Back from the Dead and February Review

Well, nothing like a good ole stomach virus to put you down and out for a day and a half.  Thanks a lot.  Monday saw me perfectly normal--worked all day, got my hair done, went home, put the kids to bed and then WHAMMO at about midnight, Mr. Stomach Virus woke me up and got all vomit-ey and the other way on me.  Talk about a quick way to drop 5 pounds.  Tuesday was spent lying my bed wishing I could open my eyes without my head wanting to explode.  I missed a staff meeting (not so sad about that), no workout (not happy about that) and didn't get to bring my girls to a field hockey clinic (very unhappy about that).  I did manage to shower at 5 p.m. and eat some toast so there was something accomplished that day. 

I think I can remember 3, maybe 4, times I have missed work in 16 years because I was sick.  Usually I miss work because my kids are sick.  I never skip work for a cold or anything like that.  I has to be a vomiting thing, oh and I had pnuemonia once when I was pregnant, for me to call in to work.  What a way to end February..

February Review

Miles Run--26  ick.  Not so good.  It would have been a nice even 30 if I were running today like I usually do.  But, just getting over the pukies, I've decided to give myself a break and rest another day.  Even 30 still stinks.  March will be better.

Minutes Spinning--275  Not so much this month either.  I will try to remember this is a short month, combine that with school vacation and sickness--that would explain the poor numbers.

Swim--10,000 yards.  This is a pretty good number!  That's a lot of swimming.  At least something is staying on track.

Tennis--6 hours of tennis.  If Lisa holds the class, then I'm there.  Pretty consistent.

Weights/Yoga--60 minutes.  Lame.  Wow--overall February was a pretty lame month.

Races--none.  Looks like I've barely managed to even exercise....

Current Book--Auschwitz  A book about a Jewish doctor's experience at the concentration camp.  Not a very uplifting book, but an important one to read anyway.  It's hard to believe that those things happened.  I just can't imagine it.

Current Excitement--nothing too exciting going on here.  I did lose 5 lbs with my latest sickness....

I still have a bunch of stuff I'm going to give away later in the week for my bloggy birthday.  And I will announce the winners of the popcorn giveaway tomorrow.  You still have time to enter!  Quick!  Last chance for some awesome popcorn!!

Did you have a lame February as far as exercise goes?

Do you call in sick to work ever?

Big Mouth or Not?

Last night I did something very of out character for me.  I spoke my opinion when I felt someone was doing something wrong.  Unless someone is getting hurt, for the most part, I just shut my mouth when I see someone doing something that bends the rules a little or is out of line.  My husband, on the other hand, is the first to speak right up and tell that person what he thinks.  Which can be good and can be bad.  I usually let stuff slide if it means confronting someone.

So anyway, last night the whole family went swimming at the Y pool.  Last fall a whole new pool facility opened here with all new locker rooms.  There is now a men's locker room, a women's locker room with a girl's section within it and a new family locker room.  Men is for men, women/girls is for women and the family one is for a mom with boys or a dad with girls.  Get it?  Ok, so anyway, the boys in our family went off to the men's locker room and the girls proceeded into the women's locker room.  The women's locker room has little alcoves to change with lockers and a big ass mirror all along the opposite wall.  So even if you are in a alcove changing, everyone in the locker room can see you in the mirror. 

So we walk into the women's room and walk by what looked a like a young grandmother with a 2 ish year old girl and also an 7 or 8 year old boy.  First of all, they were in my space in front of my locker!  How dare they?  Second of all there is a boy in the women's locker room!  In my mind I'm like "WTF is a boy doing in this locker room?  Is she going to leave?  Why are they in here?  Do we change?  WTF?  Why aren't they in the family locker?"  My girls are looking at me with the same questions in their eyes.  Mom, what do we do?  Do we change here?   The grandmother tells the boy to "come over here, the girls want to change", (still right in front of MY locker.... but I digress.) like he can't see EVERYTHING right in that big ass mirror I spoke of.  My sister-in-law (50 something year old woman) is for sure not going to change with that boy standing right there so she goes into a bathroom and so does my oldest daughter. 

