Random Nonsense from My Corner of the Globe

Best Mother's Day... Ever!

2010-05-11T16:11:00.004-05:00

I've been a mom for 16 years now, which means a rollercoaster of Mother's Day experiences. One forgotten, one horribly over the top to make up for the forgotten, a few obviously almost forgotten, and many spent taking care of someone else's mother.

This year goes down as my idea of the perfect Mother's Day.

I was shooed out of the house late morning with my bicycle, after presentation of kid-made cards & art projects. Came home to a basket of folded laundry, two freshly scrubbed dogs, and dinner being pulled off the grill.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A bit windy on the way out, but that just made for a good workout for the first half of the ride, and a super speedy return trip.

Just me, audiobook version of "The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe", and miles of lovely trail.

Stitch & Learn

2010-05-06T22:45:00.005-05:00

Used a vibrant print fabric from Alexander Henry, and a few scraps of black/charcoal cotton to make a sundress. McCall's M5654. (Photo doesn't do it justice - will try to swap out tomorrow, when there's more light. And with an actual camera.)

Learned a few new things - box pleats, inset pockets, a new way of inserting a zipper. Stayed up late to finish it, I was so excited.

It looks great. The set of the straps shows of my lovely broad shoulders. I love it!

It will only be worn as a swimsuit cover-up.

Why?

Because the way it hangs from the widest point of my bustline will cause folks to ponder my due date. Might even make them brave enough to ask.

Don't confuse this post with a bitch session, because it's not. I do love this, and will wear it often. Just not out to dinner. Or a lot of other places.

This is a "things I need to learn about choosing patterns" post. And, it's a perfect opportunity to play around with the pleats. I think if I take the pleats down a little lower, so the dress doesn't flair until about 4-6 inches lower, it just might work.

Bit of a dilema

2010-05-06T14:06:00.006-05:00

The backstory:

Last night, sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., a fellow over-corrected coming around the curve, and flipped into ivy at the drop near my driveway. Neighbor across the street made the phone call.

Guy climbed out of the car on his own. Took off his necktie and walked around. Seemed pretty calm and composed, especially for having just flipped over.

Police, fire department, and ambulance came. Tow truck hauled everything away.

This morning, when I walked out to see if any trees had been battered, and to clean up any glass which could have been a problem for walkers, runners and cyclists, I noticed a few things on the ground. Large sections of the windshield, a necktie, the pocket of a door or center console, a leather folder of CDs, a business card... and a big ol' empty can of Fosters. It was shiny and on top of one of the windshield chunks, so I'm pretty darn sure it had not been hidden in the ivy before the accident.

And now, the questions:

Do I call the police, to find out if this was an official DUI? If they didn't charge him, do I mention the Fosters can?
As for the personal items on the ground, would this also be a call for the police? I think the name on the business card is probably the guy in the car, but I'd hate for us to contact him, only to find out it's his boss.

TV Time - Way too much time, in fact.

2010-05-05T10:37:00.005-05:00

Between Hulu and Comcast OnDemand, I may never get anything done... ever again.

Well, I'll get some things done. My ironing basket is completely empty, and I'm very close to the seeing the bottom of the hamper most days.

Watched The Dresden Files on Hulu last week, while stitching up girl and doll clothes, along with a top secret apron for my mom. Since it's on the laptop, I carried it along to the kitchen, to entertain me while I peeled veggies and such.

This week? I'm folding and pressing my way through Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock - I mean Raylan Givens. It's over the top, but so well written, directed and acted, that you just dive right on into the story. I love it!

Givens has a much better sense of humor than Bullock, by which I mean he has a sense of humor. But the righteous anger and good heart - both there. Givens seems so like Bullock, that I keep looking for him to come across Ian McShane running a rural Kentucky town. (Heck, probably at least half the state.)

One thing I've found interesting is the lack of awkwardness seen in most new series. There's an awkwardness between characters, but only in the way you'd expect to see when somebody returns to a place and group of individuals after a long absence. There's the work to feel out how each have changed, and struggle to avoid falling into old roles... it's played quite well by the ensemble.

I noticed a similar natural awkwardness about the first few episodes of Parenthood - as everyone tries to figure out how they fit in today's group in relation to the past.

Oh, dear. Here I am, typing about TV, even when not watching. Better walk away from all screens for the rest of the day, as I have a walk/run to take, and the upstairs of the house to clean.

But, hey... at least I'm a few days ahead on the laundry :)

I want to pee alone.

2010-05-01T19:50:00.005-05:00

(I may type it as seen above, but I say it with the accent... a lot.)

Is that really so much to want in life?

I know it's not just me. It's probably the lament of every mother on the planet.

When the kids are home, I'm constantly shooing them out of the bathroom doorway, only to have them continue talking to me through the bathroom door. It's not like they're with me every moment of the day - I'm not even sure how they get to the bathroom door. It must be a bit like telephone calls - kids spidey senses let them know I'm about to be unavailable for a minute or two, which causes them to race in my general direction.

It is not just the younger kids who excel at this. My teen has been known to text or call me with some minor question from the basement playroom - lazy teen isn't a stereotype for nothing - at the very moment I start walking toward the bathroom.

When the children aren't home it's the dogs. They'll follow me right in. If I shut the door, they'll lie down on the other side, making a 130-lb expanse of canines to climb over three minutes later.

And, today... children are playing video games. Dogs are napping by their feet, worn out from playing outside. I head down the hall, walk into the bathroom, turn

to shut the door...

... and in rolls Annabeth, my daughter's teddy bear hamster.

...sigh...

Going [a little bit] Green

2010-04-30T07:17:00.012-05:00

Had this post typed up several days ago, and became totally sidetracked on the way to posting. Granted, the project (request for vampire bunny, ala bunnicula) which derailed me ended up being run off track by a 2-day migraine from hell... but that's another post.

During my quest for things to keep my hands busy during TV viewing - of which I do entirely too much - I came across sweater repurposing & felting, through a link someone posted to Betz White's blog.

I read some of her posts, and the reviews of her book Sewing Green, then popped over to Borders to pick up a copy for myself.

I'm not generally one to get all warm & fuzzy about recycling, but this particular sort of Green was something which got my attention. This is Grandma's (or Great-Grandma's) way of doing things - use it up, wear it out, and then find another way to put the parts to use. The items White makes are generally useful, and they actually look presentable. Not the sloppy DIY repurposing I often see... great that they're trying, but I'd not want to be seen in public with it.

There are a few general sewing projects from the book I'll be readying for summer, such as the pool bag, which I'll be making from fabric placemats and a towel with the dog-chewed corner. And the cashmere dog & rabbit, if I can ever convince my daughter to give back the cable-knit cream sweater she snatched out of my stash. (She loves that the grownup sweaters shrink to her size in the wash. It's becoming an issue, since my 10-year old has also discovered the joys of a really good merino wool and started pilfering felted men's sweaters. I'm hoping the 80-95 degree days coming up will put a stop to it.)

I've picked through our closets & drawers for a few outgrown, stained, worn out wool sweaters, and have also picked up a few at Goodwill. There are a couple of projects in mind that will take a while - to find the right combo of colors - but I love that I'm able to snag the sweaters off the rack no one wants, and for $1-2 a piece, since the damaged sweaters always sit around long enough for the full price drop. (The red sweater - 100% wool, great quality, had two small holes and a snag in the sleeve - $1.80 at Goodwill.)

That's not to say I'm stockpiling for no reason. There are already a few completed projects:

A heart shaped purse, made for DD's valentine from less than half of the red sweater (above):

And this adorable little hedgehog, made from an ink stained sweater from the back of my own closet and the leftover felt scraps from a school project (free!):

This one is DD's, along with the inflatable flamingo from her birthday party, and the Alice-like dress & apron, made from blue shirts and leftover white muslin. I'll be making a second hedgehog next week, as I prep teacher gifts for the end of the school year. (B2's teacher has a hedgehog as class pet.)

Yep. I'm environmentally conscious alright. Except it's for reasons that have more to do with "fun on a budget," nifty DIY and challenging our creativity, and less to do with worrying about the oceans boiling.

Noet to slef:

2010-04-30T06:57:00.002-05:00

In future, please refrain from answering work emails while turning buttermilk pancakes and packing school lunches. Replying to a question about parking & text updates on MASP is not good for raising the confidence of a client.

Plus, you'll probably burn the pancakes.

Invasion of the 3rd graders

2010-04-25T20:40:00.004-05:00

There were moments today when I didn't think I'd make it through the day. At times, it was the ever-increasing chaos of 18 nine-year-olds in one place... and the a few times I was hoping for the ground to open and swallow me up. This is the biggest batch of kidlets I've hosted at once. Sent 20 invitations, figuring it would be the normal 5-10 that would RSVP. We had 17, plus my three children. Here's what I learned:

The work it takes to handle children's birthday parties increases at an alarming rate with each additional child... especially when you get into double digits. Look, I've made this handy-dandy, super scientific chart:

Choosing food was easy. Carrots & celery with ranch dip, apples, grapes, cookies & cream hershey's kisses, red and blue jugs of hawaiian punch, bottles of water, and... cupcakes.

The Alice in Wonderland theme made goody bags easy:

Reusable bottles, with "Drink Me" tags attached.
Containers filled with variety of Skittles (regular, sour & crazy core), with "Eat Me" tags. (Normally would have gone with M&Ms, but I was prepped for a child with peanut allergies.)

Activities were a little harder, as I wasn't sure until Saturday how many children were coming, or what my girl/boy mix would be. Plus, third graders are at a funny age. They consider themselves too old for many party games, but they don't want to just "hang out" like the big kids. I had a couple of things in reserve, but we ended up not needing backup, since there was a good bit of random running and flinging of water from bottles in between the three main planned games.

Croquet. Small group, while kids were still arriving, and most of the others were chasing down DD's big brother (he's such a great sport).
Balloon Pop - Tag. Tied balloons to everyone's ankles, and let them work out a strange boys vs. girls thing, which I never quite understood, since the prize went to the last person with an unpopped balloon. (This is the perfect game for that age, by the way. It combines two favorite activities - running and stomping balloons.)
Painting the Roses Red. In hindsight, I think I'd hand out red stickers if I did this again. If you placed bets on how long it would take the kids to start painting each other instead of the rosebush... well, let's just say it happened sooner than I expected.

I am so very glad we had the big party for DD's birthday, but I am even happier that she let me know she'd like a girl's-only thing with pizza, movies & pedicures next year. A sleepover such as she described will put us much lower on the chaos curve.

After a week of playing with power tools, I still have all my fingers. I'm calling that a WIN!

2010-04-23T07:44:00.005-05:00

My daughter's birthday is this weekend, as mentioned in last post. She wants Alice in Wonderland, which is good, because we have a front yard perfect for croquet. I found an amazing setup at a California party planner's website. It was for younger children, my budget (and time) is quite limited in comparison, and I'm nowhere near as talented as she is... but I got a lot of great ideas for how to make a 6-wicket setup a little more festive.

A lot of ideas.

This has made for one darn busy week of preparation. It didn't have to, but I tend to jump into things with both feet. Before thinking things all the way through.

What started as two double-sided wickets and a sign, has become:

2 wickets, hearts on one side, spades on the other
hand-lettered Royal Croquet Court sign
caterpillar wicket to place by final stake, or used by chess table
cheshire cat, to be placed in dogwood tree by court
heart shaped rosebush with white roses*, which will be used in blindfolded "Painting the roses red" game

Not bad for three $5 pieces of 4x4 plywood (floor underlay) and $8 of paint.

*Now that I think about it, maybe I should hold off on the finger count. I still need to cut out the rosebush.

Super Clutz + Jigsaw: What could possibly go wrong?

2010-04-17T13:36:00.005-05:00

That's plain ol' orange juice in the glass... I'm clumsy, not stupid.

The munchkin is turning 9 next week. For the past four years, the "Party or trip?" question has been answered "Trip". Not this year. This year, Alice in Wonderland. But, DD decided she's too grown up for a little girl tea party.

Yep.

This is why, in the middle of a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, I am learning how to use a jigsaw, so as to cut out a sign for the croquet field.... and two playing card wickets. If I don't lose any fingers, I may try a large caterpillar arch, to go by the start. We'll see.

Picked up a flamingo ring toss last week, and tonight I'll be hunting for cookie cutters shaped like chess pieces.

Attitude adjusted.

2010-04-10T11:42:00.004-05:00

I was not at all happy about running this morning, for many reasons.

I have a list:

Legs have been sluggish and heavy since the marathon three weeks ago. And, I tire easily. It's like I have nothing in reserve.
Since taking the short runs up to 7 miles, and the medium/long routes to 12-20 miles during marathon training, it now takes me 2-3 miles just to get warmed up and into a good rhythm. I only had time for a 3 mile run today, which is frustrating.
It's peak pollen season around here. Runny nose. Itchy eyes. Scratchy throat.
I've been playing with kids & gardening during spring break, so it's been over a week since my last real cardio workout.

So of course, when I headed out the door this morning, my attitude was less than cheerful. Stayed that way, until I came upon this:

A full block of running past a wall formed by big clusters of wisteria... Problem, solved.

Back to normal

2010-04-08T18:40:00.003-05:00

The suspiciously agreeable kidlets have returned to their regularly scheduled bickering. Didn't even have to wait until after the requested trip to see the beautiful cars. They started in on each other before we made it through the first five cars.

As for the exhibit... Wow.

My kids are up to something.

2010-04-08T06:52:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what my trio is planning, but something is in the works. How do I know this? They are getting along.

We're most of the way through spring break. They should be at each other's throats by now, fighting about who's in charge of feeding the dogs today. Or maybe over someone hogging all the yellow legos to build a robot/spaceship/house. Instead, I have only to ask (once) for the stacks of folded clothes on top of the dryer to be put away, and it happens. There was minimum whining during our hike Tuesday. Yesterday's yard work was handled with happy cooperation between children responsible for pick up, mowing, and bagging. They even ate all vegetables last night.

It is possible this ceasefire is temporary. The High Museum has an exhibit of rare and beautiful cars on display, and they all want to go. The Allure of the Automobile could just be that strong. If the bickering doesn't start in the car on the way home though, I'm not sure how I'll handle it. It's a bit like waking up to find the laws gravity doesn't apply any more.

How I spent my blogging vacation

2010-04-02T07:40:00.006-05:00

Staying away from the computer except for work & bookkeeping for a few months left me with more than a little extra time. There was home organization, half marathon and marathon training, experimental cooking, big volunteer projects at the school... but I'm not one to sit idle. To put that extra time to good use, I chose something off my "Someday, I'd like to_____" list. I picked Learn to Sew.

My mother sews. Not just the simple hems and repairs - she made costumes for halloween and school history fairs, dresses, curtains. (She's quite handy.) My grandmother was even better, tailoring her own suits, making fancy window treatments, doing her own reupholstering. Me? Nothing since I was an 8-10 year old in 4H Club.

I have a 3rd grade daughter. She, like many 3rd grade girls, has an American Girl Doll. She wants her AG doll, Molly, to have an extensive wardrobe. A wonderful thought, until you go into the AG Store and take a look at the prices for each outfit. $20-30 a pop... OUCH!

Then I found out McCalls, Butterick and Simplicity all have patterns for 18" dolls. Not just period costumes - shorts, shirts, dresses, tights, track suits, coats, etc. The fabric requirements are 1/4-1/2 yard, making bargain hunting in the remnant section a breeze.

Add that to my love of handmade aprons, and the fraying status of my favorite two vintage models, the approach of holiday gift giving, and sewing seemed to be the right skill to learn. Bought a sewing machine and set to working my way through the first few projects.

I figured I could manage a few things, but had no idea I'd end up loving the process. The planning, measuring and order of sewing a garment appeals to the same part of me that loves making maps. (With only a handful of map projects the last several months, I think the sewing helped keep my brain from stagnating.)

What started as a dabble, became something a little bigger. I've now got a stack of finished AG clothes, some of which have been bought by other moms, and a uniform wardrobe which did fairly well in the school auction. DD has a growing wardrobe of skirts, peasant tops, and dresses from both current and vintage patterns. Aprons and bags are making great gifts, when I can bear to part with them. I've even managed a couple of 1950s pattern dresses for myself, with plans for a couple more, now that the weather is warming.

Learning how to sew has made changed the way I look at some other parts of daily life, too. What's even better, it's making my daughter look at things differently. More about that next week, though. I have an A-line summer dress to cut out for DD, a hem to let down on a pair of B1's pant (he's hit 6'1", when did that happen?!), and a zipper to add to my soon-to-be favorite summer dress.

Happy weekend! And a blessed Easter to those celebrating.

Sorry, sweetie. Bacon is not a vegetable

2010-03-31T16:46:00.002-05:00

DD has hit the "animals are cute and fuzzy, so I can't eat them" stage. This leads to someinteresting discussions during dinner prep. Fortunately, this wasn't the "but cows are soooo cute, so I can't eat that" sort of conversation.

DD: What's for dinner?

Me: Pasta with bacon & cauliflower.

DD: Yea! Finally, a vegetarian meal!

Me: ... (staring at DD)

DD: Oh, yeah. (sighs heavily) Well, bacon should be a vegetable.

Pasta With Bacon and Cauliflower - Recipe from RealSimple. It's quite good, though I prefer roasting the cauliflower and tossing with gnocchi.

Sometimes, avoiding a problem works wonders.

2010-03-30T19:44:00.002-05:00

Several months ago, it came to my attention someone I've known for a very long time was reading my blog to keep tabs on my life. It sounds ridiculous, given the amount of information I made available to complete strangers, but this was different.

I read a few blogs, and a few people have read mine. Some days are just reading, but some days become a conversation. You share a similar story from your life or thank the blogger for providing you with a good laugh, a yummy recipe, or for a glance at life from a slightly different viewpoint.

This particular person though, was just keeping tabs on me. To have access to my thoughts and life without needing to make it a two way conversation. I didn't like it. I let it eat at me for several weeks, then walked away from my computer.

With a month or so of perspective, and a few months of a super busy family schedule, I realized how silly it is to let someone have that kind of power over my behavior.

So, I'm back on the blog, and looking forward to jumping back into reading & commenting at my favorite blogs, too.

Listen carefully... hear that sound of laughter?

2009-11-10T09:57:00.003-05:00

That's my mom, half-way across the country, after I called to complain about my daughter springing the need for a full costume for a school presentation on me, the day before it was due... when she hadn't even started the speech yet.

Mom was kind enough to refrain from reminding me of all the times I did the same thing, since that would have kept us on the phone way too long to have started the project.

The family that runs together... is a pretty cranky bunch by 10 am

2009-11-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

First off:

Look. At. This. Photo.

My eyes are open. I'm not obviously huffing and puffing... in fact, I'm almost smiling. No double chin mysteriously appeared, or odd flashes of stretchmarks from a shirt/safety pin/belt conflict. Better still, it looks like I'm running, not race-walking. (Granted, my legs look AWESOME in the other photo with the horrifying items mentioned above, but I'm going to look at this photo as almost as big of a WIN as running the 13.1 miles.)

Halloween was quite fun this year. Wet, cold and tiring too, but fun.

The Silver Comet Half Marathon & Fun Run were on October 31, and we all went. I ran the Half; kids ran in the 2 mile Fun Run - in just a little over 20 mins - and Dad supplied children with hot cocoa and crackers while they waited in the rain for me to finish.

Everyone was up and eating breakfast shortly after 5 am, and we made it out to Mableton with plenty of time to get a parking space at the race start this year. (Last year, we were half way along the shuttle route between start and finish, and had to walk a mile... and figure out which neighborhood side street we'd been directed down hours before, when it was too dark to see street signs.)

Other than the race starting 15-20 minutes after 7:30, I think it went so much better than last year. Number and chip pickup was speedy and well organized. The lines for the last minute pitstop were moving quickly - though that could just be my choice of the line that had to be short, since it was in the parking traffic pattern.

There were volunteers spread out with pace times, which helped the initial crush tremendously. Instructions for the fun run participants were called out with the HM race info from the "witches' station", which made getting family to the shuttle buses much less confusing than in 2008.

The rain started just about the same time as the race. Not droplets, drizzle or heavy mist. 20 minutes of actual rain. And it kept raining off-and-on, as the temperatures dropped.

Managed to maintain a pretty solid 10:00 pace, which I was pretty happy about. My watch time was 2:12. Chip time - 2:17:59. The 5-1/2 min difference was due to the line for the potty after the turnaround. (I didn't actually spend that much time in line, but saying it was a long line is better than talking about the struggle to pull up a wringing wet spandex running skort in the small space of a portalet... without bumping into anything too horrifying.)

Met my long suffering family members at the finish, lined up for food... and the rain started back up. At this point, we decided to stop at Starbucks on the way home, and headed for the shuttle bus.

