Dingos keeping cool...the monthly thread for July! - Page 3

[bec]

mommajb - I have been noticing how much more enjoyable the pool is this summer! Katie and Emily are seriously swimming, and I have no worries about them anymore. Abby can swim well enough to get to the side. So, she's the only one I still have to keep an eye on. I have this dream of sitting on the side of the pool with a book next year!

Jaygee - Good luck with house selling! That is one of my biggest fears (selling my house, and having to declutter it and keep it pristinely clean). I must have been on vacation when the news came, but where are you moving? Did your dh get a job?

I am a little embarrassed at how sore I am today after yesterday's running, and then berry picking. I may go on a bike ride today with my friend when she gets back from church.

I am on day 3 of re-starting South Beach. So far, so good. I really feel like I'm detoxing. The down side is that I have plans for a pie for the berries I picked yesterday, and I just don't see how I can get away with NOT having a slice! Other than that, it has been easier than I feared.

[poppywise]

jaygee - oh, i am not working for anthro. - although that would be cool! - i am working for the people who make the apron i linked to (that sells at anthro) i only didn't post the link to the company website because i'm paranoid about personal info, job stuff, public forums.... you get the idea

penelope - that's so nice to hear about the church floats! have you see this? i hugged a man in his underwear it's a thought provoking read.

happy 4th everyone!

[Nemesis]

Bec, I am needing to restart SB too. I just got off track. Good luck!

A pretty easy 2miles done. I did 9minutes walking, 1minute walk break twice. And then a cool down. Had a small dog attack Myles for the 3rd time since we got him. Ugh. He is pretty good- he just stands still and turns his back to them.

[Penelope]

Poppy, thank you.

Ok, I scrubbed the floor and then handed dh his a** on a plate for not doing it himself. From "fetch supplies, move shoe racks" to "that's finished" took me... 20 minutes! I told him he valued 20 minutes of his free time, which I had taken back by virtue of lecturing him, more than he valued me, or my time, or my requests for help, or my goodwill. So. Yes, I believe this is PMS speaking, but I also believe it might have sunk in a tiny bit.

Then to rub it in I cleaned the bathroom. Like in Prodigal Summer where the main character engages in vengeful acts of cooking delicious food. Sigh.

I'm going to go bathe (really this time!) and pack and shake off my irritation.

[JayGee]

Penelope ~ ugh on the DH and cleaning situation. But I fear my husband feels the same about my cleaning ! I spent a ton of time cleaning our bedroom the other day, only to have him ask, "Did you vacuum the vent? How about dust the ceiling fan? The lampshades are dusty too." Hard not to give him a giant FU after I spent all that time cleaning it.

bec ~ Yes, DH got a job back in southwestern Illinois (where we lived before here)! He reports for work on August 15, so we may or may not be joining him, pending the sale of our house. Kind of stressful with school starting on August 18.

mommajb ~ sending a PM with my ART guy's contact info .

It's hotter than hades here today. I tried to take my kids to Target to buy a few house things but my girls were literally climbing the display racks, so we went home instead. Where do they get the idea that this is okay?????

[Penelope]

JayGee, thanks for the reminder that perhaps I need to be more patient. Had he spent more than 2 minutes I might have been a little nicer, but dude... splotches of spilled catfood? Still? On the floor you just "cleaned"? I don't want to be the gatekeeper to all things household-related. I really don't. But I want him to not feign helplessness at a basic adult skill like scrubbing a floor. Otherwise I'm the scullery maid.

And.... I'm not packed yet for my vacation that starts in less than two hours. I'm 80% there, though...

[tjsmama]

I'm a little out of the loop...two days sans laptop will do that to ya! It was kind of nice to unplug a little, though. Well, I still had my iphone, but hard to do TOO much on the iphone.

for your new job, poppy! I hope you love it and that it treats you well!

I had a fantastic time in Glenwood Springs. My friend Shannon's parents' house is amazing, and they were SO welcoming. I kind of felt like I half-invited myself, but they were so nice and truly made me feel a part of the family. Their house is phenomenal. They bought land right on the Colorado River at the entrance to Glenwood Canyon nearly 30 years ago, and then built their house their around 20 years ago. The view from their back deck is spectacular, and they have a deck/stair system that goes all the way down to the banks of the river.

