Girl on the Run

Doodle met up with friends in the park after dinner for a run. The girls are participating in the Girls on the Run program, which encourages tween girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The program will end with a 5K run later this spring so Doodle and friends are getting serious about training. One of Doodle's GOTR coaches is the wife of her soccer coach so now she's being coached by both adults in this active/fitness-minded family. Tootle and I hung out on the playground while Doodle ran laps. I probably should dust off my running shoes and join the runners.

UPDATE: Today's Washington Post has an article about the program; Doodle's school is not among those mentioned in the article. Also, the rain ended in time for Tootle to have soccer practice. Her cleats were incredibly mud caked, but she was happy.

Anticipation

Spring is almost here, and we can't wait. Tonight Tootle and I hung out at the playground while Doodle had a 1.5 hour soccer practice. Tomorrow night Tootle has her first soccer practice of the season. She has been counting down the days for almost a week, but she may need to keep on counting. The forecast calls for afternoon rain.

Robo Math

Meet Lego, the robot dog that Tootle created for a math project. Her class had to make a robot using various plane and three dimensional shapes. When Tootle indicated that she wanted to make a dog, on a lark I googled "robot dog craft" and found a tin can Martha Stewart project. We used the Martha project as a model but didn't drill nearly as many holes or use all the nuts and bolts that she called for (although the eyes are hex nuts filled with sparkly little pom poms). We also used the Martha-suggested extension spring for a tail but couldn't find caster wheels small enough to use for the legs/feet. Tootle decided to make the legs out of Legos, which eventually led to naming the robot in honor of the building blocks. The collar is a Tinker Toy and both the ears and tongue are made of pipe cleaners and felt.

One Season Ends, Another Begins

Doodle's soccer team played in their final indoor game on Sunday and practice begins for the spring season this Sunday. I can't wait for the spring season to begin so I can find out if the girls' new found goal making ability will translate to the outdoor field and so I can try out my new zoom lens. In the fall season, the team scored 5 games in 8 games; they also only allowed 5 goals. In the indoor season, they scored 44 goals in 7 games, finishing second with a record of 5-2. (I'm too lazy to look up how many goals were scored against them, but it wasn't too many.) They lost to the same team twice: a team of girls who were a year older and much, much larger. My friend/the coach's wife has asked me to shoot the spring games so that we can present each girl with a photo of herself and of the team at the end of the season. Some of those photos may be showing up here if they turn out well.

Tootle's team probably won't start practicing for a few more weeks. Once the schedules are released, I'll get to create my Excel chart of their games so I can see how many conflict. I hope we have better luck this season; I missed more than half of Tootle's games in the fall. I love the determination of Doodle's team and the joy of Tootle and her teammates. Tootle's Marshmallows celebrate every goal with hugs and high fives. They often score 10-plus goals in a game, but each is cause for celebration.

A Poem

Doodle wrote a poem in school on Friday that made both her teacher's and my days. Her teacher wasn't feeling well and couldn't get a doctor's appointment until Monday, but this poem put a smile on her face. It had a similar effect on me.

Car Wash

Scratch, scratch,
Swish, swoosh
I'm soon clean,

Scrub, scrub,
Wash, wash,
Soon I'll be seen,

Rub, rub,
Squeak, squeak,
As the tires roll,

The glory shows,
shiny as a button,
I don't look dull,

I'm on the road,
Moving smoothly,
Rolling along,

The radio is on,
Listening,
to a song

OMG IM

Doodle came home from school today and spent two hours on the computer having what I would term an IM party with four or five of her friends. I'm just a bit too old to understand the attraction of IM. What could they possibly talk about for so long? OMG, I sound like my mom when I would spend hours on the phone in middle school.

Snow Day

Six inches of the white stuff on a Sunday night/ Monday morning means no school or work...

Or at least not that kind of work. Doodle works to save her pine tree, planted 2 years ago, from the weight of the snow while Tootle shovels...and shovels

Sledding with big friends and small

And finally enjoying hot chocolate with a few marshmallows. I love rosy cheeks.