Running Around the Maypole ~ the May Dingo Thread - Page 20

[LaLaLaLa]

Good evening!

Plady--awesome planting!  I look at those pictures and get overwhelmed just thinking about it.  It was almost too much for me to put ten small vegetable plants into the ground and cover the area with anti-critter netting.  Eek.

Speaking of which, the morning after I put up the anti-critter netting I went out to water vegetables and found the body of a chipmunk tangled in the net.  It was very dead, for which I was grateful; I would probably have been hysterical if there were a chipmunk killing itself in the net while I desperately tried to free it.  I spent ten minutes trying to work its body out of the net before giving up and going for the scissors.  Poor little guy; I hope he'll be the only one to come to such an end.  They are pests and two summers ago probably ate all of my broccoli and lettuce, but they are awfully cute, too.

tjsmama--I'm glad the party went well and the cake turned out beautiful.  Sorry about DS's bike.  From the picture on Facebook, it just looks really huge for him.  I remember even as someone who was a pretty good bike-rider I was really nervous riding a bike where my feet didn't touch the ground.  I don't know if I'd want a beginner to have to deal with that.  I hope you'll be able to find a solution for the summer!

Nic--It's great that you had such a warm end of the year experience with your running kids.  It's nice to feel appreciated, especially by an age group that isn't generally known for being appreciative.

JayGee--I suck at curtains.  We've lived here for three years and still have bare curtain rods (from the previous owner) in our living room and our bedroom.  The kids only just got curtains last month, because we went into Bed, Bath, whatever and DD's eye was caught by a set of neon pink curtains with sequins sewn onto them.  They were SO beautiful, she got all  and I didn't see the harm in buying them.  DS, not to be outdone, also chose curtains, although not as dramatic as his sister's.  Maybe I should just let the kids decide what we'll do with the living-room windows?  We really should have something, as I often walk through the living room naked, on my way from the shower on the main floor to my bedroom upstairs.  We don't have anyone directly looking toward our windows, since we have a long driveway, but someone standing on our front porch is going to be surprised one of these days.  If I time it right, maybe it will be the Jehovah's Witnesses or those nice Mormon boys who keep wanting to talk religion with me.    Sorry you were stuck at home instead of riding.  I hope tomorrow will work out better.

ND--I'm glad the race went well.  I trust the stomach problems weren't an issue at all?  Good timing, then.

Real--How are you feeling?  Still getting better?  Are you taking deep breaths now, or still dealing with coughing?

Today was busy.  I ended up with both kids wanting to go to church with me this morning, which is rare.  Generally DS would rather stay at home and talk DH into letting him watch TV.  When we came home DH was still asleep, which means he slept for 15 hours last night, since he went to bed early, too.  I went out grocery shopping and then we had told the kids we'd take them on a nature trail nearby.  DH didn't want to go; he says he gets too out of breath, he's too fat, he needs to lose weight.  This is true, and just last night we bought an elliptical machine for Father's Day, so he can start working out at home.  But really, you can't keep up with a five-year-old?  Lame.  Baseball game was on TV and I didn't fight about it.  So I had the kids alone on the trail, which was fine, actually, if a bit lonely for me.  It took us an hour to walk it, and my kids are good hikers who don't complain.  The two of them very nicely played some Pokemon imaginary game almost the entire time.  Apparently the woods were riddled with wild Pokemon, and my kids have a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the names and powers of these creatures that they hadn't heard of a year ago.

I came home, ditched the kids, and went for a run.  It felt crappy, which I knew going out there.  I hadn't eaten enough today and I drank some coffee, and my hands were shaking as I was getting dressed to go out.  I ate some crackers but it didn't help much.  I cut it short and did 5.5 instead of the 7 I'd hoped to do.  I made DH make a big salad for dinner, and also made him choose a game for our family game night, which went very well.  I did get some time to myself today, but at the same time I feel like the time I spent with the kids today was pretty taxing, getting them ready for church, getting them home, and getting them ready again and out for a hike, and even without the kids at the grocery store and on the roads, I wasn't exactly resting.

I'm trying to not be pissed.

Tomorrow we'd told the kids (okay, I guess technically I told the kids, but DH agreed) we'd take them hiking on an actual mountain, which we did once at the end of last summer.  We made trail mix and were climbing for hours and it was really neat.  I'm making the assumption that if DH wouldn't do a neighborhood walk today, he's going to ditch tomorrow's mountain.  I like to hike and am excited about it, but I know I'm going to be resentful being a solo parent out on a hike for the entire day while DH has another day off, relaxing on the couch.  I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that.  Maybe drinking the rest of the rum in the refrigerator would help me decide?

I think so. 

[LaLaLaLa]

Good evening!

Plady--awesome planting!  I look at those pictures and get overwhelmed just thinking about it.  It was almost too much for me to put ten small vegetable plants into the ground and cover the area with anti-critter netting.  Eek.

