Fun running update

Hello! School starts on Monday and I can hardly wait to carve my 2 hours of writing into my day! Until then, a brief update on the running business.

The training is coming along. I've decided to forgo my IronGirl Tri on the 27th, so I can take Ted and Mae to a TKD tournament in Littleton. I think I'll compete too, since we're there anyway. I am super disappointed to miss this tri, in its first year, but I can't do both.

The running has ramped way up. With 8 weeks to go, the long runs are getting epic and the "sorta-long" runs are inching up there. This week I ran 29 miles, 15 of them today.

Paul was rafting today, so I secured our babysitter and set out at 6am for my long run. I converted the trunk into my own personal rest stop, equipped with ice water, Gaterade, GUs, kleenex, sunscreen, and my iPod.

image credit

I parked at the Bobolink Trailhead and headed out for my first of two laps: 8 miles - 4 miles out then back. This trail, along South Boulder Creek, has been my mainstay trail and I absolutely love it. 4 miles takes you past the gate at Marshall Road for almost a mile, which winds into a 1.5 mile circular track owned by CU. Heading back, a satirical comic writer for the Daily Camera joined me and we chatted pleasantly, which really made the miles fly by.

I walked for a minute every mile, drinking as though it were a water stop. Returning to my car, I filled up my tanks and put on my headphones. Then it was 7 more miles, 3.5 out and back along the same trail. Going out was hard - I was hungry and tired and feeling loopy. The return felt good though and I finished strong and happy.

After a good stretch, shower, bath, lunch and lounge on the couch, the kiddos and I headed to their school from 1-4 where we helped ready their classrooms.

Paul came home tonight, which was unexpected, and Mae and I had dinner with her fiancee, Max. He's a good Jewish boy! :-) All in all, a busy day, but a productive one by all accounts.

Tomorrow, readying the house for school! Backpacks, laundry, lunches, snacks, plus banana bread & grapefruit for 1st day of school breakfast .... a busy day, but first my beautiful ride to Golden with Sylvie.

Happy weekending to all!

Conferences!

This week the kids have conferences. At Horizons, this means each child has an hour to "present" their work to their parents. Guided by their teacher, the child prepares writing samples, math work, book reviews, art, Spanish, poetry etc. At the Kindergarten level, it's mostly the teacher gently urging the child to read, play a math game, etc., but by 3rd grade, it's all them!
Ted had a great conference. His work has certainly improved in the last few months. His writing is neat and beautiful (not all the time, but in his "edited" work), his math is spot-on (when he takes the time to do the problem carefully), and his reading is at the top of his grade level (taking into account that he began 2nd grade below grade level, he has advanced 3+ levels in under 2 years. Rock on.) We are going to have to keep him on it this summer. It's not hard to read every day (the library always does a neat Summer Reading program that we've done each year) and it should be fairly easy to do some writing each day too (a journal, a written response to a book we're reading, a letter to a family member) and math can be math games, which all my kids love. The challenge will be making time for it on camp days. Ted has 5 weeks of camp and the little ones have 3. There are only 8 weeks of summer vacation this year, so while that's sad to me that they're starting so early in August, at least they will have less time to forget what they've learned!
Sam is doing great in school, though he is very silly and needs to learn to reign that in. Heh.
Mae is also going great though we just found out today that she'll need glasses for the same reason Ted did: her eyes don't converge or track well at all. A summer of vision therapy and (adorable!) glasses for reading and computer, and she should be good to go by 2nd grade. Ted no longer needs his glasses, so I am a devout believer in Vision Therapy and the accompanying glasses. I'll have a pic of her with them as soon as we get them!
So, a summer plan for my kiddos ... should be fun!
(The pic is Sam' self-portrait. I love it!)

Pics!

I'm going to be shaking up the look of the blog a bit in a week or so ... spring cleaning always inspires a new look to things. We've moved our front room around a bit to make room for seedlings and the enthusiasm has spread to other parts of the house too. Move things around! Sweep that dust! Open the windows! (Granted, spring in Colorado does mean that it snowed today, in spite of reaching highs in the 70s with sun. We live in a wacky place.)

Wendy took the kids' pics a few weeks back, which will be highlighted in the "new" blog look. Can't wait! In the meantime, they're up on FB.

This week we have conferences at Horizons, so the week is off. Ted has a little bit of homework, but no COW so no real stress. We saw "Rio" which was aDORable. The kids each have a doctor appointment (I hate pulling them during school for doc appts) and we're having lots of fun (heh) encouraging Sam and Mae to read to us every day.

Also, we are relaxing into a stricter (ironic, no?) style of discipline that seems to be working wonders with Ted's short temper and Mae's sassing. (Sam's response to Paul's question: "Sam, why aren't YOU ever in time out?" "Because I'm the good one." Ah. So that's it.)

Happy Spring, everyone!

Spring Break Trip

One thing I love about Facebook is the ability to take a picture and post it right away. I really felt like I could keep (anyone who cared) people in the loop on what we were doing. But, I also love the trips down memory lane that this little blog provides. So, we're going to do a little re-cap by day with copious pictures. That way, in a few years, we'll be able to look back on our trip. It was a blast!

We left Denver at 5:30pm Sunday night. But it was a thorny path to even get there. First thing, when I was leaving to sing at 8am, the Saturn wouldn't start. Paul jumped it but was afraid if I parked it for the week at DIA it wouldn't start again. So I took the Toyota. Paul was going to drop the boys off at the airport but, of course, a few hours later the Saturn wouldn't start again. So I looped home after singing and collected the boys. Off we went. Our flight went well although the descent was pretty bumpy. Little did I know how unfortunate that would be later on. We met Jayne right away and took off, in the rain, to find the shuttle to Fox Rent-A-Car. I learned something about Fox. While they are very nice, they don't send shuttles very often on a Sunday night. Next time - go more mainstream. We were wet and cold by the time we got to the rental office but left with a beautiful 2011 Corolla that we all loved. Not before Sam threw up though. Yes, turns out the bumpy ride did a number on him. Luckily he threw up in their lobby and not in the nice new car. We loaded up in serious rainy conditions. We headed out north on I5 and had to stop twice to let Sam throw up. Finally we located a ziplock in Jayne's luggage and after his next puke, in the bag, he blessedly fell asleep. In the meantime, the rain was pouring down. Pouring. Monsoon conditions. For me, it was really scary. Luckily we got there safely. We stayed at the Carlsbad Inn in a one-bedroom condo and it was perfect. Ted got his own roll-away bed, Sam and I shared the king in the bedroom and Jayne took the couch in the main room.

