Festivities

"With the kids jingle-belling and everyone telling you be of good cheeeeeer! It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

__________________
(workout log)
Tuesday: biked 50 minutes, full body weights
Wed: Ran 7.5 miles and did 3 hill repeats
Thursday: Ran 5 miles, 3 at tempo (7:30) pace
Friday: Full body weights

Frisbee Goof

So I consider myself an athlete. Not a pro, but a decently conditioned, somewhat coordinated sportster. At least I did.

A few days ago my parents had "Grandma Day" which involves all the grandkids having a Christmas party with my mom and dad. (not sure why my dad didn't get credit for his involvement in the title of this momentous occasion, but he didn't). So as has become tradition, all the non-children (teens on-up) go play Frisbee golf during this time. This was my second time to play--but I played like I was not only new to this sport, but new to the Frisbee. In highschool I used to throw frisbee with friends between classes. I was pretty good at it. I even kept one in my backpack. Apparently, for me, frisbee throwing is NOT like riding a bike. My throws went every way except where they should have. One time it took me three throws to move about 10 feet from the start of the course. Really. Sad.
So, I guess I need to practice more frisbee throwing between now and next Grandma day to redeem my reputation among my siblings. They can laugh at me behind, beside and in front of me for a year. I make no promises, though. I'm the only of 8 who can't carry a tune. Maybe the frisbee golf gene passed on by me, too.

workout log

Monday: Ran 1:06 at an easy pace.
Tuesday: Biked 50 minutes. Eric repaired the bike downstairs, wonderful man. Weights.
Wed: Ran 1:03 with Ashley. It was about 65 or 70 degrees. Monday and Wednesdayt I went to a new path in town that goes for about a mile by the river. It has a fine gravel surface, is flat, and is about 3 feet wide. I LOVE it, but wish it was longer.
Thursday: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday: Ran 1:03. Went about 5 miles with Sarah, then went 2 more miles at a tempo pace (7:25/mi.).
Saturday: Biked 24 miles on the stationary in 1:14.
Sunday: rest
Monday: Ran 55 minutes on the trails. It was 17 degrees with a windchill of 6.

Christmas Around the World

I'm one of the room moms for Eli's second-grade class. He has an excellent, kind teacher. She keeps the kids engaged with academics, but really makes it fun along the way. For their Christmas party, rather than do the traditional cupcake and candy cane party, she wanted the kids to learn something, too. She had them work on researching 8 different countries' holiday traditions, and for the party we had food from those countries for them to try. Not all foods were authentic, but I think we had a pretty good spread:

• South Africa/Ghana: Chicken Nuggets (they traditionally have chicken at Christmas)
• Israel: Latkes (these are potato-cakes that I learned to make just for this. They were a hit!). We served them-according to tradition-with sour cream, applesauce, or fruit preserves.
  
• Russia: Star-shaped biscuits
• England: "Plum Pudding" (in quotes because we served Yoplait's prune yogurt.)
• France: Yule Logs (Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls)
• Switzerland: Swiss Panetone Cake (available, truly imported from Switzerland, at Sam's Club)
• Austrailia: Ice cream (it's summertime there in Dec.)
• Mexico: Mexican Wedding Cookies ( We had neighbors from Mexico in AZ who brought us some of these at Christmas, so I know these are truly a traditional treat!)

The kids also got to decorate gingerbread houses, and we were able to use our budget to get each child a beanie with "Huskies"(the school system mascot) embroidered on it. We made a photobook for the teacher with pictures of the class and little notes written by the students to the teacher as the text for the book. It was so fun to see the kids so excited for their teacher to see the gift they had a part in making!
This party was DEFINITELY more work than a typical grade-school Christmas party, but having an excited child come up to me to say " I researched that country! That's what they eat at Christmas," made it really worthwhile.

Mi Amore

I have never much cared for the term "hubby" to describe one's husband. I didn't like it as a child and made a personal pact with myself not to use it. Now that I have a husband, I feel every bit as strongly that "hubby" does not describe Eric. Plus, if it is supposed to be a shortened version of "HUSband" wouldn't "hussy" be more appropriate? I have called Eric "HUBsand" on occasion, and he doesn't seem to mind. Heehee.