By 11:00, we were all warm, dry, and very, VERY irritable. Fortunately, the kids were too tired to do any bickering, so we curled up with blankets on the sofas for television viewing and naps. By 6:30, they were fully recharged for an evening of trick-or-treating in the drizzle... a little over two hours of walking. Amazing, what kids will do for candy. (And what parents will do for their kids.)

My toes have (mostly) recovered from 13 miles in wet socks and squishy shoes, so this Sunday will be the Zooma Atlanta Women's Half Marathon & 5k. Just the half marathon though, and just me. I figure everyone else deserves to sleep in this weekend.

Seriously though... for as awesome as my legs look in this 2nd photo, the rest of me looks like there's some combination of seizure, violent death, asthma attack, and imminent explosion about to happen all at once.

...brains....

2009-10-29T18:05:00.011-05:00

I remember when the answer to "What should we carve this year?" elicited characters from Disney, various comic books, Nick Jr and Nickelodeon. Blue, Dexter (the labcoat wearing 1st grader, not the serial killer), Bob the Builder & Pilchard, Spiderman... even Bender & Zorak have been on the list, along with aliens, black cats and spiders. Not this year.

"Cannibals!"

"Zombies!"

"Zombie cannibals... that eat baby pumpkins"

So, after a little bit of time on google, they presented me with a few options from ExtremePumpkins.com. Here's what happened:

And, I don't remember what was going on right at this particular moment, which is probably for the best...

After many hours, and a whole lot of squishing about in slimy pumpkin guts...

There are no cows in space.

2009-10-27T07:02:00.004-05:00

(***Nerd Alert***)

I had so much fun watching Monday night's episode of Castle on ABC. (Don't judge too harshly... it's a fun show. And, it has Nathan Fillion. The stories are clever and rather campy, which makes it a perfect show for kicking back and disconnecting from the chaos of a typical Monday.)

The show was everything you want a Halloween week episode to be. Supernatural references, graveyards, curious subcultures, hauntings, and extra camp. As much as I enjoyed the whole episode though, this opening made my day. From the brief flash of the gunbelt, I knew exactly what we were about to see.

And, in a brief follow up to yesterday's bookshelf post, I placed the show's tie-in novel Heat Wave in my Amazon shopping cart last weekend. With my next purchase, I'll be indulging in a bit of guilty pleasure reading about one Nikki Heat. Just out of curiousity, what do you call the fictional character in a book who is the fictional version of a fictional character?

Bookshelf & Audible.com - What I'm Reading

2009-10-26T08:47:00.008-05:00

I've been really bad about reading over the last few months. It's not that I'm not reading enough, though I don't think it's possible to read too much. It's having four, five, or more, books going simultaneously.

Where I used to have three books mid-read at all times (fiction, non-fiction, and read-aloud-to-kids book), Audible.com has made it possible for me to have a similar thing going on the iPod/iPhone at the same time. Audiobooks for long bicycle rides, housework, family car trips, etc... Makes it a little hard to keep track sometimes.

Started listening to Stumbling On Happiness during our cross-country trip this summer. Figured I'd have drive times with sleeping children and navigator and would appreciate the company of a book which kept my brain active. Fortunately (occasionally unfortunately), I had company for all those hours, so books from the Artemis Fowl series kept everyone entertained for much of the driving. At home with the kids, there was no way to listen. With the return to school, and more opportunities to steal away for an hour (or more) of cycling/running, I was able pick back up on the book by Daniel Gilbert, starting from the very beginning:

What would you do right now if you learned that you were going to die in ten minutes? Would you race upstairs and light that Marlboro you've been hiding in your sock drawer since the Ford administration? Would you waltz into your boss's office and present him with a detailed description of his personal defects? Would you drive out to that steakhouse near the new mall and order a T-bone, medium rare, with an extra side of the reallybad cholesterol? Hard to say, of course, but of all the things you might do in your final ten minutes, it's a pretty safe bet that few of them are things you actually did today.

Now, some people will bemoan this fact, wag their fingers in your direction, and tell you sternly that you should live every minute of your life as though it were your last, which only goes to show that some people would spend their final ten minutes giving other people dumb advice. The things we do when we expect our lives to continue are naturally and properly different than the things we might do if we expected them to end abruptly. We go easy on the lard and tobacco, smile dutifully at yet another of our supervisor's witless jokes, read books like this one when we could be wearing paper hats and eating pistachio macaroons in the bathtub, and we do each of these things in the charitable service of the people we will soon become. We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that we hope will make them happy. Rather than indulging in whatever strikes our momentary fancy, we take responsibility for the welfare of our future selves, squirreling away portions of our paychecks each month so they can enjoy their retirements on a putting green, jogging and flossing with some regularity so they can avoid coronaries and gum grafts, enduring dirty diapers and mind-numbing repetitions of The Cat in the Hat so that someday they will have fatcheeked grandchildren to bounce on their laps. Even plunking down a dollar at the convenience store is an act of charity intended to ensure that the person we are about to become will enjoy the Twinkie we are paying for now. In fact, just about any time we want something—a promotion, a marriage, an automobile, a cheeseburger—we are expecting that if we get it, then the person who has our fingerprints a second, minute, day, or decade from now will enjoy the world they inherit from us, honoring our sacrifices as they reap the harvest of our shrewd investment decisions and dietary forbearance.

I love reading about why and how people make decisions in their lives. I'm not sure if it's an off-shoot of looking at my life with the question "what the heck was I thinking?!" - which I'm not sure I like, as it seems terribly self-absorbed, or just a genuine interest in what makes people tick. (Of course I'd like to think it's the latter, and that the armchair quarterbacking of my own decisions is just the most convenient.)

While hearing about how our brains look forward in time and use imagination to create a picture of what to expect, I got to see it happening right in front of me, in the way my children remember, and feel about, the same event in completely different ways. The different scenarios they play through in their minds before really did have more to do with their feelings about things in the longer term than the actual event itself. A school event my daughter gushed about for days in advance is now remembered as "so much fun", even if she had more fun running around with her friends after than in the auditorium. My son, who complained for days ahead of time about how lame the same event would be, had a blast. Maybe it was a subject he loves, or the activities suited his hands-on style... he loved it. But a few weeks later, if you ask him about it, he remembers as the whole evening as being "so lame." It was pretty cool to see the book in action. (Well, the kids do that all the time, but it was fascinating to notice it and watch the process take place.)

Stumbling On Happiness is one of those few audiobooks I plan to also buy in print. Okay, maybe not that few, once I consider the growing list of books which fit this category, including: Logic of Life, Predictably Irrational, Founding Brothers, The Undercover Economist, and the non-fiction audiobook I downloaded this month, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.

For the current books with pages:

On the end table by the sofa, for nightly reading to kidlets - The Hobbit, by Tolkien. So far, they seem to like it. Wasn't sure how it would go, since the attempt to read Fellowship of the Ring didn't sit so well a few years ago. Of course, that was when DD was in Kindergarten. Her restlessness at sitting still for something a bit beyond her was contagious. We aren't having the same trouble this time.

On the nightstand - The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf. This isn't my normal type of book, but comes highly recommended from a friend. Just started reading this last night, and am already beginning to get sucked in to the story, so maybe it's time to break away from my typical book genres.

On the iPhone, for when I feel like something escapist - The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud, read by Simon Jones. I listened to this a couple years ago on a car trip with the kids. Started listening again last week, when I accidentally removed Outliers from my playlist during a sync. Bartimaeus & Nathaniel are just as much fun the second time around.

Supper Wars: Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta

2009-10-23T12:58:00.007-05:00

Another recipe from the Real Simple magazine Month of Easy Dinners. We've tried four or five over the past two weeks, and I'm sorting through photos to post while I can still remember what the kidlets had to say about them.

The first was the Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower, which garnered three positive reviews, one neutral, and one "why are you trying to kill me?" The good news is that all three children have now decided potatoes can be a part of pasta, and have asked if I'll make gnocchi again. (Though only one wants it served with the cauliflower next time.)

This time, Spaghetti With Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta. Stuck very close to the original, aside from making a little extra pasta, since I'm feeding more than four, and adding a few more dollops of ricotta at the end. Knew adding extra sweet potatoes would be pointless, since the two boys weren't going to eat more than one or two token bites of that ingredient.

It took 10-15 minutes to get the ingredients together and prepped.

While doing this, the water was heating for the pasta. Means this

recipe completely avoids pushing one of my big frustration buttons ofsupper-prep, the hurry-up-and-wait stage. Kept busy the whole time, and not just because I was being bombarded with homework questions from third, fifth and ninth grader.

Once the spaghetti was drained and set aside, I rinsed the pot and put it right back on the stove, with olive oil for the sweet potatoes & shallots. That's correct, same pot, which hits another high point of an "easy" meal... less cleanup!

While the potatoes & shallots cooked, I prepped broccoli for steaming, shaved parmesan, and chopped rosemary. (And came up with a 3rd grade level interpretation of wikipedia's entry on metamorphic rock, checked a math worksheet, and repeated "no, you may not watch tv" at least three times.)

By the time for adding pasta back to the pan, along with rosemary and scoops of ricotta, the kidlets were clearing away homework and setting the table. About the same time the last napkin was placed , the first plate was ready for the table.

Like with most meals which the adults like, this met with mixed reviews from the kidlets. B1 & B2 LOVED the ricotta, liked the flavor, but HATED the sweet potatoes. (This is after saying they liked the flavor of the pasta which had been tossed with the sweet potatoes... Ack!) DD was not a fan of the ricotta. Something about the texture when the ricotta is on it's own - she likes it as a filling for lasagna or in ravioli. She did like the sweet potatoes very much, though.

General kid consensus - neutral, leaning toward good-ish. If I want to make it again, that's okay, but could I please not give any of them the parts they don't like. Since this is a little difficult to do with something cooked all in the same pot, TOUGH. I will make it again, and they will eat exactly the same way as they did this time - token bite or two of the least favorite part, then scarfing down the rest.

The recipe in Real Simple says this meal takes 25 minutes. I didn't get it prepped and cooked in 25 minutes. In a perfect world, working in a perfectly ordered kitchen, quiet children studiously doing homework with nary a question, sure. But even at 35-40 minutes start-to-finish, this is still a keeper for easy suppers.

Monday Morning Reads: A lazy post

2009-10-19T14:54:00.004-05:00

Not quite together enough to edit the post I typed up over the weekend, so I'm taking the lazy way out and putting up a few things which did almost as much as my cup of coffee to get me moving this morning.

Followed a link from Slamdunks over to A Police Wife. PW's husband, aka Hot Fuzz, writes about his first death on the job. It's a very moving post. It was the death of an infant he'd performed CPR on. HF also writes about a young man whose late night concert wasn't quite what it seemed - and connecting with him over the experience of selling a much loved guitar. I am so thankful that HF was there to be a part of the lives of people in his community when they needed him, and that he shared the stories.

Then, there was Charlotte's post on How to be "Skinny Pregnant". I am not likely to be worrying about body image during pregnancy anytime soon... or ever again, but the book "Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?" she talks about sure would have come in handy back when I was. Memories are still fresh of month after month of insecurity during a time which you're constant hit with the dual message (from internal monologue, friends, family and the dreaded media) of the miracle of growing a miniature human being, and the much louder comments about prenatal weight gain... "Oh, my! You're huge!! Are you sure you're not due for another three months?!"

Years, and three children later, there's still the flashes of insecurity. I'm in better shape than I've been my whole life, but still see all the things which changed because of three pregnancies, instead of the positives in the mirror. I have to remind myself that the stretch marks, scars and smooshy bits are not something to be ashamed of. I am the happy and healthy mom of happy and healthy children - three unique people with different interests and developing personalities - and I love to be a part of who they're becoming. Stretch marks and couple of varicose veins are nothing in the face of that.

Finally, a just pretty darn cool link, from Cranky Fitness:

I'm sure there's all sorts of reasons for property owners not to install these stairs in malls, airports, and bus/train stations. Installation costs, maintenance costs, liability issues if anyone's hurt while "playing" on stairs... but wouldn't it be fun if they did?

Word for the Day: Pica

2009-10-16T09:31:00.003-05:00

Pica is defined as a compulsive craving for eating, chewing or licking non-food items or foods containing no nutrition. These can include such things as chalk, plaster, paint chips, baking soda, starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, and cigarette ashes. It may sometimes be linked to certain mineral deficiencies (i.e., iron or zinc).

What I'd like to know is which mineral deficiency is linked to the disappearance of scissors in my home, because I am pretty sure one (or more) of my children have been eating them. Or burying them in the yard. Or hiding them in an attempt to make me question my sanity.

I know there must be half a dozen pairs of adult size scissors in this house. And at least twice as many junior and child sized safety scissors. Yet I can't find a single pair. Even the kitchen shears are missing from the knife block. My fabric scissors, which are kept out of reach with the sewing machine, are the only pair I've been able to find in two days.

Which reminds me - now that I'm finished with the sunflower curtains for my daughter's classroom, I'd better get the fabric scissors put away ASAP. Pretty sure titanium is not a mineral the kids need, but I'd rather not take any chances.

*Scissor Buddha photo is from TreeHugger.

Where's the AT-HOME in Stay-At-Home-Mom?

2009-10-13T09:33:00.006-05:00

I'm going through a bit of a transition right now... becoming the SAHM I've never been, aside from time right around the births of the children. The current state of the economy has many of my clients deciding to make-do with older maps or more generic versions they can get on line. This made the last six months very good for scaling back as the contract income dwindled.

I started to worry a bit during the last couple of projects about what I'd do with myself when I didn't have to answer to clients or meet deadlines. Figured once the house was clean, I'd have big chunks of time each day for running, riding or studying. (My version of bon-bons & soaps.) Also figured it would be a great time to start figuring out what would be next. (Enrolling in school - either for personal growth or future dream career?)

Oops.

Turns out keeping myself busy shouldn't have been on the list at all. I don't think I've had a full day at home since the beginning of the school year.

First there's the move, and some changes in the family dynamics causing good deal of upheaval. (Some of this should be dying down soon, once the boxes are unpacked, the rain stops long enough to seal crack in basement floor, and the teen is enrolled in the HS down the street.)

Second, third & fourth, there's the three children in two different schools. (Next year, it will be three - ES/MS/HS.) Charter schools, which require volunteer time. One hour at one school, three hours at the other may sound like only four hours, but it's really a full day commitment, by the time you figure in travel time between, along with being in the right place at the right time for regular school pickup. Then there's the volunteer opportunities which pop-up unexpectedly. Once you volunteer last minute for a couple of different things, then you're known as being "flexible" about hours. Being "flexible" puts you on email lists.

Maybe all this running about is a good thing for making the transition. When things finally calm down enough that there are stay-at-home days, it'll feel more like a blissful mini-vacation, and less like a time to panic about losing a sense of purpose. Contemplating the future in a relaxed state of mind ought to make coming up with ideas more a creative process of figuring "want to do" without as much worry about what I "need to do." (MizFit's posts so far this week have me thinking about making those future plans with the What would you do if you couldn't fail? question in mind.)

That's the future. For today, I'm getting the fans and wet/dry vac ready for the next 24 hours of heavy rain. Tomorrow's cross training workout will be bailing out the basement and pulling carpet... should that count as cardio, or weights?

Supper Wars: Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower

2009-10-07T18:45:00.007-05:00

Real Simple magazine had a feature this month with four weeks of easy meals. There are some things on the menu which don't appeal to me, and many which will spark a dinner table battle with the kids, but there are a few I really think we should try. This is one of those.

"What's a g-notchee?" was the question from a younger child. They wouldn't remember the last disasterous attempt at serving the puffy little potato pasta. B2 was a toddler, and DD wasn't even born. B1 was VERY PICKY about textures, and the experience was so bad that gnocchi hasn't crossed my mind, outside of restaurants, in almost a decade.

The kids were less than thrilled about the stack of ingredients on the counter. I did have two children sneaking raw cauliflower off the cutting board. (I had to pretend to be cross about the swiping, but... Yea! They were eating it like chips, and enjoying the crunch.)

My quantities were a little different than the original, since I was making this for more than four.

Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower
2/3 head of cauliflower, trimmed to florets
(I used the orange cauliflower, it turns a lovely color in oven)
12-16 sage leaves
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
24 oz Gnocchi
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Toss cauliflower with oil, salt, pepper and sage leaves. Roast on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes at 400F.

While roasting veggies, start water heating for gnocchi. Cook according to package directions, then drain and toss with butter. (Original recipe I read didn't call for it, but I like it sooooo much more with butter.)

Place gnocchi on plates. Top with roasted cauliflower. Sprinkle with cheese.

It was so very good. Not only from a taste standpoint - the textures of the slightly crunchy cauliflower and soft, puffy gnocchi were fun. The kids gave mixed reviews, of course:

B1 thought it tolerable, but liked the gnocchi, and asked if we can do more with that.
B2 felt this was the best supper ever, had seconds, and let me know I could fix the same meal for him the next night, seeing as how there was a little bit of cauliflower left in the veggie bin.
DD announced she only likes food with "colorful flavors" and that this meal was not colorful enough for her. (Obviously, this is the child targeted in the decision to avoid plain white cauliflower. She ate it, but only because there were chocolate-dipped biscuits at stake.

From a convenience standpoint, this was great recipe for a night where afterschool activities and carpooling led to a later supper than usual. Start to finish, less than 45 minutes. Easy meal for kids to help prepare, and not a lot of mess to clean up after. With the side of steamed green beans, tossed with butter, the cost per person was about $1.45, making it far less expensive, and more nutritious than any fast food option... or any of the "healthy" prepared meals at the grocery stores. (Plus, I didn't have to sit in traffic for 30 minutes plus to get it.)

Silly ol' dog

2009-10-06T22:27:00.004-05:00

Bought Peter T. Dog a new cushion for curling up on the hard floors downstairs during the day. He likes it, except for when he's sleepy. When he's ready for a nap, he prefers the flattened old dog bed, and paces restlessly until I get it for him.

As you can see from the photo though, he doesn't want to completely give up the new dog bed to let Clifford fully claim it, so he lays on both mats, and snoozes happily.

I love my big dumb dog.

Re-connected

2009-10-06T09:14:00.003-05:00

Digital cable & high speed internet up & running.

Just in time, too. I've had quite enough of talk radio for a while. It's so nice to be able to pull up weather, news and/or traffic without having to sit through 15-30 minutes of other stuff. It did give me time to start formulating a schedule for cleaning this monstrously large house. (I love the house, this isn't a complaint. More than double the space on 2-1/2 floors just requires a different plan than a 1600sf ranch.)

I'm tackling two rooms today, to see if I can have completely set up - all boxes removed - before school pickup.

Hopefully, that will make for a relatively "normal" day tomorrow, including time to post thoughts on the two audiobooks finished while I was offline. I'm very thankful for Audible - without it, I'd have been stuck with only NPR and talk radio last week. Or, worse yet, my own thoughts.

95% Complete

2009-10-03T21:03:00.005-05:00

All moved in to new house. Tiny little bits of order are popping up around house.
They're random, and not in the final state, but it's quite nice to see in the warehouse.

Window seat - perfect for kid's reading time and for Peter T. Dog's important duties of neighborhood watch.

Have been able to walk kids to & from school most days. Two miles for them, four for me. Keeps us all getting a bare minimum of exercise. And makes for very little time in the truck each week. LOVE IT!

Everything seems to be here... except internet service.
Cable company working to install new line to house.

Didn't miss it much the first few days, but trying to handle all the normal email, online bill pay and news / blog reading on the iPhone has gotten quite tedious.

Half marathon tomorrow morning. 7am. In Kennesaw.
Ugh. 5am seems a whole lot earlier tonight than it did when I signed up last month.
Especially when I haven't trained, and plan to lazy my way through the course.

That's enough of the screen tap typing for one evening. I'm off to bed.

Enjoy the beautiful beginnings of crisp Autumn breezes!

Packing Up: The Chaos

2009-09-27T07:50:00.009-05:00

The new house is official. The final walk-through had been eagerly and fearfully anticipated, as I was terrified of finding the basement flooded, and having to put the whole thing off until after cleanup, or to start from scratch on one of the backup house choices in the neighborhood. Beyond a little bit of seepage through the door into the unfinished portion of the daylight basement, the house was high and dry.

Closing was Thursday. Beyond a snafu with the wire transfer, it went very smoothly. (Thank you, monster mega-bank, for noting that a large transfer of funds to a real estate attorney's escrow account is an "unusual transaction," and taking the extra precaution to place a hold on the "suspicious activity" until the next day. And an extra thank you for sending notification of the hold AFTER the day had ended for your customer service folks.)

With the movers coming on Tuesday, it's been crazy busy around here since this past Tuesday. Even with the packing, cleaning and closet purging, there's been time for a little bit of fun.

Friday:
DD attended a Japanese themed birthday party, in a beautiful vintage kimono we purchased on eBay.

