Fun in the midwest!

We arrived Wednesday evening after a LONG 17 hours in the car.  We powered through most of the day and made it without staying overnight which is a first.  For the most part the kids did great.  That is a long time to be in the car when you are little, especially for Jackson.  The girls were able to keep themselves more occupied but Jackson is just so little to keep entertained.  Once we hit the midwest he was enamoured with all of the tractors and trucks.

Since we got here it has been go, go, go.....the kids are loving visiting with all of the cousins and exploring all of the new places here.  We headed to Reiman Gardens yesterday morning.

Then we spent the afternoon at the pool which resulted in tired kids all around.

Summer Fun!

Summer is here....and we have been BUSY!  We returned from Eagleman to have a full house for the next week.  My boss Myse, from Fleet Feet and her family came into town.  The kids had a great time playing together.  Aly and Drew are months apart and were practically inseparable.  

We visited the Crayola Factory while they were here and had a ton of fun just playing and hanging out.  

Up next was Brianna's preschool graduation.  She did a great job and we are proud of her.

We leave on Wed for Iowa.  I am driving with the kids and we will spend a couple of weeks out there enjoying Ryan's family.  YIPEE for summer fun!

Eagleman 70.3 Race Report

I was super excited to race this past weekend at Eagleman for several reasons.  First, the venue is pretty close to our house so it made the trip really manageable.  Second, we did not take the kids...it was too long a day for them and given the predicted temps and heat it would have been a disaster for Ryan.

We stayed at a cute bed and breakfast that was really close to the race site.  We arrived Friday night and headed straight to bed.  It was glorious to wake up at 8:30 am the next morning with no one to feed, change or entertain.  We had breakfast at the inn and then we headed over to registration.

Saturday afternoon I met up with some friends who were also racing and we did a little ride of the run course and and short run.  I did not get in the water because I am SCARED TO DEATH of nettles/jellyfish/anything that is going to sting me while I swim.  I decided I would wait and fight that battle in the am.

Sun morning came too fast and I was up and out the door early.  Logistically it was easy to set things up and then we just sat around and waited.  I met up with Bethany and Kate, and we chatted to pass the time.  Soon enough my wave was called and off we went.

The swim was great.  I am pretty sure I swam so fast in fear of getting stung.  I started in the front and to the left and decided that I would swim at a slight angle towards the first buoy to avoid some of the mayhem.  It worked...I caught and hung with the lead caps in our AG and too soon the swim was over.  My goal was to swim under 30 min and it ended up being 27:40.

The bike was flat and fast...and I went too hard early on.  I think a combination of nerves, inexperience, and trying to figure out how to race in HOT HOT weather.  I picked up a couple bottles of water but in hindsight I should have slowed down and gone a little easier...I would pay for this on the run for sure.  The bike was 2:47.54 and I was hoping to go under 3 hours.

And then I got off the bike and felt like death, the heat was stifling and there is NO shade anywhere....I knew I was in trouble...I had horrible cramping and was not running.  I saw Ryan during the first mile and said I was not feeling well.  I hit the first aid station and got water and immediately got sick after drinking.  So I walked, ran, and puked the first six miles.  Finally, around mile 5 I had pepsi and that was a lifesaver...immediately I felt better.  A different person.... as I hit the turn around....I started to run...I ran back.  It was not the run that I hoped for by any means but I have never raced in the heat and there were a lot of things that I learned from this.  I was hoping to run under 2 hours but came in at 2:20..

Overall, it was a PR by over 10 minutes so that was great!

Summer FUN!

When it gets hot....we can just pretend we have a pool at home!  We have had a mini heat wave here and the kids are ready for summer swimming.

So in the end we got a proper little pool which they think they can jump into like it is 5 ft deep.

and there is the face of TROUBLE.

Missing Daddy

It is no secret in our family that Ryan is the fun parent.  He buys the ice cream, cereal and all the fun stuff.  This weekend we were supposed to travel to CT but for a variety of reasons, I ended up staying home in PA with the kids.  They are missing daddy.....big time.