In a very unlike me fashion, I walk over (heart pounding, scared as hell) and tell her I don't want to be rude but there is a family locker room over there and that boys are not supposed to be in this locker room, it is a girls only locker room.  She looks like annoyed, but to her credit, just said ok and gathered the kids and left.

I felt bad, like I was being a big mouth, but really, he is not supposed to be in there.  I wouldn't have said a word if it was a 1 or 2 year old boy (even though the rule is still the same) but an 8 year old?  C'mon.  There were multiple signs on the door that said women's and girl's.  Did she really not know? 

So anyway, that was a pretty big accomplishment for me to actually say something to her.  I still can't believe I did it.  I didn't want to be one of those that goes to the front desk and "tells" on them.  I figured it would just be better to man up and do it myself.

Big mouth or not?  What would you have done?

Popcorn giveaway--only a few more days to enter!!  Oh and today is free bag Friday--buy 2 and get 1 bag free!!!  Go check them out!

Three Things Thursday

1.  How fitting on my bloggy birthday that I would reach 10,000 views!  I thought it might happen that way, the numbers were looking right and then views dropped down earlier in the week and I thought I might not make it.  But thanks to Helicopter Parents and the Popcorn Giveaway I have zoomed right by that magic number!  Thank you so much to everyone who reads this blog!  I love to hear from all of you and I'm so excited when I look at my phone and see that someone has left a comment--no matter how short it is.  I love getting them all, so thank you for swinging by and taking the time to post.

Speaking of my bloggy birthday.....I did promise some kind of giveaway didn't I?  Well, I am still working on that.  I have some things collected and I'm trying to decide if I give them away one at a time or give them all to one winner.  What would you rather have?  A collection of stuff that one person wins, or a bunch of giveaways of little stuff that mulitple people win?  I'm leaning toward a bunch of stuff to one person but will change my mind if I have enough feedback from you. 

2.  A while back I had purchased some new swim goggles to try out.  My old cheapos finally broke after my daughter got a hold of them.  Grrr.  They were old, so I won't blame her.  Much.  I bought a few pairs from swimoutlet.com to see if I could find the *perfect* pair.  Two pairs to try and one to giveaway.  First up  Vanquisher 2.0 by Speedo.

there will be no laughing allowed.  it takes guts to post a pic in a swim cap

They are a pretty purple color which matches nicely with my suit.  As you can see there are two small straps that go around your head.  My previous pair only had one thicker band so it was a little adjustment to get this one to fit properly.  These goggles fogged up after about 6 lengths, which is kinda annoying.  I had to stop and spit on the lenses and then it was fine after that.  They did leave some crazy goggle marks and it was a little sore under my eye when I had the tightness that I needed so that they wouldn't leak.  Cost $5.95  Grade = B-

The second pair I tried was the Women's Air Seal XR Mirrored by Speedo. 

Pretty fancy with the orange mirror and the pink goggle huh?  These had the two straps too but were a little easier to fit to my head.  This pair also had a nice cushion around the eye piece that was way more comfortable after my 40 minute swim.  I had to make some minor adjustments but these didn't leak at all.   They did fog up after 6 lengths like the other pair.  Again, annoying.

Anti-fog?  Ya, not so much.

Big suprise--I don't look much better in this pair than the previous pair.....

You can see my shoulder muscles a little better in this pic though....

This pair felt way more comfortable than the previous pair and I don't feel like the raccoon eyes post-swim were quite as bad with this pair as compared to any other pair I've used.  Cost $19.95  Grade= A-

*side note--the suit is a $9.95 special from the grab bag at swimoutlet.com as well.  My favorite so far.

3.  A FB friend of mine posted this on her wall earlier in the week and I find it crazy addicting to watch.  It's a webcam pointing at an eagle's nest and the mother had just laid her second egg!  So awesome. 

You can go to this link to see them live or google Decorah Eagles.  It is pretty cool.  I watched most of the day Tuesday and it was so windy, I was getting seasick from watching the nest sway back and forth with each gust of wind.  I don't know how it didn't blow right off.  I guess they know what they are doing when they make the nest, right?

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Oh, and don't forget to sign up for the awesome popcorn giveaway!!  Share the giveaway on FB or twitter for more entries. 

