Family, Football, Friends

It's that time of year again, the husband is getting ready to play football. About 2/3 of the way through the Colts' season this year I realized that the Rampage 2016 season was much more promising, and I've been waiting ever since.

Last month I signed the "permission slip" and the Rampage had their final open try-out for the season at Carlisle High School (their home for the upcoming season). A new field, new teammates, and a camera lens mean I can't wait for the first game to get here! And of course above that, the fact that my brother-in-law tried, out means we'll all be spending lots of family time together this season!

If you're in the area, admission is $5 (or check out the discount for season tickets by visiting their Facebook page). It's a fun, family friendly environment, and pretty much the perfect way to spend a Saturday for those of us who think the months between the Super Bowl and training camp (or Friday night lights) are waaayyy too long!

All Grown Up: Monica Zeringue, Gymnast

Last week I started my new mini-series, All Grown Up, featuring none other than the husband, a Midwest Rampage wide receiver. This week, I'm excited to be able to feature a gymnast! Monica, or FlippinAwesomeMom, was and IS a gymnast, mother of two, and pretty impressive. I actually came across her Instagram account and had to reach out! 

Me: When did you start gymnastics? How long were you actively involved (originally)? 

Monica: I started gymnastics when I was 7 years old. I stayed active until about 19 years old. So a total of about 12 years. :) 

Me: What is the best part about it? 

Monica: The thrill of flying through the air, and of pushing my body to limits I didn't realize I was capable of until I try. I love that I can use my body as a piece of art, as a form of expression! That there are so many different gymnast styles which bring a different kind of beauty for us to appreciate. 

Also, and perhaps a more sobering aspect of the sport, I love that there is always room for improvement. It really humbles you, because while we realize that while we're capable of so much more than we think, our bodies are still so fragile and can break easily. The paradox is frustrating and fascinating at the same time. I feel it really expresses our nature as humans.

Me: What has been the biggest life lesson you have taken away from gymnastics? 

Monica: If I were to pick just one, I'd have to say that my coaches words from my level 9 national competition. This was right after I fell on my last tumbling pass on floor (my last event). If I hadn't fallen I would have had the silver medal. I reported this to my coach at the end of the meet, and in her cold, Ukrainian accent, and completely blunt tone, replied: "If everyone did not fall, everyone would win first place."

It was hard for me to hear this as a young girl, but it was an important lesson for me to learn. Comparing yourself doesn't serve you or others. Our job isn't to compete against other people, but to do our best, focus on what needs improvement right in front of us. When we loose sight of that, we become jealous, bitter, resentful, and we don't perform as well. I believe this can be applied to literally anything in life.  

Me: So what made you want to get involved again and continue training now?

Monica: Exactly this time last year, I wanted to loose some baby weight after I had my second child. I was really depressed at the time, not happy with myself, and just feeling like I was in a rut (mentally, emotionally, physically, financially). At the recommendation of a friend, I started a Beachbody workout/nutrition program called the 21 Day Fix that unexpectedly and completely boosted my confidence. Normally doing workout programs just flared up old gymnastics injuries, but this one was super low impact while still working very effectively. I lost over 14 inches and 7lbs in 21 days. I continued with a few more of their programs: 21 Day Fix Extreme, PiYo, Insanity Max 30, and now I'm working on The Master's Hammer & Chisel. I lost an additional 10 inches off my frame. 

More importantly, each program helped develop different muscles. I began feeling happier and more confident with my body and slowly just started doing old tricks in my home with my kids. Eventually, I got to the point where I needed bigger/better equipment to try some of the things I felt up to doing. This led me to look for local adult classes nearby. After New Years, I found a gym and signed up. I got to fly over the vault last practice! And I'm hoping to swing some giants today! :) Been having a blast! :) 

Me: Is there anything else about your journey that you'd like to share? 

Monica: When I quit at 19, I was worn out and burned from the politics of the sport. I've since been able to find joy in it again thanks to a renewed sense of purpose I've been able to apply. I'm not doing gymnastics for anyone but myself now, and that really makes it much less stressful, and much more fun. Whatever sport you do, make sure you're enjoying yourself. Competition is great, as long as you're having a good time and treating others with respect and kindness. And whatever you're doing, be sure that it brings out the best version of yourself; let your beautiful light shine!

You can follow Monica's journey via social media:
FB: www.facebook.com/teamdetermination1
IG: @flippinawesomemom
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rI1aY0jEdB4ZWBS2YPKFw

Holy Off-Season

If you're anything like me, you've never been a fan of the "off season." It's not fun, competition seems forever away, and it's easy to sit around and eat Cheetos on the couch, binging on Netflix originals (who else is ready for HoC next week?!). I've always admired how hard the girls work in the gym during the off season, but never been much about it myself.\

I love visiting Ada Hayden for exercise in the summer with my favorite gym moms, but once sweatshirt weather arrives, I'm back on my butt waiting for spring. Well this year, in an effort to be a happier, healthier me (more on that later), I joined a gym. I haven't gone super consistently, but from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, I tried to hit the gym somewhere around 3x a week. Husband helped me with a weight lifting routine, and the elliptical became my best friend.

On Monday I went for my first run since September. It was a little hard to find a run from last year that compared on both distance and pace. I'm actually in BETTER shape this spring than I was last fall! Who knew?! Okay, a lot of people knew, I just wasn't one of them. I am now an "off season" believer (yeah, I know I don't actually have a season, so I consider summer my season). You'll notice that I was also able to maintain a steady pace this week, versus starting fast and gradually slowing down. I'll never be fast, I hate running, but it's the easiest way (I think) to burn calories and get in shape!

Catching Up With My Boys

A and I love BWW, football, and
creating together.

