I'm back from NYC. Had a wonderful time with Diana, Lenny & Meri at dinner! It was hard to leave we were having such a nice time... but it was a school night after all. The seminar I taught went well also. On the feedback sheets there were primarily 5's which is the highest you can get on our ranking system, which always makes me happy - especially since I was teaching the seminar to other attorneys in NYC. I even had a partner from a firm give me a personal hand shake and tell me that I did an excellent job. : )
Upon arriving back in Orlando, I discovered that the cold front that was supposed to have moved through the state and been gone by triathlon day only was just arriving. So this morning and last night have been rather rainy. A high for today of 60 which is not bad, but the problem is that the day started at 57. Luckily for my workout it was a swim day anyway, so I was off to the gym. I asked the girls what Mommy does for a living (primarily because I discovered last week on a car ride home that they thought I work at the gym) Ladybug told me that I go to the gym and then I play. But Angelfish remembered our conversation from last week (and last night) and said, "Mommy, you attoney" (which is how she says attorney). So, hopefully it will sink in... too bad I don't get to play for a living. Like everyone else, I have to squeeze it in while I can.
I have to say that while I like my work trips when they are successful, the best part is always returning home and seeing the little faces of my girls and that of my hubby. I enjoyed snuggling and the hugs and kisses, and having the girls insist on sitting on my lap while I try to eat dinner. The smell of their hair and their sweet little smiles and voices. True joy and contentment right there!
The triathlon swiftly approaches... Sunday will be here before I know it. Team in Training kicks off on Saturday morning too. Not to mention the packing, laundry and dishes that need to be done before then! (Plus a full day of work today!) So, I better go... when I get back I'll be an official triathlete! YAY!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Big Apple...
No, not a snack (although I could really go for one since I didn't get to have lunch today)... I am in NYC! Started the morning with a lovely 30 minute bike ride (7 miles almost on the nose), some work, and then headed to the airport.
While in the car I realized, I should have left earlier but since I can drive our minivan like Maria Andretti (that would be the female version of Mario) when there are no children in it and I'm pressed for time, I made a record 25 minute trip to the Orlando airport from our house (including finding a parking spot which was not easy today). And then I had problems getting the kiosk to find my reservation, but at that point I figured I was ok to make my flight and wasn't overly flustered. (And a big thank you again to the Big Guy and St. Joseph for looking out for me!) When it finally found my reservation it told me my flight was now delayed by 1 hour. So, I mosied through security, found a nice spot at my gate and practiced my seminar for tomorrow in my head and watched families ending their vacations at Disney world (they are easy to spot with all of their Disney paraphenalia and the forlorn little looks on the faces).
Our plane finally arrived (delayed due to de-icing issues, which is slightly humourous when you're leaving a place whose high for day was supposed to be 81), and we boarded. No one sat in the row with me... yay! So I spread out and fell asleep while continuing to practice my seminar. Woke up for the peanuts and water and went back to practicing. When we arrived, there was snow on the ground! It really is beautiful to see the city in fresh fallen snow that's not muddied up just yet. The sky is grey but it looks like a thick mist is setting on the city instead of being truly clouds. All in all it's rather pretty and not as cold as I thought it would feel either.
After a bit more practicing for tomorrow, I will be off to dinner with my friends from college (Model UN nerds like me) Diana and Lenny and Lenny's new wife! I'm really looking forward to it as it's been a while since I've seen them - the last time I made it to NYC with work, which I think was 3 1/2 to 4 years ago. Time flies...
While in the car I realized, I should have left earlier but since I can drive our minivan like Maria Andretti (that would be the female version of Mario) when there are no children in it and I'm pressed for time, I made a record 25 minute trip to the Orlando airport from our house (including finding a parking spot which was not easy today). And then I had problems getting the kiosk to find my reservation, but at that point I figured I was ok to make my flight and wasn't overly flustered. (And a big thank you again to the Big Guy and St. Joseph for looking out for me!) When it finally found my reservation it told me my flight was now delayed by 1 hour. So, I mosied through security, found a nice spot at my gate and practiced my seminar for tomorrow in my head and watched families ending their vacations at Disney world (they are easy to spot with all of their Disney paraphenalia and the forlorn little looks on the faces).
Our plane finally arrived (delayed due to de-icing issues, which is slightly humourous when you're leaving a place whose high for day was supposed to be 81), and we boarded. No one sat in the row with me... yay! So I spread out and fell asleep while continuing to practice my seminar. Woke up for the peanuts and water and went back to practicing. When we arrived, there was snow on the ground! It really is beautiful to see the city in fresh fallen snow that's not muddied up just yet. The sky is grey but it looks like a thick mist is setting on the city instead of being truly clouds. All in all it's rather pretty and not as cold as I thought it would feel either.