Speaking of which, the morning after I put up the anti-critter netting I went out to water vegetables and found the body of a chipmunk tangled in the net.  It was very dead, for which I was grateful; I would probably have been hysterical if there were a chipmunk killing itself in the net while I desperately tried to free it.  I spent ten minutes trying to work its body out of the net before giving up and going for the scissors.  Poor little guy; I hope he'll be the only one to come to such an end.  They are pests and two summers ago probably ate all of my broccoli and lettuce, but they are awfully cute, too.

tjsmama--I'm glad the party went well and the cake turned out beautiful.  Sorry about DS's bike.  From the picture on Facebook, it just looks really huge for him.  I remember even as someone who was a pretty good bike-rider I was really nervous riding a bike where my feet didn't touch the ground.  I don't know if I'd want a beginner to have to deal with that.  I hope you'll be able to find a solution for the summer!

Nic--It's great that you had such a warm end of the year experience with your running kids.  It's nice to feel appreciated, especially by an age group that isn't generally known for being appreciative.

JayGee--I suck at curtains.  We've lived here for three years and still have bare curtain rods (from the previous owner) in our living room and our bedroom.  The kids only just got curtains last month, because we went into Bed, Bath, whatever and DD's eye was caught by a set of neon pink curtains with sequins sewn onto them.  They were SO beautiful, she got all  and I didn't see the harm in buying them.  DS, not to be outdone, also chose curtains, although not as dramatic as his sister's.  Maybe I should just let the kids decide what we'll do with the living-room windows?  We really should have something, as I often walk through the living room naked, on my way from the shower on the main floor to my bedroom upstairs.  We don't have anyone directly looking toward our windows, since we have a long driveway, but someone standing on our front porch is going to be surprised one of these days.  If I time it right, maybe it will be the Jehovah's Witnesses or those nice Mormon boys who keep wanting to talk religion with me.    Sorry you were stuck at home instead of riding.  I hope tomorrow will work out better.

ND--I'm glad the race went well.  I trust the stomach problems weren't an issue at all?  Good timing, then.

Real--How are you feeling?  Still getting better?  Are you taking deep breaths now, or still dealing with coughing?

Today was busy.  I ended up with both kids wanting to go to church with me this morning, which is rare.  Generally DS would rather stay at home and talk DH into letting him watch TV.  When we came home DH was still asleep, which means he slept for 15 hours last night, since he went to bed early, too.  I went out grocery shopping and then we had told the kids we'd take them on a nature trail nearby.  DH didn't want to go; he says he gets too out of breath, he's too fat, he needs to lose weight.  This is true, and just last night we bought an elliptical machine for Father's Day, so he can start working out at home.  But really, you can't keep up with a five-year-old?  Lame.  Baseball game was on TV and I didn't fight about it.  So I had the kids alone on the trail, which was fine, actually, if a bit lonely for me.  It took us an hour to walk it, and my kids are good hikers who don't complain.  The two of them very nicely played some Pokemon imaginary game almost the entire time.  Apparently the woods were riddled with wild Pokemon, and my kids have a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the names and powers of these creatures that they hadn't heard of a year ago.

I came home, ditched the kids, and went for a run.  It felt crappy, which I knew going out there.  I hadn't eaten enough today and I drank some coffee, and my hands were shaking as I was getting dressed to go out.  I ate some crackers but it didn't help much.  I cut it short and did 5.5 instead of the 7 I'd hoped to do.  I made DH make a big salad for dinner, and also made him choose a game for our family game night, which went very well.  I did get some time to myself today, but at the same time I feel like the time I spent with the kids today was pretty taxing, getting them ready for church, getting them home, and getting them ready again and out for a hike, and even without the kids at the grocery store and on the roads, I wasn't exactly resting.

I'm trying to not be pissed.

Tomorrow we'd told the kids (okay, I guess technically I told the kids, but DH agreed) we'd take them hiking on an actual mountain, which we did once at the end of last summer.  We made trail mix and were climbing for hours and it was really neat.  I'm making the assumption that if DH wouldn't do a neighborhood walk today, he's going to ditch tomorrow's mountain.  I like to hike and am excited about it, but I know I'm going to be resentful being a solo parent out on a hike for the entire day while DH has another day off, relaxing on the couch.  I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that.  Maybe drinking the rest of the rum in the refrigerator would help me decide?

I think so. 

[LaLaLaLa]

double post.... have I already started drinking?  Is there a way to delete this box altogether, or just edit it down to nothing?

[LaLaLaLa]

.

