Mama Maven

Snowmagedon Part II

2010-02-05T10:55:00.002-05:00

Its been a long winter here in the Mid-Atlantic. First there was the pre-Christmas, 2 feet of snow, cancel school for 3 days, everything is shut down event. Now we are expecting round 2--actually there are teeny, tiny snowflakes coming down right now.

Last night I went to the grocery store, that's what we do when snow is coming. Was in absolutely necessary-no. Did I need things to cook to keep me sane, yes definitely.

The best was this forcast I came across this morning--I'll have some of whatever HE is drinking!
http://www.accuweather.com/video-on-demand.asp?collection=cities&video=BWI&lineup=NE

Woohoo Down Three Pounds

2010-01-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

I shouldn't be looking at the scale every day. Things go up and down all the time. I was shocked to see today that my loss from last Wednesday was 3 pounds as I've seen numbers almost as low along the way but not on official weigh in day. Total lost 12.2 pounds in 26 days.

Tri training class started this week. Swim class started yesterday, I. am. slow. Too slow for the advanced class but further along technique-wise than the beginners, I put myself in the advanced class to get more work in. This week afterwards I got in a short run, runner's yoga and a little strength training. Sunday, we start the bike and run, its much worse not keeping up on the run than on the swim--not looking forward to it.

Watch out LoserMoms!

What does Marty Bass Have Against the Buckeye State?

2010-01-26T10:38:00.003-05:00

I listen to the same station every morning on my way to work. Back in December when the Browns BEAT the Steelers the weather guy commented that the only person happier than him about that happening (because it was good for the hometown Ravens) was Tim Tebow because he wouldn't have to go to Cleveland. At the time I thought he was rather obnoxious but that is par for the course, people around here think it was awful of the Colts to move to Indianapolis but its all Cleveland's fault that the lost the Browns. I can't tell you how many times I've been told "its just not the same, they didn't leave in the middle of the night." Okay, they left in broad daylight but it was no less of a tragedy to Browns fans left without a team.

This morning, I get into the car and again, Marty Bass is bad mouthing the Buckeye state, today he called the Professional Football Hall of Fame an overrated tourist attraction stuck in the middle of nowhere Ohio--paraphrased but accurate in its sentiment I do believe. Perhaps he'd like to move the Pro Football HOF to Baltimore too? How about the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame?

OK, end of rant. Come on Marty, what is up with the Ohio hate thing?

Return to tri training 2010

2010-01-22T20:06:00.004-05:00

Yes, that is me in the blue cap being overtaken by women in the swim wave behind me at Iron Girl 2008. I am displaying hideous form--my excuse, I was sighting--you know, trying to figure out how the ^%$& I had to go before I was out of the nasty lake water!

In order to try and remedy my horrid swim times and start back on the road to triathlon shape--or actually any shape, I signed up for swim technique class with Coach Liz. Seemed perfectly sane, until that first morning when the alarm goes off at 4:45 AM. Yes, that is right, the middle of the night! My friend told me she can't make herself get out of bed before 5AM so if she has to get up at 4:45 she sets the alarm for 5 and makes the clock 15 minutes fast--I like the way she thinks. I took another path, I just refuse to think. Call it early morning autopilot--hit alarm, pee, swimsuit on, brush teeth, grab swim bag, coat, out the door. By the time I am really awake, I am at the gym. Hitting the water, that pretty much does the rest of it.

So I spent three pre-dawn mornings the last two weeks trying to remember to keep my head down, breathe out a lot right before I get more air, rotate on every stroke, and pull with my whole arm. I am sure there are things I am forgeting. Unfortunately when I am in the pool sometimes it is the breathing part I forget and once you realize you are in oxygen debt the other stuff really seems insignificant!

Next week starts tri training class, only one morning a week with an insane wake-up call. Sunday mornings we get to sleep in before hitting the gym at 6:45 AM for bike and run fun. Can't wait to see my tri buddies and hoping that I can find my endurance--I had some! I will miss sleep though.

I'm Back and I'm Fat

2010-01-14T09:49:00.004-05:00

I'm back and I'm fat. Maybe I am back because I am fat, maybe I've been missing because I'm fat, all I know is I may have done several triathlons, I ran a half marathon and suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) I weigh as much as I ever have when I am not pregnant.

I am almost two weeks (started on 1/2) into Phase I of the South Beach Diet--week one I rocked it, -5.7 pounds, I was hoping that another week of breadless, fruitless, potatoless living would get another big number (yes, I watch the Biggest Loser). -1.7 pounds, I was surprised it was that much because, being scale obsessed, I've been on the scale every morning and it just feels like its not changing. But I feel better, no afternoon compulsion for a siesta, maybe my clothes are a tad less tight. This weekend I will take my measurements and see if I've made any progress there.

So, what the heck do I do from here:

Keep up the "good carb" eating--I am going to add in a few high fiber, whole grain carbs and a few pieces of fruit, I don't think I can make it through training without them!
Get back into triathlon training--man its a whole lot harder hauling around all this extra weight! Went to the gym for the yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn! 5:15 AM stroke class this morning
Be accountable to someone--I chose the LoserMoms (thanks Sarah from Sarah and the GoonSquad for showing me the way) and I am recording it all on WeightWatchers online.

Let the games begin!

Celebrating the "F" Word

2009-05-04T19:29:00.001-05:00

No, get your mind out of the gutter, not THAT "f" word but rather FORTY. I hit that milestone last Wednesday and you can visit Gman to see pictures of the (almost) surprise party that marked the occasion.

Thanks hon and Es and everyone else who made it all so special!

13.1 miles summed up: Hot, Hilly, Hellish

2009-04-27T08:32:00.005-05:00

Here is the race report I wrote up for the tri club:

Racer:
Heather Zoller-Gritz
Race:
Country Music Half Marathon
Date:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Location:
Nashville, TN
Race Type:
Run - Half Marathon
Age Group:
Female 35 - 39
Time:
3:46:45
Overall Place:
21638 / 22749
Age Group Place:
2058 / 2179

I met my sister in Nashville so the two of us could run our first half marathons. I've been fighting a nagging foot issue but put in the miles and after a good 10 miler last Sunday felt prepared for the race. After running consistently in 50 & 60 degree weather I wasn't prepared for it to be 80 by the time we started (in corral 27, almost an hour after the first runners started) to only get hotter and sunnier along the way. I felt good for the first five miles other than what seemed like constant uphills, not big hills just lots of them (very decieving elevation chart. Cytomax and water on the course and I took some at every stop. At the halfway point I was right where I expected to be, right about 1:30 (I was aiming for 3 hrs).Unfortunately things went downhill (not literally) from there. I started to feel sick to my stomach and felt increasingly dizzy so I sat down in the shade, ate my sport beans and waited for the bathroom. I felt considerably better after about 10 minutes of downtime. At the next water stop I took Cytomax, water and added some salt (literally, from 2 packets sitting on a table).

That did the trick and I was able to alternate running and walking but my calves felt really tight every time I ran. I kept telling myself time didn't matter, I just wanted to finish. At mile 11 my calves started seizing up so bad I couldn't walk, the cramps went all the way down into my feet. I had to stop, stretch and massage them to keep moving, first one side, then the other. I felt like I was getting passed by 100s of people every time I stopped. By that time I just wanted it to be over, it was hot, no shade and I was moving so slowly I really thought it would never end. There were cheerleaders giving out jelly beans and then a Gu station, I had some of each and some water and that seemed to help with the cramps but I couldn't run at all, my calves wanted nothing to do with it so I walked the rest of the way in.

There was good music all along the course and tons (31000 between the marathon and half) of people. There were a good number of shuttles moving people from the finish line to the start. The finish was at LP Field where the Titans play which was pretty cool. I will definitely carry some liquid with me next time if there is any doubt about whether I will need it.

Yesterday at the airport I was talking to a guy in the security line and he said of the 20 halves he has done this was by far the hardest, that definitely made me feel a bit less of a wuss. I am seriously torn between awe of the accomplishment and disappointment that I didn't run much more than half of it. Probably a good life lesson in accepting what you can't change.

The day the oven died

2009-04-16T20:33:00.005-05:00

I ran after work and came home to relax before throwing something together for dinner. Gman started up the grill and I turned on the oven. When I opened it to put a couple of things in it, I noticed it was still cold although it had preheated. I switched it from convection to regular oven and still no HEAT. Hmm, isn't that the whole freaking purpose of the oven?! On to Plan B.

Gman is on the case, promising to try and trouble shoot it tomorrow. Part of me wants to get rid of the bugger and put in a shiny new one, a GAS one but I was hoping when I did that I'd get a whole new kitchen to go with it!

I Wear Ugly Man Shoes

2009-04-15T10:15:00.004-05:00

These are my new "ugly man shoes." When I started running I never, ever thought that finding the right shoe was akin to the pursuit of the holy grail. There are so many permutations of running shoes--what is your arch, pronation, how far do you run, how much do you weigh, do you wear and orthotic--if not, hey we can sell you one. With the formula you'd think that they could pop in the data and come up with a shoe that makes you run like the wind. Wouldn't you?

I have been wearing New Balance shoes for most of the time I've been running other than a misguided detour over to Mizuno. I also ended up at the podiatrist for custom orthotics when my foot started burning and then feeling like I was running with a knife stabbing me continually in the forefoot. The orthotics helped, some. They let me get from 3 miles to 5 miles before the pain got unbearable. This then lead me to the great running sock search.

Injinji toe socks, super thin Nike socks, Adidas bamboo socks. Each were okay but only for so long, like 5 miles. The super thin socks are winning so far but not sure they'll hold up for a half marathon. The bamboo socks are okay but I put toenails (short ones) through them on a regular basis. The toe socks were great for awhile, theory being it separates the toes and helps take pressure off the forefoot. Still, pain between 3 and 5 miles.

Finally, with a 9 mile run staring me in the face I went back to the local running store for new shoes. Anyone in Howard or surrounding counties--go to Feet First, they rock (locally owned, knowledgable staff, new high tech equipment and big new store!). I gotta say that it was the best shoe fitting ever, even if I ended up with ugly man shoes. I learned early on that you have to be willing to pay whatever and wear whatever feels good. The cute or cool looking shoes are rarely the ones. The heavier you are and the further you run the more true this becomes, IMHO. I must have tried 0n 2o pairs of shoes, each of them having some annoying factor, rubbing the top of the toes, rubbing the ankle, slipping the heel, or all of the above. After much trial and error out came the ugly man shoes. Smart sales guy didn't TELL me they were man shoes. Smart guy. It would have made me resistant, because that is just the way I roll. He gave me the super special way to tie the shoes so my heel wouldn't slip. Nothing sewn across the top of the shoe to rub in one spot or another. Ahhh, running shoe nirvana.

Now I feel I must begin to stockpile the ugly man shoe. Unfortunately in the running shoe world the companies remake their shoes all. the. time. And the new, improved version, isn't necessarily an improvement for all of the devotees of the current shoe. I did get a heads up that Hola Bird Sports is a great source for shoes at a discount, especially the discontinued ones. And the best news FREE SHIPPING.

Where Have I Been?

2009-04-12T20:01:00.001-05:00

Well, its been a really interesting Spring! Work has been crazy, lots of new people in and old out. New assignment taking an extra 20 hours or more per week. In this world you don't say no. The work has been interesting and exciting but also exhausting!

Gman and I did take a short break and went to Las Vegas with Builder Mama and her Mister. It was a nice break from the chaos.

In between working and sleeping I've mostly been running. T minus 13 days until the half marathon! I ran 9 miles yesterday and felt good. It really made me think I wasn't nuts for signing up for 13.1 miles. Hopefully the good feeling will hold a couple more weeks. My sister has been cranking out the miles considerably more quickly than I but my real goal is just to FINISH.

I dropped out of my first tri of the season, just not enough hours in the day to get in the biking and swimming necessary for that one. I am S-L-O-W in the water and would have to, horror of horrors, buy a wetsuit! Right now I am just concentrating on the running.

Hopefully I will be around more often. Love to you all :)

Weigh In Week 1, Take 2

2009-01-21T22:44:00.002-05:00

Today I weighed in at WW and was down .8 pounds. That is certainly better than gaining weight but still a downer. I have really picked up the workouts getting ready for triathlon torture, er I mean training class. To be basically be maintaining is really ticking me off, I managed to do that this time last year and I was eating whatever, whenever. One theory is that I am not eating enough. Buildermama turned me on to the Livestrong site today. You can track your food there much like Weight Watchers but at least for me I get about 25% more calories and that is without adding in my exercise. Given all of that, next week I am going to not spend any time hungry, I am going to eat more!

Leg, what have I done?!

2009-01-20T21:59:00.002-05:00

I have a sore leg. Its achy. Its annoying. Nothing seems to make it better or worse for that matter. Different times, different parts of the leg bother me more than others. Yesterday I had a little Mr. Don treatment, last night stunk but today seems to be better. Let's see what happens as the week (and getting back to serious training) continues.

I started back to Weight Watchers last week. Tomorrow is my weigh-in and its not looking so good. I feel good, I think I look thinner but the scale just isn't telling the tale. Its muscle, right?!

Come on, show yourself

2009-01-12T15:08:00.002-05:00

Its National Delurking Day so please, show yourself, leave a comment!

These are a few of my favorite new things...

2009-01-11T17:37:00.007-05:00

For Christmas I got a variety of new triathlon/running/biking/swimming gadgets to my delight. I thought I'd take this chance to give them a run down for all my gadget loving friends.

The one I've been looking most forward to using is my Finis SwiMP3 player. Swimming laps makes me CRAZY, not that its a real reach but I just get bored, lost in the counting of how many times I've gone up and and down the pool. Any possible distraction and I am SO on it! This nifty little waterproof MP# player uses the bones of the face to conduct sound. Nothing to stick in your ears and try to keep it there, they slide right onto the goggles. I have to say my first try was a little bummed because it wasn't very loud and if I blew too many bubbles the sound was drowned out. I came home to find out that I needed to be holding the volume/skip button instead of just touching it. I will give that a try the next time I go to the pool. They were definitely comfortable, the sound was clear it just wasn't loud.

GeekGirl over at Athena Diaries has been touting the wonders of the Injinji toe sock and as much as I wanted to give them a try I hate ordering things and having the shipping be as much as the purchase. My solution, tell my sister to buy them for me for Christmas! The first time I put them on I wondered what I had done. Its a little weird having something between all of your toes. Once I had them on and hit the road though I was in love. I have been having some foot issues and it seems like having my toes apart just a little bit helps. I don't think they'd be a good tri choice as it takes me a looooooooong time to get them on and they are a bit thick to wear in my cycling shoes.

Finally, Gman got me two Spinervals DVDs to keep me entertained during the winter while I am on the bike trainer. I am a bit, fat, wussie when it comes to riding outside in the cold but riding inside on the trainer is B-O-R-I-N-G (yes ALL in caps!). I also get lazy and don't keep my cadence up or wimp out on the resistance. The two DVDs he got for me, Autumn Training Ride and Lake Placid, are from the Virtual Reality series. You follow on Coach Troy's back wheel as he rides through the countryside. I did the entire autumn ride which was filmed in Baltimore County, I did the first section of the Lake Placid DVD--the whole thing, 56 miles and just under 3 hours. Even with Coach Troy I don't know that I can stay in the saddle that long inside.

So, that is the best of my triathlon booty from the recent holiday season. Now there is just no excuse not to get out and ride, run and swim. So far, so good this year. Given the weather and my distaste for the treadmill I scour the weather reports to try and figure out the best days for an outdoor run.

Recovering from Chaos

2009-01-09T12:49:00.003-05:00

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year is total chaos. Everyone tries to fit in a "special" holiday version of meetings, there are lunches, brunches, cocktail hours and dinners to attend. At church there are special services, choir for the kids, the pageant and decorating. And those are just the things outside the house. Inside we are hauling the decorations out of the garage, hanging the lights and making sure that the prized holiday decorations are on display for their maximum exposure before they head back into their 11 month hiding spots. Its always a little sad to put the decorations away and say goodbye to the holiday season but having a method to the madness helps.

In our current house we are blessed with the Christmas corner of the garage. There is a little cubby space just wide enough for the boxes of Christmas paraphernalia and the tree right inside the garage door. The previous owners even made a base so things that get stacked there are off the floor. After spending much time wrapping the lights onto the branches from the trunk out to the tips I was loathe to take the tree apart. my dear husband managed a set-up that would allow us to box up the tree with the lights on and store it away for the summer. Things like that are just one of the many things that make me love him. Also in our streamlining frenzy last year I threw out extraneous stuff, reduced the total number of boxes and carefully labelled those we kept. It made getting it out and putting it back to rest much easier for this year. I actually had most of the work done in the matter of an hour--even with the help of the children!

On the outside front Gman is a big fan of the heavy duty winders for extension cords to wind up the light tubes and some of the other lights. Next year we need to do a lighting overhaul and make sure that everything is working or gets thrown out and gets put away with labels.

So my chaos-recovery strategy--eliminate, label and relax!

Still not packed up from your holiday chaos? Check out other posts at the Parent Bloggers site to see advice from other experts. The folks at SC Johnson might have some products to help you out as well. Their http://rightathome.com site can help you find solutions.

Looking Into the Crystal Ball for 2009

2009-01-03T17:24:00.002-05:00

If only it were as easy as looking in the crystal ball to see what the year has in store!