After a bit more practicing for tomorrow, I will be off to dinner with my friends from college (Model UN nerds like me) Diana and Lenny and Lenny's new wife! I'm really looking forward to it as it's been a while since I've seen them - the last time I made it to NYC with work, which I think was 3 1/2 to 4 years ago. Time flies...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Feeling a Little Lost at Sea
I wasn't quite sure how to put a description on what I'm feeling today, but I think lost is the closest I can come to it. And it's all because I'm cutting back on the workout load in preparation for the training and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be thinking or doing for the triathlon on Sunday. It's probably how it's supposed to go... especially since I have a need to be in control of things in my life (or at least believe that I am in control of them).
Yesterday I called the woman in charge of the triathlon at the Sarasota YMCA because I didn't see anything online about packet pick-up, etc. Turns out there is no packet pickup. She said other triathlons do this, but they don't for this one because it's supposed to be laid back. But how can I be laid back if I don't have a map to look at for the route I'm supposed to bike and then run? Not that I'll be the first person in the race, but I'm not fond of the idea of just "following the other guy" or walking an entire 12 mile bike course and then 2 mile run to figure it out beforehand. So that's the first thing that set me moving slightly adrift. Then there was re-reading part of Joe Friel's Your First Triathlon last night before bed... he said to get up 3 hours before my race to eat. First, that would be 4am. Second, I tend to eat after I workout. So, I emailed my Team in Training Coach, and she told me I could wake up 1 1/2 hours before the race and that I had to eat before training and racing and that I had to start for the rest of this week's workouts. Happy about the news but then I wonder about why Joe who is the guru of the sport is telling people to wake up so darn early. Slightly farther adrift I went.
Then the fact that today's workout was so stinking easy I felt like a sloth put me at the end of my tether. The workout (also from Mr. Joe Friel) was a 20 minute swim that consisted of a 100 swim concentrating on form, 4X 25 meters at zone 3 (which was fun) and then swimming 25 m at zone 1 for the rest of the 20 minutes.... which for me was about 15 minutes of the 20 minutes. I felt silly swimming so slowly. I don't even swim that slowly during my warm ups. It was nice to focus on form and to catch myself dropping my wrist/elbow every so often during the swim so I could correct it... I only do that every blue moon, but when I do, I always feel it right away. It was so easy it was almost like I was swimming in a dream state. At one point, the song from "Sleeping Beauty" popped in my head. "I know you, I danced with you once upon a dream.." Not exactly kick butt swim music. (It is one of the girls' favorite shows at the moment - I think they like to say how "the mean lady is being not nice to Prince Phillip and Sleeping Beauty" personally. They both repeat it over and over while watching. My favorite is when Angelfish or Ladybug say that the "mean lady need a time out" or "Prince Phillip give mean lady a time out" as they are wont to do.) I actually was a little bored and had to reign myself in to prevent myself from swimming faster or doing speed drills, etc. Maybe its so you end up revved up for the race... like the calm before the storm?
I kind of like that idea. Like right now I'm calm but the day of the race I'm going to take the swim, the bike and the run by storm. Hurricane Kate. I rather like that, provided that I'm a category 5 and not a category 1 (and I don't really harm anyone, of course). I will have to ponder that... and focus on one thing at a time since this week is a little wild in general. Tomorrow I leave for NYC to teach a CLE for work, Thursday I teach the CLE and then fly back home, Friday I work and pack for our trip to Sarasota, Saturday morning we go to the Team in Training kickoff and then drive to Sarasota and celebrate my Dad's birthday, and then Sunday is race day and then driving home at some point and trying to make a special soon to be 5 year old's birthday party. Yes, I will have to take one day at a time and pull that anchor back in!
Oh, and at least as of yesterday, Ladybug was back on board with potty training. She didn't have one accident all day and slept with underpants on last night (at her insistence) but didn't quite make it all the way through to this morning, but did use the potty this morning and wore underpants to school. Let's hope it sticks! Angelfish was back to wanting her pullups... some day, some day.
Well, for now...Ahoy mateys!
Yesterday I called the woman in charge of the triathlon at the Sarasota YMCA because I didn't see anything online about packet pick-up, etc. Turns out there is no packet pickup. She said other triathlons do this, but they don't for this one because it's supposed to be laid back. But how can I be laid back if I don't have a map to look at for the route I'm supposed to bike and then run? Not that I'll be the first person in the race, but I'm not fond of the idea of just "following the other guy" or walking an entire 12 mile bike course and then 2 mile run to figure it out beforehand. So that's the first thing that set me moving slightly adrift. Then there was re-reading part of Joe Friel's Your First Triathlon last night before bed... he said to get up 3 hours before my race to eat. First, that would be 4am. Second, I tend to eat after I workout. So, I emailed my Team in Training Coach, and she told me I could wake up 1 1/2 hours before the race and that I had to eat before training and racing and that I had to start for the rest of this week's workouts. Happy about the news but then I wonder about why Joe who is the guru of the sport is telling people to wake up so darn early. Slightly farther adrift I went.