The boys woke up early the next morning so I settled them in for a Cartoon Network marathon and went the grocery store to stock up on staples. After breakfast we took them to see the ocean. It was awesome. First they played a delightful, careful game of running away from the waves. Then they got braver (and wetter). Finally poor Sam got out too far and while running back, tripped in the sand and got rolled. His words: "a wave covered me." He was freezing, soaked and screaming. I took him back to a warm bath while Jayne stayed with Ted. He also returned wet but not upset about it. We all agreed to return to the ocean after our first day at Legoland, with bathing suits! Our next trip was to Target to get Sam flip flops and both boys sweatshirts. It was chillier than we had thought, and with the combination of the rain Sunday and the ocean Monday, all their clothes were soaked (and sandy). That done, we headed to our first day at Legoland!!!!

We went to the left the first day, enjoying MiniLand most of all and going on a few rides. Since it was drizzling we decided to go to SeaWorld after lunch. It was really an amazing place. I think Ted's favorite part was when the shrimp guy told him to put his fingers in the shrimp tank. The shrimp then ate the dry skin off of his fingers. He loved it! Sam liked the bubble viewers - where you feel like you are IN the tank. After a full day, we headed "home" and
back the beach, this time with towels, sand toys and swim suits. The boys had a blast. If it weren't for the drizzle and wind, I think they would have stayed all night. Ted is really a risk taker. Many, many times I had to yell for him to come back, that he was out too far. He should go to college in CA and learn to surf. Then we went to La Norte Mexican Restaurant, which is right next to the condo. Sam didn't like their rice and beans or the cheese on the quesadilla. Ted surprised me and ate everything in sight. I had a margarita. It was the best one I've ever had! Of course, I was beat! We all crashed early that night.

Tuesday we decided to just do Legoland. The boys spent the morning at the ocean and after yet another warm-up bath, we headed out. (When they wake up at 5:45am, it's a long morning til the park opens at 10am!) We discovered a Starbucks right by the condo and happily made that a part of our routine. We went on a ton of rides and spent lots of time deciding which things to do today and which to do tomorrow. There was a big roller coaster called Technic that took about an hour to just get on the ride (that was Ted). After a full day, we headed home for dinner, more playing in the ocean and a rousing game of Sorry! (Ted won the first round, Jayne the second.) Sam hadn't eaten much of anything since we had arrived and was getting very fussy. I put him to bed early and he was asleep by 6:30pm. Poor thing. Perhaps his dip in the ocean and the subsequent gallon of sea water he drank didn't mesh with his delicate innards. In any case, he had a good night's sleep!

Wednesday we decided to do another day of both Legoland and SeaWorld. Today was a bit of off day for both boys. They were grumpy and wanted to stay at the condo watching cartoons. Looking back, we were pushing them to go-go-go all day long. Sam had a particularly tough day. Amongst all the rides, Ted paid to climb a rope ladder. If he could make it to the top without falling, he'd win a stuffed lion. And he did it! It took him a few tries, but he was determined and stuck to it. Originally we thought he'd learn a valuable lesson about not wasting money on "impossible carnival games" but instead he came away with a better one: stick with it. Not bad! They should have given him a cut of their earnings; that attraction was mobbed for at least an hour after he won. We had fun though and after a fun time, headed home to play in the ocean. Both boys refused to wear swim suits, swearing that they weren't going to get wet - they weren't even going to have fun! Of course, within a few moments, Ted was down to his underwear and Sam was soaked. There was a photographer set up on the beach, just photographing the sunset against the ocean, I think, but he turned and took lots of pictures of the boys. They were just so full of joy, leaping into the waves. Ted finally got his wish and got knocked down by the waves a few times. It was a lovely way to end the day. After a warm bath, we all retired early.

Thursday was another great day. Sam's tummy seemed to be on the mend and he was eating again. We bid farewell to Jayne in the morning and after packing up, went to say our goodbyes to the ocean. That was sad - we had such a wonderful time just being near such a majestic, amazing piece of nature. To my surprise, the rainy day ended up being sunny and beautiful and both boys wanted one more go at Legoland. We decided to do all of our favorite roller coasters a second time and spend some time doing the rides we had passed up the first few times. It was a great day. We headed to the airport, returned the car and got to our gate a whopping 2 hours early. And then we were delayed. We finally boarded at 8pm, arrived in Denver at 11:30pm and rolled into the driveway at 1am Friday morning. We were all completely wiped, but happy. Ted said, at one point, "It didn't feel like 4 days; it felt like 3 weeks." "Is that good or bad?" I asked. "Good!" he replied enthusiastically. That about sums up our vacation I think. It was a great time and we'll remember it happily for years to come!

One more fun pic. I think this was Sam's favorite ride.

OK, one more. Aren't my boys getting tall? Geesh!

a short but busy week

This week we had 3 days of school. Monday was President's Day and Friday is Teacher Work Day, and also an optional conference day. We are conferencing with Ted's teacher to talk about why he says he is bored in class. I suspect there is a bit of third-grade-itis going on, since he has the world's most incredible 2/3 teacher, if I do say so myself.

I spent last weekend in Evergreen with the lovely women of my chavurah. Friday we fixed dinner at the cozy cabin and chatted into the night. Saturday we all slept in, enjoyed amazing pancakes and fruit salad, played some games, did more chatting and went to a fancy spa followed by dinner. Sunday we went into town to pick up some presents for our kiddos and returned home to this sight in the front yard. Amazing. It was such a restful, pleasant weekend of reconnection with women I have known for almost 9 years.
I returned home to a dinner guest, which set the tone for the rest of the week somehow - rush rush rush.

