Cycle-ogical

It's Spring!  The temperatures are warmer, and the sun is shining longer.


It's the time of the year, when I hop back onto my bicycle after taking the winter months off.  In preparation, I had my bike tuned up and cleaned a month ago.  Then, I just needed to find the time.  This past Friday, a friend, who had not ridden in a long time either, had a morning free.  So we agreed that our first ride should be together.  We'd take it slow, to reacquaint ourselves with being clipped in, and riding.


I had new bike shoes, so my biggest concern was getting clipped in and out smoothly at stops.


That should not have been my biggest worry.


My friend and I left from a local YMCA.  Just leaving the parking lot, I was dying.  She was leisurely cruising ahead, looking effortless on her bicycle, while I huffed and puffed up the short hill to the main road.  Good grief!  I had thought I was still in good shape - I'd been running and doing bootcamp, after all.


No luck.


As we continued to ride - her, not sweating and breathing normally. . .me, about to have a heart attack, and having to stand up to pedal on relatively flat roads, I kept messing with the gears on the right hand side of my bike, trying to make it easier, and not succeeding. . .


Until about 15 minutes into the ride - when I remembered. 
There are gears on the left side of the bike too. . .

Really, if people needed a license to ride a bike, I think mine would be revoked.


I'm blaming this on turning 40.

Mommies Need Playdates Too

This time, two weeks ago, I was in Mexico. . .

Hotel Entry

Every year, I get together with two of my best friends, from high school.  Normally, they fly to NC and we hang out for a mellow weekend.  This year, however, we are all turning the big 4-0, and we decided that milestone warranted a big trip.

After much discussion and research, we decided on Mexico.  6 days, 5 nights.  All-inclusive. Sunshine.  Ocean.

Coordinating and planning was relatively easy (thanks AAA).  Having this trip to look forward to during the long winter months was wonderful. . .especially for my New England residing girlfriends. I think they were more than ready for sunshine, sand, and no snow.

We met up in Charlotte on a Tuesday in mid-March.  Being the spatially challenged person that I am - I only got lost twice trying to find airport parking (thanks CLT construction).  Whew!  We were together at last. . .
One of my girlfriends informed me, that before leaving for this trip, she was snuggling with her daughter, and her daughter said that while she'd miss her, that she understood that "Mommies need play dates too."

When we got to Riviera Maya, Mexico - it was everything the brochure promised.
Our room was perfect (with a hammock on the balcony).
The resort was spotless and efficient (a massive amount of staff on site).
Unlimited adult beverages (helllllllo pina colada. . .and mojito. . .and margarita. . .you get the idea).
And, hammocks everywhere - by the pool, on the beach - I really think this was heaven.

Pool Area

As always, my friends and I picked right up, as if we hadn't been apart for hundreds of miles, several months, and numerous big and little life events. . .we are comfortable chatting up a storm, or sitting quietly for hours, reading, and not talking.  We did both.

Beach Area

This trip was fabulous.  I loved hanging with my friends.
We went to Tulum - and had a fabulous tour guide.

We went snorkeling and saw stingrays, beautiful fish, and amazing caves.

We sat by the ocean for hours, just reading.

I went for runs along the beach, and saw the sun rise. . .

I honestly felt more relaxed than I had in a long, long time.
I came home renewed.

Mommies need play dates too.  It's true.

Relaxed Momma in a hammock

Tea Parties, Barbies, and Rainbows - Oh My!

Last week, I ran an 11 mile trail run, in the mountains.

It was the first race, in way too long, that I enjoyed.  Honestly, I was not sure I was ready for an 11 mile trail race.  I had run a 9 mile trail race in mid-January that was depressingly difficult and slow.  In fact, about 4 miles into that race, I was ready to be done.

This 11 mile trail race though - I don't know what was different.  It was early - I had to get up about 5am, to drive 45 minutes.  It was cold - 16 degrees.  It was in the mountains (how hilly was this race going to be??).

The race started promptly at 8am in a State Park.  It was predominately on a trail, with a few small stretches of pavement.  It was beautiful - sun coming up, along the lake, cold - but green sprouts coming out of the ground along the way.  It was not a technical trail, like the January race, and it was rolling hills (nothing too outrageous).  The miles were not marked, and I did not wear a watch, but about mile 6, I realized I felt really great.  I wasn't exhausted, my body didn't hurt, and I felt really - really good.

I needed this.

Because the coming week was not really - really good.

Every now and then, my husband and I will look at each other and say, "Tea Parties."  This is what we imagine life is like when one has daughters only. . .tea parties, barbies, and rainbows. Calm.  Peaceful.
We usually say, "Tea Parties" after the boys have flooded the bathroom (again), broken the dishwasher door (again), left hand (and sometimes foot) prints on the walls (and ceilings). . .you get the idea.  I know that this is just a Grass is Always Greener mentality.  There are daughters who are probably just as destructive as our boys.  And, don't get me wrong, I LOVE my boys - but I am constantly amazed at some of the issues that I deal with having my boys.

