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Strong Little Legs

5 Nov

They’ve cheered on daddy as he crossed the finish lines of his 5Ks, 10K and Half Marathon. Nate, always worrying as he watches others cross before Andrew. “Daddy didn’t win,” he says heavy-hearted, not really understanding that to finish at a certain time is often the win. Both kids have also proudly collected as Andrew handed them his participation and prize medals/trophy (for those times he did “win” by placing). After all that support and watching, Nia and Nate finally got to participate in their very own race and have their daddy give them fist bumps and praise. (This is, of course, after Andrew rocked his 5K earlier that morning.)

The Strong Legs Run in Atlanta was awesome for us because it was held at the home of the Braves, Turner Field, and it was the first time we all took part in a race as a family. Andrew ran the 5K, I signed up for the 2K and the kids had fun in the Mascot Trot, a short dash with some of the area’s most popular mascots (including their favorite, Chopper from the Gwinnett Braves). They liked the Trot but were disappointed about how short it was. Since the 2K followed it, all three of them came along with me for fun. Nate was pumped.

He took off and ran so far ahead of us that he stopped and turned around to see where we were and if he should keep going. Andrew was walking up ahead of me with Nia. (Yes, I was the slowest in the family.) Andrew and I both pointed for Nate to “Go, buddy, go!” Andrew then followed after him and Nia and I became ear-bud buddies, sharing my ear-buds as we walked and talked about other times she walked or ran far like this. (Very special to me.)

When we finally turned the corner for the finish line, I asked Nia if she felt like running again and we picked up the pace. Andrew and Nate were there to cheer us on and Nate even ran with us (well, it was more like sprinted ahead of us) through the finish line again. I think he would’ve liked to keep finishing, sprinting past everyone like he was the winner. Andrew tracked Nate’s time on RunKeeper and it said he finished in 11 minutes. He thinks Nate could’ve done it in 10 if he didn’t stop that one time and if Andrew didn’t have to keep slowing him down for pacing reasons.

We all enjoyed our Strong Legs morning – each of us walking away with t-shirts of our own and a fun family memory that we plan to do again. We’ve already picked out some fancy (fast) running pants for Nate and Nia and Andrew has already chosen our next race.

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Grade A Citizen

1 Nov

I would fail if I was ever quizzed on that Late Show skit “Jaywalking.” I would fail if we were playing a trivia game and the win depended on my answer. I would fail if given a Third Grade test at age 33. Despite my admitted lack of government facts though, I’m happy to say my Third Grader would definitely pass for an outstanding citizen. Especially if it was based on her grade from her first test about the government and her written answer (that I will always cherish).

Nia earned a 97% on the test, missing a question about city council and another about which level of government can declare war. However, she knew what type of democracy was practiced in ancient Athens and which structure in Washington D.C., most shows the influence of Greek architecture as shown in the Parthenon. I also love that she now knows the name of the woman who fought to get women the right to vote. I can’t wait for her to become one of those educated voters. (And help refresh mom on some of the particulars.)



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Introducing the Muppets…again

27 Oct

It is about time! I’ve tried several times over the last few years to introduce the Muppets to the kids but, sadly to me, I was the only one watching the movie after a few minutes. I guess it wasn’t cool enough when mom talked about how much she loved the Muppets when she was little. Nope. They needed pop culture and marketing hoopla to spark an interest in my beloved singing and comical characters.

Cue: The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan – and one happy mommy and new fan, Nia.

She now loves the Muppets so much, she wanted to draw each character while she watched the movies. I loved that so much, I had to capture it. We’ll see if she can sense the difference between the old Muppets and the new. I know I will…

Deep in Drawing

Cast of Characters

Muppets by Nia

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Disney World Dreams

23 Oct

The kids are now resorting to Santa to help make their Disney World dreams come true. One of them just plans to travel in a little more style than the other.

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I have a feeling it will cost somewhere in between their dollar amounts and I absolutely know Santa isn’t going to bring it. (In fact, Santa may actually create a big dent in the Disney World fund.)

I’m doing all the research now on when to go, where to stay and what (if any) package plans to buy but it’s a lot to decide. Since I can’t write a letter to Santa to help plan this for us, I welcome and appreciate any advice from Disney travelers!

Best regards…I just love that Nia wrote that.

 

 

 

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Our Half Marathon Hero

23 Oct

He is 35 years old.

Father of two.

Routinely runs for pleasure and health.

Registered for the Athens Half Marathon two 5K’s and a 10K ago.

It took him 1:47 to run 13.1 miles.

Finished 294th out of 1,844 runners.