Helicopter Parents

My cousin posted a link to an article in the Huffington Post today that asked the question "Are We Raising A Generation of Helpless Kids?".  To which I respond a resounding YES!  The article gives a few examples like the college student who got her first C-, promptly texted her mother crying, the mother called right away demanding to speak to the professor, who declined to talk with her.

Or the prospective employee at a job interview telling the interviewer that she would have his job in 18 months!  Never mind that it took him 20 years of hard work to get that job.  That didn't even cross her mind.

It goes on to talk about this group of kids born from around 1984 to present, is used to getting everything right now.  Whether it be texting (instant response), ipod (instant music) or kindle (instant book).  They are the 'right now' generation.  Combine that with the idea that everyone plays, everyone wins and everyone is special (even without actually doing anything special) mentality and you have kids that want expect everything that instant without having to work for it.

Where did we go wrong? 
--We parents are the root of the problem.  Quoting from the article:  We told our kids they are special--for no reason.  Even though they didn't display special character or talent or skill and now they demand special treatment.  example:
When the mother of a fully adult man calls to bitch complain about the fact that her son missed his appointment (because he was 15 minutes late) and the office was closed--what is that telling him?  It's ok to be late and not call because mom will fix it?  Is he not capable enough to call himself?  Or the mother who complains to the school about their child's failing grade because they did not complete the project on time, and now that child gets more time to complete the project and improve his grade.  How is that like real life?  Can you say Helicopter Parent??  Hover, hover, fly in and fix the problem so Susie doesn't get an F or have to be responsible for being late.

Oh wait, my favorite.  Everyone is a winner and everyone gets a trophy for participating.  Yes, that's a great lesson.  Just show up at your job and everyone will think you are wonderful.  No, you don't even have to try hard and practice or be good or show talent.  Nope.  Just showing up is good enough!  We are so proud of you!  <dripping with sarcasm>  Here's a raise too!

--We gave our kids every comfort and now they can't delay gratification.  How about the 4th grader that has a cell phone.  Seriously?  I've gone on about this before--this sort of thing creates entitlement.  I am 13 years old so therefore I deserve a cell phone.  All my friends have one so therefore I must have one as well.  What are we teaching them?  That cell phone costs money!  Actual money!  Where does that money come from?  That kid is certainly not working to pay for that phone. 

What are the answers?  The article offers up some solutions:

--We need to let our kids fail.  We need to tell them the truth that the notion of 'you can do anything' is not necessarily true.

--Kids need to align their dreams with their gifts.  Not every girl with a nice voice will sing at the Met; every little league star will not play Major League Baseball.    It's funny but I had this discussion with my oldest daughter the other day.  We were talking about playing basketball at a higher level, like college.  My words were, "you are not going to play at Stanford or Duke or Tennessee.  It's just not going to happen.  The best basketball player that ever came out of this state played at UMaine and sat the bench in the WNBA.  You aren't going to be tall enough and those girls from the south are just so much better.  That doesn't mean you can't play ball in college--it just won't be Division 1.  You can still be an excellent ball player and play at Bowdoin or U Southern Maine or somewhere like that.  Which is still a huge accomplishment!  You are just going to have to work hard at both academics and basketball."  (Cripes!  Just getting ACCEPTED to Stanford would be an unbelievable accomplishment!  Let alone playing ball there.....)

I felt a little like I was squashing her dreams, but I hope not.  I just want her to think realistically. 

--Allow them to get into trouble and accept the consequences.  You choose to go to a party, get caught and get kicked off the sports team--well, that was your choice to attend. 
--Balance autonomy with responsibility.  You can use the car, but fill it up when you are done.


I know I'm guilty of trying to make things perfect for my kids at times, but I know I am also conscious of the fact that they need to fail, make mistakes and face consequences.  I hope I can pull myself back from wanting to 'fix' everything for them when the time arises. 

Do you know any Helicopter Parents?  Are you one?

Have you signed up for my giveaway featuring Coastal Maine Popcorn?

If not, you should because it's awesome.

Coastal Maine Popcorn Review and Giveaway!