[memiles]

La4, I think we are having the same thoughts toward the husbands.  I came her to post the following:

Dear DH:  You told E you were going to take her to see your aunt.  While I went to the gym this morning, you didn't do the things I asked you to do, nor did you see to it that DD1 did the things I asked her to do.  When I came home, I did those things from both of your lists, helped DD1 pack for her trip, cleaned the guinea pig cage, and went outside to finally plant the new starts I'd asked you to put in.  While I was doing that, you said "I'll be right back".  Three hours later, you came home, having spent that time with your aunt.  The pizza you brought home wasn't what I wanted (or purchased) for dinner, and now you hiding downstairs while I sit here with E whining that she wanted to go see Aunt J and that she hasn't had a chance to do anything fun all day is putting me over the edge.  Don't know what's gotten into you today, but I'm DONE.

[tjsmama]

plady~NICE!

la~I would be as well, for sure. And you, too, memiles! At least there are SOME upsides to not having to deal with a DH.


It was a pretty nice day today. Since my friend bailed on our planned ride this morning and I already had the nanny set up (and would have felt guilty about cancelling her), I decided to join the team training ride for my Courage Classic team. It was a great decision. Some really cool people, some gorgeous scenery, a TON of elk, and a good workout. Maybe too good, considering I'm supposed to "race" a 10k tomorrow! There was definitely more climbing than I anticipated, which I definitely need. Just maybe not the day before a race. My new friends/teammates tried to help me put the training wheels on DS's bike, but unfortunately, they won't fit because it has a derailleur, and they don't make training wheels for bikes with derailleurs. So we are going to just try to skip the training wheels and go straight to learning how to ride on 2 wheels, I guess. The bike is definitely a little big for him, which doesn't help, but I'm hopeful that maybe we'll get it figured out this summer. If he was a bit less timid, I think he'd be ok, but he's so timid that he's scared to try. We'll get there. I kind of think (as with the swim lessons) that he needs someone besides mommy to try to teach him, because his first instinct when he's scared is always to grab me.

Tomorrow morning...the Bolder Boulder. Must. Get. To. Bed. Early. And then, to appease my guilty conscience for ditching DS for the majority of his actual birthday to run a race , I told him we could do whatever he wanted (zoo, hike, airplane museum, pool), and he chose the pool. So I guess I need to figure out if the rec centers with the cool pools (with slides and fountains and stuff) are open tomorrow, or if we'll be stuck with the boring Y pool.

[memiles]

And now, because DH didn't shut the garage door.....the dog just went in and ate an entire box of expensive protein bars that I keep for births/stuck without GF food times.  Seriously?

[sparkletruck]

Back from Taos. Whew. Camping with kids wears me out. Sad. Getting old.

We prepped friday, left yesterday morning and got back this afternoon. We intended to do our regular hike yesterday, which is a couple miles up a few thousand feet elevation gain to the peak of the highest mtn. in NM but half-way up we were snowed out, and since most of us were wearing sandals, hiking through the snow was not an option (although ds and dd1 tried for a few hundred yards, and then proceeded to scream - ds - that his feet were burning and took off his sandals and just cried, until we could convince him to put the shoes back on and post-hole outta there!). So we drove to the land area we've been looking at online and did some recon.

Then drove to the land that our friends own, where they host an annual group-camp on memorial day weekend that they call kidpalooza. They have 40 acres about a half hour southwest of Taos; very dry, very scrubby, where they built a sort of fort big enough for them to sleep in and an outdoor kitchen, but there is no water, so everyone bring in 5 or so gallons and a ton of food, and we all pitch tents around the land and the kids all run around the woods for a few days and the grown-ups drink a lot and hang out, and during the days we drive to the river (rio grande) 15-20 minutes away for rafting - mostly kid rafting, and parent shuttling. But dh had to work this afternoon, so we just went for the night and left mid-morning today. Kids went to bed last night at 10 or later. I put dd2 and myself down around 9; I wasnt even up when my 6 and 8 year olds went to bed

Sorry no personal. Just too tired. ...

Except Plady - so beautiful!!!!

[1jooj]

Wow, ladies. Lots happens when it happens.

Memiles, I get that kind of stuff going on here too. "Here," as in, in this relationship. :/ Sorry, mama.

Plady, holy shmoly! It's good work! Like real said, don't let the book scare you into thinking gardening is more trouble than it really is...but at the same time, mosquito season and weeding coincide in WI and can result in terrifically weedy gardens. Last year, I know several people who just gave up. We were using hunter deet-based stuff, and mosquitos were biting where the sweat dripped down and cleared a way for them. And like real, while the book is a nice intro to the self-sustaining and interdependent lifestyle that many rural and small town people never stopped enjoying, I got the freeloader vibe from parts too.

OK, dd is up and we are off to breakfast...more later, I hope...I have more hugs for y'all...

