Vegmom Moments

TRYING SILENCE

On our way home today I asked Veg a question about his day and he said "MOM, SHHHH!  I'm trying Silence for a little bit!!"

Alrighty then!!  And he did... Silence the whole way home!  Wow, had I known it worked like that I could have used this to my advantage a long time ago... Some thing tells me this was a fluke though?

Silence and my child do not go together in the same sentence. (Not sure where he gets that from) *wink*

1/2 MARATHON COMPLETE - FINAL CHAPTER

And so why did I mention Bathroom business in both Part 1 and Part 2.... Because kidney function is VERY important on Race day... and not to mention my old falling bladder can't hold fluid as well as it used to while running... (or walking or Hiccuping, but that's another story)  And so drinking then finding a bathroom while staying properly hydrated is a must.  OK enough of that...

Where was I?  OH Yeah, I was just finishing in the Porta Potty and trying to get my pants up while getting back on the trail without losing too much time...  And so I did lose some time, and this was time I didn't make back up, because little did I know that I was about to hit the hardest hill in the race...

The incline and then continuous up and down and up and down, my knees were aching...  Mile 8 I just couldn't run very far, so I walked the Uphills and Ran the down hills...  by mile 9 a nice man on the side said "this is your last hill, its all down from here"

YEAH ALL DOWN HILL was right, but not in a good way.... My time went down hill while I walked every Up hill... the nice Man on the side line was a FIBBER!!!  this course was HILLY, as in VERY VERY HILLY... I overheard one of the Marathon runners (that finished their 26 before I finished my 13, say that this was the worse conditions he's ever participated in)....

I have nothing to compare it too because it was my first.  But I can say, it was INSANELY HILLY!  And cold, and damp, and, OK you get the idea.... Eventually I was even walking the few flat spots.

By mile 10, I was having a hard time even walking, energy depleted and my Legs were not being my friends.  Running was OUT of the question....I saw the slower walkers pass me and the Army Men pass me, the runners were no where in site.... this is when I saw the Starbucks... It was within my reach.. I could see it in the distance... closer and closer we got, and then AHHHH....  We turned....There went the Starbucks... and so I chewed another Luna Moon, stopped at a Powerade station.....I was back on track until...

Mile 11 my hip popped and I thought I was going down....  Then that spot in my foot started hurting from the day before.  Walking was becoming more painful and the hills didn't stop... Even up to the very end.... Everyone said I would get a burst of adrenaline at the last mile... That I would take off running at the last mile.... HA HA... NOT!!!

Nope NOT me!!  I tried, I really did, but there was nothing left!   So I ran then walked over again, for the last mile, and when I saw the end in site, I ran with everything I had.  I was determined to RUN past the finish line.... CLOCKED in at 3:17

Today I saw in the paper that there were over 100 people still behind me time-wise... So I wasn't the last...  Of course there were over 1000 people ahead of me.  But Shhhh, don't tell my legs that part!  they are happy that we finished. 

When I got through the finish line, I saw my friend and her sweet daughter waiting for me.  Knowing I had no one else to cheer me on, they came down to do the honors.  Poor girls sat outside in the cold for like 2hrs...  Just to see me finish and drive me back to my car.... BUT not only that.... She brought me a Banana (after reading this post)  and arnica, and dry clothes, + more!!  I seriously could not ask for a better friend!  I couldn't believe all she went through.

And by the way... FROWN on the Hubby... Not only did he not show at the end (which I knew) but he didn't show on the road at any of the observation points either like he said he would...

But the highlight of my day (besides seeing my friend at the finish line) was Veg coming home and finding my Medal from the race.... Oh he was so excited, as in squealing and screaming, it was just the best moment.

Not only did I want to do this for the MOM's that issued the challenge, or for me because I said I would and so I wanted to prove to myself that I could, but more for Veg.  I wanted to show him that when you say your going to do something that you will. 

And that you may have to practice and work hard to complete your goals, but you can.... And that you don't always have to WIN the Race to WIN.....And that is what kept me going to the finish line... (that and Gods help of course, and Cliff Luna Moons, and knowing my friend was waiting for me...)

So the Medal was just Icing on the cake.. even though Hubby didn't bring Veg down to see me, Veg saw the medal and new that I had to finish to get it (like he did in his race the day before)

And now he wants to do another race.... So I found a 5K Family friendly Walk/Run in April... He said "SIGN ME UP"  and so I think I will... We'll see if our Vegman can do 3 miles.  I had to explain he won't always get a medal, but he says he wants to run/walk it anyway.