Then the fact that today's workout was so stinking easy I felt like a sloth put me at the end of my tether. The workout (also from Mr. Joe Friel) was a 20 minute swim that consisted of a 100 swim concentrating on form, 4X 25 meters at zone 3 (which was fun) and then swimming 25 m at zone 1 for the rest of the 20 minutes.... which for me was about 15 minutes of the 20 minutes. I felt silly swimming so slowly. I don't even swim that slowly during my warm ups. It was nice to focus on form and to catch myself dropping my wrist/elbow every so often during the swim so I could correct it... I only do that every blue moon, but when I do, I always feel it right away. It was so easy it was almost like I was swimming in a dream state. At one point, the song from "Sleeping Beauty" popped in my head. "I know you, I danced with you once upon a dream.." Not exactly kick butt swim music. (It is one of the girls' favorite shows at the moment - I think they like to say how "the mean lady is being not nice to Prince Phillip and Sleeping Beauty" personally. They both repeat it over and over while watching. My favorite is when Angelfish or Ladybug say that the "mean lady need a time out" or "Prince Phillip give mean lady a time out" as they are wont to do.) I actually was a little bored and had to reign myself in to prevent myself from swimming faster or doing speed drills, etc. Maybe its so you end up revved up for the race... like the calm before the storm?
I kind of like that idea. Like right now I'm calm but the day of the race I'm going to take the swim, the bike and the run by storm. Hurricane Kate. I rather like that, provided that I'm a category 5 and not a category 1 (and I don't really harm anyone, of course). I will have to ponder that... and focus on one thing at a time since this week is a little wild in general. Tomorrow I leave for NYC to teach a CLE for work, Thursday I teach the CLE and then fly back home, Friday I work and pack for our trip to Sarasota, Saturday morning we go to the Team in Training kickoff and then drive to Sarasota and celebrate my Dad's birthday, and then Sunday is race day and then driving home at some point and trying to make a special soon to be 5 year old's birthday party. Yes, I will have to take one day at a time and pull that anchor back in!
Oh, and at least as of yesterday, Ladybug was back on board with potty training. She didn't have one accident all day and slept with underpants on last night (at her insistence) but didn't quite make it all the way through to this morning, but did use the potty this morning and wore underpants to school. Let's hope it sticks! Angelfish was back to wanting her pullups... some day, some day.
Well, for now...Ahoy mateys!
Monday, January 26, 2009
My love for a piece of metal...
Yes, it's definitely official. I've know that this was true, it has been said a few times in this blog, but perhaps not fully declared in its entirety.... I AM IN LOVE WITH MY BIKE. It is not the top of the line in the world of bikes... it's not even a road bike, just a lowly hybrid Trek 3100 (road and mountain bike), but then, I'm no super model or elite athlete either. So, perhaps it is just that we are perfect for one another. It has been weeks since I last rode my bike because the mornings were too cold or I had a swim bike combo that just made no sense to swim at the gym and come home and ride (especially since I start work at 8:30 am each morning). It was almost like meeting an old friend after a long sojourn... a little bit of anxious excitement, a wonder of what if we have nothing to talk about after all this time? But, just like meeting a true friend after awhile, it was like picking up right where we left off. I felt taller on the bike - probably because I wasn't in the position where my right in front of my face was all the gagetry of the stationary bike and because the bike actually fits me. I'm in between settings at the gym and have to go to the lower one for height. The first minute felt odd and then pure bliss took over. 7 miles of lovely riding and a desire to keep biking and only looking at my watch twice in 30 minutes just to gage whether I had time to keep going or did I need to take an alternate route... never once out of boredom. And at the end of the ride as I unclipped from the pedals, a sense that I could have ridden 3 times as long and been perfectly happy. Blissful love for a lovely piece of metal.
If only the potty training front could be as blissful... we'll start with Angelfish as Ladybug's story will take a bit longer. Angelfish is using the potty when she feels like it (which is much of how Angelfish addresses big milestones in development... I think I've mentioned before in my blog that she refused to crawl and hated being on her belly but then one day decided to walk and within a week she was walking without holding on to anything for rather long distances), which amazingly was Saturday when we went to Disney. She would tell me that she needed to pee, we'd go to the bathroom (even waiting in line once or twice) and her pullup would be dry and she'd pee in the potty! Then Sunday she refused to go to the potty, only wanted to wear pullups and announced after the fact that she'd gone. This morning though she went pee on the potty and wanted to wear underpants to school. One of these days she's just going to make her mind up and be fully potty trained. I just hope it's before college.
