Sport » The Best Nest

My husband is a Skateboarder

Feb 112013

February 11, 2013 1 Response »

He was a skateboarder when I met him (I skated too actually, fairly well) and he will be a skateboarder long after the wheels have stopped spinning I’m sure. As is always the way when all of a sudden you can’t do something, I secretly have major skate envy at the moment as the influx of beautiful concrete bowls in and around Auckland has amped up all skate related activity in our house.

Dave and E are heading out whenever they get a chance, spending hours finding lines in the bowls at Botany and Victoria Park, meeting new friends and learning new tricks; relishing in this very special father and son hobby that couldn’t have peaked at a more opportune time.

So, I lose them for most of a Saturday or Sunday, they come home happy, scraped, bruised and exhausted. Ethan’s legs ache when wakes but he always asks if they can do it all over again. Did I mention the NOFX? Ethan is slowly being converted to American punk. Sigh.

A small win for my big guy

Nov 082012

November 8, 2012 No Responses »

When Ethan was a newborn one of our friends in San Diego quickly noted that he was not one of those ‘spaghetti’ babies. What she meant was, he was never limp or floppy. There was always tension in his wee body and he has always been strong, robust and above the 95th percentiles.
As he has grown nothing much has changed aside from my grocery bill. The child is built like a brick shithouse with shoulders like battering rams.
E may be very athletic and naturally good at sports but he ain’t built for speed.
And so, athletics day approached and Ethan’s face darkened every time I mentioned it. He was sure he would run last in his races and there is nothing E hates more than not being good at ~~everything~~ something.
As it turned out, Ethan came third in all of his races which thrilled us all no end. The icing on the cake however was the inclusion of shot put in the junior events! My boy was made to throw heavy objects! With the 10-15kg weight advantage he has on other kids in his class I’m surprised he wasn’t throwing one of them 13 metres.
So Ethan won the shot put and learned that you can’t measure everyone against the same yard stick. His big slow twitch muscle fibres are not as good at sprinting as others but come in handy when you are trying to throw metal balls like Valerie (whom he adores).
I hope he remembers this next rugby season and leaves his dreams of the back line far behind.

Back to school; How was your day?

Jul 162012

July 16, 2012 2 Responses »

First day back and school and 45kms done – another 15 to go before we get home {I’m typing this at my own personal nightmare location – the pool, that’s another blog post}. Monday’s are a wee bit chaos-flavored as I drive in circles to get E to swimming right after school. Monday is our ‘be prepared’ day. Afternoon tea and swimming gear must be packed and taken with us when we leave the house in the morning, homework is done in the truck while we wait for the lesson to begin, and dinner must be at least at concept stage so we aren’t kicking off the week with an emergency fish ‘n chip run!
I had high hopes for this morning which were quickly dashed with 2 swipes of the snooze alarm. I want desperately to be out of bed at 6am and reclaim an hour back into my day. The things I have planned for that hour! Blogging, bed making, laundry folding….. it sounds riveting doesn’t it? Problem is I have managed to get up at 6am exactly ONE TIME THIS WHOLE YEAR. I am a snoozer, a sleeper, a very grumpy morning person who likes to get out of bed on her own terms.

I am a morning failure. Tomorrow, however is another day.

Learning spelling words in the car before swimming

Giveaway {closed} | Milo Play Kit – this is AWESOME!

Jul 092012

July 9, 2012 77 Responses »

The wonderful team at Milo have really gotten in behind the concept of play in 2012 and it has been so great to be involved as a Mum Ambassador!

You can catch up on what we’ve all been up to by heading over to the Milo Australia/New Zealand Facebook page and getting involved in the discussions and play ideas, plus keep an eye out for an awesome new play resource coming soon!

In the meantime, I have a seriously kick butt giveaway for you guys; we have one of these kits at home and we have used everything in it in so many different ways!

You will receive; a portable set of soccer nets, soccer ball, rugby league ball, soft squishy fun ball, set of training cones, ball pump and some Milo of course! All you have to do to enter is ‘Like’ The Best Nest on Facebook and leave a comment below telling us about your favorite holiday boredom buster!

Prize will be drawn at random on July 29th and is open to NZ and Australian residents only. Please note prizes may differ from image showen.

Good luck! {Don’t forget to enter our other fab giveaway here}

I am participating in the Milo Play Movement as a Blogger Ambassador and any compensation received is for advice provided directly to the MILO Play Movement team on the social media engagement plan.
All communications I share regarding the MILO Play Movement are my honest opinion.

Team Sport. Therapy for Grown Ups

Jun 112012

June 11, 2012 No Responses »

Ah yes. Tonight was netball night, otherwise known as shit-I-have-the-hairiest-legs-EVER night, or “Mum, when did you get an Ahhh-Bra?” night. Damn infomercials. That would be a sports bra son. Telling my ultra-competitive, good at all sports son that we got caned is also not that much fun. I neglected to tell him our opposition were down a player; minor detail.

Truth is, I LOVED our game tonight. It was hilarious, the ref was a whistle blowing maniac who pulled both teams up every 10 seconds for stepping {not joking one bit}, she also loved blowing her whistle if we happened to toe the line on a throw-in, or if she even thought we may have almost toed the line on a throw-in.

She was consistent and she was thorough. She made me think about how rare it is for us in adult life to defer to a stranger, repeatedly, even if they are wrong! But, defer we did, and laugh and had a really good run {no subs!}.

A team is a commitment in a world where none of us Mum’s have any free time – there is always something else to do, something more worthy, something dirty that we’ve been neglecting for too long already. However, the connection and common goal of the ladies I barely know {lets be honest!} is such a refreshing break from the grind that it makes leaving the house on a freezing Monday night in winter totally worth it. For me, being part of this netball team isn’t about fitness or exercise at all. It honestly could be a Ten Pin Bowling team and I probably would have said yes to joining! It is simply just about blowing the cobwebs out a little and being part of something that extends beyond the mailbox.

How do you guys clear you heads and get a little Mama time?

Play | Rugby Barbarians Day

Jun 012012

June 1, 2012 No Responses »

After an amazing game against Helensville on Saturday {Ethan’s team won 120-10!}, he had to don his mouthguard again on Sunday {I had to get up at 6am!!!!} for the Barbarians tournament in Devonport.

I was quite unprepared for the size of the tournament, there were schools from all over Auckland and hundreds of keen-as, rugby mad kids ready to play. There was a twist….open weight and years 3,4,5 and 6 playing all together. Against each other. Big kids vs teeny kids playing tackle. yikes.

See what I mean?

There are many proud Mum moments that I have filed away over the years but my heart was positively bursting with pride on Sunday. Tackling a massive year 6 kid at speed who has at least 10kgs on your year 3 self is BRAVE. My boy was fearless and played intense rugby. He never questioned whether he was up to the task, he just tackled like the forward he is and thanked god he didn’t have to wear boots so he felt a little faster than normal.

It was a super fun day. There were free sausages, bacon butties and Milo for the kids as well as the opportunity to spend time with past Barbarians and meet the Auckland Blues!

The clip below is from Saturdays game; Ethan’s 2nd try of 3

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