Everyone at work (many also ran the 1/2) asked if I would do it next year... Ummmm... NO!!  Not unless I get in much better shape by next year and have much more time to train.  Otherwise if I say I want to do this next year... SOME ONE PLEASE BONK ME ON THE NOGGIN (in a nice way of course)

1/2 MARATHON COMPLETE PART 2

To Read Part 1 (how it all began)  Click here

Instead of waiting around all those people, I walked across the street to a hotel that was also hosting part of the Marathon Events and realized so did many others :-) 

I knew there had to be a bathroom SOMEWHERE that wasn't packed with a line, and I was on a mission to find one!! 

And I did...Down Stairs in a warm area, away from all other people, a clean shiny fresh smelling bathroom... After emptying my bladder, I hung out in the nice warm down stairs area away from the 1000's of people..  And ate my first of many Cliff Luna Moons for energy...  I had two bags in my pocket, and I'm pretty sure they saved me from major energy melt down...  Pacing myself with one moon every couple miles...

Back to the starting line....After removing my chill, I headed back upstairs adjusted my shoe laces and found my "Coral".  This is where they divided the runners in to groups by speed.   Fastest in the front, slowest in the back. 

The Slow Poke Coral is what I liked to call it... The very LAST set of people...That is where I put myself.. The Slow pokes, the Stragglers, the walkers, and best of all,  Two Army guys wearing full army gear including their full packs and army boots....  It was amazing to watch them push through.  And see the 1000's of people cheering for them...

So They sang the Anthem, they Shot the gun, and off we went.... Sorta.... no one moved....  I mean there were like 5000 people trying to push through a small street... Us in the Slow poke coral in the very back, could barely walk.... And I thought..."Heck if this is how the next 13 miles will be, that's not so bad"....  My mission at this point was just to get in a comfortable spot where I didn't have people all around me.

And then it opened up... I was weaving in and out of people, I was feeling good... I passed the first pacer flag.. I stayed at my slow and steady pace no matter up or down a hill, I figured there was plenty of time to pick up speed, and if I stayed at that pace as long as possible, then I'd keep plenty of distance between the last set of runners... And make it to the finish line before it closed... That was my goal.

My Pace held up, I passed the second pacer flag....up the hills, I continued, it was madness...  Good thing it was dark because I couldn't see the incline... but man I could feel it....  I ignored the first few water stations, and continued on..

Arriving at the midway point 6 1/2 miles with 1:27 on the clock... I'd made it to the 1/2 way point in less then 90 minutes... 17 minutes ahead of my Goal.. I was way too excited....  At that point I decided to take a potty stop...

Ummm... Hello people, were you running while trying to pee?  Because those Porta Potties were DISGUSTING!!!  Seriously, you could have stopped, just for a second and made sure the fluid went in the toilet!!!

The tricky part of going to the bathroom while not touching anything and during a 1/2 marathon is that your underpants are basically stuck to you like GLUE.... Try pulling them down and getting them back up and doing so in a quick manner.  Its about near impossible....  This is one of those moments that I envy the male species....

For those of you ladies that have never done such a thing, here is what it is like... Put on undies and shorts then step in a lake... now go run/walk for about 90 minutes, and try to use the bathroom... I dare ya!  If you succeed, try pulling them back up... They turn in to roll of elastic that will not position where needed.  Believe me!!

This is where I lost the pacer people, and many of the walkers were now ahead of me.... But there were still many people behind me.... I was still on track for a finish before they closed the line....

To be continued.......

OFFICIAL 1/2 MARATHON TIME 3:17 - PART 1

OK, you can all stop laughing at my time now... I finished, and before the doors closed...  Before the roads opened back up... I didn't get lost, not once, and didn't trip even on the slippery parts...

Here's how it all began:

As noted in a previous post, I had a headache and sore foot the night before, really unsure how I would get out of my house let alone run the 1/2.  So I showered with menthol'ish soap, and lathered my foot with Arnica before falling asleep.  Put some Tea tree on my temples, and garlic oil on my sinuses to curb the headache, drank an entire bottle of water, then went off to sleep....

