Bar Method Fail

It's only 2PM, and honestly ... today as a whole can be marked with a big FAIL. I should give up, call it a night, and hope tomorrow is better ;) But instead, I'm eating chocolate and catching up on True Blood and My Boys. Hopefully I'll find a way to turn it around. Till then, I figured I'd do some griping.

First thing in the morning, Brooke's new "big girl" dresser gets delivered. It is damaged and I have to send it back.

Since it was still early I thought I should make the best of the day and head to a new park with Brooke. Its pretty far from home, almost 1.5 miles, but has a water playground and I thought she would really enjoy it. I also thought that since I have not been very active that the walk would be good, and did not plan to rush along the way. I found the walk exhausting and could barely make it. While at the park, Brooke didnt want to play in the water at all. She played around a little bit, but mostly sat on my lap and ate a snack. So I walked all the way there for my toddler to have a snack :)

While there I got really overheated. Its only 82 here, but my body just cant hack it. Right around the same time, Brooke decided to haul away from me into the middle of the park. There are kids swinging and on the see-saw, and she has no clue about the dangers of walking right by those things. So I had to run towards her to grab her and try to get her back towards the stroller so I could get a drink. Once I got her I had to fight to get her back to our stuff and by then I was dizzy and could barely stand. I tried to drink water while trying to wrestle her back into the stroller ... and that whole thing was a huge fiasco.

I got her out to lunch at a close restaurant, a walk I could barely make. Luckily lunch went ok and we both got our energy back.

Then, I could barely make the walk back home. It was too much for me again. The whole time I was shuffling around Brooke was hollering about how she wanted to get out and "walk". I knew I couldnt manage pushing the stroller while also trying to get her to move along at some sort of decent pace ... so I had to continue telling her every minute that she would "get out soon".

I finally got her pretty close to home and decide to let her walk, despite the fact that I had to use the restroom. She had pulled her shoes off along the way and I tucked them into the basket under the stroller ... or so I had thought. When I went to pull them out I realized we lost one along the way. Luckily I had a spare pair with me. I'm not sure how I would have explained to her (after promising for 20 minutes) that she had to stay in the stroller! I got her shoes on and let her walk the block or so home. I finally got Brooke into the backyard and couldnt get her into the house. I couldn't hold it another second and had to leave her in the backyard while I ran into the house. I had to leave the back door open so I could hear her, and so she wouldnt get scared ... and watched as one fly after another entered my home.

I recently thought I found a new option exercise option, a prenatal Bar Method class. I was really excited because it sounded interesting and was early in the morning and could fit into my schedule. As soon as I sat down to rest after my hectic morning I decided to be productive and call about the class. Unfortunately, when I called to try to get into the class I found out that you need to have several classes of the Bar Method under your belt before you take the prenatal version. The woman tried to talk to me about the "new mommies" class. That isnt going to help me a whole lot right now, and I cant even begin to imagine how I'm going to schedule POSTnatal exercises classes with two kids and a dissertation staring me right in the face.

Then, I get on my computer and see that an upcoming meeting I have scheduled for school has been rescheduled to a time and date when I dont have a sitter ... and do not think getting one is possible.

So here I sit. I have eaten about 20 Hershey's Kisses and am 1/2 way through the most recent True Blood. I feel a little better, but not a whole lot :(

I Need To Get To NYC ... By Friday!

Ok, its official, NKOTB has got something going on!

THE TIME:   7AM EST / Friday April 4th, 2008
THE PLACE: The Today Show Courtyard
                   Rockefeller Plaza, 48TH/49TH Street
                   New York City

So the New Kids On The Block are reuniting, and it appears that this year marks the 20th anniversary for "Hangin' Tough". Am I really that old? It's been 20 Years since one of my favorite albums was released???

Now the thing thats weird is how sketchy the info is out there. None of the members have actually confirmed anything. They have relaunched their website, but there is nothing on it but a countdown that is ticking off to the Today show appearance on Friday. What's going on? Are they back? Are they going to do a one-time performance just to mark the anniversary? Will they even sing?

The Boston Globe reports that a tour is in the works ... I can guarantee you that if they hit anywhere in the midwest I will be there.

