Full

"Four boys. You must have your hands full."

Do you know how many times I hear that? Yes, I have my hands full but I'd rather they be full then empty.

We are a soccer family. All four boys play this sport. The three oldest play on a travel team, so the commitment level is higher than what is expected of a child playing recreational soccer, which is what Jeff does. He just has a one hour practice each week and a game on Saturday. His brothers have two practices each a week and a game on the weekend. Tommy and Chris also play for the middle school on two different teams, so they have practices after school daily unless they have a game. And if it rains a lot, like it did where we live last week, they will have to make up those games. Chris has four school games this week and Tommy has 2.

But I manage to get them to games and practices and where they need to be. G helps when he can, and mostly handles Joey's schedule since he coaches his team.

Joey usually has practice on Mondays at 5 so today I rushed him all the way to the soccer fields, only to find none of his teammates or G there. A quick phone call to the assistant coach's wife confirmed my suspicion: this week the practices are Wednesdays and Thursdays, as G will change the Monday/Wednesday choice each week and notify the team via email. Well, since I don't go and read what is in the SENT folder, I wasn't aware of this. And I didn't call G directly because, well, he doesn't carry a cell phone. We're working on that. And it wouldn't be such an inconvenience but these soccer fields are waaayyy over on the edge of town, 15 minutes away. And I had to dash back to the center of town to pick up Chris from school practice.

But his friend's mom called me and offered to give him a ride, but I was halfway there and told her I was, and that I had texted him so no thanks. Because I could just grab him on my way home. "You know he has Matt's practice tonight, right?" she asked.

No, I did not know that because I was under the impression that his former Monday Academy practices were canceled. Apparently not. So yes, please take him to practice and I'll head home and wait to hear from Tommy because he will be returning on the bus from his away school game and I will need to pick him up at the school once they arrive. I could ask G to do it, but remember - no cell phone. But I know he's going to the fields to pick up a check he needs for the Columbus Day tournament. Do I call a friend and ask her to drive over to where I know he is meeting the club president and ask him to please get Chris before heading home? Or do I drive all the way back there and get him myself?

I do have my hands full, don't I? A master schedule can't be a master schedule if it is changing week to week. It is unavoidable: the ball will inevitably get dropped sometimes.