C25K Update: Week 3

Week 3: 5 min walking warmup; 90 sec run/90 sec walk, 3 min run, 2 min walk; repeat interval; 5 min cooldown. This workout is a little shorter than the others.

Run 1: Well, the three minute running part wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It seems like a huge jump from 90 seconds to 3 minutes, which is the longest running stint so far.

Run 2: First treadmill run. Harder to set my pace, but highly entertained by whatever TV program I was watching.

Run 3: I thought this was supposed to get easier! The beginning of today's run was really tough, though today was the first day I've run outside when it was quite brisk (52 degrees), and I think that contributed to my labored breathing. The second half of the run (after dumping the dog back at home) was much more pleasant.

Did I mention I use to run a 6:30 mile?

In middle school.

But still.


(Looking forward to more autumn runs outside!)

Structure and "School"

I HEART FALL. But you know that already.

This year I love NEW things, though. I enjoy the summer, but I will never love it in the maniacal can't-wait-to-get-outside-and-look-at-the-leaves way that I love fall. I especially appreciate the structure that the fall brings. Partly from musical rehearsals, partly from our classes kicking back into gear, partly from the shopping for new clothes which always seems more enjoyable in the fall.

I love the light in my backyard, and how I can't still really tell if it's "partly sun, "mostly shade," or whatever. I can't wait to see what my new landscaping looks like as the weather changes. (And, believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to gazing at my new evergreens topped with snow. For a minute.)

I love that (this year) I have Lawn Guys that magically blow the leaves away.

I love the first night it's cool enough to lounge around in sweatpants and hoodie.

And I love all the usual things, too....caramel apples, pumpkins and seeds, picking apples (must find a new place!), apple cider, baking cookies after a summer of "too hot to turn on the oven," sweatshirts, boots, fall jackets, football--wait.

So, The Boy started "school" last week. (SO NOT ANYTHING LIKE SCHOOL AT ALL, but he felt really cool when I said it. Now that we know he has an actual locker with his name on in (!), we will be packing his pack-pack full of...who knows. Snack? Cup? Star Wars guys?) This class we're taking together is basically an expensive playgroup comprised of four other boys his age and their NANNIES. Nannies?! The whole purpose of taking a Mom/Tot class (for me) is to meet other moms! Gah. So that is a bummer. But he thinks it's incredible fun and actually played WITH another boy during today's "class."

We also recently returned to The Land of Miss Mary. Hurrah! We seem to have a nice blend of girls and boys (mostly girls), some of whom were in our class last spring. And we have ALL parents (even a dad!), and NO nannies. Of course, it doesn't do ME any good because it's in the city, but at least they're nice people. And one of the women looks just like Jennifer Westfeldt.

Isn't the light pretty in the fall?



(1st Day of Pre Pre Preschool)

C25K Update: Week 2

Week 2: 5 minute warmup followed by intervals of 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking (30 min total).


Run 1: I'm not gonna lie...that extra 30 seconds of running feels like an eternity. Anticipating some soreness tomorrow.

Run 2: Ack. Forgot to make notes immediately after it, so I can't really remember much except that running on top of acorns makes me fearful of twisted ankles.

Run 3: I got off my schedule by two days this week. (Lest you think I'm a total slacker, I did replace it with about eight hours of cardio-heavy gardening with my mom.) So I completed Week 2 two days behind schedule. Ironically, today's run felt the best of the six so far. I felt like I could keep running after each 90 second running interval was completed. Yay! And the weather is still beautiful. Double yay!

On to Week Three!

Sweet 16

So like today is totally my baby sister's sweet sixteen bday. And like people keep asking me if i'm all "oh i can't believe she's so old" and "oh em gee don't you wish she'd stay young longer" and i'm all like "um no" and they're like "why" and i'm all "because the sooner she grows up the sooner The Boy can have some cuzins" and they're like...."whoa."

(No rush, baby sister. ;o) )

C25K Update: Week 1

(Changed my mind. I decided I want a record of these runs, so that means you get to read a weekly update now--lucky you. I also have a couple of virtual running buddies that double as blog readers, and they actually requested more detail. Go figure.)

Week 1:
5 minute walking warmup followed by 8 intervals of 60 second run followed by 90 seconds of walking.


Run 1: Piece of cake! And hopefully burned enough calories to cancel out the piece of birthday cake I had over the weekend.

Run 2: Definitely more difficult today, mostly because of the early in the morning factor. Also because of the soreness factor in my shinny-shin-shins.