Whatever a "hubby" is (other than a sorry name for husband), I think Asher looks much more like one in the picture above than Eric does. :)

Workout log:
Monday: I ran 1:02 at an easy pace.
Tuesday: I biked 45 minutes.
Wednesday: I did weights in the morning and then pushed the stroller for 54 minutes. I think I went about 6 miles.
Thursday: I did speed work on the treadmill. 10 minute warm-up then several 1 and2 mi. intervals (at 9.5-10mph) and one 6.5 minute interval (at 8.8 mph). It wore me out.
Friday: I biked for about 35 minutes but had to stop when the stationary bike started a grinding noise. I think it may have bit the dust. I finished with a weight workout.
Saturday: I met a couple of guys at Trak Shak for a run. I warmed up for just over a mile before meeting them, then we ran about 7.3 miles. A good portion of the run was at about 7:10-7:20 pace. It was a HARD run for me. But good. I ended up running 8.4 miles in 1:05.

These are a few of my favorite things....

Yes, you should sing the title. Especially since it is a Christmas song (which I have always considered a bit of a stretch.)

Since my degree is in marketing, I thought I would put it to good use by promoting a few of my personal faves right here on my bloggle.

• Snapfish photobooks. Thanks to a friend who watches Oprah for putting me on to these. Oprah did a segment a few weeks ago where she gave all her viewers (and in my case, their friends) a free photobook from Snapfish. I took advantage of the deal, and was VERY impressed. So much so that I have ordered two more. One was actually from Sam's Club, but I wasn't as pleased with their website useablility. These are real, substantial, hard-bound books that you can put pictures and words into. I just finished one yesterday that is going to be the Christmas gift to Eli's teacher from his class. It has about 70 pictures of the kids along with short writings by them of things they love about their teacher. And they are reasonably priced. Go to www.snapfish.com to make your own!

• Hulu. This is truly a beautiful thing. I'm not a huge tv watcher, but I do enjoy a few shows. One being 24. Another being Heroes. These, and many more movies and shows are on this fabulous site, free of charge and almost free of commercials. A 40 minute show has about 1 minute of commercials (versus the 15-20 minutes when you watch it on TV.) Burn Notice, the Simpsons, SNL, The Office, and many old classics like Leave it to Beaver, and The A Team are also on there!

• My WIGWAM socks. I like my feet to be warm and toasty. And I like alot of cushion in my socks. And my feet tend to get sore when I go bare-footed around the house. And they get sore from exercise. If you share these preferences and tendencies, do I have the sock for you! The Wigwam Gyro Dry-release sock. It is cushiony, warm, and wicks away moisture so your feet don't sweat. Ahhh, the simple pleasures of life. (My pairs are the grey version of the picture I found.)

• The Carpenters Christmas Album. Karen Carpenter has one of the few voices in this world that I never tire of. Her singing is so rich and never sounds strained. Even some of the so-called great divas often sound like they are really working to hit high notes or hold out a long ending, but Karen never does. (yes, I'd like to think if I could know her today we'd be on a first-name basis). I have to confess I like her not-Christmas music, too.

• ModPodge. This is one of those crafty things I have known about for a while, but never personally used until recently. It is a great adhesive, and also a way to "decopage," which is where you put several layers of a clear sealant over something to make a kind of plastic shell. I love the stuff. It was what I used to make that funky lamp I took pics of a few weeks ago. The boys and I made their cousin, Madylin, a collage of hundreds of M's on a wooden board for her birthday. It was a simple, inexpensive gift, and it turned out looking pretty dang cool.
  

Well, I'll stop here. I know when I'm laying in bed in a few minutes, about 12 more favorite things will pop into my head, but I will save those for later.

Here is my workout log for the week:
Monday: I ran from Melyssa's house. She has one hilly subdivision. I went a total of 5.5 miles. The first half was in the hills, and the last half I found a long flat stretch and ran back and forth on it to avoid steepness. I ran for 47 minutes.
Tuesday: I biked 40 minutes.
Wednesday: I ran 1:03 at a comfortable pace. I also did pushups, dips, abs, and squats.
Thursday: I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday: I did speedwork on the treadmill: 12 minute warm-up jog then 28 minutes of 2, 1.5, and 1 minute speed intervals with 1 minute and 30 second rests between. I ran the speed intervals at 9.5-10 mph.
Saturday: I ran 1:12. I wore my GPS, but I still dont keep a signal in the woods, so I'm not sure exactly how far I ran. I kept under an 8 min pace when I was on flat road, but on the hillls and on the trails I slowed some.