Weight goal, 60 pounds by the end of the year, 5 pounds a month, definitely doable (I've done it before and vowed never to have to do it again). Back to Weight Watchers I go.

Exercise goal, finish the Country Music Half Marathon, April 25 with my sister Jennifer. Then on to tri season and the Tri to Win Sprint Triathlon, Iron Girl and at least one other triathlon (maybe an Olympic distance?!).

Money goal, with Gman dig ourselves out of our credit card debt, at least halfway.

You notice I never used the R-word, resolution, these are my goals for the year--measurable and I hope attainable.

Run #1 down today.

Year In Review

2008-12-31T16:52:00.006-05:00

When I think back on 2008 two things really stand out to me. One an accomplishment of my own, one a loss for my whole family.

In January I started training in earnest for triathlon season. I remember my first Sunday training class, I was pretty sure I might die by the time it was over. I went to church afterwards and was barely able to get up and down for hymns. My face was bright red for hours. I had to go home and take a nap. But I did it. I was excited to go back the next week. I got to meet some neat new people. I went to swim one morning a week at 5:15AM, in the pool at 5:15 AM, which meant leaving my house a few minutes before 5 which I believe is still officially night. The payoff was completing 2 sprint triathlons, an indoor tri, 3 5Ks and an 8K for the year. I joined the Mid Maryland Tri Club and met cool people living the tri lifestyle. I stretched myself like I would never have imagined. It carried through to all parts of my life, really if I can do a tri, I feel like I can do anything! I lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers and felt like an athlete for the first time (subsequently I've gained back 10 of that but isn't that what New Year's resolutions are for?!). I am headed into to 2009 with the goal of finishing a half marathon in April, the same 2 sprint tris, and an Olympic distance tri somewhere late in the year. Did I accomplish everything I wanted, of course not. Did I accomplish things that I wouldn't have imagined a year earlier, yes.

The second thing that most immediately comes to mind when I think of 2008 is the loss of my grandmother on July 4. I lost both of my grandfathers before I had kids. They were both important to me but my grandmother influenced me in so many significant ways. Part of it too was with the loss of my grandmother it changed so many other things. The house that had always been hers my entire life was sold. I'll never spend time in that house with her again. The things I took away from her house were things from the kitchen. Grandma and I spent much time in her kitchen, cooking, baking, talking. As a kid I would take a walk and end up at Grandma's house, she always had time for a talk and an apple or something to drink. When I am in the kitchen using her measuring cups, using her recipes or her rolling pin I feel connected to her and growing up. She was an amazing woman of faith who I will miss and I am sorry my kids won't get to know better.

In comparison to those two things there are other important things from the year that might be the milestone of another year. My second nephew Brady Augustus was born in January. In February Gman and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary (and I finished the Tri to Help Indoor Tri). March brought PDQs seventh birthday. April had Gman and I celebrating birthdays. In July I ran the Run for the Roar race in Marietta, we spent two whole weeks in Ohio for Grandma's funeral and our vacation in the Hocking Hills the following week (at the big log house, as the kids dubbed it). August was the big race, the month I'd been training for all year. I became an Iron Girl. What an exhilarating experience! Boobah started Kindergarten in September after months of waiting to find out if she was admitted (she missed the cutoff by 2 days and we had her tested). The Pouter started high school, we were very proud of his choosing to apply and being accepted into the STEM program. I also completed the Police Pace 5K with a friend who wanted to get back into running. In October we made it to Marietta College for Homecoming, I hadn't been back for that event in many years. My BFF from College and I ran a 5K race with my sister. When we were in college no one would have believed that we were going to run, let alone get up early in the morning to do it! In November I travelled to Richmond to run the NTelos 8K with Buildermama. Neither of us ran the entire way but we did have fun and and after a debate about whether or not to even go we were glad we did in the end. I got a new boss this year and its been a working whirlwind but I've learned a lot and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! He is new to the company and brought in some other new people who are positive and fun to work with. Finally, we are in Ohio to celebrate Christmas and the end of another year. Lots of time for family and friends.

Tomorrow, new year, new goals.

Mystery Solved

2008-12-24T14:31:00.003-05:00

Just a little less than a year ago we adopted Thumper, a two-year old Florida White rabbit. He is litter trained, he doesn't eat much, he makes no noise. Pretty much the perfect pet, except for the chewing. Speaker wires, phone chargers, backpack handles, paper, chair skirt, chair lining, anything he can get his teeth on, he chews. Luckily none of this has been a bunny frying experience to date. When he is out and about and the children are afoot he likes to hide. Under the kitchen table or behind the chair (with the chewed up skirt) are his usual haunts. Today I didn't see him for hours. He wasn't in any of his usual places. I sent the girls to check out their room (he used to like to go up and leave pellets in front of the dressers in their room). No bun. I noticed the garage door open a crack. Had he ventured in there? I couldn't imagine spoiled, warm bun hiding in the cement floored garage but who knew. Nope, no bun. The basement? Nope, no bun.

Finally, I moved the usual chair and he wasn't there. I cleaned up some bun debris from a chew-fest and noticed that after I moved the chair back it seemed to move some more. When I looked under the chair I noticed a definite droop, that when pushed, MOVED. Aha! The inside of the chair. He'd gnawed his way into the lining of the chair and was hiding out inside. Thankfully bun has been located. Now, how to keep him OUT of the chair.

Stress, Run, Run Away

2008-12-09T18:12:00.003-05:00

The last few weeks have been stressful. In addition it has been cold and the daylight very fleeting. I've felt like a bear stuffing myself to lay down for a long winter's nap. I've been sleeping extraordinarily well (for me) and getting up in the morning from my nice warm bed into my cold, dark house has been a real chore. This week at work the stress has been turned up a notch dealing with the inevitable pre-holiday crisis that no one has time to deal with but has to figure out how to make time.

This afternoon I looked up and it was still relatively light out, it was 50 degrees, and I had running clothes in the car. I did what any stressed out girl would do, I turned off the computer, stuffed everything in my bag, changed my clothes and went for a run. Sans iPod. Really, that was the hardest part. It felt good to stretch my legs, to not worry who was going to come with the next demand or question that I really didn't want to answer. It was me, answering to myself for the running I haven't been doing over the past several weeks. The good news, nothing hurt, my breathing was never very labored. The bad news, I was excruciatingly slow and my heart rate was high. All in all, I'll take it. I was worried that by the time I got another run in I'd be horribly out of shape!

Today an e-mail came out about the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I really wanted to do it as a tune-up for the half marathon. It's just two weeks before that race. They scared me with the 2:20 time limit and the "we'll pull you off the course" talk. Am I really up to that? Should I just stick to the training plan and not add this race? Last year it filled up in 4 hours so if I decide I want to do it there is no time to waste!

Big D

2008-12-07T18:20:00.002-05:00

Last Monday my brother-in-law, his Dad and his cousin went out to hunt. The night before they'd played with my nephews and watched the Steelers win. A good weekend all in all. Unfortunately after a morning of hunting they went to meet up and my BILs father was lying on the ground. He'd had a massive heart attack. He was just 60 years old. I have had my BIL in my head and heart all week. He and his Dad were so close. They loved to hunt together. His Dad had been his baseball coach, watched him become an all-American in college and play semi-pro ball. Bib D loved my nephews. My BIL being an only child, my nephews the only grandchildren they were spoiled with love and attention from Pap. Thankfully they got one last evening with him before he went on his last hunt. I went to the funeral. My BIL spoke eloquently about his Dad. His uncle spoke about him, saying that they'd been busy the last few years and didn't find time to go to their hunting cabin always putting it off until next Spring, Summer, Fall. He reminded us all that now is the time for living, you never know how much time you have. Big D, I didn't know you that well but I know the impact you had on many lives and I know that you will be missed.

Going down without a blaze of glory

2008-11-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

Once I missed out on a day of NaBloPoMo I made my way down the slippery slope of "maybe tomorrow." Obviously that was a lot of tomorrows ago.

The recap:

I went to Richmond for the weekend to race in the NTelos 8K with Buildermama. She and the Builder family were there usual fantastic and entertaining selves. I love having friends where you can just go, hang out and not worry. BM says I was the one who was all into the race, the only reason was I felt like I *had* to do it since I'd signed up months ago, drove 2.5 hours and told everyone I know that I was doing it. The night before the race there was a 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms. During the night there were storms and we had agreed, lightning equalled no race. Race morning was warm--68 and 100% humidity, in November, go figure. We made it through the race. BM was having trouble early and since I'd practiced to run all 5 miles I smugly kept going figuring she'd catch up. Around the beginning of mile 3 I had some aches and pains and everyone around me was walking so I bowed to peer pressure. I never lost my breath or felt like my HR was super high, I just felt, well, lazy. I finished in 1:09 and BM finished exactly 2 minutes behind me. I should have waited for her, it would have been loads more fun to chat with her than to run alone. I endured Monkey Man's birthday party, the perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with the Badasses. The lesson, kid birthday parties are the same everywhere, kids, adults, which birthday doesn't matter--loud, chaotic and that is even before they get sugared up. Thanks to BM, MM and BJ for the great weekend. Love ya, mean it!

Then it was home for a week of the grind before my parents and sister came to visit. I was really looking forward to their visit and the Dazzle Dash. DD is a walk through the light display that is a lot of fun. Unfortunately my sister got the stomach flu and didn't get to go with us. Needless to say she was not happy about driving 5.5 hours to lay around my house and run to the bathroom over and over. We had a good time at DD without her, especially since we ran into several friends there as well. By the next morning Mom was sick as well. And, lucky us, they left the germs behind. Abby threw up at the gym on Monday night, Ellie threw up in her bed later that night and I spent yesterday running to the bathroom. Here's hoping that we can all keep Thanksgiving dinner down!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I feel blessed this year as every year for my family, friends and all I have.

Acupuncture Haiku

2008-11-13T08:53:00.004-05:00

Ode to Acupuncture

Very fine needles
Make everything feel better
Thank you Mr. Don

After feeling icky most of the week I went to see Mr. Don last night and as usual I feel so much better this morning. Obviously there is a connection between mind and body and he is masterful at unlocking the energy that I manage to bind up and struggle with. Today I feel like a new person.

They Are All About Eve

2008-11-12T08:14:00.003-05:00

Positive Spin Press has released three delightful books about a fairy named Eve. Winter's Eve, All Hallows Eve, and Christmas Eve all follow Eve the fairy through learning about traditions and helping other people. The books combine fantastic illustrations with rhymes worthy of Dr. Seuss to provide a great reading experience--especially aloud.

In Winter's Eve there is the celebration of everything from Diwali to Chinese New Year and Eve learns that each tradition is filled with love. If you have questions about any of the holidays discussed you can visit the dedicated web site to find out more. In the multi-cultural world we live in this book does a great job of introducing differences in a way that leaves you wanting to know more.

In All Hallows Eve there is a celebration of not only Halloween but Eve's birthday. While Eve is a masterful toy maker, she can't make candy. To cheer her up her friends give her the candy she craves and Halloween is born.

In Christmas Eve there are appearances from both Santa and Jesus. As in the other books the focus is on love, caring and giving. A beautiful story combining the religious and the secular parts of Christmas, this one is my favorite. (The kids, they couldn't choose just one).

Thanks to Parent Bloggers Network for the opportunity to review these great books from Positive Spin Press. The husband and wife team of Lisa Sferlazza Johnson and Tucker Johnson have done a fabulous job of serving up lessons about the world in a series of fun books with pictures that will have the kids opening the books to be read over and over (and maybe just look at the pictures).

It Only FEELS Like I Got Hit By A Truck

2008-11-10T20:24:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning tired. Wow, imagine that. Most mornings I get up, get moving and the feeling soon passes. This morning after much "snoozing" and finally extricating myself from bed I got dressed, got the kids motivated and made it out of the house only about half an hour behind schedule. I called Gman and told him I how I felt and that I hadn't managed to perk up quite yet. I got to work, got a few things done and realized my ankle hurt, my knees too and then there was my head. I promised myself that if I could just make it through my 1:30 meeting I would go home. And home I did go. To nap. I napped from 2:30ish until Gman came home from work. Then I had dinner with the fam and now I am back in the bed. Everything aches a little less after the happy ibuprofen pills but still, mostly like I got hit by a truck.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled reading...

Talking Turkey

2008-11-09T20:15:00.002-05:00

My grandmother was sick one Thanksgiving and someone else had to host the family dinner. My mother, in a flash of brilliance took over Thanksgiving. In that one act she saved us from eating two turkey dinners every Thanksgiving. Instead, both sides of the family came to our house, one meal, everyone we love all in one place and time to go to a movie afterwards. One giant meal instead of two. Win-win-win.

About ten years ago, a few years after the Thanksgiving takeover, my mother got a new oven. A really cool Jennair with the grill on top, gas range and convection oven. On that first Thanksgiving with the awesome new oven Mom put the turkey in as usual except this year it was supposed to take much less time on convection. The pop-up timer wasn't popping up and Grandma kept opening the oven (hmmm and you wonder why it wasn't getting done). About this time my father decides to break it to my mother that she should be using convection roast, not convection bake. If looks could kill. I am not sure which was more likely, Mom killing Dad or pushing Grandma into the oven. Eventually the turkey was done and we sat down to dinner. I don't remember anything about that particular turkey or that Thanksgiving outside of the turkey debate.

Thanksgiving at my parents house is pretty much the same. Mom and a mediocre turkey, never enough mashed potatoes, a debate about stuffing in the bird or out, a selection of pies, and grandma's cranberry salad. The few times we haven't been at my parents for Thanksgiving I have put together a few of the favorites and even come up with a few new ones (try out the strusseled sweet potato casserole from Cooking Light sometime). Besides the food, the thing that ties all those meals together is family, whether the one I was born into, married into, or just joined along the way.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning up the house

2008-11-08T23:33:00.002-05:00

I am having a jewelry party tomorrow and am trying to get the "quiet room" cleaned out. The quiet room was the former dining room that we've turned into the kids homework room. Quiet because there is not TV, no stereo, no nothing. I'll let you know how it goes.

I have grand organizing plans, not sure how far I'll get!

NaBloPoMo

2008-11-07T17:46:00.002-05:00

Its NAtional BLOg POst MOnth, you know, NaBloPoMo. Which means I am supposed to blog everyday for the month of November. Its nice to get back into the writing groove, I have been so busy there never seems to be a moment to think enough to write anything I want, let alone anyone else would want to read.

It will be a quiet weekend (I hope) here at HQ. Gman is taking his car for new tires so I can drive it to meet up with Buildermama next week for our big race. I need to run 5 miles again so I know I am ready for the race next week. Sunday I am having a jewelry party so I suppose there is a little necessary cleaning and cooking involved for that. Mostly I'd like to stay in bed and watch football--no birthday parties, no sports, house in a relatively clean place (thank you Miss Betty!).

Step Away from the Cookie

2008-11-06T22:56:00.003-05:00

I am not a fan of store bought cookies. I can pass up the sandwich cookie, the chocolate chip cookies from a bag and even the perenial Girl Scout favorite Thin Mint doesn't do much for me. I like fresh donuts or danish but the stuff from a package, I can leave it. When I was offered an Oreo Cakester this evening I thought what the heck. Mistake. Big. Huge. Mistake. It was the right mix of sweet and chewy and none of the things that I usually think of when I think store bought baked goods. It was actually good. It made me want to lick the inside of the package to see if there were any of that lucious creamy filling. Must never buy the Oreo Cakester!

Running Thought O' The Day

2008-11-05T20:02:00.003-05:00

It is really amazing to me how much your mind has to do with running. Tonight was my short run, 2 miles. It was dark almost as soon as I started but relatively balmy so I put on my shoes and went before dinner. I know that if I start off with a less than stellar attitude about a run it takes much longer to get into it and sometimes it just never surfaces, the whole thing is an exercise of mind of matter. On the other hand, some days, like today I was a woman obsessed, I needed to run. It was dark, there were leaves piled on the sidewalk, I really didn't care. I needed to blow off some stress, I needed to RUN. It felt good, the first half mile wasn't a struggle (other than half of it being uphill). When I got home I was sweaty and stinky but I was done and could actually start dinner without biting any heads off or feel like I was ready to implode.Nike might have been right when they said Just Do It, I can't say there has ever been a time when mentally I've felt worse after a run (or a ride or a swim for that matter) than before I started.

E-Day

2008-11-04T09:54:00.002-05:00

Finally, its election day. The excitement has really been driven out of me because the build up to the election has been so long and SO drawn out. Boobah thinks Obama is running against Michael Phelps, probably not a fair race here in the swimmers home state. She finally got herself straightened around and proudly declared that she voted for Obama as did most of her Kindergarten class. Abby said she voted for McCain because, clearly, he has more experience. Not wanting to quash her independent thinking but being a little queasy inside we had a discussion about whether all experience was good and what else she knew about him. Obviously she and the TV are close friends and one message rang true for her.

This morning Gman and I took the girls along with us to the polls. We were prepared, the girls had their DS', I had over an hour before they could be dropped of at today's camp (no school due to the election). My stomach dropped a bit when I pulled out onto the main road outside our neighborhood and saw cars lining the side of the road. Wow, glad I planned ahead, its going to be a long wait. I took my chances and pulled into the parking lot--score, good parking place! I met up with Gman who had an even better spot and we dodged the obnoxious campaigners outside of the school and as we rounded the corner we saw the line extended out the door and well down the sidewalk. Lucky for us we saw one of our neighbors who told us that the line was for the cafeteria and we were in the gym--no line. All of that planning and we were back in the car less than 15 minutes after we parked originally.