Need a refresher?

Run Cut Short By Constant Interruption

Today has been a bit frazzled. I got nothing done at all. I was going to run during the kids naps, but really wanted to have a few minutes to myself without having to rush and panic. When I run during the naps it can come pretty close, between running, showering, and stuffing my face ... and I end up not getting any time to sit and just enjoy the silence. I had my sitter here today to help out while I got some appointments taken care of, and when I got home she did a craft project with my oldest while I gave the baby a bath. That simple bath turned into a bathroom scrub down when the little guy decided to poop in the tub.

After the tub was cleaned, and the craft project was complete, I decided to leave both kids with the sitter and go for a quick run. I figured I could then enjoy the entire naptime to catch up on some phone calls and other tasks on the eternal to-do list. I got about 1 minute into my run when I hear "Hi Mommy!". An there is Brooke, staring at me while I run. She asked me how long I'd be. I told her it wouldnt be long. She pronounced I would be "nine minutes" and then left.

I figured she'd get into a game or project with the sitter and all would be good. Wrong.

"Mommy, you almost done?" I told her it would be a little while. "Eight minutes?" she asked. Seeing as she cant tell time, I agreed. That should do it I thought.

Minutes later she was back again. Asking me random questions. I tried to blow her off and tell her she should go play. She finally got bored and left.

Back again. Now she wants to know where she got the necklace she was wearing. At this point I'd been running for a while, and I was trying to run fairly fast. I was sweating, out of breath, and tired. I couldnt hear her well over the sound of the treadmill, and I couldnt answer her well while panting. I looked at the treadmill and noticed I'd run about 2.3 miles. I told her I'd be done in just a minute, got to 2.5 and quit.

Its great that kids learn new things every day. And, at three, she really is becoming so grown up. Unfortunately, one of the things she has recently learned is to unlock the baby gate. She seems to be pretty stoked about the fact that she can go in and out of it, and simply comes back and forth to talk to me just because she can. She did the same thing last time I tried to run with the sitter here. I'm hoping the novelty of her newfound freedom wears off, but until then I think I'm gonna have to stick to naptime running.

Distance - 2.5 miles
Time - 25:05
Pace - 10:01

All My Dreams Could Come True

Celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton is suggesting that there is talk of an NSYNC reunion. I have been talking about the New Kids On The Block, who have gotten back together and then so rudely planned their Chicago concert for 4 days before my due date :(

Well, the only thing better than a NKOTB reunion is an NSYNC reunion!

Now, if we could only get Justin & Britney back together...

New Motivation

My sister came over Tuesday night to show off how skinny she is and try to make me feel bad. Well, she actually came over to help with the kids ... but she was looking skinny and I started feeling pretty, um, not skinny. I tried to fatten her up with a massive sized burrito, but I dont think it was enough to get her to pack on the 15 lbs or so I need her to gain in order to make myself feel better. I moped around for a bit, then I decided I better do something about it.

The kids are temporarily doing a nap overlap. Why? Because I had to bump the baby back up to three naps because he didnt seem to be in the best mood when he was only taking two ;) He wont be on three for long, but for now the two of them overlap almost every day. Instead of napping, watching tv or blogging (which is why I havent been on here in a bit) I hopped on the treadmill both Wednesday and Thursday while the kids were snoozing. The overlap was short and I had to jump off early on Thurday, but 2.5 miles is better than zero miles, right?

Wednesday

Thursday

Next Race
Orignally I was hoping to do a 10K in July, but it looks like that weekend just wont work. Luckily, there is a race thats just a few days earlier.

The really good thing about this race?
"Every participant receives a complimentary 'Bastille Day' cupcake from Swirlz Cupcakes!"
Sign me up!

NKOTB Tour Info

When I first heard about the New Kids On The Block reunion, I immediately went to the website. At that time, it was pretty basic. The only thing on there was an option to sign up your email to receive future information ... and of course, I did that. Today I got an email about their upcoming tour. This is VERY special info, not even on the website. They let the "nkotb.com members" know first. And I am going to share this special insider knowledge with you! Those *'s in the pre-sale indicate that they are available only to American Express card holders

May 16th - Today Show
Even though their last appearance on the Today Show was a bit anti-climatic, they will be appearing again on May 16th ... and this time promise a performance. If you dont want to go see them in concert, you gotta make sure you catch the upcoming Today Show appearance ;)

Fooled Again!