Shannon, her friend Nicole, and I headed out for a 40 mile bike ride yesterday morning. We rode down the Rio Grande trail towards Aspen. It goes along an old railroad grade, so it's really pretty flat, which was fun. A very slight uphill on the way out and a very slight downhill on the way back. We made it halfway to Aspen...next time, the whole way! When we got back to Shannon's parents' house, we took the world's longest transition (ok, maybe just 15 minutes) and then headed the other direction, up Glenwood Canyon on the bike path for our run. We did just under 6 miles total, and it was pretty miserable. Luckily, Shannon and I ran very well paced (Nicole has bronchitis and isn't allowed to run, so she walked). It was getting pretty hot by this point, and I could feel my quads and calves tightening up pretty quickly, so I could tell that I wasn't fully recovered from last weekend yet! We actually ran a pretty good pace, especially considering that our overall pace was 10:30 and the last mile was 12:46 because we walked up the evil hill at the end (3% grade for over 1/4 mile). Afterward, we went straight down to the river and plopped ourselves in and stayed there for awhile. It felt SO good, and it was fun to watch all the rafters go by! I let them talk me into staying last night, too (it really wasn't difficult, at all) and Shannon's mom cooked up an awesome seafood boil with some of the best shrimp I've ever tasted. We finished up the night by going and sweating out our margaritas in the Vapor Caves next to the hot springs pool and all came back and passed out by 10.

Now I'm back home, and need to get to work on some homework. I have a paper to write, and then hopefully I'll have time for a quick nap before getting back to work. I'm debating going somewhere to get a good view of fireworks. I wish I could ride my bike, but I don't have it equipped for night riding, and I really want to avoid crowds. There's a park about 2 miles away that I think would be perfect, and hopefully not too crowded, but I'm not sure I want to walk that far. Hmm. Ok, off to work!

[Plady]

Happy 4th Dingos!
I dragged myself in to town for the Firecracker Run this morning feeling like I'd hate myself more for not starting than for finishing last. Really low expectations here. But, when I remembered to stop my watch a few beats after I'd crossed the line it said 29:30! If that's really true than it's a PR for sure!
Then dh had the idea to put our TM on our trailer and pull it as a float for the Run Ladies Run group I'm in here so we did that and it was a good time. I spent the entire length of the parade running in circles around the float. I don't know how much distance it added but it was probably an added hour of jogging, so overall a full workout today.

Originally Posted by kerc

how receptive is she to, "hey this is what we're thinking....bring it in now, see what the doctor says or maybe wait and play it out?"~I've heard good things about the duct tape method.

Originally Posted by mommajb

ETA: I would give the duct tape method a try unless it is super painful and she wants to go to the doctor though I can't be sure that route would alleviate her pain?

Originally Posted by JayGee

Just make her wear flip-flops in the shower so the rest of your family feet don't get it.

Well, I think I will try the duct tape but all the reasoning stuff, well, she's still only 2. I'm not sure logic would prevail given the opportunity. But thank you for the input, I'm going to let her pick out her favorite color of duct tape for the job and I'm going to wear some too, for moral support. So,

Sorry for no personals today! you all though!

[sparklett]

Can I join you?

I'm running again! Four miles a day right now and I'm working up to more. I signed up for the Surf City Half Marathon on Feb. 11 in Long Beach and I have A LOT of work ahead!

This winter I got to week 7 of C25K, but then came down with four bouts of bronchitis and had a teeny hairline fracture in my left foot that needed some time to heal. Now I'm back in business!

[1jooj]

Back from my two days up north! Just caught up, and sending a hug to my dingoes.

Plady, I'd try duct tape and that's that. It's non-invasive and doesn't hurt. I had 2 burned off with acid as a kid, and a third frozen off an ankle. For a 2yo, I'd go with the duct tape for certain.

poppy, admitting to googling to learn more about design house. Not stalkery, but I love love love aprons.

penelope, I have recently been quoted giving the "mother or housekeeper" lecture here as well. It ain't fair.