Since we had time to kill the girls and I stopped at DD for coffee and a donut for them (egg white flatbread for me) and at Target (which Ellie decided was spelled Tar-J after we were talking about it with the "French" pronunciation) to stock up on cold season supplies. I still had them at before care shortly before it started. SCORE!

So I may not have exercised my muscles yet today but I did exercise my right to vote. I've done my part, now go do yours and we'll wait for the dust to settle tomorrow.

The Torture of Going to the Movies

2008-11-03T18:31:00.003-05:00

I am not a big movie buff. Its better in the theater than it is at home. At home there are WAY too many distractions, in the theater there is nothing to do (but occasionally check my Blackberry) but watch the movie. Unless I go with the kids that is. Today the girls and I went to see High School Musical 3 and I made three trips to the bathroom with Boobah and then the trip to the lobby to "discuss" movie theater behavior with her after she started a serious whine-a-thon about being hungry. I ended up on the phone with the boys at work during one of the bathroom breaks to try and straighten out something I'd watch unfold across e-mail all morning long. I did find myself noticing that Troy had put on some serious muscle since the last HSM movie, or I hadn't been forced to pay such rapt attention, either way I was a bit freaked out to have the thought go through my mind--he was born the year I graduated from HS. Talk about Mrs. Robinson!

"Just" five miles

2008-11-02T19:50:00.004-05:00

I ran five miles today, the farthest I have ever run. If you had told me a year ago that I would be running five miles and have signed up to run a half marathon, I'd have laughed at you, perhaps rolling on the floor while doing it. So now I've done the distance, I will head to Richmond to do an 8K race with Buildermama in a couple of weeks.

I've learned a lot about running: The first time at a distance is always the hardest. The first mile generally stinks (this is my theory on why I've never done it before). Some days, leaving the house may be the hardest part of the run. My worst runs are at races, I don't want to compete but it would be nice not to send my heart rate into the stratosphere and feel like crap. Some days running feels good and empowering, some days running is a battle of the mind over the body. The best part of running is almost always being done and feeling like you've really accomplished something!

Mr. Rogers would love the people in my neighborhood

2008-11-01T12:02:00.004-05:00

Halloween is always fun in our neighborhood, lots of people out an about. Some outrageous decorations. Some driveway parties where there a bunch of neighbors get together and have "one stop shopping" for the kiddos. But my favorite houses were the ones where there were shots for the adults to keep us warm and the house with a table set up down front with hot spiced cider that you could request "with" or "without."

Boobah is not a dog fan. Esmerelda's dog tackled her a few weeks ago and that has taken her fear to a whole new level. She about had a cow last night when one of the Dads brought their dog with him to trick-or-treat. She is the calmest, quietest dog ever an finally Boobah calmed down and decided it was okay (or forgot she was even around). We approached the driveway party house and Boobah refused to budge--there were dogs. We watched the dogs go inside and she was still reluctant to go near the house. Further up the street there was the most beautiful young golden retriever. Boobah protested but I convinced her the dog was behind the glass. Well she was...for a minute. As soon as the kid tending the candy bowl opened the door she pushed him out of the way and bolted out the door, across the street and ran circles around everyone. Boobah let out a blood curdling scream. One of the other kids, wide-eyed, asked what that scream was "it was spooky." After that Boobah was done. I walked her home to leave her to help Gman pass out candy. I also brought tennis shoes for another of the kids and picked up some liquid refreshment for the neighbor and I (this was, of course, before we found our party neighbors who were handing it out!).

Apparently Boobah got bored with Gman and headed over to "hang out with Mr. Neighbor." He is a quiet guy with one kid so I'd be interested to find out exactly what it is that she had to tell him and what rumors now require dispelling!

So here is to the people in my neighborhood!

It makes me sleep, Gman, not so much

2008-10-22T19:11:00.003-05:00

Last night I'd had enough of the tossing and turning and popped a little blue pill. I didn't warn Gman ahead of time. On the rare occasions when I just need to sleep and resort to pharmaceuticals he has been quite entertained by my nocturnal flopping about. I remember waking up sometime in the middle of the night to him petting my hair. I remember mumbling I took something, rolling over and slipping back into a fitful sleep.

This morning in our usual morning check-in call I asked how he was and he said something along the line of "hosed." Concerned, I asked if I had kept him awake. He said yes, it was me. Although I remember nothing but the aforementioned petting, apparently I was all over the bed and full of things to mumble about. So much for a drug-induced nights sleep. Perhaps I should invest more in the deep breathing and warm milk and less in the hope of sleeping like the lady in the commercial with the butterfly (or is that a moth) flying through her dreams.

Run Fat Girl, Run

2008-10-21T20:52:00.003-05:00

Ugh, the diet is not going so well. I don't know if my body has kicked into the mode where it needs to store up for the winter or if it is my "running piglet qi" but mostly I've been watching my weight bounce up and down. Why? Simple answer carbs, glorious carbs! Mostly sugary ones. Girl scout cookies (85 cases anyone?) abound, apple pie, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin bars, donuts. I've fallen off the wagon and the only reason I can get up is because of running.

Buildermama and I are running an 8K (~5 miles) at the Richmond Marathon on November 15. To get ready I've been running at least 3 times a week, I'm up to a little over 4 miles and this weekend is scheduled for 4.5 and I am going to do a 5K race back home this weekend at my college Homecoming.

While we are home we will also be celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. My sister and I wanted to plan a trip for them. Mom decided she'd rather have lunch at a local restaurant instead. My sister and I said we'd take care of it. I took care of the inviting, my sister took care of the menu. Of course Mom had to put in her two cents. Let's hope her menu choices this time are more successful than at Thanksgiving when she insisted that no one likes pecan pie (because she doesn't).

Swearing in German

2008-10-17T21:47:00.005-05:00

Verdammt!

Why haven't I posted in so long? Well you see, Google thinks we are in Germany and all of the Google related sites, including blogger have all the menus in German which may be the land of my ancesters but I read not a word. Verizon says they bought IP addresses and Google just hasn't registered them yet. Not sure I believe it because none of the things they suggested have worked to correct the issue. Fortunately only Google is affected, unfortunately Google affects a whole lot of things. Thankfully we've stuck with German, some of the neighbors are now in France.

Cute things kids say:

Me: Okay, git 'er done (in my best 'Mater/Larry the Cable Guy voice)
Boobah: Did you say that because I am a girl?
Me (Quizzical look) Huh?
Boobah: Well you said "Get HER done" if I was a boy would have you said "Get him done"
Me: I said git ER done, ah just forget it and wash yourself

Running is good, I am in week 4 of the 8 week training program for a 10K. Buildermama and I are doing the 8K at the Richmond Marathon November 15 and I figure being a few Ks ahead is a good plan. I just want to be able to run the whole thing. My sister and I are doing the Country Music 1/2 Marathon in April and I am signed up for the Columbia Triathlon in May and Iron Girl in August--I can't believe I am planning stuff this far ahead!

Sarah Palin, Post Turtle

2008-10-09T07:14:00.002-05:00

OK, I may be the only one who hasn't seen or heard this but I couldn't resist it given the accuracy of the sentiment.

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Palin and her bid.

The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Palin is a 'Post Turtle'".

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was.
The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top - that's a 'post turtle".

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, and she doesn't know what to do while she's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with".

This rendition comes from Cafe Talk but if you search on Palin, post turtle it is actually EVERYWHERE!

Time to 'fess up

2008-10-07T13:07:00.005-05:00

The whole diet thing, pretty much down the toilet. Reality has hit, its not tri season any more and I can't keep eating as much as I was. Since moving upstairs at work I have discovered it is a vast wasteland littered with donuts and lunches where there isn't a lettuce leaf in sight. I still fit into my pants but I am afraid it won't be for long. I haven't made it to a Weight Watchers meeting in week. BuilderMama and I were whining to each other and have decided to do the daily--Good, Bad or Ugly check-in. Hopefully that will get me back on track. We are scheduled to run an 8K in about seven weeks. The lighter the easier the run!

On the exercise front there hasn't been too much going on. A trip to the podiatrist ended up with a brand spanking new pair of custom orthotics which are supposed to make my feet feel better. By the time I got those the season's first cough had settled in. I've had one run in them, not as much pain. I need to find really thin socks to help everything fit into my shoes! My feet are huge as it is, just no way I am getting BIGGER shoes!

So, here is to getting back on the exercise and eating right track!

You are never too old for flip cup

2008-10-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Last night was our annual neighborhood ladies' group progressive dinner. Not nearly as classy as it sounds. This year we had an Olympic theme. There were five events--bean bag toss, putting, pictionary, Pandora's box (opening well taped wrapped boxes while wearing oven mitts) and flip cup. The teams were randomly assigned other than to assure spouses were not on the same team. The host at the first house dressed up as Michael Phelps, complete with blue track suit, pool slides and 8 medals. Another one of the husbands came in khaki shorts, a blue jacket, red, white & blue tie carrying the American flag. The games were fun and it was nice to get to talk to lots of people since we are relative newcomers having only been in our house a little over two years. There was a lot of talk about Team USA cheating, as one of the UN referees I can corroborate that they certainly were competitive.

After the planned games the real fun began--flip cup. I'd never played flip cup although it gained great legend after last years party. We left before it began last year. Both Gman and I put in our time this year. I never drink beer but I last night I made up for lost time. I have no idea how many beers I drank since they were all one gulp at a time. As the evening wore on it became the "chicks" vs "dicks." Trash talking went to a whole new level. Our next door neighbor left the table and was bent over in the bushes, after a couple of minutes she came back swearing she hadn't lost dinner. I had to believe her, no one looks that good after puking in the bushes. For all the beer no one was out of control, mean or hanging on anyone else's spouse (at least that I saw). I enjoyed the contained chaos--a balance of college wild side mixed with adults who have to get up and function the next day. Considering how horrible I'd felt most of the week I was surprised that I felt okay last night and even better, I didn't feel like crap this morning. In fact I felt good--although I will admit to a 3 hour nap this afternoon.

Counting down to next year...

Can't Live Without It

2008-09-21T21:10:00.004-05:00

I have to say I am a slave to individual packages of convenience food. In my house you will find at least 10 snacks in individual packages. I don't have the willpower to eat just one (serving) nor the desire to pack up individual packs for the kids lunches. Its nice to be able to grab something and know I can stop. Its also good to know that I am only giving the kids 100 calories worth of "junk" at lunchtime. Its just not the 100 calorie packs though, I also buy nuts in individual packs to keep in my purse to keep me from eating a candy bar or something from the never ending buffet of leftovers that line the halls at work.

The other thing I could probably live without but might not still be married is our cleaning person. Miss Betty comes and does the stuff that we hate to do every two weeks. Without Betty we'd be at each others throats about whose turn it is to clean the toilet or take out the trash. The best thing about Miss Betty? Unlike most of the commercial services she doesn't require that we clean before she comes. She is an expert piler. Sure, her cleaning would be much better if we get our own mess in order beforehand but its infinitely better than it was before she came. There is nothing like coming home to the smell of a clean house and the ability to see the top of the kitchen table.

I am sure if I thought long and hard enough I could come up with lots of other things I couldn't live without. My husband would probably tell you my Blackberry has become an extension of my hand and my kids would tell you that rarely a day goes by without a G2 but its Sunday night and sleep calls.

If you want to see what others can't live without check out what other people had to say over at Parent Bloggers. If you have time and things to add, write up your own post and be entered in a chance to win a $250 VISA gift card (talk about something I'd like to live WITH). This blog blast is co-hosted by Yoplait Kids (another one of those individually packaged things I LOVE).

Why can't I get this out of my head?

2008-09-16T21:05:00.002-05:00

Liz used this song in spin class on Monday and I haven't been able to get rid of it since! I didn't even know the name or who sang it so I had to go searching. Who knew I liked Kid Rock?

A Dutch Wonderful Day: Now and Then

2008-09-14T13:30:00.009-05:00

Yesterday we took Boobah to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA for her birthday. She requested a trip to Dutch Wonderland with Tippy Tornado instead of a party. Sounded like a fantastic idea to me, no cleaning my house to have 5 year olds destroy it in record time or renting a place and being mobbed by sticky hands and loud voices all afternoon. Parties stress me out, I love the idea of throwing a party but the execution generally leaves me bitchy.

We have a truly fabulous day with Boobah, Tippy Tornado, PDQ, Karate Boy, Gman and Esmerelda in the land of all things wonderful. Esmerelda and I kept up a running commentary of the things we were there without--her ex, strollers, diapers, diaper bags, etc. The kids were big enough to go on almost all of the rides, if not by themselves with an adult. The only bad part of Es and Bubba not being together was being short an adult to match up with the kids. We compensated though and had a much better time for it. More than once we reminisced about our last trip, we decided it was two years ago. Today I took a trip back through Gman's archives to discover it was August 2005--how much they have all changed! Enjoy!

THEN NOW

Then, we didn't even manage to get a picture of all of them together. I had a newly broken ankle and spent the day in a scooter.

Now--Wonderful Amish Fun

Iron Girl Race Report

2008-09-12T20:18:00.006-05:00

I think I've finally had enough time to absorb the whole event and now I can tell you about it, sorry if it is in painful detail.

The night before I made a list, checked it twice and packed my bag and milk crate. I also filled up water bottles and made sure I had gu and Kashi bars. I must have made 100 trips up and down the stairs checking and re-checking. Finally I headed to bed, I knew I had to be up early.

I got up at 5:10 AM and had slept much better than I expected. Into my Mid-Maryland Tri top and tri shorts, on with the heart rate monitor and out the door. I was surprised at how dark it still was. The race was only one exit away and almost immediately off the exit the traffic was backed up. Its good to be a local and know to park across from the park instead of in it. I got all of my things together and headed to the park in the dark with lots of other people.

As we moved down towards the transition area they had body markers with lines several women deep. Off with the long sleeved t-shirt, time to get marked! 1524 on both hands, arm and my age on the back of my leg. Pick up the stuff again and off to transition. Stop to hug several people along the way. As I am unpacking I notice I have a message from TriTurtle who I met on one of the Weight Watchers message boards--she'd been at the park before I got up. I went to find her as soon as I was set up but only saw her bike spot. There was a woman in transition who was also set up near me at the tri in July. It made me realize that when you are grouped by age you end up seeing the same people a lot.

Finally it was off to the swim area (after considering shoes or no shoes, which goggles and what else do I need, many, many time!). On the way I had to go to the bathroom. The line for the porta potties was really long so I headed off to the permanent bathrooms. Big line there too but the women had commandeered the men's room so I got in that shorter line. Of course about two ladies in front of me one of the two toilets overflowed. We all giggled about that putting the lake water into perspective. Everyone was chatting and friendly. Finally I did my business and headed off to the swim start. I ran into a friend from church and we went down to check out the swim course. WOW, 1100 yards looks a lot longer when its all laid out in a line rather than back and forth over and over in the pool. Finally I got my MMTC tattoo, found Esmerelda and GMan and the girls. Our great friends Tracy and Shelby came along and helped the girls make signs and gave Gman time to take pictures! Swim

Into the water with 100 of my best friends. We tread water and they announce 40 seconds. At that point I realize that I am in the middle towards the front of the wave. Not where a slow poke like me belongs but way too late to do anything about it. And we are off, after a slight panic I settle down, slow but sure and there are plenty of people behind me. I try to move in towards towards the buoys to swim the least distance possible. From about 1/4 of the way through the swim to the last 200 yards there is this woman I can. not. shake. No matter where I go or what I do she is there. Either swimming into my path or over top of me. I stop to tread water to try and lose her, I try to speed it up to pass her and neither tactic works! Eventually I get her with an elbow (sorry!) and she moves off a bit. All I kept thinking was this huge lake and you have to be ON TOP OF ME?! 32:36, not bad

T1
Coming out of the water they handed us Aflac duck towels for our feet. I jogged up through the transition area to my spot near the back near the end of a rack. Thank you to whomever put an orange lei on the sign at the end of our row. I sat on my crate and changed my shoes. Since I changed from Athena to age group my section was nearly empty of people. I got my feet wiped off and struggled into my socks. Into my bike shoes easily and then a major wrestling match to get my bike out of the rack. My seat was too high and getting it back under the pipe was a battle. Then I had to stop and straighten my things up so they were in the way for everyone else. Finally I was off.

Bike
The bike was fantastic. The exit from the park was lined with people. I saw a neighbor and then I was out on the road. What a difference traffic control makes! I felt good and was quickly in a groove. I was getting passed occasionally but was passing a few folks as well. I got to the big hill and there were people spread out all over the road. I passed several people and said a little prayer of thanks that I wasn't one of the women walking my bike up the hill! At the top I didn't feel as winded as I had many times in the past, training pays off. Worst part over. On the gradual uphill to the turn around there was some yahoo wanting to make a left hand turn but was so far over to the right cyclists couldn't get past him. The officer wasn't quite sure what to do. I was glad I was on the opposite side of the road! Through the turnaround, pass up the water, take a slug out of my bottle and move on. The trip back to the park was fun. I played pass with a woman in blue shorts and a Camel Back. At the top of the last hill I see our friends and their kids with signs. I yell to them and they yell back. I hear one of the kids say "is that really Miss Heather?" All along the way women would yell out encouragement to each other. There were people with signs at the side of the road. A definite benefit of wearing the tri club jersey--people cheer for you, go Mid-Maryland! Its a big pick me up. Finally into the home stretch and back to the park for the run. As I enter the park I realize a) I have to pee and b) I have had VERY little to drink during the ride.