I definitely am an April Fool (or maybe just "fool"...without the "April" part). I got suckered into the NKOTB hype on Friday and they didnt even perform! The Today show acted like they had some sort of awesome thing going on, and then they announced the New Kids on the Block reunion ... which had already leaked all over the place and everybody already knew. So they asked them about 5 dumb questions, announced a live performance on 5/19 (or something) and that was that. Those scammers!

If you also want some disappointment, check out the video.

Physically Cleared For Exercise

Ryan is 6 weeks (and some days) old, and my doctor has given me the all clear to return to exercise. The problem is, though my body may have physically healed ... I am not there mentally. Having two kids is challenging. I am having a hard time coping with the change and have had little ability to set a routine or schedule yet for our daily lives. Each day is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of day, and its getting a bit old. But, I think many parents live each day as it comes, and thats actually not the real issue here. What is?

SLEEP

There are some stark contrasts between Brooke and Ryan. Brooke was a bit of a shock to the system. She was colicky, meaning she cried all the time for no reason at all. It was overwhelming. I spent all my hours trying to comfort a baby that (visibly) had nothing wrong. I couldnt go out in public because she was always screaming bloody murder, and found myself trapped in my home (with said screaming baby) for three months. It was stressful and I cried almost as much as she did. But, I slept. As she was my first child, I had little other responsibility than to cater to her needs. I soothed her when she was awake, but when she finally calmed down and drifted to sleep ... so did I. I spent much of the day taking cat naps. The other huge factor? She was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. Every night she would go a good 6 hour stretch, wake up to eat, and then sleep for another 2 hours or so.

Now this little guy is as laid back as can be. He just hangs out and like to cuddle. He cries when he is hungry, has a dirty diaper, or when he is tired. His cries have logic and reason and I can figure out what he is trying to tell me. He is happy just sitting there looking at stuff - a current favorite is the Christmas tree. Daddy holds him and he just stares at the lights :) I have not only been able to leave the house, but we have gone out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (It was months until we were able to go out for a meal with Brooke) So their temperaments are clearly different, but something major sets them apart. Ryan keeps me up all night, every night. The most sleep I have gotten in the past 7 weeks is 5 hours, and those were not consecutive. An average night gets me 3 hours of sleep - in two 1.5 hour increments. And I cant make up for all of those lost hours because with two kids, I cant just nap when he naps. He is up usually around 5AM and dozes again around 7AM ... when his big sister is waking up. This is good because it allows me time to focus on her, get her fed and ready for the day. But, it doesnt allow me to focus on me.

I'm exhausted and I see no end in sight. I know eventually he will sleep longer, I mean, how many adults take an 1 - 1.5 hours to fall asleep and then wake up 1.5 hours later to eat? Not many :) He will get through this phase, I will survive, we will all live happily ever after.

But for now I am living in a bit of a fog trying to figure out how to navigate life. I contacted my personal trainer about setting up a schedule, have looked into a few post-natal exercise classes and am pondering a New Years Day (which I ran after I had Brooke and it was a huge fiasco) 5K. But can I exercise on 3 hours of sleep? I'm actually doing a whole lot these days on just three hours of sleep (I'm actually amazed at myself) but how safe is it really? On the other hand, do I just keep waiting and waiting and waiting for things to change as I sit on my butt?

I guess that will be the main element of my New Year's Resolution - what type of action plan will I have for 2011 :) I have a few days to stall and think about it ...

Student For Life Interrupted

I could write a 20 page post on this, but I'll try to keep it brief. It might be obvious that I havent been talking a whole lot (um, at all in fact) about school lately. There is a great reason for this. Here is the short version.

After blowing me off for about 1/2 a year, my dissertation advisor up and retired, "effective immediately", due to health concerns. Instead of helping me find someone new he suggested I do it myself, then disappeared. Nobody offered up the next two years of their life to work with me. The university basically tried to kick me out (but instead just nicely suggested that I quit now and find a good teaching job since finishing the program is really hard work). With two kids and a busy life, I originally agreed.