I'm blogging from home today as I have a day off to celebrate all our great Presidents.  Yay Washington.  Thanks for the day off.  This week begins my 1 year blogging birthday and I have a few things to give away to celebrate.  Today's review and giveaway is from my friends, Julie and Paul's very local and very awesome business.  Located right here in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Coastal Maine Popcorn began in Boothbay Harbor in 2008.  You would not believe all the flavors that are available!  I have had the opportunity to try many of them as they are right down the road.  My favorites are the savories--sour cream and onion, cheddar (white and southwest), and dill pickle.  They also have many sweet flavors to choose from like key lime pie, cotton candy and marshmallow.  For Christmas this year, I bought the kid's teachers and dance instructors popcorn as gifts.  Chocolate Candy Cane and Maine Maple were big hits! The flavors that are available in the store change each week, it seems, and they are always adding and trying new flavors.

The popcorn is air popped right here in Boothbay Harbor and then they add the flavor by hand to make sure each kernel has the perfect amount of flavor.

Many different sizes are available:  in bags--small $3.99, large $5.49 and XL $10.49 or decorative tins and you can order directly from their website.  They also participate in fundraising for groups so if you are sick of selling magazines or candy bars, then shoot them an email, and they can help your organization raise a lot of money.

I am going to choose two lucky readers to win 2 small bags of popcorn each.  To enter, please do the following and leave a comment for each:

Follow my blog.
'Like' Coastal Maine Popcorn on FB HERE and tell them I sent you.
Visit their website and tell me which flavors you would like to try.

You can receive additional entries by sharing this giveaway on your blog or FB.  Tweet about them @mainepopcorn and let all your tweeps know about this awesome company and giveaway.  (I really don't know how to tweet so you'll have to do that on your own...  Lame.  I know.)  I'm @ ltlindian--mention me too. :)  I'm also still trying to master rafflecopter so we'll have to do this giveaway the old fashioned way.

I'll take entries until the end of the month 2/29 and announce the winners on that Thursday.  Thank you for reading and make sure you visit Coastal Maine Popcorn!  They are great people with great popcorn!

Rabbit Stew?

Wednesday is dance day for the average girl and her daughter.  I leave work early and pick up Princess and we head an hour north to her dance studio.  Kennebec Dance Centre is located in Augusta, ME which is the capital city of Maine.  So, it's not rural.  I get her set at ballet and then head off on what I call my Death Wish Run.  I run 2 miles out and back on a pretty darn busy road. 

I have seen many things on the side of my road on this run--mostly trash and such.  One time there was a squashed pigeon.  There is always the big dump truck driving guys that wave to me.  I'm never sure whether I should wave back or not....  stalker or friendly? 

Today was a special treat.  Of course, I took a picture.  *Gross Alert*  Do not proceed if you are squeemish.

There you have it.  The cutest white bunny squished dead on the side of the road.  I was sad for him, because he is so pretty.  Then I kinda wished I had a knife so I could grab his foot.  Rabbit's feet are lucky right?  And he certainly doesn't need it anymore..... 

Maybe this rabbit's foot is not that lucky anyway.  I mean, look where it got him? 

I immediately thought of Christy at My Dirt Road Anthem and thought, there!  You're not the only one to find dead wildlife on a run!  Bonus points because I was in the city. 

What captures your attention on a run?

Dead stuff?  Waving truckers?

Hard Work

High school basketball season is nearing the end here in Maine.  The tournament has begun with preliminary games this week and the actual tournament this weekend and all next week during school vacation.  I'm not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but basketball is king here in Maine.  Especially in northern Maine and certain communities.  Where I went to high school in east middle of nowhere a small northern Maine town, the whole town it seemed, would take the week off and head south to watch the tournament.  Our high school teams almost always made the cut so they would play at least one game down at the Bangor Auditorium.  The whole week continues until they crown an Eastern and Western Maine champion at four different class levels based on school size.  This brings me to my thought for today.

When my daughter was doing a local basketball camp this summer, the coach would have a quote of the day for the girls to think about.  One quote really resonated with me and I think about it often.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

Is that not true in every aspect of life?  I love that quote and what it means.  Talent is important, but hard work is more important.  How many times have you see someone squander their abilities because they didn't apply themselves?  That player on your soccer team who was good, but skipped practice or partied and then didn't end up contributing much to the team at all.  That kid in your class who never did any school work or studying but still managed to get by with B's and C's.  Imagine the scholarships they may have received if they had just worked hard. 