Run 3: In a word..."side cramp!" Still not enjoying this, per se, but I realized I just needed a change in mindset. Instead of trying to get to the point where I'm "HAVING FUN!!! WHILE RUNNING!!!", I just need to view this as part of my job, no different from meal planning and cooking and diaper changing.

Polly Want a Cracker?

In this instance, I'm not completely convinced that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Evidently, we say, "Okay," "Yes," "Are you there?" and "Bye, bye" A LOT on the phone....and we talk with our mouths full.



Side notes:
1. No, that is NOT a teeny cell phone. It's a teeny remote.

2. I miss my rugs. This video was actually taken early in the summer, B.P. (Before Puppy). In the days A.P., we rolled up the rugs until the housebreaking has been thoroughly mastered. We're close.

Not Alone in the Woods

I'd just like to observe, for the record, that it's not just me who feels this way. Must be a blogger thing.

"Someone Who Reads This," linked by Swistle.

C25K

If you've ever met me, you probably know that I do not work out on a regular basis. Never have. My most frequent form of exercise over the last seven years or so has been musical theatre...which works out great IF I'm doing a show and IF that show has a lot of dance. When I'm not in a show, I bike if the weather permits, and I walk the dog--neither will shrink the midsection.

So. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off the couch I go.

The "Couch to 5K" program has been around a while, and it's designed for people (sort of) like me: non runners who need a very structured and well-paced program for motivational purposes. The only difference between me and them is that I'm not actually planning to run an organized 5K--unless the spirit moves me to join one of the overcrowded races that take place in the city (traffic) during the late fall/early winter (brrr). Instead, I'll be using a podcast to guide my speed and intervals, and probably alternating between sidewalk and treadmill.

Why am I telling you this? Aha...as previously mentioned, peer pressure works wonders. If I tell you about it, I'm more likely to stay accountable to my workouts, which will require me to GET OUT OF BED BEFORE I'M REQUIRED TO BE A FUNCTIONING HUMAN two days a week--on purpose. And once on the weekends.

But since reading about other people's workouts is boring, this is probably the only post you'll see. Instead, I've got a little something at the top right of the sidebar, for the two followers I have that read the actual blog instead of in google reader. :o)

Wish me luck.

Play in the Park, in Three Acts

The Players:
The Boy (as in, my boy--we'll call him Sam, to simplify)
Kevin, the Leader
American Boy
Me

Act I:
(The players are climbing on a too-difficult-for-a-2 year old-to-navigate-alone playground structure involving claustrophobia inducing giant plastic balls connected by steep staircases and an intimidating tunnel slide. Kevin is proving to be a very friendly 4ish year old with a savior complex.)

Kevin: "Hey, what's his name?"
Me: "His name is Sam."
Kevin: "Oh. I'm Kevin!"
Me: "Hi, Kevin."
Kevin: "Hi...Sam's mom."


Act II:
(After Brad and I both attempt to navigate the innerworkings of the structure clearly designed for persons under four feet, we let Kevin escort Sam through the tunnels while we watch from below. At one point, Sam gets stuck at the top of a step and can't figure out how to get down. Enter American Boy who is taller and stronger than Kevin.)

Kevin (to AB): "Hey, can you help my friend Sam? He doesn't understand what I'm telling him to do."
AB: "Well, does he speak a different language?"
[Nope. He's just 2.]


Act III:
(Kevin, still puzzled that Sam isn't understanding his litany of instructions at every turn, has decided the boys need to navigate the structure "one more time" before we leave for dinner.)

Kevin: "So...what...are you Hebrew? Russian? English?"
[No response.]
Kevin: "Are you four or one?"
Sam: [in toddler speak] "You foe oh one."
Kevin: "You're four AND one?!"


Curtain.


[In other news, we've had a few BIG days at the park, wherein The Boy overcame his bizarre (mostly out of nowhere) fear of slides. Peer pressure....works every time. :o) ]

2nd Birthday Celebration! (Or "Don't Stare at the Missing Comma.")

To sum up: Buzz Lightyear. That is all.

Just kidding.

The Boy (who is a little less incognito these days, but I still like using the nickname) had a wonderful time at his party, despite a late bedtime the previous night and an I'm-too-excited-to-sleep-late early morning the day of. He was joined by lots of family and just a few friends, making for a very manageable party for mom. I did mention to Brad, though, that having 18 people in this house is NOTHING--compared to last year's party in the comparably tiny town home.

Anyway, there were Anton's sandwiches and pasta salad, Deerfield's cake (no small feat...I'll spare you the story), (beer), presents, and over-stimulated toddlers as far as the eye could see.

He is so blessed to be loved by so many, near and far.