T2
Struggled again with the bike. Decided I couldn't wear the wet socks to run. Took a big slug of G2 and headed out. Thankfully there were porta potties on the way out of transition so I took a minute to do my business. As I exit someone yells "lets go 1524!" Nothing like a cheering squad to pee!

Run
Immediately I knew I was in trouble. My legs were like lead. Not nearly enough bricks and laying off the running after a painful training run that ended up shoeless. My goal was to finish in less than 2:45. When I started the run I thought piece of cake! I convinced myself if I could just run the flats I could walk the hills. Then it was hills and water stops. Finally it was just get me to the end! Up the worst hill on the course was the tri club, dressed as the Village People giving out water, Gatorade and wet sponges. I love these people. I ran a little and then walked uphill some more. As we started back down into the park there was a guy yelling encouragement--you know if you made it this far you've got it, you can do anything! He was fabulous. There was a woman saying her husband told her it would take 3 hours and she was walking and thinking he was right. I really wanted to bean him, she was doing it and I imagined him sitting on the couch. I left her as I started to run again. Look at my watch and know its going to be close My foot was hot and my toes hurt. Run a little, walk a little, women go thundering past and I am in awe at the speed of some of them! One last uphill, I am going to try and run this one, made it. Then the crowd thickens, first little groups of people, then clumps of people and finally people lining both sides of the trail screaming and yelling! How can you not run faster with that kind of encouragement?! Into the shoot, I see my girls with their "Go Mommy" signs. They reach out and give me a high five. I run across the finish line. Feeling AMAZING. They put a finisher medal around my neck and I am in a bit of shock.

I did it. It was hard, it was fun. Truly one of the most amazing, empowering experiences of my life. I can't wait to do it again! Esmerelda and I have joked several time that triathlon is dangerous because you truly believe you can do ANYTHING!

So, who is going to join me next year?

298 1433 HEATHER 39 ELLICOTT CITY MD 2:43:47.75
Swim 317 32:36
T1 251 4:56
Bike 246 1:14:43 mph 14.1
T2 314 3:45
Run 317 47:50 pace 14:05

Gearing Up for Iron Girl: The Back Story

2008-09-07T13:37:00.000-05:00

Its taken me a week to process Iron Girl. While on the surface it was "just a race" down a little bit deeper it was so much more! Almost two years ago Esmerelda asked if I wanted to be part of an Iron Girl relay team with her. I laughed and said "um, maybe" but I don't swim so well and my bike is old and run, ha, I just don't run. In the end Es decided she was going to do it all herself. I knew she would because I've seen her take on the seemingly impossible so many times and she always gets through it--you know, a triathlon seems easy when I think about her working full time, being pregnant, having a toddler, taking care of someone else's kids full-time, AND getting an MBA all at the same time. Talk about mental and physical toughness. Any way, I was fascinated by her stories as she trained for Iron Girl and the races she did before. I watched her body and attitude change as she made her way towards the races. Iron Girl was the first time I watched her race. Boobah, PDQ & I headed out to the top of a hill to watch the racers come up the hill. The energy was amazing. Oh, here she comes, yell for Miss Wendy and the girls and I did. The look of surprise on her face was priceless. They were riding up a hill and most everyone looked like they were having FUN! Finally, after picking up some flowers we headed off to see her at the finish line--except we didn't make it in time because of the traffic and crowds. When I saw her I was so proud, she was practically beaming with her accomplishment. My biggest surprise was the other women I saw there, friends from church, Mom from the babysitter, neighbor. It made me think, maybe this isn't such a crazy idea, maybe I *could* do it. And thus the triathlon wheels were turning.

I knew that if there were any way I was going to do a triathlon I'd need to start running right away. I could certainly get on a bike, I thought that would be a piece of cake given the time I'd spent in spin class. I dreaded the swimming part but I figured I had plenty of time to get to that but running, I knew running would be my hard part. So over the course of 5 months I did a Couch to 5K program from Beginner Triathlete. The mix of walking and running made it seem not as hard as I expected. I remember thinking I'd die running 3 minutes in a row but more importantly I remember the feeling of triumph the first time I ran 30 minutes in a row. What an accomplishment for someone who had never run more than a mile, ever.

Winter came and so did the triathlon training class, one morning a week at 5:15 AM at the pool and Sunday mornings at the gym and on the track for two hours of biking and running. That first morning I was scared. Would I be able to keep up? Would the class be full of real athletes that I could never keep up with? What if I made a fool of myself? Self doubt kept me up most of the night. But I went, met great people and worked hard, really, really hard. Inside on the bike wasn't so bad other than getting used to being on the bike for an extended period of time. It felt good to work hard. Then came the run. We (and by we I mean they) jogged over to the track to run laps and then we were supposed to run back to the gym. All that running I'd done for months to prepare for this day was on fresh legs. Running on legs that have been riding a bike for an hour is much, much different. I jogged and walked to the track and it was all I could to make it through the laps. When one of the coaches yelled "we're in zone 2 now!" as I trudged by it was all I could do to resist telling her I'd left zone 2 long behind and was working as hard as I could even though it didn't look like it! At the end of the workout I was exhausted. It was a good exhausted though. I went to church and it was all I could do to get up and down for the hymns. When I got home I took pain relievers, a hot bath and a long nap. I kept telling myself I've got 8 months until the race, I *can* do this but believe me, their were days I doubted it.

Es and I did an indoor tri in February and it wore me out. Again a great sense of accomplishment tempered with that was hard, what have I gotten myself into! In June we did a local tri to raise money for melanoma research and education. It was fun, my parents were there, my kids were there and I finished. I walked part of the bike, it was hilly and every time I rode the course I got off, I don't know how much was my lack of fitness and how much was mental after that first bad ride. There were days when I would run or ride and feel great. Then there were other days all along the way that made me seriously doubt what I was doing. Luckily most of the days were somewhere in between and there would be a good day to pull me out of a bad place.

Three weeks before the race there was an opportunity to swim in the lake used for the tri. It is not somewhere they typically allow people to swim. The typical reaction was, "you are going to swim where? eeeeeeeeeeew" There were about 500 women there that morning for the practice swim. We waited a long, long time to get in the the water but finally it was our turn. The first bit was fine, then my goggles broke. I spent the rest of the swim with a horrible headache from tying my goggles on my face. I spent about 500 yards trying to decide if the lake water would give me an eye infection if I just dropped them all together. I was glad I did it but again..."what am I doing?!"

I went to the brick n' pic with the tri club, the first time I'd actually interacted with them in real life, not just virtually on the message board. They were planning to run-bike-run. I decided I'd run and bike since my family was coming afterwards. I'd never run first and I have to say it took a LOT out of me. I had the slowest of the group in my sights for the first half of the run but then I lost them. My heart rate was unbelievably high the entire run. Finally, bringing up the rear I made it back to the bike racks and nearly everyone was gone. The guy riding sag said he'd follow me. I so didn't want to be last but off we went. He was helpful and encouraging. We eventually found some other riders from the club and they took turns hanging with me. I felt horrible for holding people up but appreciated the company. It was great to ride with experienced riders, calling out when cars were coming, there were things in the road and getting to know them a little better. It really shook me though, would I ever make it through the race if this run and ride had been so hard? It was coming up quick.

Finally, one last ride-run brick before the race with Es and our friend D from work. It was truly the best bike ride ever. Tons of people were out, waving and encouraging as they rode by. I was fast, I felt good and my back which had bothered me on nearly every other practice ride was good. I thought I had it licked when I started the run. Ugh. The run was miserable, I just didn't have it. D ran with me and then I'd walk, she'd circle back and run with me some more. We headed up the hill that until this point I'd always avoided. Mistake, big mistake. Holy cow, it was a long series of hills that never seemed to end. D finally took off and I ran with a few other women along the way. My foot hurt, I'd had some foot pain in the past but never enough to make me stop, until that day. About a quarter mile from the end I couldn't take it any more. I finally took off my shoes and walked from there. As I hobbled along I ran into a woman from my tri class and it was good to catch up with her. I was thrilled to find out the end of the race was in a different, closer spot than I thought. Besides the pain in my foot though I felt good. I decided I would baby the foot until race day and see what happened.

Almost a year of training to do a race. Really, it was more of a lifestyle change. Training included at least 5 workouts a week, including one "brick" that usually lasted 1.5-2.5 hours. Never in my life did I imagine I would be exercising long and hard enough to need food in the middle of it! As my distances grew, so did my confidence. Not just in the fact I could finish it, that I could run or that I could ride. I found that at work I was more confident in my opinions. I was more willing to take risks. Becoming an Iron Girl had way more to do about changing my life than just finishing a race.

Next time, Iron Girl: The Race.

Can you say flip-flop?

2008-09-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

Maven Says: Yummy Yoplait Yogurt (and win free stuff!)

2008-08-29T06:15:00.004-05:00

My girls don't drink much, if any milk. As a Mom of young girls in a family with an awful history of osteoporosis that worries me. Thankfully they are big fans of cheese and even bigger fans of yogurt. Yoplait Kids yogurt makes it easy for them to like, you can eat it or drink it. Options are always good when you are four and your mother is trying to get you to eat something other than crackers. The kids yogurt has less sugar than the other yogurt which makes me feel better about what they are eating as well. Pulling out a cup of yogurt from the Dora pack makes it a little easier to get Boobah to down something good for her and admit she likes it too! Its smooth and no chunks of anything for her to ponder. My bigger kids stay in the Yoplait "family" and slurp up Go-Gurt like there is no tomorrow. Some for the fridge, some for the freezer and everyone is happy.

I am always trying to find ways to make sure my kids get everything they need to do their best. Yoplait Kids yogurt also comes with DHA to boost the growth of their brains. Kids brains grow exponentially up to age 5 and Yoplait Kids yogurt has DHA, found in breast milk, and shown to enhance brain growth. You can find more information on the magic of DHA by clicking here.

Need a cool place to keep your Yoplait Kids yogurt in the car or at the park? Thanks to the folks at Yoplait and Parent Bloggers Network I have a little giveaway. Leave me a comment and mention the yogurt and I'll pick a commenter at random for an insulated Yoplait kids lunch bag perfect for long car trips or a day at the park.

Have enough bags and want to help out that brain some more? Leave a comment with the word brain in it and I'll randomly select on poster to receive a Brain Quest game for 2-3 year olds to help their emerging language skills.

I am an Iron Girl

2008-08-24T11:29:00.003-05:00

The race was great. Truly amazing the power of all those women, encouraging each other and all those people on the sidelines cheering us on. More later, but I did it!

Iron Girl Countdown

2008-08-18T20:51:00.004-05:00

Es and I went out with a co-worker this weekend for one last ride of the Iron Girl bike course. It rocked, for me it was fast, I felt good and in control. The mantra, don't worry, just spin. And spin I did. I didn't worry about riding fast or passing people, I tried to concentrate on feeling good and having fun and it worked. It didn't hurt to see a person or two walking a bike and knowing I wouldn't have to do that. I finished in 1:11 and for race day I was going to give myself 1:30.

Then we came back to the park and ran (and in my case walked). As good as the bike was the run was not. It was a bummer but again, I just tried to relax and enjoy. There were lots of other women out there, everyone was encouraging each other and my friend D kept circling back to keep me company, she is a chatty runner. It was fun, until the last quarter mile when my foot hurt. A lot. Finally I ended up taking on my shoes and walking to the end in the grass relieving some of the pressure on the bottom of my foot. I spent the afternoon and much of yesterday trying to find solutions for my foot that would get me through the weekend. The woman at the running store and my internet research say I probably have a Morton's Neuroma.

This week I am taking it easy, tonight I rode 3 miles to the pool, swam 500 yds and rode home. It was all nice and easy and meant to remind my body that we'd be doing those things this weekend. This week will be about resting, hydrating, and carb loading.

I have been in a few interesting conversations this week about Iron Girl being demeaning to women. Why is it Ironman and Iron Girl, not Iron Woman? Ironman is a very specific distance, 140.6 made up of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles on the bike and 26.2 run. A woman can be an Ironman but a man can't be an Iron Girl. It is a series of women's only events meant to empower women to challenge themselves. There are tris, duathlons and runs. Its about doing it and finishing it and girl power. Just watching last year made me believe I could do it. The encouragement of all those women for each other was amazing. Training this year has been much of the same, women encouraging each other on the bike and run courses.

I may never be an Ironman but I will be proud to be an Iron Girl.

Only Half Crazy?

2008-08-13T08:25:00.003-05:00

After running with my sister on vacation we agreed that we'd like to do a race together. I didn't think much of it, I was thinking Turkey Trot when we were home over Thanksgiving. Then I got the e-mail, "how about The Country Music Half Marathon?" At first I laughed. Then I checked it out. Its the week of my 40th birthday, I felt like that was a sign and told her I'd do it. We still haven't worked out who is going with us--is it a couples weekend with Gman and BIL or is it a family weekend and Mom & Dad will come too or even a girls weekend and we bring Mom along? Only time will tell.

So, after deciding I was going to train to run 13.1 miles I decided what the heck I'd add the Columbia Triathlon to my spring calendar as well. It will be my first Olympic distance tri. The bike is hard, the swim requires a wetsuit and well the run is 10K--I've never run 10K. But if I can run 13.1 miles what is 6.2 a few weeks later? Remember that this time last year I couldn't run At. All. No running to 5K was certainly more daunting than moving up from 3 to 13 miles.

So, I'll be looking to all my tri and running friends for advice on preparing for the half as well as the tri. First on my agenda after Iron Girl is being a diligent Weight Watcher and dropping at least another 25 pounds. It has to make everything easier. I have been stuck for about 6 weeks and while its better than being where I started I would like to be un-stuck.

I think this just proves that pushing yourself does make you believe you can do anything!

The house of nuts

2008-08-08T06:29:00.005-05:00

Things have been a serious whirlwind--train, work, can, kids, work, cook, work, worry, work.

Work
The good news is there is a new VP at work and he thinks I rock. The bad news, I have to work my tail off to make sure he continues to think that. This week he is on vacation and he left me with several "can you look into this" assignments while he is gone. I went for acupuncture and he asked me pretty early on how things were at work. I spent an hour on his table, mostly just breathing and its amazing how much better I felt when I left.

Training
Last Sunday I did a "Brick n Pic" with the local tri club. They were wonderful to hang out with and someone always stayed at the back of the pack with me. I should never, ever have run before my ride. My heart rate was zooming the whole time and the ride was pretty miserable. My back was killing me after climbing but thankfully Mr. Don fixed that! This week I've done pretty well keeping up with the training but not the bike, they have the road torn up on the course and I hear it is NASTY, I'll need to do that when I come back from NY.

Canning
I picked 23 pounds of peaches (along with raspberries and blueberries) last Wednesday. That meant I had a lot of fruit to deal with! I did my first batch of peach hot pepper jelly. Gman asked if I could make the bits not float to the top. I read that rotating the jar during the process helped with that so I flipped them over. Oops, I went to bed without flipping them back. Now I have nine jars that look like this....

Kids

I don't know if it the end of the summer or what but they are non-stop fighting, talking, singing and getting into things they shouldn't. Boobah can't wait for school to start and I can't wait to have one drop off in the morning and no pick ups in the afternoon. On the other side, how the heck did my baby get old enough for Kindergarten?

Other Random Stuff

We are off to Albany, NY this morning for GMan's sister to get married this evening. We are brining our 18 year old neice back with us to visit for a week.

Maven Says: Just Say No to Wedgies!

2008-07-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

When Boobah was two years old and recently potty trained, she coined the term "oogie" AKA the wedgie. In the nearly three years she has been wearing underwear we've had frequent complaints about oogies...until now. Thanks to Parent Bloggers Network and the nice folks at Hanes my girls have been outfitted in "No Ride Up" panties. Briefs for the big girl and bikinis for the little one (agh, I had no idea there were all these choices to make so soon!). Its nice to think of Boobah heading off to Kindergarten this year and not worry about her spending most of the day doing an odd little dance to dislodge her panties from places they shouldn't be.

Both packages of panties (9 to a pack, more than a week!) came with enough white pairs to go under the light colored shorts and enough patterns and colors to keep everyone happy. The lack of days of the week made my day, I hate the morning quiz--What day is it? What does it start with? Where are they? Who knew that plain cotton underwear would make me so happy. One of the "plain" parts that makes us all happy is the lack of a label. The size info printed in the back instead of on a tag eliminates the itch factor. It also makes it much easier for the kids to figure out which is the front vs. the back--the side loaded tags on most normal underwear don't give the kids a clue.

The panties are thus far showing no signs of wear and tear from the wash. The no roll legs stay put and no elastic peaks out. The only thing coming out of the top of the underwear is my kid, none of those annoying little elastic bits or l0ng, unraveling strings that can be itchy and annoying.

In addition to panties we have socks. My favorite thing about them is they are all the same! I've made the mistake so many times of buying socks with various colored bottoms or rings around the ankle and end up with piles of lonely, single socks. No problem with these socks, the only color difference is the color coded heels to let you know what size the socks are. Size medium fits both my girls so no fighting over what belong to who either.