Monday there was no school, but I had scheduled the boys' dentist appointments (Ted had one cavity, the other two none, though Sam will surely need gum grafts and braces in his future. Lucky him.) I also had Sam evaluated by my friend the literacy specialist, who agrees with me that he may be a bit behind, but his writing more than makes up for it, and that he will probably be just fine - no apparent learning disability. Hooray! It's always nice to have another opinion and I value hers. She was so impressed with how diligent he was with the words she was asking him to spell. Her favorite was material, spelled "mateereeyal." Rock star. He would never be able to "read" that word, but it sure doesn't stop him from writing it. She noted how completely his demeanor changed when they moved from "reading" to "writing," from tense and nervous to completely relaxed.

Tuesday and Wednesday I subbed in Ted's class, for the wonderful para. I love being in his class though I cringe when he says less-than-erudite comments and wish he wouldn't have to re-write his work 3 times. *sigh*

Today was a catch-up day with friends! I met with Lisa to go over Sam's report at 8, chatted with her til 10, met another friend and chatted with her til 11, at which point I tried to leave the coffee shop (Ozo) but ran into another friend! An hour later, I finally made it home to walk Ole.

Tomorrow there is no school, just the conference, but Paul and I are headed to the fancy-shmancy Flagstaff House restaurant for an evening with his company. We haven't been there since Sam was a baby, so I'm excited! Must get to bed. Last night was a late night due to rehearsal plus Sam was up at 2am freaking out. I still enjoy those infrequent 2am snuggles, I do admit it, but it does make for a long day. Here is Sam in his new frames (after breaking them ice skating a few weeks ago).

DSL for my parents!

My parents finally have DSL, high speed internet access! They are having lots of trouble with the computer but at least they can browse the web easily now! I'm going to try to update the blog more regularly now that it won't take them an hour to load the page!

Happy Valentine's Day! Paul, in our old dating tradition, baked me a brownie. The words are new this year. I love it! He is such a great guy!

I've had an exciting few days. A few weeks ago, on an audition website I frequent, I found an audition call for Wizard of Oz, with a decent stipend to boot. I auditioned last Saturday hoping for Glinda (small role, not a lot of rehearsal time, some singing) and instead find myself in the running for the Wicked Witch. I should find out sometime this week if I got the part. We even had to dance at callbacks on Monday night. Flashbacks from high school - oy veh! I've also subbed a lot and have a bunch on the calendar for next week. It's going to make a decent paycheck!

Tonight Sam started reading a Ricky Ricotta book. He has trouble with 1-2 words on each page, so it's a stretch for him, but for the first time EVER, he is incredibly excited to read to me. He's so enthusiastic that it's impossible not to get into the mood right with him. Hooray! The State of Colorado requires all students not reading at grade level to go on an ILP (an Individualized Literacy Program), which is something I pushed for Ted and they wouldn't put him on one because "first grade is too early." Yet they put Sam on it, because he is at an "8" and should be at a "10." I'm not objecting, because I think extra literacy is awesome and can't hurt (especially the way Horizons is doing it, where Sam basically just meets with his teacher and 3 other kiddos on a daily basis to work on rules and phonics). Ted was put on an ILP in 2nd grade and was triple-dipped (as Julie, his teacher, puts it) and he caught right up and is a great reader now. I'm glad Sam is getting the extra help, though I was not worried about him. Hooray for Ricky Ricotta. That means Captain Underpants isn't far behind! Oh no!

Ted was the only child to remember my birthday with a card (the other two scrambled to make one of their own as soon as they realized, but since I was on my cleanse, I hadn't made a big deal of my birthday this year). I love it and will probably frame it. Apparently he asked to make it during a free write time at school and Julie let him, then was so touched by his choice of work! He can be a sweetie. Tonight he asked me to cut his curly locks off at the base of his neck. I know mullets aren't the rage, but I would have let them be; I love his curls! Luckily he is keeping the "peyes" (as we jokingly call them) in anticipation of his Immigration project in May (he wants to recreate my dad's German Jewish ancestors immigrating to New York. They came much earlier than Ellis Island, so not sure how we're going to do it, but I'm sure more will be revealed about this very exciting project).


And sweet Fuffles, enjoying the sunshine. She is such a great cat!

Hello February!

What a crazy week it's been. On Saturday it was 67 degrees and sunny. On Friday it was in the 70s and I even got a little sunburned. Tomorrow school is canceled and the high is expected to be -1. Wow! It will be back in the high 50s by Thursday. I love Boulder.

I have to say that January has been a confusing month. I was in Chicago for the New Year, came back for a week and then took off again for San Francisco. Once home, my mom was in the hospital (she's home now and doing great) and we were blessed with gorgeous warm weather. This week I thought I'd be back to the routine, but now we have this weird cold snap. I guess it's a good thing that I am as flexible as I am or I'd be going nuts! I did do a 10 day liver cleanse when I got back from CA and it was a great thing for me. I felt fantastic. Now I've started a new eating plan; the first 2 weeks are outlined for me and I think I'll be able to just follow it in the future. I really like how great I feel, though the weight loss is s-l-o-w. My metabolism must really have shifted in the last few years. It's OK though. Jillian says the last 10 pounds are vanity weight anyway, so I'm not going to complain too much.

I'm looking forward to the free 21 days at the Rec Center. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get a run in on the treadmill and perhaps take a Qi Gong class (I'm curious). I think we'll have some reading time with the kids and perhaps make some play dough - we haven't done that in a few years. The cold has me in the kitchen to keep warm; today I baked some fabulous Starbucks pumpkin scones for the kids and cooked a favorite soup for dinner (Mellow Lentil Sniffle Soup from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan). I think I'll do another cabbage soup in the crockpot tomorrow. I love my crockpot.

so very thankful

We have had such a lovely week. Paul's sister Nancy came out from NY to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We played many games of Scrabble in front of the roaring fire, drank lots of cocktails, took Ole for hikes and pet Fuffles, and generally relaxed all week. It was wonderful. On Thanksgiving Day, we hosted Rob and his boys and ate like kings. Nancy's favorite was the squash soup. Paul's was the Tofurkey and I always love the Lentil Squash Pot Pie. We also had green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, cranberry relish and 3 kinds of pie! Mmm mmm. Rum and egg nog too! We are so thankful for all of our families, nuclear, extended, in-law and anything else, but oh, Nancy is a treasure. We love you, Nancy!