Ladybug. Yes, our dear Ladybug gets her own paragraph. Saturday she was like rock star for the large part of the day... she wore the same pair of underpants without accident if you told her to go, she'd go. If she had to go, she told you and went. And then. She was not listening and running like a mad thing in the crowd at Disney. We told her if she did it once more we were going home. She did, and we were leaving. Ladybug completely had a melt down from Cinderella's castle all the way back to the entrance to the park. (We apologize to all those who had to endure her crying on the Monorail ride back to the entrance.) Screaming "I don't want to go home!" and wailing... she may have actually gnashed her teeth once or twice too. We get out and Mr. Darcy takes Ladybug and I take Angelfish to the bathrooms. Angelfish does awesome and empties her entire bladder into the potty. Ladybug too empties her bladder, but not into the potty. She started to pee a little on Mr. Darcy. He got her to stop and took her to the potty where she refused to go and refused to listen. Mr. Darcy scolded her for not listening and she got even more upset and peed all over his pants, all over her pants and socks, and all over the bathroom floor. Being a good Dad, he merely cleaned her up, cleaned up the bathroom floor, and did his best to clean himself up. He put her in new clothes and then refused to talk about the experience for several hours other than to say "she peed on me and I don't want to talk about it." But this morning, she was a champ. Marched in, peed on the potty and excitedly put on her Snow White underpants. (Oh, we met Snow White at Disney Saturday... so they were even more exciting now that they know one another!)
After our adventures at Disney, Mr. Darcy and I went on a date while the girls played with the babysitter. We had a good quantity of beer. It was necessary. And then we tried to bowl... I say tried to because when we found out that we would have to wait 1 hour and pay $45 plus shoe rentals for 1 hour of bowling, we went to see if there was anything playing at the movies. There was, but not until around 10 pm and we were tired enough that we'd simply fall asleep if we waited that long. So, we ate ice cream and went home. Wild and exciting times! But, it was nice to have some peace and quiet for a few hours and be able to chat!
Oh, and Saturday morning, the workout went well... 500 swim, 11 mile bike, and 10 minute run/walk. At the end I felt I could definitely do more, so things are looking up for this weekend's sprint triathlon... my first! YAY! My new triathlon bag arrived Friday afternoon and it was heavenly to use at the gym. Not sure that it can hold all it boasts it can, but we'll find out on Sunday! The"big day" is on Sunday, this week's workouts will be lighter than normal, but I hope to be able to officially call myself a "triathlete" on my personal "Superbowl Sunday!"
If only the potty training front could be as blissful... we'll start with Angelfish as Ladybug's story will take a bit longer. Angelfish is using the potty when she feels like it (which is much of how Angelfish addresses big milestones in development... I think I've mentioned before in my blog that she refused to crawl and hated being on her belly but then one day decided to walk and within a week she was walking without holding on to anything for rather long distances), which amazingly was Saturday when we went to Disney. She would tell me that she needed to pee, we'd go to the bathroom (even waiting in line once or twice) and her pullup would be dry and she'd pee in the potty! Then Sunday she refused to go to the potty, only wanted to wear pullups and announced after the fact that she'd gone. This morning though she went pee on the potty and wanted to wear underpants to school. One of these days she's just going to make her mind up and be fully potty trained. I just hope it's before college.
Ladybug. Yes, our dear Ladybug gets her own paragraph. Saturday she was like rock star for the large part of the day... she wore the same pair of underpants without accident if you told her to go, she'd go. If she had to go, she told you and went. And then. She was not listening and running like a mad thing in the crowd at Disney. We told her if she did it once more we were going home. She did, and we were leaving. Ladybug completely had a melt down from Cinderella's castle all the way back to the entrance to the park. (We apologize to all those who had to endure her crying on the Monorail ride back to the entrance.) Screaming "I don't want to go home!" and wailing... she may have actually gnashed her teeth once or twice too. We get out and Mr. Darcy takes Ladybug and I take Angelfish to the bathrooms. Angelfish does awesome and empties her entire bladder into the potty. Ladybug too empties her bladder, but not into the potty. She started to pee a little on Mr. Darcy. He got her to stop and took her to the potty where she refused to go and refused to listen. Mr. Darcy scolded her for not listening and she got even more upset and peed all over his pants, all over her pants and socks, and all over the bathroom floor. Being a good Dad, he merely cleaned her up, cleaned up the bathroom floor, and did his best to clean himself up. He put her in new clothes and then refused to talk about the experience for several hours other than to say "she peed on me and I don't want to talk about it." But this morning, she was a champ. Marched in, peed on the potty and excitedly put on her Snow White underpants. (Oh, we met Snow White at Disney Saturday... so they were even more exciting now that they know one another!)