There was no weekly trip to Target today to get slushies...that probably tops the list.  I mowed the lawn with Jackson and he kept reminding me that I was driving Daddys tractor.  Thank goodness he arrives home tonight and there will be two sugar filled days with him.

Tonight we made black bean salsa for dinner with some stuff from our garden....Aly had a great time putting it all together!

Jackson Chronicles

There is never a dull moment with this one...for sure.  He routinely picks Aly up from the bus stop in his tractor.  She is all about riding in style.  

So the terrible twos have hit and not only is Jackson obsessed with all things moving.  He is also quite into vaseline.  Twice he has found where I have hidden it and rubbed almost an entire container all over himself.  This morning in Walgreens - he beelined to the vaseline.

Last week I was putting away laundry and I left him playing the in playroom.  Soon after, I heard this banging sound.  I looked over the foyer balcony and the floor was all shiny and he was sitting in the middle.  He tried to get up and immediately fell down.  Apparently, he got a container of dish soap and squirted it all over the foyer floor!  One soapy mess.

He is also really into garbage men.  Immediately when they come into the yard..he runs outside to check it out.

Preschool FUN!

This Spring, we enrolled Brianna in the North Penn Preschool Program.  I will fully admit it was not my first choice and for a while I was not sure how long we would last.  The program begins at 7:45 am and our kids are NEVER really up and moving by then.  So it meant a large adjustment and the hours were not really conducive to getting things done.

But alas, a couple of girlfriends who have kids kept raving about the program and so we went with the 

majority and started it.  It was AWESOME.  It is at the high school and it cost $35.00 for the entire semester.  The best thing was she was there for four high school periods and each period she had two buddies.  

She loved the attention and she came home with the best projects.  This week they had their little graduation fair.  Each high school student - there are 80, had to make a game or craft the kids could play or do.  We spent almost 2 hours going through all the activities.

Here are some pics.

Tomorrow she gets to say goodbye to her buddies..she is so sad that it is over!

Patience

I could write a dissertation on developing patience in parenting...I have had six years of practice and the last two years have been the most challenging...thanks Jackson!

Instead, I will tell you about how I am learning to be patient with the sport of triathlon.  I only started racing and seriously training for triathlons a little over a year ago.  There is so much I still have not figured out.  On Saturday, I spent a good hour in the grass in our yard practicing getting on the bike while my shoes were still clipped.

Needless to say, when I raced Sunday...I did not start with my shoes on my bike....


Patience


After my little sprint three weeks ago, I was discouraged....it was not the race I thought I was capable of and indeed I was slower than last year.  At the time, I felt like it was an indication of where I was and that was unsettling.  What I did not take into account, was that all three of our children were super sick the week before.  On Thursday of that week we were talking about admitting all three of them for dehydration.  It was scary and exhausting.  I was worried about them and there was little sleep that week.   By Saturday, they had turned the corner and I was determined to race on Sunday.

I did not take these factors into account after the race, I just looked at the results.  Jen said something that is 100% true....you cannot out run stress or lack of sleep...it will get you every time.

Patience


So Sunday it was time....I raced the Upper Dublin Sprint Tri.  A great little race that Fleet Feet helped with.  We rode the course before with several new triathletes.  Our little tri club had a bunch of people racing for the first time.  It was a pool swim, 2 loop bike course and a 5k.  I slept 11 hours the night before the race.

On Sunday morning, I met up with our little group and my boss Annmarie...she asked if I was nervous and honestly I was not.  One of the most helpful things I have learned from Jen, is to develop a plan prior to the race and then just do the job on race day, do not think....just do the plan.  I have been working hard at doing this in my workouts for Eagleman.

We were off quickly....the pool swim was great since it was a 10 lane pool....we swam up a lane and back another so there was little confusion.  Out of the water and on the bike...swim was about 5:3x..

The bike starts downhill and then you wind through Upper Dublin.  The nice thing about being a stronger swimmer was the first loop of the bike was empty...the second time was a little more crowded but soon we were done.  My goal was to avg 20 mph on the bike.  My garmin had me at 19.8 but the results show 21.2.