I don't care what you are or what you do, if you are the best, then you worked hard to get there.  Joan Benoit didn't just become a marathon winner because of just her natural talent.  Andre Agassi didn't become the first player to win all four Grand Slam titles just because he was naturally good.  (Read his book and you'll find his dad had him hitting 2000 tennis balls daily at 8 years old.  Daily.  2000.  That's a lot.)  Michael Jordan didn't become the best basketball player ever just because.

They had talent AND they worked hard. 

This is pretty good news for us weekend warriors.  We may never become olympic marathoners, or wimbledon winners, or NBA champions but we can work hard and place in our age group!  Or win that local sprint tri.  Or get a new PR at that half marathon.  Get that nursing degree.  The world is waiting for you to take it on! 

Now go!  Work hard.  We may not be the best, but we can be pretty damn good. 

What are you going to work hard at today?

Is your local team going to the tournament?  Do you care?

Love Them

Happy Valentine's Day to some of my favorite people!

The hubs:

Nothing says love like running through mud!  awww, we are even wearing red!

Big Sissy:

Rondo ain't got nuthin' on her!

Princess:

I should have been an orthodontist.  Can you say braces?

She is, no doubt, a tough chik!

And my favorite little boy, Manimal:

just received his second stripe.  so serious.

kicking ass in the mile run.  see his dad sucking wind over his shoulder?

I love, love, love them!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Weekend Update

I feel like I barely even had enough time off--this weekend was so busy!  Filled with fun things though, so it's all good.  Sissy had her Y league championship game on Friday night so that's where we were.  We weren't expecting to win so we went in with the mindset to just have a good time and do the best you can.  Well, these girls (many of whom had never dribbled a basketball!)  played the best game they had played all year.  They didn't win, but you could see that many of the girls had improved.   It was nice.  And Sissy scored 2 3 pointers!!  Two!  In a 3-6th grade Y league game!  Proud mama I was!  And she was so proud of herself as well.  After that first 3 pointer, it didn't even matter if they won or not.  I knew she was going to be so happy that winning would have been secondary. 

Earlier that day we learned that Sissy had also been asked to play on the Maniacs AAU basketball team this spring!  Again, a proud moment for both parents and kid.  She was so relieved that she wouldn't have to try out.  Now we just wait for a schedule and where to send the money.  I expect there to be some driving around this spring for that.  It's our first year with AAU so we aren't sure what to expect.  I do know that an 8th grade team of the Maniacs went to Tennessee last June for regionals or nationals.  So the potential to travel (and win!) a lot is there.

Saturday was cleaning and shopping day.  yuk.  But I did take time out mid-morning to do my Run for Sherry. 

Sherry Arnold was a mom/teacher/runner who went running one morning in Montana and never came home.  This was a run organized in her memory.  Runners from all over the US (and the world!) ran on Saturday in Sherry's honor.  Here's a link to a slideshow of many who participated if you'd like to watch.  It's pretty moving to see how many ran for her.

Four miles.  It was lightly snowing and 33 degrees out.  Just perfect really.  No ipod.  No cars.  Just me and my thoughts on the road.  For you Sherry.


Sunday brought us to Portland to see the Lady Dribblers perform at half time of the local semi-pro basketball team, The Maine Red Claws.  The girls did a great job!  It was a nice way to finish up the basketball season. 

I also managed to transfer my files from my old pc to my new macbook.  Yes, all by myself.  I just needed one small phone call to applecare to find those files.......  but all is good now.  Now the daunting task of removing everything from the old pc so I can hand it over to one very happy 6th grader. 

I hope your weekend was as nice as mine.  Happy Monday!

Focus on the Golf Balls

I found this story on a FB friend's wall yesterday and I wanted to share it with you. 

Life Lesson From A Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle; when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes'.  The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

Now, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children.

Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner.

Go for a run. (I added that one.)

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.Set your priorities.


Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.


The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

What an excellent example of how easy it is to not focus on what's really important.  The things that if they were the only things left in our lives--it would still be full. 

I may just print this out and paste it on the wall in front of my desk. 

Focus on the golf balls.  Thank you, Amy, for the reminder.