[1jooj]

So, I got 5k in on the TM downstairs. It was hard and slow, and my heart rate is a lot more reactive in the warmer temps. But at least I finally managed to finish 5k. Part of the difficulty is that I go down to the gym and leave the kids in the room. No reason to worry, but I feel apprehensive whenever I am working out with someone waiting on me. Now getting the kids into swimsuits for our daily swim. I am under some pressure to do something fun with them today. There's a waterpark we have discount coupons for, and maybe if we go before school lets out, the lines will not be too long? Sigh. Ds was crying this morning, missing his friends. I've been missing people too, but mostly in private. Have been streaming iTunes and doing some yoga in the room, and that has helped some. Now, once I get used to running 5k more than a couple times a week, I will work harder on cutting carbs...and I'll be feeling chipper in no time.

P.S. I think we might have bed bugs. 

[JayGee]

Jo ~ not bed bugs!  Yuck.  Good for you for getting the run in.  I know for myself it's really difficult to work up any running mojo when it's hot. 

sparkle ~ sounds like a fun camping trip, especially for the kids.

memiles ~ ugh... and a  for your DH.

Gaye ~ Happy birthday to your DS and have a great race this morning!

Real ~ have a great race too!!!

Lalala ~ whoa, I'd be resentful too, seriously.  Your DH needs to suck it up and take his family hiking already.

ND ~ great job in the marathon!  I'm always in awe of any Dingo who can do the training and run the full 26.2

kerc ~ I think a lot of my depressed mood lately has been because of the move.  I don't have any "real" friends here yet and that makes me feel really isolated.  I miss the "crunchiness" of Bloomington too.  Plus, I'm overwhemed by the stuff I need to get done with this house to get it the way I want it.  Unfortunately, when I feel overwhelmed, inertia takes over and then I get even less done and feel even worse about myself.  Add in the fact that DH is such a "get things done" kind of person and I always feel like I'm not measuring up.  /self pity over

We ended up having a nice day yesterday after all, even though the biking plans fell through.  The weather is finally dry enough for us to try out our new fire pit so we lit a huge campfire in the back yard, invited over the neighbors and stayed up WAY too late roasting marsmallows and enjoying the fire pit.  Today, we're heading to the pool for the inaugural swim of the summer.

[Penelope]

La, I really, really feel your pain. It's a twofer, for me: one, I end up being solo parent on all outings that require strategizing or physical exertion; two, the kids see a model of sit on the couch and avoid your obligations, and it chaps my hide. My usual solution: to just do the fun stuff I want to do, and note my sadness that dh doesn't want to participate, and try not to let it ruin my day.

Garden report: I finally got my vegetables all in, and my garden looks pretty and tidy and I cleaned up the yard. I need to research mulching vegetable gardens, as I don't usually mulch and do often get ginormous, overwhelming weeds. (I'm leaning toward newspaper with a good layer of bark over top of it - any reason not to do that?) I put in 20 tomatoes (and grabbed one more as I had a leftover cage), three bunches of asparagus, two peppers, a ton of beans, chard, zucchini, and squash. And we put nasturtiums and salad greens in a little bed that now needs some rabbit protection. I put herbs in boxes on my deck every year and have rosemary, basil, chamomile, mint, thyme, oregano, catmint, sage, dill, and probably some things I'm forgetting... it makes me happy to have it all in.

I'm not going to run today, but I think I'll take a nice long bike ride in a few minutes before turning to carpet scrubbing (ugh.) I did clean out my office and do a ton of work in my bedroom, so the motivation to scrub carpets has already been effective, but it's such an annoying, hot job. The carpets are in some serious need of scrubbing, though!

ND: Great job!

Gaye and Real: Run fast!

[bec]

Did I miss the report from ND?  Or was it on Facebook?  Sometimes I feel so out of touch not having FB.  Anyway, Congrats, ND!  It sounds like you rocked it!

Memiles, La - That is frustrating on the DH front.  I have to admit I feel so incredibly blessed that my DH really does pretty well with the kid outings.  I totally ditched him today after the memorial parade to take a walk with a friend to get iced coffee from McD's, while he wrangled our kids and hers at the crowded playground.  Then, I went to Target with her by myself.  He got rewarded with me bringing back lunch and I mowed the lawn for him!  But he is much more likely than I am to bring the kids out to ice cream or some such thing. 

It sounds like there was some amazing camping going on this weekend!  I have two camping trips planned this summer, but am hoping to get more in spontaneously. 

So, after being forties, wet and rainy all week, it is almost 90, humid and sunny all day today.  I didn't get the bike ride that I was hoping to get in (might go in the evening), but did get a 3 mile walk and mowed the lawn.  Those are some calories spent, in any case!

[sparkletruck]

Real & Gaye - thinking of you today at the BB. Hope you felt strong and energized and free!

ND - dont know what your results were either but you're done! Happy for your accomplishment

memiles - seriously is right! I'll add some and for you

kerc - ugh on the bugs. I hate bugs. At least the canoeing sounds nice

RR: stationary bike intervals for 47 minutes and then c25k with an incline at 8:41 pace for 22 min. I think I ran about 7 minutes again. I have to put the TM on an incline so my knee doesnt hurt...

