Dingos sprinting through September - Page 3

[Nickarolaberry]

Shanti, far be it from me to excuse kids from chores, but in this situation I vote for Blitz. It's cathartic in some way and you can put everything back just the way you want, get rid of whatever clutter needs to be tossed on the sly, and post the rules/guidelines again. This works better for me personally because once I go over the line from 'this stuff needs to be picked up NOW' to "HOLY CRAP IF I DON"T GET THIS HOUSE CLEANED SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE" it just isn't worth it to let anyone else be involved. At that point only I can do it the way I want it done, and then they can get back into maintenance.

But that's just me. Also I find throwing stuff out incredibly cathartic and perversely satisfying. I am the opposite of hoarder. I feel 'cleaner' and 'lighter' when I get rid of crap. I feel even better when I can sell it.  My house is sparsely furnished in Vintage Early Marriage (15 years later) and that's fine with me. The movers lost our couch? Oh well, we'll sit on the chairs we have. On the one hand, there is a big part of me that wants the 'grown up' house with the 'grown up' furnishings and decorations and on the other there's 'the fewer things around, the better'. It is a strange manifestation of OCD somehow I'm sure but there you go.

Jo, right there with you mama. 

Kids are in bed, floor has been wet swiffed (yes I love the wet swiffer. It is not environmentally friendly. But it does save me a lot of aggravation. I figure, I cloth diapered 3 kids for 3 years each and 9 years of saved disposable diapers lets me use a few wet swiff cloths a week.) Laundry is folded and stacked on my bed (where it will probably stay til someone needs to wear something). I am sitting down with my laptop and I do think some ice cream may be in the works here. 

[sparkletruck]

Nic - omg you and I are exactly on the same page with the house stuff. Total minimalist here, and constantly looking for s*** to get rid of. But sometimes I want an *adult* house, whatever that means (more to clean and keep track of if you ask me).

NRR: sigh. Ive had a *day*. Groin looks like (per the 2 weeks Ive so far given it and the majority of feedback from dr. google) it will take several weeks. Its low-grade pain, I could work-out through it and the temptation is very strong, but I really want it to go away and not have to think about it anymore. It makes me quite sad, as in, here we go again. I swear I cant go longer than 3 months without a setback, and those 3 month spurts are seriously the only time I feel *normal* or *like me*. I feel myself already descending into the pit, or the rabbit hole as my friend calls it, with the thought that I dont know how long this will take.

Add to that the body issues, (been feeling great about the bod this summer, now see that bod slipping away), and the overdose of kids (whining, complaining, bickering, arguing ... with me [all the frackin time] and each other) and I spent the bulk of the afternoon hiding in my room studying job-related stuff.

I think this night shift deal is taking a toll - also not helping is the trip dh is taking for 10 days at the end of the month, for which he has to consolidate all his sept. shift which means he is working or gone most of this month. Do you remember the Switzerland bike trip he did last year, well this year its another, although to MT where they will bike from fire tower look-out to fire tower look-out (and sleep in the towers). Its mtn. bike-packing, ~40 miles per day. Speaking of which, Dh is the cover model for this months Adventure Cyclist (connected to story about Switzerland trip inside), and we got a copy in the mail, and he looks like a DORK. After a few minutes of looking at it he says "I look like a DORK" and I said " Gald you said it first"


Let's see, what other upbeat things do I have to talk about. bleh
Edited by sparkletruck - 9/3/11 at 7:32pm

[tjsmama]

sparkle~ I will have to look for the dork cover next time I'm at REI or the like.

drjen~Can you put me on the race list for the Oktoberfest Sprint Tri on 9/25?

