Earthmovers and Sandcastles

Superbowl?

Carrie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:44:46 +0000

There was this football thing yesterday. As is my wont, I called my dad and my brother to find out who I was supposed to be cheering for. My brother had no dog in the fight; my dad was cheering for the Saints because he’s from Maryland and there’s still apparently a bit of a grudge there. We turned the game on half an hour late, because we forgot that we live in the Central Time Zone, (this isn’t the first time we’ve done that, either; Old East Coast habits die hard) and we sort of half-heartedly watched it, cheering for whoever had the ball at the time. Oh, we’re hugely into the professional team sports thing around here…

We watch for commercials, and so that Sam can sort of fit in at school when the other kids talk about having watched, and so that we can have an excuse to eat appetizer-type foods for dinner. Sadly, we seem to have no ability to estimate what our family will consume when it comes to this sort of food preparation, so we ended up with enough food to host a Superbowl party, only with no actual party taking place. The nachos were great, and there were two kinds of wings and hot dogs and cake and ice cream…sheesh. We should have put up a sign or something: “Come on in! Eat up!”

It was a great evening, right up until this commercial came on:

…and Gabe lost his mind in terror, screaming and sobbing and freaking the heck out. It was epic. We just about had him calmed down when this one started:

…and it had to be bedtime. My poor, poor, traumatized baby…

(He talked about it all morning, too, asking why they wanted to make him scared like that.)

Permalink | One comment PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Gabriel, Items of Interest.

Funnies

Carrie — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:34:54 +0000

Eric and I keep cracking up over this. A few days ago, one of Sam’s homework assignments included a word problem based on the supposition that at a store, half-gallons of cider were $2.50 and gallons were $4. The question read, “If you wanted a gallon of cider, would you buy 1 gallon or 2 half-gallons? Why?” Sam’s answer: “One gallon, because that’s what you want.” I asked him if there were another reason, and he said, “Because one gallon is easier to carry?” It took pointing out that it was math homework to get him to look at the prices.

(These are the things that keep me smiling when I’m also faced with having had to ground him through the weekend for repeatedly kicking a classmate under the table at lunch time, to the point where the little girl wrote a letter about how much it upset her. He claims it wasn’t malicious – just a game he and the other little boy to whom the letter was addressed had been playing. Not The Point, I said, and no excuse at all.)

Gabe, my baby, is somehow old enough to record his own movies:

That “army” covered the entire top of the dresser he and Sam share, and as it was continuing to grow, we needed to find a solution. He’s pretty satisfied with this one. I’m imagining the way he’ll describe this collection to his future wife, and it makes me giggle. It’s very serious business, Gabe’s Army. The dresser they occupied before actually rocks a little, from the floor sloping; whenever Sam would close a drawer and the figures would topple, Gabe would have a complete screaming conniption, as though an actual battle was being waged, with his men on the losing side. “MY GUYS! AUGH! YOU KNOCKED DOWN MY ARMY! MY SO-OOOOOOOLDIERS!”

Tonight, Eric and I are going to see Jeff Dunham. I’m really excited about that.

Permalink | No comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Familial things, Pictures and movies.

Video post – My Motivational Shirt

Carrie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:30:53 +0000

Permalink | No comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Fitness and Health, Pictures and movies.

Gear Review: The Wink

Carrie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:42:34 +0000

So yesterday I went out on a long run, looking like I was ready for a LONG run. You see, Eric got me the Ultimate Direction Wink hydration pack for Christmas, and I haven’t used it yet! I feel sort of silly gearing up with more than a hand bottle for anything short of, say two to two and a half hours. On the other hand, I’ve been staring at this pack for over a month now, wanting to try it out badly. Also, Eric pointed out that I needed to test it while we’d still have a shot at being able to return it if something was wrong. So, for only a twelve-miler yesterday, I filled up the bladder in the pack, strapped it on, and headed out.

I need to say that toting sixty-four ounces of water on your back, no matter how well-engineered the system is, is going to be noticeable. It’s added weight, any way you look at it, and not a small amount. I didn’t need anywhere close to that amount of water yesterday, especially with the temperatures being in the low 20s, but I did want to test the pack to its fullest, so that’s what I carried. The Wink really is well-engineered, though, and despite the weight, I didn’t feel a single bounce. In fact, once I got used to it, I barely noticed it at all! This will be a very good thing when I’m carrying it, say, up this. (Aw, yeah.)

