There is one thing that I absolutely don't have time for and that is getting sick. Between my work schedule and my running schedule, I simply don't have the time to sit around feeling horribly. So when I woke up this morning and felt a slight tingle in my throat and a stuffy nose, I attacked.
Vitamins? Check.
Hot tea? Check.
Lots of fluids? Check.
Laying on the couch and watching the entire third season of Prison Break? Check.
I'm trying to bargain with this cold. If I agree to take the entire day off (I even taught my spinning class off of the bike this morning and skipped the pool), then the cold agrees to be gone by tomorrow morning. I think it's a pretty fair trade. I'll keep you posted as to whether the cold accepted the deal.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Day At The Lake
With the weather remaining consistently sunny and breezy, we've been squeezing in some family outings into our schedule. This past weekend, we took Parker to a nearby lake.
Parker is fascinated with ducks. He was staring at them intently and when one of them quacked, he would point and quack back at them.
As we made our way around the lake, either the Irishman or I had to hold his hand because he was determined to join the ducks in the water. Here, I am trying to keep him on the sidewalk while positioning myself between him and the water in case he broke loose.
Fortunately, he was distracted by a helicopter (the Irishman said that it's called a Huey and proceeded to spell it for me) so he abandoned his attempts to go swimming with the ducks.
There was a gentleman inside the gate cleaning it and when he saw Parker staring at it, he invited him inside to sit in it. Parker apparently was a helicopter pilot in his past life because as soon as the Irishman showed him where to put his hands, he was "flying" it like a pro.
All in all, it was a nice afternoon at the lake. When we got back to the house, Parker was ready for a nap. It's hard work chasing ducks and flying helicopters!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Student-In-Training
It's interesting how we unconsciously shape our children's pusuits and model them after our own preferences. The older that Parker gets, the more I realize that I buy him things that I would have thought were cool as a kid and I encourage the behaviors that I think will serve him well in the future. Take the love of reading for example.
Parker spends a lot of time (and I mean A LOT of time) "reading" his books. Without fail, he will spend at least an hour either sitting by himself going through his books (pausing on each page as he takes in the material) or bringing us the books to read to him. I would say that we read about 10-15 books a night together. I am all about encouraging this behavior, so we make a big production of picking the books out and going through each page before we switch to another one. I can only hope that his enthusiasm for reading sticks.
Then we have the early birthday present that we got him - his first desk. He's really into coloring and drawing, so I thought it would be nice if he had a designated coloring space (so that the crayons and paint would decorate paper and not my couch).
Plus, I thought that if he was already accustomed to having a designated "work" area, then adjusting to completing his school work and school projects at a desk would be a natural thing to do. This is definitely the nerd in me coming out, but how much fun does that little desk look? The yellow part actually flips up and becomes an easel for when we graduate to bigger projects. I should mention that his desk is in the living room so that he still feels like he's involved (because like both the Irishman and myself, this little guy does not like to miss anything), but it's his own personal space to do with as he will.
I have to say that I'm really loving his age right now. He's interactive and can communicate whether he wants to color or build blocks. He has clear preferences, but is still laid back as ever. Yup, Parker is officially a little boy and it is so much fun to watch him grow.
Parker spends a lot of time (and I mean A LOT of time) "reading" his books. Without fail, he will spend at least an hour either sitting by himself going through his books (pausing on each page as he takes in the material) or bringing us the books to read to him. I would say that we read about 10-15 books a night together. I am all about encouraging this behavior, so we make a big production of picking the books out and going through each page before we switch to another one. I can only hope that his enthusiasm for reading sticks.
Then we have the early birthday present that we got him - his first desk. He's really into coloring and drawing, so I thought it would be nice if he had a designated coloring space (so that the crayons and paint would decorate paper and not my couch).
Plus, I thought that if he was already accustomed to having a designated "work" area, then adjusting to completing his school work and school projects at a desk would be a natural thing to do. This is definitely the nerd in me coming out, but how much fun does that little desk look? The yellow part actually flips up and becomes an easel for when we graduate to bigger projects. I should mention that his desk is in the living room so that he still feels like he's involved (because like both the Irishman and myself, this little guy does not like to miss anything), but it's his own personal space to do with as he will.
I have to say that I'm really loving his age right now. He's interactive and can communicate whether he wants to color or build blocks. He has clear preferences, but is still laid back as ever. Yup, Parker is officially a little boy and it is so much fun to watch him grow.