Simplicity and Thanks

We had nice Thanksgiving. We spent time with family and ate yummy food.
In many ways, Thanksgiving is like Christmas without the shopping and commercialism--which kinda makes me enjoy it more. Most Christmas seasons I don't really enjoy shopping, I worry about it--which is a shame. This year I have been trying to simplify things so I don't have as much to worry about. I can't completely eliminate the need to shop, but I can cut out some non-necessities. For instance, I think we may be sending an email Christmas card this year. I have always frowned on doing this in the past (when Eric has suggested it) , but it will save me a lot of time and money--both of which are in shorter supply during the holidays. A few non-emailing relatives will get "real" cards, but everyone else will get a virtual greeting. Today as we decorated our house for Christmas, I tried to think about what we really enjoy seeing, and left the rest in storage. With a busy toddler, I'd be a glutton for punishment to have some things out. If anyone has suggestions for simplifying the holidays, I'd love to hear them.
Taking my sister Sarah's lead (she did this on her blog) , I'd like to list a few of my blessings for which I am most thankful right now:

• My knowledge of my Savior Jesus Christ and of His plan of happiness for God's children.
• My dear husband Eric who works hard as a provider, a spouse (I keep his nose to the grind!), and a father. All of our boys are "daddy's boys."
• Eric's job. We aren't the most wealthy people on earth, but we have sufficient for our needs and for many of our wants.
  
• This free land I call home. I have mentioned this previously, but in reading about Germany during and after WWII, I have felt increasingly grateful for the U.S. Constitution and feel a strong need to elect leaders who will protect this inspired document.
• My home. I hope we never have to move. It is a work-in-progress and probably always will be, but we have room to spare and are surrounded by beauty.
• Friends. I haven't had as active a social life this last year because of spending so much time up at school volunteering and with my kids' sports, but I still love talking to dear friends in person, on the phone, or on Facebook.
• My mom, dad, 6 sisters and 1 brother. I love my big family. We grow closer as time goes by. I can say or do anything and know they will still love and accept me.
  
• My health. I feel an obligation to use my health to bless others. I believe good health is like a talent that God doesn't want us to bury or waste. And we never know when it could be taken from us, so we should seize the day!
  
• And last, but far from least, my children. Though they each frustrate us daily, they also bring so much joy and focus to our lives. I'll share one little jewel about Brandt: He had some intestinal issues for a couple of days and his bottom became broken out. He would barely walk because of the pain. I had to put some Desitin on his little buns.This morning when he first woke up, he came down to our bed wearing a big grin. Then he annonced, "Mom, that medicine you gave me made my bottom happy!!"

This is the GIANT card that was on the table on the morning of my birthday.

Workouts this week:
Monday: I ran 5.85 miles in 49 minutes. I kept a really good pace on the flats, but I started pretty slow and slowed some on the hills.
Tuesday: I biked 52 minutes and did weights.
Wednesday: I did speedwork on the treadmill: 13 minute jog warmup. 20 minutes of 40 seconds at 10mph, followed by 20seconds of rest. Then I jogged to cool down for about 10 minutes. This was a tough workout for me. That afternoon Melyssa and I took the kids on a hike in the Sports Complex. I was thankful for the chance to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs.
Thursday:I ran 1 hour 2 minutes on the trails. I'm not sure of the distance--I think close to 7 miles. I love having trails so close--something else I'm very grateful for.
Today: I biked 46 minutes--15 miles and did weights. I stayed up too late last night, and I could feel it during my weights. They were much harder to get through than usual. Maybe some of that triptophan from the turkey, too.

Time

This has been a weekend to remember--for many reasons. Friday Eric and I went out on a date--which is rare enough these days to be a noteworthy event. We went to our favorite Chinese place and then to see Twilight. We both really enjoyed it. I wonder about the "repeat watchability," but it had good acting and definitely followed the book. It was mostly just nice to go out sans kids.
Saturday evening Mom, Jill, Hannah, Lia, and I went to Atlanta for a quick night on the town! We went to Ikea (which none of them had experienced before), and then to my friend Emily Christianson's dance performance. It was really exciting to see a friend from high school who has become such talented dancer and coreographer. It was a modern dance all set to James Bond movie music--very cool.

Today I turned 30--old, I know.

I just heard that a dear friend passed away today after a drawn-out battle with cancer. Gail was the mom of one of my best childhood friends. During the years my family lived in Hermitage, TN, we spent more time with Gail and her kids than any other family. She was a FUN mom. She encouraged the hair-brained ideas that we would come up with--when most parents would probably stifle. We dressed up, performed, danced, cooked, created, and went crazy with her approval. I loved going to her house. She was the rare parent that every kid felt comfortable around. She just exuded love. All who have had the privilege to know her in this life can count themselves blessed.