JayGee, hoping it's a fast sell.

And yes, on the pool being fun this year (finally!) and yes, on feeling like a slacker and being ready to buckle back down and get with it. For real. I have been back with carbs the past several days and I feel like crap! So, tomorrow AM I'll get a run, and I don't care what we do the rest of the day. Most likely laundry, housecleaning and work that has been waiting. Dh put up a chunk of fence and unloaded a load of hay in my absence. I don't know where he is now, but he achieved a lot in two days. And in two weeks, he's gone again.

So I hope to have a hire soon. A local, experienced, hungry, full time hire. Should be achievable, given the job market.

But for tonight, still trying to relax and stay calm.

[mommajb]

RM, How great that your dad is feeling at least a wee bit better. that it continues.

Nemesis, enjoy those fireworks!

Penelope, on the ten miles though I don't generally like to run in the rain. I was thinking about your words on the positiveness of the parade and wondering what my children's exposure is when I heard dh say, "So you are getting married. Do you need a pink or blue person?" They were playing the game of Life. We didn't rent a second uhaul but once when moving across Munich we ran out of time and threw the last batch of stuff out the 3rd floor window aiming at the dumpster down below just before inspection. It was stuff we no longer needed but I had hoped to do something more useful with it. If you want to get angry at me and come clean the bathroom I'd appreciate it.

bec, happy detoxing.

JayGee, thank you so much for sending the info. I know it took effort to find it all. Enjoy the heat and better luck next time at Target. At least you know they didn't get the idea from us this time.

Gaye, so glad it was a good visit. It sounds beautiful. Every time I try to study for my exam I fall asleep. I am not sure if I am sleep deprived or suddenly bored by it all.

on the PR plady! And your float /workout sounds like more fun than running alone on a TM. and I am trying to picture the logical conversation with Linus and realizing the futility of it. I think duct tape for the both of you sounds perfect.

sparklett, run carefully and

[bec]

Does it count if I had a piece of berry pie that I made? The berries were freshly picked by me (I have the scratches to prove it!)? And, I totally resisted SO MUCH today! Beer, deep fried cheese, funnel cakes, lemonade, icees, pizza, and other carnival food.

But, we had a lovely salmon dinner, with a really nice salad.

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by Penelope

Memo: dabbing at the floor with a Magic Eraser? is not the same as *scrubbing the effin' floor.*

My DH has those issues too. I decided to put it to work for me this weekend. We have a trailer in the mountains and he wants to replace the carpet currently in the kitchen with tile. I do not want to wash a kitchen floor up there. Recently, he was complaining about the hardwood in our house and saying he wouldn't have put it in if he'd known we have to wash it. Soooo, I simply mentioned that we'd have to wash tile in the trailer...and that quite frankly, if he wants the tile he'd have to wash the floor. Every time we were up there.

He's decided the carpeting will be fine for now.

Originally Posted by JayGee

I tried to take my kids to Target to buy a few house things but my girls were literally climbing the display racks, so we went home instead. Where do they get the idea that this is okay?????

Yeah, though mine tends to turn into a kangaroo the minute we walk into a store. Also, on the house sale!

Welcome sparklett!

CFG--that's awful!

poppy--yay about the job!

bec--yay for your 5k and feeling great!

tjsmama--glad you got some nice mountain time in this weekend!

Race report: our 5-miler was Saturday morning, and I can sum it up in one word: vindication!

Official time: 51:11. (Garmin time was 50:32), so a 10:10-10:14ish pace, pushing the double, but this time on a downhill, paved course. Oh the difference a bit of asphalt and 500 elevation loss makes!