Saturday:
B1's first 10k - the Big Peach Sizzler 10k. He finished in 58:24, and I'm super proud of him. (Plus, for beating my time, and breaking 60 minutes, $10.)

Sunday:
Will be heading over soon to the local festival, where B2 and I will be serving up lemon twists in the 5th grade booth. That's not so much the fun part, but wandering around after our shift and trying food from the different restaurant booths will be.

Then, it's time to pull holiday decorations from the attic, and make a trip over to the new house with the rest of the toys and games I bribed (frozen yogurt) the kids into packing up early last week. It needs to be out of this house, before they decide they need to open the boxes back up.

Grocery Budgets

2009-09-19T22:20:00.005-05:00

I'm weeks behind in getting the information typed up. No good reasons, just excuses. I started keeping the lists on Google Documents, instead of in AppleWorks, and I really like it. At least I think I like it - I'm lousy with spreadsheets. Odd, because I'm quite good at working with the data once it's in there, but I can mess up a template and formulas during setup faster than my 3rd grader.

Average weekly grocery bills for my family of five has continued to drop. As of the end of this week (39), it's down to $125.69. Means the per person is roughly $25/week, and that is not too shabby. (It can get better though, especially once I have the pantry for bulk rice, oat, and flour purchases, beginning in two weeks.) The totals for a couple of weeks are going to be great for pulling down my average for a week of groceries for a family of five. In getting ready to move, the fridge, freezer and pantry emptied out. The new house is only 5-10 minutes away, but still don't want to carry anything we don't have to.

I'm still figuring out the whole sharing thing on google docs. In theory, I can set these nifty links, and anyone can click over to see the shopping list.

Week 38

Week 39

The more interesting part of my catch-up will have to go up tomorrow. We've built up a decent number of kid-approved recipes during the 8-9 months of Try Something New Dinner, aka Supper Wars. We're not trying new recipes quite as many days each week, but there have been three pretty successful new additions over the last couple weeks. Want to take the time to post links, as they are really well worth trying. As of this moment, I need to get to bed. Have to make up my long run tomorrow morning, since I didn't get out in the heavy rain after B1's cross country meet.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

2009-09-13T17:49:00.006-05:00

Waaaaay back when my teen was a tot, he and I would spend a little time on Saturday mornings watching Animaniacs. We both loved it, though for different reasons. General zaniness appealed to a four year old, and the clever songs and writing roped me in. How could you not relish the opportunity to sing along with Wakko during the 50 States & Capitols, Cheese Roll Call, Parts of the Brain, or Schnitzelbank?

There are a couple of things from the show which seeped into the family traditions:

Before DD was born, B1 & B2 were known affectionately as Yakko & Wakko, so it was only natural for a baby girl to become Dot.
For the last decade, any action taken which leads to a Doh! moment is greeted with the words Good Idea, Bad Idea

Today's Good Idea, Bad Idea moment for Joy?

Good Idea:
Taking photos of pretty flowers to send loved ones from a long run route.
Bad Idea:
Taking photos of bloody kneecap to send loved ones from a long run route.

As I learned today, that second type of photo tends to cause a panic. I tripped in spot where a missing chunk of sidewalk was masked by a few leaves. Narrowly averted face plant. Scraped up both hands, both knees, and jammed two fingers by bending them the wrong direction while trying to roll to one side... and scraped right shoulder & elbow when I got there.

No head trauma or bones protruding from skin, so my old tomboy mindset kicked in. The soon-to-be-swollen-purple fingers, road rash, scraps of skin dangling from kneecap, and all the blood... well, it's kind of cool. Helluva way to kick off the official fall half marathon training schedule, eh?

Just call me Grace.

Tourism by Detours - Capulin Volcano, NM

2009-09-12T09:54:00.008-05:00

Now that I've managed to recover most of the vacation photos lost during the unfortunate home invasion and electronics theft, I'm able to pick back up with some of the "off the beaten path" stops along the cross country trip. There are a few things I'll need to dig up other people's photos for, since not everything was recovered, but there's enough to get started.

We're big fans of exploring. Simply going to someplace and back may be fine for some folks, but not this family. We like to scour maps and read the state guides picked up at welcome centers to find interesting stuff along the way. Sometimes, it takes just a roadside marker to pull us off course. When we headed out for the Summer 2009 Road Trip, we had a few specific destinations firmly set:

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Grandma's house in Alma, NE
Grandpa's house, Garden of the Gods, and Pike's Peak in Colorado Springs, CO
Capulin Volcano, NM

That last destination was a roadside marker which screamed interesting stuff during the last trip home from Colorado. We saw the marker for Capulin Volcano just before dusk on a very chilly evening in late December. There was no time to stop then, but it did go down on the mental checklist for our next trip.

This time, we planned for the Volcano and built an extra day or two into the drive home along a southern route (CO-NM-TX-LA-MS-AL-GA).

From Sangres.com:

Capulin Volcano is the cone of a volcano that was last active about 56,000 to 62,000 years ago. This volcano represents the last stage of a great period of volcanism that had begun about 7 million years earlier. Evidence of this activity can be seen in the scores of nearby volcanic hills and peaks. The largest of these is Sierra Grande, an extinct volcano rising some 2,200 feet above the surrounding plain, about 10 miles to the southeast. To the northwest of Capulin are a number of mesas that are capped with lava, the three largest of which are Barela, Raton and Johnson Mesas.
Lava erupted in four flows, each separated by long periods of inactivity. The last series of eruptions created Capulin Volcano, whose conical form rises more than 1,000 feet above its base to 8,182 feet above sea level. The mountain consists chiefly of loose cinders, ash and other rock debris. These materials were spewed out by successive eruptions and fell back on the vent, piling up to form the conical mound. The lava, though, flowed mostly from a boca (spanish for mouth) on the lower west side of the cinder cone.

Sounds pretty darn cool, especially if you have boys who like rocks and a girl who likes to carry a camera. Plus, in keeping with the current fun on a budget that is so important, $5 gets you a pass for the whole family. The pass is good for seven days, but even if you're only using it for one day, it's a heck of a deal for a family of five.

If you wonder whether a location on our official trip plan should really count as a detour, not only was this destination inspired by a roadside marker, we had to wait on two separate occasions along the two lane highway for cows to clear the road. Any travel that can be delayed by livestock automatically counts on my detour destination list. Now...

'Too windy, but really cool' is how the kids would describe it now, but the hike around the rim of the crater and into the center was actually filled with many exclamations of wonder.

Swarming ladybugs
Scrub trees that were completely engulfed in silk and blue caterpillars.
Rounding the top of the crater rim to be smacked by the wind so hard you swayed on your feet.
The bench with hole and scorch marks from lightning strikes at the top of the rim trail.
Time Stains (Lichen) - discussion about this tied back into what we'd learned about which colors are edible on the trip up to Pike's Peak.
The many lizards, too fast to be caught on camera, and
Finding so much color & life, smack in the middle of an ancient volcano in the desert.

Crayola Hike

2009-09-11T19:44:00.006-05:00

Finally got a chance to upgrade to Flickr Pro and load up the photos I mentioned last evening.

This past Sunday, we went for a mini-hike at one of the trails in the Chattahoochee NRA. $25 buys an annual parking pass that covers all 16 locations along the river in the Metro area. Since some combination of family members can be found along the river at least once or twice each week, it's quite a bargain. (Single pass is $3.00, which adds up quickly.)

DottieB is branching out. Instead of sticking with our normal nature walk scavenger hunt, collecting the colors of the rainbow , she and Bugsy decided to collect what you'd find in a crayon box.

In addition to good old ROY G. BIV, they snapped shots of muddy reddish-brown creekbeds, white mushrooms, black-eyed susans, brown acorns, gray tree trunks with blue trail markers, pink puffs, lilac/lavender flowers (there was a lengthy debate on that last color designation)...

...until the battery ran out.

In the car on the way home, I heard plans to bring extra batteries next time, and a 24-pack of Crayola, just to make sure they don't miss any.

Where did the week go?

2009-09-10T22:10:00.003-05:00

Between meetings with teachers about one child (yes, THOSE types of meetings), completely insane destructive puppy antics (4 months is apparently "normal" time for it), Open House at the HS, Parent University at the ES, and three-out-of-five family members spending a day or two at home with a cold, I just looked at the calendar and noticed tomorrow is Friday!

I know time is supposed to fly when you're having fun, but I'm not so sure the person who came up with that gem had this kind of fun in mind at the time. Think I'll choose another old saying for this week. Thanks to how quickly it ripped by, it was like taking off a band-aid.

I have a great set of photos to post from this past Sunday. By great, I'm speaking as the proud parent of the eight year old who is experimenting with angles, zoom and light. The photos are not as good as some of the shots she took at the Atlanta Botanical Garden last month, but that has a lot to do with being knocked about by a puppy who is quickly approaching her weight division.

Eek! I've exceeded my flickr uploads for September. Will have to add the pictures as a short slide show AFTER I sign up for the pay service. That'll be in the morning. Right now, I'm going to bed.

But before I do...
Waiting to hear the word about the last couple pieces falling into place on the house. Closing in two weeks, moving in three. Should Clifford and his canine equivalent of the terrible twos not be a thing of the past by then, we're all looking forward to opening the kitchen door and shooing both dogs outside for 20-30 minutes of Peter's favorite game. No name for the game yet, but here's the playbook:

Peter T. Dog runs as fast as he can in a circle.
Almost lets Clifford catch up.
Turns around and runs directly at the puppy.
Clifford stops short, and goes tail over head.
Peter leaps over him in a graceful arc.
Prance happily away, while Clifford looks around in confused state.
Repeat.

I can post a single photo directly to blogger, even if flickr hates my little batch of photos. With the larger, FENCED, yard, frequent intervals of the game ought to wear Clifford out better than the 1.5-2 mile walk/run or 10 minutes of tag on a leash.

Am I from Georgia? Nope, never even heard of the place.

2009-09-04T09:24:00.004-05:00

Once again, Georgia is in the news for all the best reasons. If the low, low placement on the rankings for education (41?), the high placement on obesity (12) and horrible commutes weren't enough, there's the Michael Vick dogfighting thing, the Kathryn Johnston shooting, and... yet another story of death by drug bust gone awry.

Octagenarians and Pastors. Lovely.

Well, I guess Georgians can always look at things the same way as we do for the obesity and education stats, and keep thanking heaven we're not as bad as Mississipi. (Radley Balko's reports on Cory Maye and Steven Hayne)

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Update:
Thanks to a link sent via comment by Slamdunks, I'm now able to add to my list today's story from ABC News on Roger Stephens, a gem of a man here in the Atlanta metro area who slaps other people's toddlers in the store. To make it even better, guess which store. It happened in a Wal-Mart, of course.

Supper Wars: Moroccan Beef Stew

2009-09-03T20:44:00.006-05:00

Try this recipe from Mike's Table.

Scale back on the peppers, if you are catering to those with mild tastes, like my kidlets, but simmer up this stew.

Now.

Seriously.

The recipe is a bit long, which can seem daunting at first, but only until you realize the steps are written with loads of detail. There's plenty of beautiful photos to show you how it should look along the way (like the lovely one shown here). Substitutions are pretty easy, and he's great about suggesting ways to adjust the spices to suit your flavor preferences.

I didn't have any preserved lemons, so my helper squeezed some fresh lemon juice in when adding the broth and red wine. It was delicious. The boys weren't fans of the chickpeas, but DD thought they were pretty good.

Promised the kidlets pizza tomorrow, but I can't wait to eat the leftovers with brown rice crisps (Rice Works - picked up at Costco), topped with fresh chopped cilantro.

We get it, already - kids are expensive!

2009-09-03T18:09:00.002-05:00

What the heck is going on out there that I am finding so many articles and opinion pieces about children being too costly? Yesterday, the Ben Stein column in Fortune. Today, I read two posts in a row at Boston Gal's blog with links to stories on the opportunity costs of children.

Finances Before Family
The Boston Globe story: Money before baby? has reporter Jessica Cerretani confessing that the great recession has done more than just shrink her 401(k) balance or jeopardize her financial security. It may have torpedoed her plans to ever have a biological child.

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Advice given through lens of economic principles
The NPR story: Priceless Advice From 'The Undercover Economist' interviews Financial Times advice columnist Tim Harford who answers readers questions from a ruthless economic-consideration-first perspective. The interview provides a excerpt from his book (based on six years of advice columns)and below is one column that seemed to go along with yesterday's post.

Dear Economist,

I'm an ambitious woman in my midtwenties, just starting what I hope will be a stellar career in business. But I also very much want to have at least one child. How long should I wait?

Yours sincerely,

Ms. E. Jones

Dear Ms. Jones,

Mothers seem to do worse in the labor market than women without children, but that might not be simple cause and effect. For instance, it might indicate that women who expected successful careers delayed having children, but the delay was not the cause of the success.

It all seems imponderable, but it isn't. Amalia Miller, an economist at the University of Virginia, studied the timing of maternity and its effect on earnings. That effect is large: delay maternity by just one year, and you can expect your career earnings to rise by 10 percent, partly because you will work longer hours and partly because you will enjoy a better wage rate. For professionals like you, the wage effect is even higher.

Ugh. I feel the compelling need at this point to defend my three children and the pre-30s timing by pointing out the non-monetary compensation they bring to my life. Call it silly, but there is something quite wonderful about the social, emotional and spiritual richness of my life which I'd not have had without them. There's plenty of time for career and travel later. After all, 50 might just turn out to be the new 25 by the time I get there.

It looks like a new house

2009-09-03T14:28:00.005-05:00

Things are moving along smoothly so far, plus that's what the home inspector said about the house today. He said all of the updates were very well done, and that everything is clean & well maintained. In some ways, the inspector said this house is better than a new home, because of the higher quality of foundation and walls back when the home was originally built. There'll be a few things in the report, but nothing major. The highlights are:

Downspouts should be extended so they drain a few feet farther out from foundation.
Two outlets in front of house are not grounded.
At some point, an access panel will need to be cut for the master tub
He couldn't find the pressure valve for the water, but figures it's tucked in the middle of new ductwork
There are a few boards of siding which should have 1/2-1" shaved off, to get them to full inch away from shingles.

None of those are things which will require major fixes, so closing in three weeks shouldn't be a problem, especially since the paperwork & transferring of funds is done. Keeping fingers crossed the appraisal doesn't come out too far off where it had been appraised back in April.

I'm not a fan of buying a bunch of furniture for a new house, as that is one sure way to blow the budget and open the door for all kinds of unforeseen disaster. I also think it takes time to settle in and figure out what we really want / need for the new space. But - you knew that was coming - I am seriously considering this set of six mahogany chairs, to make a complete dining table. Right now, I move kitchen chairs to the dining table for the kidlets, and use the 4 chairs which are usually set around the table for adults. These are around 125 years old (dealer says possibly 150-meh), and are pretty darn sturdy, without any sway or creaking. Price is marked down to $350 from $500, which was already marked down from original $750... and I like them, so maybe this will be my one rule-breaking purchase?

Assessing the net value of children

2009-09-02T09:11:00.004-05:00

I saw the link to a Fortune article by Ben Stein at Wenchypoo's site. She quoted the article:

"People in a free society will choose to have more of something if its return exceeds its cost. On the other hand, people in a free society will choose to have less of a good or service if its value is less than its cost."

Having become increasingly interested over the past few years in those things related to the dismal science of economics, this is not the first time I've seen a statement like that. Having read about falling birth rates in western nations, the concept of applying the phrase to child rearing wasn't new, either. And Ben Stein often manages to get me to think about things in a slightly different light. What? Can I place a value on the kidlets? I was intrigued. So I read.

"What is the value of a child in modern Western industrial society? More specifically, what is the value of a middle-class or upper-middle-class or upper-class child in America? And does this have anything to do with the fact that the birth rate among American women has been falling for decades and that the age of first childbirth among educated women is far higher than among less-well-educated women?
Start with economics. People in a free society will choose to have more of something if its return exceeds its cost. On the other hand, people in a free society will choose to have less of a good or service if its value is less than its cost.
Now, what is a modern child? Obviously, not a good or service, but something more and also something less. Long ago, as we all know, humans had children because they liked having sex and because children had some value as assistant hunters and gatherers and keepers of the hearth."

Goes on into the evolution of society, the move past needing many additional hands for hunting or farming, and the modern day wonders of contraception. Then, Stein gets into what makes modern middle-upper class children so costly:

"...raising modern children is such a major pain in the neck. For one thing, thanks to a variety of factors, often parents have to struggle like galley slaves to get their offspring into private schools and pay for them.
The private school parent also has to pony up for every kind of lesson -- ballet, horse, and music lessons, math tutoring, and chess club. The parent also has to drive the little ones to all of these events as well as to the "play dates" that lurk like unanesthetized colonoscopies in modern life. Then there is the most horrible event a healthy upper-middle-class American can have: social engagements with the parents of Junior's classmates.
In other words, we are talking about child rearing as part unpaid chauffeur, part torture."

One thing I'd like to clarify - it's not just private school parents. Parents utilizing the charter and magnet public schools pay for the private lessons, buy uniforms, buy/sell fundraising merchandise, join countless groups which ask for donations from members often, meet volunteer requirements at the school, drive to all the events... and are expected to all of this cheerfully, because we're not paying private school tuition.

"...part unpaid chauffeur, part torture." I love that line. Then there's college. After four (or more) years of paying lots of money to institutions of higher learning, what do you end up with?

"a son with a law degree who cannot get a job, a daughter with a film-school degree who works as a masseuse, or a musician who keeps you up all night with his drums."

Ooh. Goody. I have three children, so could potentially end up with all three of those hypotheticals trying to move back home in their 20s. Can't wait.

To be fair, Stein does point out that not all children grow up to be complete ingrates, with the sense of entitlement of a two year old's "MINE!" phase. His son, of course, is the exception. I may not disagree with his conclusions in the article, but I can't say it brings many pleasant thoughts, either:

"The costs and benefits of having children in affluent America are wildly off kilter. Too much cost, too little reward. Often the cost-benefit analysis of children prints out "Get a German shorthaired pointer instead."
Many people are doing that, and the birth rate is collapsing. But if we stop having enough children, because their value is so low relative to their cost, the society grinds down. It's happening right now. The native-born upper middle class barely replace themselves in America, if they do at all. In a way we are committing suicide as a class, possibly in part because of the burdens of child rearing in modern life.
What is the net present value of a child in modern America? Often, it's difficult to find much, and thereby hangs a question mark over our future as a nation, at least as we have known it."

Best laid (race) plans

2009-09-02T06:29:00.002-05:00

That autumn schedule of races I'd carefully put together? Two or three events each month for September, October and November.

It's gone. Out the window. Kaput.

Most have been dropped due to B1's cross country schedule, which every Saturday but one filled through the first half of November. Two have been dropped because of new house and move plans. Both are extremely good reasons, so I can't complain. Wait. Yes, I can complain, but I won't. Except for a brief whine about one.

I'm not exactly thrilled about dropping the Midnight Flight 5k/10k off my calendar. (With all the last minute documents to find for the loan paperwork, the home inspection and contingency back-and-forth, it's just not a great idea to head out early on Friday for that first race on the schedule.) It's a fun night race, just far enough out of town that I have to spend the night and take Saturday morning to sleep in, soak in the tub, and take myself to a lazy brunch before the drive back to Atlanta. I'd planned to run the two races back-to-back, using the 5k as a warm up for the 10k. (The first mile or two of any run are always the blah miles, so I figured I'd be fully coordinated by the 11pm start time of the 10k.)

Depending on how the birthday parties, end-of-summer pool parties and requested sleep overs shake out over the next few days, I may still fit in a race this Labor Day weekend. The 10k Classic is on Labor Day, just a few miles from here, and is supposed to be a challenging, hilly course.

And, until something else pops up, here's the scaled back schedule. There may be a couple of 5k races added with the kidlets, during the off-week for cross country, or on Saturdays when B1's events are in the afternoon.

9/7 - 10k Classic (Maybe)
10/4 - Locomotive Half & 5k, Kennesaw
10/31 - Silver Comet Half Marathon
11/26 - Atlanta Half Marathon

A few hours over the next week will go into making a training plan with the October 31 and Thanksgiving Day half marathons as the main focus. The Locomotive HM on October 4th is going to be a practice run (in place of long run for the week) for the other two HMs. Treated Run the Reagan that way back in February, and it turned out to be a great race.

On a what the heck am I thinking? note, I took advantage of the discount for super-early registration for the ING on March 21, 2010. I signed up for the full marathon this time around. After all, I have 199 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes to prepare. What could possibly go wrong?

It's time for a haircut. Really, REALLY time.