Workout log:
Monday:I ran 52 minutes on the trails and did weights.
Tues: I biked 45 minutes.
Wed:I ran 52 minutes with Ashley. It was COLD!!
Thurs.: I did weights only.
Friday: I biked 20 miles
Sat.: I ran 1:09. COLD again.

Power Ranger Turkey

Brandt's "Dress Your Turkey" project.

Asher looking especially cute this morning. AND he stayed in Nursery the whole time.

1,000 words

My last post was pretty lengthy, so I'll let the pictures speak (mostly) for themselves this time.

In his element

How Real Men blow leaves.

The second-grader.

The kindergartner.

The busy-body.

These last two are of my latest art project (and Eli "humanizing" the picture).

Workout log: Monday: I didn't get much of an aerobic workout in b/c Asher was sick and I had to take him to the Dr. I ran 1.4 miles on the treadmill and did full-body weights.
Tuesday: I biked 20 miles in 1:03.
Wednesday: I ran 42 minutes with Ashley at a pretty good clip.
Thursday: I ran intervals on the treadmill: 13 min warmup, 9 400's at 10mph with 1 minute of rest between each one, then a cooldown jog. I also did weights.
Friday: I biked 40 minutes. I pushed the pace since I knew I wouldn't have alot of time (I woke up late) and did 13.5 miles.
Saturday: I ran 9.65 miles in1:22. I did a loop I haven't done in a while. It's hilly.

Deep (and Shallow) Thoughts

Obedience
I few years ago I heard a speaker at a youth conference I attended (as a leader), who posed the question: "Why should we obey God?" One of the speakers in church today spoke about obedience as well, and it made me reflect on what I learned at that youth conference. Several of the youth rattled off answers including: Because it's our duty to obey God; Because we fear being punished; Because we want to be blessed; Because we have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I don't remember exactly how each of these reasons was responded to, but none were exactly right. These are not bad reasons to obey, but they are not the best reason. I remember being surprised that the last reason given--our testimony of Jesus Christ--wasn't the right one.
In 1 John 2:3, we learn that the we gain(or strengthen) our testimony of Christ by obeying, not the other way around. Titus 1:16 reminds us that just because someone claims a knowledge or testimony of Jesus Christ, doesn't mean they will be obedient. The answer lies in one of the most quoted scriptures in Christendom, John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We should be obedient because we love God.

The Economy
This article, written before the "stimulus" package was approved, and before the election was decided, pretty much sums up my feelings about the state of our county's (and our personal) finances.
I think it is a BAD idea to bail out these automakers because they are in a slump. I was taught in Econ 110--if a business fails in a free market, this is because consumers are not choosing to consume there. Bailing out Ford or GM will not suddenly make consumers start buying more cars from them. It will just postpone the inevitable. Sure, some jobs may be lost, but thanks to the Invisible Hand, the consumption that used to be with Ford is now somewhere else, perhaps with Honda or Toyota, and autoworkers can try to get a job there--since demand will be up and they will need to match with their supply. Artificially creating jobs in an industry just to help a company,even--no ESPECIALLY--a big company has been done before. In socialist states such as East Germany and Russia.
And I can't understand why powerful people--be they Repulican or Democrat--can't seem to apply to the government what we try to apply to our family budget when we accrue a little debt--CUT SPENDING. Wow. We don't go get another credit card to pay off the one we've maxed out. I don't know what the equivalent to raising taxes in a household would be--but we don't do that either. We just hold off on eating out, going to movies, or taking trips for a while until we can get back on top. Why can't our gov't do that??!?!

Mean Dog
I've had a certain Mean Dog chasing me on at least one run a week since we moved here almost 5 years ago. I've trained him now to turn and walk away when I point my pepper spray at him, but this progress only came after he once bit me on the heel. It didn't break through my shoe, but scared me nonetheless. I had the thought on Saturday as he started after me, and I turned to cock my wrist at him, "Dogs are so much braver than people. Can you imagine biting a person's heel while they are running?" This kind of courage/stupidity, thankfully, is not a part of the human genetic makeup (except for, maybe, Mike Tyson.)

Yogurt
I have started eating yogurt regularly. Without going into details no one would care to hear, I believe it has helped prevent some minor health issues I had been dealing with for a while from recurring. Anyway--so since I now eat it almost daily I have tried several new kinds (and if you don't eat yogurt often, stop and look at the VAST variety out there these days--you could probably eat a different flavor every day for 6 months). I now have, not just a favorite yogurt, but probably a new favorite food. Yo-Plus Blackberry Pomegranate. It is heavenly. And all natural.