The race had about 600 people, some who walk it, so it's always crowded at the beginning. I positioned us near some other runners with joggers and hoped we wouldn't be behind too many walkers. Shortly after we started I spotted another double jogger and quickly moved to follow him so he could clear a path. The first two miles were spent passing people and waiting for openings to pass. Around mile 3 Paul, as per usual, started telling me he couldn't keep up the pace, so I tried encouraging him and eventually told him he could keep up. He didn't, so I eventually stopped and waited about 30 seconds until he did catch up. He continued to tell me he couldn't keep up the pace, and I told him that all the talking was taking energy from running and that he might want to try the mantra I use: less whining, more running. I was mostly joking. Also, he's always whined through that mile, and we've done the race together four times now. At the same time, there was an older man who was doing a combination of running and walking who kept passing us and being passed by us. I was good with that, but determined that I was going to beat him in the end--which wasn't going to happen if my husband kept slowing us down! (Yes, I have an evil competitive streak. Though I also hope I can be as cool as that guy in about 30 years.)

Around 3.5 miles, Paul started to calm down and just run again, which was nice. He told me I could go ahead of him at mile 4 because he didn't have the energy for a final push. So, when we hit mile 4 I picked up the pace. Surprisingly, he stayed with me and said actually, he was slowing down. (Whatever you have to tell yourself to get through the race, buddy.) I figured he could do whatever he wanted and kept pushing it. I don't think I lost him until the last 1/2 mile, and he only finished a minute behind me. My split for the last mile was 9:01, so it was awesome to see that yes, I can still run that fast (despite pushing a double) and I was just thrilled with my time, especially at altitude.

We stayed for the giveaways afterward and although we didn't win anything, the older gentleman that I'd passed won 1st in his age group (70-79) with a time a minute slower than mine. That was really cool. He looked like he was in his 60s. Also, a family of four each won first in their age group with really fast times (30-33 minutes). It was seriously amazing. The announcer said the kids will probably go to the Olympics some day if they choose, and I'd believe it. I think the girl was in the under 12 age group, and the boy was in the 12-19 one. They must have some awesome family runs!

I felt awesome after the race. Paul decided to take a dip in Lake Granby as his version of an ice bath. It seems to work. Then we went to fireworks in the evening. Granby does a small show after the rodeo, so it's easy enough to find a place to park and it's also pretty easy to head home after. I was wiped by then. I sat down to nurse J, started listening to This American Life, and then put my head back on the chair...only to wake up 30 minutes later. I don't usually do that.

The rest of our weekend was pretty good. The downside was that Paul left my computer bag with all my books and magazines sitting on the chair at home. We headed to the library on Thursday and checked out some stuff and I reminded myself that not having my laptop gave me a very good excuse for not starting that article this weekend. On Friday we headed to the hot springs and that was wonderful. R has been a big fan of the hot springs and had a great time, and J liked it too. They have a cold pool so I did some laps in that, and Paul and I also switched off so we could go into the adult-only pools. (There are 22 pools at the resort and 4 are open to children.) My favorite is the Hillside pool, which gives a great view of the Indian Peaks and surrounding mountains. It's also the coolest (90 degrees) but it's so cool to just sit there and take in the view.

[Shantimama]

Runningmommy - can I phone you sometime today? I would up going away for the weekend and ad no internet access and I didn't write down your phone number before leaving.

The weather couldn't be much worse for running = 35 degrees Celsius and humid and I fell asleep before taking my asthma meds last night, but I am starting the Couch to 5k this morning anyway. I am wearing my 2007 Mama Needs A Run shirt and I will go dig up some shoes and just go for it. I have a pretty pathetic running bra at the moment, but today is mostly just walking anyway. I woke up early and feel like I have to seize the moment rather than wait until I have everything perfectly set for running. I expect it to be a very unpleasant experience - so maybe I will be pleasantly surprised Later today I will buy some new running shoes and be in better shape for my next run.

Nine weeks should take me to Labour Day yo complete the program. Fall and winter and my favourite times for running so this is great timing to start again.

This should be interesting - I haven't even put my shoes on yet and I am already looking forward to my post-run-shower

[Mel38]

Originally Posted by mommajb

RWe didn't rent a second uhaul but once when moving across Munich we ran out of time and threw the last batch of stuff out the 3rd floor window aiming at the dumpster down below just before inspection.

Oh, that's funny! I hope we don't have to resort to that!

