Hockey
Lucas has been skating about 3 or 4 times/week since November of 2010. He has made big progress. He started the year, just before his 4th birthday, using the bar 90% of the time and being very slow and cautious when he wasn't using it. He is now faster skating backwards than he was 6 months ago going forwards.
He is always happy enough to go, although not majorly enthusiastic or pushing for it. I ask if he wants to go for a skate and he says "sure". We play lots of games on the ice and he probably prefers cops and robbers to anything else. There is nothing I really notice that he is doing wrong at this point, except perhaps holding his stick too high with his bottom hand.
We are working on stick handling through 6 cones for points towards a new playmobile fireboat or truck.....a shameless bribe attempt by me to get him to work on some skills.
I really like Darren Entwistle's philosophy of doing as many of the drills with a puck as possible to maximize time on the ice and skill repetition. Why skate without the puck...learn to do everything with one.
Basketball
Finny has been coming to basketball, happily enough, for 8 months and has also made progress. It is less noticable than Lucas', but that is probably also a consequence of the difference between skating and basketball. Finny is getting the idea of the wrist and ankles to shoot and will work hard on her own in the gym for a challenge. She has been in the gym, by herself, 5 times. Each time she stayed until she made 100 shots, even if there were other bigger kids playing all around her. I am very proud of the dedication she has shown doing this. Her biggest weakness at this stage is a lack of understanding the game and desire to run and get in the mix. Hopefully this will come with time.
Investing
All 3 homes cash flowed normally with rents paid and no expenses. This will change in the upcoming month of May with the purchase of the 4th home on W. Illini street and a couple of repairs/improvements that have been requested.
The homes have all had normal operations since September of 2010 when I had an unexpected vacancy at 104th lane.
Normal cash flow has been:
104th Lane
Rent
Insurance
Property Tax
HOA
Property Management $65
Interest $250
Net
Mountain View
Rent
Insurance
Property Tax
HOA
Property Management $65
Interest $271
Net
Joblanca
Rent
Insurance
Property Tax
HOA
Property Management $65
Interest $250
Net