Mae tested for her Yellow Belt last week. She was very serious and did a GREAT job. I was worried she'd get goofey, in the tradition of her brothers at that age, but she rocked it. Phew! She graciously gave up her room for Nancy this week and very much enjoyed sleeping on the floor of our room. I don't think she slept well all week (because it was just too fun being with Mom and Dad!) so I'm hoping she'll let us sleep past 6:30am tomorrow, for the first time all week!

Today I did a rock climbing class with Ted. He and Sam are enrolled in a class with Adam, a 2/3 teacher, and a bunch of Horizons kids. Sam really doesn't like it so Mae's taken a few classes but she didn't want to so I tried. I've never climbed before and had to overcome some fear-of-heights issues that I didn't know I had, but it was AWESOME! My hands and triceps hurt. I'm sure tomorrow will be even more painful. I think I'll finish this class up with Ted. It was a great workout and I really enjoyed the challenge. Did I mention that my hands hurt?

Tomorrow we'll get the Hanukkah box down and get ready! Hanukkah begins on Friday night. Saturday night is chavurah. It should be a nice week - I've purposely not put anything on the calendar for that week so we can pick and choose, or just stay home. I only want one thing for Hanukkah - slippers! My feet get cold at night! Speaking of getting cold, I need to finish up Ted's blanket by Friday night. It will keep him snug and warm; I can't wait to see him snuggled up in it!

That's all for now. Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving too. Have a lovely holiday, everyone!

Ahhh...

I love routine. While our week off was fantastic, it is also heavenly to send the little darlings off in the morning. Their tummies are full, their clothes are warm and their lunches are healthy. And then it's quiet. Ahhh...
I've been unusually productive this week, as a result of such peace. With Indigo Girls in the background, I've found a rhythm again. The house is staying tidy, dinners are being churned out and our routines in the evening are taking hold. I honestly think we got so entrenched in keeping the house in perfect order that we joyfully tossed all routines to the wind once we moved in. It's nice to live in a clean, organized home again. Bedtime routines are cementing again too; lunches packed while Paul reads to the boys, kitchen cleaned up right after dinner (rather than collapsing on the couch with a glass of wine, also good! but not as pleasant to deal with the next morning!) I think the chiropractor business is helping my headaches and perhaps even my energy. Or it could be the red meat. In any case, going to bed around 10:30 and waking up to the alarm at 6:30 seems to work. I love my crock pot oatmeal and little coffee maker (tho Paul's French Press is sooo much yummier and makes the weekend that much more special!). Everything is humming along. I even baked cookies for the kids' lunches this afternoon!
I found (stole?) this pic from the Boulder Marathon. I did the half again this year and was much slower than last year but felt great the whole time. It appears that I am still a heel striker, even with these fancy Newtons, so I may go back to my trusty Sauconys. I'm running Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with a run on the weekend when it works. Yoga on Mon/Wed if I get to it and lots of mellow hikes with Old Ole. He is doing so well for an old dog. He loves his walks, his snuggles and his treats. Fuffles is learning to use the litter box (hooray!) and purring up a storm. She is a very contented kitty.
This Saturday the boys start a rock climbing class - finally, something physical that Sam ASKED to do! Mae has 2 more weeks of soccer and she doesn't want to do it next semester. She's doing TKD, so I'm ok with that. We are probably going to take a little break from piano til after the holidays as well. I always try to pare things down from November til February - to give us more space just to BE. Just being - sometimes that's all I can handle! :-)

Blogging Fall Style!

It's 7:30pm and all 3 kids are down for the night. A roaring fire is heating the room. A purring kitty is on Paul's lap while Ole dozes next to me. It is Fall! I love Fall. I am not a fan of winter AT ALL. Since we don't ski, the only saving grace of winter for us is our love of sweaters and hot coffee. But oh how I love Fall. Jeans, sweaters, Pumpkin Spice Lattees and crockpots of soup... Mmm.

Our updates in the last few weeks seem small, yet they have been significant to the family. A stray kitty followed us home one night. We fed and snuggled her and a week later, after confirming that she did not have a microchip, welcomed Fuffles into our home. She's about a year old and a very sweet, easy-going kitty.

There has been a lot of work to do, both at the kids' school and at the temple. While I enjoy the work, it can seem overwhelming at times. I was grateful for an easy weekend to recover from what felt like weeks of meetings and emails. Last week was my half marathon. I was ridiculously slow (2:30ish) but felt great the whole time, so I'm not complaining! I recently started seeing a chiropractor and I'm pretty freaked out by it still, but am trying to stick with it.

Mae is in another ornery phase, which is a bummer because just recently I was thinking that she was really easy. She fell off the monkey bars at school, which scared everyone, but she only had a mild concussion and, besides a headache for a few days, recovered quickly. Sam had some blood work done to test for gluten intolerance and while we were there we had them test for cats too. He is allergic to cats but apparently is allergic to a bunch of things in the environment too, so we got the green light for Fuzzles. He goes in to an allergist in a few weeks to see what else he's allergic to and hopefully we can find find him some relief.

I saw the documentary "Race to Nowhere" which I highly recommend googling for the info and watching the movie. I would say more but the iPad is not really meant for this much typing and I'm getting frustrated!

Can't wait for Thanksgiving when Nancy comes out and the winter holidays when I visit Rosa to meet her new baby (due in early November) and then train home with my mom for her visit! Happy Fall!

Goings on

Well, it's been busy around here! Between the fires and High Holy Days it's felt very chaotic and busy lately. Here are the highlights!