I feel like I'm being repetitive (or perhaps just adding to the chorus), but what a day. Sigh. Next time I get scheduled to work on the day the hospital switches electronic medical record systems? FIND A WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. I don't care if they were requiring MD notes for sick calls this weekend, I could have had my sister fax a note, right? I actually started out the day as a sitter for a patient. Unfortunately, this patient was not nearly as fabulous to sit with as my last several. Alcoholic with head injury (because of falling due to previously mentioned alcoholism). HUGE fall risk (as in has already fallen twice IN the hospital), uber-confused, and wanting to leave the hospital at any cost. Oh, and did I mention that he's on contact precautions for MRSA, too? I spent nearly 4 hours explaining over and over again that he could not leave, that the only one who could allow him to leave was the doctor, that I could not let him leave, that my job was to keep him safe and make sure he didn't fall again, etc. Over and over. I got threatened with a cane. F-bombs galore rained upon me. At one point, he was so determined to leave that he just started storming out of his room. I yelled and got reinforcements from the nurses station, and he backed down but refused to go back in his room. So I figured, let's go for a walk. It'll distract him, right? Except we got to the end of the hall and he saw the stairwell and made a beeline for it. Fortunately there happened to be an RN there and she helped me get him OUT of the stairwell. We split the shift sitting with him three ways, and thank goodness. I could not have spent another hour in that room, let alone 8! The girl who came in after me had to call security twice, and he made it into the elevator with her. Then, the girl who came in last, he thought was pretty and he obediently sat in his chair and took a nap for her.

So, on top of that we had the previously mentioned go-live for the new software. I spent the rest of the shift completely behind and never did get caught up. And it was bad for me, but the poor RNs had it way worse, trying to learn where to chart their assessments and such. It's going to be a great system eventually, but it sure was a rough start today!

I am tired.

[Dmitrizmom]

I've had a no good very bad horrible day.  After 3 days of no exercise, this was made worse.

Really, just shoot me now and be done with it. On the link with the regrets... I'm on track to have 1 and 3. trying really hard to fix it now.

[MelW]

Mommajb, hugs. Take care.

Jo, UBC offers an optional residency MFA in creative writing. I know there are other low residency options, but theirs is the only one I know of that can be done entirely by distance.

Just maybe I'll stay caught up with the dingo thread a bit better in September. Kids start back to school/daycare on Tuesday. I have the last week of my clinical course next week, then back to classroom work. My husband leaves tomorrow morning.

Today was my MIL's 60th b-day, and I hosted a family party. The kids had an amazing time with aunts and uncles, though it's now 9:15 and the youngest will not go to sleep. I would really like to see my husband one last time before he leaves, but I'm tucked in bed beside Ms restless. Thankfully my iPhone and MDC are keeping me a bit sane.

RR- An hour long run this morning. I was a bit tired and grabbed the wrong shoes. I meant to grab my trail runners, but took my regular runners (that I wore for the half in March) insead. As my hip and knee ached, and generally felt worse than usual during and after the run. I think I was saved by being on the trail, but those shoes are officially retired. I also had a close encounter with a bear in the berry bushes right beside the trail. I clapped and yelled "hello I'm a person" and she(?) retreated into the forest, but I really need a better bear defense. I'm thinking spray. And possibly starting to carry my cell so I could call for help if hurt. The next 6-8 weeks will only bring more bears here...

[1jooj]

Thanks, MelW! I was looking at theirs yesterday. Price tag was an issue, but it warrants further investigation.

I ran!  45 minutes run-walking, with a respectable run:walk ratio, while there were still long shadows. Definitely hot, super-humid and challenging for my out-of-shape self, but it went well. Came home to kids still sleeping, and when they get up and eat, we'll hit the pool for some Vit. D. Got my stretching and some core work done, and the back/hip feels...um, OK.

Today is Day 2 of No Bread. I can do this!

[mommajb]

Jo, Spalding in Louisville KY has an MFA in writing with an initial 10 day residency. I don't suppose even that would work well at this point but you coud easily handle that heat and humidity now!

[JayGee]

MelW ~ I hope you got a little bit of time with your DH before he goes.

Nic ~ YES on the minimalist house, less-is-more thinking!

mommajb ~

Jo ~  for the walk/run AND the no bread!  The first couple of days are the hardest and then it's much easier.  I think I need to set a few goals too.

sparkle ~ I'll have to look for your "dork" on the front of that magazine!  Sorry your groin is bothering you so much.  My groin hurt in much the same way, and it turned out that my pelvis was way out of alignment.  Now that the chiro has fixed that issue, I no longer get that psoas pain anymore when running.

