MommaJB, Okay, so THAT'S how you do it. Homeschool + Public School. I'd love a really long convo with you one day...

Workout Related: So I lifted weights differently yesterday based on a picture I saw on Real Simple and pinned. It's basically lunge while curling; backwards lunge (new to me) while extending triceps; and then I added my on: squat while shoulder pressing. My booty is so sore! This morning: 6 sun salutations. Not sure what else I can work in so no let it be written or let it be done for today.

ETA: Shanti, do you think pictures of your knitting from friends would help?

I've been reading and following along but it's still tough to remember everyone and what they've been up to by the end.

I love "so let it be written, so let it be done". I guess that's part of the reason why I've wanted to join this group. Getting my runs in has been difficult lately. I've got 2 little ones and their dad and I have been co-parenting so we spend half the week at my house with him visiting each day and then the kids and I spend half the week at his place, overnight and all. It just makes everything more difficult. The constant packing, getting good food on the table, getting my runs in.
And although I try to avoid the news because bad news really affects me, I still hear about this biker who was hit by a car and that runner who was assaulted on a trail. It scares me and once it gets dark out I really don't want to be out there alone. Which adds to my runs being hard to do because sometimes the first chance I get is in the evening and it's dark here by 5 now. Enough complaining. I know I need to just figure out a solution and accept that I'll have to put in extra work to get my runs in.

mel38~WTG on master's! I've had thoughts about joining a master's group for years, but between money, childcare, and finding one that fits in my schedule, it just hasn't happened. I suspect that it's one of those things that is going to HAVE to happen if I want to do IM one of these days, but I'll worry about that when the time comes, I guess.

shanti~I hadn't updated my resume in over 10 years when I needed to update it to get my CNA job a year and a half ago. It was a pain, not just to try to focus it towards a nursing-type job rather than on my previous career, but just all the formatting and stuff. Use your home-based stuff to highlight your skills, I wouldn't see that as a detraction at all! And I love the idea of maybe bringing a knitting "portfolio" to an interview.

DS is feeling totally fine, if a little tired, so back to school he went this morning. I knew he was fine when he was totally driving me crazy while eating breakfast and getting ready for school!

I am at my HOA at the moment, since I just got a nastygram from them about my satellite dish. I had to move it because a tree had grown enough in the last 9 years since it was originally installed that it was almost completely blocking it. So it had to go from a somewhat hidden spot on the side of my balcony to the front of the balcony. The HOA is warning me now that I'm in violation not only because I didn't ask approval for the move (didn't think I really needed to because all I did was move it around the corner) but also because instead of being installed on the inside of the metal railing, it is now installed on the outside of the metal railing. Seriously, do they not have better things to do with their time? I'm going to ask XH tonight when he stops by what his opinion on it is (since he was the original installer and dealt with the HOA on this whole deal in the first place). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to point out that every single balcony that has a window box hanging off of it is in violation of their "nothing outside the balcony in the common elements" rule. Did I mention ?

In other news, I bought a groupon a while back for laser hair removal because it was a screaming good deal and I have been really sick of tweezing my face...well, I got talked into adding another area for the same price today and yeeowch does my bikini line hurt right now!

rr~Track this morning. I headed straight over after dropping DS at school, so I was there early and got a nice long 2+ mile warm-up in. The workout was 8 x 400 with 100 recoveries. They weren't super fast, but they were consistent, at least. None of my slow peeps were there, so it was just me bringing up the rear...

Gaye, single mama to Tyler (5/06) and Baxter the labradoodle Wait...I signed up to DO an Ironman??? I thought I was signing up to go SEE Ironman!

real, I hope your niece is well on her way to recovery. Healing vibes to Shanti's family too.

My youngest is finally on the mend after another day on the couch- no fever since early this morning. Hooray for health! My cell phone has also recovered from letting a sick kiddo play with it yesterday and an accidental dip in the toilet.

Mel, enjoy your masters swim session. I swam with masters very briefly while I was in university, and it was such a great experience.