I the c25k part, because the running is enough, and intense enough that I get my fix with just 7 minutes, and the walk breaks keep my knee from getting too reactive. That said, I have been working out through leg pain since I started up again a month or so ago. The whole right leg, ham and calf, feel like a cord is pulled tight from my glute to my achilles. I foam roll inconsistently but I CANNOT stretch it, or something will happen to my knee and then Im back in the negative loop. So instead, I take an ibuprofen when I exercise lately, and push through pretty decent effort-wise workouts b/c they feel so dang good, and hope the A.R.T. guy can grind my muscles into some kind of suppleness next week, b/c this isnt really working, or at least, I dont think its a very healthy approach

NRR: cleaned most of the house today = vacuuming the whole thing, 5 loads of laundry washed and out away, unpacked and washed all the camping gear, etc. etc. A sad thing, on the subject of Dh's, is that I feel like I can now maybe sit down and read through this magazine because Ive *earned* it now that Ive been cleaning for 5 hours, like if I dont work hard enough around the house, I feel like a lazy house-wife, which is one reason Dh gets away with doing 2% of house-work

[Plady]

Originally Posted by Penelope Garden report: I finally got my vegetables all in, and my garden looks pretty and tidy and I cleaned up the yard. I need to research mulching vegetable gardens, as I don't usually mulch and do often get ginormous, overwhelming weeds. (I'm leaning toward newspaper with a good layer of bark over top of it - any reason not to do that?) I put in 20 tomatoes (and grabbed one more as I had a leftover cage), three bunches of asparagus, two peppers, a ton of beans, chard, zucchini, and squash. And we put nasturtiums and salad greens in a little bed that now needs some rabbit protection. I put herbs in boxes on my deck every year and have rosemary, basil, chamomile, mint, thyme, oregano, catmint, sage, dill, and probably some things I'm forgetting... it makes me happy to have it all in.

That sounds like a ton of good stuff!  And is it safe to infer that your dh does not take part in this?  Amazing.  to you.
 

Originally Posted by kerc 

Back from a whirlwind weekend at a forest service campground on the very edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Dh and I went up there for what was meant to be a 2 week trip around the BWCA after he passed the bar exam.  Another couple was joining us - they didn't bring any food, just fishing poles.  Then the mosquitos came.  I remember we could hear the cloud coming before we could see them and we'd either hunker down in netting suits or get in the water and wait it out with just our mouths out to breathe.  We never caught any fish larger than the lure we used and the whole trip just seemed cursed from start to finish.  I'm glad for you that you had a cheerful conclusion from your friends, our trip turned out to be the breaking point for the other couple and continues to be the worst-case-scenario for me and dh (as in; at least it's better than the Boundary Waters! )

Originally Posted by LaLaLaLa 

Speaking of which, the morning after I put up the anti-critter netting I went out to water vegetables and found the body of a chipmunk tangled in the net.  It was very dead, for which I was grateful; I would probably have been hysterical if there were a chipmunk killing itself in the net while I desperately tried to free it.  I spent ten minutes trying to work its body out of the net before giving up and going for the scissors.  Poor little guy; I hope he'll be the only one to come to such an end.  They are pests and two summers ago probably ate all of my broccoli and lettuce, but they are awfully cute, too.

    Eww!

Nic--It's great that you had such a warm end of the year experience with your running kids.  It's nice to feel appreciated, especially by an age group that isn't generally known for being appreciative.

    Totally!

Today was busy.  I ended up with both kids wanting to go to church with me this morning, which is rare.  Generally DS would rather stay at home and talk DH into letting him watch TV.  When we came home DH was still asleep, which means he slept for 15 hours last night, since he went to bed early, too.  I went out grocery shopping and then we had told the kids we'd take them on a nature trail nearby.  DH didn't want to go; he says he gets too out of breath, he's too fat, he needs to lose weight.  This is true, and just last night we bought an elliptical machine for Father's Day, so he can start working out at home.  But really, you can't keep up with a five-year-old?  Lame. 

I'm trying to not be pissed.

Tomorrow we'd told the kids (okay, I guess technically I told the kids, but DH agreed) we'd take them hiking on an actual mountain, which we did once at the end of last summer.  We made trail mix and were climbing for hours and it was really neat.  I'm making the assumption that if DH wouldn't do a neighborhood walk today, he's going to ditch tomorrow's mountain.  I like to hike and am excited about it, but I know I'm going to be resentful being a solo parent out on a hike for the entire day while DH has another day off, relaxing on the couch.  I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that.  Maybe drinking the rest of the rum in the refrigerator would help me decide?

I think so. 

So did the rum help?  I hope you ended up having a nice family hike today. 
 