Then my peers began to tell me what an idiot I was for not putting up a fight. Explaining that my department had to support me and that I needed to seek action. So, I filed a complaint. A lot of stuff went down. Now someone in my department has been forced to be my chair, and several others have been forced to be my dissertation committee.

Thats the short, nice version.

Anyway. I'm back in school, working with some people who dont really want to work with me. Some of them (one in particular) I believe are trying to sabotage me. On top of that, I've got two nutty kids and I'm trying to fit running in somewhere. (Im not going to even start to get into the other stuff going on in my life right now, this stuff is just the tip of the iceberg!)

I havent been posting a lot because if I have a few extra minutes I'm trying to sneak in school work. Today the little guy woke up early from nap and screwed up my school work time, so I figured I'd post while he shoves his face with Goldfish crackers. I have been running. I also have been meeting with my trainer. I'm hoping life gets settled in a bit and I can add laundry and cooking to the "have" list. For now its dinner from a box and "find your clean socks somewhere in the laundry room". Its working ... but not well ;)

Body And Mind Of An Old Woman

This week has been exhausting (um, and its only Wed afternoon). I feel like I have my days scheduled down to the very minute, and to top it off Brooke has has some sleep issues (which means I have some sleep issues). I've done two out of three days of my first week in "Biceps, Babies & Buggies" and I'm in a world of pain. My legs hurt all the way down to my ankles! I just need one day to sit and relax, but with a 7-month old baby I dont see that anytime soon. In fact, rumor is I wont get that for 18-22 years :)

This morning when I woke up I couldnt even go down the stairs. Everything was tired and aching. Is this what old age is like? (If so, I'm not interested) I decided to combat it head on, and Brooke and I headed out for a nice early walk. By 8:15 AM we had gone to Starbucks, Walgreens, Dominicks and a local kids store that was having an early morning sale. Brooke got some bananas and avocados, a new book and a new outfit. I got a latte and some pics of Brooke (from Walgreens) out of the deal. In addition we got to share a nice morning together and I was able to loosen up some of these aching muscles.

In addition to my old lady body, my mind is not quite as sharp as it once was. I'm slower to react, have problems focusing, and easily get overwhelmed by silly stuff. I also get all of my errands done by 8AM and am in bed by 9PM. I'm just wild and crazy like that.

------------------------------------
Sweet Thing Confessions
Chocolate covered rasins
Toffee nut latte
Iced mocha
Chocolate chunk cookies

I Have Class

Besides my weekly runs (yes, if you dont stop by here often, I run like once a week ... if I am lucky) I have been doing little else. Its sad and frustrating, because I used to do so much. In fact, there was a time where I would spend two hours per day at the gym. Granted, I was unemployed and unmarried ... but still. Now I spend each evening wondering where the day went, and why the heck am I so wiped out. I enjoy running (though I complain about it) and simply just do not enjoy the stress of trying to find the time to do it.

Anyway, I digress. This isnt really about running, but still about exercise in general. Over the summer I tried out a new outdoor mommy & me exercise class after my previous one had ended (and my instructor moved to the burbs). At that time I was exercising a lot and I found the class to be too easy (it would be a different story had I gone to try it out today). The other moms there all had really little babies and looked like they had just started to exercise again. In addition, Brooke was getting to the point where she would not just sit there and hang out in her stroller (she is still at that point, many months later). I knew the girl teaching the course through a local moms group I am a member of, and we have talked here and there since. She has a new lineup of classes in the fall and they are more appropriate for Brooke (and thus, for me). I signed up today for a 6-week class that starts on Friday (yup, in like 2 days). The class is actually at a local coffee shop (do you believe in FATE? I do) that has an indoor playplace for kids, called Common Grounds. I have taken Brooke there quite a few times and she thinks its the best place on earth.