2009-09-01T08:51:00.008-05:00

My hair is past the halfway point between shoulder & waist again. Ponytails are no longer adequate to control tangles & helmet hair. And you don't want to know what kind of a birdsnest I wake up to each morning, though my daughter finds it quite entertaining. I'm back to twisting hair up with a pencil while working, and braiding for exercise and sleep.

Though one might also suspect I've been watching old episodes of Little House on the Prairie while folding laundry, which I have most definitely not been doing. Well... not today, at least.

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to ride. Stumbling on Happiness is the audiobook on tap today. Started it over summer vacation, but found little time to listen while surrounded by little people.

Since a tweet changed my outlook last week, should I say I had a good tweek? (a.k.a. Big Darn Week, part two)

2009-08-31T14:55:00.010-05:00

It was a no good, terrible, horrible, very bad day or two to start the week last week. Super busy. Trying to put together offer on house. Spacey children who kept leaving lunches at home in the morning, and homework at school in the afternoon. A puppy in a combination of growth spurt & teething phase, leading to regressive behavior.

My heart wasn't really into any exercise that wasn't two-wheeled, and even that was only because of the escape into audiobooks & podcasts I enjoy on rides. My running continued to stink, as it has since getting back to hot & humid Atlanta from vacation, in June.

I was following my normal early morning routine (lunch packing / breakfast rush, stretching, coffee, blog reading, weather checking), when I thought I don't really want to do any of this stuff today. Then I saw an early morning (for her, since she's in TX) tweet from MizFitOnline. It was something about taking on the day with open arms.

It struck a chord with me. What the heck did I really have to complain about? Nothing on my list of grievances was beyond the level of minor annoyance. So, I scrapped all the plans which weren't possible to work out, opened up, and took on the day.

Strapped leashes to my pups for the morning upper body workout - I mean walk. Laughed my butt off at the ability of my lovable little idiot to tangle everybody up in the leash, and at the look on the face my sweetheart of a Peter T. Dog. I would swear he rolls his eyes at Clifford, and that the head tilt & lolling tongue is his own brand of laughter.

Dropped off the forgotten lunch at the elementary school, and took my lunch down to Riverside Park for a ride. Realized my helmet was hanging from the roadster back at the house, so went to a less heavily traveled road, with bicycle lanes for my ride. 10 miles or so, listening to the Adam Smith episode of The Thomas Jefferson Hour (fantastic episode, btw - almost enough to make me start a 3rd attempt to make it through The Wealth of Nations)

Hopped off the bike, changed shoes, and headed down the trail by the Chattahoochee River. Before I'd lost sight of the parking lot, the heavens opened, and I was completely drenched. Ugh. So much for that.

But, wait. That's the kind of thinking that put me into a funk in the first place. Mopped off my face, and started into the woods. Everything was lush and green, and the rain quickly dropped the temperature and cleared away the general pea soup humidity we'd been having for days.

It was the best time I've had running in months. Jumping over rocks and roots. Ducking under branches. Splashing through the runoff streams the trails had turned into. It. Was. So. Much. FUN!

While leaping over a particularly deep & mucky puddle, I was reminded of MizFit's recent posts about being your own superhero... and I definitely felt like one. Pulled out the iPhone, risking water logging, snapped a few pix and moved Mighty Little Man to the top of the playlist.

I'm not sure what my superpowers are yet, but do know that kid chaos and weather are not going to be my downfall. (The photo is of my super soaked feet, as light blue speed silk singlet & white sports bra are better suited for dry, sunny day superhero activities.)

That one tweet was just the nudge I needed. With the improvement in attitude came a big improvement in my workouts. Running is fun again.

BDW: The Big Darn* Week, Part 1

2009-08-29T12:42:00.006-05:00

*Note my toned-down language, lest I be forced to drop a dollar in the jar. (It's quarters for most people, but I had to make it expensive enough to hurt.)

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

Of the three open houses on Sunday - when we saw the peacock - one house had the right number of bedrooms, plus an extra. It has a two car garage, with extra space for the stable of bicycles. It has recently (last 3-5 years) replaced HVAC, water heater, and roof. It's brick. All of the appliances were part of the remodel a few years ago, so stay with the house. It's on an acre (1.05, to be precise), and about a third of of that is fenced with a solid privacy fence.

It had also been on the market for six months or more, with two price drops. The owners moved to their new home a couple months ago, so were carrying two houses. There had been no offers, as any interested parties had existing homes to sell first. We're heading into autumn, and then to the s-l-o-w winter months.

Made an offer. They countered with a slightly lower price. Made a new offer. Same price, but closing by the end of September. They dropped the price to meet halfway between, and a deal was struck. In roughly five weeks - assuming everything goes well with inspection, of course - this will be where I spend my days:

Note that while there is a desk in the kitchen, for my recipe-checking, bill-paying and blogging convenience, there is not a washer or dryer in the kitchen. I have been "okay" with the layout of the 1950s kitchen in our rented house for three years now, but have never quite gotten used to washing socks, underwear and towels in such clothes (ooh! I'm keeping that accidental word choice) quarters to food prep surfaces.

There's a great deal of excitement among the other family members, too, because of a permanent playhouse in the backyard, proximity to school friends and the playroom in the basement where the second TV will be hooked up to the older gaming systems.... but this isn't their slice of the web now, is it?

More about the week later. B1's first cross country event. The scramble to reschedule B2's birthday party.
An absolutely horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad morning which was turned completely around, thanks to a tweet from MizFit, and the realization that I'm now the thing which I never imagined myself becoming. One of those people. You know, the mom of a teen, approaching 40... middle-aged.

Holy crap, a peacock!

2009-08-24T07:58:00.007-05:00

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to monitor your language around the kids, it just slips out.

Driving to an open house Sunday afternoon, in a very ordinary suburban neighborhood of 1960's brick ranch houses, green lawns, kids and dogs, was one of those times. The kids were shocked out of their general state of back seat lolling and lazy bickering, and readying their rebuke for word choice when they noticed...

That's right. Holy crap, a peacock.

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Trying to sneak off for a morning bike ride, before anything can pop up on my [currently] open schedule. Is cool and beautiful in an early Autumn way, so staying inside would be torture. Have my audiobook (The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett) for this week all queued up, along with an episode of The Thomas Jefferson Hour and the latest Liberty Conspiracy - just in case I don't feel like a book - and the iPhone fully charged.

Extreme Frugality

2009-08-21T10:36:00.007-05:00

I've been pretty proud of my efforts to cut the grocery bills from the highs of a couple of years ago - a little over $200/week. And that $200/week was when I was shopping the sales at the big grocers, and taking advantage of coupons from the Sunday paper.

I'm not a coupon shopper anymore, and generally do the shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, with less frequent trips to the big grocers, costco and the farmers market. Doing things this way, you don't exactly have a Sunday sales flyer to use while building your weekly menu and shopping list. It's working better than I'd thought when I started changing the way I shopped.

With the couple of months, I've been able to pull the average weekly spending to under $130/week for our family of five. As the temps cool, and baking all of our bread becomes practical again, it'll keep dropping. In fact, if I can keep my $110 & under weeks going, we should be on track for a below $120/week average by the end of the year. Being below the USDA "frugal" spending levels was - I thought - quite the accomplishment.

Until I read about the Z-day Challenge. W. Hodding Carter, a writer for Gourmet, has spent the summer growing vegetables, stocking the freezer with a quarter-cow, and prepping for a month with Zero Spending.

That's right. ZERO spending.

I realized the moment of truth had arrived. The Z-Day Challenge, our personal anti-stimulus project. For the entire month of September, we’re spending ZERO dollars. We’re ready. Our garden’s ready.
It’s our civic duty.

As some of you may remember, I’ve theorized (read ranted) that spending our way out of this current mess is wrong. To me, it’s like putting an overweight person on a 1,000 calorie-a-day diet of ice cream. It may work in the short term, but it’s definitely not healthy in the long run. We need to remember—or in most cases, learn—how to save money, pay off our debts, and become one with reality: The party has now been over for quite a while.

So, on August 31, after topping off the cars and stocking up on groceries and a month’s worth of animal feed, we’re migrating to Unamerica—a land where misers are heroes and spendthrifts are scorned. A land of limited horizons and very little opportunity. A land where … well, you get the idea. I know this sounds like a gimmick since we have a fairly full pantry, nearly a quarter of a cow in our freezer, and we will still pay our monthly bills, but answer this: What’s the longest you’ve ever gone while living your normal daily life without buying something? Think about it. Be honest. A month? A week? A day? For me, during this frugal year, I’ve lasted around two to three days. But I want to do better. It’s time to shake off the shackles and see what it’s like without consuming.

Wow.

At first glance it seems like a big plunge. Heck, it seems like a big plunge at second & third glance, too. But, I've started reading the beginning of the Extreme Frugality series, published back in February.

For years, Lisa had been telling me we were living beyond our means. “Please, please, Hodding, don’t buy that hand-carved black walnut countertop!” she’d implore. In fact, once she even kicked me out of the house for nine months in hopes that I’d wake up. But like that alcoholic who downs yet another Two-Buck-Chuck, I wasn’t ready. I knew that my next book was going to be an international bestseller and I felt entitled to live as did my father (although he was 25 years older than I) and all those successful, happy people in ads and on TV. Here I was, though, finally seeing the raw truth. Our average combined income—drum roll, please—for the past decade had been … $41,000. Thanks to those heady days of refinancing, deft shuffling of credit-card debt, deceased grandparents, and a lucrative house sale, however, we had lived, year after year, as if we were making $120,000. Like 70 percent of our fellow Americans, we were living off our VISA cards with no means of paying them off any time soon. As a result, we had $75,000 in credit-card debt and owed $245,000 on a $289,000 house. What had I been thinking?

Never mind. I’ll sort out the “why” on my therapist’s couch. Right now, it’s time to do the unthinkable. It’s time for us to be more like our grandparents and less like our neighbors. (Ninety percent of us buy something we don’t need every month, and Americans in all walks of life—except the very rich—carry $961 billion of credit-card debt at any given moment, paying $1.22 for every $1 they spend.) For the first time ever, my family is going to do the unthinkable. We’re going to live within our means. No matter what we actually make, we’re only going to spend $41,000 for the entire year. In other words, after paying our mortgage, taxes, insurance, and the $500 to service our credit-card debt, our family of six is going to live on $550 a month.

After mortgage and credit card payments, $550, for a family of six. Again, Wow.

I am a lightweight, a pansy, in comparison to this family. I intend to keep reading my way through the year, and see which lessons I can carry over into my family's habits. (Not raising chickens for eggs though. Even if there weren't zoning laws about livestock intown, I do not want to clean up a henhouse. Been there, done that, and glad to buy my veggie-fed, no-cage eggs at the store.)

Still, there's probably a lot more I can do, and next month is probably a good time to try it. After all, it was last September that I embarked on trying out a variation of the $100 Grocery Challenge, where I upped the amount to $125, to reflect the five members of my family, rather than the four in the original article. Maybe, if I can spend the next week doing some serious planning and sensible stocking up, I can try a month of Semi-Extreme Frugality. It won't be zero spending, but maybe I can treat it like a limbo... how low can you go?

Being your own superhero

2009-08-21T08:50:00.004-05:00

Carla, aka MizFit has an excellent post today which asks the question "How have you acted as your own superhero lately?" She opens it with a story about her toddler tornado daughter at the park which is just marvelous. It's one of those snippets which bring to mind all the breakthrough moments with my kids as I saw them growing into their personalities.

I love that MizFit keeps coming back around to the topic of self-image. Being your own superhero is a great message for me to repeat to the kids. All three have strengths, and I'd like them to focus on those as they head into the awkward years of middle and high school. I don't want to overdo it, and build a Stuart Smalley self-affirmation into their heads, but I do want them all to think of things in terms of balance, and bringing their best to the effort in whatever they try.

It's not going to be easy. With my daughter, it's an external thing - she's worried about what other girls think about her. From coming home in tears because a friend thought her bookbag was ugly, to being upset that she has a tougher time with multiplication facts than a couple of her other friends... it's a challenge.

In the case of the bookbag, I reminded her that she likes the bag, and picked it because it makes her happy to see the little bird & tree stitched on it. It's okay if somebody else doesn't like it, because it's not theirs. And, when she thought about it, DD admitted she didn't really care for the other girl's backpack, because it wasn't a color she likes as well. It gave me a chance to point out that one of DDs strengths is that she doesn't judge others based on silly things like backpack patterns.

With anything she brings up as a failing, I try not to patronize her by giving her the automatic "you're great" speech. If she's having a tough time with math, or with running, or art class - I remind her that she's great with science and language arts. She may not be able to run longer distances, but she can sprint like crazy, is a strong swimmer, and is a fantastic companion on long(ish) bike rides. With drawing, multiplication tables, and piano it takes practice. She'll keep getting better, or figure out she likes something else better - like photography and flute.

With the boys, it's more of an internal thing. They are their own worst critics. With them, it's a matter of reminding them they need to keep trying at the tough things - in school, sports and in plain old life. One of two things will happen. They'll either improve through practice to kick butt & love what they used to struggle with, OR find some other aspect of it they do love, and kick butt at that, instead.

B2 will beat himself up about anything less than perfect, and can talk himself into giving up before ever trying. He often has to be shoved - I mean gently nudged - into things. I can't count the times I've said "You're right - you might suck at [fill in the blank]. But you might not. You might even really be great at it. If you don't try, you'll never know."

B1 has a healthier attitude, and tends to shrug off his doom-n-gloom after a few minutes, then try - or try again. He's also very encouraging of others, and is always willing to throw in 110% to help out. (I love this about him.)

Oh, dear - I ended up rambling all over the place. What I was trying to get at is that MizFit's superhero approach is perfect for helping the kids shape their outlook on life. It's great for me, too. Just like comic book superheroes, we all have abilities and strengths that make us great at some things. With the areas in which we excel, there's also our fatal flaws and weaknesses. The trick is to focus on the things that make you super, and use those strengths to help you work on the other stuff.

And, if you're completely stuck... that's what a league of Superfriends are for.

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Along this theme, MizFit's post reminded me of a song by Steve Burns, Mighty Little Man. It's from his album Songs for Dustmites, and it always makes me smile.

When the kidlets were smaller, there would be a victory run through the house anytime this song popped up in the playlist. Sometimes, the 1st grader (B1) would lead the laps around the house, sometimes not. The toddler B2 would run around, arms over his head, like he was crossing the finish line, singing the chorus at the top of his little voice. The not-yet-walking DD would bounce in her high chair, walker, or spot on the living room floor, waving her arms and "singing" along.

Defying Gravity

2009-08-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

Finally got a chance to sit - if by sit you mean fold laundry, match socks, and do the ironing - and watch the two hour pilot for Defying Gravity.

I think I like it. I'll know for sure after a couple more episodes. Need to learn more about the characters, and see how the journey develops. For right now, I'll just say it looks like one helluva road trip, and is beautiful in HD.

Full episodes are available online. I have the second and third episodes recorded on the DVR, but missed the pilot when it aired. Downloaded the pilot in HD from iTunes (Free!) and hooked it up to the television. (Yea! It worked!) It may be Saturday before I get a chance to catch the episodes saved to the DVR, but I'm looking forward to it.

It was a dark and stormy night...

2009-08-18T09:07:00.006-05:00

It wasn't exactly stormy, just rainy. But it was dark. And night.

Fell asleep with the stereo set for 90 minutes of "sleep" - music on NPR. Must have been zonked enough to drop straight into REM sleep, because I vaguely remember dreaming about an all-day bicycle ride with picnic gone awry as I was pulled back to conciousness by the sounds of Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights from Romeo & Juliet.

Thinking back on it this morning, I'm pretty sure my dreamland day trip & picnic were going just fine, and that it was the music which pulled it off course.

I loathe the general premise of Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story, and all stories where star-crossed lovers kill themselves in despair. (Tragedies where someone accepts death or torture to save the one(s) they love, those I like.) But, no matter my feelings on the subject matter of the story, I do love this score. It never fails to rev up my brain and push a bit of adrenaline into my system. It's not a great thing for trying to get back to sleep at one o'clock in the morning, but it is perfect to add to my playlist for today's 35-40 mile ride. Will go well with some Shostakovich.

Now that I think about it, I'll toss in Night on Bald Mountain and hope for a rainstorm.

-----
Update:
Gotta quit trying to plan long rides in advance. I just get my hopes up, only to be dashed by crazy puppy destructive antics and calls from school. Ended up with less than 90 minutes to ride before school pickup. Was okay, as I got to see the upside of hauling 20+ pounds of groceries around the neighborhood on the city bike. It's easier to maintain a decent 16-18mph on the road bike. (On real streets, not just the PATH.)

Next time, it's time for a stealth workout. No speaking about it beforehand. I'll sneak up to my bike, ninja-style, then head out for as long as the clock allows.

For now, I'm stripping the white cover off my comforter for a soak, since the white & blue sheets are moved to the dryer. Clifford decided to burrow in my bed this morning for his rest after walk and playtime in the wet yard. Little red Georgia clay pawprints everywhere. Sigh. Good thing he's cute, even when he's naughty.

Back to school "fun"

2009-08-17T14:36:00.004-05:00

The second week of school started today. Between all the BTS schedule adjustments last week, along with homecoming picnics, parent meetings and cross country practice, it's been all kerfuffle, all the time around here.

With this morning's stint in the front office at the high school, and children picking their afterschool activities (one per child) for autumn, I'm finally beginning to get things nailed down on the calendar.

Just out of curiousity, what would this image in a note from your child's teachers say to you?

Would it give you the idea that you shouldn't send peanut butter & honey sandwiches, and maybe try out some alternatives, like almond or cashew butter? Because that's what I thought. (I knew soynut butter was out, since it's more closely related to peanuts than the others.) Found an almond butter my picky little DD liked. She proudly packed up a small container with her apples, string cheese, whole grain crackers, dried pineapple and oatmeal cookies today.

Imagine my surprise at her almost tearful report on not eating her almond butter and apples today, along with a stern "NO MORE" from the teachers. It's not peanuts. If the child(ren) in her class is allergic to tree nuts, then the school has sent out the wrong note. And, if it's just because almond butter is a nut butter, and they're being super-cautious, then... well, actually, I understand that, but they still need to send out the correct information about which products are banned.

In the meantime, here's hoping the threat of bologna sandwiches can change my little girls opinion on sunflower seed butter. I refuse to send jelly-only sandwiches, which I understand some parents are doing.

Constant Cravings

2009-08-12T11:26:00.003-05:00

For the past few days, I've been craving greek yogurt (honey), nutty granola and dark chocolate chips.
Breakfast, lunch (except for one day of thai curry), and dessert. Heck, I'd be eating the same combo for supper too, if not for the rest of the family.

Then, this morning, I'm feeling a bit out of sorts, so opt for a slow lope with the dogs, instead of a tempo run. When I get back home, pour my coffee and put together my yogurt/granola/dark chocolate combo, I sit down at the computer to this at MizFit:

MIZ. What do you eat when you have your period and crave sweets. Lots of sweets. I cant do treat days through my whole cycle. HELP!

Ahhh, that’s me (and many of us) to the proverbial T.

I used to think it was all in my head but, the older I get, the more I realize it isnt. My body truly craves sugar during that time of the month.

Interesting timing, no?

And then, part two of the post:

Miz, I’ve heard you talk about active rest and I wondered if you could define this for me. As a former overexerciser I tend to use the term active rest to pretend to myself I am taking a day off (doctor’s orders) when I am probably still doing too much. Suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

I loved this email because active rest is a concept which took me a while to wrap my training-brain around as well.

I tend toward the other end of the spectrum from our emailer and, when I was following a set program/training for competition, wanted my days of active rest to be more the latter word than the former.

By definition active rest is when we do lightlight activity (walking, slow swimming etc) in order to spark the RECOVERY process and not in an effort to calorie burn or tax our bodies in any fashion.

What?! How did MizFit and her readers get into my head this morning?

In all seriousness though, there's great information in the post and comments about the connections between particular cravings and missing essential nutrients they signal, along with discussion of active rest and recovery exercises.

Are you from Denmark?

2009-08-09T11:33:00.006-05:00

That's what the very nice older man in the car next to me asked at the red light (Roswell & Johnson Ferry) this morning. He also wanted to know where I bought the bike (REI), what the style of bike was called, since he only knew Mountain & Road.

It's a L-O-N-G light, so he had time to chat about the weather here in the South, and to let me know how heavy traffic is in Sandy Springs, and to ask about how difficult it is to get around with cargo, and what kind of time it takes. I really don't think it occurred to him that I could possibly be a local, since nobody from here is crazy enough to ride a bike in the busy suburbs, unless it's exercise, or because you have to.

I'm taking the original question as a compliment to my cycling chic for the day. Khaki skirt, dark blue babydoll top, silver helmet and...

Still no agreement from kids on a name, but the new bicycle does handle a load of groceries quite nicely. I think I need to add a front basket. Maybe wicker.

