recreation

Hit and Stick It

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Curling, October 2016I… think it’s actually been a while since I last talked about the Monster and curling.  Whoa.

Quick recap – for those who haven’t been around for a while, I curl semi-competitively myself.  R and the Monster have been curling in our local club’s Middle Rockers program for the better part of two seasons now, and the Monster is the only child with a developmental disability that is in the program.  This has us running into interesting issues now and again, due to the Monster’s deficits, but… when you go from a place of ‘assume competence’ and ‘adapt where you can’… Continue reading →

The Game

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The Monster outside M&T Bank Stadium, December 2017As I mentioned last week, the Monster and I were offered the opportunity to catch a Ravens game, thanks to the kindness of a donor at The Arc Baltimore.  Last night was the game, and so we went.

I love football.  (I love most sports, frankly.)  As I mentioned, I grew up getting to go to sporting events now and again – from baseball to football to hockey and basketball – and seeing sports live is something I rather enjoy.  We’ve taken the Monster to baseball games, largely minor-league, previously… and it’s definitely easier when you are in a smaller facility where you can walk about and still see the field (and definitely more so when you’re going to these events as part of a group of children in similar situations).  A football stadium is not one of these kinds of things. Continue reading →

Echoes of Childhood

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I’m going to do something that might be… ill-advised next weekend, but reminds me a lot of my childhood.

A fond memory of my childhood was going to sports events with my father.  Dad had season tickets to the local basketball and football teams, and we had neighbors who gave us tickets to go to the occasional baseball game.  As a result, I spent a lot of time seeing sports live – the way they’re really meant to be seen – and… well, given that I grew up further north than where I live now, a lot of the football, therefore, was outside in the winter, bundled down in a seat and cheering on my team, and as a relatively neurotypical child, I could easily handle being out there in the cold and crowd for a few hours. Continue reading →

On the Road – Six Flags America (Revisited)

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It’s been a while since my family journeyed down to Six Flags.  It’s the nearest amusement park to our house (just barely), and while my wife and I used to have season passes before children, the park hasn’t had as much to offer to our family while both R and the Monster were younger.  But now that both children are north of three feet tall…

Continue reading →

What Sticks

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The Monster’s last day at Middle Rockers, 2016-17 season

Ordinarily, I handle getting the Monster to his school bus anyway, and then leave straight for work.  The point of this being, if his school bus is late or doesn’t show, I can then run him to school before it starts without my wife being made to run a huge loop to drop both kids off.  While she’s on Injured Reserve, this responsibility still lands square in my lap.

So of course, today being his first day back at school after spring break, the bus didn’t come. Continue reading →

Something Positive

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Both kids on the ice, October 2016I figured that everyone could use something less controversial than the big news of the day that’s doubtless dominating everyone’s Twitter and Facebook feeds today.

Curling.  Specifically, with the kids.

It’s actually been a while since I talked about taking both R and the Monster curling, so I thought that I’d give everyone an update as to how our little adventure into athletic endeavors is going. Continue reading →

Curl On This

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It’s been a while since I last posted – I got distracted with a few very packed weeks at work and in my personal life (largely the latter, almost entirely for good, and just the nature of life sometimes).  But now that things are quieting down a bit…

This weekend was another outing to the curling rink with both boys.  R is slowly getting it… but the news is that I had an epiphany about the Monster on the ice. Continue reading →

Slip Sliding Away…

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Curling, October 2016So, it’s happened.

R started curling three weeks ago, and… well, is doing as well as you’d imagine a four year old doing on his first time out.  He’s watched enough to have an idea of what it looks like, but putting that into practice is a wholly different thing.  But the idea of getting curling has been motivating him since, and that makes me quite, quite happy.  We took a week off for an ASBC social, and then… we went again last Sunday, this time with the Monster.

So it’s official – my Monster is now a curler. Continue reading →

Do the Thing! Win the Points!

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IMG_1720We’re almost to my sport season… and this year may be different…

… because I might try to teach both kids to sport this year.

Yes, yes, I know.  One of my former directors at work used to take me aside now and again, put his hand on my shoulder, and say, “[Dad], we are a desert people.  We do not do ice sports.”  And yet, here we are, dear friends, here we are. Continue reading →

No Point Hiding

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fireworks-2016Sometimes, there’s nothing to do but to do it, whatever “it” happens to be.

There are a few things that I shy away from doing, since the Monster got his diagnosis – mostly due to what experience has taught me is going to cause a problem – but by and large, I do try to make sure that he’s going to get as many ‘normal’ activities as he can.

This includes going to the playground, to baseball games, out to eat, museums… you name it.  And it’s not always with special supports. Continue reading →