The Short Version (58 Photos): http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100551

The Long Version (110 Photos): http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100559


Also, a shout out to Karen over at Etsy. Check out her shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewsweettoo

2 Years

Dear Munchkin Boy:

"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy."

Thus begins my favorite children's book of all time: The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. It's the story of the tree who gives everything from her body to her soul--happily--to the boy who loves her, even when he becomes "too old" to swing from her branches and eat her apples, and trades in her company for the companionship of another. When I was a child, it never occurred to me that the overall tone of the book was a bit sad; I seemed only to be drawn to the simplicity of the drawings and narration. Only as an adult did it strike me as melancholy. Then I became a mother. Then I became a mother to a toddler. Then I became a mother to a two year old, and I now believe the book is a metaphor for motherhood.

We have our ups and downs, you and me. I think toddlerhood provides some foreshadowing to the teen years, and rumor has it that the wackier the toddler years (for boys), the calmer the teen years. Here's hoping, buddy. :o)

It's funny, though, how quickly you can erase a tantrum from my memory, by singing the lyrics to a Lady Gaga song. You have an infectious laugh which turns into a belly guffaw when you're surprised, as you were the other day when "Ayeksis" was pushing you around in the tire swing for the first time. Your current favorite question is, "Mommy, what are you doing here?" What you really mean is, "What are you doing?" but it comes out a lot funnier your way. You also like to demand, "Mommy! Turn around!"--particularly when I'm engaged in conversation with someone else and you want my attention back on you.

You talk about your grandparents CONSTANTLY. "Go see Grandma kitty cats?" "Grandad say 'cheese?'" "Go see GrannyGrandDedeplaywithtrucksandcars?" "Where Papa go?" "See goatsandmotorcycles at Mim's house?" "Grandpa play golf?" "Grammie sleep in Simon's room?" (That's a new one. I have no idea what he's talking about.) You are so blessed to have eight wonderful grandparents who dote on you with their love and attention (and probably too many toys, but whatever).

Avery is your new best friend. I'm hardly needed in the morning because the two of you chase each other around the house, play with her toys, try to teach her to not eat yours, run around the yard, roll around in the grass. Our hearts still ache for Oliver, but we know that Avery is a playmate better suited to your unpredictable toddler energy.

You are adept at all sports, at the present. You can hit a baseball off a tee further than I can; you're a little ambidextrous; you love to "play shoot" (basketball) in the basement; when you play football with your dad you say, "Hut, hut, HIKE;" you've even been known to kick around a soccer ball now and then--to my chagrin.

Your singing voice is developing nicely. I'm sure Miss Mary will be pleased. Your biggest musical accomplishment to date is learning "Happy Birthday," and even being able to follow the pitch contour with impressive accuracy.

You're still working hard on learning your manners. Sometimes you say, "Thankyoumommyyou'rewelcome," which cracks me up. And you're now aware that burping isn't considered socially acceptable. You give a look like, "Oh, crap. Now whaddoIdo?" Someday you'll learn to say, "Excuse me."

It occurred to me the other day that your preferred toys are getting (hurray!) quieter. From noisy V-Tech trains to Matchbox cars, animal figurines, your dad's old Star Wars "guys," wheely back-packs, and booksbooksbooks. I love to sneak into your room and "catch" you reading on the floor. You get very upset with me when I reorganize your books or put those on the floor back on the shelf. There is clearly a system with which I'm unfamiliar. :o)

You still wear a size 5 diaper during the day (and your little potbelly has shrunk almost completely away! That makes (made) two of us!), and a 6 at night. Your feet are just about ready to get into size 7s, and you fit comfortably into a 2T, though we prefer the adjustable waist pants. See shrinking belly, above.

You're still able to charm the pants of every lady you see. We call you the Mayor of the Jewel (the local grocery store), because you can't enter or leave without saying hello and goodbye to everyone you encounter. Your dad and I caught you flirting at a restaurant one night, tilting your head from side to side and playing peek-a-boo with the elderly woman at the next table. Sweet.

My favorite part of the day will always be when you find a reason for me to pick you up, and you wrap your little arms around me and squeeze (and sometimes play with my ponytail when you're really sleepy)--so don't ever stop doing that. Some days I can't believe we still have three...whole...years before you'll go to Kindergarten. Other days I can't believe I can't hold you with one arm anymore. Where has two years gone?

Hugs and Kisses and a Happy Birthday (since you sort of know what that means this year).

Love,

Mom

8:30-10:00 AM

On any given day that we don't have an early activity, this is what you'll see:





Avery turned 15 weeks today. The Munchkin is a little nervous that visiting Grammie and Grandpa might take her home on the airplane when they leave. :o)