Gaye ~ that sounds like a miserable shift.  Stress!!!

Dimitrizmom ~ sounds like you could use a  too.

Yesterday we decided to drive up to a smallish waterpark that is right on the Mississippi River.  It was so much fun!  DD2 was amazing!  She tried all the rides, she rode in her own tube, she barely mentioned the filter that "might" be in the pool and was generally wonderful.  Even though Kindergarten isn't really meeting her academic needs, it seems to be helping her a ton with self-confidence and getting past her fears.  Yay!!!  We drove home through a thunderstorm that brought a 25 degree drop in temps, but as we pulled into our driveway, we saw multiple trees down, our heavy patio furniture splintered in the yard, and.... our 10 day old trampoline smashed against the neighbors house .  This is the heaviest trampoline on the market (at least 200 pounds, I can't budge it) and it was picked up by the wind, blown over our firepit and landed sideways about 100 ft. away.  The frame is bent, three of the fiberglass rods for the net are broken.  This was a seriously expensive piece of equipment.  We weren't even expecting a storm until late and I had planned to put sandbags on the legs before bed to prevent it from blowing.  The kids are disappointed, as am I.  It's going to cost at least $500 to replace the frame and I think we need to come up with an anchoring system that can withstand the tornado season next spring.  Sigh...

[Dmitrizmom]

JayGee - thanks for the hugs. Is there any chance that your homeowners insurance will cover the costs of replacement for the outdoor furniture and trampoline?  What a horrible thing to come home to after such a great day.

Nick - I'm so with you on the Blitz...  Dd1 told me yesterday that when I get into "this.must.be.clean.now" mode that I'm mean.  Trying really hard to simplify and get rid of stuff.  So much easier to say than to do.

Sparkle - I'm hoping you are feeling better soon.  Too funny about your dh calling himself a dork first.

Tjsmama - of course he took a nap for the last girl... like a toddler, he tired himself out with the earlier sitters.  As to EMR, what a complete pain!  I want to call in sick too - except, I'm the boss... and I get to do the install/setup/conversion to EMR in my office all by my lonesome. Dang federal regulations better make this worthwhile for me and my patients.

[JenLove]

JayGee ~ Those storms down there are so intense!  I don't miss them at all.  Glad the water park was such a fun day though. :)

Jo ~ Way to go getting out there this morning.  Morning runs are so rewarding.  I hope it sets you up for a great day.

Nic and furniture talk ~ Yes on the grown up house.  I don't think I'll ever have it because I can't spend the money on all the goodies to make it look pretty and matchy-matchy.  I'm too functional, but I still crave it sometimes.

My maternity photos have been taken, so now I just need to get into my farmhouse and baby is welcome any time after that.  I can't believe I'm this.close.  Where did the time go?!

Today we will be harvesting in our garden again and then starting another round of canning tonight.  I can't wait to see all my jars lined up on a shelf. 

[sparkletruck]

You all wont be able to find the magazine It's small, niche, plus it was the August issue which I think is probably off the shelves by now....g-d I hope so.....

Jaygee - yeah, I thought about the pelvis, but this was actually an injury, 2 weeks ago, with a pop, pain, and uh oh moment. ... but then I did 3 workouts in the following week that were fine... thennn its started to hurt, and continues I'm SO sorry about the wreckage! At least no one was on it

[1jooj]

He he. I got mean just today, and the house looks a lot better for it.  To be fair, we swam first.

JayGee, that suuuuucks about the storm. Apparently a surprise one popped up back home, and it was very sudden, trees down all over the place and power out for hours. I'm sorry it got you by surprise. Like Dmitriz said, homeowners cover any of that?

MelW, bear! I'm glad it didn't eat you, mama!

Well, doing OK without the starches. Cooking potatoes for the fam for dinner, and dh was supposed to bring home bread but he ran out to deal with a cell phone issue and I don't think he's going to make it here on time with bread anyway. So, no troubles. I'm not cutting starchy veggies like carrots and beets and such, but potatoes are trouble. It's the white stuff. So far so good.