After our adventures at Disney, Mr. Darcy and I went on a date while the girls played with the babysitter. We had a good quantity of beer. It was necessary. And then we tried to bowl... I say tried to because when we found out that we would have to wait 1 hour and pay $45 plus shoe rentals for 1 hour of bowling, we went to see if there was anything playing at the movies. There was, but not until around 10 pm and we were tired enough that we'd simply fall asleep if we waited that long. So, we ate ice cream and went home. Wild and exciting times! But, it was nice to have some peace and quiet for a few hours and be able to chat!
Oh, and Saturday morning, the workout went well... 500 swim, 11 mile bike, and 10 minute run/walk. At the end I felt I could definitely do more, so things are looking up for this weekend's sprint triathlon... my first! YAY! My new triathlon bag arrived Friday afternoon and it was heavenly to use at the gym. Not sure that it can hold all it boasts it can, but we'll find out on Sunday! The"big day" is on Sunday, this week's workouts will be lighter than normal, but I hope to be able to officially call myself a "triathlete" on my personal "Superbowl Sunday!"
Friday, January 23, 2009
Feeling Peppy
So yesterday I got up the nerve to ask my dentist for a donation for Team in Training/The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and was told to email him the request etc. I haven't heard anything back yet, but I am emboldened. If he says no, he says no. There are worse things than being told no. With this new boldness, I am going to ask the place I get my hair done for a donation today as well. I plan to bring in a letter with me when I go. In fact, I may get down right embarrassing for Mr. Darcy because I'm going to print a bunch of letters so that every store we shop in for the next month or so I can ask for a donation. In case there are readers out there that I haven't hit up for a donation for THe Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, here's the deal. One of my best friends died in December of sarcoma and now I am doing an international length triathlon in her memory to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for cancer research. If you'd like to donate, you may donate securely online at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/miatri09/kmartinmou You will receive an email confirmation of your donation (which is tax deductible), and I will be notified of your donation as well (thereby triggering me to write you a handwritten thank you note as I do not believe in email thank you notes).
Now back to the usual... potty training first this morning. It has been a frustrating week with the potty training. Ladybug did awesome this weekend. Saturday, no accidents. Sunday, one accident. Then a refusal all week to wear underpants or go to the bathroom in the potty at home... until this morning. She insisted on wearing blue underpants, in exchange she agreed to go pee pee in the potty... and pee she did! YAY! Let's hope that she continues to pee in the potty today. Angelfish also went pee in the potty this morning, but then refused to wear underpants. She asked me last night if I wear pullups too, and I told her no, Mommy wears underpants. Then Angelfish asked Daddy, and he said "no, I wear big boy underpants." To which she responded in a falsely low voice, "You BIG daddy!" It cracked us up. I am praying for potty training completion by the time they are 3, but I know that they will do it on their own time frame not mine (but I like mine better...)
This morning was a nice morning... the girls both woke up in good moods, which was delightful after Ladybug was a super terror yesterday morning telling both Daddy and Mommy she didn't want them and to go away while SCREAMING at the top of her lungs that she wanted to wear a dress and she didn't care if it was cold. This morning, she woke up and pretended to cook, salt and pepper her Little People Farmer. She cracked us up saying "I going to cut this little man and put salt and pepper on him." I got her to go potty by telling her that he'd be tastier if she let him marinate. : ) Then it was off to the gym (another place that I need to hit up for a donation), and a 20 minute bike followed by a 25 minute swim. 20 minute bike was just under 5 miles but I had to put the resistance level at 6 to get into zone 3 heart rate, so I probably could have gone a little bit farther. And the pool was good, I primarily worked on form while zone 3 swimming and swam 1000m, so more than 1/2 mile, but less than 3/4 of a mile. I really enjoyed the swim... it was invigorating and peaceful. I think it's something about how I breathe when I swim and the tempo of it all, not to mention the nice lapping of the water as I go... today it was a bit entrancing so that getting to the wall seemed like an interference. Whatever it was, I almost felt like the stress of the past few weeks melted away a bit... let's hope it stays that way!
Tomorrow is a tri-brick. 100 m warm up and 400 m swim, followed by a 50 minute bike, and a 10 minute run (well, walk run... I'm still babying these never ending shin splints). While these workouts like this are hard, I must say that I love them. There's something about finishing them that makes me happy... tired, but happy. And the plan is that after I get back from working out, we're going to head to Disney for the day (provided the girls keep being good listeners today and this evening), and then Mr. Darcy and I are going on a date after dinner with the girls. We're wild and crazy and plan to go bowling. Look out, Orlando! HA!
