Finding Fit, Fun, Focus and Forty

Fossilized

2011-07-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

The Salt lake Valley was once part of an inland sea. Well, I guess it was really a saltwater lake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bonneville

The Great Salt Lake is Lake Bonneville’s remnant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake
It’s salinity level can reach 25%. By comparison the oceans have an average salinity level of about 3.5%. Not much lives in the GSL besides brine shrimp (sea monkeys). You can’t sink in the lake. I don’t know this from experience though, it is not someplace I’ll be swimming any time soon.

In the middle of the GSL is Antelope Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Island
We, as a family have ventured to Antelope Island a few times, mostly when we have visiting family and a couple of times with school field trips. The island itself is incredible. Mountain Overlooks, Beaches and Prairies. Oh, and did you know there is a herd of Buffalo on the island?

There is a trail in the Salt Lake Valley called the Bonneville Shoreline trail. On the east side of the Valley it marks the highest point of the long gone Lake Bonneville. It is a marvelous stretch to bike and hike. My family decided to hike it last Saturday night to watch the summer sunset.

Oldest has a rock collection. He has been collecting these rocks for a couple of year. They have some interesting shapes and colors. This evening on our hike he announced he wanted to look for fossils. “Great! Go for it! If it makes you Happy!” were my thoughts on that announcement. As we hiked we encountered a rather large beetle, some teenagers on top of the H rock, a dog who was more interested in the scent he was following than us, a women who had moved here from Portland only a few days before and a rock to add to the collection.

Oldest had ventured down to a lower trail. It was very narrow and by my guess not somewhere many people stop and look down at the ground. Many bikes and feet have been over this spot, but not many eyes. Oldest called me down to him, “I Found A Fossil!” I went to look and called to my husband.

Oldest found a fossil! It is either a shell or a plant. I’m leaning toward a shell. We dug the rock out and have added it to the collection. A pretty cool addition for sure!

ARK - Acts of Random Kindness

2011-06-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am amazed at where my thoughts go, but they always take me where I need to be.

The other morning, as I was driving to work, my thoughts went in a direction I wasn’t prepared for. I was feeling down on the fact that I haven’t done much exercise lately. After my marathon, I was burned out, but at the beginning of this year I started going to some group classes. They were hard and I loved the challenge of them. Then, around March, I gave up sugar. I started to feel sick and it lasted a couple of weeks. I don’t know if it was my body protesting no sugar or if it was truly a virus. But I didn’t want to exercise so I didn’t. I’ve started adding exercise back, but not as much as I want.

So I’m driving and all of a sudden I’m crying. I’m sad and embarrassed that my marathon time wasn’t better. What? Why this? Why now? It was an amazing accomplishment. I was proud of it, wasn’t I? Damn PMS!

I pulled into my coffee place (Cafe Expresso on 900 S and 1100 E.) I love that place. I know all of them, not really by name, but I see them regularly, they remember my drink and always have a smile.

Now, I go to this place at least once a week, and I’ve had my 26.2 sticker on the window for 6 months, but this was the first morning that anyone asked me about it. My coffee friend asked me if I had done a marathon. Why this morning?

All of a sudden, I’m proud of my accomplishment again. Thank you. Thank you. We talked about it for a minute and then she was off to the next customer and I was off to work feeling good about me. It could have made me feel worse, if I would have let myself go there, but I didn’t. Kindness must be acknowledged.

You get what you need, when you don’t expect it, but you have to be open to accepting it.

Have you experienced an ARK lately that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear about it.

Oh Baby!

2011-06-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to spend a couple of hours alone with Littlest. We went to the bookstore to get a couple of books. Littlest wanted to get a Chuggington book with his birthday money and I wanted to get Mr. Popper's Penguins to read to the boys before the movie comes out later this month.

Our conversation in the car going to the bookstore went something like this.

Littlest - Where are we going?
Me- To the bookstore.
L- Where is it?
M- You know where Barnes and Noble is.
L- Across the street from Oh Baby.
M- Where?
L- Across the street from Oh Baby
M- Old Navy?
L- No, Oh Baby!
M- Oh Baby?
L- Yes!

Love that kid! XO

By the way Mr. Popper's Penguin is a great book.

May I?

2011-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

May I tell you how much I am looking forward to summer? This year has been crazy and chaotic. Having kids at two different schools made for a huge challenge when trying to coordinate who needed to be where and at what time and who was taking them. Also having them both at co-oping schools made the challenge even bigger. Add on being 1 million miles, ok only about 1500 miles, from the nearest family member didn’t make it any easier. HEY! WHERE’S MY VILLAGE? Next year they are both at the same school. HOORAY! There will still be challenges, but they seem more manageable, at least they do now, ask me again in the fall.

May I tell you how much I am looking forward to summer? Oldest is participating on swim team for the first time this summer. We started swim lessons with our boys when they were about 1 year old. My husband started them so early because he was afraid of water and didn’t learn to swim until he was an adult. He didn’t want his kids to miss out on all the fun stuff he did as a kid. We will be spending many hours at the pool this summer. I seriously cannot wait.

May I tell you how much I am looking forward to summer? Vacation! I love spending time with my family in unstructured ways. Ok, so I structure vacation a bit. But we have fun spending time together. The hardest part about being a working mom is when my kids ask why I have to go to work. I give them the right answers and they seem to understand it, but on vacation, I don’t have to go to work. We can spend the whole day together discovering. It’s the absolute best!

May I tell you how much I am looking forward to summer? Sunshine! Where is it? This May has been the rainiest I have known since moving to Utah. Bring on the 90’s and sunshine.

May I tell you how much I love my family? They are the best things that have ever happened to me.

I Love You Guys!

Math and Birthdays

2011-05-09T14:50:00.001-07:00

We have been counting down to Littlest’s birthday. This is the first year he is over the top excited about it. I asked him this morning how many days until his birthday. I told him that today was the 9th. He paused for a second then exclaimed 10.

He’s been fascinated by numbers (and letters) for years. He could count to 10 early, even in Spanish. This past weekend at Oldest’s soccer game, I had him count to 100, 5 times, so I could spend a few minutes watching the game. He proceeded to circle a tree for the next 7 minutes or so counting diligently to 100 multiple times. (He even lowers his voice while counting the 70’s)

Littlest turns 5 years old in ten days, the day after he “graduates” from preschool. Bring on Kindergarten.

Those Eyes

2011-03-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

I opened a drawer in my desk, found some old pictures and there was there were those eyes.

Those eyes are big and brown. They are the deepest, richest brown I have ever seen. They are almost black. They are the first thing everyone notices.

Those eyes are smart eyes. They are engaged, taking in everything. They see the world and how it works. They solve complex puzzles and then go in search of more challenges.

Those eyes smile at you. They sparkle, they laugh. They play and tell jokes and crave fun.

Those eyes cry too. Some of the biggest, wettest and most sincere tears I have ever known.

Those eyes belong to Littlest.

My heart belongs to him.

Iago

2011-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure how much longer you will be with us.

You’ve certainly made it longer than we thought you would when on Christmas Eve 2008 we found a huge tear in your skin. You have Cushing’s Disease. I didn’t even know what that was. You became a rock star at the Vet. The disease is incredibly rare and that clinic had never seen a case in cats before. The Doctors and staff fell in love with you as they tried to figure out how to control it. For 2 years you’ve been good. Everyone there knows your story just with the mention of your name.

You’ve been a wonderful friend. You helped Oldest discover his love for animals. Did you know that he gave up Birthday presents and asked his friends bring donations for an animal shelter? His smile when we delivered the food, toys and other things for the cats and dogs without homes was priceless. You gave him that generosity. He is going to miss you. Thank you for loving him and teaching him compassion.

I’m going to miss you too. One thing you are is vocal. You have told us when you were angry because we have left you, in good hands mind you, for vacations. You have a little quirk that is adorable. You crinkle up your nose when we rub your chin. You love to sleep at the foot of my bed and meow when I move, just to let me know you are there and not to kick you.

Last night your skin tore again. We rushed you to the vet and they kept you overnight. The vet called a little while ago and they are not able to sew it together to heal. We are going to bandage you up and bring you home tonight. We are awaiting the results on your Cushing’s test again. Sadly, I’m expecting the worst. I don’t know how I’m going to do this a second time in less than a month.

One thing I don’t want is for you to be in pain. Your eyes are still bright. When they start to fade, I’ll know.

I love you.

Goodnight Desdemona

2011-01-11T05:51:00.001-08:00

Dear Desi

You came into my life almost 17 years ago. It was during a time that I was very sad. My previous cat friend had just died in my arms a month earlier. J and I went up north to the farm to get you. My sister had picked you out for me.

I loved you from the moment I saw you. You have beautiful black and white marking that resemble a cow and an endearing black mole to the left of your mouth. I knew right away that you would make a great friend. J and I didn’t want you to be lonely so we brought your brother home with us too. We named you Desdemona and your brother Iago. When most people heard your names they looked at me with curiosity. I would then offer them a dollar if they could tell me the origin of your names. No one could ever do it. Some people would guess it was Shakespeare but couldn’t pick the right play. It was a fun game.