Shanti, good luck with the job interview. How perfect. I think a simple resume outlining your work at home plus cafe stuff that highlights your knitting/yarn craft abilities plus customer service would be perfect. If you already have an interview they'll probably rely more on that than on the resume.

lofty, I"m loving the written and done. I need some more exercise affirmations- aside from a couple of pull ups and pushups I've been slothly lately (or is it a dongo ?)

Tonight I'm going to a visiting scholar lecture at the college, then two days of teaching, a trip to Victoria after class on Friday evening for step-MIL's memorial service on Saturday. Sunday night is a fiddle concert and the beginning of the Christmas season insanity. Must exercise...

"Guess what? It's a magical world. And when I sing, my songs are in it."Madly in love with my 7 and 4 year old daughters

I am pulling myself out of dongo-dom myself. Sometimes it hurts, but today I was pleasantly surprised that after half an hour on the elliptical yesterday (don't laugh), I only needed an hour and a cup of coffee, not a handful of vit I.
UAE National Day weekend is on. Dh and I were walking out of the building and an Emirati lady was out handing out sweets. The streets are full of displays, bouncy houses, sound stages, camels, tents...three nights of fireworks.
Kids and I had a hser party today, and school will get very relaxed over the next twomonths. Hoping to work out 4x weekly through winter. Felt SO good to work out hard for once.
Real, I hope things improve soon for your niece. There is some weird virus on the Arabian Peninsula. God forbid.

NRR - my Dad was admitted to the hospital again last night with congestive heart failure. He already has 2 newish valves and a pacemaker. Not sure what else can be done to improve the efficiency of his heart. Waiting to hear if the fluid in his lungs cleared with meds overnight, or if a thoracentisis is necessary.

ehbien--committing to an alternative plan is best, though not watching the news helps. I ran outside in the dark a bunch last year, but between coyotes and heinous murders and random crazies, there's just no way this year. Then again, today's alternative plan included running on the treadmill at the gym. While I was doing that, the news came on and even though I didn't have the headphones plugged in, it included news about a 13yo who's been missing for over a week and a story about how my city council decided to rename the park where she disappeared the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park. I'd already heard about the decision but hadn't expected to see a story about it tonight. So, fighting back tears and having forgotten to pretreat with my inhaler, I decided 2.25 was good enough and went home.

to everyone else!

Quick update on my niece: they decided to put in a chest tube to drain the fluid, so they admitted her to the hospital this morning. Placing the chest tube went well and DH saw her before heading home (his building is practically next door to Children's Hospital). He said she looked good and though still a bit sleepy from the procedure acted like she was doing quite well. The doctor was asking a ton of questions about what she might have been exposed to, but hopefully they'll be able to figure out that part soon. They told them she'll be there for a minimum of four days. No word yet on how they're going to make this work, though it sounds like BIL is just going to take off work for the rest of the week. (That's a crisis waiting to happen in itself: he has no vacation time or sick time, so this is lost money...on top of all sorts of additional health expenses.) The baby remains healthy, though needs to be on oxygen for a least another week. His due date was just a couple of days ago though, so no big deal. Today both of them were with my niece while my parents watched the baby. My sister headed home mid-afternoon; BIL was planning to stay overnight each night so she can be home nursing the baby. Depending on how things work out, I might go over there on Saturday and take care of Baby C for a while so my parents can go home and take care of things there. They live more than an hour away, so it's a bit of a trek when they go. DH will stop in at the hospital tomorrow to give them a break. And hopefully they'll figure this out and she'll go home quickly and maybe that can be the end of the health crises for 2012???

KnitterMama I understand burnout. I burned out a few years back and now just try to keep them fun. Are you in the Syracuse area?

I am, sorta ... we're about half an hour south - more in the Ithaca area, though I have commuted and worked in Syracuse at St Joe's. :) The half marathon I was talking about actually starts at Onondaga Lake Park.

Just got a robo call from my kids' school. One of the school's greatest teachers died last night. We have no other info. She was 40-ish, and her facebook page shows two grade school aged kids.

I've been trying to run. It's hard when there's no one standing at the corner waiting for me. I have done more yoga, though it's pathetic.

Real, I hope your sister's family can be on the mend rapidly, ditch the O2, and start life together as a healthy family. What a nightmare. I hope your sister can begin to accept help from those wishing to give it.

