HA!

Let me preface that I do NOT brag about my children in public. Well I did once this summer to another mom at swim team and I prefaced that with..."Can I take a moment to brag about Tommy? Did you know he beat Anthony?" That's it. I did it to one mom and that was all. I didn't go around to everyone and dance around saying "tommy, beat anthony, tommy beat anthony!"

It was cool that he beat the best swimmer in 8 under and I am so proud of him for it.

Ok. So I'm always hearing how great some neighborhood kids do on their report cards. They get all O's (which I guess would be A's) and few S's (which would be B) My daughter gets lots of S's and some O's. I'm always quiet when the bragging starts. I start to feel tiny. I feel that my children are inferior. I usually get over it within 24 hours, but honestly I hate it.

Well the State Test Results came back. Seems all those "smart kids" didn't do so well. I have no idea what their actual scores were. The parents mentioned that they were not up to par. All I know is that my kid got "exceeds standards " in Math and Reading (ok not in writing). She placed in the 94% percentile on Math and 97% in Reading throughout the country.

Of course those parents that kids didn't do well say "those state results don't mean anything. It's the reports cards that are the truth. Maybe so, maybe not.

I'm still saying "Ha!" (to myself and my husband....and here of course)

Read it!

I can't get the book out of my mind. I might have to actually buy it.

It was that good.

you know

Sometimes I really hate my job. I can't/won't quit because it's part-time, I can leave whenever I want and it works great for me. I love my co-workers also.

I just hate that I have been forced to cut my hours back. I get it. The recession is killing everyone. I'm sitting here putting in charges for our vehicles and low and behold the wives of the owners are now charging their gas to the company. I HAVE to cut back, but they add the expenses back up so they don't have to pay for the fuel out of their personal pocket. (don't even let me get started where they purchase their gas...lets just say it .20 cents more than anywhere else)

Co-workers don't get reimbursement checks for 40 days after they've submitted their receipts. The boss gets his $15.31 within 5 days of submission. Meanwhile the other guy is owed over $200.

My boss sends me a nasty post-it claiming my math is wrong. I spend 15 minutes on it and my math is RIGHT. I knew it was. I have to write the math out because he is an idiot. I finally figure where he gets his math. If I used his math I would be off $9.21 not $7.14.

I'm just waiting for next year. David will be in kindergarten, Obama (hopefully) will be President. Maybe things will start moving in the right (left) direction and I can find a full-time position.

I just wish I could take my co-workers with me.

Vacation

I've been to beaches everywhere. From Maine to the Keys (excluding the Carolinas....seriously!) Mexico, New Zealand, Ireland, Isreal, Italy, Jamaica you name it. I've been on beaches of rock (Massachusets beaches suck) beaches where there are no waves (mainly Floriday and Jamaica) beaches where the waves are great (Cape Henlopen, Delaware to name one) .

This year we decided to try a whole new place. Well, we were tired of paying 1,000 to 2,000 a week for a crappy house in our normal vacation spot. So we went here. I don't know how I come off in this little blog. Probably like a frizzy haired bitchy complainer most times. Truthfully I'm more of a hippy girl who can't stand the capitalism of the "Joneses". We have found our new vacation spot. I did not see one BMW. I did not see one obnoxious house that screamed "look at me, look at me I'm a lawyer/or politician and mine is bigger than yours". It was entirely a laid back community.

There are no houses on the beach because the beach and surrounding park is a federal reserve. The ocean rocked. (bigger waves the better the beach) The park rocked also. Even my husband mentioned that it would be a great place for a 10k. Next year we are bringing our bikes to tour the entire parkland.

I even caught my husband reading this book. It was obviously purchased for our daughter and not him.

All in all a great vacation!

I also realized how "green" I have become. It killed me to toss produce, veggies and fruit leftovers in the trash bin. I cringed buying bottled water. I was pissed at myself for forgetting my cloth sacks for the grocery store. (they didn't sell them there)

Oh went berry picking with the family yesterday. I make a mean-ass blueberry pie.

David peed in the cat litter box. Yeah, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Conclusion

Started out in a gay bar.

Gay bars are expensive.

Opening act (Rose Polenzani) rocked!!!



