soccer | You Signed Up For What?!

Another Friday Five with a link-up with my fellow DC Trifecta – Eat Pray Run DC and Mar on the Run. We’re getting fancy with our grabbable badge (I take no credit):

Grab the link up badge!

Link up your Friday Five here:

Today I’m going with five sports-ish-themed things:

1. Futsal. I know what you’re thinking: “What the heck is futsal??” That’s what I thought when the subject of my daughter’s soccer team playing futsal through the winter came up. I had never heard of it until last week. It looks like soccer indoors on a basketball court. Okay, okay, I know there are more differences than that, I’ve done the required reading of the rules. The girls are excited to keep playing together, so we’re going to give it a try, and hope they have fun.

2. Hockey. In our house, hockey is king. Hockey rules. There is always hockey on the TV and the kids say “hah-hee” before they can say “futsal”.

Yeah, yeah, they’ve never said futsal until this week – but you get the point.

My husband plays on a recreational hockey league, and my middle child is an obsessed hockey fan. His obsession has never waned or faltered since about age 1 – it’s been steady and he’s extremely passionate about it. Do you ever wonder what kids are thinking when they look deep in thought, or they’re in that moment of just-falling-asleep? There’s no wonder with him, it’s hockey. Just as he is drifting off to sleep, he will say, in a dreamlike voice: “mom, why don’t the refs wear gloves?”

We used to have Caps season tickets, but canceled last season during the NHL lockout. K is a Penguins fan like his dad, and I’m a Capitals fan, so we have a big rivalry in this house. Next week our two teams play each other – so it is ON!

3. Biking. For Kids. My mission this weekend is to get my 4 year old son to ride his bike. He just won’t do it. Santa gave him a balance bike 2 years ago (one of the pedal-less bikes to promote balance and avoid training wheels) and he does.not.like.it. We’ve watched videos of kids having fun on balance bikes, we’ve talked about it, he seems excited about it, but then he just won’t do it. I might buy him a bike with training wheels if this fear of the balance bike goes on any longer.

He does love this Plasma Car, though – I got it by saving those codes on the Pampers diapers and wipes. We have races in our back alley – me on his scooter or pushing his brother in the stroller vs. him on the Plasma Car.

4. Weight Lifting. Well, not really weight lifting – more like me with hand weights in the basement doing exercise videos this morning. It was pretty challenging because the 4-year-old jumped around the entire time. He had his own pretend weight, and even did plank-style pushups with me.

Don’t let his calm demeanor fool you – he was a maniac during the workout.

5. Bingo. Yeah, I said it – Bingo. I like bingo. You’re right – bingo isn’t a sport, I’m stretching it here. Thursday night was the annual Bingo Night at my daughter’s elementary school, and it was super fun! We didn’t win anything but we can totally see how people get into bingo regularly. The suspense, the challenge of the… randomness and luck. So fine, there’s no skill involved except listening and patience. But it was a good time.