You can't go wrong giving these underthings a try, they come with the Comfort Fit Promise--you don't think they are comfortable, you get your money back. What do you have to lose? (And I was just over on their site--20% off, just in time for back to school.)

Check out the Parent Bloggers Network for other reviews of Hanes undies and socks. If you've got a little guy instead of a little girl you can learn about tightie whities and boxer briefs as well. Keep your eyes out for the blog blast on August 22.

Motivation Crisis

2008-07-27T11:39:00.003-05:00

Somewhere in the last few weeks my desire to get up every day and work out has gotten up and left. Not a good thing 4 weeks out from Iron Girl. I signed up for this race in October, I've been training pretty consistently since then. Now I know I can do the distance. I know I can swim in open water. I know I can RIDE up the hills. But most days lately, I just don't want to. I have done it most days and felt better for it afterwards but it doesn't make it any easier to do it the next day. Why now, in the last few weeks where I am supposed to peak, am I finding it so hard to even get out my bike? My excuse for not running (much) is a hip that has nagged me on and off for months. Unfortunately lately its been on again.

This morning I ran, it felt good even in the heat. I am hoping that I saw a glimmer of my motivation returning. I signed up for a spin class tomorrow morning--EARLY--so we'll see if I can pull myself out of the bed to go.

Chocolate covered pig and other fun stuff

2008-07-24T20:08:00.003-05:00

Last night we watched the a new episode of Dinner Impossible with the new host Michael Symon. I just have to say. He. So. Rocks. Perhaps it is the Ohio girl in me who just can't resist the authentic Cleveland attitude. He just seems like he is having fun all the time! He is a great Iron Chef and I think that this show will be so much better with him at the helm. I mean, come on, last night he made bacon covered in chocolate with nuts. Everyone went wild for it. Gotta get me some of that chocolate covered bacon (how un-healthy of me is that?!).

Speaking of chocolate, my financial advisor invited me to a chocolate making class this evening at Sweet Cascades. If anyone is in downtown Ellicott City, you must stop by and try out some of their chocolates. We overindulged big time, truffles, sipping chocolate, Old Bay crab shaped chocolates (surprisingly good!) and even a chocolate covered jalapeno. As good as the chocolates were the owner was just as nice. Definitely a winner. We got to be hands on making our own truffles, the whole family was glad to have me come home!

As an added bonus, check out Gman's Picassa site for his stash of vacation pictures. Baby cuteness, girlie fabulousness, and just general fun. You don't even want to know what it costs to stay in a house that size in the middle of nowhere. Dirt. Cheap. My favorite one of Gman and I below--notice the new blondeness.

And for a Think Thin Thursday update, I stayed the same. Two weeks of comfort eating and spending time with my parents in the "house of snack" and I stayed exactly the same. Either I have learned to control things in proportion to my exercise or I am just darned lucky! Not particularly good as a motivator to eat right but I am glad not to have a gain to work off. I think that pounds that are hardest are those that I am losing for a second time! In 15 weeks only one week with a gain, not too shabby. 25.8 pounds total.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

2008-07-17T11:20:00.004-05:00

This morning Gman and I got up "early" and headed out to ride the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway (or part of it anyway). Getting there was a bit of a battle, the parking lot that the map says to park in was closed and the college lots were full (besides I figured we'd get ticketed in one of those). After a bathroom break and a bit more driving around we managed to find somewhere to park. Then it was a another delay to get the tires pumped up and all our stuff together. It was well worth it-what a beautiful, flat ride on well maintained trails with a few crossings of lightly traveled roads. Its not often we get to ride anything that is flat and without traffic! I rode with Gman for the first half and on the way back I got some training in and tried to keep my speed and cadence up. It was a fun ride and nice to be out by ourselves. I was determined that we didn't bring our bikes all this way for them to sit on the porch.

Yesterday we ventured out into the parks to commune with nature. In the morning with the whole family we went to Ash Cave--a paved trail took us to the spectacular cave and Gman, BIL and I took the big kids back via the slightly longer "hiking" trail. After a trip to sis' house and lunch the MM crew headed to Old Man's Cave. There was a bit more hiking here as well as the cave and waterfalls. We made two of the loops (having to take two bathroom breaks, oh the joys of hiking with kids. Someday I'd love to come back and hike all 6 miles (each way) of the trails that lead from Ash Cave to Cedar Falls and then to Old Man's Cave.

Last night we went out to dinner with my sister and BIL at the Grouse Nest Restaurant. The food was good, the company better but the drive up to the place was a little rough, gravel and all up hill. I wasn't sure the Mommy Van was going to make it! We've definitely had the Appalachian adventure a pleasant change from our "normal" lives.

Today is sis' 35th birthday, happy birthday sis! She and BIL headed out this morning to Jamboree in the Hills. Part of me wishes we were with them. The other, more mature part that hates crowds of drunk people is just as happy to spend another night in the quite lodge even if it does mean we have her 3 y.o. and 6 month old sons! The older one and Boobah keep each other busy and PDQ is a big help with the baby--when Grandma lets her have a turn.

Stay tuned, I know there will be pictures when Gman has a chance to get them published!

First Open Water Swim

2008-07-15T13:03:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been scarce, first there was the viewing and the funeral and now its vacation, in the woods. We are staying in a beautiful house in the middle of nowhere, its quiet, there is a hot tub and plenty of yard for the kids to run and run and run along with the requisite beds to then collapse into at night.

Today we went to Lake Logan park so the kids could swim. Since there were also plenty of other adults I got in some training time time as well. I have not gotten in nearly the training time I should have over the past week and a half. This was one I really needed though, I haven't had a chance to swim in open water and knew it was different than the pool. On the good side, it is much less repitious than swimming in the pool, the water was mostly warm and there was little vegetation. On the not great side the lake must be spring fed because there were REALLY chilly spots randomly around the lake.

You will be missed

2008-07-04T21:52:00.001-05:00

This is the last picture I have of my grandmother, when we were there for Easter this year. She is with my cousin who was also celebrating her 16th birthday while we were there. Look at that hair and those nails, the nursing home where she spent the last year and a half was a good place where they took great care of her. She passed away this morning at the age of 81.

Grandma retained her humor right up to the end. My mother said before they took her to surgery on Wednesday the anesthesiologist asked if she smoked. She told him yes, cigars. He asked if she smoked one a day. She told him no, two. He asked if she'd had one that day and she told him no, they wouldn't let her have one. Mom said by that time he wasn't sure what to believe and asked her if it was really true and she laughed at him. She'd never smoked a day in her life! There was a really difficult period after her stroke when she was confused a lot of the time, she told stories about her neighbors and that she had been out on trips. She repeated things and made strange requests. As hard as it was to see her disabilities from the stroke it was harder to lose "her." We were all grateful when she came back to us and was her old self telling us what to do and asking embarrassing questions.

Thank you grandma for cutting up my apples, complete with taking off the peels (Mom wouldn't do that) when I was little. Thank you for teaching me to cook. Thank you for being a great role model for marriage. Thank you for sharing your love for God. Thank you for trying to teach me to quilt, now I wish I had listened and watched more carefully. Thank you grandma for being the port in the storm when I needed to get out of the house, you always welcomed me with open arms. My best friend told me tonight that she'd miss you as well, she hasn't had grandparents in many years and she so appreciated that you were there for her without judgement as a surrogate. I will miss you, she will miss you, the rest of the family will miss you and many, many other people whose lives you have touched will miss you as well. You lived and loved well.

Just not fair

2008-07-04T09:16:00.003-05:00

It seems like every day there is more bad for someone I know. My friend's baby had an E. Coli infection at three weeks old and spent a week in a medical center far from home, he's home but faces 6 more weeks of antibiotics. She says it has turned into one of those mothers panicked and obsessive about everything. Then my sister's good friend had a tumor removed from her neck and they found cancerous cells, now has to have chemo and radiation--she's a mom to two kids 3 & under, the youngest being just a few months old. A friend from my old job lost his wife this week to cancer, they have two teenage/tween daughters.

Then there is the most crushing, my grandmother. Not quite two years ago she had a stroke and went from vibrant and totally self sufficient to unable to move one side and in a nursing home. Its been very hard to see her so diminished. Although she was nearly 80, she had the spunk of someone much younger. She chauffeured around her younger sister, they went to the senior center, they went on bus trips, she worked in the garden, she quilted, she maintained her home and yard with a little help from my dad and his brothers. Suddenly, overnight she could do none of it.

For the first several months there was hope she would improve but it hasn't happened. Thankfully the effects of all the medications had been dealt with and she was with us mentally. In the beginning she was telling people that she was taking trips and repeating the same stories over and over. The last few times I've seen her we had good conversations although the last time she was having some chest pain and looked really old and feeble.

This week she had a blood clot in her leg. Medication didn't help. They did surgery. Her leg swelled. They did more surgery to relieve the pressure and she was in ICU. The call came this morning that during the night things took a turn for the worse. My first thought was I. must. get. home. My mother told me to wait, she might not make it through the day. I am having a really hard time processing that. I feel the need to be there, the pull is very strong. Five hours never seemed so far away!

My sister and I talked, called my aunt and she is going to call and give us her assessment of the situation. Mom is a nurse and in situations like this it is good to have her around medically but it sucks emotionally. She is able to be totally devoid of emotion and even have a glimpse of what we might be feeling or need.

Just 10%

2008-06-27T09:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at Weight Watchers I reached a milestone, since April I have lost 10% of my original starting body weight. For reaching this dubious accomplishment, I received a key chain. Its kind of like being a kid and getting the prize in the Cracker Jack box, that little thing means so much more than it should. The stop along the way on my journey is nice. Its like the trip we take to my parents, there is much expectation to get to the stopping point and a recognition that if we just keep going we will get there although it will take time.

What else comes with losing 10% of your body weight?

Lower blood pressure & cholesterol-with a family history of heart disease and prior problems of my own this is important to me. My doctor recently put me back on BP meds at a very low dose because in his office my BP was high. Hopefully I can get back off these meds soon!

Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes-again its in the genes and I showed my susceptibility to it when I was pregnant, I'd like to continue to ward it off for as long as possible.

Gain energy-I have to say I do feel better and am able to keep going longer, whether it be in triathlon training or just making it through a hectic day at home and work.

Reduce pain-Check, this is one I can definitely see. My joints were surprisingly tolerant of running at a higher weight but I have noticed lately that even after a long, hard workout I don't feel it later nearly as much. Part of this is certainly the muscle and stamina I've gained as well.

Wild Wild Week

2008-06-26T08:18:00.002-05:00

Last week this time I was gearing up for my trip to Ohio to pick up PDQ & Boobah. As it ended up my best friend's new baby was rushed to a medical center out of town so I ended up driving there on my way to Ohio. Wow, even a major city in WV is culture shock after living on the East Coast for 10 years! Everyone had a twang, there were hair cuts I haven't seen (nor wanted to) since 1987! Can you say mullets and hair sprayed for height? It was a good distraction from the business at hand. As it turned out poor little guy had an E Coli infection, very scary stuff. Good news, he got to come home yesterday, much to the relief of his incredibly tired parents!

The girls and I spent the weekend with my folks, sister and nephews. We saw all the other relevant relatives, swam in grandma's pool and made the obligatory trip to the mall. My sister and I ran together on Saturday morning for the first time ever. She is the jock, having rowed in high school and trained for a half marathon but getting pregnant stopped her from actually completing the race. My new found running ability and her being 6 months post-partum made for a fun, comfortable run for both of us. It also made me think I'd love to have a running partner well matched for pace or who would push me just a bit.

Finally it was back home in time for the Brownie end of the year party followed quickly by the beginning of Vacation Bible School at our church. I am the craft lady again this year and was totally unprepared. Thank goodness for the great Power Lab craft kits from Group, good instructions, not much else I needed to buy. Easy Peasy. The kids this year have been fun and good to work with. Bonus, it starts with dinner every night so NO cooking! We will see how that plays at my weigh in today!

George Carlin--RIP

2008-06-23T20:30:00.002-05:00

I remember feeling naughty listening to George Carlin and his 7 dirty words. I read today that he never thought his legacy would be what people are allowed to say on television. I have never watched George and not laughed, no matter how irreverent, he is just plain funny. So enjoy a little bit of George Carlin, gone today at 71.

Bikini Blues

2008-06-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

The bikini blues are nothing new for me, I've never, ever had a bikini ready body. At this point in my life, even if I get to my goal weight, I am pretty sure that I wouldn't want to be seen in public in a bikini. Thirty odd years of stretched out skin doesn't bounce back so well. I would guess, if there was any bikini-ness in my future it would be a bikini top. My two c-sectioned belly and mutant thighs are not something anyone else should be sujected to.

That being said, being comfortable wearing a bikini is not one of my goals. Being comfortable in my skin is. Being comfortable in a tri suit is another goal I'd like to reach. Moving from the world of the sedentary into the world of triathlons is certainly an eye opening experience. The amount of skin, really taut, muscular skin is amazing! As are the number of women who aren't so taut and toned but are still in great shape and are out there proving it to the world swimming, biking and running no matter what they look like. Its these women I find far more amazing than the hard bodied bikini babes.

The folks at BOCA are sponsoring this Bikini Blues Blog Blast along with my friends at Parent Bloggers. Have a bikini story of your own to tell? Write a post, let them know at Parent Bloggers and have a chance to win one of three $150 gift cards!

Death and taxes

2008-06-18T19:33:00.002-05:00

We got a notice a few weeks ago that they'd found issues with our 2006 tax return and we owe the government money. Since I generally do the taxes I was of course freaked out. I was also amazed that we had gotten a BIG FAT ENVELOPE FROM THE IRS and my dear husband didn't open it! I can let a lot of things lay around but a BIG FAT ENVELOPE FROM THE IRS can't possibly be good. Thus began the search for all of our 2006 tax information--yes, the year we sold a house, bought a house and carried three mortgages for a period of time--paperwork hell.

Given that our deadline to respond is Monday I finally sucked it up and re-did the 2006 taxes this evening. According to my estimates we owe but we don't owe as much as the IRS says we owe. So now, do I send a check for the whole amount or just what I think I owe plus the interest? How do I figure the interest on a lower amount? Its not that much difference but I really don't want to give them any more money than I have to, I also don't want to have to pay additional interest on money they've loaned me for the last year. Ugh.

I've got to say that the whole you owe us interest thing really ticks me off. I made a mistake, fine. But you are going to make me not only pay back the money but interest for my mistake that it took you over a year to find? Gheesh, that seems unfair somehow. Oh well. Gman's turn now, I will never, ever send in another tax form until he has gone over it with a fine tooth comb!

I AM a triathlete

2008-06-16T12:40:00.003-05:00

South Carroll Tri to Win Sprint Triathlon

SWIM 13:27 400m

The swim was uneventful, it was a pool swim and someone held us at the mat until a lane opened up. The guy in the other half of my lane was doing some bizarre frog-like thing for a lap or two, I was so glad when someone else got in.

T1-3:29
On with the cycling jersey, gloves, socks, shoes, open up the beans, chew a couple. I have to say the big surprise here was WET socks! Had a great rack position right next to the bike & run out.

Bike 1:04:51
This course is really hilly, I conquered the first couple of hills without problems, felt strong. The third in the series always gets me. My HR was creeping up so near the top I walked a bit to save something. Did the same thing on the next really long, gradual hill. Got passed by several people here. After these hills were done I knew it was time to hammer. Passed 3-4 people in this stretch. One poor guy lost a crank at mile 8 of 14.7 and was riding in with one leg. There are two climbs at the end, I walked the top part of the first one, its an increasingly steep hill up and around a bend--crankless guy and I walked it together. I got a head of steam and determination and ground up the final steep hill and after that it was back up the driveway into the transition area. There was a dude on a motorcycle who kept showing up at every intersection screaming you can do it. It was cool the first couple of times, after that it got annoying!

T2 2:57

Quick out of the shoes, on with the running shoes. Love my lace locks! Took a big drink, my hydration on the bike was so-so. Almost ran out with my cycling gloves, ran back and took them off.

RUN (or trudge as the case may be) 43:24

The beginning of the course wound back behind the swim center on grass and then a rough gravel path--I heard several people say it was longer than 5K. I took it easy here worrying about a twisted ankle. I walked through the water station and then started jogging up the hill. Stopped to walk one more time on the uphill. Walked through water at the top of the hill and was glad to start the mostly downhill trip back. Walked through the final water station and ran the rest of the way back UP the driveway across the line. My girls came out and ran with me.

It was great fun and only 68 days until the next one. Definitely need to go out and ride hills to prepare!

I finished!

2008-06-15T11:59:00.003-05:00

2:07:59 of swimming, biking and running all done by 10:30 this morning. Great experience! Will write more later, now I need a NAP!

Updated: Because of my long name I read the wrong time, its actually 2:08:08. :)

Swim, Change, Bike, Change, Run

2008-06-14T08:31:00.003-05:00

This morning I did my last race prep. I got my bike out and set up my transition area on the front porch before driving to the pool for the swim.

Swim-once I got warmed up it was okay but I did have a gasping, turn on my back moment when I inhaled a little water. Good to know I can do that and flip back over and keep swimming.