Originally Posted by tjsmama 

My new friends/teammates tried to help me put the training wheels on DS's bike, but unfortunately, they won't fit because it has a derailleur, and they don't make training wheels for bikes with derailleurs. So we are going to just try to skip the training wheels and go straight to learning how to ride on 2 wheels, I guess. The bike is definitely a little big for him, which doesn't help, but I'm hopeful that maybe we'll get it figured out this summer. If he was a bit less timid, I think he'd be ok, but he's so timid that he's scared to try. We'll get there. I kind of think (as with the swim lessons) that he needs someone besides mommy to try to teach him, because his first instinct when he's scared is always to grab me.

I learned without training wheels but it really helped that I could touch the ground.  I think the idea of an alternate teacher is a really good idea though. 

I have a feeling you're posting but how did your race go?
 

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

Then drove to the land that our friends own, where they host an annual group-camp on memorial day weekend that they call kidpalooza. They have 40 acres about a half hour southwest of Taos; very dry, very scrubby, where they built a sort of fort big enough for them to sleep in and an outdoor kitchen, but there is no water, so everyone bring in 5 or so gallons and a ton of food, and we all pitch tents around the land and the kids all run around the woods for a few days and the grown-ups drink a lot and hang out

That sounds so fun.  We used to spend quite a bit of time in Bluff UT before we had kids and did the same thing except just with everyone and their dogs.  It was always super fun.

Originally Posted by 1jooj 
Plady, holy shmoly! It's good work! Like real said, don't let the book scare you into thinking gardening is more trouble than it really is...but at the same time, mosquito season and weeding coincide in WI and can result in terrifically weedy gardens. Last year, I know several people who just gave up. We were using hunter deet-based stuff, and mosquitos were biting where the sweat dripped down and cleared a way for them.

I don't want to jinx anything here but we have so many insect eating birds on our pond that we don't really have a mosquito problem.  I really hope you guys don't have bed bugs.

Originally Posted by JayGee 

We ended up having a nice day yesterday after all, even though the biking plans fell through.  The weather is finally dry enough for us to try out our new fire pit so we lit a huge campfire in the back yard, invited over the neighbors and stayed up WAY too late roasting marsmallows and enjoying the fire pit.  Today, we're heading to the pool for the inaugural swim of the summer.

That sounds wonderful too!

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

I the c25k part, because the running is enough, and intense enough that I get my fix with just 7 minutes, and the walk breaks keep my knee from getting too reactive.

NRR: cleaned most of the house today = vacuuming the whole thing, 5 loads of laundry washed and out away, unpacked and washed all the camping gear, etc. etc. A sad thing, on the subject of Dh's, is that I feel like I can now maybe sit down and read through this magazine because Ive *earned* it now that Ive been cleaning for 5 hours, like if I dont work hard enough around the house, I feel like a lazy house-wife, which is one reason Dh gets away with doing 2% of house-work

I've just been thinking that maybe I should go back to c25k too and see how it goes.  Hmmm, you've got me thinking.

And, yeah, I feel that way too, like I have to earn my downtime.  Like, right now I'm shirking because I'm not in the garden.

So yeah, back to the garden (farm), we're making progress, I don't know if it's good or slow or what since I've never done this type of project before and we've still got more than half to go...  Oy.
 

[tjsmama]

jo~

Phew. What a day! Really, an almost perfect day to cap off a pretty darn good weekend.

Race report: Up at the crack of dawn (before, actually) to drive up to the park n' ride and catch the bus to the race start. I met real and my friend Amy from school there so we could all ride the bus together. They switched the start line around this year, so it was all a little unfamiliar, but we were there in plenty of time for two potty stops and bag check. Well, almost. Lisa missed her wave start, but that was not her fault, and I'll let her tell about it. The pre-race just flew by, and before I knew it, we were off. I felt totally unprepared, but what are ya gonna do? Run or get run over, right?! The start line move made it so that the first mile was uphill rather than downhill as in the past. To be honest, I didn't really notice it that much. I know I've waxed poetic about this race before, but seriously...I just love it. From Elvis and the Blues Brothers and the belly dancers to the houses with slipn'slides handing out doritos, beer, doughnuts, etc. Today, I especially enjoyed the guy around the 2 mile marker who was yelling "Way to go runners, only 500 miles to go!"

I had pretty low expectations for this race, given my recent lack of training and yesterday's ride. I was really just hoping for under an hour, but I figured I go out and just see how I felt. I really wanted to try to push myself if I felt like it was physically possible, and I wanted to challenge myself to run out of my comfort zone. It's really easy for me to go into a zone where I just go at an easy and comfortable pace, but I wanted to see what I could do if I actually got uncomfortable. Turns out, I actually CAN run out of my comfort zone. My first few miles were pretty consistent, around a 9:15 pace, which was far better than expected, but felt pretty decent. Once we hit the elevation peak on the course (around mile 4) and I let myself go on the downhill, I decided to just go for it and see what would happen. I figured the worst that would happen is that I would totally hit the wall and limp in, still within my "expected" time for the race. The last two miles HURT. Bad. But I'm pretty excited that I was able to run through it and ran sub-9 minute miles to finish up the race and negative split! My final time was 57:13, for a 9:13 pace...just 30 seconds off last year's PR! Kind of makes me wonder how well I could have done had I NOT ridden yesterday (although the ride was well worth it and I don't really regret it at all).