For almost 10 years you and Iago were my babies. The first summer you lived with us J bought you and air conditioner because the apartment we lived in didn’t have air conditioning and it was very hot. You guys were troopers moving first from Milwaukee to Madison and then across the country to Salt Lake City. You hate car rides and both you and your brother were very vocal all the way across Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming. But we made it and you settled in nicely.

I didn’t know how you would handle the new additions to the family, but you loved Oldest and Littlest. You were always shy, but never mean.

When Iago got sick a couple of years ago, I thought for sure we would lose him, but he pulled through. I never thought I would be saying good-bye to you first, but here we are. You have kidney failure and have lost so much weight. Your sparkle is gone and you don’t jump up on our laps and give that gentle mew. You look sad and tired.

Last night, you let the boys pet you and take pictures with you. I held you and cried and asked you to please let me know when it was time. I don’t want to see you go, but I’m ready. I know you will let us know when you are done. Thanks for your friendship and for being a part of our family.

I love you baby girl.

Once Upon a Time...

2010-12-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

Nearly every night at bedtime, my husband or I crawl into bed with the boys and read to them. We typically read chapter books and my husband is currently reading the first Harry Potter book to them. Last night my husband worked, and I didn’t want to read Harry Potter. I suggested to the boys that we make up a story, each of us taking turns and adding a few sentences. It could end up really funny. Oldest said, “Don’t make it about us.” Okay!

Me: Once upon a time, two cats went to……

Littlest: The Zoo!

Oldest: No! Not the Zoo. The Cat Fun Center!

He then proceeds to go on about roller coasters and having to jump off onto pillows and getting hurt.

I then turn it over to Littlest, who is dead set on the zoo.

Neither will give in to the other and each has their own story to tell. So I let them. I smiled the whole time. I love their imaginations.

~Peace

MARATHON

2010-12-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

I did it on accident. Registering for a Marathon? Craziness! I meant to register for the ½ Marathon! There was no way I could finish a whole Marathon! Do you know how far that is? 26.2 miles. But, as I thought about it and my friends offered encouragement, I knew it wasn’t a mistake. My sub –conscious had other goals for me.

I trained. I was slow. But really the only goal I had for this race was to finish. A dear friend who completed her first Marathon just a year before told me I would never look at a ½ the same way again.

Saturday, November 14, 2010. Race day. I hadn’t slept well. I never do the night before. I got up, got dressed. A friend had told me that I should put my name on my shirt so that people would know who I was and offer encouragement. Great idea! In past races they have yelled, “Great job, Blue!” in reference the color of my shirt. So I put my name on my shirt. I kissed my kids and husband for luck and headed out the door. My father-in law, sister-in –law and nephew head to the start. My nephew is 14 and he ran the ½. (He rocked it!)

Ready, Set, Go!

I always start too fast, too fast for me. I get caught up in the crowd and can’t help myself. About a mile in my shins started hurting. This has happened in every race I’ve done. I just need to walk it out for a bit. As I’m walking I pass a group of people. No, jerks! Holding up signs, pointing and laughing. The signs said, “What part of running is walking?” At that moment, I hated that city, I hated that race. People are supposed to line the streets offering encouragement. I actually started to cry. I ripped my name off my shirt, pulled down my sunglasses even though I did not need them and tried to become invisible.

Then, I got mad. I got mad at them for laughing. I got mad at myself for letting them affect my world. I’ve never felt like I fit in. I’m not popular. I never have been. But what I am is strong and tough. One thing I’ve learned about myself over the last 42 years is that I’m not a quitter. This is especially true when I’ve had people tell me I’m not good enough. I have to prove them wrong. I was going to finish this race no matter what. It wasn’t going to be fast, but I was going to cross that finish line with my head held high and get that finisher’s medal.

My legs felt better and I started running again. There were crowds of people at Mile 3, I was starting to feel good about doing this again. Running by one of the Music Grandstands, the lead singer was offering up high 5’s. I took one. At mile 4 people were handing out Mardi Gras beads. I took some purple ones. At Mile 5 beer was offered, I didn’t partake. J At Mile6 was a boy looking shyly over a sign that said “Thank you.” (This race benefited the Susan G Komen race for the Cure. I cried again as I imagined his story.) At mile 7, a produce company was handing out bananas. I needed some energy.

At Mile 8, I see my Father-in - law. Thank you.

Mile 9, there are the beautiful faces of my boys, holding signs that say, “Great Job Mommy!” and “YOU ROCK!” They offer me kisses and ask if I need anything else. I say no, smile and am on my way. I feel really good.

Mile 10.8. The Split! I’ve always taken the easy route (13.1) but this time I take the hard one (26.2). Wow! What happened to all the people? I look at a few of the marathoners who are walking and said, “Are you guys ready?” They said, “Let’s go!” and off we went. I look to my right and I see the marathon leaders hitting mile 23. I’m at Mile 11. This is going to be a long day. I mention to one of my fellow slow-pokes that the leaders were making me feel really slow. He told me not to think about them, this was my Marathon.

My boys found me again at Mile 13. They gave me some fuel and I was off again. At mile 14 a young man with Down’s Syndrome was dancing to the music one of the bands was playing and giving out High 5’s. I took one.

At Mile 15 I see my boys again. A woman running with me told me I had a beautiful family. I have an amazing family. I took my husband’s running jacket and we headed into the country. Mile 18, they are there again. And I see my boys one last time between 20 and 21. I’m on my own now until the end. Everything hurts. My back aches from the pounding. My knees hurt and my feet have blisters. I can’t stop. At Mile 21 there is that young man with Down’s Syndrome again. I cannot believe he is still there. I take another High 5.

At about Mile 22 I start walking with Richard. He has an injury to his foot and he’s in a lot of pain. We talk and walk and agree to at least run through every mile marker.

My Father-in –law meets me at Mile 25. He walks with me for a bit and says that it’s right around the corner. Not really, but that’s ok.

Finally, there is the Alamodome. We start running again. Everything hurts but we are almost done. Excuse me?! Uphill to the finish?

There is my husband and my littlest. Littlest starts running with me, well he was faster than me at that point. We turn the corner, and there is the finish line. Off to my right is my family; My Mother-in law and her husband, my Sister-in law and my nephew, my husband and my Oldest.
Then, I hear my name announced and the guy told everyone I had just finished my first Marathon. How did the guy in the chute holding the microphone know who I was? It felt amazing and gave me strength. Littlest and I crossed with our heads held high, fists in the air and smile on our faces. Littlest accepted my medal for me.

I did it! I finished a marathon. I Rocked!

When’s the next race?

ROCK ON!

Keeping the Magic Alive

2010-12-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

My oldest turns 7 next week, and it’s already happening. He is starting to hear his friends talk about the “Magic of Christmas” not being real. I’m going to have to work hard this year, it may be the last. I’m not ready for him not to believe. It makes me sad.

My husband and I are lucky to be able to spend time at my son’s school every week. At school the other day during snack, one of his classmates asked the kids at the table what they were doing for Christmas. Then he said that Santa wasn’t real. His mom told him. My heart sank. How could she do that? He’s only 6. One of the other kids at the table agreed with him. “Santa’s not real. I know,” she proclaimed.

My son looks at me with his eyes about to spill over and asks, “Mom he is real, isn’t he?” The other four children looked to me as well. My answer, “He is real to those who believe. I believe in him.” They looked so relieved. One of the girls said, “My mom even has his phone number!”

We have a wooden Advent calendar with 24 numbered compartments. My husband bought some chocolate to put in it. He didn’t hide it and the boys found it in the cabinet. I’ve always told the boys the chocolate appears magically. Yesterday, on the 1st, I put in the chocolate my husband bought. Oldest knew right away and asked if I put the candy in there. I admitted that I had. I told him that I’d brought the calendar up late and had to put it in there. I then got some new, unidentifiable by him, chocolates to put in there. This morning he woke up and right away opened the calendar. Beaming from ear to ear he announces, “It really is magic.”

See, he’s not ready not to believe in the magic of the season.

I need to start thinking of creative ways to keep him believing.

We have a Santa Key, because we don’t have a fireplace and he’s questioned how Santa gets in the house. Every Christmas Eve, we put the Santa Key outside our front door and every Christmas morning it key appears on the plate the cookies were on.

I’ve had friends tell me they go outside and make reindeer prints on the snow. We read and watch Polar Express. We see Santa every year at the same place and it’s always the same Santa. I love that I have 6 pictures on my kids sitting with the same Santa.

I’d love other suggestions. I need to keep the magic alive for a few more years. My littlest is only 4 and I’m really not ready for him not to believe.

~Peace
And
Ho, Ho, Ho

THe Stuff (Urban) Legends Are Made Of

2010-05-19T05:16:00.001-07:00

Four years ago yesterday, a friend of mine from work was leaving to start a new life in Hawaii. A bunch of us from work took her out for lunch at a local restaurant called Trio. There is an Urban Legend regarding this restaurant. It seems many very pregnant women have claimed that they have gone to the resaurant, eaten a certain dish and had their baby the next day. Right?!