So now at least I have a once-a-week strengthening class. Now I just have to formulate my running plan. I am working on it, I swear. Expect to hear something soon ;)

I Pretty Much Ruined Halloween

Trick-Or-Treaters
Its our first Halloween in our new house and I was so excited about trick-or-treaters (something we haven't had before). I went out and bought candy about 6 weeks ago, worried that I wouldnt have time or would forget because Brooke was due 10/8. Since the candy was in the house for so long, I decided I should snack on it. And over the period of a couple of weeks my "snacking" devoured a whole bag of Butterfinger, and a couple of pieces from a few other bags. We had 5 bags in the beginning, were left with four (minus a few pieces from each bag) after the Butterfinger incident. So as the trick-or-treaters continued to pour in (and Jeff & I noticed we had multiple repeat offenders) I started getting worried, counting the candy as time went by. Eventually we were down to 8 pieces and I could see groups of kids down the street on their way. So Jeff ran out to Walgreens to get more candy. In the time he was gone I actually had to reject some kids ... and by the time he was back the trick-or-treating was pretty much done. We now have 2 extra bags of candy (which we worked on ourselves all weekend) and were probably only 10 pieces (far less than I actually ate) shy of having enough for all the trick-or-treaters. Oh well.

Brooke
I also forced Brooke to wear multiple costumes. The first one, a peanut, given to me by my friend Tami. She wore it ok for a minute, but then went into a severe fit. The pics here are from the first two stages (ok, and starting to get a bit leery). I'm not posting the meltdown picture because its a bit sad and I feel like a bad mother. One of Brookes grandmas gave her a "My First Halloween" onesie. She had that on for about 30 minutes and then had a huge diaper blowout that made the outfit no longer wearable. There are no photos (of the outfit pre or post blowout)

Another one of our friends gave me a cute duck costume that was a bit more baby friendly then the peanut. Its just a simple jumper and zips up the front, so I assumed it would make Brooke happier than the peanut. So I put the costume on (this was after the diaper blowout in the onesie) and she started freaking out. Jeff said "its the costume, take it off". I assured him he was wrong since the costume was not in any way restricting as she continued to scream her lungs out. Shortly after (this was about a 2 minute incident) I took the costume off, the crying stopped, and all was right with the world. No pics of that one either.

Wrigley
Wrigley is used to wearing costumes as she has worn one every year. She pretty much will do anything for food so I got her costume on quite easily. The problem was it was long in the back and touched her butt...and she thought something (or someone) kept touching her or poking her in the rear. This made for some crazy antics and she wasnt very pleased with this costume, but I did manage a few pics.

Changed My Mind Again ... Want to be a "Jolie-Pitt"

Recently I have admired the lives of kids whose parents pay rediculous amounts of child support, and determined that I want to be adopted by P. Diddy. Well, I have changed my mind. I want Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to adopt me.

Not because they are so good looking ... that would be gross, they are going to be my new parents! And not because of money. I have realized that money is not everything. Even with all of the money, all those child support kids are still in screwed up situations (with screwed up parents). I decided I want to be a Jolie-Pitt because according to this article, they get to eat whatever candy and snacks they want. The article claims that if Zahara (one of 4 current children, with more on the way) wants ice-cream for breakfast, thats what she gets. Now thats what I call living!

I Have Had Some Crummy Days

It all started over the weekend actually. I had to grade a bunch of exams for the Professor I work for this term. Not that big of a deal usually, but this was quite the ordeal. To begin with, I get a call around 2 on Friday that the exams have all been copied, that I'm to pick them up and grade questions 4 & 6. Well, I have a baby napping and cant come right away, and then when she wakes up it will be rush hour. I dont want to spend 2 hours in the car with her ... so I tell them to leave them in my mailbox. Thinking all is fine, I drive down to campus at 9 at night ... after dinner and Brooke is put to bed. I get there, look in my box, and no exams. Sweet.

After I blew my top, made some phone calls, angrily drove home, and had a restless night of sleep due to my irritation, the next afternoon I head back to campus. Turns out my counterpart left them in the Professors office since she couldnt fit them into my mailbox. Thats awesome since it was the weekend, and only the Professor has a key to her office. I head down Sat afternoon to pick them up from the Professor (who also had to drive to meet me). I spent about 5 hours on Sunday grading the exams, and went back down to campus on Monday(while my sitter was with Brooke) to drop them off.