Oh, and my column launched. I didn't see it, because it went to print only. 

[Nickarolaberry]

Jo, I didn't give up potatoes as they aren't gluten, but I rarely make them because it's more of a hassle. I constantly have brown rice in my rice steamer and quinoa and I are best buds these days. 

Recipe from my lovely friend Chana Laila, who made me a delicious gluten free dinner and saved my psyche the days I came up to look at houses and was utterly depleted in every way:

Sautee an onion and some garlic in a stockpot. Add a chopped/cubed sweet potato and two cups chopped kale. Sautee for five minutes. Add 2 cups of (rinsed!!!) quinoa and 4 cups of veggie stock (or chicken stock if you prefer, we wanted to keep it pareve -- non meat). Cook 15 mins. or until quinoa is tender. Take off the heat and add at least 1 cup of sheep's milk feta.

YUM. She served this with a homemade vegetable bean soup which was so incredibly delicious. Even my kids ate this meal. 

Recovering here from a motherf**&^% tantrum by ds who was not allowed to make waffles while I was in the shower.   

[poppywise]

Jo - So glad you got out there, and here's hoping your back cooperates

Gaye - oy vey, what a nightmare day! glad you survived!

MelW - bears? Yikes! be safe out there.

Did anyone see the marathon chefs article in the most recent RW? It arrived here yesterday, so I think it must be Oct issue. There is a GF black bean/cocoa loaf recipe that sounds great. I don't have a mini loaf pan, though. I could just use a regular loaf pan or muffin tin. Just wondering if anyone has made something similar.

A while back, before my health insurance got all FUBARd ,I was seeing a wonderful chiro/PT that filmed me running and did some analysis to see about my persistant ITBand pain in my knee. The net result is that my right foot crossing over center line while I run, the left does not. So, I need to work on my form, but I did not get the info on how to do this before I had to stop seeing her due to insurance.

Does anyone know how to "fix" running form by forcing your leg to go where it does not naturally want to go? I worked on it yesterday and feel like I am pushing my right leg out so far (I'm really not) that it feels like i am getting ready to mount a horse or something. I am sure I look terribly awkward, but whenever I try to force my right foot from landing over center, my knee pain eases immediately! I am sure I have some muscles over there, or somewhere, that need strengthening to keep it from going so far? Any suggestions welcome and, as always, greatly appreciated!

Happy Holiday weekend!
Edited by poppywise - 9/4/11 at 8:02am

[tjsmama]

jaygee~ I agree, I would think homeowners insurance should cover the stuff. Doesn't help with the hassle and sadness, though.

poppy~I wish I had some advice, but I know that my form is pretty crappy, so I doubt I would be much help.

rr~A lovely run with the trail runners group this morning. Except for the part where I forgot to use my inhaler. Made the uphills a bit of a challenge. And there was a lot of uphill on this run. It was gorgeous weather...beautiful and sunny with just a bit of chill in the air. My friend Erica came out for her first run with the group...she's been meaning to for a long time, but just hasn't made it, so I was glad she came and I got to get caught up with her a bit (except for the part where she was way ahead of me!). This run was on some of my favorite trails from when I hiked with DS as a baby. It amazes me to look back and see some of the places we hiked...there were a lot of pretty technical sections on this run, and I hiked it with a baby on my back and thought nothing of it! It ended up being about a 6.75 mile run (mostly hike). And then I handed out Wheaties galore. People seemed to really like it, so I will keep bringing them with me everytime I run with the group!

[sparkletruck]

Jo - on the run!

Poppy - Maybe stretch adducters of that leg while also strengthening the hip. Everything I read about ITB and knee connected/related pain advised hip strengthening. Just get super serious about it (like make hip strength your goal, and running your second goal). Two exercises I have done are clamshells (as your hip gets stronger you can add a weight to the lifting knee. I start w/ 5# and go up in 5# increments) and side-plank leg-raises:

Clamshells = laying on side w/ knees pulled toward chest so quads to abs are at a 90 degree angle (approximately, may be bigger angle but not smaller). Pull in abs, keep feet together as you raise upper knee. You'll find a natural stopping point where your knee cant get any higher. Do sets 3 sets of ten on each side (dont want to get out of balance and create more problems). If you can comfortably do more than 10, increase the weight (when you start putting a weight on your upper knee as it raises you will be holding it in place). Flip to other side to do other leg.