• Mae started piano lessons! She is a natural. While she will need to work on keeping her wrists higher, her hands curve perfectly and she has lots of strength in her fingers so each note is clearly executed. She likes it a LOT. And because she is a lefty, her LH is nice and strong. I LOVE having a primer book on the piano!
• Sam has had an active few weeks in 1st grade. His reading is going much better; they are obviously doing phonics at school because he can read almost anything as long as it follows the rules. Today three separate little boys (who had been in the other K class last year) approached me after school to ask for a playdate with Sam. They all love him. Who wouldn't?!
  
• Ted returned from Outdoor Ed this afternoon, dirty, tired and testy. But while chatting with Adam (the sole male teacher on the trip, though there were plenty of dads), we learned that Ted had been an amazing role model for the younger kids and was always up for helping anyone who needed it. Julie (his teacher) came up to us at the end of our chat and gave Ted a high-five. "He was awesome," she said. This is why I love the multi-age classes at Horizons. Ted does well striving to meet high expectations (when he is in the younger set) and does even better in a leadership role (when he is in the older set.) I am so proud of him! I hope he sleeps well tonight. It should be easier; at least he doesn't smell anymore (amazing to me how stinky an 8year old can get with only 2 days of mud and dirt!)
  
• My friend Wendy is an Ironman! I am so incredibly proud of her and impressed by her dedication and commitment. We had coffee today and it was so great to hear her race stories and get a glimpse into the enormity that is an IM race. SO proud!
  
• High Holy Days are half over! Rosh Hashanah services went beautifully and the cantor informed us that he was looking to increase the music program at Sinai (more services means more money for me!) so that was great news. We may start singing at one Shabbat service a month and perhaps do some guest recitals. It all sounds good to me! Yom Kipper is coming up - epic days.
• I've been keeping busy training (since both my bike ride and 1/2 marathon are rescheduled due to the fire, I have to keep training ... *sigh*) and have gotten used to my Newtons now. I'm still doing Yoga and am finally able to get into some of the tougher postures. It's going to be a real asset this winter, I can tell. I've done 3 10-mile runs, so I'm ready for the 1/2. Bring it on - please!
  
• I've also fallen into my fall/winter pattern of returning to cooking. The solar oven I lent to the K class last year didn't see much use, so it was returned to me and I've had a blast ever since. Zucchini muffins were a huge hit a few weeks ago and I baked Sam's bday cupcakes in them with great success. This weekend I cooked up a fantastic pot of Sun Oven Soup. I had tons of fennel from the CSA and added it in and I think it really made it into something special. I made it again tonight. YUM!
• Other than that, I've been busy working on the HHS Board and coordinating the liaisons at Horizons. It's been a busy start and now that Outdoor Ed is wrapping up, things will settle down some. Nancy is coming for Thanksgiving so we are all very excited about that!
  

Hopefully I'll update sooner next time! Shana Tova!

Settling in...

The kids are back in school. My sprint is done; CF ride and 1/2 Marathon are on the horizon. It's nice being back in a routine. My sprint was a truly awesome experience. I was slower than HECK (9 full minutes slower than last year?!) but really enjoyed myself. The swim started out a little crazy. They had the first-timers in their own wave, so when my wave went off, everyone knew what they were doing. There was less swimming around near-drowning people and more being swum around, and I probably drank half the reservoir on the way to the first buoy because the water was so choppy. But somewhere around the halfway point I really started to enjoy it and and remembered again why I like triathlon. I enjoy doing all 3 of these things, in a non-competitive manner. More on that later. The bike ride started out ... not so good. I crashed. For some reason, they have us mount the bike on gravel, about 5 feet from good solid blacktop. I spun out on the gravel and really ripped up my right arm pretty well. My whole right side is bruised too, but it wasn't that painful so I was up quickly but had a race director person check my bike. The last thing I wanted was to leap back on and have there be something wrong that I didn't see. So I lost some time on the bike with all that drama, but the ride itself was good. I stayed between 19-23 most of the ride. The run was awesome. Slow as heck (32 minutes?! guess I only get sub-30 with track work!) but I didn't have that weird leg jello feeling and ran comfortably the whole time. It was great! Sylvie and I had lunch today and we both agreed to opt out of TriBabes next season. We'll stick with our swim classes with Anna Scott, our bike rides together (and spin classes in the winter) and our running. We can do this without having to get all serious about it. Boulder is such a weird place because 9 out of 10 athletes are really intense about it, and I need to remember what my priorities are (have fun! stay fit!) and stick with them!

I am always ready for new running shoes in August, and I try to get them early enough to wear them for the 1/2. I went for Newtons this time, on the advice of pretty much every runner and triathlete I know. I wore them for about 2 hours this afternoon and my calves hurt. But that is normal, as I adjust to the different foot strike. They are very loud shoes - no mellow white for me! I also got a cute running skirt (my first running skirt!). The weather today, cool and drizzly, was perfect for a recovery run. Since my watch broke, I'll go by the route and guess I did just over 3 miles - nothing big. Just to stretch the legs. I've been biking the kids to and from school each day and taking Ole on nice long walks. I'm going to the noon yoga class tomorrow and I hope my sore arm will be OK. It'll be a conversation starter, anyway!

The kids are all very tired but very enthusiastic about school. Apparently they are studying India in Ted's class and he was talking about a river that goes all around the world. Hmm. Sam is busy writing books (the newest edition: Baby Poops Up - The Final Flush) and Mae needs more work on her letter sounds (oops). Everyone is happy and tired. Life is good!

Settling In

Wow. What a week. As most of you know, we moved in to our awesome little house in Boulder. We have had lazy Lego mornings, hours and hours at the pool every single day, and very late bedtimes. It's just too cool to have neighbors steps away and the kids have been house-swapping freely. It's sort of idyllic, really. Our only annoyance with the move is our lack of internet. Qwest is not doing well by us. Hopefully it will resolve itself soon. Tonight Sam and Mae biked all the way to TKD, 2.8 miles each way. They were very cheerful about it and can't wait to do it again. We also had a dryer snafu so we only had a washer this week. The dryer should arrive tomorrow, but I've been enjoying line-drying the clothes. There is a LOT of pollen here (trees galore!) but none of it seems to be affecting the kids so I plan to continue line-drying as long as I can. There is also a lilac bush right outside my kitchen window. I may not have much of a view out that window, but it sure smells heavenly, and makes the clothes smell wonderful too. In short, we are settling in and learning the ins and outs of our new digs. Please email if you want our new address. Our phone numbers have stayed the same.