Originally Posted by Shantimama

The weather couldn't be much worse for running = 35 degrees Celsius and humid and I fell asleep before taking my asthma meds last night, but I am starting the Couch to 5k this morning anyway.

Ugh, that's really hot. Take it easy and let us know how it goes!

Real: Nice race report! It sounds like a fun run and great day overall.

Originally Posted by bec

Does it count if I had a piece of berry pie that I made?

Yeah, totally!! Fresh picked berries -

Jo: welcome back!

Sparklett!

Plady, that float idea is awesome!! I bet it got lots of laughs!

Hi Gaye, sounds like a blast this weekend!

Penelope: I am SO with you on that floor-scrubbing topic. I hope you have a great trip!

Did anyone else ever see the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, when the guys discussed their tactic for getting out of chores ... just do a really, really bad job and then your wife will never ask you to do it again. I say, foil them. "Wow, honey, it looks like you need some more practice at floor scrubbing!"

I spent 90 minutes on the bike this morning, and another 20 minutes picking up DS a few minutes ago. The morning bike ride was a shopping trip, so coming home with a trailer full of groceries was a great workout! Had a little oops moment (AF related ) so I had to get home quickly and haul all the groceries upstairs in one trip. Wow, that really got my HR up !!

My knee is feeling so great... I'm thinking of going for a run. I've been missing out on cardio, have gained a couple of pounds, so I'm sure I could use it!

[Nemesis]

Real- Way to go! What a great race report. It sounds like a good weekend!

Mel- Be careful, have fun! I'm glad your knee is feeling so good...

Shanti- Good luck! The first few runs are the hardest, I think.. It only gets easier from here!

Not sure what's in the cards for me today. DH is home from work and I am still drowning in laundry, despite spending all day folding, washing, and putting away yesterday.
The town fireworks were fun last night, but shorter than last year. The bugs were pretty bad, too! We were worried about Myles freaking out while we were gone, but he did great and the apartment across the hall has our number just in case. It's a relief to be able to leave him home sometimes!

Ok, I'm shooting for 2.5 miles this morning to make up for my shorter run yesterday. So there, I said it. Now I'm committed!

[sparklett]

Hi everyone! My little guy is running around so I'll be quick. I've logged 16 miles in 4 days! For me, that is absolutely fantastic. I feel great and my mile time is getting better by the day.

[Plady]

Originally Posted by 1jooj

I love love love aprons.

Note to future SS.

Nemesis - This will probably get my MDC card yanked but I made a deal with Dd1, she can watch tv while she folds laundry. Now she's got this voracious appetite for folding laundry. She's even helped collect the dirty laundry from upstairs for me so she can get to the folding stage more quickly. I love it!

Sparklett - Welcome! It sounds like you've got a solid base to ramp up your training from. Gah! Prepositions!

[bec]

Good morning dingos!

Real - Awesome race report!

I was up too late last night at fireworks. I have been so exhausted by this vacation and have just been trying to catch up on sleep. I slept past 10 this morning! That never happens! Anyway, I feel better, so will hopefully have a good day. I hope to bring the kids to the pool later. Oh, and there's the parade, and I have tri class tonight. And I'll actually be able to fully participate!!!! It's a bike around town with stops for strength exercises. Should be interesting and fun! I also want to get DD1 new running shoes.

[cornflake girl]

Originally Posted by bec

That is one of my biggest fears (selling my house, and having to declutter it and keep it pristinely clean).

OMG, yes, me too! I figure the only way it would be possible would be to move out before listing it.

plady - hooray for a PR!

sparklett - welcome! Surf City is a beautiful race, you'll love it. I've done the 1/2 several times and one year even saw dolphins frolicking in the water as we ran along PCH. Are you in SoCal?

real - woohoo for vindication! Great race!

mel - after a couple glasses of wine my neighbor admitted to having "ELRed" (Everybody Loves Raymonded) when he first got together with his wife as a way of permanently getting out of a chore. I wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or if men really do use this tactic. I'm glad your knee is feeling great.

rr: i ran 9 miles yesterday and my foot held up! Still tender but I can deal with that. My brain was so happy to run out some of the stress from this min. wage drama. It was like a massage for my brain.