Four years ago yesterday, I was 1 week away from my due date for my Littlest. I was strongly urged by my friends to have that certain dish. I refrained. I didn't want to tempt fate. My mom wasn't going to be here for 3 days. I needed her here for Littlest's birth. I had something else for lunch.

Later that night my husband was at work and I put Oldest to bed. I wasn't feeling well. Was I in labor? Not possible. I had had a doctors appoinment that morning and the doctor said see you next week. There was no way this baby was coming.

As the evening progressed, I knew that there was no stopping this kid. He had a mind of his own and was ready to enter this world. I looked at the clock, it was 10:30 pm. I called my dear friend Mo, who was my back-up to stay with my Oldest if in fact Littlest came before my mom arrived. She came right over.

What time was it now, 11:31. Oh good, deadline has passed. (Such a good journalists spouse I am, always concerned about deadline.) I called my husband and asked him to come home, we were having a baby.

I remember kissing my Oldest good-bye and crying. Sad and Happy at the same time.

We went to the hospital. About 6 hours later at 6:40 am Friday May 19, 2006 my littlest entered our world. I love you with every ounce of my being. Happy 4th Birthday!

You are the stuff (urban) legands are made of.

XO

Contest

2010-04-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Some blogger friends that I follow are having a contest because they just got their 500th follower. Wow!

Check it out here.

http://lisa-laura.blogspot.com/2010/04/lilas-totally-epic-500-follower-contest.html

Thank you my 3 followers.

Happiness

2010-03-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Birds are chirping.
Snow has melted.
Spending morning with my littlest at school.
Happiness.

Spring?

2010-03-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Two days ago we raked out the flower beds in the front yard because the tulips, crocuses and daffodils are poking through.

Today, we are having a snow storm. It feels like a spring snow storm. Heavy, wet snow that clings to the tree limbs. I love them. The snow never lasts long on the ground. High temps for the week are supposed to be around 50 so we probably won't need to shovel.

It sure is pretty!

band-aid

2010-02-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

Some days are easier than others.

I’m a problem-solver. As a wife, mother and employee that’s what I am. People come to me and expect me to figure out a way to make something, anything, everything work. Rarely am I asked how I am. Wanna go for lunch, or coffee or a walk around the block? Not likely. I’m often forgotten until you need something fixed or someone to help you figure out how to make whatever work. Just knock on my door, I’m the fixer.

I’m not trying to sound like a complainer, because most of the time I’m not. Wag more, bark less. I try to live by that motto. But like I said, some days are easier than others.

My kids always ask for a band-aid when they get hurt. Blood is not necessary. We have a vast collection of band-aids. Scooby-doo and Curious George are current favorites. Band-aids make it all better.

Yesterday morning, my oldest gave me very long hug. It was what I needed at that moment. As he clung to me, his arms around my neck, he looked up at me and said, “Mom, I’m a band-aid.” I laughed. But he couldn’t have been more right on. My kids and my husband are my band-aid. They make it all better.

~Peace

Three Little Birds

2010-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

My littlest is a challenge. Stubborn and smart is a dangerous combination in a 3 year-old. He also has a speech delay and gets frustrated easily when people don’t understand him or don’t have the patience to understand him. He is in speech therapy and while it costs us a fortune because the health insurance doesn’t recognize it as medical problem, I know the financial sacrifices we are making are worth it for his confidence.

At school he gets shy and struggles speaking in a group. We know that the social setting is so important for him to learn and grow, but it is hard for me as his mom. I spend the time he is at school wondering how he is doing, is he being understood, is he making friends. His teacher is incredibly supportive and I feel lucky to have her in our lives. He’s making improvements. We need to get him socially ready for kindergarten. Academically he is more than ready. Like a said, he’s smart.

But at home, it’s a different story. He talks a lot. He also loves to sing and we encourage it. His new favorite song is Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers. He knows every word and melody. I love listening to his little voice sing “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing. ‘Cuz every little thing is gonna be all right.”

My husband calls it his anthem. I gotta remember that.

~This is my message to you-oo- oo

6 Years Ago

2009-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

I waited all day for you to start. I was ready. Late that night, well late for me, we left to begin the journey to meet you. I grabbed my bag and headed out into the cold December night. There was an overwhelming feeling of excitement and fear. What did you look like? Would you like me? We arrived at the place and they gave me a room. They tried to make me comfortable. They told me to get some sleep. You wouldn’t get there for a while yet.

I didn’t sleep. I wasn’t comfortable. Hurry up! I’ve been waiting so long to meet you. I’ve known your name for years. I’ve dreamed of what you looked like. I need to see you, touch you, smell you, kiss you.

Daylight broke and you were truly on your way. No turning back now. But, we were still hours away. Finally the urge came and I knew you were close. I worked so hard for you to get here. I was exhausted.

Then, there you were. So much dark curly hair on you head. Very tall and big. I held you in my arms and knew that I would love you forever. You were my baby. You were perfect. I will fight for you and with you for the rest of my life.

Happy Birthday to my Oldest.

U Rah Rah!

2009-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

"On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin! Plunge right through that line! Run the ball clear down the field, a touchdown sure this time. On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin! Fight on for her fame. Fight, fellows, fight, fight, fight! We'll win this game."

I’m a band geek. I spend 8 years in a community marching band and 4 years in my high school marching band. I’ve been in countless parades and football game halftimes. I bet I have played that song thousands of times. A couple of weeks ago I pulled out my piccolo and after a couple of minutes could play it flawlessly from memory. That song gets my blood pumping.

I started college at the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 1986. I wanted to be in the marching band. But, I played the flute and piccolo. The UW marching band, because of their marching style, does not have a flute section. But I went to the tryouts anyway. I would try the cymbals. I’ve never played the cymbals, but I could march.

That week of tryouts was hell. It was hot, humid and we spent hours on the field learning the marching style, which is a high step march. We then spent more hours in the band room, me not having a clue. I am not a percussionist. In the end, I didn’t make the cut. But I loved the experience and get excited every time I see the band march out onto the field. I still long to be out there during the 5th Quarter.

The greatest fight song of all time turns 100 this week.

Go Bucky!

Goals

2009-11-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

I started writing down some goals. I've been doing this for a few years. I recently looked at the list again and realized that I've accomplished most of the items on the current list. Time to add some more.

But I did notice one goal on the list that has been there for a long, long time. I want to write. A book. Or something. I really haven't told many people beyond my husband that I even want to do this. But I really do. I guess that is why I started this blog in the first place. To work up the courage to actually do it. And to help me figure out if I am even any good at this writing thing. I don't have a much confidence in this area. I have ideas and have even started a few things. I think I'm afraid people won't like it.

My friend Loretta is a writer and a blogger and I have been following her blog for months. I also read some of the blogs that she follows. One of those bloggers is sponsoring a writing contest.

http://suzyhayze.blogspot.com/2009/11/contest.html

I think this is my first step off the cliff. Or maybe my only step off the cliff. :)

So I am doing this. I've actually written it, and will have my writer/editor husband make sure I've used commas correctly. I tend to overuse them.

If nothing else comes of this, I can scratch that goal off my list.

Thankful

2009-11-03T04:57:00.000-08:00

Now that November has arrived my mind has turned to Thanksgiving. To be honest, Thanksgiving hasn't been a big deal for me for many years. Not sure why, probably because we live so far away from family and haven't created any family traditions on our own. (Except for the lasagna. This is because my husband cannot eat turkey. Allergies.) But this year I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready to start some traditions and really thankful.

I read in a natural health magazine about keeping a Thankful/Grateful Journal. It encouraged people to write down daily something that they were grateful for that day. It could be big or as small as being grateful for that person who held the door open for them at the store. It mentioned that people who were thankful took better care of themselves and were more likely to workout regularly, eat right, sleep more and be happier.

So I'm starting a journal. It will be paper and by my bedside. Perhaps I will share some of them.

What am I currently thankful for? COFFEE

peace~

Chasing Butterflies

2009-08-19T06:00:00.001-07:00

Last night after dinner the boys begged to go outside. It was a beautiful evening, so we did. I pointed out a butterfly to them and they chased it around the yard. Giggling and tromping through the flowers, I couldn't help but smile and realize that we all need to take time to enjoy the very simple things in life. They got so much joy out of that butterfly.

Oldest went to play with a little boy on the block for awhile and littlest played ball with dad for awhile. When it was time to go in I collected Oldest along with some sunflowers from the neighbor. Oldest was so excited about the sunflowers and Littlest actually took one to bed with him. With school starting soon, our family life will get chaotic. I hope to remember to chase butterflies on stressful days.

We’re going Swimming

2009-08-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

This week oldest is in Swim Camp. He loves it. He gets to go to the club and spend 2 hours each morning in the pool. They get a lesson and then free play time. He is a very good swimmer for his age and his counselor told me this morning that she was impressed with his ability. I’m very proud of him.