Now back to the usual... potty training first this morning. It has been a frustrating week with the potty training. Ladybug did awesome this weekend. Saturday, no accidents. Sunday, one accident. Then a refusal all week to wear underpants or go to the bathroom in the potty at home... until this morning. She insisted on wearing blue underpants, in exchange she agreed to go pee pee in the potty... and pee she did! YAY! Let's hope that she continues to pee in the potty today. Angelfish also went pee in the potty this morning, but then refused to wear underpants. She asked me last night if I wear pullups too, and I told her no, Mommy wears underpants. Then Angelfish asked Daddy, and he said "no, I wear big boy underpants." To which she responded in a falsely low voice, "You BIG daddy!" It cracked us up. I am praying for potty training completion by the time they are 3, but I know that they will do it on their own time frame not mine (but I like mine better...)
This morning was a nice morning... the girls both woke up in good moods, which was delightful after Ladybug was a super terror yesterday morning telling both Daddy and Mommy she didn't want them and to go away while SCREAMING at the top of her lungs that she wanted to wear a dress and she didn't care if it was cold. This morning, she woke up and pretended to cook, salt and pepper her Little People Farmer. She cracked us up saying "I going to cut this little man and put salt and pepper on him." I got her to go potty by telling her that he'd be tastier if she let him marinate. : ) Then it was off to the gym (another place that I need to hit up for a donation), and a 20 minute bike followed by a 25 minute swim. 20 minute bike was just under 5 miles but I had to put the resistance level at 6 to get into zone 3 heart rate, so I probably could have gone a little bit farther. And the pool was good, I primarily worked on form while zone 3 swimming and swam 1000m, so more than 1/2 mile, but less than 3/4 of a mile. I really enjoyed the swim... it was invigorating and peaceful. I think it's something about how I breathe when I swim and the tempo of it all, not to mention the nice lapping of the water as I go... today it was a bit entrancing so that getting to the wall seemed like an interference. Whatever it was, I almost felt like the stress of the past few weeks melted away a bit... let's hope it stays that way!
Tomorrow is a tri-brick. 100 m warm up and 400 m swim, followed by a 50 minute bike, and a 10 minute run (well, walk run... I'm still babying these never ending shin splints). While these workouts like this are hard, I must say that I love them. There's something about finishing them that makes me happy... tired, but happy. And the plan is that after I get back from working out, we're going to head to Disney for the day (provided the girls keep being good listeners today and this evening), and then Mr. Darcy and I are going on a date after dinner with the girls. We're wild and crazy and plan to go bowling. Look out, Orlando! HA!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Phone Calls to the New President and More Training
So the night of inauguration day, Mr. Darcy kept trying to show the girls "our new President, Barack Obama" every time his picture showed up on the news. And after the news was over, we went to play "in the kitchen" (which was really the girls' toy kitchen). And as we were playing, Ladybug picked up the toy phone and this was what she said...
"hello? Oh, Hi Barack Obama!"
"What? Yes. I'm making pot pie and I have 3 eggs."
"Yes, you can have some my pot pie, Barack Obama!"
"Well, I don't know. I just have this, Barack Obama!"
(Long Pause)
"Ok. That's ok with me. You go to sleep now, Barack Obama, ok?"
2 1/2 and Ladybug's already making pot pie and talking to the President of the United States! I'm somewhat surprised she didn't ask about Mickey Mouse!
As for training, yesterday I swam a glorious mile. It was awesome. I wasn't having a real "tear it up day" but I was cutting through the water really nicely and my form was good. I broke it up so it wasn't straight, but then I only rest about 1 minute between each set anyway. I did a 100 warm up, 300 drill, 400 swim, 400 swim, 300 drill and 100 cool down. I love the pool. Swimming is so tranquil... even when trying to swim fast!
Today, it was around 24 degrees when I got up, so I opted to go to the gym for my workout. I did 25 minutes on the stationary bike (please warm up so I can ride my bike! I miss my bike!) and did 8 miles, and then went to the treadmill and did 20 minutes... only 1.3 miles in that time, but I am still trying to be nice to my legs so I'll be able to run the 2 miles in the triathlon next sunday... yes, my sprint triathlon (not the Team in Training one) is next Sunday. Woo Hoo! I'm excited and nervous all at once. I think my left leg is almost over the shin splints but now my right leg is being a little funny but it's not shin splints... it's more near my achilles tendon, but not the tendon, just the muscle around it down toward my foot. I'm hoping to find time to go to the chiropractor and see if that helps it all out.
Anywho. Old lady aches and pains aside, it was a good workout and I'm looking forward to hitting the pool and the bike again tomorrow morning! Pot Pie for everyone - especially Barack Obama!
"hello? Oh, Hi Barack Obama!"
"What? Yes. I'm making pot pie and I have 3 eggs."
"Yes, you can have some my pot pie, Barack Obama!"
"Well, I don't know. I just have this, Barack Obama!"
(Long Pause)
"Ok. That's ok with me. You go to sleep now, Barack Obama, ok?"
2 1/2 and Ladybug's already making pot pie and talking to the President of the United States! I'm somewhat surprised she didn't ask about Mickey Mouse!