Indigo girls...not so much. Three of us left concert early and went back to gay bar. Gay bar was boring now.

Went to another bar. Young people bar.

Felt old. Had a blast.

Peed on a back road.

All in all a great time.

It was worth the wicked headace and empty wallet this morning.

Used too....Not so much now

Get drunk. Get crazy. Be the funniest girl ever.

Now I'm the girl who doesn't get drunk and leaves the party early. This all started with training for the half marathon, and realizing when you are in your 40s hangovers are a LOT worse.

My last serious hangover was around this time last year. I tried to sneak out but they caught me. I vomited in the bathroom (red wine .... which looks like a crime scene) . I tried to clean it up with toilet paper, quit and passed out in the master bedroom. Somewhere before vomiting I was dancing and my bra came off. I think the non-smokers were smoking that night. I pretty sure I yelled at them. Thankfully it was a girls night gone crazy in the house two doors up.

Sooooo. Tonight I'm going to an Indigo Girls concert. It seems we are to get drunk. No one has decided how we are getting home. I'm all about being designated driver. They said no. I'm in preparation mode. I bringing a bottle of gatorade, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, and aspirin. I'm purchasing alka-seltzer. I'm taking extra money out in case we have to spend money on a cab.

I know what's going to happen. I'm not planning on getting smashed or really having a good time. I had/have no real interest in going to a concert. I don't even remember the songs these girls sang. Which in turn means I'm going to a fantastic time.

It's always those nights that you plan on having a couple drinks and going home to a good DVD that things don't go as planned. Instead you end up 5 hours later secretly throwing a jerks shoes out of the upstairs window and laughing hysterically. Then you try and play a game of Mexican and quit 5 minutes later because there are too many rules to remember, who can add the dice up and whose turn is it anyway?

I just don't want to be hungover. I want the house spotless when I come home. I don't want my husband snoring. I don't want to have to sleep in the guest room because of the former. I don't want to have two cats decided that 1 am is a great time to play on the bed I'm sleeping in.

Most importantly I want to wake up with a smile and not a headace.

I guess this title can also say the same about my running. Twice a week is good. Once a week is better than none. This week...let's just say the A/C has been running non-stop and I have yet to see any runners on my normal travels. Well, just that one who is Mr. Marathon and it's the first time I've seen him covered in sweat (and shirtless) .

Let's just say it made my morning.

Huh?

Who the heck schedules a child's birthday party on a Wednesday from 4-6? Have they ever heard of working mothers? Have they ever heard of traffic and gas prices for that matter also? What am I suppose to do with my other two children that far from home for two (2) hours? I guess we could stay and play. Thing is.... everyone here at work is laughing because of where the party is. I was told not to let the youngest in the ball pit. Co-worker's husband found a needle in there last summer. I hear it smells like B.O. (the entire place, not the ball pit)

I can hardly wait!

We could do minature golf. Thing is...I hate the sun, heat, humidity, whining, AND miniture golf. Yes I admit it. I find miniture golf to be a total bore. The first 5 holes are fun. After that....are we done yet and if you whine one more time......

I still have to buy a birthday present also.

Fun times.

My husband is an avid hunter (of ducks) and target shooting. He is a great target shot and I think he might enjoy that more than actual hunting.

I came home from taking care of a neighbor's dog and I see three excited boys in our backyard. Two of the boys run up to me in safety glasses screaming "mommy, mommy, come see!" My husband is teaching our 7 year old how to use the bbgun. The targets are paper plates with actual score lines.

Everyone wants to see mommy hit the target. Let's just say I'm a much better sniper shot than a target gal. Missed the target and hit the wood pile on my first try. Got down into sniper pose and got a 5 (right near the bulls eye). Boys impressed with mommy. I'm all about being a sniper. My favorite "Saving Private Ryan" character is the sniper. Not that I would ever be a sniper or a hunter for that matter.

FYI. I have no problem with hunting. I do have a problem with hunting with a semi-automatic and/or automatic weapon. I have friends who hunt with a bow and arrow. I might have to take lessons in that. I think that ranks up there with being a sniper. You know I'm going to look into that.

The heat wave is back. I didn't run on Monday because it was pouring and I had to work. I'm going to schedule a run early tomorrow on flat ground.