This time tomorrow...

2009-08-09T08:12:00.002-05:00

This time tomorrow, I'll be getting back from my morning run. The house will be quiet, and seem quite large.

I will enjoy my second cup of coffee hot, since I won't be forgetting it at the site(s) of mid morning kid spats which have been so common this summer.

News reading, blogging, weekly meal planning, errand running and even laundry folding will be done with the ability to finish a complete thought.

And, by 2:25 tomorrow afternoon, I will be very happy to start the rounds for picking up my noisy gang. I'm looking forward to hearing about old friends, new teachers and all the excitement of the new school year.

The Duchess is dead. Well... sort of.

2009-08-07T21:06:00.007-05:00

In addition to the last minute craziness with school prep - Yea for Monday the 10th! - there's been minor crisis which has demanded a bit of attention.

Duchess, my vintage Raleigh 10 speed, was run over by a car.

It was in the carport, at less than 5 mph, and I wasn't on it at the time.

My helpers (note the lowercase h) pulled the bikes out of the truck after Saturday's ride. They failed to lock my bicycle up with the rest of the stable, choosing instead to leave it propped against the side wall of the house. Next day, somebody (who shall remain nameless) was pulling into - or out of, never really got the whole story - the carport on a milkshake run with children, and...

Car snagged front wheel, put a lovely S-curve into the rim. (It's hard to show in a photo, since the fender bent with it partway, leaving it looking less warped than it is.) On a more recent bike... not that big a deal. But, as I've learned since Sunday, rims are no longer made with the same number of spokes, so the LBS will need to build the old sturmey archer hub into a new rim, and replace all the spokes, plus extras for the extra holes. $120-150, which isn't really all that bad. But...

There's the question of what's next. Completely mismatched rims will likely bug me, so I'll have to get the rear wheel rebuilt... but what happens when the ancient rear cogs are added to a new wheel? And, the crank has about a year or two left in it, tops. When the crank goes, that is also likely to mean most everything attached to it will need to be replaced, just so it all works together.

This means Duchess has gone from a useful bike which also happens to be a slow DIY project, into a full-blown PROJECT. I'm still scrubbing off the rust, tinkering with the mechanism in the bell, polishing chrome and conditioning the Brooks saddle, but won't be riding her again for a while.

Seeing as how school starts next week, and my schedule opens back up for 90% of daily commute and errands being done on two wheels, the lack of a city bike is a problem. After some browsing on Craigslist for a suitable replacement, ended up going to REI for a 2008 Raleigh Roadster Step Through. It allows for an upright position, is perfectly suited for riding around my 5 mile radius... in street clothes. I can have a generator hub and light installed when the days are shorter. REI installed the rack for me, so I'll be able to pop on the panniers Monday morning for my bank / library / coffee / grocery trip.

Went for a short inaugural ride Wednesday evening. Gotta say, it was kind of nice, not having to guess where the lever needed to be for a gear shift, or figuring out exactly how much pressure to put on the brakes (varies by humidity level... I swear). This is going to be a fun bike to ride, but I do miss Duchess.

Hopefully, the new bike will gain a personality as I ride more. The kidlets are debating names right now, and once they've settled on something, that'll help. After convincing one child that "Silver Surfer" is not an option, here's the list of finalists:

Artemis
Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena in Percy Jackson & The Olympians book series)
Persephone

On a happier note, the green hybrid (Peppermint Patty) which was my very first bike as a new adult rider is going to a new home. A family friend has need of a starter bike, and I hope mine will do for her what it did for me.

I love the smell of kudzu in the morning

2009-08-03T11:37:00.007-05:00

Saturday's ride was beset by annoying issues. All fixable, but requiring valuable ride time. Flat tire, a pain in the butt to change on ye olde duchess (no quick release there). Adjustments for the normal stretching of the brand new shifter cables... and one incident of a chain being stuck fast between cog & frame. That last one was completely my fault, as I was a total idiot and moved the rear shift lever for a front shift... wait! Go back, and reverse that. The levers don't click into place with each gear (think trombone slide valve, as opposed to an instrument with keys) so I'm used to guesswork. It was a definite 'Doh! moment when, instead of hearing the rear cog shift up smoothly, my chain dropped off the front.

Not to make it sound like a ride from hell, there were many good points. The company was good, and patient with my constant drops. The sun was shining. And, filling the air with the smell reminiscent of pitchers of grape kool-aid and popsicles from childhood...

The kudzu is blooming! Who cares if it's blazing hot and the air is thick with humidity... I love August riding.

Stopped by Tijuana Joe's Cantina on the way home, to satisfy the craving for salty food and icy beverages.

Definitely hit the spot.

After reading Jett's ride report from his Saturday intown ride this morning, I'm going to take a page from his refueling tips. Think next week's post ride meal will be paella. Never really thought about it from a recovery meal standpoint - or as he put it "reloading the sweatguns"

Dog Days of Summer

2009-07-31T09:43:00.008-05:00

While getting the newspaper might be a good job for Clifford down the road, he's got a ways to go. I'll need to toss the paper onto the truck next time I throw it up the driveway. Or just keep it in my hand. Good thing I do most of my news reading online?

It's not that hot for late July / early August this year, but Dog Days still applies. Between two dogs and three children who are completely out of their minds, I'm dog tired.

Cannot wait for school to begin. Being off a tough schedule was fun for a while, but I'm over it. I want regular bed times. Breakfast and lunch at established intervals, not based on what time I manage to drag the two night owl children from their beds in the morning. Since getting back from vacation, B1 and DD seem to believe they are still on mountain time. No amount of summer reading, music practice and math games seemed to work at holding back the kids' brain rot. (Not that I was immune. My vocabulary and ability to form complete sentences has decreased at approximately the same rate as their bickering and nonsense has increased.)

The summer with the kids at home, instead of in day and away camps has been good for all of us, but I think we're all about ready for it to be over.

One week. That's what's left of summer vacation. Then, it's back to homework help, school/class volunteering, packing lunches and pressing uniforms. And... regular veggie lunches, midday run and ride time. Being able to do 90% of the shopping by bike again. No more sandwiches for lunch, or random stress snacks. The five pounds of summer weight will melt away. (Yes. I gain weight during the active summer. Who does that?!)

On a "you are not alone" note, I came across this at MomFiles yesterday:

Wow, I did not think I would say this but I am ready for the girls to go back to school. I have enjoyed having them around and they are so helpful to me but it's just time to go. I have not been on a proper schedule at all. My eating is so not right. Too much snacking with the kids around or I just don't eat on time. I am always scattered all over the place and I don't like it.

So glad to know it's not just me.

To complicate matters for the last couple weeks at home, we've hit a rainy patch of weather. Finding alternative outdoor exercise is a little tougher than when the kids were younger and happy to run around with umbrellas, splashing barefoot through puddles. Might break out the waterguns for a battle in the next rainstorm. Will have to see how B2 is feeling - has a bit of an upset stomach. At the least, I'll send out B1, DD and the dogs. The long waist leash should keep the puppy from getting into too much trouble.

Yesterday was a walk with the dogs in between downpours. Peter T. Dog is always great on runs, but usually enjoys walks as a chance to stop & sniff... every 10 feet. Drives the kids nuts, and since he's still got 15-25 pounds on the little ones, there's not much they can do to keep him moving. With Clifford tagging along though, Pete keeps moving. Can't let that little ball of fluff take away his spot as lead dog, after all. Good walk, with a little bit of playground time, during which I filled up the travel water dish for the four legged kids.

Spiced Blueberry Chutney = YUM!

2009-07-30T19:38:00.005-05:00

After first amadeus & chutney on toast, I thought to snap a photo. Good thing, as it went very quickly (and a rather messily) from this point on.

So very good. The vinegar really mellowed in the few days since canning the batch. Was a bit worried by the strong scent during cooking. Will pick up more of the Amadeus at Whole Foods this weekend, and repeat this meal as Sunday lunch. May have a 1554 belgian black instead of the unfiltered wheat beer.

On a "try something new" note for the kids, even though they were having leftovers from Tuesday, they all tried both kinds of cheese. B1 preferred the buttery taste of the Amadeus (if he had to eat it), DD loved the Amadeus, and thought the Parrano was okay. B2 loved them both, and tried to get me to trade part of my cheese for part of his dinner. (Let him have a couple more slices after he finished up veggies.)

More experimenting with presersves: Blueberry Chutney & Plum Preserves

2009-07-29T16:24:00.007-05:00

After the recent success with delicious (and properly sealed) jars of blueberry preserves, I decided to try a couple more recipes - plum preserves, and the spiced blueberry chutney I'd seen on Grist.

Along with three of the four pounds of plums and the two pounds of blueberries from my last Costco trip, I needed fresh ginger, shallots and lemons. Followed the recipe on the chutney - cut in half - but decided to wing it on the plums.

Since the plums would need extra time for sitting in the sugar and simmering off water, I started with those. Sliced the plums, then cut each slice into chunks. Mixed in 2-1/2 cups of sugar and set it at the back of the counter while prepping the chutney ingredients.

Poured sugared plums into pot and brought to boil on medium high. Added lemon juice and 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and brought the temperature down to medium low. (Just high enough to keep it at gentle boil.)

On the other side of the stove, sauteed shallots and fresh ginger in olive oil, then added one cup sugar and four cups of blueberries. Once this came to a boil, I added lemon juice, red wine vinegar, white pepper, allspice, nutmeg and one bay leaf. After it had been at a low to medium boil for 20 minutes, it had thickened quite nicely. Ladled the hot chutney into jars which had been simmering at back of stove.

By the time I'd finished with the chutney, the liquid had been cooking off the plums for about one hour. Used the potato masher to break up any remaining chunks, and brought up to a full boil for ten minutes before ladling into the remaining jars.

All jars were sealed, popped back into the hot water pot, and "cooked" for 10-15 minutes. Once everything had cooled, I had seven jars total, all with the lids popped down.

Opening the first jar of blueberry chutney tonight, to go along with fruit, flatbread and mini-melba toast. Have some Amadeus (buttery) and Parrano (sharper tasting gouda) from Whole Foods to have with it. Just have to decide between a glass of chardonnay or some of the wonder Mothership Wit from New Belgium. (Kids are eating leftovers from last night... they liked last night's turkey/vegetable loaf so well that they asked for it again. Far be it from me to discourage them.)

And, if I've any room left after supper, I'll join the kids in toasting up oatmeal muffins from breakfast and covering them in plums.

Pushing limits this Autumn

2009-07-28T11:30:00.003-05:00

Looking to push myself a bit harder this fall. If only a little from the physical, then definitely a lot from the scheduling standpoint. I'm not sure if the prospect of regaining my mid-day exercise time has made me lose my senses, but I'm thinking about filling many weekends this autumn with events. Considering a few new events, in addition to the races I enjoyed last year. Not just races for myself, but a few for the whole family. (Or whichever portion of the family in town that week.)

August:
8 - Dog Days Run, 5k
At least one family member will be gone this week, but B2 and DD should be up for doing this one. After all, it's a technical shirt with a dog on it. They have race shirts with tigers, pigs and possums, but no dogs.

September:
4 - Midnight Flight (Anderson, SC)
Think this year I'll push myself a bit, and run the 5k and 10k, back-to-back. Not sure that I'll take the whole weekend like last year, but I will definitely sleep in at the hotel Saturday morning and drive home by the slowest route possible, with stop(s) for delicious food & reading.
26 - Big Peach Sizzler 10k
Enjoyed run/walking the Big Peach 5k with B2 this spring. He won't be able to make the longer distance, but chances are I can get the 15yo B1 to run it with me. (He'll probably beat me, too.)

October:
3 - Ted's Montana Grill Stampede 5k
This is a maybe. The race is downtown, and post race food includes sliders, so I'm all for making a day of it with the kids, and adding a trip to the Georgia Aquarium after the race. We'll see though, because the next day is...
4 - 1st Annual Locomotive Half Marathon & 5k
The idea is for kids & dad to run the 5k while I'm running the half. If we do the 5k on the 3rd, it may end up being just me. Or B1 doing the 5k, since he's old enough to hang out while I finish the HM.
17 - Big Peach Fall 5 Miler
This one would be just me, and largely depends on whether or not I sign up for...
24 - Carolina's Challenge Metric Century (Spartanburg, SC)
The ride is a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, which is a cause I'd be glad to support. It would be my first "official" ride, and is in the town where I graduated HS. Rolling past all the things that have changed in the last 20+ years could be fun.
31 - Silver Comet Half Marathon
Definitely running this. Might even wear some sort of costume - or at least orange - since it is Halloween. Chances are good B1 would be running this as his first HM, if he'll do the work and get out of bed for training runs in Sept/Oct. (Yes, he'd probably finish this faster than me, too.)

November:
Not sure what, if anything, I'll schedule us for in November, but the one event I'm planning on is the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day. It worked out so well last year, I'm hoping to convince my family (and any relatives who wish to visit) that having our big family dinner on Friday is a perfectly good tradition to build. After all, even without all the money we'll be spending on race fees, there is no way I'd be participating in Black Friday shopping madness.

Now, to get everyone signed up for any August and September races, then figure out what comes next. And by next, I mean October through December of this year. I'm not quite ready to talk about where I'm thinking about setting the bar for 2010.

Pupdate

2009-07-27T09:29:00.003-05:00

Behold the poor, pitiful puppy, banished from the cozy sofa on Saturday night. Not for being on the sofa. I'm fine with snuggly dogs. Not for bringing his chew toy on the sofa with him. I can appreciate the snuggly puppy with a teething ring. What I'm not fine with is having my wrist used as a teething ring by the snuggly puppy on the sofa. I think Clifford has designated Mommy and Peter T. Dog as his favorite things. Or maybe we just taste good. Either way, Clifford needs to learn that Peter T. and I are not chew toys. Pete's better at getting the message across, with a bark and a bit of shunning. I'm hoping a "NO" and being booted from the sofa will work as the human equivalent.

Aside from that, it's been a good week for learning around the house. The kids are learning to keep tasty toys, shoes and "stuff" off the floor, along with learning to recognize the signs of a young dog in need of a trip to his favorite potty spot under the magnolia tree.

I've learned that the coffee table isn't a safe spot for folding laundry, unless I was looking for a reason to run laps through the house, retrieving the socks Clifford steals. He's not chewing them, just trying to start a game of chase. It's very much like a baby deliberately dropping things from the high chair, just for the fun of mom or dad picking it back up.

Peter T. Dog isn't really learning anything, but he seems to be having fun being a teacher. On a family hike at the Chattahoochee River trails, he was not-so-subtly asserting his place as official scout by walking directly in front of Clifford to keep him from passing. And, during our normal side trip to the boat ramp for a doggy cool-down, Clifford was initially shying away from the water. Pete walked up to Clifford, chuffed in his general direction, and walked into the water. Only after seeing Pete soak himself would Clifford set his paws in the water at the edge. When Pete cooled off with his normal lie-down in the shallows, Clifford walked about a foot into the water and sat. Never took his eyes of the grown up dog. (I watched.) Clifford sat in the river until Pete stood up and shook out the water. Clifford tried to shake on his way out, but with far less grace. He fell over midstep, providing the whole family with a good laugh. I'm pretty sure Peter T's snort was an amused snort.

Anyway, after 4.5 miles of walking and a bowl full of food, both dogs are napping quietly by my desk.*

*Darn. Tried to get a picture of the two dogs. Peter T. Dog wasn't as sacked as I'd thought. He noticed the camera, and moved to the other side of the desk. (It wasn't even the camera with flash - just my phone.) Clifford, the chalk outline puppy, didn't even stir.

Grocery Challenge - At the halfway point

2009-07-26T19:15:00.010-05:00

Slightly past the halfway point for the year, but I'm making progress on dropping the regular weekly grocery budget for the family into the range I tried out for one month last year. Getting my weekly shopping information into Google Docs has taken a while. I put all the weekly totals into a spreadsheet, and found I lost my ability to add a list of numbers properly, at least by the old paper & pencil methods. Somewhere over the last six months, I'd gotten off by about $40. Not sure if it was an incident (or three) of reversing numbers in transfer, or if the children and old age are taking their toll by erasing the basics of addition from my mind.

As far as errors go, it's a good one. My botched YTD was higher than the correct number, so I'm glad to admit it. I'm not going to go back through every single shopping trip, item by item. But, I will pop a snapshot of the year so far right here:

I haven't managed to get the weekly average below the target of $25/person (or less), but I'm getting closer. With the last few weeks of summer, there's a bit more "junk" food than there will be once school starts. Popsicles for handing to kids during outside chores in the heat. Ice cream and cones - so I can easily head off requests for $2-3 frozen treats at the pool. Single serve snacks, juice boxes and pre-sliced apples for hikes, bike rides or mommy pool camp. Between those items and the fact I'm shopping with the children throughout the summer, I look forward to the totals continuing to drop over the next few months.

The ongoing "try something new" suppers are a big part of the difference. By treating a few meals each week as experimental dinners and letting the kids make suggestions for how recipes can be altered to make dishes more kid-friendly, we're finding ways for everyone to eat the same meal, though sometimes with slight kid/grownup variations. I'm not cooking two completely separate dinners very often anymore. If I have a hankering for a really spicy curry dish, or something they've tried and truly disliked (like the pan-crisped deviled eggs on french lettuces), they get cheesy pasta and veggies. Other than the snacks mentioned above, we really don't have much in the way of heavily processed foods.

Here's the weekly lists for the last few weeks. I know the YTD and average don't match up... like I said, my math skills are not what they once were. Thankfully, there's technology to make up for my failings.
Week 28 - $96.67
Week 29 - $91.78
Week 30 - $106.33
Week 31 - $102.58

**Shoot. Along with my diminishing math skills, I've also forgotten how to correctly set up a batch of images for conversion. Will need to grab the last week and add to post in a bit.

"Yeah?! Well, your feet smell like cheese... and death"

2009-07-24T12:56:00.002-05:00

Overheard while packing the cooler and sunscreen for afternoon at the pool.

Said by B2, as part of a strange conversation among the children involving the sniffing of flip flops. Cue the hurt feelings, arguments and waterworks.

It's official. As of this afternoon, I'm ready for summer to end.

Until then, I'm adding a beer to the cooler, in place of my regular iced Dr. Horrible's Tea of Evil.

In a jam

2009-07-21T11:18:00.006-05:00

Blueberry Apple Jam... YUM!

Whole Foods has had fantastic looking two pound containers of blueberries on sale the last couple of weeks. Went through blueberry scones, blueberry oatmeal crumble cake, blueberry waffles with the first package, along with sprinkling a few berries in every bowl of yogurt, ice cream or cereal. This weekend, I decided to try my hand at preserves.

I make jams, chutneys and jellies - in small quantities which go in the fridge or freezer. Have never tried official "preserving" before. Picked up a dozen half-pint ball jars at the local Ace, dug out my largest pot, and got all the necessary implements ready to go.

4 cups blueberries
2 grated granny smith apples (with skin)
2 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Bring to full boil for 10 minutes. Add a small pat of butter if the juices get foamy. Turn off heat and ladle into hot jars. Seal and place back into large pot of hot water. Bring to boil and cover for 10 minutes.
Cool for 24 hours. Check seal on jar lid when cool. If the center of the lid pops up after pressing, store in refrigerator or freezer. If lid center stays down, it's sealed, and can go into the pantry.

All four jars sealed, so we're good to go. The little bit extra was used up right away, on a batch of cornmeal waffles.

Now that I know I can do it, I'm going to try something savory, while the blueberries are still a bargain. I found a recipe for Spiced Blueberry Chutney over at Grist.org, and am hoping to try it out later this week. A batch of pint jars might be in order soon too, as the grape and heirloom tomatoes in the garden are growing like crazy. When the yield is greater than we can eat fresh in a few days, it'll be time to put up jars of tomato basil sauce and spicy corn relish.

Vacation Photos: This year's "awkward" shot

2009-07-20T11:57:00.008-05:00

Every year there's one shot taken, usually by the children, that must be immediately deleted. Usually taken at an upward angle. Up the nose, just right for creating a triple or quadruple chin. Mid choke on a bite of food, while in the process of getting up from table, so as to get a photo with the perfect storm combo of closed eyes, open mouth... and a view straight down the bathing suit top. It's always the worst shot of the trip, and it generally seems to be my luck to be dead center.

Not this year. In sorting through the images restored from the deleted memory card, I've managed to recover most of the vacation photos which disappeared when the laptop was stolen. And, in the tradition of shots taken of mom at awkward angles, highlighting my least favorite attributes, here is this year's shot. It was taken at Garden of the Gods, while DD and I were scrambling to get a better look at some of the holes in the rock. Higher up, beyond where we climbed, the birds fly in and out of the many holes in swooshing waves, looping around and back into the nests. There were many parts of the trip which were wonderful, but the mini-adventure with my daughter was definitely a highlight.

