Here's a little lullaby video.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Happy Day
It's a happy day when your preschooler decides she can buckle her seatbelt by herself. She did it several times today and is giving me two thumbs up in this picture. Hooray!
Here's a little lullaby video.
Here's a little lullaby video.
Friday, May 20, 2011
{this moment} 05/20/11
{this moment} - a Friday ritual. Some photos capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
This moment posts are inspired by SouleMama's Friday posts
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
This moment posts are inspired by SouleMama's Friday posts
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wordless Wednesday 5/18 More Dinosaurs
Water-spraying dinosaurs
Riding on the merry-go-round without one of us standing beside her. My little girl growing up!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday things
Momma Karen reached over with her iPhone and nabbed this shot of Kylie and I relaxing on Saturday afternoon. She's playing with my iPhone and I'm playing with her Find It toy. We still haven't found the marble, the pony bead, the candy cane or the elusive penny. We keep this toy by our living room table and hardly a day goes by where one of us doesn't shake and turn it in an attempt to find these last few items.
Other things:
I'm tickled... to be knitting again using my favorite afghan pattern and my favorite cotton yarn.
I'm inspired ...by the Unstoppable Tour.
I'm enjoying reading riddles from this book
as part of our nighttime routine. Kylie loves riddles. Each riddle has its own page. Some of the riddles go over her head but she laughs at most of them and is trying to memorize a few. We have several of these Helmer riddle books.
And am also enjoying books from this author
. Lastly, I wish I had more time to visit your blogs and to comment. Time has seemed very precious and hard to come by lately. Just know that I'm thinking of all you dear readers and sending you my best wishes.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Funny Animal Stories
Lately, Kylie has wanted to hear animal stories, particularly funny animal stories.
It's wonderful because I've been able to reflect on all of my pets (and I've been fortunate enough to have a LOT of pets). Kylie's favorite story is how my cat, Pumpkin, used to sneak lizards into the house. He would hide them and offer them as toys to his cat-mate Crystal.
I've told dog, cat, fish and hamster stories. And that's led to mouse, skunk, raccoon and snake stories (fortunately these last ones all happened while camping as a kid).
And now Kylie wants to hear camping stories too. Sometimes her demand for stories feels like her demand to be entertained and I want to resist because I'm tired or whatnot. But for the most part, it's pretty cool.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
May Day Celebration
While I held down the home front by participating in a neighborhood yard sale, Karen and Kylie went to Kylie's Montessori school May Day celebration.
Just like the Fall Festival, they had a bunch of crafts. Kylie loves to do crafts with her friends.
Her first craft was a pencil caterpillar.
And while the Elementary students wrapped the may pole, Kylie completed this newspaper flower pot with her Lead Teacher, Ms. Pilar.
Kylie made a bookmark
and a necklace
and a butterfly crown.
The last craft was a paper bag to hold some coloring pages, information about recycling and all her other craft goodies.
Kylie took her coloring quite seriously and was at this table over 20 minutes. But she was so proud of her finished creation.
One of Kylie's best school chums arrived. The girls hugged and jumped around.
Then it was time to release the ladybugs.
There were lots of and lots of ladybugs. And while Kylie found it all fascinating, she didn't much want them crawling on her.
The girls romped around some more. Finally it was time for hugs and good-byes.
It was a fantastic May Day celebration!
PS- And we made enough at our yard sale to replace the garage door part that got fried when a nearby transformer blew. Neither our garage lifetime warranty, nor our homeowner's insurance, nor our electric company paid for the replacement. It was a hefty fee but we made it up at the sale. In one hand, out the other!
Just like the Fall Festival, they had a bunch of crafts. Kylie loves to do crafts with her friends.
Her first craft was a pencil caterpillar.
And while the Elementary students wrapped the may pole, Kylie completed this newspaper flower pot with her Lead Teacher, Ms. Pilar.
Kylie made a bookmark
and a necklace
and a butterfly crown.
The last craft was a paper bag to hold some coloring pages, information about recycling and all her other craft goodies.
Kylie took her coloring quite seriously and was at this table over 20 minutes. But she was so proud of her finished creation.
One of Kylie's best school chums arrived. The girls hugged and jumped around.
Then it was time to release the ladybugs.
There were lots of and lots of ladybugs. And while Kylie found it all fascinating, she didn't much want them crawling on her.
The girls romped around some more. Finally it was time for hugs and good-byes.
It was a fantastic May Day celebration!
PS- And we made enough at our yard sale to replace the garage door part that got fried when a nearby transformer blew. Neither our garage lifetime warranty, nor our homeowner's insurance, nor our electric company paid for the replacement. It was a hefty fee but we made it up at the sale. In one hand, out the other!
Friday, May 06, 2011
{this moment} 05/06//11
{this moment} - a Friday ritual. Some photos capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Kylie brought home this Mother's Day gift of a bell made out of a terra cotta flower pot. She painted it herself and strung the beads. Along with the bell was this card and these two pictures. She was so proud of her creation!
This moment posts are inspired by SouleMama's Friday posts
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Kylie brought home this Mother's Day gift of a bell made out of a terra cotta flower pot. She painted it herself and strung the beads. Along with the bell was this card and these two pictures. She was so proud of her creation!
