spring break - day trips to please the masses

Since we wanted to do something as a family before Tank took off for his own exciting spring break, I devised a plan.  Coach's weekend class and my desire not to leave Laddie out of anything major limited the choices.   Not to mention the always present budget. 

The golden dome, Notre Dame.

the grotto, Notre Dame

Thanks to the promise of beautiful weather, the kids' Friday half day schedule, and two cousins at college at ND and Saint Mary's, we elected to make tracks for South Bend for the day.  Construction traffic extended our time in the car, but eventually we arrived, met up with cousins, walked around the campuses, and enjoyed a tasty pizza dinner out at a popular hot-spot.

Our next adventure included an overnight stay at a hotel in Lake Geneva.  When the girls and I stayed there a few weeks ago for an Irish dancing competition, the hotel offered a discounted rate for a return visit.  Did someone say discount?  Bingo!  Coach agreed to leave his course a bit early on Sunday and take Monday off in order to accommodate the getaway. 

Eddie- no fragile finger syndrome!

The hotel has a great indoor fitness center.  We found the b-ball court empty so all 7 of us participated in a scrappy basketball scrimmage.   It wasn't easy accommodating our family's wide age range and ability level.  None of the injuries incurred were completely devastating, but I will say that Coach's backward pass intended for a teammate but instead hitting me directly in the face at close range was rather unexpected and painful.  Curly sniffled over a bloody lip thanks to Tank.  Perhaps because she is my mini-me, Mini copied her mother catching a pass with her nose.   
I'm not sure if there is a name for my condition, but if I had to guess I'd call it 'fragile fingers syndrome'.  My fingers tend to take a beating in basketball.  They jam, bend backwards, or just ache in general.  I can't even claim that this is due to my somewhat 'advanced age'.  When I actually played on a team back in 7th grade, I broke a finger during one of our practices.

As you can imagine, my younger brothers found this mishap hilarious.  For years if I bumped into something, they'd feign concern and rush to my side asking me if I thought I had broken a finger.  

Anytime Curly or Mini rubbed a complaining body part during our game, Tank released a heavy sigh and reminded everyone that this was not Irish dancing.  Fortunately we left all grudges back on the court as we made our way to relax in the pool. 

water polo - I didn't participate this time.

Ping pong table near the pool - bonus for family members who can't get enough of competition.

swimmers checking out ping pong competition

Before we headed home the next day, we enjoyed some more basketball drills and pool time.  On our drive home, Eddie shared that the highlight of the stay was watching his mother attempt to play basketball.  I think it's a real gift that I am able to entertain my children without even trying.