I'm going to treasure this photo, expecting next year's crop to be back to normal.

Is multi-tasking a personal style idiom?

2009-07-20T10:39:00.008-05:00

In putting away the laundry today, I realized I never exactly got around to my summer wardrobe updating this year. Earlier this year, I had plans for buying a couple of sundresses, finding some sandals which would fit both outdoor activities and looking cute (if still outdoorsy) with previously mentioned sundresses.

That's not to say I haven't purchased anything. I've just done my shopping with a different point of view, and at sporting goods stores.

A running skirt and pink singlet (tank) by Nike. The water resistant zipper pocket in the skirt has been a lifesaver in keeping the iPhone nice and dry on rainy or hot & sweaty runs.

A couple of Royal Robbins and Columbia tanks with built in bras, in moisture wicking materials.

Cycling skirt by Novarre (in black), to replace the thinning and fraying Sugoi wrapskirt.

My only purchases from a typical clothing retailer? One pair of khaki bermuda shorts and a lightweight collared shirt from Old Navy, to replace stained/wornout items.

My summer uniform is all about the multi-tasking this year. I'm always in one of the new tops, other technical tops or my lightweight fitted T's paired with running skirts, khaki shorts or the marvelous hiking skort I purchased at REI last summer. On rainy or cooler days, the cargo capris I purchased for $3 at the thrift store, two years ago come out of the drawer. Footwear is almost always running shoes or a pair of ballet flats, unless we're at the pool.

If an outfit can go from baking breakfast muffins to hiking by the river with kids and dogs, hopping on the bike mid-afternoon for a trip to the store, followed by strapping on the hydration belt and going for a run... that's what I'm wearing.

So much for being a "put together" mom. I know I'll never be the "stylish" or "glamorous" mom, and that's quite alright. I don't have the patience for the higher maintenance which goes with those style types. I'm long past the "new mom" style of wearing whatever will be the easiest to hide and/or wash out the various substances which are produced by babies and smudged by toddler. I'm not in the "frumpy" category, at least I hope not.

After the kids head back to school next month, I should be able to segment my wardrobe a bit more. Along with having definite times for certain activities will come the chance to be a bit less multipurpose when getting dressed. It's going to be almost like shopping when I start perusing the closet for non-sports related outfits, those first couple weeks of the school year.

It's definitely time to do a bit of thinning and updating. I'll be hitting the color posts over at The Space Between My Peers, Inside Out Style and a few others before doing any shopping. My preferred color palette has been shifting over the last couple of years. I'm starting to like more variety in colors, and my standard base color has somehow moved from black and grays to shades of brown.

Pupdate

2009-07-19T21:11:00.004-05:00

We're all loving the new family member, runny wet puppy nose and all. The cold should be clearing up, so we'll be seeing less of the runny part of the wet puppy nose soon.

He and Peter T. Dog are still getting along quite well. Playing chase around the house is all the rage with them, even though Clifford does occasionally forget what he's doing and wander off, mid-game. (It's the grasshoppers. They're very interesting. And so are fireflies.) When he does get distracted, Pete comes back, snorts something - I like to think it's "neener-neener, can't catch me" - then takes off at a slightly slower run to let Clifford keep up.

The kids and dogs play together very well too, but I think I've got myself two 4-legged babies now. I'm used to Pete coming to me for reassurance, but now there's two. Not a problem when I'm at my desk, or curled up on the sofa with a book. But in the kitchen, it's becoming quite the adventure.

This is a photo of the furry boys during my ironing the other night. This is pretty much how they land in any room where I stop for more than five minutes.

My kitchen is a good old (except for the appliances) 1950's ranch house kitchen, meaning it's tiny. Pete's favorite spot is dead center of the stove-sink-refrigerator triangle. I'm used to stepping over his stretched out form, as he pretends to nap while secretly hoping for dropped food. With two dogs sacked out in the middle of the kitchen floor, cooking looks more like a strange new form of hopscotch. And, when you add children getting silverware for place settings and passing dishes to the table... think Twister.

Speaking of kitchens, the dishwasher just clicked off. It's time for me to take myself and the 8-legged furry obstacle course back into the kitchen.

Tomorrow morning is going to be Clifford's followup on his little suture site infection, along with Pete's annual checkup. After clean bills of dog/puppy health, it's into the bath for the both of them. They both have the hot weather dog smell about them, and Clifford's fur is a magnet for dust and pollen during his exploration below furniture and thick hedges.

Bicycle built for two

2009-07-19T20:28:00.003-05:00

Had intended to rent a city trike for the reluctant cyclist at the shop in Hiram, but they were closing early today. Drove back in to Mableton and rented one of the tandems from the Silver Comet Depot today.

B2 (almost 10) hasn't ridden a bike since the big spill last fall. He was only scraped up a little, but Dad's arm took two metal plates and 16-18 screws. Threats, cajoling and bribery have all failed to get him to try on his own, and at half my weight, there's no way for me to keep him balanced on the third wheel trail-a-bike.

After a study of the solid frame, two wheels and comfort saddle, he decided that one minor threat and promise of mid-ride Nutter Butters were sufficient to get him to try riding again. We let the single riders of the family get a head start, while we did a test spin around the parking lot. B2 was very nervous starting out, and I was prepared for the worst.

By the time we'd looped around and were getting ready to turn onto the trail, this is how the conversation was going:

B2: Hey! We're not wobbly.
Me: Nope, we're not.
B2: This bike is pretty stable. I think I like just having two wheels.
Me: So... you're okay with heading out now?
B2: Yeah.
Me: Need those Nutter Butters?
B2: No. I'm okay. I think this will be fun.

Within five minutes, B2 was telling me all about how he likes the bike, and loves riding with me. We had a pleasant five miles out, stopped for ice water (and nutter butter cookies), and headed back. The way back was filled with more pleasant conversation, as we tried out code words for when his feet slipped off the pedals. We finally settled on "Heinz". That was my cue to coast for a minute, so he could "ketchup".

Really great experience. And not just because it wasn't the constant worry about him throwing a fit and causing a crash. (Fit meaning deciding to go totally passive in protest and let the front rider do ALL the balancing - and it's happened... like during the crash last September.) In discussing the ride with Dad later that evening:

Dad: So? What did you think about riding the Tandem? Want to try it again sometime?
B2: No.
B2: ................[long pause*]................
*Moment of being utterly crushed as my hopes for happy family 2-wheeled day trips are dashed.
B2: I want to go again next weekend. Or maybe in three days.

Needless to say, I'm very, very happy.

Tire Troubles

2009-07-17T18:34:00.006-05:00

That ride to store on the just-out-of-the-shop bike?

Beautiful ride on the way to Trader Joes. Flowers, dried apples, cinnamon pita chips, brie... yes, I did stretch a bit to create a "must have" shopping list.

On the way back, I was edged to the right of the white line by a cell-phone talking driver in an SUV. The bike lanes are useless on Johnson Ferry. White line, six inches of asphalt, then an uneven joint to the six inches of concrete & curb. No way to get around a smashed beer bottle, and not enough time to stop.

Front tire made it through in one piece. The back tire was slashed open and instantly flattened. Had to walk the last third of a mile home.

Sigh.

On a silver lining note, I guess The Duchess will be getting those whitewall tires this weekend, and I'll be getting more practice at switching out tubes, tires and putting everything back together. Think I'll be looking at heavier duty tires this time around, too.

Bike Love!

2009-07-16T15:35:00.002-05:00

Picked The Duchess up from the bike shop today. With the right cables & housing installed, all 10 gears are available and shifting smoothly. The fellows even managed to soak the bolt on the seat post free, so I can adjust the saddle height.

Yea!

Am so excited, I'm scanning through my reasonably well-stocked pantry, looking for an excuse to ride to Trader Joes this evening after the rush hour traffic has died down. Surely there must be something I need for breakfast tomorrow.

If not, there's always dog treats, a bouquet of flowers and a couple bottles of Three Philosophers or Project Happiness White.

Must. Ride. Today.

Dog blogging

2009-07-14T09:49:00.006-05:00

Dragged the teen out of bed this morning for breakfast/cartoon duty with the younger two, so I could get in a run with the dog. The teen's going to be crabby all day, but... too bad.

It's been a few weeks, so it was just short run. A couple of miles (1.95 miles, 9:15 pace) with Peter T. Dog, sunshine and the sounds of birds and not-too-distant rush hour traffic. Yea!

It was a tiny bit of good exercise for the both of us, and a much needed bit of peace and quiet, away from noisy children and teething puppy.

That's right, I said "puppy." Clifford, intended to be Peter's packmate. Pete's been mopey since coming home from his two weeks in the country with dogs, cats and horse. A younger dog is supposed to give him a bit of zip to keep active and happy in his old age. It's worked well for my mother's dogs over the years, and the vet suggested it last year. The final straw was last week, when I was reading Radley Balko's blog. The kids were passing by the computer while I was on his normal Sunday dog blogging. It was a puppy blogging post. In looking at the cute photos, my little girl read the story about the puppy being a pal for his older dog. The lobbying began.

The intention when we visited the Atlanta Humane Society (no kill shelter) was a 6-12 month medium dog, preferably female. Found the perfect dog, 6 month old Annie, a beagle/terrier mix. Went back again the next day with kids & Pete, to make sure the two dogs got along as well as the first day, and to bring her home. That's when we met Clifford.

At 2 months old, he's bigger than the almost-grown Annie. He's a Collie/Shepherd mix, so has quite a ways to grow from his current 20 pounds. In fact, the general consesus was to purchase a crate for a future 70 lb dog, but not to be surprised if we have to go larger by the time he turns one. He's teething. He's so young that housebreaking isn't going to take until he has bladder control. He likes to flip over water dishes and play in the puddle. He's not good on a leash yet, as the older puppy was. He's on antibiotics for an upper respiratory thing, and for the minor infection at his sutures (post-neuter). And, did I mention he's teething?

He's an absolute sweetheart. Playful, but not in a crazy way. Sleeps through the night, as long as his crate is by my bed. Pays attention when Peter backs him down with a sneer for too much ear/tail nipping, so there's been no growling or big dog bites. Only a couple of messes in the house over the last week, mostly due to children not quite knowing the signs of when a puppy goes from general sniffing to sniffing for a spot.

As for perking up Peter T. Dog, it seems to be working. He's now happily herding Clifford in loops around the house and yard a few times each day, instead of just napping in a sunny spot. (I make sure he still gets some time for peace and quiet in his nap spot, sans puppy.)

Summer Reading

2009-07-13T13:58:00.006-05:00

I am zipping through the books this summer. Not audio books, but good old-fashioned printed books. It has a lot to do with being home with kids. I thought there wouldn't be time for reading, but there is quite a bit.

Some is during the daily 30-60 minutes of enforced "quiet time." Figure if the kids aren't allowed to play games or watch television during that time, it won't hurt for me to follow the same general rule. Most of the reading is poolside though. I do get in and swim, but have no desire to spend three solid hours in the water.

So far this June & July:

Robinson Crusoe - Don't know how I made it through grades 1-12 (never went to kindergarten) without reading this, but I finally got around to it. I liked it more than I thought I would. I knew the story - who doesn't? - and knew I'd like the tale, but thought the style might be dry. I was wrong. The writing is more formal than the books I read to the children each evening, but it's not at all stuffy. The details of survival and character study were quite engaging. It was interesting how much it felt like reading a book after seeing the movie based on it.

Finished up Nation of Sheep by Judge Andrew Napolitano late last week. I'd have finished it several weeks ago, but misplaced it while packing for vacation. (It turned up on the kid's bookcases, between Emmy & the Incredible Shrinking Rat and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, two good books, though for a different audience.) It very clearly spells out the violations of the rights guaranteed to American citizens in the name of National Security. You hear all about them in any conversation with a Bush bashing liberal, though never so clearly explained. What's funny - and not in a ha-ha way - is that you could swap out "terrorist" or "homeland security" with various economic crises of the last year, and see how the same arguments to pass the Patriot Act and appoint new homeland security heads and hire thousands of employees are being used to pass economic stimulus bills, appoint financial czars and take over private businesses in the current administration. Maybe I should pick up Higg's Crisis and Leviathan sooner, rather than later?

Thud and Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett. Until reading the book written with Neil Gaiman, I'd not read any Pratchett. After reading Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, I started on the Discworld series by Pratchett. Really glad I did. Think the kids will enjoy these someday. Especially B2, who seems to have a similar sense of humor and is developing book habits like mine.

Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes. I highly recommend this book, even if you're not a runner. It's truly inspiring. It doesn't make me want to run through Death Valley in the middle of the day, but that's not the point of the book. It does firmly remind me that I can do anything I set my mind to, and push beyond limits I don't even know yet, if I only try. (This is a book the kidlets will read at some point.)

Seeing as how I'd misplaced the Napolitano book while packing, I grabbed Terry Goodkind's first book from the Sword of Truth series before taking off for Colorado. After finishing the re-read of Wizard's First Rule, I had to start on Stone of Tears, which lead to the current re-read of book three in the series, Blood of the Fold. Only seven or eight more to go... can't stop part way through the story. (What if it ends differently?)

Other current books are Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg and A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz. The subject of the first is fairly obvious, so I'll just say it's been interesting so far. I've always been curious about Burr, but the story of the duel with Hamilton in Founding Fathers, and some of the events leading up to it, set me to looking for more of the story. The Horwitz book - full title A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America - is really good, both in information shared and his wonderful writing style. If he were teaching history classes, I can't imagine anyone finding the subject dull. Right now, I'm reading of Horwitz's research trip to the Dominican Republic, in the chapter on the curse (or jinx) of Columbus.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 27

2009-07-13T12:42:00.004-05:00

Week 27 Shopping:
Trader Joes - $28.17
Costco - $120.15

Trader Joes (bike) - $24.06
Total - $172.38

2009 YTD - $3,665.52
Average weekly spending - $135.76

Still a bit higher than I'd like, but there was still a bit of restocking to do for both pantry and freezer. I took the June coupons to Costco for a few things I knew we'd use, and decided to buy the big pack of chicken breasts, onions and potatoes while there. The potatoes and vidalias have been definitely been worth it, but I'm not quite sure about the chicken. The two packs I used from the refrigerator were quite good - I'd say as good as the regular chicken breasts from Whole Foods. The Costco packs used from the freezer so far have been a bit stringy, though still tasty. If freezing poultry, I think I need to stick with the super-fresh from the Farmers Market. Even though the packets were "never frozen", they don't thaw out quite as well as the straight-from-the-butcher-counter breasts.

Supper Wars

Didn't try anything brand new this week, but did re-try a few things which have not gone over so well in the past. Meatless burgers being one of them. We bought boca burgers at Costco because of the coupon, but the samplers were handing out pieces of the store brand portobella & garlic burgers, which two of three children said they liked. Next time, we'll get those, because they were delish!

Snacky Dinner: Brie, Cilantro/Chive Yogurt Dip, Pita Chips, Red Wax Gouda, Baby Carrots, Berries & Apples

Went with a movie night. Mostly a hit, sort of. B1 didn't care for the yogurt dip; other two did. B2 still doesn't like Brie; other two do. DD is still the only one who eats strawberries...

Boca Burgers, Roasted potato & vidalia (foil packets), spinach salad

Burgers declared edible, but not good. Wasn't the texture, which surprised me. B2 suggested I use worcestershire sauce, so it would taste more like a real burger. As usual, kids enjoyed taste of potatoes cooked with onions, but skipped eating any pieces of onion.

Brinner! Turkey Bacon, Spinach Omelette, Whipping Cream Biscuits

Less whining this time, but there's still more spinach left on the plate than eaten when the egg is all gone.

Chicken Basil (Thai)

2009-07-07T08:25:00.005-05:00

Spicy Basil Chicken (or Tofu) with rice or noodles is my standard order in a Thai restaurant. It's one of those dishes I always think "I could do this at home" but never actually try. Probably due to the spicy part of the name. The younger kids are just starting to be okay with flavorful spicy. Hot spicy is still a while in the future.

But when we came home from vacation to a planter thick with Sweet & Thai Basil, I decided to give it a shot. Googled "Thai Basil Chicken Recipe" and started sorting through the many, MANY results. Skipped anything which was attached to a particular brand of sauce, television show or magazine. Narrowed it down to two recipes I could work between to get the dish I love in restaurants... minus some of the heat.

Chicken Basil Recipe from ThaiTable
Spicy Basil Chicken from Thai Food & Travel

Once you get over being hung up on not having packets of Holy Basil in the pantry, it's really a very simple dish. Chicken, basil, garlic, peppers, lime, fish sauce and oil for stir frying. Steamed rice on the side.

Sent kidlet outside to gather a small bowl full of both types of basil from the planter, set other kidlet to juicing a couple limes. Here's what I did to make it for the picky members of my crew:

Cut two boneless skinless chicken breast fillets into very thin, 2" long strips. Put them in the freezer for 20 minutes before cutting, so they'd be easier to handle. (Recipes called for ground chicken or chopped chicken thighs.)
Used a little over a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Indian red pepper, since there'd been no thai chili peppers at the store. I could have substituted jalapeno, but didn't want to. (Would use more than 1/2 tsp if not making for kids.)
Added a thin sliced Vidalia onion. The one recipe called for shallots, but it's summer in Georgia, which means I'm happily putting Vidalias in just about everything.

As with any stirfry, the ingredients are important, but the magic is in the timing. The recipe from ThaiTable has step by step photos, which made it very easy to get the timing right.

My plating wasn't as pretty as this lovely finished photo from their site, but nobody seemed to mind. All the plates returned to the kitchen completely empty, so I'd have to call this a keeper.

Will probably try other versions soon. Tofu, most likely, with ribbons of egg.

Silver Comet to Chief Ladiga Trail

2009-07-06T14:22:00.006-05:00

Rode the Silver Comet Trail on Saturday. Not my normal rides on the trail - rode the whole trail. The family was out for a short hike and a movie. (Ice Age 3 - something I really didn't have to be there for.) They were available for me to call in case of equipment failure - either bicycle or rider - but were planning to meet me at the Georgia-Alabama state line.

The first 20 miles of the trail are pretty well populated, but farther out, it gets to where you might go 10 - 20 minutes without seeing anyone. Didn't pull out the phone until I hit the point on the trail which had been my farthest point until Saturday.

Weather hot-ish, but not oppressive. Not very humid, and there was a nice breeze for most of the afternoon. Lots of stops along the way.

Picked up honey roasted peanuts and chamois butter at the Silver Comet Depot. (4.3 miles) So glad I did, as I'm not sure I'd be able to be sitting at my desk today - two days later - if not for the chamois butter.

Hopped off at The Chain Station in Hiram (14 miles?) for a break, and to grab more water. The breeze kept me from being drenched in sweat, but I'd gone through most of my first bottle. Had a talk with the bike shop owner about rentals while I was there. He has a city tricycle (think that's what it's called - upright, not the low to ground model) which he thinks he should be able to adjust from adult size to accomodate a 10 year old. Might be just the thing to get B2 back on the trail. He's refused to ride since the big wipeout last fall. If we can get him out on three wheels, maybe he'll get over thinking about which bones can be broken in a tumble.

Was extremely happy to roll past the 25 mile marker, between the Pumpkintown Trestle and Brushy Mtn Tunnel. At that point, it went from feeling like just another long ride out-and-back to exploring.

Coots Lake was the next stopping point, at 33-34 miles. Bought a big water to refill one bottle and top off the other, then enjoyed honey roasted peanuts and banana chips before heading back out. Am very glad I installed rear rack. Would have been a tougher trip without it.

Paused in Rockmart, to snap a few photos for sending to the family for my promised updates. (Supposedly to let kids in on the journey, but actually to reassure dad I was still alive & rolling.) They have a beautiful park along the creek (may be a river, but it's a small one), with shops and restaurants just off the trail. I can see this being a good turnaround point after stopping for lunch on future long rides.

Between Rockmart (39-ish) and Cedartown (51) there were remote sections and rolling hills. The trail zig zagged a bit when crossing roads, and this played a part in my "walk of shame" up a hill. Had to go up and over to follow the trail and didn't build up enough speed for the one and only big climb on the trip. Switched to granny gears, stood up in the saddle, and... lost my balance. Had to unclip FAST to get my feet on the ground. No way to get moving fast enough to clip in again, at least not for my clumsy riding style, so had to walk the last half of climb. Made the most of it by pulling out the vitamin water and the rest of the peanuts. (Ugh.) From that point on, it was rolling, so could build up momentum for each climb. Cedartown Train Depot was closed when I got to town, so sent a photo to the family, and kept pedaling west.

