Coming to terms with terminology

So last night I learnt how to hit a new cricket bat in.  You can have it done in the store where you purchase it but Nic wants his hit in right to the very edge and no store goes that close to the edge.  So year in and out he does it. 

He has a cricket ball hanging from some rope above our garage door and when he gets a new bat he stands there for hours day in and out hitting the ball so that it compacts the bat all over. 

Yesterday, given the level of sport and homework he has, I suggested we purchase the mallet from Sportsmans Warehouse which is especially designed for this purpose. 

So Nic got home and started knocking and knocking and knocking with the mallet.  And I kept shouting "come in".  Not really.  Then he did some whacking the hanging ball outside.  Then he had homework and so I took over the knocking in as he needs the bat.  A lesson followed on exactly how hard I need to hit it. Apparently hard but not "moer method".  The areas that the mallet MUST touch, the art of hitting the sides, and also a long involved lesson on the benefits of properly compacted bats followed.  I even know about the oil and how to apply it. But that I knew for some time already. 

This is what sports moms do.  We multitask.  You would have loved the day Nic explained the offside rule of soccer to me.  I am an avid soccer fan and I get it all ..... but the offside happens so damn fast that I am never 100% sure when it is actually happening.  So just like in the movies, out came the salt and pepper holders, mustard, worcester sauce, aromat, parsley bottle etc etc until we had enough for a goalie and some players from both teams.  And so he explained at which time mustard, when passing aromat (who is on the other team), approaching salt (who is the goalie) is offside.  Then I had to play ...... apparently when I shouted "now he is offside", I had parsley not enough past mustard, which confused salt and caused it not to be an offside yet.  Confusing game.  I would rather put tomato sauce and aromat on crispy chips and watch!

And hockey?  Both my kids played .... Nic still does. ...... I have watched at least a 100 games over the years.  And clapped.  When they scored.  The rest of the time I only shouted "yes" and clapped when other CBC parents did.  Because I had no damn idea and still have no damn idea what is going on.  So many rules about defence and being in the circle and sweeping and deflecting ..... sjoe.  More chips.  

Don't even get me started with Jess' netball rules.  Sigh. 

Swimming was always easy.  Jess swam from Gr 3 to Matric.  Everyone dives in and swims there and back and the first one to touch the wall wins.  Easy.  No stupid rules about number 2 being offside or a lot of sweeping before the edge of the pool.  2 hands must touch when you end and you cannot dive in too early.  

Now Jess is at chef school ..... and a whole new vocabulary has started for me .... julienne, batonette, dice, brunoise and then the very specialised "turning" method of cutting for veggies, which entails cutting the veggie into a 7 sided "jewel shape" where each dimension is perfect.  And these are just the things she practised in kitchen at academy yesterday.  And each one has to be perfect.  Or you do it over and over again.  

Moms ...... whatalot we learn from our offspring :)

till soon
c'est la vie