Wow- those 2 weeks zipped right on by!

Between training and the house drama, it's been a busy few weeks! Here's the big news: we are under contract! Hooray! We have our inspection Wednesday and the buyers have til Friday to pull out without losing their earnest money. They seem pretty level-headed so we think they will stick with it. We put an offer in (squeaked in by April 30 so we'll get a $6500 tax deduction next year!) on a house we like. It's in another subdivision, which has its pluses and minuses. Major pluses include the pool, park, Bobolink trail, bike path, and virtually no yard to keep it. It backs to a cul-de-sac and has one in front as well. I wish it had a larger yard, more privacy and closer to Baseline, but we are happy with this one. Now, if things would just work out this time, we'll be thrilled! The pic is of Paul's "house beard." You can see just how badly I want this to work!!!! If all goes well, we'll close on both houses on May 28 and have the weekend to move.


The boys were off last week for Spring Conferences. Both had great work to present; Sam was so excited for his conference. He just loves school so much. I hope he'll continue, which he certainly will if he gets Elizabeth for 1st grade; that teacher just glows with her love of learning and teaching. Ted's was very impressive too, just in the sheer growth he's shown this year. His reading went from pre-primer (which is middle of K) to end of 2nd (i.e., grade level) on the DRA test. This test is a tougher test than the usual one they use - on that one (that his tutor used) he was rated at a 5th grade reading level. Clearly, the DRA is a better judge of true ability, but it's still so clear that he can pretty much ready anything now, and comprehend it too. He is one of two 2nd graders who are on Multiplication in Fast Facts (They do 100 problems in 10 minutes and can only get one wrong to pass. There are 3 levels for each one - i.e. 3 different tests for adding 8 + anything, etc.) He is very proud of that. Over break the kids have C.O.W. to work on (stands for Challenge Of the Week). The C.O.W. is "an extended math problem that requires problem-solving strategies, writing about the process, thinking and solution, and showing work. It is expected to take longer than normal homework, and it should be returned as a high quality published piece." His Fall C.O.W. wasn't a high quality published piece at all; he solved the problem easily but didn't do a good job of putting it all together. He had only been in 2nd grade for a month and truly didn't know how to explain his thinking. This year's was awesome. He solved it easily but was able to explain how he came to his answer and designed an hysterical cover (keep in mind that the Horizons' school mascot is a cow). I am so proud of all he has done this year. And we are so excited for Mae to join the big boys next year at Horizons!!!

Heather, our beloved babysitter and friend, moved in with us today. Mae graciously gave up her room and all three are in the boys' room for now. It took them an extra hour to settle down tonight so I hope the novelty wears off soon. I'm glad we are under contract - it looks a little crazy in the bedrooms right now! Heather graduates on Thursday with her Psych degree and has two months off before starting her new job in Chicago. We will miss her!!! Luckily she is planning to return to Colorado in two years to get another Psych degree - hooray!

I've been sick (*sigh*) and after two wonderfully intense weeks of training, took all of last week off. I felt much better today and did an epic bike ride with Sylvie. We rode to Golden in the crazy wind and it even snowed on us! That was fun. I think I'm on the mend now though and will attempt to get back into the swing this week. Sam and Mae test on Friday night in TKD; Sam will move to Yellow Belt and Mae to Orange. Ted doesn't need to test although he does know half of his form (88 moves - he knows 48, so he's good to go) so he could mid-term, but I don't think he's planning on it. Then it's Mother's Day weekend already! We will know a lot more next week, but if all goes well and we do need to be out by June 1, we will be doing some packing!

I think that's the big news on our end. Never a dull moment!

hellooooo.....

Sorry for the long absence, but I wanted my CF plea post to remain up for as long as possible (i.e., until my mother demanded an update! :-)

It's still a month away, so if you can, please donate to our team. I'll be doing the bike ride in September too, so if the time isn't right, I'll be sure to beg you in the Fall as well. :-)

Training has been going well. I fully admit that I was a complete, yet very happy, slug this winter. I was sick a LOT and when I wasn't sick I was cooking. While I did run, swim and do spin classes, it wasn't with any regularity and I was worried I'd really be suffering when these first few weeks of training kicked in. But I've been fine. And I am so shocked by how fine I am that I can only wonder if it's the iron.

Last year, if you recall, my friend Wendy encouraged me to have my ferritin levels tested. Being vegetarian, it was possible that low ferritin levels were contributing to my utter and complete exhaustion after a long workout. Sure enough, they were ridiculously low. I had one IV (very painful - don't plan to do that again) and began adding meat back into my diet. I laid off the meat in the winter, since I wasn't training, but re-introduced it in April. Now I bake a (Whole Foods! happy chicken!) fryer once a week and eat chicken with vegetables for lunch. I also make chicken soup from the carcass (Rosa showed me a delicious simple chicken soup recipe that I've been using) and enjoy that for snacks. Once a week I treat myself to a LarkBurger, which is Angus Beef and makes me both incredibly happy and incredibly guilty. I may bump the red meat to twice a week in June. I've had no problem completing workouts. I've not needed a 4+ hour nap after a long workout. I have enough energy to stay up til 10 or 11 at night (I was hitting the hay with the kids last year.) I am so happy!

I rejoined the TriBabes last week (to encourage myself to stay true to the schedule and not skip things.) So far, so good. I feel like my biking is a little weaker than last year, as I have more trouble on the hills, but that might be due to lack of spin classes (the spin classes at FAC are at 6am - maybe when we're in Boulder I can make them.) My swim is as it was and my running seems slower yet easier. Not sure what's up with that but I'm sure Andie's killer track workouts will help, anyway. My first 5K of the year was a dismal 32:50, which leaves plenty of room for improvement! (It was windy. And cold. And at night. And it was my first one of the year. Oh, who am I kidding - I need those track workouts!)