RR: weight circuit yesterday, maybe a jog with the dogs today. Funny thing about the new dog (Hazel); as mellow as she is, she is not a running dog. Ive never had a non-running dog. It feels sad to take just one out for a run, but she sure doesnt like to jog much even on the walks I take her on. Weird. She's half border collie for christ's sake

RR - 3 miles, only 2 very short (less than a minute) walk breaks! Yay me!

NRR - Dad was released from the hospital with a brand new script for Lasix (?) to keep the fluid from accumulating in his lungs. He sang on the phone to me, without coughing LOL! Big weekend ahead with decorating the house for Christmas at the top of the list.

I am sorry Geo. A young, beloved teacher at my kids' school died suddenly last year and it was so hard. The teachers were trying to deal with their own grief as well as carrying on with their jobs and helping the kids too. It is so sad.

Thanks. I knew something was up because the aides weren't in their usual spots at the start of the day, and I saw the 2nd grade team in one of the rooms crying and hugging. Still trying to figure out what happened. The vague nature of the announcement and the fact that it's now up on local news sites with the same vague info, is making me think dark, dark thoughts. In the last 3 years, this school and has dealt with 2 student deaths that made national news, the death of a parent -- also in the national spotlight -- and now this. The guy is going to start fearing each school year.

I'm not sad about her not being able to run b/c I cant either It's just weird, different.

In any case, we (me and dogs) went for an epic hike/jog today that included about 5-6 thousand ft. of elevation gain in 6 miles (i.e. trail starts at 6,000 and ends at 12,000ft over 6 miles). I walked fast and jogged some up, then jogged most, walked some down. I wasnt sure what I would be doing so I wore some seriously old sweats (a gift from my first boyfriend ... wait for it ... 25 years ago ), a beat up poly-pro and my super excellent lightweight Monte Belle down jacket, and my running shoes . I was sweating buckets on the way up, but was perfect on the way down. I think it was 12 miles - I'm going to check my hiking guide - and took 3 hours. My body is toast. The dogs did great. Hazel definitely liked it better as we got higher and it got colder. There was a spring running too, about 4 miles up, that gave her a boost. The trail tops out on the "crest trail" which runs north/south. You come out of the woods onto the ridge, and the sky opens up and you have a 300 degree view of the city and mesa beyond. It was pretty awesome. I was hell bent on getting to the crest, come what may Im glad it showed up when it did

Sorry for such brief personals, the longer ones are in my brain but no time for typing. This whole having a job thing certainly alters your availability online huh? But I'm loving it and it was super nice to get a paycheck today.

Sparkle, that run sounded fun! I wonder if Pyrenees run much. Mine loves to run tho I can't let him run right beside me or he might "herd" me which makes me fall.

Real, for baby and for family

Jooj, fun holiday weekend! The mojo comes...the mojo goes. Doing something is something. Sometimes my 30-min runs are mostly walks but I'm not going to feel bad about it bc at least in out. Looking forward to an update, ahem.

More to say but it's kinda hard to type on the phone. Hoping to get in one run around Town Lake - my fave! Big par-tay tonight with friends from the old 'hood and my Tri-mamas. Run mañana post-recovery.

Another quick update: they're getting a ton of gunk out with the chest tube. It's nasty stuff, so first they put some medicine in that breaks it up and four hours later they suction stuff out. The good news is that the bacteria in the stuff was dead when they tested it, so the second round of abx did the trick. She's still sick simply because this stuff is stuck in her right lung. The chest tube is miserable so there's that, but hopefully she'll be rid of it soon.

Baby is great. I went to my sister's house to take care of the baby for a while today, so I got my baby fix. Like most newborns, he just wants to eat, sleep, poop and not be gassy. Just like it should be!

Real - you might want to have them consider probiotics for awhile after this is done. Glad things are progressing.

Bec and Lofty - yeah, she is mellow alright. Perfectly fine with me. I just thought she might have a little more pep with the border collie in her, but whatev. She's awesome. Hung out with the boys all night (see below) and they loved her Bec - what do mean by the fiber?

