The Sisterhood of Soccer

Pippi and the Jewels--first Soccer game ever. Pippi scored the team's first goal and her first goal! She was so thrilled with the whole soccer experience :)

Pippi loves soccer--always has a smile on her face as she intently  focuses on the game.

Pippi in action.

My niece, Artemis. As luck would have it, Artemis' team The Diamonds had their first game against Pip's team The Jewels.

Artemisia in action--so happy to be playing soccer!

Tabs in action. Tabs has a smile on her face as she plays too.

Tabs receives a greeting from Pip during the game.

Sisterhood love.

Pippi as butterfly, cheering Tabs and the Cyclones during their soccer game.

I have been baching it this past week. Peter is in Saskatchewan visiting family. It has been a very busy time for me as all of my darling girls have had activities galore. I have been juggling soccer games, birthday parties, jazz festivals, dance lessons, choir lessons, piano lessons and teaching Zumba.

The city I live in is a new city. It has grown rapidly only recently. Twenty years ago it was a sleepy town. Suddenly it a large city spread throughout the Okanagan Valley,  creeping up all surrounding mountains. Beautiful? yes. Easy to navigate? NO!

Kelowna has a pathetic public transport system. The city bus doesn't even come up my mountain and we have no sidewalk down the mountain. And yet, it is a very large city geographically, so one must be in the car constantly. I long to have a great pubic transport system like Portland, Oregon. That city has hills, they manage fine.

I have a 1/2h drive each way to the places I teach Zumba. Add that to chauffeuring my 3 children to various activities and you have the makings of a life out of balance. Too much travel time. How to remedy this? Many options. To move to a more central location within  the city that is serviced by the city bus is really the only practical one. Or move cities. Will I move? Not right away. Too many other issues to sort in my life. The house issue would overflow my teapot.

My teapot is filled with work-force angst:

Women who choose to stay home and raise their babies and toddlers miss out on crucial work-force career building years. So, when their babies are of school age and they wish to make an income--things are difficult. It is one thing to be in one's 20's starting out but to be in one's 40's is another thing. And yes, the person in their 40's has more education, more experience, more knowledge, more talent etc. But the reality is that, employers look to the twenty somethings regardless. Because dedicating one's life to raising one's children is not valued in Western society. It is valued only as long as you don't dare try and do anything within the "other" work force after your babes are school age.
Raise your babies yourself, without daycare or a nanny and then see which  employers value the time you spent doing that job. None.
So, the solution is to be self employed or keep going to school for a PhD.

 I will get my novels out and published (two to start) (phase II)--and then move onto phase III.  Oprah says the money will come if you do what you love. I never watched Oprah, except perhaps for the odd show over ten years ago. And I don't read her magazine so that shows you how much faith I have in her words. Yet, I hear them repeated, over and over--and not surprisingly, most often by people making an income at something other than their passion.  

Three Tiger Cubs

Tabs

Pip

Mist

My girls love to photograph themselves on photo booth. I discover dozens of new photos they've taken of themselves each week. The newest photographer is Pip. She'll get on my computer and before you know it, have taken a series of about 30 photos of herself in various poses.

I am working all weekend. Borrowing Peter's UBC office to write on my thesis. I hope to accomplish much. So far I have found one study validator from amongst the covert stuffy culture on facebook--a fellow writer. I found out this writer has an Mfa and a Bfa from Emily Carr--so cool. I love that some of the covert writers are artists and Canadians like me! I need to find an ethnographer at UBC to also validate my study. I will work on that this week.

The cold arctic weather is finally leaving BC tomorrow. So I am saving my mountain hike for tomorrow morning--it should be a little warmer by then.

Tabs and I had a date night last night. She chose shopping at the mall and out for supper. I love my date nights with the wee gals. Tabs was inspired to purchase beads with letters on them and then proceeded to make three bracelets last night--one for her and her 2 best friends. One bracelet said "Best" the next "friends" and the third "forever."
I am extremely disappointed in how the soccer has been managed this year. 3 major tryouts to discover Tabs did not make the 1st level team. So unfair. Because she is a good soccer player and really top notch defense girl. I am an angry mother Tiger about it. No one messes with my babies. This whole level thing is new this season. ALL kids soccer is in levels now--there is no more just "soccer for kids." All teams require levels and tryouts and divide old, life-long team mates and friends (she's been playing since age 5 with all the same girls). She may decide to play this year but is also considering trying out baseball as she has always wanted to play but had no time because of soccer.

Mist and Pip still recovering from respiratory bugs. The girls will hang with their dad all weekend while I work.

I am feeling a little excited about my career plans.

 1. Get a job! My goal is to teach college but I will take anything that gets me there along the way:communications, fine arts, English, creative writing....anything they will let me.

2. Paint Renaissance style wild life on the side for $ (will need to study in France to learn this technique. Gregory said he will hold my deposit until I can come. I do hope it is within this year).

3. Keep writing and publishing my fiction.

4. Teach Zumba for fun (will train for this and continue to study forms of latin dance for fun).

5. Once my painting and writing starts to bring in $$$, I can cut back on my teaching load eventually.