As for training, yesterday I swam a glorious mile. It was awesome. I wasn't having a real "tear it up day" but I was cutting through the water really nicely and my form was good. I broke it up so it wasn't straight, but then I only rest about 1 minute between each set anyway. I did a 100 warm up, 300 drill, 400 swim, 400 swim, 300 drill and 100 cool down. I love the pool. Swimming is so tranquil... even when trying to swim fast!
Today, it was around 24 degrees when I got up, so I opted to go to the gym for my workout. I did 25 minutes on the stationary bike (please warm up so I can ride my bike! I miss my bike!) and did 8 miles, and then went to the treadmill and did 20 minutes... only 1.3 miles in that time, but I am still trying to be nice to my legs so I'll be able to run the 2 miles in the triathlon next sunday... yes, my sprint triathlon (not the Team in Training one) is next Sunday. Woo Hoo! I'm excited and nervous all at once. I think my left leg is almost over the shin splints but now my right leg is being a little funny but it's not shin splints... it's more near my achilles tendon, but not the tendon, just the muscle around it down toward my foot. I'm hoping to find time to go to the chiropractor and see if that helps it all out.
Anywho. Old lady aches and pains aside, it was a good workout and I'm looking forward to hitting the pool and the bike again tomorrow morning! Pot Pie for everyone - especially Barack Obama!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Weekend Adventures
I know this post is a bit out of order, but I realized I didn't say anything about the weekend in my last post after promising to tell of anything funny from the weekend in the previous post. So, here goes.
Saturday was a bit of a blur, really. I went to the gym and did my timed 400 m swim, 50 minute bike (11.5 miles go me!), and 20 minute run/walk, and then lots of stretching. Then I hit Target because, we needed a few items and one of those items was the birthday present for Holland's birthday party. Then lunch, an attempt at getting our children to nap that was wholly unsuccessful but that did result in them at least laying in their beds for a little bit - even if they were talking to one another most of the time and we found them hanging out in their room chatting it up when it was time to "get up." Then a wild dash at getting them dressed with Mr. Darcy and I switching roles... he was super stressed about our being late, and I thought we'd get there just fine what was a few minutes late?
The party was fun, but pretty funny too. It was a mini bowling party. There were small balls that were hard like bowling balls and then bowling pins and bumpers so the balls couldn't go in the gutters. The kids who were there were between the ages of 3 and 5. No one could bowl, and you would hear a horrible denting sort of sound everytime another child chucked the ball as hard as he or she could at the floor. Over and over and over. The older kids could knock down a pin or two somewhat consistently, the younger ones only when they got lucky. And yet, they LOVED it! They tried over and over and over to bowl. Angelfish only wanted to bowl with the turquoise ball, but would break her self imposed color selection for the pink when she really couldn't take it anymore. Ladybug on the other hand just wanted to grab the next ball that arrived and go again - even if the pins hadn't had time to reset yet. So, it was a bit of an adventure keeping control of the situation and also imposing the "you must let other children have a turn too"... but the entire thing was a hoot and we had a ton of fun with the girls and in talking to Holland's Mom and to Channing's Dad too.
Angelfish and Channing shared nuggets and fries very nicely, and now I think Angelfish has Channing's cold too. It's hard to figure out how to stop a child from sharing something when you don't want them to get sick but yet you can't quite explain to them why this is the one time they shouldn't share something with someone. Hopefully the cold will be short lived.
Mom and Dad also liked the party location... it had real bowling lanes and a pub at the back. We may just have to have one of our date nights there some time. : )
Sunday... hmm. Oh yes. I guess I had blocked it out of my mind for a minute there. We went to a church that we liked, but have reservations about merely because well, there are no other children in the congregation except for one or two that are not close in age to our girls. So, we'll try another next weekend. After church we went to Dillards so Mr. Darcy could exchange some shirts and ties he got at Christmas... the girls had been angels in church, but were hellions in the store. Time outs were given and even a spanking had to be resorted to at one point. But what can you expect from 2 1/2 year olds stuck in the men's department at a store for 3 (yes, 3 hours) while their Dad tried to figure out whether he wanted pants, a blazer, shirts, ties, or what. After finally settling on 3 pairs of dress pants, a dress shirt, 2 ties, and a thing of tie cleaner, we left the mall. I could almost hear Mendelsson's "Hallelujah Chorus" in my head as we left (or was that the sales people singing... I really can't be sure.). Then we got some ice cream because well, I needed some sort of treat after enduring all that. Once we got home, we watch some extreme sports on tv that looked like fun to try and then did some grocery shopping followed by breakfast for dinner. I also went for a drink with my friend Jen and had a wonderful time chatting.
