I have been doing my best lately to become a morning person. I actually really like getting up in the morning...when I actually feel rested after a night's sleep instead of begging with every ounce of my being to burrow further under the covers. I'm not sure why that was happening, but in the past week or two, I've felt much better in the mornings and less crashing in the afternoons. Maybe that's just what happens when you have a long history of waking after 9 and suddenly are regularly getting up around 7.

Today I have a USTA match, and I think I'm finally out of my tennis slump. I was wishing away my earlier matches this season, hoping for rain to postpone (I knew it would never really get rid of them!) my matches because I was doing so terribly. My head has just not been on the court at all, and my sense of obligation to get things done with the kids at home and not be running around from morning until night like a crazy person made me really not need another 3 hour activity that requires conplicated child care arrangements. Thankfully, many of our matches have been consecutively at home, which relieves a lot of stress. And then I also started winning. The pressure is a bit on if I want to be moved up at some point, and that means playing singles or playing at position #1 or #2 as often as I can and winning. So far, I've had two wins with my 3.5 weekend team (alas, I was playing 3.0s, which doesn't help as much, but still, at least they are stronger 3.0s) and a win with my morning 3.0 team. My own personal goal is to be a 4.0 by the time I am 50, which I think is attainable with some diligent practice and a commitment to clinics and lessons in the future.

The boys are finishing up their tennis lessons tonight, assuming it doesn't rain, which it looks like it will. The progress they've made is finally quite palpable. They can rally balls for short periods of time. They can serve with some regularity. They were able to play their first tournament this Sunday. It was frustrating for Ollie, since some of these kids have been taking lessons for a few years and had more control over the ball, and he doesn't like to lose. He also can get very anxious when he is having trouble with something, and then he defeats himself by clamming up, pulling his muscles in tight, and just not fully trying. But he did very, very well for his first time and he had some great points, and he even won one of his round robin matches. Walter also did really well, and he had a great attitude about it. He manages to have fun even when he's not winning and to be gracious when he is. We are planning to have the kids stick with tennis for a while because it is so convenient, close, and the skills can be used for a lifetime.

Baseball and soccer season are also wrapping up, though not as fast as I'd like. I feel terrible for saying things like this, but there's a turning of the seasons and there's a point when everyone is just done with what they're currently doing, the things that have a finite life span, and they're ready to move on, and that's just where we are right now. I'm excited about the things that are coming up next and can't wait for real summer to begin.