The challenge has been that littlest also loves swimming. But he is not going to camp. So each morning I’ve had to take oldest because it would torture for littlest if we went to the pool and he couldn’t go in.

This morning I announce to oldest that he needs to get his swim trunks on so we can go. Littlest overhears, exclaims, “Swim trunks? Right.” And runs toward the bedroom to get his. On the way he stops turns, jumps and stabs the air with his fists yelling, “WE’RE GOING SWIMMING.”

Alas he did not, but his enthusiasm should count for something.

Signs of Spring

2009-02-26T07:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I saw the first Robin of spring. She was on our lawn probably eating a seed or a worm. Spring is on its way.

All of the snow in the front of the house is gone and I noticed the crocus' leaves poking through the ground. It won't be long now......

Loose Tooth

2009-02-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

Oldest has his first loose tooth. I'm excited for him. It means he is growing up. I'm also sad because it means he is growing up.

I lost my first tooth when I was five. I remember I was on my grandparents porch. I cried and cried. My mom told me if we left the toothfairy a note she would leave the tooth along with any money. I stil have that tooth and the note in my baby book.

Oldest had been sucking on his shirt all day. I asked him to stop several times. At dinner he excitedly says, "MOM, MY TOOTH IS LOOSE!" Sure enough. Explains the shirt sucking. We talked about what it means to loose a tooth, that he shouldn't play with it with his tongue too much and let it fall out on its own, that there might be some blood when it does fall out, about the toothfairy.

He was very pensive, worried about the blood. He decided that if he had a wet washcloth it would stop the bleeding. How would he eat, brush his teeth with a loose tooth? How many teeth will he loose altogether? I told him that he will need to take extra good care of his big kid teeth. He will need to keep them forever. I have confidence in him. He's grown up so much.

He doesn't want to give up his tooth.

I told him that we would write a note for the tooth fairy and I was sure she would leave it for him.

New Routine

2008-11-21T04:38:00.001-08:00

Iago is home from the vet with medicine. He needs to get 2 shots of insulin a day. We have to give them to him. It's really not that hard and he doesn't get very much, just 1cc twice a day.

He looks better, feels better and we are thrilled to have him home. It also didn't cost as much as we thought.

Iago

2008-11-18T04:10:00.000-08:00

We have two cats. They been a part of our family for almost 15 years. We got them as kittens and they are littermates. About 6 months ago the Orange one, Iago was diagnosed with diabetes. We changed their food to high protein all natural and he seemed to be doing well. Yesterday he got pretty sick. We took him to the vet and he is very dehydrated. They kept him overnight to rehydrate him and are running some blood tests. They will let us know.

Good news is that he was thoroughly pissed at us when we put him in the carrier and even more pissed when he realized that he was at the vet.

Oldest loves the cats. He calls Iago his kitty. God please let him get better.

The Tie

2008-11-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Oldest occasionally comes to work with me. It's always just for an hour or so, but he really enjoys it and is really well behaved. He helps me make copies and takes things off off my printer. He puts things into the shredding bin for me and helps me run errands around the office. He also likes to draw pictures and deliver them as "Mail" to some of my co-workers.

Yesterday my family was shopping and Oldest declared that he needed a tie. My husband asked why and oldest declared, "So the next time I go to Mommy's wok I look good." He has noticed that the men in my office wear neckties and wants to be like them. He's not yet 5.

When I got home from work he was so proud of his new tie and fancy shirt. He can't wait for the opportunity to wear it to my office.

"What's your favorite weather, mom?"

2008-11-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday it snowed. It snowed a lot. THere was enough snow for the first ski resort to open yesterday.

Wednesday it was my turn to co-op Oldest's pre-school class. I got to spend a couple of hours with my son and his friends. I also got to help 15 4-5 year olds put on snow pants and hats and mittens for the first time this school year. They always go outside to play, unless it it raining or way too cold. It's such a wonderful playground. There is a little hill that the kids can sled down when there is snow. All the kids loved the snow.

During snack time, right before we went outside, everyone was asked what they liked best about the snow. Everyone had an opinion. Some liked building snowmen, others loved sledding (Oldest). Some talked about how they love going skiing with their dads. (We are in Utah remember, so 4 year olds have been skiing for years.)

The best part of the day was when oldest said his favorite weather was snow and then asked, "What's your favorite weather, mom?". Well I have to tell you, it's not usually snow, but on Wednesday it was.

Happy Birthday Honey

2008-11-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

My sweet loving husband turns 38 today. This is the 16th (is that right?) birthday that I've helped him celebrate. If you ask him, he can probably remember how we celebrated every single one. Just one of the many things I love about him.

I also love how intelligent he is, his open mindedness, his sense of humor and the way he tears up at the end of Field of Dreams. He is an amazing father, sacrificing a lot so that he can stay home with the boys so that they have never been in daycare. He has a sense of adventure and has taken some bold moves regarding his career and our family. I am proud to call him my husband and best friend.

I love you honey.

Snow

2008-11-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

It snowed! Enough to have some accumulation on the grass. This is the second time this fall that we got some snow in the valley. Last time was Oct 13ish and the boy across the street had enough to make a small snowman. We might get a little more this morning, but it should be warmer later this week. The mountains got some accumulation which is good for the ski resorts.

I'm not wishing winter too soon, but Oldest told me last week that he wants an outside party for his birthday. Since his birthday is in December, in order to have an outside party we need snow. And either a Dinosaur or a Robot cake.

Little Big man

2008-11-04T05:28:00.001-08:00

Last night after dinner Oldest announces that he has a lot of work to do. I ask him what.

Oldest: I have to take a shower 'cuz I'm very dirty from the sand at school. Then I ahve to do the dishes and help with the laundry.

So, I let him. He took his own shower, with just a little puddle on the bathroom floor. He helped load the dishwasher and then helped Dad bring up the clothes to be put away.

I don't know where this repsonsibility came from, but I congratulated him on completed all of his chores. He did a good job.

Sweep

2008-11-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Littlest is really into imitation lately. He wants to copy everything his older brother does. He also copies me. Last night we were playing with the perfection game and he copied all of my facial expressions before the pop. Very cute.

He also wants to help around the house. He must sweep the floor after I do. Heaven forbid I put the broom away before he gets his turn. Yesterday I handed the broom to him so he could "sweep". He then picked up with his fingers a rubberband that had fallen on the floor and walked around with it looking for the dustpan. He put the rubberband into the dust pan and walked to the trash can to dump it in. Just following the sweeping up procedures.

1 2 3

2008-11-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

Littlest can count to 12. He also recognizes all the letters of the alphabet. He loves numbers and letters.

One of is favorite things to do at the park is sit on the slide count to 10 and say BLAST OFF before he heads down. He also want me to count when I'm pushing him on the slide, actually he counts and I say the number after him.

He is also pointing out letters everywhere, not just the magnets on the fridge. Whenever I'm trying to work on the computer he wants to sit and press numbers and letters. I open many Word documents so that he can plunk away for awhile.

At the grocery store he wanders from aisle to aisle pointing out the numbers.

I don't know that this makes him especially smart, I think it is really a reflection of his adventuresome nature. And the fact that he can rarely sit still.

Oh, and he loves to pretend to sneeze. It cracks him up. Me too! Love you Boo!

November? Really?

2008-11-01T16:38:00.001-07:00

It's November 1st. It's been more than 2 months since I've written anything. I'm disappointed in myself. Goal for this month is to write something everyday. Get ready for my incoherant babbling.

Foreign Food or Olympic Dude

2008-08-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you the right age you may remember an MTV game show called Remote Control. They occasionally played a game called Dead Alive or Indian Food. The host would read some words and the contestant had to guess if it was a dead person a live person or Indian Food. It always made me laugh.

Driving into work the other day one of the local radio stations was playing a variation of this game. Foreign Food or Olympic Dude. My guesses by myself in my car were 2 out of 3 correct. Again it made me laugh and took me back about 20 years.

~Peace

Cherry Hill. What a Thrill!

2008-08-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family visited Cherry Hill water park. It was a trip that Oldest earned in June and July by doing something 21 times. We had a blast.

Cherry Hill is a smaller scale water park, we figured it was just the right speed for our young family. We were right. It was perfect. There is a lazy river that we floated and swam in for hours. There was a Pirate Ship kids area that Littlest loved. It had fountains and slides that we had to drag him away from when it was time to leave.

It also had a water slide that you rode in a tube. Oldest couldn't get enough of it. The first time down. He flipped out of it in a pool area and headed down the slide without me. Made me a bit nervous. It didn't faze him. He wanted to go again. And again and again and again and again.

We had snacks and an incredibly enjoyable afternoon. We are so glad we found this place and can't wait until next summer. There are still some water slides we didn't get to on the other side of the park. Oldest will love those. The boys were exhausted and Littlest fell asleep in the car on the way home. Too bad summer has to come to an end.

~Peace

On a short leash. Or a leash period!