Workout Log:
Monday: I ran pushing the jogging stroller 7.5 miles with Asher.
Tuesday: Biked 55 minutes downstairs. Did full-body weights
Wednesday: Ran with Ashley 6.2 miles, averaged an 8:01 minute/mile pace.
Thursday: Biked 45 minutes. Did full-body weights.
Friday: Ran on the trails 52 minutes. I love that it is now light enough outside at 6am to run the trails. It's pretty much impossible to run really fast on the trails, which is kinda nice.
Saturday: Ran 9.5 miles. My legs were a bit tired, but I managed to keep about a 8 minute pace for most of the run.

Gentle Torture

One fun thing about parenting is enjoying--and at time taking advantage of--your children's innocence. After looking at the pics we took of our boys in-costume for "Nursery Rhyme Dress-up Day" at their school, I think I may have taken a little advantage. The school won't formally acknowledge Halloween, so they get around it with this dress-up day. So Brandt went as a cute little mouse and practiced quoting "Hickory Dickory Dock" all week. Eric initially thought the headband looked a little too girlish, but when he saw how much Brandt liked it, he relented.
Eli was Jack from "Jack and Jill." I had him roll up his jeans and put a couple of band-aids on his head (for the "broken crown"), and he carried a pail. I think the idea sounded better than it ended up looking. I have decided, however, not to regret that I sent my boys to school looking somewhat ridiculous, but to enjoy the fact that I could send them that way and have their full cooperation! These days will pass before I know it.


Asher got ahold of the camera one day this week. Here is one of his self-portraits.

Workouts for this week:
Monday- I ran over to Sherman Oaks and did two laps around that heinously hilly subdivision at an easy pace. I was gone about 54 minutes. Tuesday: I biked on the stationary for 50 minutes and did full-body weights while watching the 1963 movie, Cleopatra, in which I learned that a G-rated movie from back then may still have a topless dancer (seriously.).
Wednesday : Ran at a pretty good pace with Ashley. We went 5.96 miles in 47.45.
Thursday: Biked 50 minutes and did full body weights while watching the 1969 movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which I learned that Robert Redford used to be pretty attractive, and mixing in an artsy black and white montage accompanied by "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" doesn't really work in a shoot'em up Western film about glorified outlaws. It was entertaining, nonetheless.
Friday: Intervals on the treadmill. after a 13 minute warmup, I did about 20 minutes of 1 minute intervals. The first 3 or 4 I ran at 9-9. 5 mph, and gave myself 30 seconds of rest (jogging slowly). The last 7 I did at 10mph and rested 1 minute between each one. I jogged for my cool down about 5 minutes.
Today: I biked 16.9 miles on a very hilly route. It took 1:04. I pushed it pretty hard. I somehow missed the turnoff I had planed to take and ended up going down one of the steepest hills I have on the road. Since I hadn't ridden it before, I didn't try to go as fast as I could, but gravity got me going pretty darn fast. Here is a topo of the ride ( notice the steep drop in the second half).

Why we have only boys so far

Part of Eli's homework each night is to read a book and write about it. Last night he read the book, "Kick, Pass, and Run. " Eric saw the book lying on the counter when he got home from work. With a smirk on his face, he brought it to me and covered one of the letters in the title, then chuckled like the eighth-grader he will forever be.

Two roads diverged...

A few years ago I had a kind of personal epiphany that helped me to understand the importance of the choices I have made and will make in life. My great Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Winston had come to visit us in Arizona. This aunt and uncle have been like grandparents to me and my siblings ever since my Grandmother Fleming died, so I was thrilled to have them travel all the way from Memphis, TN, to our home in Arizona to visit. Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Winston have one wonderful son and daughter-in-law and one terrific grandson, Martin. Aunt Dorothy had a nephew who also lived in AZ, so when they were there, we all met together at her nephew and his wife's home for dinner. At this dinner, I was struck by how much my dear great aunt and uncle talked about me and my brother and sisters and our families, along with their son and his family. They had little "brag-book" pocket picture albums they pulled out with pictures of me and all of my family members, and they went on and on about what was going on with our lives. We (along with Martin) were just about all they talked about. Sometime in that evening I realized that this is what life is all about. If this aunt and uncle had never had children and had never spent time fostering and growing their relationships with us during holidays and family gatherings, now that they are elderly and retired, what would they have to bring joy to their lives? As I write this, I'm reminded of the play "You Can't Take It With You," the story of an eccentric family that are unusual but happy and supportive of each other, and when contrasted with a more ordinary family whose priorities center on the materialistic, teach the audience that it's the relationships we build, not the awards we get, the money we make, or the things we aquire, that are really lasting.
This weekend my dad's family met up in TN for a family reunion. Just Brandt and I were able to go from my little family because of sickness, but while there I again just felt so grateful for family. Everyone loves and supports each other regardless of the differences in our lives, simply because we are family and that's what families do. I could have worked for several years before we had children, and we would probably have had a bigger house and newer cars, but that isn't the path we chose, and I'm glad. Nothing brings me more joy than my husband and children. They bring challenges, headaches, and heartaches, but the joy always outweighs the trials. ( I know---we haven't reached teen-hood yet..)

