps incontinence) and helps tone up everywhere is yoga. I've been doing yoga with Bob (biggest loser) only about twice a week, but those two times kick my butt, literally.

When I heard of yoga, I constantly told myself that I would never do that. Seriously, how was I going to stand like a flamingo and then suddenly lift my leg up into the wild blue yonder all the while trying to keep my balance. Not to mention, keeping all my body parts from moving out of position. No way!!

I ended up buying Biggest Loser Yoga weight loss video some time ago. It sat unopened for months. I tried it and was sore the next day. Bob keeps you going. I learned new names for exercises that I had never heard of before. Downward dog, upward dog, cow, cat, triangle, warrior, and the dreaded plank.

I do have to admit that the first time I turned on the video to view it just to see if I would like it, I saw them do these poses and told myself, "that's easy, you can do that"

Ha Ha Ha laughed my body when the next time I turned the video on and actually tried it. Your body stretches and reaches and moves and works. Never again will I say that yoga is not exercise.

So L, I think that's what's happening to my little so called muscles. Yoga baby!!

I ran another 3 miles this morning. 30 min this time. I was trying to do a slow and easy 3 miles.
*****************************************************************
The boys had baseball games this week. It's been fun to watch them. UB is still in Tball and gets bored during the halfway point. He enjoys it though.

AB is still in coach pitch with Hubster as his coach. During the opening tournament, their team won the championship. It was great. Since then, they've won some and lost one.

AB hit an infield home run on Tue and was quite proud of himself. I was proud of him as well. This is the same kid that last year hit maybe 4 times the entire year. He's been doing so much better this year. It was a good home run. He hit it down to left field, hit the fence and he ran and ran, they threw the ball to the catcher and AB slid right between the catcher's legs(not touching the catcher). The catcher dropped the ball. It was great.

It's funny how even though his daddy is his coach, and he wants to impress him, he still looks for his mom for approval. I love it. He'll tell me that he's going to hit it hard again, or that he's going to catch a pop fly. Well, last night during one of the times that he hit the ball, he made it to first base and was looking at me for my thumbs up sign, he smiled and waved when I gave it to him. I hope he always looks for me.

He even caught a pop fly. He just lifted his arms that are 3ft long and caught that ball that was going high up. It was great. And yes, he looked to see if I had seen it.

Anyway, enough bragging. I'm just a proud momma, what can I say.

We are having company this weekend. My brother in law and his son and my sister in law and her family. Along with more family and friends for a get together or two.

Time to go finish mowing, clean the house, do the laundry, change sheets and just get ready for the company that is soon to arrive.

Have a Blessed Weekend!!!

Victory tastes good

Last Friday was the last regular season game for AB and Hubster. It was actually a make-up game from Monday. We've had lots of storms lately and it happened to storm on a day that baseball was to happen.

Well, we only had 8 players, and we played with only 8, but we did have to take an out on every ninth batter. The other team had a full crew.

The other team also had been un-defeated. Until the night before. They apparently lost and were not happy about it. This is a team that is all about winning. Or maybe it's only the coach and the parents that feel that way.

The game started good, we weren't expecting much out of this since we only had 8 players. During the first inning, the other team scored 4. We scored none.

The second inning started and our team kept them from scoring. We ended up with 2 runs. We were halfway there.

Our team though, is like the Bad News Bears. We have kids in the outfield that twirl around and then see the ball roll past them and they just stop and stare at it. (sad to say that that was AB). Or our kids try to get the ball, but it ends up going under their legs. Or they all scramble for the same ball. Sometimes, they think their next door neighbor is going to get it and no one actually goes for it. It's even happened that their are runners on 1st & 2nd and when the third baseman gets the ball, he throws it way past first and the guy on 2nd ends up coming home. Yup, that's our team.

So when this only lost once team was playing us on Friday, I'm sure they were tasting the win. But what happened in the fourth inning stunned everyone.

During the third inning, they ended up scoring 5 runs. They disputed everything we did. They argued over the fact that the umpire called one of their runners out because him and another runner were both on the third base bag at the same time. The coach would even sit there and yell at his players to "get rid of him" when our players were on the bases.

The parents were all disgruntled over calls that were legitimate. The scorekeeper even came over to our side to yell at the umps that our 8th batter had just gotten out and therefore our ninth non-existent batter was out as well. Like I can't yell myself.

During the 4th inning, the parents and the coach were sure of the win. They had 9, we had 5 at this time. We were joking and said that if we scored all 5 runs, only 5 runs are allowed an inning, that we could possibly win. Since we had only won 3 other times during the season, we didn't even believe it was possible. And definitely not with only 8 players.

Well, it was our time to bat and we had only 1 out with bases loaded. The scorekeeper came up to me and asked me what the score was for them. 9 I said and we have 5. We had another batter hit and a runner came in and we still only had 1 out. The scorekeeper approaches me again and asks what their score is. I want to be sarcastic and say, "it hasn't changed, you still have 9", but I bite my tongue and say "y'all have 9 and now we have 6.

Our next batter hits it hard to right field. We end up getting all runners in, including the last batter. Everyone was on their feet, jumping and cheering our team. The other team's parents were on their feet and yelling as well, but not for us. They were mad because the umpire hadn't called our runner out at home. You see, the catcher had dropped the ball and was standing in the middle of home plate, with no ball.

The coach was mad. The parents were yelling. The bottom line was that they had lost to the Bad News Bear. This made them mad, since they had already lost the night before.