2008-08-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

So, I'm training for The Other Half, a half marathon in Moab in October, and I'm out for a 4 mile run/walk on Sunday morning. I notice a dog run in front of me into the street and sit down to scratch something. Next thing I know a car honks it's horn. The dog moves, frightened and the car proceeds to move down the road passing the dog by a mere feet. The dog runs back toward the sidewalk and I call to it. It is too scared to come to me and heads back down the block, probably home.

Two things anger me about this. First that the driver of the car probably assumed it was my dog and was going to teach me a lesson by scaring it in front of me. "Stupid woman for letting her dog run loose. Let's scare them. That will teach her." That's what I envision them saying in the car. Either that or they are just totally uncaring people.

Second, who in their right mind just lets their dog out to run free in the city. Just open the door and let them roam? Answer: A lot of people. Later on that same outing I noticed another dog in it's yard. I started to cross the street and the dog came barking at me, followed me into the street. I yelled to it to go home about five times before it did.

My neighbor has a habit of letting her dogs out, They head to my yard, sometimes even the back yard to do their dootie. I don't like picking up dog poop, especially since I don't have a dog!

I think it is totally irresponsible to let your dog out without a leash or at least keeping an eye on it. Dogs don't have common sense, they don't know to stay out of the street because there is a moving ton of metal that might hurt them. They don't know that there are innocent people out who might be afraid of them. Their instinct is to run l, bark protect and chase. All things that could get them hurt if not monitored by their human. Put up a fence or put them on a leash if you are too lazy to be outside with them.

I have 2 cats. They have always been indoor cats, mostly because I am afraid about what might happen to them if they roamed the city. We don't have a dog. They are a lot of work and require a lot of attention more than we could handle with 2 young boys. Will we ever have one? Probably, but you can me sure that we won't let them out to roam the city!

Watch out~

I found it

2008-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about 40. Happy Birthday to me. So far it's been good.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

2008-07-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

If you wanna win the game you've gotta take good aim
And get the most marbles with your hippo
Playin' Hungry Hungry Hippos
Hungry Hungry Hippos

The boys got a new game yesterday. They are really enjoying it. Oldest keeps singing the song. Littlest just feeds the hippos. It's kept them busy for hours.

It's just like I remember, Loud and Frenetic. It's been fun to play with them.

Lights Out

2008-07-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

The power went out yesterday at 5:14 pm. I know that was the time because when the power did come back on that was the time that was blinking on the clock on the stove. The reason the power company reported was that a car crashed into a pole. The power was out for less than 2 hours, not tragic, but I was nervous about how I was going to keep the kids busy without power. It proved to be a non-issue.

The boys were unfazed when the TV went black in the middle of Curious George. Oldest asked if he could play a game on the computer, but I told him that the Internet didn't work when there was no power. So we played some games, sang some songs and they took their baths early because they needed them and again I didn't know how long the power would be out. We found out flash lights and the head lamp I used during the Wasatch Back and we were ready for a dark night.

Littlest was crabby tired and I got him to sleep by 6:30. Summer has been wearing him out!. Oldest and I played some more games and then, the air conditioning started up. Hooray! It was starting to get warm in the house. Oldest checked all the lights to make sure they had power. I restarted the Dryer and Dishwasher.

We made it! We need to disconnect more often. But let's keep the power on.

~Peace and Power

Chocolate Milk

2008-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

My kids drink Chocolate milk. Neither of them would drink plain white milk when they first turned 1 and it was OK for them to drink it. My feeling was and still is if adding a little bit of chocolate makes them excited to drink milk it's OK. We don't have soda or juice in the house so they drink Water and Chocolate Milk almost exclusively.

Yesterday, Littlest and I went to Costco to drop off a prescription and I knew we needed milk. Costco is still by far the cheapest. Littlest lead the way to the back cooler area and we get a gallon of chocolate milk. He wanted to carry it, so I let him, with some help of course. I noticed quite a few smiles from other shoppers as they watched Littlest over the top excited to be carrying the gallon of milk. He carried it all the way to the checkout, then to the car and finally into the house when we got home. He then got a cup for himself and one for his brother.

Yummy!

~moo

Pedicure

2008-07-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

I had my first pedicure right before Littlest was born, so I was 37. I loved it.

I had my second pedicure this weekend, 2 years later. Why did I wait so long? Well, for one I'm not one for spending money on myself and I will not go to a nail shop to get one, too many germs. So my only option is a spa, and that can get expensive. So I dropped a hint to my husband before mother's day that my feet could use a pedicure. He got it.

On Saturday morning I headed to the spa and got my pedicure. It was relaxing. Soaking your feet, getting a massage and then topping it off with great polish that will last a lot longer than anything I could do.

There was a lady there, at least 60's. She was getting her first pedicure. She liked it. Someone commented that it is something you can do without until you've had one, then you are hooked. I can't wait until next Mother's day.

Haircuts and Lollipops

2008-07-09T17:12:00.001-07:00

I don't have a lot of haircut memories as a young child, but then I'm a girl and had long hair for most of my life. But I do know that for boys, getting a haircut cannot be too much fun and they get them often. But we have a place here in Salt Lake that does nothing but kids haircuts. I gotta tell you it's such a great idea.

The place is called Cookie Cutters. They have a slide in the lobby. Kids get to choose a video to watch and each cutting station has a different vehicle to sit in. They've made it fun to get your haircut, or at least not a horrible experience. After the haircut they get a balloon, with a weight that is a cookie cutter and a lollipop. Our appointment was for 5:00 we were out of there with 2 kids hair cut by 5:17. Very efficient too!

Why can't my haircuts be like that.

Paper Airplanes and Dinosaurs

2008-07-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Littlest had a gym class that my husband took him to. I stayed home with Oldest. He was getting restless during dinner, so I asked him if he new how to make paper airplanes. He did not.

We got out some paper and I proceeded to show him where to fold the paper. He thought it was "kinda cool". Our airplane flew around the kitchen, then the living room. Soon his was the Scooby Doo plane and mine was the Backyardigans plane and they were chasing each other.

They crash landed in Dinosaur world. My next idea was to get some of his dinosaurs out. They chased they planes for a bit, but it morphed into dinosaur school time. The moving T-rex was the teacher and the others were the class. They were headed to a field trip to the dinosaur museum, which in their world would just be the museum. Tomorrow would be bike day. He did a great job at controlling the class and answering the little dinosaurs questions.

Our hour went by so quickly that Littlest got back from class. Tired and ornery. He had had a long day. Time for Littlest to go to bed.

My husband took Oldest out to ride his bike for a bit then came back in to play a dinosaur card game for a while.

Great night using our imagination.

Plumbing 101

2008-07-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

So our toilet has been running lately. Not constantly, but about once an hour to refill part of the tank. Saturday we decided to fix it. We discovered that the rubber ball in the tank had a small hole in it, thus the leakage and refilling. My husband turns off the water to the toilet , pulls out the ball and we head to The Home Depot for a replacement.

{foreshadow}
Turning off the water to the tank was not an easy task. The valve didn't had a handle and we needed a screwdriver to turn it. How long has that been there unturned I wondered? Maybe we should replace that too. What if we needed to turn off the water quickly some day in the future.

We get our part easily at Home Depot and head home. The repair was quick and we continued on with our day. About an hour later, on a whim, I check the floor behind the toilet. The valve has a leak. Back to the store for my husband, this time Lowe's. He calls me to ask what size it is, 3/8 or 5/8? I measure as best I can but what I measure is not an option. Someone at the store says that 3/8 is pretty standard. He heads home with that.

Turn off the water to the house, remove the valve from the toilet side, remove the valve from the wall side. Remove the valve from the wall side. I said, remove the valve from the wall side. This puppy will not budge. Finally it moves, or so we think. We then realize the valve is not turning but the pipe attached to the valve connecting to the wall pipe is turning. Not good. What do we do. It is 3pm on a Saturday. We have no water running in the house, cannot turn it back on and a plumber would cost a fortune. I call a neighbor.

John comes over with some tools, the right tools and he and my husband manage to re tighten the pipe to the wall and get the valve off. We then realize that the new valve is the wrong size. We need a 1/2. I head to Home Depot one more time.

It's fixed! No leaks! and we upgraded the toilet for a future overflow emergency. With 2 young boys I know this will come in handy!

~Peace

On your marks, get set, GO!

2008-07-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Oldest and I watched part of the Olympic Swimming Trials last night. When I turned them on he announced that it was a swimming race. He's very into competition right now.

I love the Olympics, always have. Watching the incredible athletes always sparks a fire within me. We moved to Salt Lake in 2000 because of the Olympics. Not compete of course, but my husbands job as a sports journalist allowed the opportunity to live in an Olympic city during the games and attend events. We probably never would have been able to do that otherwise. The experience was incredible and I hope that someday my children get experience the Olympics live and in person.

Last night swimmer Dara Torres made her fifth Olympics at age 41. Maybe 40 really is the new 30?

We recently go a gameboy game. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics. Oldest has gotten pretty good at some of the events. Littlest has picked up a new phrase, " On your marks, get set, GO!"