While we're running around with work, R's gymnastics, and dealing with her injury, I've tried to make extra efforts to catch up with my boys. One of the things I wish I was better at is nurturing the relationships I have with my children as individuals. In the world of chaos and time crunch, I try hard to be a great mom to my kids, but I also want to have good relationships as "Mom and R," "Mom and A," and "Mom and E."

E and I love snuggling in bed, sneaking
upstairs to find snacks, and wiping off
the other's kisses.

Take time with each of your children individually. Appreciate their personalities. Embrace their passions. R and I get a lot of bonding time on the road to and from the gym, or to and from the doctor, but I also need to be better about building our relationship outside of the gym schedule. Of course, sometimes it's easier to bond with my daughter, but I love the things I have in common with each of my babies. I'm going to keep working to embrace them as individuals, and I hope you will, too. It's not about being the best mom (or dad), but about being better than you were yesterday, the best you can be, and the best for your kid - remembering that that may look different from the neighbor next door, and even different from child to child.

All Grown Up: Jeromy Keehn, Wide Receiver

I spend a lot of time writing about raising my kids and the role that sports plays in our lives. Well I don't know if you've heard, but rumor has it that at some point they're going to grow up. I'm not a fan, and I would stop it if I could, but since I can't, I hope that they find a sport (or hobby or some other passion) that they are so passionate about that they can hold onto it well into their adult years. Something that challenges them, comforts them, drives them. 

With that in mind, I set out to talk to some real-life grown ups who are still finding happiness in the childhood sports that brought them so many memories, life lessons, and triumphs. I'm not talking about your typical weekend softball tournament or casual round of golf, I'm talking about athletes who train and compete at intense levels in order to hang on to something they love.

I figured I'd start with the husband. Husband has always been athletic, playing softball in the summer (and fall), basketball once a week in the winter, maybe hitting an open gym. He golfs in the occasional tournament. But last summer he joined a group of guys to play football. Legit tackle football with the Midwest Rampage. At 34 years old (now 35). As a father of three, educator, and fabulous husband (I'm not just saying that because he'll read this - I'm super needy, and he handles that well), what would lead someone to play a game where they are going to not only be sprinting around a field, but getting hit by big dudes?! Time for an interview.

Me: When did you start playing football? 

Husband: I started playing padded football in 7th grade, but I played with my friends long before that. 

Me: What is the best part? Why did you play? 

Husband: The best part is coming together to accomplish a goal as a team. It's different than any other team sport because it takes a whole team almost every play. The line has to block, the QB has the throw, the WR has to catch. They all have to come together for it to work.

Me: What is the general reaction of people who find out you're still playing? Do people think you're crazy?

Husband: Yeah, people want to know why.  

Me: So why do you still play? 

Husband: I still play because I love the game and while I knew I was never going to play in the NFL, I always regretted not at least trying to play Arena Football or something. This has given me the chance to eliminate that regret. But more importantly, I play for the Rampage because it's different. I knew these guys for 3 months, but knew then that some would be lifelong friends. 

Me: What would you say is the biggest life lesson you've taken away from football?

Husband: The biggest life lessons are being accountable and understanding that everyone's role is important. Football is the ultimate team game. Everyone has to do their job for things to go right. One person doesn't, and everything goes wrong.... tackle for loss, sack, turnover, whatever. But you also need to understand that everyone's role is important. I had some good games in high school, but the first people I always thanked were the linemen. They never get the credit they deserve, but without them doing their job, I can't do mine. 

Five Ways to Cheer Up Your Injured Athlete

With R stuck on crutches and in a brace with her knee injury, we've been looking for ways to keep her spirits up. Dealing with an injury is tough for anyone, but going on 7 weeks with no end in sight, I've been scrambling for ideas to keep her going. Right now she's doing fewer hours at the gym and focusing on upper body conditioning (and abs), which isn't always a lot of fun. Especially when your teammates are working on new skills. Don't get me wrong, she's working hard - taking it like a champ, but I've still been trying to help her focus on fun.

1. We signed her up for an art class with a friend! You know, the kind where you go and drink wine and they help you look like you know what you're doing? Like that. Except without the wine, obviously. R love art, and while her team was rocking it out at the Chicago Style meet, she and a friend from school created some lovely canvas paintings at Creative Spirits in Ames.

2. Presents never hurt. Now I'm not huge on spending tons of money on things my kids don't need, but I found a pair of shorts at Justice on clearance that she'd been wanting for a while, and picked them up. This also might have been an "I'm sorry I didn't really believe you" present.

3. Family time! We've been doing lots of family activities! For example, this weekend we had brunch with my mom and sisters, watched J practice with his football team, and went out to dinner with my in-laws. What better medicine can there be than surrounding her with people who love her?

4. Books! Since she's sort of stuck - having inside recess, not being able to go out and play in the snow, etc. While A has been engrossed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, R has really taken a liking to the Dork Diaries (which I had never heard of before J picked one up at the Scholastic book fair at school). Yay for libraries! She's also spending a lot of time on her devices, so while I'm cool with some Netflix, YouTube Kids, and Minecraft, I'm glad she's found some new reading material, as well.

5. Plan something epic. For us right now it happens to be a 10th birthday party that's only a few weeks away, but we've also talked about an "I'm all better" outing with friends. She was really hoping for an American Ninja Warrior party, but since even if she's 100% healed (which isn't looking likely) she'll barely be off crutches by the time her party comes around, we opted for an aerial class (think silks, hoops, etc) - something that wouldn't be putting impact on her knee. Maybe we'll sign her up for ninja warriors with friends after she's healed.

What would you add to the list?

Watch it Wednesday: Press Handstand

Last weekend R was showing off some strength and flexibility skills in the living room (we had a visitor for lunch - pretty sure that had something to do with it), and after a few tries was able to complete part of her press handstand. I guess all that conditioning is paying off!