He was the 4th from our town to finish.

33rd out of 118 in his age group.

217 out of 793 men.

Of course, always, #1 in our hearts.

Yay for Daddy! And a beer at the finish line?! Best race ever...

I had a tent once

16 Oct

I asked for it for Christmas when I was in middle school. Looking back on it, I’m not sure why I wanted it so much. It was a two-person tent that I spied in the J.C. Penny Christmas catalog at my Grandma’s house. I got it and set it up in my room for the longest time. I would “camp out” in it – surrounded by my stuffed animals and other necessities like my cassette tape recorder. I remember once being brave enough to ask my mom to camp in the backyard. The campsite was so close to my house that I was able to stretch an extension cord from the bathroom window outlet to the 13-inch black and white tv that I used to watch the Muppet Show on when I was even younger. Not really camping. More like – a dare fulfilled.

That all changed this past weekend. Our familyfriends (so close they are like family), the Heidels, have been asking us to join them in their camping adventures at Camp Enota in the Georgia mountains and we finally could. This was not the backyard. This was up a windy and steep mountain that made me giggle with whee but made Nia’s belly turn upside-down and then inside-out before we arrived. Poor Bean. She tried so hard not to get sick.

There she was. Quick change on the side of that stomach-flipping road. Bottles of water and shampoo from the necessity bag grabbed to help clean Bean. Whoops, those are Nate’s jeans, not Nia’s. Creek water to help clean out the car. Nate patiently buckled in his seat and waiting, concerned for Nia and factually stating, “I didn’t get sick.” We’re glad, bud.

She was all better after that and we finally arrived. It was gorgeous.  The Heidels were excitedly waving for us and showing us around our site.

Camp Sun

The beautiful valley spot was surrounded by hills of fall colored leaves. Two creeks met there. They made the most relaxing sound. We had a swing to watch them merge and then rush down the mountain. We had a picnic table that they had already table-clothed and made it feel homey. The kids ran to the nearby playground and in-ground trampolines while the adults talked about what it was like to get there (our aforementioned mess and it took Ginger, Lee and Camille seven hours), set up our tent and started on dinner for that night. The kids couldn’t wait for roasted marshmallows. Unfortunately, our first few attempts at fire fizzled out. We had enough for them to heat a few ‘mallows but it was getting late and a chill was in the air. After the youngest campers hit the air-mattresses for the night, Ginger, our fire goddess, finally was able to beat that misbehaving fire-pit and we got some decent flames for us to enjoy good conversation, adult beverages and toasted pepperoni rolls.

Friday’s sleep was a breeze compared to what Saturday’s would hold but Saturday morning brought warm coffee for moms and dads and hot chocolate for kids. There was delicious bacon, eggs and grits and a day ahead that included more trampoline jumping, creek exploring, a hike to a beautiful waterfall complete with a picnic lunch, petting zoo sights, relaxing, grilled meat dinner (ka-bobs) and an AWEsome fire perfect for making the best s’mores ever. Another cherished camp memory: looking at the stars with the kids and counting shooting stars. Then came time for bed on Saturday night. Brr is not even the half of it. Freezer. With a side of slap in your face freeze. (Specifically, lows in the 30’s, not enough blankets and the kids and I cuddled on one full size inflatable mattress because I was worried they would be too cold without mom. Nate’s “I love you, mommy” when I warmed him confirmed it.)

As soon as the Sunday sun was in sight, we were all up and packing up. Restaurant breakfast sounded delightfully warm.

All a part of the adventure. And I would do it again. I will always remember falling asleep on Saturday night and thinking to myself, “This was fun.” I will hold on to that thought. Kind of like childbirth or tattoos, I believe you forget some of the owies you go through when you’re experiencing it. You remember the joy/pride you feel in the accomplishment.

I camped. I was 33-years-old when I first camped. The kids were 8 and 5. Andrew has camped out as a soldier more times than I can count. I guess  that makes us all experienced now.

Thank you, Heidels. I don’t believe I would have braved any of it – thus enjoyed it – if it wasn’t for you.

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Tough Teacher

10 Oct

Here’s a peek at the rules in the classroom of Miss Bean, where her little brother is the only “real” student among a lot of make-believe classmates and a famous Smurf. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to “have fun!”

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Dry Erase Rules

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Keeping an eye on Smurfette - Row 1

An Auction Experience

9 Oct

I’ve been needing a crash course in decision making and quick thinking. I’ve also been needing a new bedside table for our guest room. I’m proud to say that I scored both at my first visit to an auction.