Independence Day

2008-07-04T16:17:00.001-07:00

Today is the 4th of July. It is the day Americans celebrate their Independence. It has turned out to be a big independence day for Oldest too!

Our neighborhood has an annual parade. The children in the neighborhood ride their bikes or scooters or wagons around a couple of blocks, neighbors cheer and then we all have a potluck lunch. This year the local fire station brought a fire engine to lead the parade. They stayed to cool everyone off with the hose. We even had the fighter jets fly over again this year. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours.

Oldest wanted to ride his bike this year. About a month ago we took the training wheels off of his bike and he has been working on riding on his own. For the last month he hasn’t had too much luck. Baby steps of progress but he wasn’t ready to ride it by himself in the parade.

Then last night, when my husband told him he didn’t think he was ready to ride it in the parade, Oldest had a breakthrough. He started riding without any help. Not only that, but he turned corners and braked all on his own.

He rode his bike in the parade today. All of our neighbors commented on how well he was riding. He was very proud of himself. So were we. He loves his new found independence.

Happy Independence Day!

SING!

2008-07-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Littlest has been singing. He doesn't say the words necessarily but he know the rhythms and inflections. It's very cute. And very loud.

Oldest's favorite TV show is SpongeBob SquarePants (we will not let him watch Power Rangers) Littlest was singing the theme song. Maybe we are watching to much TV.

Keeping Cool

2008-07-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Watching the weather forecast on this mornings newscast made me feel hot. It's going to be hot. Very Hot!. Highs around 100 degrees. Overnight lows somewhere in the 70's. Summer has arrived with a vengeance. At least it's a dry heat. :)

This year we have had to recharge the AC in our 11 year old car, replace the compressor and recharge the AC in our 10 year old car and replace the 25 year-old furnace in our house so that it could actually blow the AC in our house. A lot of money for keeping cool. But when it's this hot you really have no choice. I am grateful that we are in a position to be able to do that and that that is all we had to do.

There is always something to complain about, gas and food costs are rising. We had to spend extra money to replace a "luxury" like air conditioning. The kids are grumpy and don't want to listen. But in the larger scheme of thing they are pretty insignificant.

I look at the news and the thousands of people in the Midwest who have lost everything because of flooding. I look at some friends who are dealing with illness. Yesterday I heard about a friend of a friend who just found out her 5 year-old has cancer. I don't know them but as a mother I can't help but feel sad. Please help me send prayers and/or positive thoughts their way.

So, starting right now, only positive thoughts, focus on the good stuff. No complaining. I'm in a good place.

~Peace

The Race

2008-06-30T05:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Oldest and Littlest participated in a kid race. They were both very excited. Oldest met a new friend, a little girl with a scooter. They rode their scooters before the race even started. They needed to rest for a few minutes before the start.

The race started Oldest was off, faster than me. I had to run to keep up with him. He rode his scooter about 1/3 of a mile and decided he was done with it and wanted to run. We handed it off to Littlest who was with my husband and Oldest and I started running. He ran the whole rest of the race. On through the finish line , through the "Spray Zone" and on to the watermelon and cookies. I was impressed at how fast he finished.

We waited for Littlest, who also ran across the finish line. Both got finisher ribbons and got to stand on the winners podium. It was a morning of fun. We will definitely do this again.

Oldest won a raffle and got a certificate for $20 off a new pair of running shoes from Salt Lake Running Company. We headed there to get his new shoes. They have blue stripes, laces, are a little big but not too much, and are very fast :)

Littlest loved the scooter so we got him one of his own. Now he is set to race another day.

~Race on

I Scream

2008-06-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my husband and I went to a major league baseball game where one of the vendors was hawking Ice cream. He walked around yelling, "I SCREAM!" It got your attention.

Last night we went as a family for ice cream. Littlest was way too excited. He kept saying "Ice cream. Ice cream." The line was very long. Every time someone other than us got their ice cream littlest took I scream to a new level. He certainly has a sweet tooth. He gobbled his twist cone faster than Oldest who didn't even finish his.

I was a fun day capped by a sweet night.

~ah summer~

Racing Day

2008-06-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Racing day, it's racing day,Racing day, it's racing day!It's not nervous pacing day.Today's the day we race. ~The Backyardigans

Today, Oldest has a race. Littlest is participating too, but that's just more of a way for him to not throw a 2 year-old fit.

Oldest has been wanting to do a "kid race" since my 1/2 marathon adventure in April. On Father's Day we went to play mini-golf and came across a registration form for a Kid Race. It's taking place in a near-by neighborhood and the proceeds go to help a local children's grief support program. www.thesharingplace.org

Oldest is very excited. During the first part of the race participants ride "something". I think he will ride his scooter because his bike doesn't have training wheels anymore and he still hasn't perfected riding it. He's better but not good enough to ride it .80 of a mile without getting frustrated. The remaining .30 of a mile is a run. Oldest's race is non-competitive. (There is a competitive division but I think Oldest needs to participate and have fun, not be upset if he doesn't win.)

Littlest will ride on Dad's shoulders and then run to the finish line.

Oldest will wear the "race shirt" I got him a while ago. It says FUTURE MARATHONER. He's asked me if I want to run across the finish line with him.

~Peace

FORE!

2008-06-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Oldest came to work with me today. He earned the opportunity as a reward and I thought it would be a boring day in the office. He packed his backpack with some activities and snacks. We were going to order pizza into the office and have a picnic on my floor. Nothing really exciting.

I listened to my Voice mails first thing and there is a voice mail from my boss. The trophies for the Client Appreciation Golf Tourney needed to be picked up and brought down to the course. Would I mind doing it? They needed to be there about 12:30. I could stay for lunch.

Oldest delivered mail, helped make copies and retrieved items from my printer. He also had various other errands to run around the office. There were very few people there and it was fun to have him there to "help" me.

We left at 11:00 to go get the trophies and drive down to the course. Oldest was excited to go into the trophy shop and wanted to hold the trophies in the car as we drove. When we got to the course we dropped off the trophies to the appropriate place and proceeded to the course to wait for my boss to give me something I needed to take back to the office. The golfers weren't done so we watched for a bit. A colleague noticed us and I asked if Oldest could ride in the cart to the next hole. Oldest not only got a ride but he got to drive. He did well. And got a golf ball from my friend. We waited a little longer. Went up to eat lunch and then headed back to the office.

Not what we planned for the day, but very fun. Better than running that work errand by myself. Oldest is a pretty good driver.

~Fore!

Summerfest

2008-06-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Summerfest opened yesterday! Summerfest and I turn 40 this year. Summerfest is a 10 day music festival in Milwaukee, my hometown. I grew up going to Summerfest. I saw many concerts there. From the days before the Amphitheater when the Main stage looked like a side stage I saw groups like Huey Lewis and the News in 1984, the Violent Femmes the same year. My high school band geek friends and I went every year to see a jazz group called Spyro Gyra.

Later I saw groups other groups, Pearl Jam, REO Speedwagon, Bo Deans, Hootie and the Blowfish and many other I cannot recall. My husband and I started going every year to see the musician Pat McCurdy, a Milwaukee native that has somewhat of a cult following. My husband even offered to buy me a ticket to our first Jimmy Buffet concert at Summerfest on our first date.

When I worked in downtown Milwaukee, my husband would meet me for lunch there since it was only a couple of blocks from my workplace and you could get in every weekday from 11am-1pm with a pin you could buy for $1.

So, Summerfest has a special place in my heart and has left me with very special memories. But, I've got to tell you I don't think I like the way Summerfest has grown up. There seems to be more violence there, the crowds are immense. Maybe it's because I haven't been in 8 years. Maybe it's because I'm now a parent and it doesn't look like a place I would want to take my little kids. I don't know maybe I'll change my opinion in a few years. Maybe it's just Summerfest's mid-life crisis

Anyway, Happy 40th Birthday Summerfest. I hope you enjoy many more. Me Too!

~peace

High Maintainence

2008-06-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

It was unbelievable. On Saturday morning as I am trying to get ready to run my final leg of the Wasatch Back, I head to the locker room of the school we stayed to brush my teeth and put in my contacts. As I enter the locker room there is a cluster of a dozen or so women crowded around the only mirror and three sinks (of which only two worked) putting on make up and curling their hair. Did they forget where they were? Did they not realize that in a matter of hours they would be sweating like pigs, slogging up a mountain? I was appalled! I had to fight my way to the sink to spit and put in my contacts without a mirror.

The kicker though, a woman stuck her head in front of me while I was spitting out my toothpaste and said, " I just need to make sure my part is straight." Huh?!?!?

~peace

Slim Jims

2008-06-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Is it possible for someone to live on Slim Jims? Lately that is all Littlest wants to eat. We offer him some of his previous favorite foods but he shakes his head, says "uh uh" and heads to the drawer that that holds the Slim Jims. We bought them a while back for a car trip. Now we have to stock up on them because he has at least 3 every day. I know it is a stage that he will grow out of, but until then they are a staple in the house. Maybe he can be one for Halloween?

The Other Half

2008-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

I registered today for another 1/2 Marathon. This one in Moab, UT on Oct 19th. I must be crazy!