The run....when it started I had a cramp in my side and I felt sick....I just kept repeating...3 miles...all it is is 3 miles...get to the turnaround.....I had two males pass me on the bike....but no females.  I wanted to place in the overall women but with a TT start you have no idea how it is all going to play out.   After the first mile, I did start to feel better and then you hit the turnaround loop.  The course was a little hilly but there was shade and since it was so early it was not that hot.  Each mile I ran was faster and then I before I knew it I was done!

Ryan brought the kids....there was tons of Fleet Feet people, and we were able to just have fun after the race.  When they posted the results, I was second overall..mission accomplished.  I raced from the sprint...over to work.

After work, we were checking the results and I had gotten a couple of messages via FB....Apparently the women who won...really did not finish...I am not sure what happened but they adjusted the results this am...

YES YES....this was a great day.  I WON a triathlon...never did I really expect that to happen.  I totally appreciate the fact that much of this has to do with all of the stars aligning correctly.  I had a great race and worked really hard.  Sometimes, you can work hard and there are other factors that can influence your performance.  Some you can control and others you can't.

In the end....I will have many races that do not go as planned...mistakes I learn from and lessons to help me become better.  The ones where it all comes together make it worth it 100% of the time!

In case you did not know....

There is going to be a cereal shortage.....SOON...so if you are not prepared GET OUT now and stock up....

For Mothers Day, Ryan did the grocery shopping...and this is what he brought home....general mills sent me a personalized thank you note today!

Ice cream is out...and cereal is in.....sadly this does not include the additional boxes that he bought to store at his NJ apartment for the week.  Even more amusing is I don't like cereal. I think there were over 20 boxes...the kids think he is the best dad EVER!  This morning Brianna wanted the one with the Bunny on it....

So now I know what I am serving for breakfast, lunch and dinner this week.....

Pictures!

This is how Brianna insisted on going to preschool this am...nevermind that it was not warm enough for this but she told everyone she was a ROCKSTAR....

If you missed this on FB, Jackson dumped a 50 lb bag of dog food for the dogs while I was showering!  The dogs LOVE him...

Our neighbors across the street own this tractor...imagine Jack's delight when he got to sit on it...I fear that if he was able he would be stealing it for joyrides on a regular basis.

HELLO slumber parties!  Aly is a great big sister to Jackson.

The tractor obsession seems to be contagious.

Broad Street Run

Yesterday I ran the Broad Street 10 miler in Philadelphia.  Originally, I was not going to do this but when we thought we might be moving, I decided to try to get in and check it off the bucket list.

The race was huge! and it sold out in 5 hours I think.  Ryan spent a good 1.5 hours trying to register me when it opened, they had server issues and it kept crashing...

Onto the race..the course is flat and a net downhill I think.  We got there plenty early and hung out on the bus until about 1/2 hour before the race was going to start.  The weather was perfect, there was no sun and the temps were in the 50s I think.

Since UMLY did not go so great, we decided that I would just train through the week and not rest for Broad Street.  Sun am...I was ready to race though.  The plan was to start out conservative and descend the miles.  The crowds were awesome and the corrals moved pretty quickly once the race got started.

I had heard that you could end up walking most of the first mile due to the crowds but that was not the case...once we stepped over the timing mat it was GO time...this race went by fast.  Each mile was quicker and   the entire run is really a straight shot.

The only issues we had were the last mile, the course starts to narrow significantly to get everyone into the Navy Yard...so we really had to work to keep the pace we wanted.  At the end, you come to a screeching halt...since there are so many people and not a lot of places for you to go...you literally crossed the finish line and put the brakes on!

Overall it was a great race for me...I finished in 1:23 and that was 15 min faster than my last 10 mile race!

Jackson's Birthday

What a fun fun weekend!  We celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday on Saturday with a tractor bash!  Given his current obsession with tractors and trucks he was over the moon.

We went old school and had a pinata, tug o war and bubbles!

He put all of his new trucks to bed...

UMLY triathlon

A little season opener is always fun...right?

I raced this last year as my first real triathlon.  I was looking forward to doing the same race again.  Except when I arrived on Sunday am they had changed the bike course since there was a bridge out...so it would not be an exact comparison.