Here is the basic schedule:

Mon: recovery day
Tue: swim/track
Wed:bike
Thu: swim/run
Fri: off or bike/swim
Sat: long run
Sun: Brick

(Saturday and Sunday workouts may flip around. In June, Sylvie and I want to start riding with the group, but at this point don't feel quite up to it.)

We've made great strides ourselves, doing a lovely loop around my neck of the woods. I'm going to try Old Stage this Wednesday and see how that looks. We start swimming in the Rez after Memorial Day (brrr...) and I have to remember to sign up to volunteer at the Summer Open. Watching Wendy complete that last year is what motivated me to sign up. It will be fun to watch again this year and help out. (There is NO WAY I would race this early. Brr!!!)

In kid news, Ted's play is this Wednesday night and we are all very excited about it. He is very in to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series right now and I love-love-love that I have to yell at him nearly every single night to stop reading and go to bed! It's the best. :-)

Sam loves OT and wears his glasses like a champ, when he remembers them. Yesterday he had a little tummy bug but didn't tell us because he wanted to go to Sunday School. He loves Sunday School so much - it is so sweet. Heather was going to bring my kids home and ended up taking them with her, after picking up their bikes, and Sam and Eliot had a great time together, biking from Heather's to the ice cream store and then doing laps around the park. As babies, they spent nearly every day together, so it is very sweet to see them reconnect.

Speaking of bikes, Mae is ready for the next size up. She was whipping around the park yesterday on Sam's bike like a pro. She is also an amazing pumper and can go for a loooong time on the swing. I am very curious to see how it all plays out for her - whether she'll be the athlete or the scholar - the artist or the actor - etc. She is getting ready to give up her bedroom for our beloved babysitter/good friend Heather for May & June. She'll room with the boys - she is so excited about that! She's signed up for summer camp with her little friend Zoey at the YMCA in Boulder and I think they are starting preparations for Graduation at preschool. She is very excited and ready to be in Kindergarten. While it will be a rough transition for her, I think she'll love "being one of the big kids." As of now, I plan to keep her in half day as I've done with Sam. Sam loves school but also loves our one-on-one time together when I pick him up at 12:15. Mae already talks about her mommy day (no school on Fridays for K's) so I think I can handle one more year of half days. Everyone in one school - priceless!!!

All 3 kids are doing TKD and seemingly having lots of fun. I'll have to get a picture of them with their doboks on.

Well, that is our update. We are loving spring and hoping the house sells soon - showings continue so we are just cleaning and hoping - hoping and cleaning... :-)

Spring!

Spring has sprung! And with it, our health is slowly coming back. I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. Between the deal falling through on our house, lots of subbing and the weird flu that morphed into a cold, I've been out of commission for a while. But it was 67 degrees and sunny today and things are looking up. We're going to the zoo tomorrow, to enjoy this beautiful weather.

We spent the weekend, when we weren't coughing, sneezing or napping, outside soaking up the sun. We were at the park for hours on Sunday. Saturday the kids spent most of the day creating things from funfusion beads. I love these things. Friday I kept everyone home from the last day of school because there was a blizzard. They played outside a lot on Friday and let me nap.

Sam has a lot of news. He got his special glasses last week. He has the same issues as Ted (tracking and convergence with far-sightedness) but is also severely light sensitive, which makes his eyelids spasm (the fancy word for this condition is benign essential blepharospasm). We all think he looks like John Lennon. He was also in his K/1 play last week, which was adorable. They did Puff the Magic Dragon and I nearly died of the cuteness.

Sam and Mae have both dived head first into TaeKwonDo. So far, so good. If all three could actually be involved in the same activity, I'd be thrilled. Mae wants to do the next tournament so that will be cute. Nothing like gigantic trophies for teeny little ninjas.

Enjoy this beautiful weather!

entering into our first weekend

It's been a great week here at the house. Well, I wouldn't really know since we haven't been home, but we've had a ton of showings and lots of good feedback. Let's just hope we get an offer soon!

On Wednesday I helped at the Indoor Bike place with Ted's class. It was fun for most of the kids but we did have 3 injuries including a broken arm. I don't think they should let the kids "choose" the MB course they do - I think they should start them all on the easy one and work them up. It was fun anyway.

Thursday I helped with the K ice skating day. That was a hoot. This was their 4th week and they were all really good! Lots of spinning and skidding to a stop. Impressive!

Friday was baby Aylah's naming. The service was fantastic (why oh why don't I go to services more often?!) but the oneg was a zoo so we snuck out fairly early.

Last night I made up my 4th batch of homemade kombucha, which I then flavor with ginger before bottling. I am getting really into this - it is sooo yummy and the store bought is upwards of $3.50 per bottle. LOVE IT. Now that 'the mother' has produced 'a daughter' that is strong enough, I can start using her too, and have 2 batches going at the same time, a few days apart. Or I can give the daughter away, if any of you want to try. It's pretty darn fool proof, in my opinion.

Today we have some showings so we are getting ready to head out for the day. Tomorrow we have an Open House, so we'll probably try and farm Ole out to someone and head to the Science Museum in Denver (it's supposed to snow - bummer.) No school on Monday, so hopefully we can meet up with some friends and have a fun day.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

It's been too long

I think it's pretty clear that I just can't handle posting when I'm stressed out. It's been a good week, full of last minute touch ups and paperwork. The house officially went on the market today, which means tomorrow begins the showings (and the cleanings!). Cross all fingers and toes please.

I'll start from last week and work my way through the week, though not much went on other than preparation. On Tuesday I wrote my guest post for the Dark Days Challenge. You can read it here. That was stressful, but a good memory of working well under pressure, just like the good 'ole college days.

I don't have much memory of the rest of the week (besides more cleaning) although I did sub on Friday, which is always fun. We spent Saturday with the chavurah and Sunday at home. I think I've come down with some odd bug - I spent most of Sunday napping and am feeling yucky again today.