Too Wise
Since my main job requires me to stay on top of a number of different email interactions, I recently got an iPhone so that I wasn't tied down to my laptop and places that had wifi service. As if I needed any more freedom, I can now do my job from anywhere that has a cell phone signal. This is very nice indeed.
Anyway, I also like the fact that I can take pictures and email/post them immediately. While I'm still having a wild love affair with my Nikon SLR, it's a bit conspicuous for some places, so it's nice to be able to snap a picture with minimal attention being drawn. I decided to try out the camera on my iPhone using my favorite subject - little man Parker.
As he was enjoying his yogurt, I thought that I would see if I could get a candid picture without him noticing. While I absolutely adore his cheesy grin, I have virtually no shots of him without it since the second that he sees the camera, he starts hamming it up. Well, he is obviously much wiser than I gave him credit for because as soon as I lifted the iPhone to take a picture, this is what I got:
If you need a translation, Mr. Smarty Pants is saying, "You can't fool me mom...I am one step ahead of you."
Anyway, I also like the fact that I can take pictures and email/post them immediately. While I'm still having a wild love affair with my Nikon SLR, it's a bit conspicuous for some places, so it's nice to be able to snap a picture with minimal attention being drawn. I decided to try out the camera on my iPhone using my favorite subject - little man Parker.
As he was enjoying his yogurt, I thought that I would see if I could get a candid picture without him noticing. While I absolutely adore his cheesy grin, I have virtually no shots of him without it since the second that he sees the camera, he starts hamming it up. Well, he is obviously much wiser than I gave him credit for because as soon as I lifted the iPhone to take a picture, this is what I got:
If you need a translation, Mr. Smarty Pants is saying, "You can't fool me mom...I am one step ahead of you."
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Milk Aversion
So, I nursed my son for 14 months...around the clock...throughout the night. While it was a great experience (exhausting, but great), it really made me view cow's milk differently. I couldn't help but see it for what it really was - sustenance for baby cows. Suddenly, I had a vision of those mama cows hooked up to milking machines and given my own experience with a breast pump...I shuddered in sympathy. I also learned that, not only are humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species, but who also continue to drink milk after they are weaned.
All of this made me consider all of the alternative milks out there and I set out to try them as a cow's milk replacement. The first obvious choice was soy milk. Parker had already skipped the cow and went straight to original soy milk, so I already had that in the house to try. I also tried all of the flavored versions - vanilla, chocolate, even hazelnut coffee creamer. My conclusion was that while I'll put soy milk on my cereal or in my smoothies, I wasn't crazy about drinking it by itself.
Next, I tried almond milk. While I was slightly put off by the thought of almonds made into milk, I tried it anyway. Oh my sweet deliciousness! Almond milk, particularly the vanilla flavor, is one of the tastiest things I've had in a while. I confess to chugging it straight from the carton...when no one is watching of course. It's even better on top of my blueberry flax granola, which transforms my whole grain snack into a scrumptious dessert. Seriously, it's that good.
While I was really into the almond milk (and had gallons of it in my fridge), I still had a couple more to try before making my final verdict. I tried rice milk once and I'll just say that I could do without it. Finally, the last milk that I tried was hemp milk. I was intrigued by it and a little bit leery of what it could possibly taste like, but I'll try anything once. Honestly, it wasn't half bad. It had a nutty flavor with a slightly licorice aftertaste. I was impressed by it's nutritional content (it has a lot of omega 3s), so I think I'll keep it in as an occasional drink, but almond milk remains my favorite of the group by far.
All of this made me consider all of the alternative milks out there and I set out to try them as a cow's milk replacement. The first obvious choice was soy milk. Parker had already skipped the cow and went straight to original soy milk, so I already had that in the house to try. I also tried all of the flavored versions - vanilla, chocolate, even hazelnut coffee creamer. My conclusion was that while I'll put soy milk on my cereal or in my smoothies, I wasn't crazy about drinking it by itself.
Next, I tried almond milk. While I was slightly put off by the thought of almonds made into milk, I tried it anyway. Oh my sweet deliciousness! Almond milk, particularly the vanilla flavor, is one of the tastiest things I've had in a while. I confess to chugging it straight from the carton...when no one is watching of course. It's even better on top of my blueberry flax granola, which transforms my whole grain snack into a scrumptious dessert. Seriously, it's that good.