I have had a great week of working out. Monday I ran pushing the jogging stroller for 52 minutes and went 5.8 miles. My legs were pretty tired from my race last weekend, so I took it easy.
Tuesday I biked 45 minutes and did full-body weights.
Wednesday I ran with Ashley for 6.5 miles. I'm not sure how long it took because I forgot to re-start my watch at one of the traffic lights.
Thursday I biked 50 minutes and did full-body weights.
Friday I ran 8.6 miles in about 1:11. I felt GREAT on this run. I started pretty slow, but ran a sub-8 minute pace for about 7 miles of it.
Saturday I got up at about 4:15 a.m. to workout before we left for the family reunion up in TN. I did speedwork on the treadmill: 12 minute warm-up, then seventeen 40 second speed bursts at a 6 minute-mile pace with 20 seconds of rest between each one. I then jogged to cool-down for 10 minutes. I did some push-ups and ab-work afterward.

Racing, Rashes, Rodents, and Revelry

I think I mentioned how nervous I was for the 5k I entered this weekend. Well, the nervousness built all week and finally subsided at around 8:21 on Saturday morning. I didn't reach my goal of running a sub-21 minute 5k, but I came closer than I have in a couple of years--21:29. I had planned to use my watch to pace myself, but when it came right down to it--I just ran as fast as I could. I looked down at my watch a few times--I started at around a 6:20 pace, slowed to a 7:20 on both the hills, and maintained around a 6:45-50 the rest of the time. I really just need to race more. The fast start about killed me.
Eli and Brandt ran in their first road race on Saturday; both completed the 1 mile fun run. Both ran the whole distance. Eli finished in 11 minutes and Brandt in 11:20!
After the race, Eli spotted a young chipmunk running around a tree-less field. It wasn't a baby, but wasn't as quick as an adult. Eli and Brandt probably ran another mile around the field just chasing the little guy. I think they would have been entertained all day at this if we had allowed it. I caught him with a Styrofoam cup, and we took him to a nearby tree. Hopefully he found his home...
Saturday night my mom had a Halloween party for her grandkids. They each could invite one friend--which was a GREAT idea. We almost didn't need to have any activities for them to do because they entertained each other just playing in the yard together so well. One of the funniest parts of the party was the "haunted house" in which the children felt of eyeballs (peeled grapes), brains (cooked ramen noodles) and guts (red Jello). The ramen noodles had kind of congealed, and as a clump really felt how I would imagine a brain would feel.
Eli decided to be Indiana Jones this year, and Brandt, after vacillating between the pirate "Jack the Sparrow" (as he calls him), and the Red Power Ranger, finally decided on the latter when he saw his beloved little costume jumpsuit from last year. I sweetened the deal with a new sword from the Dollar Tree. Asher was an extremely precious Woody the cowboy (from Toy Story).
This week we have been dealing with a BAD case of poison ivy with Eli. He got into it at a Boy Scout service project he went to with Eric last weekend. It started on his hands and has spread like wildfire over his body. He has been making regular visits to the school nurse for re-application of calamine lotion. I think it's on the mend, now, but know that the wounds you see in the posted pictures aren't makeup to toughen up his "Indy" look--they're the real thing!
I took it pretty easy this week in anticipation of the race: Monday I ran 49 minutes. Tuesday I just did upper-body weights. Wednesday I ran 5.85 miles in 48:35 with Ashley. Thursday I biked 40 minutes in the morning and ran with the boys (we did about six 100's at a pretty fast pace) at practice. I also stretched a ton. I took Friday off. Saturday I warmed up for about a mile, ran the 5k, the mile with the boys, then cooled down for about a mile and a half.