A Mommy Story

It’s not even summer yet, and I can already feel my weekends getting busier. I’m a failure at having the traditional relaxing weekend – most often my weekends are just as busy as, or busier, than the workweek. And we won’t even discuss how busy Aaron’s weekends are.

Cordy is in the middle of her spring soccer season, so every Saturday morning we’re out on the field. She’s part of a special needs soccer group, which is awesome for kids who want to play, need the physical exercise, but can’t handle all of the training and gameplay of a typical soccer league. They spend 15-20 minutes of each session drilling basic skills, then the kids play against each other in a friendly game.

Parents and teens from the local high school soccer teams volunteer their time to help the kids, and everyone does their best to emphasize the fun and not the competition. No official score is kept, and volunteers try to help each kid get their own moment in the game.

Cordy loves to play goalie. I’m not sure if it’s because she likes to be the one allowed to pick up the ball with her hands, or because she gets nervous with too many people in one place, all kicking at a ball, or if she just doesn’t feel like running and likes having the time to relax when the ball is at the other end of the field.

When she’s not goalie, though, the kid has a forceful kick that is amazingly straight. If only she would continue to run with the ball when she kicks it.

Not only did we have soccer this Saturday, but it was also Free Comic Book Day. Aaron was volunteering his time as a costumed superhero at the comic book store, with Mira along to hang out and say hi to all of the superheroes. I took Cordy over after soccer so she could also enjoy the day and pick out some free comics for herself.

After we went there, I took the kids to my aunt’s house for a sleepover, met up briefly with some friends who were in town, and then re-joined Aaron at a movie theater for the annual 24-hour Sci-fi Movie Marathon. (No, I had no intention of staying for the entire 24 hours, or even most of it.) It was at that point that I realized this was too much for a single day – I couldn’t enjoy the movies when I was so worn out, and I knew Sunday would be no less forgiving. I left the theater around midnight while Aaron stayed to watch them all – unlike me, he doesn’t seem to have lost his ability to sit in hard wooden seats for hours without getting achy and antsy to move around.

Sunday was just as busy, but in an entirely different way. My friend Joanne had asked if I would cover The Ohio State University commencement ceremony for her site, The Broad Side, because President Obama was the speaker. It was impossible to turn down a request like that, so I agreed and she obtained press credentials for me. I was excited and nervous at the same time, which led to me being unable to sleep more than a few hours.

I’ve never been press for an event like this. It was completely alien to me, but also kinda fun. Being able to walk right down onto the field, and wander the area right in front of the stage was awesome. I didn’t realize that most of the press brought their laptops with them – and here I was, an internet press contributor, with some paper and a pen.

We could wander anywhere behind that metal railing. The graduating students were behind us.

To complete my dorky look, I trusted my DSLR when I quickly checked the battery and it displayed as 2/3 full. I took one shot of the outside of the stadium, then when I reached the press area on the field, I pulled it out again to take a shot of the stage, only to have the message “Change battery pack” flashing on the screen. Seriously? So while all of the other media folks had their professional cameras and were swapping out lenses, I was right in the middle of them with my little iPhone camera. Note to self: invest in a back-up battery pack, or bring a charger with you next time.

I didn’t get the clear shots that my DSLR would have provided, but the iPhone was tolerable:

The President’s speech was great, and I was in awe of being THAT CLOSE to him. You can read my full write up over at The Broad Side.

After the commencement ceremony, I came home and collapsed. Other than writing the article, very little was accomplished Sunday evening.

So, how was your weekend?