After the race (and retrieving my lungs from where I left them outside the stadium on the way in , it was time for FUN! Lisa, Amy, and I reconvened and met up with my friends Hillary and Ben for breakfast. Blueberry pancakes and bacon. YUM. After breakfast, everyone headed for home, but one of my favorite parts of the day is sticking around to watch the pro races and the memorial day tribute. I had a couple of friends that I was pretty sure were sticking around, and oddly enough, found them sitting right next to each other (they had never met before I showed up and was like...wait...how on earth are you guys sitting together when you don't even know each other? ) So, that was pretty cool.

After the race, I booked it home (well, as fast as I could given the line for the bus and the fact that the driver completely missed the stop for the park-n-ride...how, I have no idea, since her only responsibility was to drive from the stadium to two park-n-rides ) to get DS and head out swimming. After some iphone research on the bus, I found a rec center on the other side of town that was open till 4:30 and had a zero gravity leisure pool with a slide and all that fun stuff. DS had a blast. He played HARD for the entire hour and a half we were there before closing. Dinner out with the birthday boy, home to open the rest of his presents, and that was it.

Now I'm just trying to figure out what the heck to take to orientation for lunch tomorrow since the nanny ate half of the leftovers I had planned to take. I mean, it's my fault since I forgot to tell her that they were for my lunch, but I DID have them kind of hidden since I knew I might forget at 5 in the morning. Sigh. Can't wait to sit through 8 hours of HIPPA training, OSHA crap, bloodborne pathogens and all that fun stuff...

[Realrellim]

1jooj--oh, i hope it's not bed bugs. Ugh.

Um, forgot the rest of my personals. Sorry, but it's going to be an all about me post.

I didn't actually miss my wave start, but it came close due to race volunteers on a power trip. I was jogging along, heading toward my wave (DB) and I'd caught up to the DC wave as they moved to the start line. I and a few others in the DB wave got to the rope and went to duck under when a volunteer stopped us. We showed him our bibs 'cause usually that's all you have to do to get up to your wave. He said no, please stay here. We were like "huh?" So we thought maybe it was because they were moving and didn't want people getting caught in the rope but then we tried to go and they told us to stay there and that it didn't matter. True, it's chip timed, but there were three minutes before we started and the rest of our wave was all of 20 feet in front of us so seriously, WTH? We asked a couple more times and a different volunteer said everyone needed to be in their wave by 7 am. "Official race rules." Um, no. I've read them and run in this race for 10 years and that's just not true. After about 30 seconds more, those of us who were in DB just ignored the volunteer's protests and ducked under the rope to join our wave.

I seriously don't know what that was about. I've never ever had a problem getting to my wave before.

That nonsense aside, the gun went and we were off. The first few miles were hard. My plan was just to hang in there as best I could and to not, under any circumstances whatsoever, stop at any point because I knew I'd start coughing and that would lead to my doom. My first mile split was 8:42, so I was pleased but somewhat doubtful that I could hold it there based on how I was breathing. Didn't matter, since my goal was to just keep moving forward and not think too much about it. I tried to draw energy from the music and the fact that I love this race. It was more or less uphill until mile 4, with a couple of short downhills, and it felt harder than usual this year. I'm not sure if it's because mile 1 was uphill or what, but I could see it in my splits (mile 2 - 8:56, mile 3 9:21, mile 4: 9:03).

After mile 4 there's a nice downhill and I finally started feeling good so I pushed the pace a bit. About that time I also realized that my hair band had fallen out because I could feel some loose hair swishing around back there. But, there was to be no stopping so I hoped it would stay at least partly braided so I didn't look like a running hippie. (My braid is down to my waist, and while hippies are celebrated in Boulder, my hair really annoys me when it's loose.) Mile 5 split: 8:39.

After mile 5, it's just a matter of running down to Folsom and then up the hill. I usually push a little harder here and tend to pass a lot of people but I just didn't have much more in me. By the time I was nearly at the top of the hill I was fighting a strong desire to puke or have a coughing fit or both, but once we crested the hill that was more or less under control and all I had to do was run through the stadium. Final split: 9:01 (for mile 6 and the .2 to end the race), or if you believe my Garmin, 8:52 for mile 6 and 8:15 for the rest.

Final time: 55:33, average pace 8:57. I'm really pleased to have a new PR and finally a sub-9:00 pace, and I'm really looking forward to blowing that one out of the water next year (I hope!).