Then it turns out that the scores were so low (REALLY LOW) for the exam and one of my questions, that I need to regrade them and just throw points at these dumb kids. Not that big of a deal, except I left the exams in the Professors office. Now its Tuesday night, and the exams need to be regraded by Wed. I drive back to campus on Wed (with Brooke again) to get the exams. Spend 3+ hours regrading the exams yesterday while also trying to entertain a 1-year-old who is walking all over the place. Since I cannot make it back to campus, I need to type up grade analysis sheets for 55 students, update test scores and submit it all via email. Its 4:30 PM by the time I'm done.

Last night I was so exhausted from the past few days I just sat in a chair and did nothing. Literally nothing. I know in general I am poor at managing my time. And Brooke can be a (delighful) handful. But I still dont understand how women can "do it all". How can I work, and be a mother, and a wife, and a friend? Let alone adding those things like reading, running, and watching my new favorite show Glee? Am I ever going to figure out the secret to success?

I know we dont get to see everything in her life - but Michelle Obama seems to be a great mom who spends lots of time with her kids and family. She is the wife of a President, definitely reads (she pretty much has to keep up to date with a lot of things, so maybe she doesnt get a whole lot of pleasure reading in) and if you have seen her arms ... you know she works out. Maybe she is a bit crazy though, doing 20 hour days with little sleep (I've read she works out at 4:30 AM ... no way am I doing that). Though I would like to have "it all", to me that also includes sleep.

Anyway, this woman needs to write a book for other women on how to be an awesome woman. Seriously. She is awesome. I'd buy the book if she promised to help me be more like her. I bet Michelle Obama doesnt have any crummy days (she hires people to experience those days for her and just sits around in her awesomeness).

Best Day Ever

Ok, today is the best day ever. I actually had quite a few good things happen today (found someone to work on an article with me, got my new kicks delivered) but none of those matter. Why? Because I went into Walgreens a few minutes ago to get some Halloween candy for my kids tomorrow but found something that just made my day. No, my week. Actually, I think it made my year.

Cadbury has come out with a Christmas Creme Egg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone isnt familiar with the creme egg, its a candy I have been consuming in massive quantities since childhood. But, since its an Easter-only candy ... I do all of my annual consumption in about a week or two time period. But all of that has changed. I now have two opportunities a year to gorge myself on these wonderful, perfect things.

Denise Austin Irks Me A Bit

Today I tried something new again, Denise Austin's "Boot Camp: Cardio Strength Intervals". The 20 Min program was what the title suggests, a combo of strength moves (using small hand weights) and cardio.

Best Quote: "Use your rear. Come on! Squeeze it!"

Pros:I'll admit, I broke a sweat ... but that might just be because I havent done much cardio in the past year or so :)

Cons: I've never done a Denise Austin workout before, but found her to be very irritating. She said a lot of annoying stuff and spoke in a strange whisper-voice like there was a baby sleeping in the room that she didnt want to wake.



Yesterday during the kids nap I ... took a nap. But, not by choice, I had to. The little guy refused to sleep all day and I had to lay down with him to sleep. He fell asleep and so did I, so I guess it was a win-win situation!

A Little Breathing Time, Sort Of

Visited with my dissertation adviser yesterday. We started off the meeting with me getting scolded but ended up the meeting on a better note. He told me I "talk a good game" (its true, I should have a Masters Degree in BS) and that he was "kind of excited now". While him being on board is a good thing, he followed up with a list of new tasks and things to do. He also suggested we meet next week, on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. So ... I checked my schedule and I have my sitter on Thursday or Friday. I email him to that effect and he responds "I have no time available next Thursday and Friday".