This moment posts are inspired by SouleMama's Friday posts
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Sister
Yesterday Kylie asked me for "a best friend, a girl, who would live here in the house with me...you know...a sister".
I put that thought down immediately. I have enough time, money, and energy just for you my darling Kylie.
I'm an only child and I understand that longing and that wish. But it's soooooo not going to happen. Even if she smiles and asks so sweetly.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Oh that's why we don't jump on the bed
Here's a video of Kylie bouncing on the bed.
She's fine by the way; not a scratch on her. She's hard to understand here but she's naming "dance party rules" then she's putting a fire on Momma Karen's head and then putting it out.
This video reminds me of the Gilda Radner girl scout Judy Miller show from SNL. Gilda nailed it don't you think?
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Triathlete- April 2011
April was a month filled with distractions and obstacles.
We had our weekend trip to Orlando, then Kylie's birthday celebration and then Easter. These were fabulous events that meant the world to me. And while I wouldn't change a moment of them, they did take up a lot of room in my head this month. The planning, the organizing, and the events themselves took my focus off my triathlon training.
It's been said that in order to train for a triathlon, you need to do at least 2 swims, 2 bikes and 2 runs per week. I lost sight of this. Plus I had some obstacles to overcome.
So here we go: For the 30 days in April, I trained 22 days and had 8 days off.
Swim
FACT: This month I had 11 swim practices-- 8 with Coach Gus and 3 on my own.
OBSTACLE: Swimming more than 75yards freestyle without stopping. There is a big mental wall there based on fear and I don't know what else. I've been frustrated to the point of tears during practice. My very best efforts haven't helped me climb over this wall. But I did find a way around it. Swimming breaststroke. My breaststroke needs lots of work but I can at least swim it for 100yards at a time.
NEXT STEPS: Gus and I talked and for now, we are mixing breaststroke in with my freestyle training. This takes some of my self-imposed pressure off and lets me concentrate on getting stronger in the water. We've worked on getting stronger two ways in April. First, by swimming lots of yards 1400- 2000 yards, mostly with fins. And second, by swimming around 750 yards during practice with kicking drills (with kickboard, no fins) and by 25yard speed drills.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I can feel myself getting stronger in the water. I bought a wetsuit so I could swim in my neighborhood outdoor (and unheated yet blissfully unoccupied) pool. I learned to do a flip turn. I can't do it while swimming laps yet but I plan on nailing that in May.
Bike
FACT: I was on the bike 5 times: once using my indoor trainer and the other four out on the road. My goal at the end of March was to stay on for one hour which I did. For my four outdoor rides, I averaged 1 hour and 12.5 - 12.75 miles.
OBSTACLE: Pain in my seat. Lots of shooting pain and numbness that would last for days afterwards. I would have to stop and get off the bike after 30 minutes of cycling just to stop the pain. I grit my teeth and moan over every bump. I'm not exaggerating here folks. Lots of pain. Joy, my strength trainer, suggested a different brand of bike shorts. I got a new pair of cycling shorts which helped with the pain along my bikini line and bum. But it did not help the most painful area which was my "girl parts".
NEXT STEPS: Finally, with Joy's recommendation, I went to a bike shop and had them pick out a new bike seat for me. I also had them take off the bike clip pedals (I wasn't using them but rather flipping them over and still using my running shoes) and put on regular pedals. The larger pedal helps me feel more secure. Perhaps someday I'll try clipping in again but not anytime soon. Let's hope the new bike seat helps!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I've stayed with it. I haven't given up.
Run
FACT: 6 runs for the month of April.
Long Runs
12 miles in 1:57 9:75 pace
12 miles in 1:54 9:50 pace
13 miles in 2:03 9:46 pace
11 miles in 1:48 9:80 pace
09 miles in 1:35 10:00 pace
Tempo run
4.5 miles in 39:00 8:66 pace
OBSTACLE: I didn't do my easy or tempo/interval runs this month. And I could feel it at the end of the month. The last two weeks of April kicked my but. We went from temps in the 70's to the mid 80's. And my long run fell apart. I just "didn't feel the legs" for pushing through the hot weather and humidity. I carried water in a pack that fits in the small of my back for the last long run of the month. Those extra ounces feel heavy. It's something I'll have to get used to it again. The 5-6 mile easy or tempo runs help keep my legs in running condition. I really missed not having those runs in place for April.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I did see a 13 miles in 2:03 which gave me a glimmer of hope that come Fall I could do a half marathon in under 2 hours.
NEXT STEPS: Get three runs per week in May. Get that long run back up to 13 miles, even in hot weather.
Strength
I completed four training sessions with Joy. They were great sessions that really pushed me and left me sore for days afterwards. I only got in 1 strength train session by myself. I plan to get more in May. I got in 3 Body Combat classes in April.
Weight
I dropped from 120 to 117 in April. I wasn't really planning on losing more weight.
I spoke with Joy and with Karen on how I can maintain this healthy weight without dropping any more pounds. My fear is that with all this training, I'll lose muscle mass. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief over making sure I have ENOUGH calories when for almost 2 years my focus has been keeping the calories to a weight-loss minimum. It's a BIG mental transition. I have some strategies in place to get the great nutrition my body needs.