T1-when I was on my way home from the pool I realized I didn't lay out my helmet and glasses. Luckily I knew where the helmet was and I had Gman's glasses. Wasn't I pleased to find my glasses attached to my helmet :)

Bike-everything started out well on the bike. Legs a little tight, telling myself to just spin and warm up. First obstacle, dude in an Excursion decides to pull a U-turn RIGHT FREAKING BESIDE ME. He has like no turning radius in that beast and was frighteningly close to me, I managed to pull my foot out and stop to keep myself from getting smashed. He didn't even give me a second look--jackhole! After that things started falling apart. I thought the uneven feeling on the seat was just my suit and shorts sliding around-I wanted to test the combo today. Nope, that wasn't it, my seat was lose. When I could I stopped and got out my tools. Sure enough, I don't have a wrench for that in my bag. Didn't throw my cell phone in either. A guy in a mini-van with a bike rack stopped and offered to help, unfortunately he didn't have anything with him. I thanked him profusely and decided to just head home. Of course, like always it happened when I was halfway into the loop so it wasn't like one way was shorter than the other. I managed to make it home but it was an uncomfortable ride with lots of pressure on the lady garden. Occasionally I had to stop and wrench the seat forward so it didn't end up pointing straight up while climbing. I needed practice out of the saddle, bad way to get it.

T2-uneventful, quick!

Run-my legs were tight getting started, ran uphill to start, just like the race. Just did a short loop to get everything pumping.

Home again! Stretched out good. Now off to wash things up and make sure I am ready for tomorrow! Yikes--less than 24 hours!

Think Thin Thursday Update & Triathlon Obsessions

2008-06-13T07:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was one of the first times I didn't obsess about going into my weigh-in. I was pretty sure I'd gained weight and I'd made peace with it. The nutiness in my head thanks to hormones and pre-race freakiness were all I could deal with. Really, the one other time I gained weight I lost over 5 pounds the next week. I have been seriously lax in keeping track of what I am eating on paper although the calculator in my head is pretty effective if I do say so myself. I was the first one to the scale (I'd actually left a conference call online in my office to go face the numbers). The same. Never have I been so happy to hear that. So still hanging in there at 22.6 pounds lost.

OK, my nutiness about the whole tri thing this weekend. I called my favorite acupuncturist yesterday and told him I'd worked myself into a dither and begged for a pity appointment. I must say, it worked like magic, I am pretty sure I fell asleep on the table with skillfully placed needles doing their magic.

I hadn't really slept much since Sunday obsessing over what to wear, the bike rides, all the unknowns that come with doing something for the first time and who knows what else! I am not the least worried about finishing last, I can't actually pinpoint what it is that I *am* worried about. I just know that my mind is, for the first time in a long, long time, moving at warp speed and keeping me awake. The fact that my dear friend AF also showed up this week didn't help and does help explain my slug-like feelings and desire to curl up in a ball and ignore the rest of the world.

I got a stern talking to yesterday morning by Esmerelda about needing to not go to the dark side and just treat this like any other training session. She and Mr. Don convinced me that I need to worry about myself and not my family, the kids, and all the other people who are in my head along with the race stuff.

The countdown is seriously on. By the time the weekend is over I should be an official triathlete. Breathe--in, out.

Congrats to Greeblemonkey the lucky winner of the personalized My Fruit Roll Ups. My girls were glad to pitch in and pick a number out of a hat to determine the winner. Thanks again to the Fruit Roll Up folks and Parent Bloggers Network for sponsoring this giveaway!

Fun run?

2008-06-07T11:32:00.004-05:00

Esmerelda (sorry dude for the eyes closed picture, usually that is my role!) and I signed up our whole families for the Howard County library's summer reading kick-off fun run/walk this morning. What a great way to promote reading AND fitness--I hope the kids soaked in a little of the meaning. The seven of us headed out into the fog--yes fog, it was so humid that you could SEE it. The group was relatively small and Esmerelda and I settled in with the four year olds in the jogging stroller at the back of the runners pack. Gman took the older kids (& many pictures but none of all of us) and stayed with the walkers. 2.5 miles I thought, piece of cake. Sponge cake perhaps. I was soaking wet and had it dripping off the end of my nose before we'd gone a quarter of a mile. I had no idea that pushing the stroller would take so much extra energy. Maybe my arms DO help when I run.

Es' younger son, Tippy Tornado, urged her on "faster mommy, I want to go faster!" There is motivation for you-NOT. Boobah joined in a time or two but thankfully just settled in for the ride most of the time. It seemed lik 90% of the run was uphill, really, is that possible? Our goal was to stay ahead of the walkers. Then we noticed the guy with the purple stroller behind us, I don't know if he was jogging or just walking incredibly fast but it became VERY important to stay. in. front. And we did. Es called it the "Bredders Cup." There was a fast guy with a stroller so we finished second and third in a field of four in the self proclaimed stroller division.

After we finished up the pointed us to food and water. I immediately thought of Pasta Queen, there were Panera Cinnamon Crunch bagels free for the taking. It made the miserable run worth it--eating half that bagel without guilt. As we discussed our strategy to stay in front of the guy with the stroller he let us know that he was keeping us in sight, he didn't want to get smoked too badly. HA! Gman was the big winner for the day winning door prize tickets to the Body Worlds exhibit at the Maryland Science Center.

**************************************************************************

So that post was actually written on Saturday but blogger appeared to have eaten it for lunch. I went back and looked and there was no draft. Alas today, there it was so enjoy the regurgitated post.

Holy cow, three days until race day! This week has had me seriously on edge thinking, thinking, thinking the whole darned thing over. I was up obsessing over the bike route on Sunday night, see here is the fruit of my labors, an elevation of the course. I haven't worked out much, I know its supposed to be a taper but I feel like I have taken it a bit too seriously. The weather has been miserable hot, its the end of the school year, birthday parties galore and work is hoppin' as well and I just kind of generally feel like a slug. Perhaps it is my body telling me to slooooooow down.

Think Thin Thursday Update

2008-06-06T14:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I did 2 work-outs, a 2 mile run at lunch and a 14.5 mile ride last night or maybe a 14 mile ride and .5 mile walk. It was hot and those hills are going to be the death of me. I can't decide how much is physically and how much is psychological. Now, on top of that my blood pressure was really high at the allergist and my pcp wants me to have an exercise stress test. Of course he'd like me to have it before the tri next weekend. Yeah, good luck buddy--they only do them once a week, they have me scheduled for 7/31. He told me I should be fine but not to push it too hard. And what exactly *is* too hard? That certainly added to my bad hill mojo last night, especially at the tippy top of the biggest hill when my heart rate was 183. I made it to the top but then I got off to rest and hydrate. I'd hate to have to do it during the race though.

At my weigh in yesterday I dropped another 2.2 pounds for a total of 22.8. With thin thoughts in my head I went out today to buy a few new, smaller clothes. Mostly I've been "shopping" in my skinnier clothes. Unfortunately the realities reared their ugly head, even when you are thinner and have more choices in clothes it still doesn't mean they will fit or be flattering!

Maven Says: Fancy Fun Fruit!

2008-06-04T04:21:00.001-05:00

Every year I struggle to find something new and different for birthday party goodie bags. I hate the cheesy toys that break the minute we get home, the last thing my kid needs is more candy and I am horrible about ordering cool stuff from a place like Oriental Trading Company in time for the party (and sometimes that leads to #!). Parent Bloggers Network recently gave me the opportunity to try My Fruit Roll-ups which, in my opinion are a solution to the goodie bag dilemma. What, might you ask, makes these fruit roll-ups so special? Its all about personalization baby!

The user friendly My Fruit Roll-Ups site is easy to navigate, fun to use and even lets you take a peek into an animation of what part of the manufacturing process your special fruit roll-ups are in. There are art options, font options, color options and pattern options presented in a way that makes them easy to use. My favorite part is that you aren't committed after trying something the first time, you can keep trying combinations until you hit on the perfect combination of designs and messages.

I ordered my My Fruit Roll-Ups for Boobah's fifth birthday this summer. You could also order them as a special lunch treat with a message to your kids, buy a box to celebrate the end of the sports season, graduation or a change of pace at any special school event.

And now, here is YOUR chance to try it out for FREE!

Click on over to the My Fruit Roll-Up website

Peruse the design options

Leave me a comment telling me your favorite design choice by June 9, noon EST.

I'll pick a winner at random for a free box of your very own My Fruit Roll-Ups

Graduation Overload

2008-06-03T08:14:00.003-05:00

In the past two weeks we've been to two high school graduation parties, last night my stepson graduated from middle school and tonight Boobah graduates from preschool. Needless to say I have been up to my eyeballs in creamy cake icing, hamburgers and hot dogs. The world's second most expensive preschool does preschool graduation up right, real caps and gowns, community auditorium and they even took them yesterday morning for practice walking across the stage and singing their songs. I am sure I will cry like a baby.

Given the parties of the past two weeks, including a high school graduation party complete with Sumo Wrestling suits and a dalmatian moon bounce (pictures to come), I should have seen it coming.

Boobah (from the back seat of the van): "Mommy, do *I* get a graduation party?"
My mind: You are 4, its preschool, we are not having a party!
My mouth: "how about Rita's?"
Boobah: "That's good."

Esmerelda and boys are coming to celebrate Boobah's big event with us tonight, she demanded that Tippy Tornado and Es be in attendance. Es said that she has some graduation decorations so I am sure that will endear her to Boobah forever (as if she isn't already!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I ran 3.5 miles this morning at 5:50, my longest run yet. It felt good, morning is definitely going to be my go-to time of day for the summer, the heat really kills me. This morning was in the upper 50s and it was actually nice to be outside.

Curses, Foiled Again!

2008-05-31T18:55:00.005-05:00

Last week Esmerelda and I headed out to try the course for the Tri to Win triathlon we are doing in two weeks. She did the race last year, we are both doing it this year. It will be my maiden voyage. Last week I had a major bonk on the first hill and felt like trash for the rest of the ride. Its been in my head all week, I really needed to ride it today to get the bad mojo out of my head and feel better about doing the race. My friend from work is the race director's wife and lives near the course, she said she'd love to ride this morning. I left the house at 7:15 to meet her at 8AM. Get on the highway on ramp and remember that I don't have my helmet, circle back and pick it up. Hit go on the Garmin and it says I will have 7 minutes to spare. Yeah, except it was the WRONG place it took me so I ended up 8 minutes late. When I got there D was there and 4 other women were getting ready to ride so we headed out together. I got out onto the highway and the ride felt bumpy. Is my tire low, yeah, kinda.

Yeah, kinda was a serious understatement--TOTALLY FLAT! I put the new tube on and then struggled to get the tire on. One biker whizzed past us without even a look. Then Dewey Tri Guy and Eagleman happened upon us and helped me out. So Eagleman got the tire on and we tried to inflate it, no dice. Apparently somewhere in the putting on of the new tube I put a hole in it as well! Luckily we were no more than a mile from the start so I didn't have to drag my bike too far. If you can't bike--RUN!

We ran the 5K for the tri, D was a great pacer. We ran the first mile in 10:43, the second in 10:49 and the third in 11:35--the last mile the sun came out and we had to go back UP the hill we started out going down. Back up that hill is pretty grueling, D assures me that with the crowd cheering it'll be a piece of cake!

Tomorrow the bike goes to Race Pace for a pre-race tune up and obviously a new tube put on by guys who really know what they are doing!

Think Thin Thursday Random Thoughts

2008-05-29T14:06:00.003-05:00

Today I ran at lunch time--5.26K or almost 3.3 miles. Six months ago I couldn't have run that distance, let alone done it at lunchtime and come back to work for the afternoon. Best of all it was comfortable, nothing hurt, unless the hill was steep my breathing wasn't labored, and I averaged a little over 11 minutes/mile. I know all those numbers because I bought one of the Nike+ iPod sensors and it keeps track for me. The thing is too darned cool, today Lance Armstrong came on to congratulate me on my longest run to date. I don't do Nike running shoes so I sewed a piece of elastic to the tongue of my shoe under where the laces start. It works perfectly to keep it in place, my only worry is a big rainstorm and face it, I don't mind running but I do mind being icky wet.

My first Tri is in 16 days, I feel ready on some fronts but after bonking on a trial run last Sunday my confidence in my hill climbing ability is a little shaken. I also broke a cardinal rule in not fueling well enough before the ride/run so the effort on that hill also made me a little sick and it took the rest of the ride and a package of Jelly Belly Sport Beans to be convinced I would live. I was sure there was no way I was going to be able to run. I told Esmerelda that I probably wouldn't run the whole 5K. Much to my surprise after getting going the run was OK, I walked a little up the first hill and the last 100 meters uphill to the parking lot. A total time of 38 minutes, which considering how bad I felt 30 minutes before was stellar. We followed up the brick with a trip to the Outlets and did some serious retail therapy. Mostly work out stuff but also the chance to spend my Christmas gift card from Coach for a cute baby blue purse and fun printed wallet. All in all a perfect day, hard workout and then shopping and hanging out with Esmerelda--it had been a long time since we had more time than a hurried lunch in Subway to catch up. HUGE props to Gman for playing babysitter for the WHOLE day!

At my weigh-in today I lost another 2 pounds to put me at a total of 20.6 pounds in 8 weeks. I am closing in on 10%!

Maven Says: Barrettes that WORK

2008-05-26T20:44:00.003-05:00

My oldest daughter has lots and lots of hair. My youngest daughter is not nearly so lucky. She was nearly three before she had her first "real" haircut because I just couldn't bear to see her curls disappear. Despite the fact that Boobah has so little hair I could never bring myself to put corn syrup in her hair and stick a bow to her head. Most of her life she's spent with just plain hair. My ill fated attempts to put barrettes or pony holders in her hair generally end up with lost hair-dinis (the Gman term for girly hair stuff!) because they slide out of her hair. For a girl who likes to be girly, this is a tough thing.

Then, in rides Maiden America and Parent Bloggers Network to the rescue! The cute barrettes come in singles and "pony pairs" to use with a pony tail holder. I ordered one set in a size small so that both girls could wear them and the other in the XS just for my younger daughter. As soon as they arrived in the mail there were many ohhs and ahhs and demands to have them put in their hair immediately! I was thrilled that the barrettes snapped easily into place and STAYED PUT! Unfortunately they don't require a combination to get them undone, four year old Boobah did manage to get them out of her hair and into her mouth during the day and I ended up with a soggy flowered barrette at the end of the day. My seven year old loved the way the barrettes looked and we could secure a small piece of her heavy hair in the pretty barrettes.

I know I will head back to the site the next time there is a special occasion, the barrettes and headbands are just begging to be worn to a wedding, dance or any occasion that requires Fancy Nancy clothes. They are a great combination of beauty and function and a great solution for thin, fine hair that refuses to be tamed by regular hair-dinis.

I'd lose my head if it weren't attached

2008-05-23T17:42:00.004-05:00

I have always had a hard time holding on to things, I lose my keys, papers and my mind on a regular basis. Generally its nothing of great value though. Now I seem to have misplaced two rather pricey items--my camera, which I haven't seen since Christmas. I know I took it to Ohio to visit the folks, haven't seen it since, but its GOT to be here somewhere, tucked away in a bag or something. I haven't put a lot of energy into finding it--probably because I haven't needed it too desperately since I have Gman, picture taker extraordinaire, to take all my pictures for me. Its always bad when you realize you haven't seen something in a long time, in our house that is that much longer to get buried in piles of stuff.

The newest item to pull the disappearing act--my heart rate monitor transmitter and strap. I know I wore it to spin class on Wednesday, I took yesterday off and today, I can't find it anywhere. I checked the lost and found at the gym, no dice. I went through the lockers I thought I might have used on Wednesday, no dice. I checked under the seats in my van, completely emptied my gym bag, searched all my coat pockets, nada. Now this little gem I use nearly every day. I thought I'd gotten really good at doing the same thing with it every time I took it off, apparently in my hurry to get back to work I didn't. The only thing I can figure out is that perhaps I threw it in the dirty towel bin and its getting washed with thousands of gym towels. I guess the one I "won" for fundraising for my first tri might actually come in useful!
________________________________________________

Think thin Thursday update, the downward trend continued although not on the pace I'd like. But at least it was .6 pounds in the right direction.

Maven Says: Girls Dig Bugs

2008-05-20T20:16:00.003-05:00

One might think that having two little girls bugs might not be a popular topic at my house. How wrong you would be, my girls dig bugs. Most everything else makes them whine or shriek, but not bugs, worms or caterpillars. The Discovery Store's Bug Net Launcher combines two of (much to my chagrin) the girls' favorite things bugs and shooting stuff!

I must admit, I love the toys that we've had the privilege of reviewing for Parent Bloggers Network. The Bug Net Launcher is no exception, well made, great directions, fun colors and a response of "cool!" from the kids--a response for which $24.95 is a small price to pay. We had lots of fun trying to track bugs in our basement but had little luck, we are, thankfully, pretty bug-free these days. We will continue to hunt down the occasional spider and once its warm and dry enough that the kids leave the back door open I am sure the Bug Net Launcher will be employed to rid our house of flies (ick!).

Outside the luck was better--we are unfortunately being overrun by tent caterpillars this year, they move very slooooooowwwwwwwly and make good targets. Earthworms are equally slow. I have a feeling the girls may be disappointed when they encounter bugs with a bit more get up and go.

I can't wait until my nephews are a bit older, I can guarantee that out in the middle of nowhere where they live they would find countless things to trap! For now I'll put it on the short list for summer birthday gifts for adventurous boys and girls turning 6, 7 & 8.