My Wasatch Back Experience

2008-06-24T04:57:00.001-07:00

We did it. My team finished the Back, faster than we thought we would. We finished in 29:57:31.8 averaging a 9:55 min mile. It was hot, it was cold, it was long, it was short. It was 30 hours of fun and exhaustion. As Oldest would say, it was "AWESOME".

HOT
Was it hot! My first leg started at 2:57 pm. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was mother hot. 90-95 easily. This leg was 4.0 miles through farmland and the small town of Eden, UT. Some residents of Eden put on sprinklers to cool runners down and other teams had huge water guns and spray bottles to help too. Sportsmanship was running high! My leg was relatively flat and I finished on pace.

The rest of the runners from my van continued the legs up to Snowbasin. It was beautiful. But the 2 runners who ran up the mountain just said it was hard. We increased our overall time to -35 minutes, handed off to Van 1 and headed to our next exchange point, East Canyon State Park.

We got some food, tried to sleep, but the call that Van 1 was close came an hour early. Time to get ready to run again, this time uphill in the dark. I put on my reflective vest and head lamp and started up to the exchange gate. I didn't know what it would be like to run at 11:30pm, but it was peaceful and cooler. The low overnight up in the mountains was in the 30's. It was during this leg that my bosses team caught up with us. They cheered me on and gave me encouragement. Many of them have worked in our office and they have become my friends. Ashly was the runner of that leg and she did pass me on an uphill. They went on to finish in 26:51:19.5.

This was my most difficult leg. 3.9 miles with a 600+ft elevation gain already at altitude, but I loved it. The rest of my vanmates ran through the night. Through small towns and by resivoirs. Our last runner said he felt his run was spiritual. He finished at 5:00 am with the sun starting to come up over Rockport resivoir. THe frogs were croacking and the birds were chirping. He was at peace.

We handed off to Van 1 -1:30. TIme for a shower and some sleep. The van was quiet as I drove it to Heber City. We got there at 5:30 and I proceded to find the shower, get some breakfast and crash on the westling mats the school put out on the gym floor. Sleep came slowly and went fast. At 8:30 the call came that I would need to run in 40 minutes. We were now -2:00.

This was my hardest run. I was tired. I was slow, very slow. It was 4 miles that just wouldn't end. But it did, and I was done. We had 5 more runners and we were done. Unfortunately the hardest legs were still ahead of us. UP and OVER Guardsman's Pass. Very hard legs straight up then straight down. But, my warrior friends made it look easy. I'm very proud of us.

We were all slower this morning, but everyone did incredibly. We were glad to be done and get some food and rest. My Vanmates Jason, Rebecca, Bonnie, Jenneifer and Colby are amazing people. I'm glad I got to know them. I hope I get to run with them again.

At the finish line, we got to run across as a team. My family met me there and Oldest ran across with us. I let him get my medal.

The team is registered for next year. Count me in.

It's Here

2008-06-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay. Can I just say, where did this year go.? I met my whole team last Monday and we finalized some of the details. At 9:00 am my team takes off from Logan , UT for our trek to Park City. http://www.ragnarrelay.com/

I start my first leg about 3:00pm in Eden, UT. We wind our way through the mountains through the night and end in Park City about 5:00 pm Saturday. My other legs will be at about 1:00 am and 11:00 am . I'm excited and nervous, just like with the 1/2 marathon. I'll run a total of 12 miles over the 3 legs and not sleep much for the next 36 hours.

We get to run across the finish line as a team. My family has plans to be there to cheer us across. I love you guys! xo xo xo

Sunday, I'll write about the journey. After I've slept though.

Park City or Bust. Knees don't fail me now.

You can do anything you set your mind to!

~Peace

Speech Class

2008-06-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Oldest and I attended a weekly speech class over the spring. It was a group class at a local elementary school. Oldest loved it. I was not so impressed. GROUP SPEECH for preschoolers? I never felt like he was working on what he needed.

Today we start speech class up at the University. I'm curious to see how this class is run. I sure hope it will be more individualized. He has specific needs ( problems with th, ch and occasionally substituting the first consonant in a word, like tid for kid) and with encouragement and practice he'll get it.

Lately he's been having a running commentary on everything. He's talking all the time. Making up stories. He's always loved to hear us read to him, I really want him to learn to read himself. I'm hoping this class will give me some help teaching that.

We've gotten a summer activities book for Pre-K kids. He loves doing it. I showed him the certificate at the end of the book for when he finishes all the activities. He's determined to get that certificate quickly. Last night he did 8 pages of homework. I hope when he gets real homework in a few years that same excitement is there.

~Peace

21 days

2008-06-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard that it takes 21 days to modify behavior or make something a habit. Well, since I haven't posed in about 6 weeks, I think it's time to modify my behavior.

We've made this a family project. We have 4 sticker boards up with a calendar starting with today. We are all going to try to modify behavior, create new good habits. We will each get to put a sticker on our board if we our successful for the day. Our reward will be a trip to a water slide park. Oldest is excited, Littlest is clueless. They both helped decorate the charts last night.

So starting today, I will post 21 times in the next 21 days. I'm giving myself an off day this Saturday because I will be in the middle of the Wasatch Back, but I will make it up with 2 posts on another day.

I'll fill you in on my family's success along the way!

~peace

Star of the Week

2008-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Oldest was star of the week at his pre-school. Being star lets you be first when doing activities, and you get a poster made with your favorite things and your friends ideas of what they like best about you.

We, my husband and I, got to attend on Thursday which was the day that his friends talk about what they like about him. They all liked how he plays with them, either Monster Trucks (his favorite toy) or outside on the playground riding bikes.

The best part of the ceremony was when his teacher read what he wanted to be when he grew up. Oldest wants to be a parent. Wow! She said that girls will sometimes say they want to be a parent, but boys, hardly ever. She said we should be proud of what we are doing as parents.

Oldest looks up to us and wants to be like us. We must be doing something right.

~Peace

3:00:10

2008-04-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

I ran my first half Marathon today. My goal before I started was to finish. As I was running I gave myself a new goal: 3 hours. As you can see by my title. I almost made it under 3 hours.

It was a super day. I got up at 5am. Made some coffee and ate a couple of pieces of toast. My neighbors who were also running picked me up at at 6:15 and we headed to the starting line. I wasn't nervous or anxious and waited for the start. A gospel choir was singing at the start and they were very inspiring. The race started and it took about 5 minutes to cross the pad that started the timing chip. I crossed at 7:o7. Wow did it feel great running with 20,000 people.

My family was at mile 4 cheering me on. I ran over to give my boys a kiss since I left so early and didn't get to see them. I also handed off the sweatshirt I was wearing because I was getting warm. I left them at 7:56.

I started walking for a bit and a women next me asked if that was my son. She said his smile when he saw me was priceless. She also said that she wanted to finish in 3 hours. I was moving faster than her and decided that I could do that too!

The next 5 miles were uneventful. I noticed that there were a bunch of us running walking at about the same speed, so I used them to pace myself.

At mile 9, we met back up with the marathon route. As I rounded the corner I noticed the lead car come by. I screamed to the women running just behind me to hurry up so that we could run with the lead pack. We did, for about 3 seconds. Man were they moving. The leaders finished 22 miles as I was finishing 9.

About mile 11, my legs were so tired I needed to walk a lot more than I had been. For those of you from Salt Lake I ran around Casey and Debra from Channel 2, morning team for a while. They finished just in front of me.

My family came down and cheered me on at the end. I loved every minute of the race. I finished 295th in my age group (35-39), still beating out about 40 runners. Next year when I run I'll be in a new age group. Perhaps I finish better.

Next year? You bet!

One woman running at about my pace had on a shirt that had a great saying and I told her so. It said "The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race." Very true. I feel empowered!

Also, What a great way to spend Earth Day!

~Peace

Big Trucks

2008-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how they make concrete for the highways? Let me tell you.

Today I was lucky to co-op at Oldest's school. It was a field trip day. We went to see one of his classmates Dad at work. This dad works for one of his family's companies. They make the concrete that makes our roads.

First, they bring in large chunks of old road by a large dump truck. A jack hammer vehicle breaks it into smaller pieces. Next a truck with a jaw like grip thing on the front rips out the metal in the smaller road pieces. Yes the roads we drive on have metal in them and the metal they pull out of old roads gets recycled into new cars!

After the metal is removed, the smaller road pieces go through an elaborate conveyor belt system that breaks it down into even smaller pieces that are sifted a few times so that they don't end up too big. Once they are broken down into very small rock they are placed on a huge pile until they are loaded on a dump truck again for transport to the construction site to become our roads again.

Before they leave the trucks are weighed on a huge scale. Everyone on the field trip, the class, teacher and co-oping parents stepped on the huge scale. Altogether we weighed 1700 lbs.

The experience was priceless. One of Oldest's classmates rode with us in our car and they talked the whole way there. They pointed out every truck we saw on our trip. I loved listening to their discussion. On the way back they were exhausted. Not much was said. Probably very low energy because after we got back and had snack time they all perked right up and played on the playground.

