Saturday Evening

The competition is over and I am exhausted. I am watching the setting sun leave a rosy sky behind as it drops out of view. G is drilling M on his upcoming spelling words and I have hijacked the computer to try and update my life online. I have this idea that the kids will be able to read this when they are older and my online blog will make up for my lack of journaling. My favorite things are pieces of paper that have my dad's writing or Grandma's writing. Their wicked humor shows up in the bits and pieces of scattered sentences from the backs of photos to odd bits of paper.

Back to the weekend competition, I did my bit by volunteering, I went dressed to sit at the Awards table which is upstairs in a place notorious for being blazing hot. I was switched to ice monitor and spent 3 hours next to the ice with my teeth chattering, nose running, and fingers wanting mittens in a very bad way. I have never had any contact with Coaches and skaters and boy, was this a huge eye opener. You would think this was the Olympics. I was asked to make sure a skater was first on the ice during warm up, chastised for going to the lobby to find a missing skater...I am not to leave my post (boy, tell me this and suddenly I need to go to the bathroom, which added to my previous mentioned physical ailments) and I found out the hard way that all the instructions I was given at the beginning by someone we shall not name were...wrong. Now, I am more than willing to learn from my mistakes and I have a few suggestions for the next ice monitor, make sure you have a headset, note pad and a family relative who is willing to run all over the rink, smile at the Coaches and treat them like "Yes, their skater is the next Olympic gold medalist and above all, have a fur coat, fingerless gloves, and a blanket. Never mind that is 100 degrees outside, check your pride at the door, because if the crazy outfit in warm weather doesn't make you look like you're off your meds, you will need meds by the time the coaches are done with you.

Silver Medal

H brought home two silver medals after this weekend's competition. I'm so proud of her. Her coach says she has attitude and attitude is a tremendous attribute when skating.

trim.7LkRz9 from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

M takes on his first Competition

Rocket City 2013

Here is the official freeskate competition:


Skating competition from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

He placed 3rd in the Freeskate (Second in yesterday's Compulsory). It was a good lesson in judge's and subjective scoring. M was given first place by two judges, fourth place by two judges and last place by one judge. He is wearing a bronze medal. One of the judges pulled him aside and told him to keep skating, he has a bright future ahead of him. M is rarin' to go. He wants a lot of gold medals.

End of Summer

The kids go back to school tomorrow...I am not sure if this means I will have more free time or less free time. We have been busy at the Ice Complex with hockey skills, figure skating, and such. The kids are competing in a competition next week so here are a few pictures from yesterday's dry run (Exhibition) for next week.

Fortunately, I missed the collision between Hannah and Matthew or as I call it "When Bices Collide." Hannah's Coach was expecting gushing blood, thankfully, Hannah wore two pairs of tights (brand new, sigh) but it kept the cut to a step below stitches...boy, is it bruised.

Skating Practice

M with his Coach

August 3, 2013

MVI 0489[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

Christmas 2012 Video 3/3

MVI 0282[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

Late Christmas Video 2/3

MVI 0283[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

Oh dear...8 months Later

Yes, you are seeing a Christmas Video. If you read the following post, you will see I found a bunch of videos to upload...and yes, you hear me yapping because I didn't have quite the hang of my new camera.

I saw a Duck Dynasty shirt with Phil saying "High Tech World, Low Tech Man." That's me in a nutshell, okay, Low Tech Woman.

MVI 0286[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

Roo's Birthday

I discovered a batch of videos on the camera that I need to upload. When I hook up the camera to get pictures, the computer automatically grabs them and I forget that it doesn't upload the videos along with the still shots so I spent yesterday afternoon uploading...it takes a long time...I have quite a few more to grab BUT here is a short goofy...it may be Roo's birthday but he steals the show...like usual...

MVI 0473[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.

Competition Routine

MVI 0493[1] from Susan Bice on Vimeo.


M's Competition Routine, first run.

I Need to Check my Email!

I have never been one to check my email daily...there is usually junk and well, I'm lazy. Last week, we went out of town for a wedding and needless to say, I didn't check my email. Now I do get my personal emails on a different account attached to my phone and I received one that needed attention and more of a response than I could hunt and peck out on my phone. I needed a keyboard.

Tuesday morning I sat down for 5 minutes to respond to the above mentioned email...and finally get around to checking my email, (By the way, I need to check from the oldest up and not start at the top and work down like I do) Here's why: I received an email from Matthew's Skating Coach wanting to know if I got Erin's email, obviously, I hadn't. I responded "No" and plowed on through my email. I got further down and found the email from Matthew's Skating Coach that US Figure Skating Magazine wanted to feature Matthew in the "Kid's Spotlight." Questions needed to be answered, photos submitted, and a release signed and returned. Deadline on Wednesday. Whoops.

Not being the most technologically savvy person and having a hate/hate relationship with my printer, getting the information took all morning and crept into the early afternoon.

AND then I realized I did not have a single picture of M figure skating, just playing hockey. The magazine wanted a school picture...uh oh, this required scanning...this took an hour because the hated printer is also the scanner. Have  I mentioned the hate/hate relationship?

I asked Matthew is favorite food, he says the drumstick from KFC. (Keep in mind he has probably eaten there 8 times in his entire lifetime) so I put it down. Now the Coach sees the pictures, questions, etc and tells me the magazine is encouraging kids to eat healthy and Matthew's answer to favorite food is fried chicken. My ability to defend myself flies out of my brain because I have never made fried chicken or fried anything, if I can't bake it, I don't make it.

Are you beginning to see the making of a very frazzled mom? The Coach tells me that we will have to hold the article for another month since I didn't have any skating pictures. Now I have to tell Matthew he isn't going be featured in the magazine next month, why did I mention this in the first place?

Later that afternoon, I had to drop by the Ice Complex and the Coach let me know it's a go for next month. SO, it looks like Matthew will be profiled in the Kids' Spotlight next month...unless, they send me another email and I neglect to check it....cross your fingers.