My plan was to wake up at 5:00 AM, but poor Veg rolled out of bed (literally) and woke me up at 4:30 with a bang to the floor... He was OK and I got him back to sleep and then there was NO way I was falling back to sleep.  So I started my Marathon Morning...

Some stretches, some more headache remedies and trying some bathroom business which didn't go as planned.  I drank more water, had some with lemon juice, to keep me from swelling during the day (it worked by the way), got my iPod to the tunes I needed.... Dressed, and out the door.... Just in time to hit Starbucks by 6am.

"WE DON'T OPEN UNTIL 6:30, SORRY"  Since when???

Ummmm but the sign says 6:00....  Growl!

Off I go Down Town... heading to the perfect spot I had planned to park.  The spot I KNEW how to get to without getting lost...  Ummm NOT so much... The road was closed to where I needed to be.... Growl #2....

But But But... This is the only way I know how to go....  Oh Sigh!!  And so I drive to the next spot that I knew, and traffic was backed up at least a mile... FINE THEN!!!   I drive some more, and find a parking garage... All the pretty signs say Free Parking....  Yeah, not THAT garage!  Ended up costing me 8 Bucks!

But I found the Starting line (after walking like 1/4 mile)... So this was a good thing... People were packed in a near by building like sardines to stay out of the cold, so I head to the starting line Porta Potties... Using them before the run seemed like a better idea then stopping at mile 2....  But everyone had the same idea....  There was a line as far as the eye could see of freezing cold people outside waiting to use the bathroom.

By the way... It was cold, because we got a strange cold front blow in the night before.... It had been the 70's, but NOPE not on race day!!

Needless to say, due to my space bubble issues, I was not going to wait in the building like sardines, and I was not going to stand in that line to use the bathroom.......

To be Continued......

1/2 MARATHON - DONE

I DID IT--- More details to follow!

1/2 MARATHON - THE DAY

Well its here!! 4:30 AM and awake in anticipation!

We did Veg's run last night, it was 1.2 miles and he ran the whole thing!! Oh, he was soooo excited to get his medal at the finish line! And to see himself on TV.

It was the completion of his 26.2 miles that he started back in January. So a really big accomplishment.

In January he only ran 1/2. But he's been practicing for this one. :-). And completed his goal.

I however, hurt my foot yesterday (somehow), have some kind of bug bight on my leg that is driving me nuts and a wicked headache that started around noon yesterday...

And yet I'm supposed to run 13.2 miles plus walk a mile to and from my car, with out dying!! I shall try! That is all I can do!

This Mom on a mission is still on a mission! But am glad its almost over :-)

Oh and my friend has offered to meet me at the finish line! How cool is that!

I'll check in later, if my fingers still work! *wink*

1/2 MARATHON PREP 2 DAYS AND COUNTING

OK, So not only are the cruel people that are putting on this thing making us walk back to our car on the other side of the country after finishing a stunt of 13.2 miles, but they are making you walk up hill to another building at the end of the race to get a drink.

They sent this really nice note yesterday telling us what to do and what to expect on race day...

It says that once the race is finished (in one building) you get to attend a party, up hill and down the road in another building....  I'm thinkin' I'm not looking for a party... I'll just want a beverage and a seat... and maybe a Banana... Not sure why, but I always like a banana after a long run...

So in order to get a beverage of choice and possibly a banana and a seat, I have to walk my butt to another building. 

Its like "Ha Ha, you did, it, you finished, you completed your goal, I bet your thirsty.....  walk a couple miles to the left up that hill, and you'll find a nice cold drink waiting for you"

Just cruel... CRUEL.... Why am I doing this again?

(And YES, Miss smarty pants (you know who you are), the starbucks and restaurant definitely are my problem, but have you tried to run 13 miles?  I'm thinkin' no?  Well actually, I haven't either... But when I do, I'm sure a starbucks and food would make it much easier.)

And, to top it all off, I was hoping I would stay anonymous... Know one would know who I was... I could have my swishy legs, red face, sweaty stinky bod, heavy breathing disgusting self, all to my self... Then I find out that 1/2 the people in my building will be there...  AND THEIR families!  NICE!!!

Ya see, other people have families meeting them at the finish line and picking up and dropping off and driving them too and fro... Many people have families that will bring them dry clothes, and drinks and even a banana...  One of my co-workers... Miss 8 minute mile (gag) had her Mom fly in for the event.  This sweet lady is going to drive around and stop at places along the trail as a spectator and cheer her sweet girl on.