He has been fairly flexible seeing as I took a whole year off of school and have been slow to get back into the saddle, but I'm not getting a warm fuzzy feeling from him regarding the whole I-have-a-kid-and-a-tricky-schedule thing. There are other moms in the program - their kids are either in school already or in some sort of full time care. I'm not going to do that. But, I'm not too sure how long this guy is going to put up with me seeing as I may talk a good game but I have yet to produce any real results ;)

So I dont have a bit immediate deadline, though I do have plenty of work to do. I decided to take the rest of yesterday ... and all of today ... as a little school break. I ran errands yesterday and today and got a lot done. I even took a nap today. And, most importantly, I got a run in tonight :)

Running Log
Time:32:38   Distance:3.13mi   Pace:10:26

Splits:
1 10:15
2 10:24
3 10:14

This was a pretty good run for me (maybe it was because of the nice nap I had this afternoon). I got held up at a couple of lights and still had some good splits. I also noticed something interesting - other runners! I always run by myself at night, but not tonight. I saw about 10 other runners. Its in the mid 30's here and thats pretty much "Spring" in Chicago. I can tell the seasons are changing, not only in weather but also in training. I know spring training programs started and that's part of the reason people are out there. It wont be long till the city is filled with runners. Now that is something to look forward to!

Is Bribery Really That Bad????

As a parenting philosophy, we have worked hard to reward our children for their good behavior and accomplishments instead of bribing them to behave well or accomplish things. The words are sometimes confused with one another, but they are very different. Merriam-Webster defines them as:
bribe
1: money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
2: something that serves to induce or influence

reward
1: something that is given in return for good or evil done or received or that is offered or given for some service or attainment
2: a stimulus administered to an organism following a correct or desired response that increases the probability of occurrence of the response

Essentially, a bribe is something you give or promise to someone prior to an act in order to encourage the performance of that desired act. A reward is something that is given after such act is performed, without using it as a source of motivation. When is a "reward" a "bribe"? When someone is only doing something on order to obtain the reward, its actually bribed behavior.

So, why am I rambling about all this? Because I have turned to bribes in desperation. The tantrums are out of control and I have begun to bribe Brooke prior to when one is about to start (or at the beginning of one) in order to get her to stop. And, it has worked for the past two days :( I promise her a treat (yesterday a sucker, today some sugar free jello) if she goes down for her nap without a fight. Yesterday I got to rest while the kids slept, today I got in a run on the treadmill. Does that make me a bad mom? Perhaps. But, right now I'm hoping that its just enough to break her out of this new behavior and bring back my cooperative napper once again. If it works, then I don't feel that guilty about it.

(Not So) Happy Thanksgiving

I decided last minute to do the local Turkey Trot this morning. When I decided last night it said it would likely be raining, but I figured that might be fun. I dont know if "fun" was the right word. It wasnt the worst thing I have ever experienced, but the course was a mess and it wavered between cold and hot the whole time. There were a lot of portions of the course in which we were running through puddles and mud pits. And during a lot of the course people were running off course, or making their own course. So that was a bit chaotic ;) We followed suit at one point in which there was a paved trail a bit to the west of the gravel path we were supposed to run on. We followed about 1/2 of the people to the paved path ... and I think we shaved off a bit of distance by doing so. We ended up a bit short of the 8K distance and I think that is where it happened!

Here is how I ended up after the race. A bit muddy, and a bit wet :) My legs didnt look 1/2 as bad as most of the people I saw, but then again, I wasnt charging full steam through puddles and mud like some of those around me!

My legs were like some sort of battle wound, proving that I was ambitious enough to get out and run in the elements. But unfortunately those "battle wounds" were a bit leaky. As my pants dried the mud became dirt and started flaking all over, including my friends car and all over the floors in my house. Oops.

Back to the race...

The whole course was crowded and it never thinned out - not even once during 5 or so miles. The end was the exact same. You got to sort of run across the finish, but then were stopped by a wall of people. And you couldnt get out of the finish coral! There was a huge backup trying to get out, and the line for bananas and water was like trying to get into the New Moon Premiere. If you look in this picture you can see the finish line (way back). Yeah, this is the finish. The huge cluster of people :( This picture is taken behind me, of the people who are waiting in line for bananas and water. Seriously. (Ok, some of these people are trying to get out of the messy gated in finish - but either way, its like a herd of trapped cattle).