All growed up

2008-05-16T08:19:00.004-05:00

We got big news at our house this week, five years of worrying has been put to rest (yes, I was worrying about this before she was even born!). Boobah was born on September 3. The year she was born the state declared they were moving the age for starting school back from the end of December to Sept. 1 with the phase in of full-day Kindergarten. After months of filling out forms, testing and waiting (mostly waiting) we got word that she has been accepted to Kindergarten!

I think she is so ready to go to school and she is a really tall girl so I had visions of her being a head taller than her classmates if she had to wait another year to go to school. She is a kid who gets bored and finds something to keep herself occupied and it isn't always what others would want her to be doing--learning to pee standing up for instance. There is also the small issue of money, we are now spending a boatload of money to send her to the World's Second Most Expensive Preschool (BuilderMama has us beat with THE most expensive). I love the place and she has really flourished there but another year of a tuition bill for preschool equal to what my parents paid for a year of private college makes my stomach churn just a bit.

On the other hand I have what I would guess is typically mommy doubt--are we pushing her into something because it saves us money, we are convinced she is brilliant and are sure she can handle being with kids who are generally older than she is? My friends have been reassuring that they think we'd be crazy not to have her tested. A few people with kids who are a few weeks or months younger than she is are a little surprised we would have her tested because they want their kids to be the oldest, biggest, smartest in the class and see waiting as an advantage (or course most of them also have the luxury of a parent at home full time). Oh The Joys had a post about the trend to "red-shirt" Kindergartners--hold them out if they have a birthday in the summer and send them to school when they are six rather than five. Her post generated a lot of discussion (144 comments!) among her loyal fans. If you Google red-shirt and Kindergarten there are articles from the New York Times to TIME magazine on the subject of the "right" age to go to Kindergarten so at least I don't feel alone. But I do feel confused and maybe even a bit guilty.

The questions, oh the questions. Am I making the right decision? IS there a right decision? Am I disadvantaging my child by sending her to Kindergarten and making her among the youngest, if not the youngest child in her class? Will any of this matter two years from now? If I waited would she be on the fast track to Harvard?

My gut says this is the right decision for this child at this time. The system says yes, this child is ready to go. The child says, yes Mommy I am ready to go to Kindergarten. The only part that nags me now is the little part of my heart that is releasing my baby to the wonders of public school and giving up yet a little more control to her and other adults.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, the Think Thin Thursday Update is minus 3.2 pounds for a grand total of 18 pounds in five weeks. Honestly I am stunned but certainly not unhappy! I got to go shopping in my own closet yesterday for clothes that hadn't fit in awhile. Training continues to go well, need more time on the bike outside if I can get the weather to cooperate!

Maven Says: Required Reading

2008-05-15T05:01:00.002-05:00

For seven long years I was a college residence hall director. I had an apartment in a residence hall, better known as a dorm but those of us in the profession would never utter that four letter word. One year was in co-ed suites, one year in a hall full of snooty women, and the other five years were filled with the joys of sharing space with hundreds of adolescent boys. If only Christie Mellor had written Raised by Wolves: Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood a decade earlier, I might have bought hundreds of copies to bestow on my charges. We had fires in the oven from ill-attempted cooking, were always totally grossed out when we went through rooms during breaks at the funk growing there, and cringed at the pathetic mating rituals of drunk young people. Mellor pretty much hits the high points on cooking, cleaning and behaving in the presence of alcohol. I think that a pocket sized version of the main points in each chapter would be a fabulous addition to the goody boxes handed out to everyone who moves into a residence hall at the beginning of the year (or used to, now everything is probably done by e-mail). I might also have used it as a text when I taught an orientation course at a state university.

Now life is a little more tricky, unfortunately the people I know who could really use the book would never, in a million years, think that they were the target audience. How exactly do you let them know it would be a good read--put it down on the porch, ring the bell and hide in the bushes? I think the only time I could offer it as a gift would be to a recent college graduate heading off into the "real" world. Although I fear that having put four (or five, or six) years of heavy reading behind then and thinking of nothing but independence and making money they probably wouldn't read it. The simple and straightforward advice on things like buying a house, budgeting and taxes are things I wish I'd had when I was moving out of my extended stay in the residence halls into my own apartment for the first time when I had to buy furniture, food and pay the rent--it wasn't pretty! Another hot target audience might be parents who have adult children returned to the nest--leave a copy in the bathroom for light reading after reading it yourself and noting the good parts to drop in conversation with your kids.

With only about 330 days left of my thirties I skimmed through the chapters on cooking and entertaining. I've spent enough time in the kitchen and hosting gatherings from potlucks to sit down dinners to birthday parties for 20 5-years olds and hosting Thanksgiving dinner for in-laws to feel pretty confident in those areas. I cringed reading about cleaning up for company, my husband and I are still guilty of hiding things more than cleaning when we have company coming and time is tight. Once he even stuffed a closet full of things and used a baby gate to keep it all from tumbling out when the door was opened--I definitely love him for his ingenuity. Thankfully I am old, smart and financially secure enough to have someone else clean the things that I never get around to, although it was a long, long time getting here!

Mellor's style will win over readers who pick up her book. The quirky, entertaining prose are fun to read even when hitting a little too close to home.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network for the chance to check out Mellor's (author of the Three-Martini Playdate) new book Raised by Wolves. You can head over to PBN to check out what others have said about the book and lots of other cool stuff!

Wordless Tuesday

2008-05-13T19:30:00.001-05:00

To see more check out Wordless Wednesday.

One perfect mother

2008-05-12T10:15:00.002-05:00

Saturday was one of those days when you just want to call a do-over. My children just about drove me over the edge with the whining, complaining and non-stop demands. Gman sent them to room when we sat down to eat because they were bickering again. Boobah spent the next 5 minutes screaming "I am STARVING!" Finally we made it through dinner, I told them all I really wanted for Mother's Day was a day without whining. I am not proud of myself, I yelled and I wasn't very nice.

Sunday morning the girls had cards and presents for me and Gman had the family pictures we had done before the holidays framed for me. Unfortunately the no whining didn't last past 8AM but the day was infinitely better overall. I went for a run, we went to church. The children's choir sang and they were great. Then during the children's moment the minister asked if anyone had a perfect mother. One lone hand shot into the air--it was PDQ. A good laugh rolled through the congregation. Afterwards she told me I was the best mother ever. Lovely to hear but also a bit guilt inducing after the prior day. My friend Lisa told me that she was writing it down and when PDQ was a teenager she would be happy to remind her that Mother's Day 2008 she had declared that I was perfect.

Think Thin Thursday Update

2008-05-08T21:55:00.002-05:00

Last week I didn't write a "think thin" entry because I wasn't, I was thinking fat, feeling fat and weighing in fat--up 2.6 pounds. You can imagine my amazement when I gained 3 pounds overnight! Today was much more of a think thin kind of day. I have been getting my work outs in, this is supposed to be a recovery week and my body is feeling like it needs to recover. My lunchtime spin class has moved from 60 to 30 minutes and it is a great way to get in a swim/bike combo in the middle of the day and also practice riding the bike wet--nothing like being squishy! The numbers for today, drum roll please, down 5.6 pounds for a grand total of 14.8 pounds in 4 weeks.

My Ironman+ totals for the month so far:
SWIM: 2400/8000 yards
BIKE: 33.5/120 miles
RUN: 8.1/30 miles

Trolling the Internet in the last month I've stumbled across some incredibly inspiring triathlon and weight loss blogs. Check them out if you get a chance Athena Diaries, Half of Me, Tridolph, Nancy Toby: Run Big, and Waddling.

Rapelli Rocks

2008-05-07T17:32:00.004-05:00

My house is one where toys are begged for and then after a few days they get tossed aside for a few old favorites, baby dolls and coloring. When I opened the box for Rapelli from the Discovery Channel Store my kids were ready to immediately dive into the brightly colored box. What *is* it they wanted to know. I told them it was a new game for them. Little did I know it was going to land on the short list of favorite things.

We got out the game and set it up in about 2 minutes flat with only minimal reading of directions on my part. Then Boobah and I read further through the directions to figure out how to play. The directions were easy to read and a piece of cake to explain to my four and seven year olds. After we'd played for a bit our babysitter for the evening showed up and the girls taught her how to play in no time. The next babysitter a few weeks later also learned quickly to play the game.

Its now several weeks later and the game has been played at the kitchen table, on the patio outside and in the basement. The kids have drug it out to play with babysitters, grandparents and friends. I love that they love the game and that it was easy to learn but isn't so childish that adults don't want to play with it. No annoying noises is another HUGE bonus for me. My granola crunchy side is also satisfied with the all natural materials. I like the simple design and bright, colorful pieces. It will definitely end up on my list of go-to birthday gifts!

Go on over to Parent Bloggers to see what others have to say about Rapelli and lots of other cool stuff!

Traffic Hell

2008-05-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

Really, my commute to work is only about 8 miles, the first drop off is only 4 miles from the house, really what is the idiots per mile ratio today? I had to slam on my breaks twice in that first stretch because people turned out right in front of me. The second time she saw me at the last minute and managed to pull onto the side of the road instead of right in front of me, otherwise it would have been really, really ugly, no way I could have avoided her expensive sports car. After those near misses there was another car who felt it necessary to speed through the left turn only lane to cut in front of the truck in front of me saving herself at least 2 seconds. I've said it before, driving around here scares the crap out of me but its nothing compared to the fear on the bike!

Trying the Tri

2008-05-04T17:33:00.004-05:00

Today was glorious, not too hot, not too cold, a bit breezy, blue skies, a few puffy clouds. One of those days that just BEGS you to go outside. For me, outside was already on the agenda. Today was the last of my 14 weeks of triathlon training class. Nothing like bonding with people over sweat and pain.

This morning we did a mini-tri, 15 minutes in the pool, then drive to the park (which was freaking gorgeous today) ride 17.5 miles and then run 3.4. Piece of cake, oh no, that is what I feel like I earned today, not what it actually was. Remember that little breeze I was talking about? It would occasionally gust so hard as a cross wind that you could feel it moving your bike, a little scary with traffic and hundreds of cyclists on the road. I managed to grind my way through my ride. Very early on my back started bothering me, all I wanted to do was get off the bike, stretch my back and adjust my shorts (gee, I feel like such a GUY!). I let myself get off for just a minute at our turn around in the school parking lot. As soon as I got off the bike-relief! The hardest hill is in the first third of the ride, really by the time I got off the bike I'd done the hardest part, then some. Word of warning, when a street is named Mt. anything, be afraid, VERY afraid. I think I finished last on the bike, there were a couple of people behind me but I never saw them again, I am guessing mechanical issues. The bikers are for the most part really friendly, letting you know they are passing, shouting words of encouragement, saying "hi" as the race by. I even got a glimpse of Es as she headed past me in the other direction.

Made it back to the park and was SO happy to get ready to run (a very foreign feeling for me). I stood around longer than I should have shooting the breeze with one of the coaches and some of the other tri folks. I downed a Double Espresso Clif Shot, it wasn't that bad and it gave me a little caffeine and carb pick me up to get me through the first part of the run. I never, in a millions years, believed I would be doing any sport that required me to EAT while doing it! I didn't do the whole 3.4 miles, I did about 3, not taking the extra out and back hill in the middle of the course--my back was feeling the run by that point and no sense hurting myself.

When I was done I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I've done all but a little bit of the run for my big race. I've done ALL of the bike course. The only thing left to do is swim in open water and that can wait until the open water is quite a bit warmer! I am not fast but I did grind it out. Wa hoo! 6 weeks until the first of the real thing.

Ironman in a month

2008-05-01T11:51:00.006-05:00

There are some people who are so into triathlons that they do the grand daddy of all tris, the one you see on TV, the IronMan. You know, just a day in the park that happens to include a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and THEN a marathon 26.2 miles. I can't get my mind around the marathon alone, let alone doing it after swimming and biking for ridiculously long distances.

So, some of the ladies over on the Weight Watchers message board are doing an Ironman Challenge for the month where you try each month to complete the iron distance in your training. Its good for me to be accountable to someone else, especially now that my triathlon training class is ending (we had the last butt-crack-of-dawn swim session this morning!).

For April I managed to eek out my miles on the bike, it meant over an hour last night on the trainer in my living room but I finished. That is pretty much what I think I'll feel like at the end of my tris this year--eeking every little bit out but getting it done nonetheless.

SWIM: 9350yd/4200yd
BIKE: 112.7m/112m
RUN: 26.5m/26.2m

364 days to 40

2008-04-29T19:28:00.003-05:00

Today is my 39th birthday. I've told many people it is the first of many. I am lucky to have many friends who've hit the big 4-0 ahead of me, including Gman (who wrote a lovely post to wish me happy birthday). As I look back at the last 9 years I am amazed at what I've done--got married, had two kids, bought two houses and sold one, make almost 3 times as much at work, mourned the deaths of three great-grandmothers and my best friend's mother, became an aunt times two and a stepmother to an adult! Not bad in the major life accomplishments categories for the first 9 years of my thirties.

This year, these last 364 days I am going to try to go out with a bang. At least two triathlons, an 8K, hopefully two kids in school full day, more time to take care of myself and to spend with Gman. Here's to the best 364 days of my thirties.

Three little letter, so much meaning M-O-M

2008-04-27T19:34:00.003-05:00

In this week's blog blag Parent Bloggers Network is joining up with Microsoft to spread the word about Portrait's of Mom. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my Mom, my mother-in-law, my grandmother's and what it means to be a Mom.

I come from a long line of strong opinionated women who tend to live a long, long time. I am so fortunate not to just have relationships with my grandmothers (who are both alive and reasonably well at 80 & 81) but I was also privileged to know my great grandmothers (who lives to 96, 98 & 101) and even for a time to have had a great-great grandmother and pictures to prove it. Its now that I am a mother to understand what an amazing legacy it is to have known these women, not just known about them. I know where annoying habits and great recipes come from. I was there to hear the stories straight from their mouths and now its my chance to pass those stories down to my girls.

Being Moms has brought my sister and I closer together. We are 4 years apart and were never in school together, didn't have the same friends or interests. Now that we are both Moms our worlds are a whole lot more alike than ever before. She was always the urban hip one--now she lives on 3 acres in the middle of nowhere. I was the less worldly and now I live in the Baltimore/Washington suburbs. We both have 2 kids, two girls for me, two boys for her. We each had our first just before our 32nd birthdays and our second at 34. We've developed a deeper bond telling stories about our mother, exchanging sleeping tips, discussing breast feeding and pumping, and just generally sharing the trials and tribulations of motherhood. We share so much more now that we both have the title of mom. I hope that my girls can find that same closeness when they grow up and are Moms (they are both planning for that day already!).

My mother worked when many women didn't, certainly none of my friend's mom's did. I think that experience has made it easier for me to be a working Mom today. I know she understands how hard it is. I also remember that her job as a nurse didn't allow her to run out to my school for special events which sticks with me today. I know its one of those things that makes me obsessive about making it to school for every special day at both girl's schools. I don't want them to remember that I wasn't there for (insert day here). I am sure there will be plenty of other things that will come up as they progress through school and I'll have to make tough decisions, I feel very lucky to have had someone pave that path for me. Life is easier when you have examples that you can choose to follow--or not. One of the few things that stops me cold is the thought of her not being there. Two years ago my best friend's mother died. I'd known her since I was 6 and it was hard for me, I couldn't imagine what it was like for my friend. I spent a lot of time imagining what my life would be like without my mother and it incredibly hard to face.

Think Thin Thursday Update

2008-04-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

Today was weigh-in #2 since I started Weight Watchers. Since I didn't believe the number much last week (9.6 for a reminder) I was sure I would hold steady this week. No huge number but a respectable 2.2 pounds. Yippee! It seems to be working.

This morning I made a more monumental change personally, I went to the pool in a swimsuit without long legs or a skirt. A plain old black Speedo. My thighs are my least favorite body part, I often describe them as the mutant cauliflower stuck to the sides of my legs--sad but true its a relatively accurate picture of color and texture.

I ran yesterday, swam today and tomorrow its probably another run unless I can find time to fit in a ride. Tomorrow night I am off to a retreat with the church ladies. Lets hope it is the relaxing, meditative, introspective time I need.

What a bunch of jocks

2008-04-22T20:06:00.004-05:00

My parents came to visit this weekend to see the girls play soccer on Saturday.

But first...
I had my tri training class-our first ride and run on the Iron Girl course. I gotta say, riding on the road with traffic scares the bejeezus out of me. It wasn't so bad when we started shortly after 7AM, on the way back to the park an hour later was a different story, there was the regular weekend morning crowd along with a walk for the Special Olympics, and the big local triathlon is coming up in three weeks so everyone was out trying to get in a practice ride. The camaraderie among riders was good, they'd pass and give a "keep going" or the "downhill is the fun part!" Gotta say the manners of the riders far outweighed some of the drivers. SUVs hugging the line when there is nowhere else to go is just damned scary. But I made it. I got up all the hills, not without feeling like my heart was going to pound out of my chest but I made it without falling over. After the ride was a 3 mile run around the lake. It wasn't too bad, my legs weren't nearly as spent as they have been in the past when it was time to run, I'll take that as a good sign!

I made it home and it was off to soccer. PDQ scored a goal! Unfortunately the folks, Boobah and I hadn't made it to the field yet and GMan was still unloading the camera. The other parents were happy to tell me all about it and the fact that it was a "real" goal, not one that she slipped by someone paying attention. We hurried from her game all the way back across town to Boobah's game. She spent most of her time picking her nose. My little multi-tasker. There was a little guy on the other team with sunglasses that matched his jersey, complete with headband. He was seriously out of control--at last count he scored 10 goals. I know because he was keeping track and showing it to his parents on his fingers.