While I was really into the almond milk (and had gallons of it in my fridge), I still had a couple more to try before making my final verdict. I tried rice milk once and I'll just say that I could do without it. Finally, the last milk that I tried was hemp milk. I was intrigued by it and a little bit leery of what it could possibly taste like, but I'll try anything once. Honestly, it wasn't half bad. It had a nutty flavor with a slightly licorice aftertaste. I was impressed by it's nutritional content (it has a lot of omega 3s), so I think I'll keep it in as an occasional drink, but almond milk remains my favorite of the group by far.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Soundtrack: First Week of Fall
Monday: Foo Fighters, Best Of You
Tuesday: Gin Blossoms, 29
Wednesday: Better Than Ezra, Good
Thursday: Metallica, Nothing Else Matters
Friday: Rage Against The Machine, Freedom
Tuesday: Gin Blossoms, 29
Wednesday: Better Than Ezra, Good
Thursday: Metallica, Nothing Else Matters
Friday: Rage Against The Machine, Freedom
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Exaustion - I Love It!
Last night when I got into bed at 8:02pm, I felt like I melted into my sheets. My limbs felt so heavy that once I was laying down, I don't think that I could have gotten up for anything short of a fire. You see, my day started at 5:30am when I went down to the track to run intervals and I was going at full speed until about 7:30pm. My exhaustion was bone deep and you know what? I loved it!
For me, the feeling of exhaustion signals that I've squeezed every ounce of productivity out of my day. Nothing is more annoying to me than laying down only to realize that I'm not ready to fall asleep. Not surprisingly, I haven't had any difficulty falling asleep since I've moved my regular wake-up time up to 5:30am. In fact, I feel more grounded and centered than ever.
I've also been sleeping more solidly (well, for as long as Parker lets me) and I wake up feeling energized and ready to go. I think part of my motivation for a schedule change has to due with the fact that fall is here. For the last 23 years, my life has revolved around the school year with September signaling the start of a new semester. In a students life, the start of the fall semester is like New Years Day. You get the chance to start fresh and set new goals. Since I plan on being in academia for the duration of my career, I'm not too worried about changing this mentality...it's worked for me so far.
It's a good thing that I like feeling exhausted because the heaviest part of my training is ahead of me. With my "light" days now consisting for 6-7 miles and my long runs increasing from 11-20 miles, my body is hoarding all of the sleep that it can. Add in my 3 cycling and 3 swimming workouts a week and I have a fully loaded schedule for the rest of 2008.
I'm also more mentally exhausted as well. I'm teaching at the prison for 3 days a week and each session is 3 hours long. I don't know if you've ever had to speak for 3 hours straight, but it is damn tiring. I'm glad that I have a 30 minute commute coming back into town because it gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and to get re-energized before I get Parker from school and let me tell you, I need every shred of energy that I can muster to keep up with him.
Yup, my schedule is bursting at the seams and I couldn't be happier about it. Add in all of the planning and executing of our holiday plans and three out of town trips and I am going to bulldoze my way to the end of the year. Life is definitely good.
For me, the feeling of exhaustion signals that I've squeezed every ounce of productivity out of my day. Nothing is more annoying to me than laying down only to realize that I'm not ready to fall asleep. Not surprisingly, I haven't had any difficulty falling asleep since I've moved my regular wake-up time up to 5:30am. In fact, I feel more grounded and centered than ever.
I've also been sleeping more solidly (well, for as long as Parker lets me) and I wake up feeling energized and ready to go. I think part of my motivation for a schedule change has to due with the fact that fall is here. For the last 23 years, my life has revolved around the school year with September signaling the start of a new semester. In a students life, the start of the fall semester is like New Years Day. You get the chance to start fresh and set new goals. Since I plan on being in academia for the duration of my career, I'm not too worried about changing this mentality...it's worked for me so far.
It's a good thing that I like feeling exhausted because the heaviest part of my training is ahead of me. With my "light" days now consisting for 6-7 miles and my long runs increasing from 11-20 miles, my body is hoarding all of the sleep that it can. Add in my 3 cycling and 3 swimming workouts a week and I have a fully loaded schedule for the rest of 2008.
I'm also more mentally exhausted as well. I'm teaching at the prison for 3 days a week and each session is 3 hours long. I don't know if you've ever had to speak for 3 hours straight, but it is damn tiring. I'm glad that I have a 30 minute commute coming back into town because it gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and to get re-energized before I get Parker from school and let me tell you, I need every shred of energy that I can muster to keep up with him.
Yup, my schedule is bursting at the seams and I couldn't be happier about it. Add in all of the planning and executing of our holiday plans and three out of town trips and I am going to bulldoze my way to the end of the year. Life is definitely good.
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