I should have known from last year that this race NEVER starts on time...in fact I think our wave was 40 minutes late....and it was the 3rd wave.

So I got in the little warm up pool and warmed up....I swam and swam and swam....and they still were not calling our wave.  So we swam some more....Finally it was time to go out...so we ran to the outdoor pool and jumped it.

Swim...7:11- slightly faster than last year but not close to what I should be swimming....

The bike course added more hills to an already hilly route.  It was full of some fun turns and a few downhills...overall I was 33:xx.

The run...this was where I thought I would do better last year and I did!  It is up up for the first 1.5 miles and then you run back.  I think it was 25:xx..which was a minute faster than last year.

Overall, my time was slower..but the bike was longer...so it is hard to compare.  I thought there were a lot of things I would do different for the next one..in terms of transition and going out a little harder.  It is hard when training for longer stuff to remember the sprint is only an hour...

Thanks Fleet Feet for the fun gear!

The Gator

First, everyone is on the mend...but it was one LONG week and stomach bug!

All the things you swear you would not do as a parent...and then you have kids....

I am not a huge fan of these battery powered cars...but I can tell you who is...Jackson.

He is obsessed with all things moving...

He turns two next week... and quite honestly as the third.. he gets really nothing new.  He is still riding the purple and pink bike that the girls first rode.  So we decided we would break down and get him a truck..

Here is where he first saw it on Sunday.

Since then, we have driven it to the bus stop, picked up the morning paper, and moved mulch around. He loves his truck!

Coming up for air....

Germ free air that is....we have been hit HARD with the stomach bug.  In the short 6 years of parenting this is by far the worst I have ever seen it. 

Jackson started on Friday night...Ryan was awesome.  I never even woke up...I was out of the house early for a long workout and when I got home mid morning, I picked up Jackson and he promptly puked on me....it was forshadowing for the days to come. 

We thought we might be clear....as no one else seem to get it over the weekend...but poor little Jack is still puking....and Monday morning rolled around and Ryan left for the week.

Within two hours of his departure both girls started....and we have been homebound ever since.  Thankfully by some miracle I have been spared and have not gotten sick, which is pretty amazing since by this morning there were two kids in our bed with me.

Hopefully it will let up soon.  Until then we will feast on crackers and gingerale.

Planting our garden

Last year was the first year we planted a garden with the kids.  It was a HUGE success.  We grew our own pumpkins, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini.  The only issue was that there were too many plants for our little space.  So this year we added another box so the pumpkins can sprawl on their own.

Aly made all these little signs to mark what the plant was.

And at the end of the day....this is where we found Jackson 

A whole bunch of randomness.....

We have had awesome warm and unseasonably nice weather this spring...I hope hope that it stays this way for the next couple of weeks..

We have been busy planning our summer trips which is always fun.  We will likely make our annual pilgrimage to Iowa in late June after Aly gets out of school and before the craziness of the summer really sets in.  Ryan may be able to join us for the latter part but he is unsure.

We are thinking about taking our kids to Hawaii in August.  The ONLY thing that is holding me back is the 11 hour flight with Jackson...the rest I think would be fine.

We have FINALLY found an area in NJ we could live if we have to move.  For the time being we are going to stay put in PA and see how Ryan like the commute and if I can survive and manage without him on a weekly basis.

Our garden is going to get planted this week.  We got all of the plants and seeds and hopefully we will get it in this weekend...despite the projected rain.

I get to race a super little sprint next weekend....it will be fun since I have done no racing since last September.

Jackson turns 2 in three weeks....let the terrible twos begin...about 3 months ago I think.

West River Drive TT and my first crash

This morning I went into center city to ride the West River Drive TT....I have never done a bike time trial before and I thought it would be good to see how they work.  We left Lansdale about 5:30 so we could get into the city and get warmed up before the event.  I thought I would be fine in bike shorts and a shirt....but it was COLD.

I had a long sleeve with my that I wore thankfully, but I was completely underdressed.  It was about 50 out but the sun was not out and it was chilly.  We warmed up...riding the course out and back.  It is flat and closed to traffic.  We were told that the runners and geese would not move for us.

