They Are All About Eve

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).

E-Day

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

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!

Mr. Rogers would love the people in my neighborhood

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!

Swearing in German

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!

A Dutch Wonderful Day: Now and Then

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 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

Maven Says: Just Say No to Wedgies!

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.

Fun run?

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.

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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.

Maven Says: Fancy Fun Fruit!

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!

1. Click on over to the My Fruit Roll-Up website


2. Peruse the design options


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


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

Maven Says: Barrettes that WORK

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.

Maven Says: Girls Dig Bugs

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

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.

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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!

Wordless Tuesday

To see more check out Wordless Wednesday.

One perfect mother

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.

Rapelli Rocks

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!

What a bunch of jocks

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.

Five for Five

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?

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!

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!

Return of the Morning People

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.