My friend, Leigh, recently expanded my experiences when she invited me to go with her to the Breffle Auction Company in Statham for one of their monthly auctions. I had no idea what to expect except for what I’ve seen in movies about country towns holding auctions on farmland (there’s always a pig) and on tv – thoughts of that old Micro Machines commercial with the fast-talking man filled my head.

Yeah. Not so much. This was way cooler.

Got What I Wanted!

Rows of people’s former treasures filled the warehouse. Some bigger pieces were on wheeled platforms so that they could easily be displayed at the front while the auctioneer was detailing them. People of all ages and styles were present, ready to act fast and pay their price for the item(s) of their choice. I had my sights on two tables. I’ve been wanting to get rid of the plastic shelf in the guest room that I’ve had since college and I found a unique table that I adore to replace it. I just had to be brave enough to bid on it – without going over my budget.

Trouble was – it all was happening so quickly and I wasn’t sure about how to play the bidding game. They start out at one price and then it drops if no one bites at the high amount but you have to be so fast to jump in on the lowest price, not really knowing if it will get any lower. It helped that I needed to wait an hour or so for my table to be bid on because I got to watch and absorb how the frequent auction goers do it.

Looking back on it, I got pretty lucky. I bought the two tables I wanted for $35 and $45. I’ll still never understand how a big shelf and a dining room table went for that about amount too – or even more wow – an entire office desk suite for $5. Yes, $5!

I hope to make it back there. I have my eye on this little pink vanity and chair for Bean. I just have to make room in her room for it – oh and make sure I pounce when the price is right.

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Worth the Price of Admission

3 Oct

I never thought I would remark that a place had so many fun things to do that it was almost too many. We recently took a short ride down to Loganville, Georgia to check out some farmland now home to fantastic games and activities called Corn Dawgs.

I believe the main attraction is the gigantic corn maze shaped like a Coca-Cola bottle but then there are also the random mazes on the ground to walk through, a unique ring toss game every so often to challenge each other at, horse-shaped swings, ziplines that Nate almost zipped off of, giant slides to scream down, a corn cannon that was bigger than the kids, a petting zoo (we avoided it though – one of the things we put aside over other activities), “whee-fun” jumping pillows and cool gem mining where every rock was cherished by Nia. There were just so many things for both parents and kids to enjoy.

If you live within a 30 minute or so drive, it is definitely worth checking out. They have areas divided for kids 6 and under and those above. Andrew and I got general admission armbands for $12 each (for the things labeled all ages) and we bought the kids the all-inclusive bands for $25 each. We spent a blast-filled four hours there. One hour was due to the awesome maze. One note of caution: don’t go in there hungry! We each took turns leading our family through the maze. That made it fun for everyone and gave us each a chance to praise – and heckle – the leader. If the leader lead us back to where we already were, the turn was over. Nate lead the longest but our Nia got us back to where we needed to be. Go, Bean!

Now that I think about it, I only got to lead once…

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Conflicted Over a Crime

1 Oct

Nia recently witnessed a crime. She told me about it very casually as I tucked her in for bedtime. In between her prayers and happy thoughts we talk about so she has sweet dreams, she said:

“I saw someone steal a toothbrush today at the grocery store. A dad took it out of the wrapper and gave the wrapper to his little girl to throw away and then he put the toothbrush in his pants.”

She told me she heard the rip of the wrapper and that’s what got her attention to look that way. I was right there with her but I didn’t notice it. I probably was deep in thought comparing bread ingredients or some such grocery store necessity. She said she’s not sure why she didn’t point it out to me or tell me then.

I’m really surprised about that too. She always tells me all sorts of things. Things I don’t necessarily want to know about what her friends say and do and everything her little brother does to annoy her. The time she should speak up to me, for whatever reason, she doesn’t. I’m actually not even sure what I would’ve done had she told me at the time.

Would I confront him? Unlikely. I’m not the confronting strangers type. Would I tell the grocery store employees? I should, right? They are stealing. But then I think of the little girl. Do I want to cause her any more trouble or hardship than she already may be experiencing? Also, it’s just a toothbrush. Maybe the dad’s mad at the high prices and is making a point? Still doesn’t make it right though… What would you do? Would you confront or report?

I talked to Nia about it, in case it ever happens again. She knows that taking something that isn’t yours – or that you haven’t paid for – is wrong. We also talked about some things that may cause people to steal and how I can sometimes understand why someone in a desperate circumstance would feel they have no other choice. That starts getting confusing for an 8-year-old. Especially one who just watched a little girl about her age have to do as her daddy said and help him steal.

My little girl witnessed a crime but what’s more sad to me is that another little girl was involved in one.

 

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