So that's it for another month! Thanks for reading! And if you've made it this far, please leave me a comment. Comments mean the world to me.
March 2011 summary
February 2011 summary
January 2011 summary
December 2010 summary
Goal: Triathlon in 2012- initial post from December 2010
One Little Word: Triathlete post
We had our weekend trip to Orlando, then Kylie's birthday celebration and then Easter. These were fabulous events that meant the world to me. And while I wouldn't change a moment of them, they did take up a lot of room in my head this month. The planning, the organizing, and the events themselves took my focus off my triathlon training.
It's been said that in order to train for a triathlon, you need to do at least 2 swims, 2 bikes and 2 runs per week. I lost sight of this. Plus I had some obstacles to overcome.
So here we go: For the 30 days in April, I trained 22 days and had 8 days off.
Swim
FACT: This month I had 11 swim practices-- 8 with Coach Gus and 3 on my own.
OBSTACLE: Swimming more than 75yards freestyle without stopping. There is a big mental wall there based on fear and I don't know what else. I've been frustrated to the point of tears during practice. My very best efforts haven't helped me climb over this wall. But I did find a way around it. Swimming breaststroke. My breaststroke needs lots of work but I can at least swim it for 100yards at a time.
NEXT STEPS: Gus and I talked and for now, we are mixing breaststroke in with my freestyle training. This takes some of my self-imposed pressure off and lets me concentrate on getting stronger in the water. We've worked on getting stronger two ways in April. First, by swimming lots of yards 1400- 2000 yards, mostly with fins. And second, by swimming around 750 yards during practice with kicking drills (with kickboard, no fins) and by 25yard speed drills.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I can feel myself getting stronger in the water. I bought a wetsuit so I could swim in my neighborhood outdoor (and unheated yet blissfully unoccupied) pool. I learned to do a flip turn. I can't do it while swimming laps yet but I plan on nailing that in May.
Bike
FACT: I was on the bike 5 times: once using my indoor trainer and the other four out on the road. My goal at the end of March was to stay on for one hour which I did. For my four outdoor rides, I averaged 1 hour and 12.5 - 12.75 miles.
OBSTACLE: Pain in my seat. Lots of shooting pain and numbness that would last for days afterwards. I would have to stop and get off the bike after 30 minutes of cycling just to stop the pain. I grit my teeth and moan over every bump. I'm not exaggerating here folks. Lots of pain. Joy, my strength trainer, suggested a different brand of bike shorts. I got a new pair of cycling shorts which helped with the pain along my bikini line and bum. But it did not help the most painful area which was my "girl parts".
NEXT STEPS: Finally, with Joy's recommendation, I went to a bike shop and had them pick out a new bike seat for me. I also had them take off the bike clip pedals (I wasn't using them but rather flipping them over and still using my running shoes) and put on regular pedals. The larger pedal helps me feel more secure. Perhaps someday I'll try clipping in again but not anytime soon. Let's hope the new bike seat helps!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I've stayed with it. I haven't given up.
Run
FACT: 6 runs for the month of April.
Long Runs
12 miles in 1:57 9:75 pace
12 miles in 1:54 9:50 pace
13 miles in 2:03 9:46 pace
11 miles in 1:48 9:80 pace
09 miles in 1:35 10:00 pace
Tempo run
4.5 miles in 39:00 8:66 pace
OBSTACLE: I didn't do my easy or tempo/interval runs this month. And I could feel it at the end of the month. The last two weeks of April kicked my but. We went from temps in the 70's to the mid 80's. And my long run fell apart. I just "didn't feel the legs" for pushing through the hot weather and humidity. I carried water in a pack that fits in the small of my back for the last long run of the month. Those extra ounces feel heavy. It's something I'll have to get used to it again. The 5-6 mile easy or tempo runs help keep my legs in running condition. I really missed not having those runs in place for April.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I did see a 13 miles in 2:03 which gave me a glimmer of hope that come Fall I could do a half marathon in under 2 hours.
NEXT STEPS: Get three runs per week in May. Get that long run back up to 13 miles, even in hot weather.
Strength
I completed four training sessions with Joy. They were great sessions that really pushed me and left me sore for days afterwards. I only got in 1 strength train session by myself. I plan to get more in May. I got in 3 Body Combat classes in April.
Weight
I dropped from 120 to 117 in April. I wasn't really planning on losing more weight.
I spoke with Joy and with Karen on how I can maintain this healthy weight without dropping any more pounds. My fear is that with all this training, I'll lose muscle mass. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief over making sure I have ENOUGH calories when for almost 2 years my focus has been keeping the calories to a weight-loss minimum. It's a BIG mental transition. I have some strategies in place to get the great nutrition my body needs.
So that's it for another month! Thanks for reading! And if you've made it this far, please leave me a comment. Comments mean the world to me.
March 2011 summary
February 2011 summary
January 2011 summary
December 2010 summary
Goal: Triathlon in 2012- initial post from December 2010
One Little Word: Triathlete post
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