Though it was a bit messy, this wasnt the (un)happy element of Thanksgiving! So far, it was the best part of today! The problem is that Brooke hasnt been feeling so good lately. Last night she kept me up all night with her super heavy breathing. She has had a cough, but this was different. She seemed like she slept ok, but she definitely is having difficulty breathing. And then waking up today she has been coughing more. Not just during the night, but during the day. While she is playing or eating ... things that normally distract her. She has a bit of a fever. We were supposed to go see family today, but there were going to be quite a few other babies there. Since you cannot convince a baby to cover her mouth when coughing, there is a bit of concern with what she could/would spread to the other kids. So I opted to stay home with Brooke today and sent my husband to his family. He gets to spend some time celebrating the holiday in exchange for one special request - bring me home some strawberry pretzel salad! While I would rather be there than here, this is the best option we had.

Funny (or not so funny) thing is, Brooke was sick last year on Thanksgiving...at just a few weeks old. Seems to me she might just be anti-turkey.

Race Log
Time:54:06   Distance:4.87mi   Pace:11:06

Runkeeper time and my chip time were off by 2 seconds. Not too bad :) I went with my chip time, but the distance is what Runkeeper gave me. I could claim I ran 5 miles since thats the 8K distance, but that would make my pace 10:54 and a little less accurate.

Splits:
1 10:35
2 10:55
3 11:12
4 12:01
5 10:39

Honestly, I'm pretty happy with the result. This course was so crowded I could not have run any faster. It was wall-to-wall people. If I was feeling more rebelous I could have tried to dodge around other runners, but the mud, puddles and other obstacles would have made that more of a moronic move than a runner move. So I let the race and the other runners be my guide and still ended up running faster than I have on my long runs with my "11:00 pacer" ;)

Squeezing It In

I have been getting a little less sleep than I have even recently been getting because Brooke has decided to start waking up in the middle of the night. Now I have a two-month-old and two-year-old that dont sleep through the night ;) Anyway, its made me a little extra tired ... and forced me to take a nap yesterday.

Today has been hectic. Brooke woke up early, Ryan slept in. My sitter called in sick. I had to take Brooke to soccer and then Ryan to the doctor. I got both kids down at the same time to nap and had prime opportunity for a nap myself. Instead, I loaded up on leftover stuffed shells, some candy and a coke and then I got in a little ab workout. I am well aware that this is not the ideal way to do things, but eating is a priority and I had to do it fast. So I stuffed my face and did some exercise. I'll work on that issue at a later date ;)

I went from the list I posted earlier, and did the exercises that were not marked "new". Since I posted week 4 of a 5 week class, there was a progression on the posted sheet that would have been different than week 1. So I attempted 14 of the exercises as they were written and had decent success.

1. Torso Extensions or “Press Ups” 10 reps
This is really more of a stretch, I had no problems

2. Superman – upper & lower body 20 reps
Slightly challenging, but finished without issue

3. Front Plank – from toes 30 seconds, 3x Couldnt hack 30 seconds, did 3 reps of 15 seconds

4. Bird Dogs – limbs off centered 10 reps – hold each position 10 seconds
no problem

7. Segmental Hip Bridges with heal lifts 10 reps, 2x
I think I remember the heal lift being the accelerated move. I did it without the heel lift and had no issue.

8. Pelvic Floor Gliding Contractions 120 seconds
easy

9. Torso Rolls with leg extensions 60 seconds
Again, this is more of a stretch/mobility move. No problems here.

10. TransVersus Abdominus I (TVA) 15x each leg, 3x
Had some issues here. On the left leg I kept getting a popping each time I lowered my leg. I couldnt tell where it was coming from, but I think from my abdominal area. I did three sets of 10 but something was wrong here.

11. Crunches – feet off of floor 15 reps, 3x
The "feet off of floor" is an accelerated move. I did 3 sets of 15 with my feet on the floor.

14. Pilates 100 60 seconds
When I took this class I thought this move was stupid. I still do. I dont get it. I dont feel anything and dont think it works for me. Maybe I just do it wrong...

15. Pushup – Modified 10 reps, 2x
I have always hated pushups and had problems with them (likely the reason I hate them). I did 2 sets of 10 but didnt want to!

16. Cats & Dogs 10 reps
This is a stretching move. No issues.