I loved my time with my son today. We both learned something new.

~Recycle

No Hablo Espanol

2008-03-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Littlest somehow changed the setting on the answering machine to spanish. And the handset battery has drained so phone is hopelessly lost. Don't bother calling.... :)

~Peace

Bowling

2008-03-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Oldest’s preschool class takes a lot of field trips. They focus on social skills for young children and getting them out into the community is a big part of that. They recently went bowling. Neither my husband nor I co-op’d that day so we didn’t see him bowl. But last week while on Spring Break we took a trip to the bowling alley.

Oldest was very excited. He got a 6 lb. blue bowling ball and some bowling shoes. The lane bumpers were raised and he was ready to go. He understands how to hold the ball and the swinging motion, but having little fingers he used two hands to throw. Some of the throws were slightly overhand, but he managed to get the ball down the lane. He was patient waiting for his turn. All in all it was a fun experience. He even called some of my husband’s strikes.

Two games were played and oldest scores were 54 and 69 respectively. Not bad for a 4yr old.

~Peace

Inspiration

2008-03-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago Jenny Crain visited my office to help do some training on Leadership. I was lucky enough to have lunch alone with her one day. I really liked her. We had a lot in common. We are both from Milwaukee and the same age. Her day job was that of a business coach. She helped people in my business set goals and achieve them. During that lunch I picked her brain on the coaching subject. She was my inspiration to go through my company’s Certified Coaching program. She encouraged me to go through the program and offered to be my coach through the process if they would let her. I successfully completed that over a year ago and now, on top of my other work duties, I spend some time each month with a couple of people helping them set goals and achieve them. Even though she wasn’t my Master Coach I appreciate her encouragement. I really enjoy the coaching that I do and hope to do more of it in the coming years.

Her other job was that of a runner. She ran competitively since high school and was training, at almost 40 years old, to qualify for the Beijing Olympics this summer. During a training run in the rain last August, Jenny was hit by a car. She survived, but has a serious brain injury in addition to other physical problems as a result of the accident. I have been watching her progress over the last 7 months at a blog her family has been updating. (www.jennycrain.net)

I ran 5 miles today and when I was eating lunch checked the blog. I read about her courage and strength, goals and setbacks, achievements and victories. Again I am inspired. Jenny, I dedicate my first half marathon to you. I hope I finish. But even if I don’t, I know that it is the journey that is the achievement and sometimes you have to redefine your goals.

~peace

Boy Cookies

2008-03-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

I offered Oldest a cookie today. He said no. He wanted a boy cookie. I asked what boy cookies were. He said we had them in the freezer. I look and we have grasshopper cookies in there. I ask him if that was what he wanted and he said yes, those were boy cookies.

I mention it to my husband and he chuckled. He bought some girl scout cookies the other day and told oldest that they were girl scout cookies. Oldest obviously thought that the cookies I offered him were for girls and in turn thought the grasshopper cookies were for boys.

~Peace

Keep them laughing

2008-03-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I talked a little about our trip to San Francisco. Here's a bit about the actual trip home.

We got to the airport about 2 hours early, which is just about right since we had a car to return. Before we get there though we stop at REI to buy a small fold-up light-weight duffel bag. We always bring more home from a trip than we go with and our bag was just at weight when we left. Delta now charges $80 for an overweight bag. I think the $12 spent on the duffel was a good buy. Now if we can only remember to take it on all of our trips.

We drop off the car, get a SmarteCarte and load up and out. We proceed to the train that will take us to the terminal. Oldest sits in the very front window which looks out at the track below and pretends to be driving the train. Littlest must sit there too. Must do everything his big brother does.

We check in and of course the bag is 5.5 lbs overweight. Pull out the duffel. Gotta remember to pack that on the next trip. We go to security. Everyone gets through pretty easily. Where is the stroller? We left it on the other side. The TSA people were very nice. They folded it up, moved it through and and gave the boys Junior TSA sticker badges to wear. We go to look for food because it is now only 2pm and our flight doesn't leave until 3:30. Options are limited in the Delta terminal wing. Since San Francisco isn't a Delta hub we could choose from a sandwich joint and sit in the terminal and try to get the boys to sit still or go to the 1 restaurant, Perry's, and eat there. We decided on the restaurant. It was good and mostly relaxing.

The boys get antsy and need to run around. The terminal is about 100 feet long, not a lot of running around room. But the work on getting the wiggles out. Then comes the announcement. Maintenance problem with the aircraft. We are delayed. Luckily it was only about 1/2 hour. We get on the plane and the flight attendant hands them both cookies. As we are walking through 1st class, oldest announces that he is thirsty. I say, obviously loud enough for passengers to hear, that he will have to wait until after we take off and the beverage cart comes through because I forgot to get a bottle before we got on the plane. Some nice man in first class gives him his unopened bottle form 1st class. My kids are lucky they are so cute.

Actual time in the air was just fine. Boys watched a video and ate some snacks and behaved. The gentlemen in the row in front of us commented on how well they did. Hurray!

Finally we land. Everyone gets off the plane a little grumpily. We get to the baggage claim and all passengers are standing around waiting impatiently for their bags. Then it starts. The baggage claim turnstile starts to move and bags start to fall out and down onto the turnstile. Littlest starts laughing hysterically every time a bag falls. Everyone starts to notice and laugh with him. It was a classic moment. Thanks for cheering us all up!

Peace~

I left my heart

2008-03-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

We were on a trip last week. I had a conference to attend in San Francisco and the whole family came along. It was wonderful. We went to Muir Woods, a Redwood National Monument, north of the city. One word: Spectacular! There are some nice trails there and the boys hiked right along with Joe and I. We went about 2 1/2 miles and the 4yr old walked the entire way. Even more amazing is that the not quite 2yr old walked half of it.

My family did some fun things without me while I was in meetings. They went to a maritime kids museum and watched some surfers near the Golden Gate Bridge. As a family we road the Powell Street Trolley car to the Wharf, went to Pier 39 and had lunch. Ice cream at Ghiradelli Square.

We had dinner with my aunt and uncle who live in San Francisco. They are both deaf and are such interesting people. My aunt can hear a little so we are able to communicate by speaking. My uncle is completely deaf and my husband spent time writing notes back and forth. Perhaps I will talk more about them in a future post. At dinner the boys did very well. We went to probably the nicest restaurant the boys have ever been too. It was enjoyable.

The trip ended with a sojourn to Monterey. We stayed at a hotel right on the beach. 4yr old and I collected sea shells and he made friends with another family who was on vacation too. 4yr old and their 5yr old splashed in the waves. The water was freezing, but it didn't bother them. Hot baths were in order that evening.

Our visit to the Aquarium was nice. We were about 2 weeks early for the opening of their new Splash Zone exhibit specifically for kids, but had fun nonetheless. 4yr old makes fiends everywhere and found some kids "just his size" to have fun with. Almost 2 yr old had fund trying to pick up the starfish in the touching pools. Boys!

All in all, trip was great. No major problems and well-behaved kids! I think the whole family feels refreshed. Now it's time to get back to work.

~Peace

Wasatch Back

2008-02-28T05:36:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is putting together a team to run the Wasatch Back Relay. This is a run in the mountains, from Logan UT to Park City UT. Each team has 12 people who each run 3 legs of this relay. It is about 178 miles total and takes place over 2 days. Each person ends up running between 11 and 16 miles total. I know people who have participated in this in previous years and they loved it. It's a big party and everyone has a great time! I have all but paid my entry fee as far as commitment to the team. I think it sounds like fun. It's in June, so there is time to train. I just hope I don't get the uphill legs.

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/wasatchback/index.php

Peace~

Spring!

2008-02-27T05:31:00.000-08:00

It is finally starting to feel like spring. The forecast today is for sun and 50 degrees. Hooray! Winter has been long. Someone has been sick in our house just about every week this year. With all the fevers, puking, coughing, sneezing and a few stitches I'm ready to open up the house, turn off the heat and get rid of the germs. I'm anxiously awaiting the croucuses and keeping an eye out for that first robin. Hurry up!

1/2 Marathon

2008-02-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

I filled out and mailed an application to participate in the Salt Lake Half on April 19. I'm now committed. I've been working out and running pretty regularly since the 1st of the year. Last night on my way home from the gym, I noted how good I felt. This is progress. Before I left work I was tired and really didn't feel like running, but I went anyway. I am so glad that I did. Especially since I have a half marathon to participate in in 8 weeks. My goal for the half: FINISH!

Finding Forty

2008-02-25T05:07:00.000-08:00

I'm turning forty this year. Getting ready to enter the second half of my life (if you look at average life expectancy). I'm looking at the first half of my life as my growth period. I made it through childhood, graduated form high school and college, met and married my wonderful husband, had my beautiful children, and even have a good career and a mortgage. I have everything I need. Now it's time to work on getting myself fit, finding balance in my crazy life and having a bunch of fun. The first forty years flew by and were great. I want to make sure that I have a blast in the next forty too!

Peace~