A big reason why I suggested this particular pack to Eric when he was shopping was the storage in the front straps. I was reluctant to get most of the hydration packs I saw, simply because I didn’t want to have to stop and take off the pack should I want anything from inside it. With this vest, I can keep my nutrition, gloves, cell phone, whatever in any of the little pockets lining my rib cage. I tried it out this time, and it worked brilliantly! Love it! As far as drinking from the hose went, the bite valve is a little trickier than just using a bottle, but I can see where I’d get used to it fairly quickly.

So, the Wink: good gear. Looking forward to using it when I actually need it. I still intend to use my Amphipod belt for ordinary runs, but if I’m going to be out and about for long enough to require more than a handful of gels, the Wink will definitely serve well. Also, being able to carry sunscreen, bug repellent, a hand towel, etc. will be awesome for trails.

(What I should have stashed in it yesterday was dog biscuits, perhaps. Near the very end of the run, I entered a cemetery and nearly ran directly into a very large, white, husky-type dog. Now, it didn’t look unfriendly, and I could see it was wearing a collar, but I wasn’t about to try to approach it. I stopped, and it didn’t come nearer; I sternly said, “Go home!” and it wandered a few steps away, then looked back at me with a confused expression. My guess was that it was lost, but I don’t know dogs; it could well have been trying to figure out the best way to drag my lifeless body back home with it. When it wandered further away from me, I took off in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, I crossed paths with it again, near where I think it may have crawled under the fence to get in. It didn’t follow me, but it watched me run off, looking mildly entertained.)

Permalink | No comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Fitness and Health, Gear.

Looking on the bright side!

Carrie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:27:29 +0000

There are plenty of people in this world who don’t have indoor plumbing at all! I should be grateful just to have a toilet, even if it does overflow and flood the bathroom every time I flush, and it’s Friday evening, and all the plumbers in the city will be billing time and a half…

Permalink | 2 comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under House and Home, Rants and vents.

I think it’s Thursdays

Carrie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:54:20 +0000

SO grumpy yesterday, but I think a big chunk of it was that Thursdays just stick out like a sore thumb for me. Gabe’s not in school, sometimes I have MOPS but sometimes I don’t, it’s a no-running day…I just never have any sort of habitual expectations for the day, so I feel off-balance. Literally, sometimes; Eric went out for an unexpected social night last night (see? Unpredictable!), so I attempted a different yoga workout than the one we’ve been doing together. It was a bit harder (”Falling is normal and part of the workout!” the lady chirped at me while balancing herself on her palms in a straight-legged seated position, legs and bottom suspended in the air between her arms), and “off-balance” was a bit of an understatement for me at times. Boy, I wish there was a way we could take an actual yoga class together, but the only yoga classes our gym offers are during the day when he’s at work, and the yoga studios in town don’t offer childcare. Televised it is, then. At least nobody has to giggle at the sight of me “floating my fingers off the mat!” before landing in a pose I like to call “Crumpled Heap I.”

Today I ran. I didn’t fall down once.

Tonight I have a clothing-swap party to attend, and tomorrow looks to be insanely busy, with running club in the morning, followed by Sam’s Pinewood Derby for Scouts, and then a spaghetti dinner and movie night for Gabe’s preschool. Inhale, exhale. There are no static poses in yoga, and none in life, either.

Permalink | 6 comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Completely random, Fitness and Health.

When Mama ain’t happy…

Carrie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:23:24 +0000

Boy, whoever coined that phrase wasn’t kidding. Today, I’m battling a headache and some general grumpitude, and so I went and scheduled both kids for dental checkups. To be fair, they’re due for them, anyway, but for some reason, my current mindset prepared me to remember to make the arrangements. Remembering Gabe’s last visit, I suppose I should prepare for a second upcoming grumpy day, as well, following that. Could be a cycle.

Meh. I’m feeling sort of toxic at the moment. I need to turn it around, but I haven’t decided on the best or most effective way to do that yet. Things that aren’t working:

Load after load of laundry
Sam’s Club bulk coffee
“Mommy, what’s for dinner? I’m not eating that!“
Frozen Wisconsin

Hmph.