RR: Nothing planned for this weekend as I am hosting my Ds' 8th birthday slumber party (first of his life)

NRR: Um, yeah, 5 8-year-old boys are WAY different than 10 10-year-old girls More energy obviously, but the decibel level - Oy - and the emotional drama! Multiple crying fits. And finish the night off with their commitment to stay up all night, and you have me running interference until 3am!! And let me tell you, I was telling them to shut it and go to sleep starting at 11p (not in those words, of course). Finally at 3, I pulled DS aside and said we would not be able to do this again (and at that point, some spit might have been flying ), and they all went to sleep after that.

Of course, being the set-your-watch-by-me sleeper that I am, I woke promptly at 6 The boys are still sleeping of course. Meanwhile, DD1 had 2 friends stay over as well, and they were a non-issue. Bleh. No more sleep-overs for awhile

Real, You held the baby! I hope things settle down for your sister soon. Her family has been through the wringer.
Geo, How awful.
Sparkle, you are a better mom that I. A slumber party for those boys? I can't handle more than two hours of so many things...
Shanti, how is the application?
JayGee, Are there updates on your Dad?
jo, did your children like the air shows? Fleet week here was loud but every time we heard a plane we would run outside to watch. For me it is incredible to watch them come into formation before they even get to the fancier flying.

Everybody's trees and festivities are so pretty on facebook. We will get there. A friend delivered a gingerbread house it (aka a bunch of candy) that needs finishing. At 9pm last night I refused to make more frosting but we will finish today. Then to pick out a tree. I quilted a new tree skirt during a fit of anxiety this fall and I would like to use it. I had some trouble in a couple of spots (when I should have been sleeping) but I am hoping that once it is on the floor nobody will care.

We have been skating and to Fiddler on the Roof (twice). Alice says the parents are an easier audience than the assembled middle school. Go figure. Today is a run and a cross country end of season party. And the gingerbread house. And more I am sure -but I went to bed before everyone was home last night and do not know what all is in store for me.

Real, I am glad you got to hold the baby, and even more glad that it seems the abx worked. Hoping that healing moves right along, and everyone is soon healthy and rested.

Geo,

bec, I giggled at the idea of dog fiber.

Long weekend is over. My kids were pretty thrilled by the air shows. They did the show yesterday and today, and I only grabbed a bit of it, from the apartment balcony. Yesterday it was overhead as we biked along the Corniche, and it was pretty awesome. The fireworks yesterday were meh, but tonight's were amazing. We walked out among the crowds and cars tonight too, and the kids joined in the silly stringing and foam fights. I hate that kind of thing, and I am not feeling very well, but I put up with an hour or so. Dd was a mess by the time we got home, and she was happy for a hot bath. She has a cold, too.

Back to the books tomorrow, and maybe we'll hit park day. I have to make some decisions about a field trip coming up (to Dubai, I don't have a car, blah blah blah). Winter break starts in just three weeks, and our plan is to school through it in a relaxed way. Also lots of afternoons at the pool. It actually rained yesterday and the day before, and it's been cool (like long sleeves at night). Sun should be back out tomorrow, and highs will be back toward 80.

RR: My goal is to continue with weekday morning walks, to work out at the gym 3-4 days a week, and to try to swim a little with the kids after workouts. Enjoying being active again. Spent way too long out of practice.

Actually starting to think I need summer vacation to be a lot shorter next year. I know no one at home will be too pleased with the idea, but until we have a home there (or somewhere), three months is more than enough, I think. Guess that is a sign that we are settling into this place way better than we did in Dubai.

Sparkle - you are a bold, bold Mama! I can't even imagine a sleepover for that many 8 year old BOYS!

Bec - my brain went "huh?" At the dog fiber too, then I remembered that your Mom is a fiber artist!

Real - so happy you got to hold the baby and that your niece is getting better. Glad your sister is letting you help.

Plady - yay for paychecks!

RR - too sick to do much...

NRR - feeling crappy still. The fever comes and goes and I feel better, but then worse again. Yesterday I drove my DD to a birthday party and our van totally died on the way home. I managed to limp it into the nearest parking lot, called DH to come get me, and it will be towed to the repair shop tomorrow. I hope it's an easy and inexpensive fix,but I am not optimistic. Car repair bills were not on my Christmas list.... Or my kids'.