Side plank leg raises - get into side plank position (but propped on bent elbow, not hand). Raise ceiling-facing arm up straight toward the ceiling ( so now you look sort of like a t that fell over sideways). Now, lift ceiling-facing leg up toward ceiling, leading with the heel as much as possible. You will get out of balance (great core work-out too), and your propped-on shoulder may get sore. These improve with practice. Also your foot might slip - works better on a rug or yoga mat. If this is too hard to start. Just lift that upper leg and hold for a count of 10-15. Again, 3 sets of 10, or as many 10-15 second holds as you can. Then switch to the other side.

A variation on this last one is to get in side plank position, and lower your floor-facing hip until it touches the floor, and raise it to straight again. 3x10....

[MelW]

Originally Posted by 1jooj 

Thanks, MelW! I was looking at theirs yesterday. Price tag was an issue, but it warrants further investigation.

They have some instructors that I really like at UBC, though I know them as writers/readers/friends and not so much about their teaching, which would seem especially important if you weren't on campus surrounded by a community of MFA students. Congrats on the no bread, too.

Nic, I think I may have a new plan for dinner tonight! YUM!

Sparkle, wishing you a smooth recovery with your hip. And your DH's schedule sounds awful!

Gaye, what a terrible shift. Glad the trail run was okay despite no inhaler. I love the trails.

JenLove, you're so close!! Good luck with the home stretch (in both senses).

I put an order in at a local farm for 30lbs of tomatoes early in the summer, and got the phone call yesterday to pick up today. New plan for the afternoon is canning. It's day one (or maybe technically day zero) of solo parenthood. Putting away food for the winter seems like a good start metaphorically.

[poppywise]

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 


Poppy - .Just get super serious about it (like make hip strength your goal, and running your second goal).

Nailed it. This is something I have refused to do in the past, and look where I am. But I actually never put it together in my head like that before: prioritizing hip strength over running. You blew my mind a little bit right there. Thank you!

I am really happy with my general level of fitness right now and probably feel more like a runner than ever before...I really REALLY want to stay injury free. #fingerscrossed

[Shantimama]

My garden was a total flop again this year. I finally concede that it is not possible to grow vegetables on this property  One of the downfalls of buying a house in January. We used to live just 30 minutes east of here and had the best garden ever but in six years of gardening in this yard I may have yielded a dozen cherry tomatoes. I very sadly give up. Tuesday is the local farmer's market and I my head over there to buy tomatoes to do some canning but if I can hold off for one more week that would be better. This week I am doing a ton of baking for the freezer for school lunches. 

Having a teenaged son is so much better than I always thought it would be (especially now as he takes showers more frequently and more willingly!) He took me out for tea this morning "just because." Last night he pulled out his baby book - I can't believe that I can love someone so much. He is a great kid. I am so lucky and grateful. He has wonderful dreams for his life. If I had to do it all over with him I wouldn't worry so much. 

Might go for a walk tonight if it doesn't pour rain. My feet are killing me and there is no way I can run like this. A long walk along the lake shore would be a nice way to end the summer.

[sparkletruck]

Originally Posted by Shantimama 

Having a teenaged son is so much better than I always thought it would be (especially now as he takes showers more frequently and more willingly!) He took me out for tea this morning "just because." Last night he pulled out his baby book - I can't believe that I can love someone so much. He is a great kid. I am so lucky and grateful. He has wonderful dreams for his life. If I had to do it all over with him I wouldn't worry so much.

Thanks Shanti. I am in such a bad place with my kids, like ... not wanting to be a parent. Its good to remember the long view

Frack, I just burned the cookies Im making for the kids I dont want to be a parent to, and my compost smells like s***. I literally just Googled "my compost sme ..." and My compost smells like shit popped up in the drop down