11 things

Well, I'm finally getting around to doing this 11 random things post.  Shannon from Tough Chik tagged me about a week ago so I guess I'd better get going and do this.  I think just about everyone in the blog world has done this already so I'll skip all the rules and such, you know them by now.  Here's my 11 things:

1.  I have to have the toliet paper roll with the paper going over the top, not coming from under.  Drives me crazy if it's under.  In fact, I will change it around and 'fix' it.  (Even at someone else's house.... )  Same with paper towels.

2.  I have a nasty habit of biting the hangnails around my fingers.  Not the fingernail itself, that is just gross, but the skin.  I have done it ever since I can remember.  My mother painted that nasty tasting stuff on my fingers and I just chewed through it.  I do it when I'm bored or very stressed.  All this running and tri-training I have been doing has actually been really good for kicking this habit.  My fingers look the best they ever have.  Less stress and boredom= less picking. 

3.  I don't tweet.  I don't get it really.  I have a twitter account for giveaways and discount coupons but that is it.  Also, it's just one more thing for me to try to do during my day.  Pinterest?  I don't get that either.

4.  I have lived in Maine my whole life except for 4 years of optometry school when I lived in the Boston area.  Not Boston proper but Malden and Everett. 

5.  I was always the shortest and smallest one in my class.  That tiny little girl who looks like she belongs two grades below.... that was me.  As a freshman, I began the soccer season at 4'11" and 98 lbs.  No boobs.  I grew 5" between my sophomore and junior year.  I am now 5'6 1/2".  Still no boobs.

6.  I was in the Chi Omega Fraternity in college.  (I know you think it's supposed to be called a sorority, but that was our official name.)  Anyhoo--I loved it.  Those years were some of the best times of my life.  There was no hazing in our particular group and it was just fun. 

7.  I don't really drink alcohol now.  I really can't remember the last time I was drunk.  I never really drank in high school, drank like a fish in college, and now, nothing.  I will have an occasional Mike's Hard Lemonade, but that's it.  Beer, wine, whiskey--blech.  Plus, what a waste of calories AND you have a splitting headache the next day?  No thanks.

8.  I need quiet and dark in order to sleep.  This means no napping for me unless I am half dead with sickness.  This also means I need to get to sleep pretty quickly at night before my husband starts snoring.  Once he starts snoring, there will be no sleep for me.  Unless I head to the bunkbed in my son's room.

9.  I hate eggs.  I wish I liked eggs because they smell good when frying and they are cheap and easy.  But I don't.  Never have.  Then I took embryology in college.  Even if I liked eggs then, there was no eating them after that class. 

10.  I played rugby at UMaine.  It was a club sport and lots of drinking fun.  I was the fly-half, which I barely even know what that meant.  I don't think we ever won, except at the drinking games.  Oh, the rugby songs!  Did anyone play rugby and remember those songs?  All hail the rugby queen! 

11.  I graduated #7 in my class in high school.  Which sounds really awesome until I tell you that there were only 70 kids in my class.  Then I sound pretty average. 


Now to answer the questions that Shannon from Tough Chik sent out.

1.  What is my favorite TV show?  I guess I don't really have a favorite show right now.  There's nothing that I must be home to see.  I like Bizarre Foods and Modern Family is hysterical.

2.  If you had to eat the same meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Hmmm.  That would be awful.  I don't love anything enough to want to eat it for the rest of my life.  If I had to choose, I guess it would be pizza.

3.  Do you cry at sad movies?  No.  Not a crier.

4.  Do you have any pre-race rituals?  What are they?  No.  I don't.   Try not to puke?

5.  Mac or PC?  This is a timely question as I just purchased my first mac!   So PC at work, mac at home.

6.  If you could pick the color of the new Tough Chik running singlet, what color would it be?  I would choose black or green.

7.  How did you find out about Tough Chik?  I found Tough Chik through Jenn Small's blog.  She was having a giveaway and I loved the whole TC theme and product.  Since then, I feel like I've become 'friends' with Shannon and I would really love to meet her in person some day.8.  What is my favorite song?  I have so many songs that I love.  Some because they remind me of a certain time in my life and others I just like the beat.  Right now I really like the stuff with David Guetta.