Mother Nature decided to share some of New England's winter weather with us this week - so we did not have school the past few days.
Being trapped in my home, I decided was a great opportunity to look for a missing Science Book.  My son's 5th grade teacher had mentioned it was missing about a week ago - and while I had done a cursory glance through the house, and not found it, I decided to to don the Hazmat suit and dig into the disaster that is my house.

I did not find the science book.

BUT, I did locate 18 books that belonged to the school.  Have I mentioned that my eldest son is a hoarder?  I don't use this term lightly - he really is a hoarder.  I found these books in various nooks and crannies in his room - all belonging to the school. . .but not the Science Book.

It was really bugging me that this book was lost.  However, it did not seem to faze my son in the slightest.

First day back at school today - and I was tearing apart his cubby looking for said Science Book.  I vented to a coworker about it, and she suggested looking between car seats.  I did not find the Science Book - but I did find missing book #19.

Later in the afternoon, I got a text from the teacher - the Science Book was located - in the classroom!  Relief.  Satisfaction - I had torn the house apart, and it was truly not in the house, so I wasn't going totally crazy. . .yet.

And, a little later in the afternoon, a call from other son's teacher about his vocabulary. . .No, she was not complimenting about his amazing and correct use of words like:  irk, tremulous, boustrophedonic, or disquisitionary.  No, he was flexing his vocabulary muscles with inappropriate words for school.

So, while I sit here and figure out how to help teach my son about inappropriate words (again), I find my mind wandering to. . .tea parties. . .

A Little Something "Extra"

For a long time now, my husband and I have talked about having our kids in an activity.  For several years our eldest has been in some sort of therapy - and that was our "activity".

Now that he's done - we wanted the boys to be part of a team.  So, we decided on an after-school Running Group for Boys, offered through the school.  This seemed like the best solution because, (1) it's running, which is physical, (2) it's a team - a group of boys all about the same age, from the same school, yet it's not so much a team that my eldest will have a social meltdown, and most importantly (3) it was offered on the only day, Wednesday, that I have free to make it happen.

When we told the boys about it the Sunday prior to the start, my youngest was fine, and my eldest - had a nuclear scream-cry tantrum.  Basically, why did he have to do it?  We are the meanest parents ever.  He's going to use his money to hire a lawyer and sue us to not make him join the run group.  He hates running.  Why?  Why? Why?  This went on for the next two nights, to the point that I was ready to say, Forget it.

The Wednesday of the first Run Group, my eldest had a rough day in school - so at the end of the day, the teachers had a mini meeting with my son and myself to discuss the day.  After a few minutes of chatting, he burst into tears and said, "I don't want to run!"

Sometimes, I think it would be just as productive for me to bang my head against a wall.

Not caving in, I marched my boys (thirty minutes late) to the Run Group - where my children proceeded to immediately join in the insanity that is ten boys ages 8-10 running around in a confined space.  Within ten minutes, my eldest announced, "I don't like Run Group, I LOVE Run Group."

I went off in search of the nearest wall to bang my head. . .and then to go see if Starbucks would add a little something "extra" to my coffee.

What goes on in my kids' heads?  Why did this have to be such a struggle?  What did he imagine Run Group would be like that he was so upset initially?  Maybe I need to be adding a little "extra" something to their morning OJ?

On the other hand - what is going on in my youngest son's head?
The other day, I coordinated and chaperoned a local fieldtrip, for my youngest son's 3rd grade class.  We had been learning about the businesses and our city, so we took a fieldtrip to the bank.
I had taken my eldest son and his 3rd class on this very same fieldtrip, to this very same bank, two years prior.
Two years ago, my eldest son's class spent a ridiculous amount of time in the safety deposit vault room.  They were stuck on the fact that the tour host banker mentioned about the room being fire proof, so people left their valuables in these boxes.  Fire proof?  For the next 20 minutes, the kids wanted to know if the room was safe from hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis (because North Carolina is known for it's tsunami season) - then they started combining disasters, "What if there is a hurricane AND a tsunami?"

So, heading into this year's fieldtrip, I felt prepared.  We prepped in advance.  No need to worry about natural disasters kids!

We get to the bank.  I'd been emailing with the Tour Banker (same lady as two years prior).  We could handle all the natural disaster questions.  We were ready!
Not for this group.

"What happens if you lose your key to your safe deposit box?"  (what is it with this part of the tour?)  "Why do they have to drill it out?"  "How long does it take to drill it out?"  "What kind of drill do you use?"  "Will it go faster if you use two drills?"

Seriously kids?  We've been studying banking:  checking, savings, loans, interest!

"Have you ever been robbed?"  "How long would it take for a robber to drill in?"  "If there are two robbers could they do it faster?"

Then, from my son, "How long would it take the police to get here?"  "What if someone wants to drill through the foot thick safety door to the deposit boxes?  Could they do it before the police get here?"

"What are you planning?" I asked him.

Walking away, with a sly smile, he said, "Nothing."

Clearly looking distraught, at the thoughts racing through my head - namely that I will have a future baking cakes with nail files in them, the assistant teacher tried to comfort me with, "Maybe he will be an architect, planning how to make things more safe."

Or maybe, we all need a little "extra" something to survive parenthood.
I'm going for a run.