MLK day, I drove over to Sarasota and spent it with my Dad. We hadn't had a father daughter day since I got married, so it was a nice change of pace. Mr. Darcy had to work so the girls went to school and I drove on over. It's not a bad drive and the day was beautiful. We had a nice day - we chatted with my mom on her lunch break from work, went to see my Grammy, had lunch, went to some bookstores, and chatted while sitting in the sun in the front yard of my parents house. Then I drove home and spent the evening with Mr. Darcy and the munchkins. Unfortunately, Ladybug had decided she was mad at me for some reason and told me, "I don't care about you." Yes, direct quote. It made me cry. But Angelfish at least came over and told me she loved me! Ladybug wanted nothing to do with me last night, but this morning she wanted to go to the gym and work out with me. : ) She gave me lots of kisses too. So, I guess she got over whatever it was...
And that is our weekend in a nutshell. Cliff notes style... but no quiz later!
Saturday was a bit of a blur, really. I went to the gym and did my timed 400 m swim, 50 minute bike (11.5 miles go me!), and 20 minute run/walk, and then lots of stretching. Then I hit Target because, we needed a few items and one of those items was the birthday present for Holland's birthday party. Then lunch, an attempt at getting our children to nap that was wholly unsuccessful but that did result in them at least laying in their beds for a little bit - even if they were talking to one another most of the time and we found them hanging out in their room chatting it up when it was time to "get up." Then a wild dash at getting them dressed with Mr. Darcy and I switching roles... he was super stressed about our being late, and I thought we'd get there just fine what was a few minutes late?
The party was fun, but pretty funny too. It was a mini bowling party. There were small balls that were hard like bowling balls and then bowling pins and bumpers so the balls couldn't go in the gutters. The kids who were there were between the ages of 3 and 5. No one could bowl, and you would hear a horrible denting sort of sound everytime another child chucked the ball as hard as he or she could at the floor. Over and over and over. The older kids could knock down a pin or two somewhat consistently, the younger ones only when they got lucky. And yet, they LOVED it! They tried over and over and over to bowl. Angelfish only wanted to bowl with the turquoise ball, but would break her self imposed color selection for the pink when she really couldn't take it anymore. Ladybug on the other hand just wanted to grab the next ball that arrived and go again - even if the pins hadn't had time to reset yet. So, it was a bit of an adventure keeping control of the situation and also imposing the "you must let other children have a turn too"... but the entire thing was a hoot and we had a ton of fun with the girls and in talking to Holland's Mom and to Channing's Dad too.
Angelfish and Channing shared nuggets and fries very nicely, and now I think Angelfish has Channing's cold too. It's hard to figure out how to stop a child from sharing something when you don't want them to get sick but yet you can't quite explain to them why this is the one time they shouldn't share something with someone. Hopefully the cold will be short lived.
Mom and Dad also liked the party location... it had real bowling lanes and a pub at the back. We may just have to have one of our date nights there some time. : )
Sunday... hmm. Oh yes. I guess I had blocked it out of my mind for a minute there. We went to a church that we liked, but have reservations about merely because well, there are no other children in the congregation except for one or two that are not close in age to our girls. So, we'll try another next weekend. After church we went to Dillards so Mr. Darcy could exchange some shirts and ties he got at Christmas... the girls had been angels in church, but were hellions in the store. Time outs were given and even a spanking had to be resorted to at one point. But what can you expect from 2 1/2 year olds stuck in the men's department at a store for 3 (yes, 3 hours) while their Dad tried to figure out whether he wanted pants, a blazer, shirts, ties, or what. After finally settling on 3 pairs of dress pants, a dress shirt, 2 ties, and a thing of tie cleaner, we left the mall. I could almost hear Mendelsson's "Hallelujah Chorus" in my head as we left (or was that the sales people singing... I really can't be sure.). Then we got some ice cream because well, I needed some sort of treat after enduring all that. Once we got home, we watch some extreme sports on tv that looked like fun to try and then did some grocery shopping followed by breakfast for dinner. I also went for a drink with my friend Jen and had a wonderful time chatting.
MLK day, I drove over to Sarasota and spent it with my Dad. We hadn't had a father daughter day since I got married, so it was a nice change of pace. Mr. Darcy had to work so the girls went to school and I drove on over. It's not a bad drive and the day was beautiful. We had a nice day - we chatted with my mom on her lunch break from work, went to see my Grammy, had lunch, went to some bookstores, and chatted while sitting in the sun in the front yard of my parents house. Then I drove home and spent the evening with Mr. Darcy and the munchkins. Unfortunately, Ladybug had decided she was mad at me for some reason and told me, "I don't care about you." Yes, direct quote. It made me cry. But Angelfish at least came over and told me she loved me! Ladybug wanted nothing to do with me last night, but this morning she wanted to go to the gym and work out with me. : ) She gave me lots of kisses too. So, I guess she got over whatever it was...
And that is our weekend in a nutshell. Cliff notes style... but no quiz later!
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