9.  Superbowl plans?  I'm a little late on this one, but we stayed home and watched with the kids. 

10.  How do you take your coffee?  Or if you don't drink coffee what is your morning beverage of choice? 
No coffee, but one Mountain Dew each morning.

11.  What is the worst job you have ever had?  I'm not sure if you can even call it a job, as I was there only for two days but I was hired to waitress at Kowloon (a large Chinese food restaurant in the Boston area--closed now).  I went for training for two days and it was the most uncomfortable I had ever felt at a job.  I was pretty much the only white person there except for the patrons and everyone either didn't speak English or wouldn't speak it to me.  It's the only time I ever have known what it feels like to be a minority. 

No tags here as everyone has done this exercise already.  Have a great Wednesday!!
 

Mahhhhvelous Monday

I'm not usually this happy over Mondays but today I am a smiling girl! 

1.  My macbook arrived today!  Yay, yay, yay!  I cannot wait to get home and set it up and kick the dell to the curb.  I am a little worried about switching over my itunes account, but apparently apple care will help me over the phone. 

2.  I am loving the full moon this week.  I am probably the only person in New England who was out walking TWICE last night during the game.  But it was just that nice out.  The dog was super psyched!  The moon was so bright you just did not even need a lamp to see.  Fabulous.  Really.  I'm taking the family again tonight for a forced walk before bed and I might even skip out for a short run.  Clear skies are in the forecast all week!  How long can I milk the moonlight?  Thursday?  Friday?  I'm going to take advantage every freakin' night this week that I can. 

3.  Manimal gets his second stripe on his belt at jiu-jitsu tonight.  I cannot wait to see him get it.  It is so stinkin' cute this pose that he and professor do after he bows.  I will be there with my camera.  I have missed so many classes this year because the girls have other stuff the nights of jiu-jitsu, but tonight I will see Manimal. :)

4.  Despite being unable to fall asleep until 2ish (snoring husband and racing mind), I am feeling pretty dang good today!  I'm quite sure the sleep thing will catch up with me later this week, but I'll ride this train while it lasts!

5.  It's light out until 5:10 p.m.!!!  (This is a pretty big deal, you southern folks.  It had been getting dark out at 4:15 in December...)  This means I drive home in the daylight!  Barely.  But it's still light!  AND, it was a teeny, weeny, bit light out at 6:35 a.m.  Not the pitch black it has been since November.  LoVE, LOve, LoVe the longer days!!  (Can you tell I enjoy light?  I would totally become a Wellbutrin junkie if I had to live in Alaska.)

The only downer about this Monday is the Patriots' loss to the stupid Giants.  Ack.  Fortunately, I don't really care about football so I will move on pretty quickly.  I do hate any New York sports teams though, so it stinks to lose to them. 

What's making you happy this week?

Flying the Seas

Totally random post today brought on by a very interesting patient I had this morning.  He is a pilot of a submarine that provides support to research vessels in Antartica.  wow, huh?  Anyhoo, apparently you do not drive a submarine, you fly a submarine.   Did anyone else know that?  He kept saying, "when I fly blah, blah, blah."  He has taken 26 trips to Antartica.  Can you imagine?  26.  I am duly impressed.  What an interesting life.

That is all.   Now on with your day.  Go fly some submarines.  :)

three things thursday

I need to borrow/buy/rent a wetsuit.  Not right now.  But sometime before 8/26/12.  In case you didn't read yesterday's post, I am now officially signed up for the Rev 3 tri in Old Orchard Beach.  This means that I need to swim 1500 yards in around 65 deg ish ocean water.  I'm hoping the wetsuit will make the OWS a little easier for me.  I know I can swim that distance--no problem.  It's just the open water part that has me a bit nauseated.  I swear to god if I can get through that OWS, the rest of the tri will be absolute cake!  Moving on to the three things--

1.  Manimal earned his second stripe at jiu-jitsu class last night!  He gets the stripe at the next class on Monday which I am so glad about because I can go and watch.  :)  He is so proud of himself--it's pretty cute.  I'll have pictures next week--don't you worry!