The scorekeeper approached me yet again and asked what the final score I had was. "We have 10 and y'all STILL have 9" I want to say. But I don't, I say "10 to 9".

We won fair and square. The victory would not have felt good if it wasn't that way. But our kids were extremely excited because they beat a team that was un-beatable, and with only 8 players. What victory.

At the end of the game, our kids shook the other teams hands, and regardless of how rude their coach or parents were, the kids were not that way. As a matter of fact, there were a couple of them at the exit when we were leaving and the kids looked at our kids and said "good game".

It's all about the treat that comes after the game

UB had a T-ball game the other day. I don't know if y'all have ever had the chance to go see a T-ball game, but just to make you laugh, I'd go. The competitive T-ball is a lot more fun to watch than the regular T-ball. Strikes are counted, outs are counted and so are points.

These are 4,5 and 6 year olds wanting to show their parents how well they play. UB's team played another team that was very good. But UB's team was having fun. I'm not sure their coach was, but the kids were.

The majority of the kids out on the field were distracted. The catcher was twirling around as he looked at the clouds. The first base girl was staring into space. The second base girl was sitting on the ground. The shortstop man was yelling at his mom to ask if he could go to his dad's house. My boy was on third base and was actually paying attention. The out fielders were all picking weeds and talking to each other and one of the girls was trying to fix her pony tail. The coach was with the outfielders probably trying to figure out the best way to get off the field without anyone realizing he was not there.

Our team was getting their hiney's kicked. I think the score ended with 20-8. But the kids didn't care if they lost, they just wanted the snow cones at the end of the game.

They would come to the dug out and each child would ask their mom, "are we getting snow cones?" So much for the game. I think they decided they were just going to play in order to get a treat.

I had fun watching them because while there were a few tears (UB's included), they all had fun and you could tell by the way they looked to the stands whenever they stopped a ball or whenever they hit the ball and scored a run, all they really were interested in was mom or dad's approval.

The smiles on their faces when mom or dad gave them the thumbs up made me realize that we are just like kids. We do something and we look towards heaven to see how proud He is of us. And I'd like to believe that He's looking down at us with his thumbs up saying "good job".

I just need a cup.......

Baseball Season has officially started. The boys had their first tournament this past weekend.

But before the tournament started on Friday, I had to finish getting AB's 'uniform'.

AB plays catcher and the rule (on paper) is that he has to wear full protection: catcher's helmet, chest protector, leg protectors, cup. Yup, a cup. So off I went in search of a cup for AB. Even though we do hand me downs here at this house, I'm not really sure that a cup is one of those things. I knew that AB had to go with me because trying on a cup, with it still in the package, is something that I was planning on doing at the store. You know, the measuring to see if was going to fit.

We went to Wal-Mart, because Wal-Mart is supposed to have everything. But contrary to popular belief, Wal-Mart does not carry everything. They didn't have any cups, at least not the kind that we needed.

When I first told AB that he was needing a cup, he was confused. "Is it going to be paper or plastic mom? Why do I need one of those cups down there any way?" Because one day I want to have grandchildren, that's why.

Off we go to another store. One that specializes in sports. Still no cup. I guess the entire town of mamma's wanted to protect their little one's prized jewels. Come on, it's just hard to think of your 7 yr old wearing a cup. Cups that grown men use when they play sports.

We proceed to another town that has a store that also specializes in sports.

Me: "Do you have any cups his size?" pointing to AB
Man: "Yes, right here" taking me to the display of cups
Man: "Does he have a slider?"
Me: obviously very confused. Looking at the cup in the package that he has handed me. Then looking at him with a blank stare "Um, a slider?"
Man: "It's these underwear that hold the cup in place"
Me: "Didn't know there was such a thing, but no, he doesn't have a slider."

I purchased the items, hand AB his bag and drive home in order to get ready for the big game that night. I didn't realize that buying a cup would be so difficult.

Let's get ready for baseball

Baseball season has started up again. The boys are pretty excited about it. Since this is the only sport so far that UB is old enough to participate in, he's been the most excited.

AB is in coach pitch baseball with Hubster as his coach and UB is in t-ball. We've had a couple of practices and so far they've gone well.

I wonder how it will be this year as far as parents yelling from the sidelines or the coaches yelling at the kids. Hubster has already said that he's not going to do that. I don't know UB's coach, so I'm not aware of how he handles stress.

Last year, it was sad to see how many parents belitted their children for the sake of a point. Or for that matter, how many coaches threw a fit out in the middle of the ball field because they didn't think the umpire made the correct call. I'd understand if this were the play offs, but all this happened in t-ball.

There was a particular incident in which the opposing team's coach called our team's coach a donkey's butt in front of all the children. This same coach went on to yell at his players for striking out or for not catching the ball. There were a couple of kids that started to cry, some just looked at him as if HE were the donkey's ___.

In the couple of practices this so far, I can't really tell how it's going to be. I just pray that it's not a show down with the moms. You'd think the dad's would be the one's, but those mom's can get after it. Some yell at only their kids and some stay quiet. One mom said that last year she would offer some constructive criticism to her son, when he suddenly stopped the game, looked over at her and said "you are not my coach". That was the last time she said anything.

So I'm starting to pray. Praying that I learn to keep my mouth shut when it comes to listening to what the other parents say. Praying that it won't get out of hand in which there are arguments happening. Praying that the kids have fun.