Monday night a few bookclub friends met up at Centro for $2 apps ($2 drinks!) That was fun - I've been so house-focused that I feel like I've abandoned my friends for my floors. Hopefully I can reconnect now that we're in a routine. Tomorrow Ted and the 2/3s have their biking day for Outdoor Ed and then Thursday is Sam's ice skating for K. Somehow I managed to volunteer for both of these - not like me, but there it is. Friday is Aylah's baby naming at services - our last chavurah baby! Saturday should be mellow and then Sunday we'll have an open house (which means we'll leave - perhaps for the museum if it's this miserable out.)

I'm sure there are much more interesting tidbits to share but I can't think of any. It will be a real treat to post that our house is under contract! :-)

Reflections

Well, it's been a busy week! What has most amazed me about this week is the additional hours I have gained in the day! Without checking email, Facebook, and my 20+ blogroll (a lot of times during the day), I found an extra half hour in the morning, which made our hectic mornings much more calm and pleasant. I've packed up almost all that needs to be packed (prior to showing the house) and it's all downstairs (in free boxes I picked up off Craigslist). I've interviewed and have quotes for the detail cleaning, re-carpeting and painting. I have pages of notes from the complimentary stager that works with my realtor. I have a plan of action. If all goes well, we should be ready to list by February 15, if not sooner. I am in a good place right now, emotionally, and will probably take another email vacation next week, just to keep the momentum going. It is nice to gain a few hours in each day while still getting to bed by 10pm!

In kid news, Ted is reading the Horrible Harry series (assigned by his reading teacher at school) and will move into Magic Treehouse in March. He is reading at an end-of-year 2nd grade level now - technically ahead of where he is supposed to be. The reality is, though, that he will need support through the end of the year and during the summer, but should be good to go on his own in 3rd grade! We are beyond proud of him. He is undeniably dyslexic, switching letters constantly. But he has learned to (so quickly!) know if the word is right or wrong and make the correct choice and move on. Words like "exhausted," "gasped," and "trembled" are no problem now, even when hyphenated (this really threw him for a while.) He has worked so hard and we are so proud of him. Now, to start worrying about Sam. :-)

Sam has moved from his art obsession back into Legos. The Lego table is going to live in the basement while we are showing the house, and Sam has a grand plan to sleep down there in a sleeping bag. He cannot bear to even think about not being near his beloved toys at all times. So cute. He is also growing; he eats an entire pizza, a whole apple and a gigantic pepper at a time, washing it all down with 16+ ounces of soymilk. He is a maniac.

Mae has discovered that burritos make for a peaceful and happy way to start the day. She's been happy as a clam all week and even lets me clean and rotate her earrings without fussing anymore. She helped me box up her room, carefully choosing what should be boxed and what should go into the "under the bed box." She is also suddenly into tights - something I've been waiting for! We are having lots of fun choosing cute outfits each day (so much thanks go to our friends the Halperins for their wonderful hand-me-downs!)

Paul is so patiently going along with all that needs doing, including the downsizing of his home office (he will work at his Boulder office while the house is on the market) and the necessary furniture moving. We are both enjoying our 45 minute Lost fix. We are in the middle of Season 3 and very confused; I think that is the point. We love it!

Ole is recovering beautifully. While he is still confined to the family room, he no longer needs his "no lick collar" and can go on 25 minute walks (on leash) 2-3 times per day. He is completely off his pain pills and only seems gimpy when he's been sitting too long. He no longer needs the crate and can sleep on his favorite couch all night again. Life is good!

Thanks to all of you who have telephoned me this week, allowing my electronic vacation to happen. I appreciate it!

Another week flies by...

I'm afraid that there is just not enough time to post these days. It could be the cooler weather, encouraging us all to gather at home in the evenings. We've been eating lots of delicious home cooked meals, playing lots of games, doing LOTS of art and some knitting, and some baking thrown in for good measure. We've taken this first week of Fall (or rather, Winter!) weather and enjoyed it for all it's worth. Here are the highlights.

• Monday Ted got his final stripe at TKD for a grand total of 6. On Friday he will test for his 1st Degree Black Belt Recommended belt, which is a black belt with a red stripe at the top. From now on, he will be referred to as "Mr. Moeller" since he will technically be a black belt, though not a Decided one yet. VERY exciting. He has a Tournament in Denver the next morning, his last as a color belt. Crazy!
  
• Tuesday I had my swim class and it was much more mellow. I may have to resort to training on my own. I am not getting the distance that I want/need right now. It is good for my form though, so I may stick it out. I also started in on Sam's scarf!
  
• Wednesday I went to the 9am spin class because it was 19 degrees and snowing. It was LAME. I'm afraid I may have to get up for the 6am, or pray for better weather, because I use spin classes for HARD workouts, not a gab fest. Oy! That afternoon Sam took a turn for the worse, with a 103 fever.
  
• Thursday I had my first official substitute teacher gig at Horizons. It will be nice to have the extra money and the kids at this school are so great that it's fun to be around them. That night I skipped my swim class, Ted skipped his soccer practice, we hurried to the CSA to gather our food and hurried back home to roast, bake, steam and relax by the fire. Sam and Mae stayed home with Paul because Sam was still recovering.
  
• Friday Sam and I had a pleasant morning baking and watching old family movies. After picking up Ted and Mae, we had a mellow evening doing LOTS of art and then watching Paul play soccer. I am a terrible photographer, especially without the aid of a tripod for the no-flash segments. Oh well. It was fun and really spurred Ted on in his enthusiasm for the sport.
• Saturday we did our seasonal furniture rotation to better suit the chilly temperatures. I love the cozy family room and enjoyed watching the Kona Ironman while finishing up Sam's scarf last night. I had put the younger ones to bed early while Paul took Ted to Ted's double-header soccer game.
  
• We are officially finished with the Star Trek series. We started watching (the original) BEFORE Mae was a part of our family. 4 years later and we are actually through. We're not sure what we're going to start in on next - suggestions are welcome. It's nice to have a short something to watch to relax at night. *sniff*
• Sunday everyone but me moved the basement "stuff" from the garage back to the basement, so we can now park the car in there. Hooray! I had coffee with Dawn, a soprano I sing with at the temple. It was a lovely morning, a restful afternoon, and a cozy evening with a delicious crock pot dinner, nicknamed "A Taste of Autumn." Mmm. Now to get these crazies in bed!