The section from Cedartown to Alabama was lovely, but definitely qualified as remote. I think I saw only five people during the last nine miles, and four of them were together. Rode through Gateway Park at the AL-GA state line a little after 4:00. Had gone about a mile down the Chief Ladiga Trail when I got a call from the family. They were back at the last Georgia trailhead. Was a nice lazy ride back to Esom though. Had a chance to snap a photo of Bloo at the Silver Comet Trail side of the gate, in addition to the Chief Ladiga.

62.77 miles in just under 4.5 hours, including breaks. Glad I did it, as it's good to know my legs can take it. If not for my sore seat, thunderstorms, and kids who wanted to play Monopoly, I'd have been out riding again on Sunday.

*Had a chance to listen to several podcasts I'd fallen behind on over vacation. Listened to Gardner Goldsmith's three part series on rights from Liberty Conspiracy (early June), and to the FreeTalkLive episode from June 20th with an hour of Walter Block. They were discussing Block's great book Defending the Undefendable, and it kept my mind quite busy, which probably helped distract me during the tougher part of the ride. Great discussion on "slumlords", in addition to a discussion with a caller about the self-ownership / ethical arguments for voluntary cannibalism. Yes, that's right. Voluntary Cannibalism. (Only something you'd ever hear from diehard libertarians.)

On a good day...

2009-07-05T15:53:00.005-05:00

...you recognize the signs before an incident of sibling terrorism happens.

And on a really good day, that potential for hair-pulling, pencil jabbing and gadget throwing can be turned into a silly photo op:
This is on the way back from the Alabama-Georgia state line. Family met me at the Esom Hill trailhead on the Silver Comet Trail. They saw Ice Age 3 in 3d, went for a short hike, then met me at the end of my quest to answer the question of whether or not I could handle 60+ miles in one ride. (Longest ride until yesterday was 50.) Means the goal of doing a metric century this fall is reachable.

Heading to Alabama

2009-07-04T08:44:00.004-05:00

All packed up, and ready to strap the trunk bag onto Bloo's temporary rack. Taking the Silver Comet all the Way to Alabama, 60+ miles. Two tubes, levers, pump/CO2, bare bones tools and a rag. Peanut butter pretzel sandwiches, banana chips, and an emergency GU. It's supposed to be close to 90, so I've two bottles of water, with spare drink in the trunk. There's places to stop along the trail, but I'd rather not chance running out, my first big outing. Have the sunscreen and chapstick...just need to check the charge on the phone, and I'm ready to go.

Not sure I'll be able to make the ride all the way back, seeing as how this is my first over 50 ride. We have it timed so that I can meet back up with the family in Cedartown this afternoon. They're going to a movie and out for a short hike, then we'll all grab BBQ (or Mexican) on the way back home. If I'm feeling great, will start early morning next time, and do the whole thing out & back.

So excited. There's super views once you get into the rural areas. Tunnels, big trestles, rivers, and all the things you'd expect with an old passenger train line. At least that's what I've heard. Today I'll find out!

How I spent my Mommy Pool Camp free time...

2009-07-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

You can lead a horse to water...

...then pop the trunk bag and grab a drink.

That's a 10 calorie Vitamin Water sticking out of the bag. I'm usually a water only person, but have to switch to alternating water and electrolyte beverages for the summer months. I'm not one of those women who "glisten" during workouts in the heat. I'm a completely-drenched-with-a-flaky-shell-of-salt-crust woman. The lemon and orange low cal vitamin water flavors are okay, but I prefer the Cherry Lemonade enhanced water from Whole Foods, as it actually tastes like cherry lemonade, and not just a chemical representation. (Fortunately, Whole Foods is not far from the house... great excuse for a ride.)

Next week's Mommy Pool Camp free time will be spent as plain old "Mom" (frequently said in exasperated tone, sometimes with eye roll), as I'll be going for a trail ride with the 15 year old. OMG - still can't get used to saying that number in reference to B1

Tourism by Detours

2009-07-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

I have a view of vacations which is not always popular with my children. Ask kids where they want to go, and you're bound to get a list of theme parks. Or the kid-themed cruises. Ask my kids, and you'll get some of the same answers. Tough, I say. (Fortunately, I'm backed up on this one.)

I remember going to amusement parks as a kid, but they're sort of a hazy blur. The childhood vacation memories which stuck with me are of digging my toes into the sand along a creek bed. Putting worms on fishing hooks. Toasting marshmallows over the campfire and burning my tongue when I pulled them off the skewers with my teeth. Pouring over maps. Cheeseburgers in diners. Racing to finish a book before we reached our destination, so I'd get a brand new book for the drive back home.

Hoping to instill a sense of adventure in the kids, we don't do theme park vacations. We'll go to Six Flags here in Atlanta, and will bend to a birthday trip request for Sea World or even Universal - which is very affordable when it's just the birthday kid and a parent. But vacations are for getting out and doing something we can't do at home. Spending a week in the mountains of North Carolina on the river, with tubing, hiking and horseback riding. Camping in New Hampshire and swimming (some diving) in the icy waters of Lake Winnipesaukee. Renting a house and spending a couple of weeks exploring (and doing nothing) around Apalachicola Bay.

While we like to go someplace and stay there, the journey is a big part of it. We've seen some truly beautiful sights on the long drives, from a sunset while crossing the Washington Bridge in NY to miles of migrating butterflies in Florida. The long drives usually involve a little bit of time off the interstates, too, giving us plenty of opportunities for detours.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of those detours. A look at the New Mexico map on the way back to Santa Fe from Capulin Volcano - yes, an off-the-beaten path destination on it's own - sparked a discussion of how close we were to Carlsbad. By close, I mean 5-6 hours out of the way, but what's that in the middle of 1,500-1,800 mile trek?

The drive to get to Carlsbad was all highway, and part of it was on the Historic Route 66, which made for some cool "ghost town" driving, and an amazing sunset to our right after we turned south. Drove through Roswell, NM after dark, which gave the children great entertainment... alien head street lamps and a UFO shaped McDonalds. (My photos are missing, so this image is from the livejournal of a fellow named brennando).

And Carlsbad was probably one of the favorite road trip stops of my life. It was wonderful to be sucked into the enchantment with the kids, and to have conversations about not just the science and history of the geological monument, but to weave the fairies and greek gods from our trip audiobooks into the conversation during the miles long walk through the caverns.

The photos from the camera may have been lost, but here's a few of the images taken on the iPhone.

Oh... even the food in the cafeteria by the gift shop was delish. I expected high prices like you find at most tourist stops, but the meals were worth it. They had the typical beef hot dogs you'd expect, but we got bean or chicken burritos in tortillas made with organic flour and FRESH green chili sauce, a spicy pulled pork which is far better than from my favorite mexican spot at home, and a grilled chicken salad on locally grown mixed greens. (No, didn't eat all of those things. I had the burrito, but was sharing across the table.)

Mommy Pool Camp = Best Idea Ever!

2009-07-01T09:06:00.003-05:00

Okay, it's not the idea that going to solve world hunger and global energy issues, but it's really high on my list of GREAT IDEAS this summer.

One of the other moms came up with the idea a few weeks ago that it would be nice to get the kids together three hours each Wednesday afternoon. Between the four moms, we each take a day and provide snacks and our skills at waterlogged child herding, while the other three get some much needed time to think in complete sentences.

As a bonus, the children will be able to break into groups that don't necessarily include the siblings they're beginning to get sick of during summer break.

Today is not my day for herding, so I will be taking The Duchess out for a ride, and then visiting the bike shop to put together an official list of what I need to do to get her 38 year old frame & gears ready for a metric century this fall. Hopefully, it's doable. Though I'd be happy to take Bloo (road bike), I like the idea of doing my first metric century on the old Raleigh 10-speed, seeing as how she's my age, and this ride will be one of those milestone events for me.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 26

2009-06-30T21:40:00.008-05:00

Week 26 Shopping:
Whole Foods - $91.70
Publix - $87.24
Total - $178.94

2009 YTD - $3,493.14
Average weekly spending - $134.35

These first two weeks back from vacation are a bit higher, as I'm restocking the fridge & freezer we emptied out before the trip. And, there was the matter of junk food. Publix had both brownie mix and ice cream sales, so it was a good time to restock the items for occasional gluttony. It turned out to be a bit more spaving (spending to save) than spurging though, as the promise of a scoop of ice cream or cold can of yoohoo (don't ask) when we get back home from the pool saved my wallet - and patience - from begging for pricier single serve items sold by our friendly neighborhood ice cream man.

Supper Wars
Meals were fairly simple this week.

Orange Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Jasmine Rice and Broccoli
Father's Day request. Two kids liked the shrimp, one ate under protest. None of them ate the peppers, onions and mushrooms on the skewers. That was anticipated, which is why there was broccoli.

Turkey Tacos, Mango & Black Bean Salad
Still can't get the kids excited about the black beans in salad form. Guess they'll have to be mixed in with the turkey for a while longer. Had ice cold Dublin Dr Pepper with this dinner. No dessert necessary after. (Wish I'd bought an extra three or four cases of the stuff while we were at the soda shop in Texas.)

Chicken Fried Rice
Got a night of leftovers out of this, too.

Brinner!
Spinach & Mushroom omlet, Turkey Bacon, Whole Wheat & Flax Waffles. (No mushrooms for kids.) Turned out to be perfect comfort food on a night we all needed it, too.

Thai Basil Chicken & Sticky Rice
Used thinly cut strips of chicken breast instead of ground chicken, and cut back a little on the red chili to keep from scaring off the kids. Used loads of both Thai and Sweet Basil from the planter. Soooo good. Will post link to recipe soon. Want to make sure I link the one with the step by step photos.

Photo Library Heartbreak

2009-06-30T21:12:00.005-05:00

I'm generally not big on the whole idea of revenge. I'm a fan of restitution when it comes to property crimes. But I'm having to fight some serious anger issues at the moment, in light of the thief who hit my house.

I don't care about the television, the cell phone or laptop. That's just stuff, which will all be replaced over the next couple of days. It's the photos not yet categorized and backed up which get to me.

The yellow-bellied marmot B1 caught on camera on the Cog Railway, which none of the six others in the group managed.
Swarms of ladybugs which turned tree trunks solid orange.
The shots taken while bracing themselves against the desert winds at the top of the Capulin Volcano, with mountains far in the distance; or in the snow at the summit marker on Pike's Peak.
Mahogany which had been converted into giant, silk-strung ghosts by throngs of green/blue caterpillars.
The double rainbow my daughter spotted after the rainstorm on our way into Odessa, Texas.
A beautiful shot of Birmingham, taken at 2 a.m. by a child who I thought to be asleep, but was quietly playing a gameboy. (It's quite pretty at night.)
The many cool buildings we saw in small towns on our highway driving. Some still in use, and others hollowed out stone and brick shells, like something from a ghost town.

I have snippets of some of these places, taken on the iPhone, but it's just not the same as some of the great shots the kids captured on their cameras.

Between anger about the theft of a part of our lives, and the restless week of sleep, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to meet up with the fellow(s) and introduce him/them to a few of my other possessions... and yes, being the potential domestic threat that I am, I'm talking about firearms.

Butt Dialing

2009-06-29T09:29:00.003-05:00

I've always found this commercial quite funny. The Motorola Slvr on the family plan, which was replaced by an iPhone, was horrible for butt dialing, and had to be kept with the keypad lock on at all times. Always the #1 & #2 spots on the quick dial, too.

It was still a great phone, so became our home phone on the shared minutes plan. No more butt-dialing. At least, not until Spring/Summer, when B1 started sticking it in his pocket on trips with his younger siblings to the park up the street. Until I showed him how to set the key lock, slot #1 (me) and slot #2 (dad) were treated to many, MANY calls featuring the muffled sounds of children on the playground and teens with skateboards or frisbee.

Background story in place, so let's flash forward to the present.

Our house was robbed on Thursday. The @#!*! took our new 42" LCD television and laptop. Called police, was told by the responding officer it was probably someone we know, or an extremely lucky young criminal with great timing. Nothing to worry about from a safety standpoint. A detective would be calling me, but I should call if we had anything to add after talking with B1 (away for the week) and the neighbors.

Around six o'clock, I received a text from a number I didn't recognize about Michael Jackson's death. I figured it was a misdial, and went on with my evening. A couple hours later, and several miles away, dad received two calls in a row, of the background noise variety. Thinking it might be work or kid related, he called back, and got a young man who denied making the calls. I was asked what - if any - business/personal finance activity I'd done on the stolen Dell, in case it was someone going through our data. (None - it was the kid computer.) I asked for the phone number. It matched the earlier text message I'd received.

That's too large of a coincidence for me. Especially when you take into account the discovery that the home cell phone was missing from it's normal spot on the shelf right next to the table where the laptop had been lifted.

There was no activity on the phone after the time we left for the pool on Thursday, so whoever took it wasn't using it on our plan. When I called the number, it went straight to auto message, no ringing. Our two numbers were stored in the phone, not on the sim card.

So here's what we're thinking:

The @#*%! who took it replaced the sim card with his own (or gave/sold to a friend), but didn't think to wipe the actual phone memory. When he sent a text about MJ's death to the #1 contact on his card, it sent it to me, the #1 on the phone. Later that evening, while out & about with the SLVR in his pocket, he butt-dialed the #2 stored on the phone. There haven't been any more mysterious phone calls, so the return call on Thursday probably tipped him off.

Left a message with the Sandy Springs police Friday morning. Didn't hear back from them, so did a Reverse Lookup on the phone number. Got an actual name and a residential address in Decatur. Makes me think the "really lucky" option is the case, if this is the @#%*!, and that he probably works at the road construction site less than half a mile away.

Still haven't heard back from the police, though I've called again. Either they're calling my home number, which doesn't go to anything until I visit the at&t store, instead of the cell number I left in the message, or my little non-violent home invasion is far down the list of priorities.

Either way, if they don't hurry, the inexperienced young criminal who robbed my house is going to get away with it. And next time, he'll know to wipe the phone before using it or giving/selling to a friend.

Grocery Challenge Catch Up

2009-06-26T16:00:00.002-05:00

Missed getting the last couple of weeks up before vacation, so am putting up stores & totals without the full shopping lists. Full lists and "try something new" menu will restart next week.

Week 21 (5/17 - 5/23):
Trader Joe's - $60.32
Costco - $86.94 (Stock-up trip)
Trader Joe's (bike) - $23.03
Total - $170.29

Week 22 (5/24-5/30):
Publix - $32.34
Little Euro. Bakery - $8.29
Publix - $59.33
Total - $99.96
This was an experiment in standard supermarket shopping. Prices good, but some of the food, especially produce... meh.

Week 23 (5/31-6/6):
Whole Foods (bike) - $30.25
Publix - $31.73
Whole Foods - $49.81
Total - $111.79

Grocery spending (as of 6/6/2009): $3,239.90
Average weekly spending: $140.86

We were on the road for Week 24 and Week 25. The restaurant meals we ate were officially part of the vacation budget, so don't figure here. I did pick up travel food at Trader Joes before we left, and again in Colorado at Safeway before we headed out for the trek back home.

The little bit spent on peanut butter pretzels, olive oil popcorn, juice boxes, baby carrots, apples, babybel cheese wheels, dried fruits and nuts provided us with a few picnic lunches, helping us avoid greasy fast food meals and more expensive "healthier" restaurant alternatives. Also saved quite a few whining rants - I mean requests - for the pricey snacks while we were refueling the van.

Week 24 (6/7-6/13):
Trader Joes - $33.13

Week 25 (6/14-6/20):
Safeway - $41.17
I'm totally spoiled by Trader Joe's prices on bagged fruits and nuts. The list of items purchased for the trip home was quite close to the list for the trip out, but the cashews, pistachios and almonds in the little canisters cost quite a bit more than my usual $5.99-$8.99 baggies at TJ's.

Grocery spending (as of 6/20): $3,314.20
Average weekly spending: $132.57

I'll post a few of the memorable "try something new" meals in our ongoing Supper Wars this weekend, after I see if I can dig up recipe links. If not, I'll type them up and post. Yes, a couple were that good.

Applewood bacon, heavy cream, strawberries...

2009-06-26T09:23:00.004-05:00

How's that for a shopping list?

Only things we need from the store today.

Edit:
Maybe I should have put need in quotes. After all, I don't "need" the strawberries, I want them.

Unbelievable...

2009-06-25T17:31:00.003-05:00

...we're gone for 2-1/2 weeks, and the house is fine. Four days after getting back home and into our regular routine, we come home from the daily trip to the pool to a missing 42" flatscreen and laptop.

Somebody walked into the family room through the one door I didn't think to check on the way out of the house, and braved a loud, 85-lb dog.

Whoever it was unhooked the cables and cords from the television and picked up the remote from the coffee table. Left the xbox 360 completely alone. Then they must have noticed the laptop which couldn't be seen from the (locked) kitchen door on the carport. That was simply unhooked from the surge protector and taken away with the mouse still attached.

Must not have walked through the rest of the house, as I don't see anything else missing. The officer who responded was pretty certain we're physically safe, as he thinks it was probably a younger offender, since they were careful to take the things they'd need to use both items right away, and didn't go through the rest of the house.

On the phone with insurance now, and should hear from the detective tomorrow.

My initial thoughts are:

Thankful nobody (including Peter T Dog) is hurt.
Sad about the photos the kids have copied over the 4-6 weeks. Without the Flickr uploader working this week, I was unable to get them backed up. I wish I'd copied them to my computer with the vacation photos.
Disappointed in the kids, for not locking the back door when I told them to; and in myself, for not following behind them to check.
Anger at the thought that I now have to wonder about every teen, lawn guy, contracter and construction worker from the road project by the park. And, I have to wonder if it's bad to be predictable by following a set routine. Oh, plus wonder if dropping our 42" projection television off at Goodwill might have been the tipoff for this act, and not some random crime of opportunity.

Now, to fix some brinner and make a catalog of everything else... after I go put the lock on the bikes. Yes, the stable of bikes had just been moved back out to the carport yesterday, were not locked, and are all still siting there.

Home again!

2009-06-22T22:21:00.005-05:00

Took a detour on the way home from Colorado. Spent time in New Mexico and Texas, and took some extra time to wander an hour - or four - off the interstates.

I'm working through the mountain of laundry, restocking the pantry & fridge, and organizing photos. Will begin posting some of our "off the beaten path" gems (to borrow a segment from Slamdunk) in another day or two, along with regular topics. There's the best rootbeer float of my life, delicious BBQ, stunning scenery, cattle roadblocks... and more.

Until then*, here's a snapshot from Pike's Peak. We rode the Cog Railway up to the summit. Went from sunny summer to big old snowbanks in an hour. (iPhone photo, as I'm still sorting the images from the two cameras.)

*To be honest, I'm stalling. Haven't been on a run since the GOTG 10 mile over a week ago. It's been almost three weeks away from the bikes. I'm relying on the 15 year old and the Xbox 360 to keep the younger two busy tomorrow morning, while I go for a two hour ride. Love the children, but need the mental health break.
Will take them swimming or out for a hike after lunch, lest anyone think I'm letting them become complete couch potatoes.

Still on the road, but off the interstates

2009-06-15T19:38:00.011-05:00

Now that the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile race is finished, I'm taking some time to save all the photos stored and cameras & iPhone. We're in Colorado for another day or two, then head south into New Mexico before turning east toward home.

We spent a few days in Nebraska and Kansas, without spending a single moment on the interstate. It is lovely country this time of year. Green as far as the eye can see. Much better than our last long visit, in the middle of winter, during heavy snow & wind.

Sunset in Kansas on Monday night (Photos by DD)

Alma, Nebraska - running out the extra energy at park across the street from grandparent's house:

Alma is a wonderful little town. Many people ride bikes to get around, because everything is close and the roads are safe. Kids riding bicycles and walking everywhere. Children swarming over the playground equipment before going to the summer programs at the library. It was wonderful to see whole families walking to the park. It's not something you see in Atlanta. Families at the park, yes. But that's after they've loaded up in the SUV/minivan and driven there.

The multi-use lakeside path which runs the whole length of town made the perfect place to get in some maintenance miles while we were there. Plus, the start was only a block from the house, so no cars were involved in getting there.

Great visit with grandparents and great-grandparents. If not for the upcoming race, we might have stayed another day or two. As it is, we're looking forward to going back out next summer. (And I'm looking forward to leaving the three children with Grandma & Grandpa for a week. But that's next year.)

We're at the other grandparents' now, and are spending a few days doing many touristy type things.

On the road

2009-06-10T23:23:00.006-05:00

We're three - or is it four? - days into our cross country trek. The kids are doing great. The drive has been lovely, even when the weather hasn't been so great. Driving with the three of them by myself is not anywhere near as bad as I'd feared. The DVD player isn't going full-time, and there have been long stretches where there isn't a single video game in play. Audiobooks and a license plate spotting app on the iPhone (Spotters) have kept kids far more entertained than I'd imagined.