Mom and I did our favorite sporting activity in the afternoon--sale shopping at Kohl's. It was great to see my parents. The girls adore them and Boobah was Pop's girl. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with my Dad. He eats up every minute of it. The girls are off to spend a week with my parents in June when schools out and I know they will all love it.

Think Thin Thursday Report

2008-04-18T08:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had my first weigh-in at Weight Watchers. I am scale obsessed but wasn't sure how the scale at WW in the afternoon, fully dressed would compare to the one at home in the morning nekkid. Somehow I didn't manage to step on the scale at home last week before the initial weigh-in.

I went to the meeting, chatted in line and waited my turn. The woman who weighs people reminds me a lot of Grandma Yetta from The Nanny. I got on the scale and she looked at me and the scale and back at me. I was a bit worried. Great week she announces, 9.6 pounds! Woo-hoo! It was a bit like the Biggest Loser. Unfortunately no chance of winning $250,000 but definitely feeling like a million bucks. It was so frustrating thinking I was eating "okay" but not losing any weight given the huge increase in activity. It should be interesting in coming weeks to try and tweak it to the point where I can continue to lose at a healthy rate and still feel good to work out.

Strong week of training, two swims, two bikes and one run, tomorrow is training class since there is Clyde's 10K a really popular race in town on Sunday. We are doing a good part of the Iron Girl bike course and all of the run so 14m bike and 3.4m run.

Five for Five

2008-04-16T20:21:00.007-05:00

I borrowed this one from Annie.

FIVE PICTURES - FIVE WORDS PER PICTURE.Any 5 pictures, any subject, and any 5 words to describe and/or explain each picture.

Looks fast--don't ya think?

No cotton candy for me?

Think I'll make the Olympics?

Now, where *was* the goal?

Can they go home yet??

Thanks to Gman for the fab photos.

Thank you! You're welcome?

2008-04-16T07:36:00.005-05:00

I read something not too long ago, I can't for the life of me remember where, (if it was your blog, speak up and take credit!) about the responses to thank you. If I remember correctly the author was admonishing the use of responses like "sure" and "no problem" when saying thank you. S/he thought that it diminished the thank you as a no big deal kind of thing. It has had me thinking and I've come to realize that I use those two responses a lot! Once I realized it I've been thinking about whether it was okay.

Here are my thoughts, when I hold a door open for someone and they say thank you (or thanks) for some other small nicety I don't think a "you're welcome" is always necessary, a "sure" is fine. Why? Because its small and sometimes in passing there just isn't time for "you're welcome." Sometimes it isn't even a full thank you, its thanks. The informal act and giving of thanks seems to reuire an informal response. In more formal settings or when someone does something on a bigger scale "you're welcome" is the proper response.

So, what do you think is "you're welcome" always necessary or is "sure" or "no problem" okay with you?

Fried!

2008-04-12T19:49:00.005-05:00

It has been cool and rainy around these parts the last several weeks. The kind of weather that makes you wonder if it will ever warm up and dry out. Thursday and Friday were pretty nice, it got up into the low 70s. The forecast for the weekend was rain and cooler-it was supposed to start raining last night. Other than a few showers we were spared.

With the lack of rain we spent the day at the school carnival outside and at the soccer fields. The forecast and the dark days made me forget about the sun and what it does to my lilly white skin. Really I should know better. My grandfather died from melanoma and my younger sister has already had a skin cancer removed. If you are interested in sponsoring me to help with the fight against melanoma you can visit my Tri-to-Win fundraising page and give me some love. Here is what I looked like after the second soccer game today. Guess its time to find the sun screen and start using it!

The bruise you ask? Yeah, ran into the lever on the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom at work trying to get out of someone's way. Can you say OUCH!

Weight Watching

2008-04-11T10:36:00.003-05:00

I did it. I signed up for Weight Watchers at Work. I have been frustrated with not losing weight as much as I've been working out. I didn't think I was eating that poorly but I guess we will see. I've been burning between 5200-6000 calories a week working out (according to my heart rate monitor). I know there is debate about the accuracy of the calorie burn but estimates I've seen say to discount by 10-20%, that still puts me around the 5000 calorie mark. I've heard all the muscle weighs more than fat talk I can stand. I know my body shape is changing but its still frustrating not to see it on the scale that has always been the measure of success.

I am hoping that the return to WW will give me the focus on what I am eating that I've had on exercise for the past few months. In the past I've always done it in the opposite order, started with food and then added in exercise.

Dropping pounds isn't just to look better. My blood pressure is down from the exercise alone. I definitely feel better too. I know that I could be faster if I were lighter. I know that I'd hear a lot less complaining from my knees, hips and back if I were lighter. So now, lets see if I can be a little lighter. Watch for Thursday or Friday updates on progress.

I rode 10.5 miles this morning near the office. It was nice to be outside on the bike. Going fast downhill still scares the crap out of me, I really need to get over it! The lowlight was dropping my water bottle and running over it. I am surprised that my little skinny tires took the bump without me ending up in the road. The spray across the road from the water bottle was quite impressive if I do say so myself!

I won! I won!

2008-04-09T14:49:00.004-05:00

Jenni my PIM-friend over at Chaos Among Us had a contest to celebrate the upcoming opening of her Etsy shop and I won a collection of the cool crafty stuff she is going to sell-blog candy! Do me a favor and check her stuff out when she gets things opened up.

Thanks Jenni!

You did what in the rain?

2008-04-06T08:21:00.005-05:00

I got up this morning for my triathlon training class--2 hours of biking and running--and ran to the computer to see if there was a note from the coaches. Nope, nothing. I climbed back in bed for an 8 minute snooze. Got back up, checked again, still nothing. I steeled myself to the idea that we were actually going to bike and run this morning in the 46 degrees and raining weather. Running in the rain I could handle, biking in the rain worried me. Especially on my thin road tires that actually scare me a bit going down hill when its dry. Face it, all of my mass, balanced on those thin, slick tires in the rain. Those aren't odds that I like.

I got to the assigned meeting place 5 minutes before the class is supposed to start. Normally people would be lining the roads and warming up. I got out my Blackberry and sure enough, now there was a note from the coach. Dress warm, come out and learn to ride in the rain! Ugh. So I waited, finally there were two more minivans joining me. I decided I'd give it until 7:05 and then I was out of there. I was up, I was going to use my time. The minute the clock turned to 7:05 I started up my van, it was raining harder, it was dark and all I could think about was ending up on the ground.

I pulled out at 7:06. I thought about going home and putting my bike on the trainer but I really prefer to ride outside. Maybe it will clear up later today. If not, there is always tomorrow. So I drove to the gym and parked. I decided I'd get my run in, what is a little rain when you are running? There is a 5K loop from the gym around the lake and back. I'd never run the whole thing and decided it was my "punishment" for not riding this morning. Off I went.

The first few minutes were miserable. My hamstring a little tight, my legs a little sluggish. As I ran I got into a rhythm, it wasn't so bad. It struck me that running in the drizzle was far better than slogging away on the treadmill. The lake is pretty, things are starting to bloom everywhere. The geese and ducks are fun to watch as they do the spring time mating rituals. Just watch out for the geese on the path, they don't particularly like company! I found myself ENJOYING running in the drizzle, once I was warmed up it kept me just the right temperature. There were few other people out, mostly just dog walkers a couple of guys running but that was about it. I took advantage of the lack of people to sing out loud along to my tunes when I felt like it. If someone had told me six months ago I'd be running 3+ miles in the rain and enjoy it I'd have laughed out loud. The kind of laugh that makes milk come out your nose.

Return of the Morning People

2008-04-03T07:59:00.003-05:00

This morning I drug myself out of bed at 4:45 AM to get to the pool for my 5:15 swim. It would be nice if the lifeguard could get his &^$#*&^ butt out of bed in time to get there as well. For the second week in a row we couldn't get into the pool until after 5:35 because there was no lifeguard. People who are nuts enough to be at the pool at 5AM are also probably nuts enough to be do bad things to you when you don't do your job. Just sayin'...

We did drills for our time in the pool. My hips are sore from the kamikaze cycling class I took yesterday at noon. Kicking in the pool felt like serious work. So far this week I've gotten in a "fast" short run, core workout, cycling class and swim drills. I need to get in another run, core workout and finish up my swim workout from this morning between now and Saturday.

I get home from my swim feeling tired and grumpy. I futz around the kitchen a bit and pull out some chicken to thaw for dinner when I hear noises. The first one not such a big deal but then more noises. I head upstairs and what do I find? Both of my children. Awake. Getting ready for school. Without any prompting. I almost had to go outside and check that it was the right house. I have no idea what has gotten into them (but I am *not* complaining) but the last two mornings one got up on her own and then woke up the other--which went over like a lead balloon. Then this morning they BOTH got up. It was amazing how much easier the morning went with everyone awake and happy, not being rushed.

Maven Says: Hugs for Hip Hop Harry

2008-04-02T07:38:00.004-05:00

First I just have to set the stage, I am a white girl from the rural Midwest, Hip Hop dancing is outside of my usual music tastes that run more to country line dancing. After watching Hip Hop Harry with my girls, my musical tastes haven't changed but my appreciation for the moves certainly has. As soon as the DVD arrived in the mail from Parent Bloggers Network my 4 & 7 year olds were begging to watch Harry.

If you haven't yet had the Hip Hop Harry experience the main character is a large stuffed bear with a big grin dressed in baggy shorts, a hat that sits slightly askew on his head and a big piece of "bling." Harry, with the help of two older kids teaches his classes hip hip dance moves along with life lessons. Sprinkled in is a good dose of amazing dancing by his troupe of dancers. The diverse group of boys and girls put on an amazing show of dancing and acrobatics that makes you want to get up and dance.

As I have gotten more into sports and fitness I look for every opportunity to get my kids up and moving. A DVD that allows them to watch the TV that they want and get off the couch like I want is a definite winner.

The lessons ranged from the importance of drinking water to take care of your body to being conflicted over whether its okay to want to win if that means your sister loses. I appreciated the breadth of subjects tackled in the episodes we watched as well as the fun way the lessons were approached. At the end Harry reviews the lessons learned reinforcing the important points in a fun way.

If I have one complaint it comes from the granola crunchy side of me. In the lesson on the importance of drinking water the kids all have multiple containers of bottled water and Harry raps about bottled water in his song. The water message is great, the encouragement to buy it in bottles and not fill up your water bottle over and over made me cringe just a bit. Again, a minor nit from my granola crunchy self.

Overall I thought Hip Hop Harry was a hit. Good messages delivered in a fun way with reinforcement throughout. The added bonus is that the music makes it almost impossible to just sit and watch, you WANT to get up and move. PDQ said to me this morning that she couldn't quite get how to "lock." Thanks again to Parent Bloggers for letting us pop & lock with Hip Hop Harry!

Invigorating?

2008-03-30T19:48:00.004-05:00

We are now on the second half of the triathlon training class and in this half we are basically giving up the warmth of the gym to ride our bikes outside. I love that I don't have to take my bike, trainer and wheel prop in and out of the car and the gym. I even like running outside, FAR more than running on the dreadmill. Biking in 3o something degree weather, well that is a bit of a different story--the diplomatic might call it invigorating.

We rode a two mile loop this morning, I think I did it 6 times. I lost count somewhere along the way because I was too obsessed about not crashing into the traffic at the bottom of one hill, the serious chaffing going in my lady garden and thinking about the fact that my feet were so cold they hurt. I am sure in August I'd love the cool breeze blowing in my face, this morning however it was just adding insult to injury. I don't have long bike tights so I had on running tights with my bike shorts on top so I didn't have to wear them to run. Big mistake. I think I'd rather have had the cushion next to my skin that shedding the shorts to run. My feet were so cold that I wasn't sure I'd ever feel them again. When I started running, they starting warming up--I don't think I've ever been so happy to run.

Afterwards we were supposed to get a demonstration on how to fix a flat, basic bike maintenance and he was going to have basic stuff there to sell us. Well he did show us the fixing the flat part but we had to wait around for him in the cold to get around to it. He didn't tell us anything else, he encouraged us to sign up for the free class at his bike shop. He also didn't bring anything with him and missed a golden opportunity to sell things to a captive audience. Moron. I think I'll head off to visit my friends at my favorite local bike shop--its been 2 or 3 weeks since I've been in the bother them about anything. I need a small bike pump and after another week or two I'm going to have to make a decision about a new bike saddle so I am not saddle sore all the time.

I didn't make the Sunday afternoon nap that has become tradition. Instead I went with Esmerelda and PDQ for pedicures. It was Es' birthday gift to PDQ, perhaps her favorite of the bunch!

Where did the week go? And the month of March?

2008-03-29T20:43:00.006-05:00

Wow, last week is a total blur!
We started off in Ohio to visit my family. It was a great trip. I got to play auntie to my nephew Brady who turned 9 weeks old while we were there. He is one of those sweet baby boys who look more like wizened old men than chunky babies. He always looks like he is deep in concentration or has something to add to the conversation. After hearing what a fussy baby he was I was delighted to find out that he has a fussy evening session but the rest of the time he is easy going--after the child who didn't sleep until she was 3, this kid is nothing!

The girls got to spend time hanging with Brady along with big brother Matthew. This is the only picture of the three big kids where everyone is a-in focus and b-hand are not in or near the nose!
At almost 3 Matthew has become the train savant rattling off Thomas facts at the drop of the hat. They go everywhere with him--including the tub. We took the kids to a hands on children's museum in Lancaster, OH (if you are near there, check it out). The neighbor and her daughter went along as well, a great time was had by all. Matthew was NOT happy when we were leaving so we ended up with a fourth child (the oldest child stayed behind to work) for the trip back to my parents for Easter. I was a little worried he'd freak out once we'd left home behind but he was content to travel with us, in fact he slept driveway to driveway. Halfway through that trip I realized that the girls' Easter dresses were hanging in the closet at my sister's house. Ooops.

After the exhausting trip home it was back to work. What a zoo! The three days I took off? Well all the meetings for those days had to go somewhere. They were packed into 4 days of almost nothing but meetings and not the kind of meetings where you can just go and have a vacation in your head. No these were meetings where I had to listen so I could act on stuff later or even better, lead them and try to take notes that would distill down the hours of talk into a few salient points. To end the week my new boss who is the president of one of the divisions suggested that he'd like to have me work for the new head of technology saying he thought he could use my help. Its an interesting opportunity, we'll see what shakes out in the coming weeks! The two of them are my first male bosses in ten years. While I've worked mostly with men I've had a female boss since coming to the company, its an interesting switch to say the least.

Its finally Saturday night, Gman had a work crisis and went in to try and figure out how to make it better and hope he isn't to blame, wish him luck on both counts! Now I am off to bed, had a good swim with Es today, she is a fish in the pool! I thought I'd like the slightly warmer pool but alas no, I think I actually worked up a sweat swimming and I didn't like it! Tomorrow I totally loafed for about a week, my allergies were acting up and then there was the traveling. I am so happy to get back to my work-out routine this week. morning is our first bike and run outside for the Spring. Send warm vibes!

Also while I had a few minutes this evening and was perusing the pictures from the trip I came across this which may be the best picture ever taken of my sister and I together. One of us always has her eyes clothes, a whacked out look in her eye, or drool in the corner of her mouth.

Maven Says: Lost In Space

2008-03-22T21:07:00.003-05:00

Thursday we set off to visit my family in the far reaches of Ohio which from coming from the hustle and bustle of the east coast often feels like moving to a different (and not altogether bad) planet. The life forms are a little different and things move at a different pace. So, for our intergalactic journey we took along the Zula Patrol: Explore Space! DVD. I settled down in the back of the earth roving Odyssey with my 4 and 7 year old and we were off for our trip through space.

From my captain's chair I watched the spacey cartoon characters tell my kids about moons probes and astronaut training. I thought the brightly colored characters did a great job of conveying a consistent message about the subjects in a fun way. Each section had a few main points such as: moons are also called satellites and they orbit around their planet. The tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and tell them what you told them formula was used well to drive home those points. I thought it was a good mix of scientific facts and fun for kids. It was particularly fun for us when there was a thank you message to Goddard Space Flight Center for some space footage, that is where Gman spends his days getting paid to do space-stuff. Similarly we have friends who work on other NASA related projects and have sent probes to far off planets. (To give you some perspective on Gman and his long time love affair with space, when he and his first wife split he left with the clothes out of his closet and his telescope.)

While I thought the cartoon was fun and a good mix of the scientific on a level that kids 4-7 could grasp, Gman wasn't quite so enamoured. He didn't like that while the cartoon about the moon talked about the moons and their orbits it depicted the moons flying through space to get to the "moon wash." For him the cartoon story got in the way of the scientific fact so it might not be the DVD for a budding rocket scientist. I am a little more forgiving, it is teaching some basic facts about space and astronomy while holding kids attention by telling a fun story that they can follow.

Thanks to the folks at Parent Bloggers Network for letting us take this trip through space and our views on what kids should get out of educational videos. You can check out what other bloggers have to say about two Zula Patrol videos this one on space and another about weather over at the PBN site and you can order one or both of the videos at Border's. You can also check out the Zula website for additional information about the TV show, science center exhibits and co-lateral learning materials.