After that, I fished out my inhaler because I could. not. stop. coughing. Once that was under control, I re-braided my hair and then cruised around the expo until tjsmama caught up with me. Breakfast was yummy and the company was awesome.

[Mel38]

Real and Gaye:   Fantastic races for both of you - wow!  Those speedy times!! That race sounds like so much fun.

[JenLove]

Real & Gaye & ND - Way to go on your races!!! =)

Jo - Mosquitos have hatched here.  Luckily they didn't bother us while planting, but we can't hang out in our backyard these days because it's too wet and the mosquitos are crazy.  The ticks also seem bad.  I have had about 10 total - 3 stuck and it's not like I was rolling around in the grass or anything.  In bug talk, I hope no bed bugs!!!

Yesterday morning we spent cleaning our house to get ready for a showing (well our rental at least.. our landlord showed it to be sold twice yesterday).  That was one reason I pushed to move - the house is listed and we are on a month-to-month lease.  I was afraid of being REALLY pregnant and being kicked out.  Anyway, I hope we move and they sell so it's a win-win for both of us.  The rest of the day we spent driving north to the co-op, shopping, playing at the park, coming home to do paperwork for the mortgage, and all that fun stuff.  I think V and I crawled into bed at 11:45.  *Yawn*

I hope today to have enough energy for some yoga booty ballet and taking the kids to the library.  Butt.is.dragging.  Wish me luck. ;)

[doctorjen]

I feel like a terrible slacker Dingo lately.  I can't remember when I posted last.  I didn't run for 12 days.  But, I just fixed up the race list and results list, and I ran yesterday, so I'm here to report in!  Take a peak at the lists if you have time and let me know if i'm missing anything.

Realrellim - fantastic job on your race!  I wonder what was up with those volunteers?  Glad you got into your wave in the end.

Gaye - wow - you should have a long bike and less than stellar runs leading up to every race!  Glad you got some fun in with T, too.

Naughty Dingo - still waiting on your race report - but I know you did great from seeing your time on facebook

RR - After not running for 12 days, I ran a 5K yesterday.  This is our local Y's annual Memorial Day 5K, which I've only missed once in 10 years and that was the year I was 39 2/7 weeks with Caroline.  I've been bugging my OB back up to do a race for years.  He's a long time runner and still runs 5-6 days a week, usually 6 miles each time.  He has always put me off saying he'd race again after he turned 70 and could be in a new age group (he's pretty competitive.)  So, he turned 70 in January, and I've been reminding him since that he promised to race this year and he finally decided to do this race, so I had to go out and run it, too!  It turned out to be 90 degrees yesterday, and really humid, and this race has 2 big hills in it.  I was not confident at all, having been running so little and doing even less speed preparation.  I started with my friend and running partner, who has been doing even less runnning, but it turned out I was feeling pretty good and I left her a little after 1/2 mile.  The first down hill and then big uphill are mostly in the shade, which felt fantastic.  It was hot enough to be sweating just standing still, so it was really hot once we were moving.  I hit the first mile at 8:30 - which is pretty quick for me!   This is an out and back course, which I enjoy because it means that shortly after the 1 mile mark, I get to start seeing the leaders coming back, and then after the turn around, I can could see my running partner who was still looking strong despite having not really run in 3 weeks, and then my OB back up - who looked pretty hot, but running comfortably.  There is a second big hill at about 2.5 miles, and I passed a couple people on the hill, which always makes me feel good.  The last 1/2 mile, I was trying hard to catch my pastor who had been just ahead of me for most of the race.  I got within 2 steps at one point, but just couldn't hold on to him.  One of the women I passed on the hill, I recognized as a competitive runner in my age group.  She caught up to me towards the end as well, and ended up beating me by 2 steps.  As it turned out, I forgot that I've changed age groups - and she is still in the age group below me.  So actually, this was my masters running debut, which means I get to set all new PRs  in my new age group! So my new masters 5K PR is 27:39 - which actually might be almost the fastest 5K I've run in 2 years!  I was 2nd in my age group, and actually got a trophy which was fun.  My running partner, who is younger than me, was 3rd in her age group, and my OB back up finished strong and was first in the 70 and older age group!  We took a picture of the 3 of us - OB, FP, and labor and delivery nurse manager - with our trophies.  I think my OB back up might be hooked again - he was really tickled by that trophy.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I was most excited because I finally beat a lady who races all the local races that I am always struggling to catch.  She's 73!  but she looks phenomenal and runs like she's 30 years younger.  It's been 5 years or so since I've beaten her in a race.  Of course she told me afterward that she raced Saturday, so wasn't taking it easy today - but I'm claiming the victory anyway.

NRR - Wedding in 4 days!  My dress is finally done (as of 1:30 am today)  and Caroline's dress is completely finished done as well.  I just need to hem Catherine's dress and we'll be all set.