2.  I became painfully more aware of my aging yesterday as I was waiting for Princess in the gas station bathroom.  I know the lighting is not that great and I was not at my best either (end of day, heading home after dance), but the jowls and lines that my sagging skin on my face are making are really just depressing.  I stood there for 5 minutes or so pulling at my face and actually seriously considering have a tuck here and there to pull my skin back.  What the f**k is wrong with me that I am looking at myself wanting a face lift??  ugh.  You can train all you want but you can't outrun Father Time.

3.  When I got to work this morning and pulled out my lunch, I noticed that the juice had leaked out of the container all over my gym clothes.  Today's lunch was pork slow cooked in Ah-So sauce (which is that Chinese red pork sauce) all over vegetables.  Nice.  So not only did my gym clothes look like they had been puked on, they smelled like Chinese pork.  Nothing says a hard workout like sweat and Chinese pork smell....  mmmmm.

Do you have any suggestions on wet suits?  Where to get them, what kind?

How are you dealing with Father Time?

Ever get lunch on your gym clothes?

January Rewind

It's that time again--time to rewind the clock a bit and review where my fitness was last month.  I seem to be able to maintain decent levels of exercise even though it is cold and snowy.   I know you all were looking for this week's version of listicles, but the topic this week is not a good one for me--Songs that Describe Your Life.  Ugh.  There is no way I can come up with 10 songs.  That would take me all freakin' week.  So you'll have to settle for January Rewind.  Here goes...

Miles Run--35.1  That is up from last month.  Despite me complaining about the weather, we have actually had a pretty mild one so far and it's allowed me to get a couple of long runs in on Sundays.  I love that 40 deg running!

Minutes Spinning--520  This is up quite a bit from last month.  I'm not sure why, maybe it's the throwing the extra class in on Saturday 8 a.m. while my son is playing basketball.  Whatever.  I'll take it.

Swim--11,600 yards!  A little less than last month but still an impressive number.  I should be part fish by now.

Tennis--7 hours  Love me my cardio tennis.

Weight Training--105 minutes.  Consistent again.  I'm beginning to add in P90x  here.  I think that counts as weight training with all the freakin' push-ups he has you do.  That guy is a push-up nazi. 

Races--I managed to squeak in one race at the last minute this past month--the Frozen 5K and got a new PR out of it!  24:01 

Current Book--nothing.  I'm on a dry spell right now and open to any suggestions for books.  If it's popular and/or a series, I've already read it.  I need something new.  Help!

Current Song--Domino by Jesse J.  It's like I'm a teeny bopper, but I just like those songs that make you want to move.  I just cannot tolerate any slow music on my ipod for running. 

Current Excitement--I took the plunge and signed up for the Rev 3 Olympic length Triathlon in Old Orchard Beach, ME on 8/26/12.  I am still sick just thinking about it.  It will be 3 days after my birthday and I can't think of a better birthday present to myself than to conquer the OWS and finish this tri in under 5 hours.  I mean, 5 hours is a reasonable goal right?  The swim should take about 30 min in the pool so less than an hour in the ocean (as long as I don't panic and drown....).  The bike, if I assume an average speed of 16 mph should take less than 2 hours and then that leaves the run which I should complete in around an hour.  So somewhere between 4 and 5 hours is reasonable.  Oh god.  I can't believe I'm doing this...

Maybe I'll look so awesome on my bike that I'll make the photo for the ad next year.  Remember to smile everywhere you go.

Current Bummer--I will not be able to do the Nor'easter Tri again this year because we will be on vacation.  I mean, I'm glad we are taking a vacation, but sad that I can't defend my age group win from last year.  My friend BD, who did it with me last year is going to do it, so she can defend for us.  Sorry, BD, you'll just have to come do the OOB tri with me in August!  :)    The other bummer is that I waited too long to register for the Polar Bear Sprint Tri and now it's full!  Damn!  I did manage to get on the wait list so hopefully, someone will drop out and I can get on to that one. 

Later this month will be my one year blogiversary!  I'm working on some fantastic giveaways and maybe a virtual run/challenge.  I still have a few weeks to work out the details so check back. 

How did your January turn out?

Is there anything you would like to see for a virtual challenge or giveaway?

Thanks for reading!  I still find it hard to believe that anyone cares what I have to say.  :)