There were about 40 people and they sent us off every 30 secs.  Apparently this series has been going on for over 10 years.  My HR monitor was  reading so I was playing with that while warming up...it would pick up then go out, then read 60 then 210....so annoying.

Finally it was go time...and thanks to the advice of Julia and Jen, I just rode hard.  Since it was my first one, I had no bench mark.  There were slight elevations but nothing crazy.....I wanted to catch the girl in front of me...which I did...and then I just rode...and then I thought I might puke....but alas the finish came and we were done.   I have a goal to beat this summer and it is a great little series.

After that, we rode the Philly Olympic course loop a couple of times.  I do not have great bike handling skills and there were tons of little narrow pathways we had to get on and road closures that we had to navigate.  The boys were bunny hopping the crap in the rode and I was just trying not to crash.

This is boathouse row, which we rode a couple of times...very pretty!

Oh and crash I did, we headed back to West River Drive to get in some more miles and head out the the hills of Manayunk.  There was a Hunger Walk in progress, so we were riding slowly through the masses to get through and pass their turnaround.

This guy was not pleased that the bikers were out on the pedestrian/ bike road and he was getting pissed at the riders apparently.  So when I went to pass him...he clotheslined me...and down I went.  Not fast, but hard.  Totally shaken and not wanting to start a fight in downtown Philly, I got on my bike and rode away.

Assessed the damage after the turnaround and I have some pretty big gashes in my knees and elbows...and my right thigh has a monster bruise..Likely that I will live though.  So first crashed done and survived!

Parent. Work. Train

Pretty much sums up the next few months.  Ryan is beginning a new job in two weeks that will have him commuting a much longer distance than center city.  While he is making the transition, he is going to live in NJ during the week and come home on the weekends.

HELLO single parenting....which actually for the most part, I do not mind.  The grocery bill will be lower, the ice cream will disappear from the house, and routine...there is a routine when daddy is away...yes!

I will miss the evening breaks that I am used to and the early am hours that I used to knock out at least one workout before he caught the train and the down time with the other half at night.

We thought initially we would move...the commute is a little over 1.5 hours each way.  As we looked into moving though, there were a lot of things that did not make sense.  We are picky in our house choices and we don't know if we are up for building again.  We can move 45 towards NJ and his commute will still be over an hour due to the train schedule.  So for now we are going to stay put....and see how it works out.

But being a mommy has its perks...Jackson is over the moon about what is going on in front of our house this week.  He sat enamored by all of the trucks!

Work is going well...my two little part time gigs give me enough down time to make coming home fun and keep me on my toes.  I work for two awesome women at Fleet Feet, who are moms, athletes, and understanding of having little children!  I have been helping Heather with the No Boundaries 5k program and it has been so much fun!  I am hopeful that I can manage the schedule once Ryan is out of town.

Any training...well, I came home pretty tired from Tucson.  It seems to be getting better but the red eye home and Ryan being gone this week has left me TIRED.  I am going to do a bike TT this weekend which I have never done.  Hopefully my legs will cooperate and we can ride in this awesome weather.

Last night Aly and Brianna were right in the mix as they set up a bike race course of their own!  That made bedtime easy peasy as we rode until it was dark.

Easter and American Girl

 This past weekend we traveled to NH to celebrate Easter, with my family.  We held the annual egg hunt and the kids had a great time.  Jackson rode the tractor all around...he was more interested in that than anything else.

We headed home to PA on Sunday and early Monday morning we headed to NYC to American Girl.  This was what Aly chose as a birthday present.  We took a couple of her friends and we had lunch in the little cafe there.  They were so cute!

So Brianna really did not care for American Girl...she went along for the ride...but it is certainly not her thing.  Everyone had a doll, so she decided she wanted one...we got one that looked like her - see above picture.

After lunch, we headed downstairs so they could get an outfit...and Brianna found the little stuffed puppies that go with the dolls...that was REALLY what she wanted.  So we returned the doll in favor of a new puppy - chocolate chip....at a fraction of the cost...I'll take it!