I'm opting out of the July 5k. Even though the run starts at 6pm I can't take a chance on it being humid, sunny and hot. I can't bear the thought of running in that.

Old School

1 can of coke. 1 dollar bill.

Promise your son that if he doesn't look around during back stroke you will give him the dollar. Give him can of coke to drink 5-10 minutes before he swims.

Your son beats the fastest boy on the team and garnishes first (1st) place.

Priceless.

kick ass

Ran this morning. We kicked butt. I'm loving this new running partner. She's faster than me and competitive. We ran a wicked up hill and I a ran a great downhill. Really concentrated on my form for once. At the end I had enough energy for a sprint, but she had more and kicked my ass again. That's ok. I need some ass kicking. She's is really pushing me to run harder. I love it.

I needed that good run because I ended up in a pissy mood for awhile last night at the swim meet. Ms. Negativity really rubbed off on me and it just sets me in a bad mood. Honestly if I had some alcohol I would of medicated my mood right then and there.

Good runs, even if they are 12 hours later are the best form of medication.

The F word

I was reading the mason family blog and they had a post about kids and swear words. I have/had a mouth like a truck driver. I used to work at a construction company and saying the F word was almost like saying hello. It was just "fuck this, fuck that, fuck you". No one took offense. Since having children I've gotton much better. "Dammit" is about as bad as we get. Very proud of myself. That is until yesterday.

I was dropping a child off after an afternoon of swimming and going to the grocery store. They live on a hill. Since she was in the back-back of the SUV I had to let her out the hatch. Bam! One of my grocery bags (cloth!) goes tumbling to the ground. The organic lemonade burst and I lost 3/4 of it on their driveway. (the 1/4 left was delicious) The watermelon bouced out of the SUV and sprinted down the hill. That led to a chorus of screams..."Mom get the watermelon!!!" Over and over again. I was more concerned with the lemonade. I've never had organic lemonade. Watermelon. Who hasn't. The kids must not have faith in "mom CAN run faster than a melon". I saved the melon. As I haul the watermelon back I realize when this all started I said "FUCK!"

So much for them not learning that word. They better not repeat it or I'm washing their mouth out with lifeboy (do they still make that) like Ralphie's mom did on a "Christmas Story".

The non-runner

I can't do it. I'm trying, but I can't handle it. Every summer I try and try again, and it's not working. I read this great article on running in the heat. Seems like everyone has problems with it. It affects runners more than people who bike. It affects elite athletes. Though, they manage. Me, not so much.

I opted out of the run Monday. My excuse was the light rain and "aunt flo". Honestly it did look like we might get severe storms, AND the kids were at the pool, AND I didn't want to be 2 miles out if it did hit. It never did. I went to the store during practice and bought tampons instead of struggling in the humidity. To make up for my non-run I power walked for an hour that night with a 5'8" person. Power walking I can handle in the extreme heat. Just not the running.

I'm looking forward to fall and winter.

I was watching a political commercial last night. It was for McBush. Thing is, aren't these ads suppose to make you want to vote for the person. After watching the message I thought to myself "who would vote for him?" (well, other than my husband) If the message was to make me think he is an environmentalist ..... it failed.

Pics and a run

This child improved her 50 freestyle by 4 seconds. I personally would like to thank myself for the diving lesson I gave her.
This child is cool. I got complaints after the swim meet that his swedes goggles didn't make him fast like I promised. What I actually said is that all the fast swimmers wear them. I can see the confusion in that argument. (shhh... they were super cheap)

This is our future and final swimmer in training. He loves the swim cap. Does not love losing. Let's hope he doesn't throw a hissy fit next year if/when he loses.
Ran today with rb#7. I requested a new route because I'm sick of the old one and the sun is killing me. Thought some bigger hills in shade were in order. I haven't run this hill in close to 3 years. Seemed I have forgotton how damn hilly it really is. She quit before I did. (thank God!) We walked a bit, ran to a mailbox (because there was no way in hell we were running that extra 2/10 mile) Time back was 3 minutes faster. This includes sun draining rays for 1/4 mile.

Oh and yes we will run it again on Monday.

Happy 4th!