Permalink | 2 comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Rants and vents.

Convos with the kids

Carrie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:29:15 +0000

SAM: ::pant, pant, pant::
ME: “Hi, Sam. How was school?”
SAM: ::pant, pant!:: “Water!”
ME: “Sink. What’s going on?”
SAM: ::pant, pant; glug, glug:: “Running!”
ME: “Why were you running?”
SAM: “I…heard…a noise! It went fzzzzzzz-chunk!”
ME: “What do you think it could have been?”
SAM: “I don’t know! Maybe a ghost knocking over something, or a skeleton!”
ME: “Highly unlikely.”
GABE: “Sam, Sam. Don’t you know what to do if something’s bothering you? You put up your hand, like this, say ’stop,’ and tell a grownup.”
SAM: “That won’t work on a ghost!”
GABE: “Then you go tell another grownup! And if they won’t help you either, you tell your parents! See?” ::walks away, shaking his head, muttering::

Permalink | One comment PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Gabriel, Samuel.

New

Carrie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:25:58 +0000

I’ve been thinking lately about doing and trying new things. This morning, while on a typical, not new in any way, run, I got chased by a dog for the very first time. That wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind. (It was actually a little white, fluffy, yappy dog, tearing off its porch and barking at my heels for about a block, while I sprinted and frantically wondered whether the whole “you can’t outrun a dog!” thing they always taught us in safety lectures applied to little, fluffy, yappy dogs. In retrospect, I must have looked pretty darned ridiculous, but I think I’d have looked more ridiculous had I dropped to a fetal position and attempted to protect my head and neck…)

Better “new”: Eric and I tried a televised, on-demand yoga workout this weekend. I’ve attempted yoga in the past, with little success, and I figured it was one of those things that A) really require a live teacher over an on-screen one, and B) are better left to people without fused-straight lower backs. Still, we did our best, and I found that I’m much better at yoga now that I’ve lost weight and can better support myself on my arms than I could before. I was surprised when Eric informed me that I was, indeed, forming a triangle when I did Downward-Facing Dog; in the past, I was more of a distorted rectangle. We’re going for it again tonight, hopefully. This could be fun, and it might help with some parts of my legs that are less flexible than others, as per the physical therapist who helped me through my ITBS a long while back.

Yesterday, we took the kids to a benefit for Dan DeMatthew yesterday, and Sam spent the whole time staring in awe at the crowd of people packed into the hall. “He must be a really nice man!” he kept saying. “All these people really like him!” Then, because he’s Sam and has his own priorities in assessing a man’s character, “Do you think he likes nature?”

Need to go flip laundry now.

Permalink | 3 comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Completely random, Fitness and Health, Pictures and movies, Samuel.

Jumpin’ Jack Flash!

Carrie — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:47:24 +0000

Fact: on MOPS mornings, I don’t ordinarily have coffee, since I know I’ll have coffee there.
Fact: I don’t ordinarily eat breakfast those mornings, either, since ditto.
Fact: I can’t cook without caffeine of some sort in my system.
Fact: I was on tap for a “hot dish” for this morning’s meeting.

Results: I had several large mugs of coffee this morning, with no food to cushion the blow to my system, as I flung together random ingredients and made this:

Red pepper and goat cheese frittata. I think it looks good, but I also think my computer chair is softly bouncing as I type this. Or maybe it’s the computer screen. Bounce, bounce…

Gabe is dressed up for MOPS, for some reason. He wore a necktie last night for our church portraits (side note: it takes a special kind of optimism on a photographer’s part to push forward in trying to sell packages to couples who burst out laughing, harder and harder, with each take shown to them. “I look completely drugged!” “Sam looks like he’s about to barf!” “So…we can do twelve wallets, and a lovely eight-by-ten for you?”), and now he’s taken with the idea. Never mind that one doesn’t usually sport an ivory necktie with a long-sleeved tee-shirt; he thinks he looks “fancy.” Well, I suppose he does, at that.

Permalink | 3 comments PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO COMMENT! (Otherwise I might miss it entirely...)

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Completely random, Cooking, Gabriel.