We're up to 32 states, including one of the two we never thought we'd see. When we were climbing out of the van at the Riverfront parking in Saint Louis the other morning, what should pull up in the opposite space but a suburban with Alaska plates. That was number 20, I think. We hit 25 states before crossing into Kansas, which meant it was time to stop at DQ for blizzards. Next milestone is 40 states, which we'll probably hit by the time we get into Denver.

I have no idea what's going on in the world, but I can discuss in detail the little details which make Artemis Fowl an amazingly fantastic and super cool evil kid genius, along with his progression to amazingly fantastic and super cool not-exactly-evil kid genius. We're listening our way through the first three books of the series, since they were bedtime reading a few years ago. Books four & five were more recent, so we'll be able to skip forward after this to the latest in the series, The Time Paradox.

There's a lot of photos stored on the cards of the two cameras the kids are using to document the trip. Shots from Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas - but I'm just not quite up to getting out all the cables and chargers tonight. These are a few of the shots from the iPhone. I'm on the Dell, so the photos are as-is...

Heading through Tennessee, somewhere north of Nashville. The kid who's a fan of big construction projects and anything to do with cars and motoring loved driving all the miles on roads cut through the rock.

Heading over to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The kids had seen photos, and had heard about it when I read The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson jumps out of the Arch during a fiery battle with a monster from Greek mythology), but the size of the actual thing outdid the image they'd built in their heads. It's been about 30 years since the last time I'd been up in the arch, so it was fun to go as an adult.

Gotta run!

2009-06-03T07:33:00.004-05:00

Today is National Running Day. I'd have known it sooner if I'd taken the time to read Runner's World when it came in the mail two weeks ago, instead of at the pool yesterday.

There's pages of tips on how to participate (get out and run), find running groups, and how to get started. There's probably not time to get to one of the official runs today, but I will be hitting the pavement for an Easy 3* later this morning, right after I get back from the dentist.

*Easy 3 describes my distance and pace in this case. It's actually one of my previously tough hill runs, which I never used on an easy day. The hill training I've been doing for the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile may not get me through the race course in the mountains all that quickly, but it sure has made running through my neighborhood easier.

Hi. My name is Joy, and I'm a Discovery Channel Addict.

2009-06-01T21:59:00.005-05:00

And History, Military, Science, National Geographic and Travel Channels. I blame the oh-so-convenient DVR with dual tuners, which allows us to record two shows at once. In high definition. And the oh-so-wonderful Comcast HD OnDemand service.

It started a few years before the DVR, with the occasional special on ancient battles, siege weapons or metallurgy, with seasonal binges of Shark Week, ancient Rome or Egypt, and engineering wonders.

Then, we saw frozen chickens being fired from an air canon at plane windshields. Mythbusters became a family viewing event. The one night each week where we'd break normal school year bedtimes and pile in front of the television... picture The Simpsons opening.

Knowing there wasn't possibly enough time to follow everything, shows like Dirty Jobs, Survivorman, and Anthony Bourdain had to be limited to the times when viewing marathons coincided with rainy weekends.

With the advent of the dual tuner DVR, we could get those previously limited shows, and more, to watch whenever we want. The good news was that the kids didn't have to stay up late on a school night to see Mythbusters. The "bad" news was the growing list of programs we wanted to - and could - watch. Bizzare Foods w/Andrew Zimmerman, Cities of the Underworld, Man vs. Wild. Alaska Week was added to Shark Week for those seasonal binges.

And now... Doing DaVinci, Pitchmen, Out of the Wild, The Detonators, and as of last night:

Expedition Africa. One episode, and I'm completely hooked. Heck, with spitting cobras, crocodiles and Masai warriors, we all are.

Nooooo!!!! It's summer, so it's time for SciFi/BBC America series. Torchwood, Doctor Who, Eureka, and the new Warehouse 13 in place of Stargate Atlantis. I don't have that much ironing to do, unless I can convince the children to start wearing linen.

Oh. Lest I forget, Spike TV has a show called Deadliest Warrior. You know that close to friendship ending bout of bickering you could start as a kid by asking who would win a fight between _______ & _______, usually filled in with superheroes? Well, Deadliest Warrior fills in the blanks with warriors throughout history from all over the world, and answers the question. Weapons experts, biomechanical experts, emergency/trauma doctor, and a guy to crunch the numbers and run the simulations. Ninjas vs. Spartans? Shaolin Monks vs. Maori Warriors? William Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu? The first season played back to back Sunday afternoon, finishing with terrorist vs. terrorist - IRA vs. Taliban. I haven't watched it yet, but all four episodes we haven't seen are waiting behind the glowing yellow lights on the HD DVR.

I'm looking forward to Ninjas vs. Spartans. The kids are pulling for Vikings vs. Pirates to be the next episode we watch. Is it wrong to be watching the forecast and contemplating adding "one full day of rain each week" to the prayer list?

Running as a family

2009-05-30T16:08:00.003-05:00

Ran the very laid back and close to home Save Our Skin 5k last week with most of the family. (DD was at a sleepover.) We broke into two groups - Run and Walk/Run. B2 and dad were the walk/run group. B1 ran with me. He made his usual smart alec remarks of encouragement - professing his love and appreciation for his short, old mom who runs like a girl... a really old one. Somebody proposed a wager of $5, which the old short lady accepted. (Wait - it wasn't a bet. I'd never contribute to the delinquency of a minor by agreeing on amateur sporting events. No matter how annoying the snarky little brat was being. The $5 in question was a performance bonus.)

The course wasn't quite as flat as I'd thought, but we were making pretty good time.
Mile 1 @ 9:25. Mile 2 @ 18:30, Mile 3 @... where'd he go?

B1 and his long legs had kicked into the next gear just before the Mile 3 marker, and he zoomed past me for the last tenth of a mile. His finish time was 27:01, close to a minute ahead of me. All those weeks of short runs to build mileage for the ING Challenge at school have turned my video gaming string bean into a runner! I finished at 27:45. Not as fast as I hoped, but about 4 to 4-1/2 minutes ahead of last year, if I'm remembering correctly.

We grabbed water and food and settled in to watch for the other two. Before B1 finished his blueberry muffin, Dad and B2 were coming along the last stretch. The completed the course at 46 minutes. That was a little slower than B2's 44:41 at the Big Peach 5k, but quite a bit faster than his first 5k of the year (53:00-Run the Reagan 5k) , back in February.

I'm so very proud of both boys. And, I've never been so pleased to lose $5.

Settling into Summer

2009-05-30T15:47:00.002-05:00

Who knew finding our happy place for the daily lazy summer vacation "schedule" would take so much work?

It's taken a week for the kids to get past thinking they have to try to stay up past midnight each night. The Exercise + Reading +Chores = Video Games is not something new, as it's in place each weekend throughout the school year, but it took few days of reminders that it still applies. The battles over helping with housework are coming to a middle.

The kids are getting adjusted, so now it's my turn. Been exercising, cooking, biking the grocery shopping and errands like normal, but computer time has been limited. There are a couple of maps to wrap up before my summer officially begins, so the available time has been for work, not reading and blogging.

Without the camp weeks which have helped keep mom sane in the past, I'm going to rely on a schedule. Nothing too strict, as long as general goals are met. These things, along with a good try at dinner, make evening movies, deserts, and video games possible.

Up, done with breakfast, dressed, and beds made before cartoons or video games. This is when I run/ride.
[Roughly] Two hours of reading and play - board/card games, legos, barbies, etc. This is computer time - work or otherwise - for mom.
Music practice & housework help
Exercise! Can be taking a packed lunch with us for an afternoon of swimming, hiking or general running about at the park. Yardwork, gardening and washing car and/or dog get to count for exercise, too. (If you've seen three children try to get an 85-lb dog into the outdoor tub when he'd rather be rolling in the veggie patch, and they're chasing each other with water guns, you'd see the exercise value.)

All bets are off in a couple of weeks, when the cross-country trek begins.

I'm a beyond-thrifty grocery shopper!

2009-05-24T07:22:00.004-05:00

I may think the grocery budget needs further trimming, but I'm beyond frugal by government standards. This isn't the beginnings of a rant on wasteful spending and federal bailouts, though that does seem like the obvious direction for this post to take. This is about official numbers on the food budget of the average American family, but - what the heck - let's make a brief side trip to the rant.

The federal government does entirely too much snooping and mucking about in the daily details of our shopping lives. In addition to being meddlesome, government agencies are constantly gathering data. Not that this is all bad. Data about population and crime statistics fall squarely into planning for the government to do it's main job - protecting life, liberty and property. But then there's all those other little details of our lives. Like that census question everyone likes to use to point out the ridiculous - about how many flush toilets are in a house.

In this case, the data has been collected by the US Dept. of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and is related to weekly grocery spending. It's broken down by sex and age, and has been conveniently categorized as Thrift, Low, Moderate, and Liberal. It's updated monthy. As unhappy as I am to find my tax dollars used to snoop in grocery baskets, the data is current, answers a question I had about how our food bills compare to others, and was easy to find. I'll swallow my grumbling and use it. After all, I paid for the @#!* stuff.

My question: How does our average weekly grocery spending of $142.89 compare to the national average?

According to the January 2009 data (link to PDF):

Family of four, with children in the 6-8 and 9-11 range:
Thrift.............$139.00
Low...............$179.90
Moderate.....$224.80
Liberal..........$272.90

Great, but I also have a teenaged boy. The recommendation is to reduce the weekly amount for the age/sex by 7% when adding to an existing family group. I used 10%, to avoid needing a calculator.

Male child, age 14-18 (less 10%):
Thrift.............$33.75
Low...............$47.07
Moderate.....$58.59
Liberal..........$67.32

Add the two sets together, and here are the USDA amounts for the weekly food spending of a family of five, with children aged eight, nine and fifteen:

Thrift.............$172.75
Low...............$226.97
Moderate.....$282.59
Liberal..........$340.00

The average weekly spending for my family is $30 less than the Thrift level of spending. Many weeks come in below the Thrift level for a family of four. Even my big stock-up weeks, with gourmet cheeses and fancy coffee, come in between the Low and Moderate levels.

I have lost just about all sympathy for anyone who says it's too tough and too expensive to buy healthy food. For people with access to only the inner city convenience markets that may be true. But for everyone else... Really?!

I do most of our shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, both considered to be at the high end of pricing. Buy organic when I can, especially if it's an item where we'll be eating the skin. Free range chicken. Grass fed beef. Eggs from birds with hormone free, vegetarian diets.

Sure, I could do more to lower the bill. Using only bulk dry beans, rather than purchasing canned, is a big one, given how many days they're mixed into our meals. If I were to make the drive out to the Super Walmart and Farmers Market each week, I could probably drop the bill even further. The only reason I don't is one of time and effort. I get far more enjoyment out of the ride to the store on the bike than I would from driving around the suburbs. It's worth an extra $10-15 each week to stay within a 3 mile radius of home. (Actually, if you figure in gas, it's probably more like $5-10 each week I'd save.)

I get that it's a convenience and personal preference thing. I bake oat muffins for breakfasts, and always make extra waffles during weekend breakfasts, to keep in the freezer for another day. Our granola is homemade. (Not cheap, once I add all the nuts & fruits, but still less than if I were to purchase the premium packaged stuff at the store.) Lunches are made with homemade sandwiches, not pre-packaged lunchmeat & cheese combos. Meat, poultry and fish are parts of our dinners, but rarely the main part.

I'm not saying everyone should do what I do. What works for us is far more difficult for someone who works full time. Heck, I read several Mom & Food bloggers who do far more from-scratch cooking than I do, plus gardening and food preserving. There are families out there who eat diets far healthier and greener than ours. In comparing the numbers here though, I have a pretty good idea that those families' grocery bills might not be much, if any, higher than mine.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 20

2009-05-24T06:45:00.003-05:00

Good week for the shopping by bike, with the exception of the frozen rear wheel and the call to my knight in shining armor for a rescue, right at the beginning of the week. Freewheel cleaned and oiled, so rest of the trips went smoothly. Again, loving the added cargo space having the panniers provides. And the stability of having all the weight on the rear rack.

Week 20 Shopping:
Whole Foods (Bike) - $62.14
Kroger - $6.17
Trader Joes (Bike) - $25.14
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $4.75
Farmstand (Bike) - $9.25
Total - $107.40
Year to Date - $2,857.86
Average weekly spending - $142.89

There's around $80 not included with this week's shopping. Made the decision to pull all of the food for school parties and cooking for the international festival out of the regular shopping. I have a monthly item on the budget tagged "Misc-School" which covers things like yearbooks, field day t-shirts, teacher gifts. I felt the foods for the Swedish and Australian tables fell squarely in that category.

Week 21 is the final week of school, so there are a few more party items to purchase. Nothing like this week's shopping though. I'm looking forward to seeing what Week 22 does for the shopping budget, with lunches at home and juice by the half gallon, instead of 10pk drink packets.

Supper Wars -

Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, Green Peas
First time with no complaints, even though it was the official tangy version. Used greek yogurt, rather than coconut milk. For the kids, chose breast meat, instead of thighs. Kept the biggest critic of the dish involved in the cooking process. B2 & I decided to use sweet vidalia onions, instead of the usual yellow or white, and that I should keep scoop some of the curry paste to the side. That way, I could make the servings as spicy as my evil tastebuds desired.

Cheese Flatbread Pizza, Salad

Baked Pasta (w/Bison), Salad
The kids who make faces about meat if they know it's not coming from the big three of farm animals are continuing their exploration of other protein sources, such as bison and lamb. And by exploration, I mean being kept in the dark by mom until after they've eaten a meal and pronounced it a winner. (Yes, the same strategy used for sneaking in veggies.) Had leftover pasta, salad and fruit a couple nights later.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pears and Root Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potato, red and vidalia onion, pears and garlic; tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, sea salt and red pepper. The kids tried the sweet potato and carrot, but weren't at all impressed. Was okay, as this was completely expected, and already planned as the night of the leftover pasta. One of my favorite dishes, but not one I'm going to force on the kids. My memory of childhood brussels sprout traumas are still too vivid.

Baked Ginger Sesame Tofu, Sticky Rice
Stir Fried Veggies
Kids ate green beans and carrots from the stir fry, but left all the squash, onions, peppers, etc., untouched. Sigh.

Cornmeal Waffles, Bacon, Fruit & Yogurt
Brinner!

Playing catchup... again

2009-05-20T21:37:00.005-05:00

Another crazy week here. I'm running behind on everything that's not school or work. I'm out running and pedaling, but it's more for keeping sane than fit this week. Have first map of a threesome ready for press, and am hoping to wrap up the other two before we head off for vacation in a couple weeks. Pretty excited about getting these done, as I'm taking the summer off.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars coming soon, along with nifty data from the USDA about family food budgets.

I'd also like to take a minute to mention one of the audiobooks I've been listening to while working. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. I downloaded it from Audible after hearing a friend mention it in a discussion where old odd medicinal cures brought up Mellified Man. Wasn't sure about it, but it turned out to be a fascinating - and fun - read. (To be more accurate, it was a listen, not a read.) From the forensic body farm in TN, to the early history of body collecting for anatomy classes, to crash tests, to how a body is embalmed, to organ and even the potential of whole body transplants, to the evolution in thought as to where the soul resides in the body... it was never dull. Though I'd not recommend listening while doing your grocery shopping, unless you're trying to work toward vegetarianism.

Summer is just around the corner

2009-05-16T07:34:00.003-05:00

Survived both elementary school field days, normal reading times, 8th grade dance, early dismissal, baking 18 dozen cookies (Pepparkakor & Anzac Biscuits), cooked 160 Swedish Meatballs and several pounds of Lemon Myrtle Shrimp Salad. Even managed to get hot item to school hot, and cold item still cold... without spilling anything on the way.

This morning's clean up at the middle school marks the end of the busiest four "mom" days of the year. With next week being the final week of school, next Wednesday thru Friday should be just as insane. Will be enjoying a frosty beverage when I get home to celebrate the next two days, where the demands on brain power and time will be limited to immediate family.

I don't want to run

2009-05-14T08:37:00.004-05:00

Patty and The Duchess are calling to me from across the front room, tucked into the official bicycle parking behind the piano. Pleading to be taken out for a spin in the spring morning. I have to ignore them.

It's now only one month until the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile up in Manitou Springs, Colorado. It was my idea to sign up for a vacation race in a beautiful destination for my birthday. It's a stop on our cross-country trek this June. It will be gorgeous, but if there's going to be a hope of surviving hill after hill at higher elevations (6,210' up to 6,530'), it's got to be all about the hills here in humid ol' Atlanta for the next few weeks.

Sigh.

Will be keeping photos like this in mind while lacing up the shoes, even though the course elevation map (see below) will be right there with it.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 19

2009-05-14T07:48:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure if it's the beginning of the summer drop in produce prices, or the smaller amount I can carry on my two-wheeled grocery trips, but I am liking these last two weeks of grocery bills. (We'll have to see if having the ability to carry to bags' worth of food increases the overall bill, now that I have the panniers.)

The trip to Harry's Farmers Market was with one of the children, so the bike wasn't an option. 20+ miles round trip, in traffic, with the one child in the house who hates being on a bike to the point of actively sabotaging the balance of the adult in the front seat is not on my To-Do list. I would consider hooking up DD for a trip to TJs or Starbucks though. It would have to be early on a weekend morning, when there's very little traffic, but I think she'd be great.

Anyways... the numbers:

Week 19 Shopping:
Harry's (Whole Foods) - $50.69
Publix - $15.94
Trader Joes (Bike) - $22.93
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $1.75
Trader Joes (Bike) - $25.72
Total - $117.03
Year to Date - $2,750.16
Average weekly spending - $144.75

Supper Wars-
Good week on the food front. Only one day where there was any big conflict. It was over a dahl curry with couscous. I may need to give up on that one for a while, other than as a small side dish for the kids when I want it for the grownup supper. Did a bit of convenience cooking this week, by combining prep for two suppers at a time. Made enough lemon-pepper marinade one night to take care of the tuna for that night's meal, and to zip into a baggie with chicken breast for the next night. Then, the little bit of lemon pepper chicken which was extra got used the following evening in fried rice.

Mac & Cheese, Peas

Honey/Maple Turkey Sandwiches, Apples, Baby Carrots

Dahl Curry & Couscous, Salad

Lemon Pepper Tuna, Oven Baked Mac & Cheese, Green Beans
The lighter color of the lemon pepper didn't make it as easy for the kids to think of the tuna steaks as "steak" instead of "tuna" as with the dark soy/honey/ginger. Will need to stick with the darker marinades until they forget tuna is fish.

Lemon Pepper Chicken, Basmati/Wild Rice Medley, Salad

Veggie Fried Rice w/ LP Chicken, Sliced Pears

Mini Cheeseburgers, Roasted Garlic Russet/Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

(More) Bike to Work Week

2009-05-12T15:11:00.002-05:00

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's Bike Week and Bike to Work Day information.

I wonder if I can sign the pledge. Not biking to work or school, but will be pedaling around on errands again Thursday...

Bike To Wherever Week

2009-05-12T14:17:00.014-05:00

It's Bike to Work Week. I'm not going to be riding to a shiny office building this week, but I am cycling on my regular errands. Today, The Duchess and I had quite the outing.

Bank - Deposit - at the Drive-up window, of course
Little Thai - Lunch date - Basil Noodles & Roti
Vegetable Stand - Obvious reasons
Fleet Feet Sports - Small water bottle/strap, but ended up getting a Nike skirt and singlet, too.
Little European Bakery - Bread & 3 Beehive cookies for kidlets
Trader Joes - Regular groceries, including milk, 5-lb bag of flour, wine & flowers

It was a wonderful 2 hours. Beautiful sunshine, spring breezes, and not even a hint of stiffness in the rear wheel. Can't wait for Thursdays trip. The panniers are marvelous. Instead of being limited to the one front basket, here's everything The Duchess carried home:

Including today's 4.5 mile loopy route, this week's mileage so far:

Sunday -
Whole Foods - 3.9 (would normally be five, but there was the frozen wheel & rescue)
"Date" Ride - 21.5 (leisurely pace)

Monday -
"Hooray! It's Not Raining" Ride - 17.26 (16.6 mph)
"Oops - Supposed to be Running" - 2.3 (9:24/mile)

Tuesday -
Errands for the Day - 4.57 (lots of stops)
*Hill Run (when the teenager/babysitter gets home) - 3.7 miles

Total (so far) - 57.79 miles

It'll slow down after today, as there's Field Day, TAG End-of year Party, 4th/5th Guitar Concert, 8th Grade Dance, International Festival, all between Wednesday and Friday, followed by After-Dance Cleanup at the middle school on Saturday morning. Now that I think about it, the grocery budget is likely to be out of whack this week too, as one child volunteered me to fix fried rice for the TAG party and Swedish meatballs for the International Festival, though I haven't heard a confirmation from the teacher on that second batch of food yet.