Not me... NO SIREE!!  Its on Sunday after all and so my sweet Hubby will be at Church.  Not to mention getting him and Veg up at 6am is not an option... Oh Woes me...

WHY AM I DOING THIS AGAIN?  Ho HUM!

1/2 MARATHON PREP - 3 MORE DAYS

Am I ready??? NOOOOOOOOOO!!! 

I haven't had any time to prepare lately, and at this point it is too late because I'm supposed to "Taper" off, I think is the term...As in do a whole lot of nothing this week.. That part I'm good at.  The Nothing part.  Problem is, I never made it to the 12 miles to begin tapering from.

Am I worried about finishing?  NO!   Am I worried about injury?  NO! 

Ya wanna know what I'm worried about??  I'll tell ya!  Getting lost!!  I will be the person on the news jogging to the speed of a snail and losing the Pack.  I'll end up walking 30 miles just to find my car. 

And then the wonderful people putting this thing on decided it was a great idea to put the finish line like 5 miles away from parking. 

What the heck is up with that?  Throw in me getting lost, and who knows where I'll end up.  I may be in Michigan visiting NeeNee before I realize I went the wrong direction.

And by the way.. How is it, that the week of the biggest physical challenge of my life and I wake up with my inner legs touching?

I don't mean touching because they are touching... I mean getting up to walk and realizing they are touching... Even when I spread my legs... The rub... the kind that makes noise when you walk... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?  If age, genetics and 35 years worth of fat calories wanted to land in by bottom and thighs, did it have to be this week?

Couldn't that have waited a few days... Really... waking up next week Monday with the thigh rub would have been annoying, but what the heck-a-doodles am I going to do with this during my 13 mile treck...

Now I won't only be the person on the News, holding up traffic because I didn't finish in time, nor will I be the only person lost walking around down town unable to find my way... But I will also be the loudest person in attendance... "Squish, Squash" down the road... THAT WILL BE ME!!!

I'm 1/2 tempted to Nix the whole thing... and just take my self for a 13 mile run without anyone else around...  5 miles to Starbucks, 5 miles to the restaurant and 3 miles home... I can do that??  I'll wear the Marathon T-Shirt, does that count? 

MORE FUN BEING BORED

The first thing Veg did when we got home was run to his play area for supplies?  Why in the world was he bringing trains and tracks and cups and ring cases, and Cranky (the crane) and Oy Such a Mess...  What could he be doing???

Planning his next Domino Track of course!  I should have known....  Boy oh Boy was this one cool if I may say so myself... I had to help with and being that I'm directionally and technically challenged it was quite a CHALLENGE!!!  But we were determined to follow Veg's plan.

The first set of wood dominoes near the stove, would all knock down at different levels, which would knock down a piece of the train track which would fall to Percy the train and send him down the hill in to the tunnel where a big marble would wait.

The marble would get knocked by Percy and head out the tunnel to hit the white domino.  Those would fall around to Cranky who would swing his cargo and knock the next set down... They would fall till we hit the wood again, which would fall until hitting the red train.  (think he's James, not sure though) and that train would run in to our pretend bumper.

Here is the finished product.. SO wish the pictures would come out better:

 

End result??  We had a slight mishap and then while getting the first part set up again, Percy, got bored at the top of the hill and took off through the tunnel early knocking over all the white dominoes....

It was past bed time, and we couldn't set them all back up for another run.... So tomorrow, we will give it another go, with Daddy's help!!  I have a feeling by the end of this week, we will have dominoes hanging from the ceiling and circling around the house!  Our kitchen is clearly too small for such an endeavor.

ITS BUCKWHEAT!

Are you ready for a funny?  (you'd have to read about our gardening experience to think this is funny or not....)

I told Hubby the other day that our Sprouts in the garden couldn't possibly be our Vegetables because they all looked exactly the same.  I said there is no way a Cucumber Sprout will look the same as an Onion Sprout.  And by the way?  What happened to the rows? 

They weren't growing in rows, they were growing EVERYWHERE!!! 

 

Yeah, well I was right!  HA HA... Its Buckwheat!!  When hubby tilled the garden it must have re-seeded itself from last year..

Well,I thought it was funny?  *smile*  At least we know we can grow something!  hee hee 

Hubby says, the Buckwheat is actually a good thing because it will keep out the weeds.. Hmm?  One would think that if it will starve out the weeds, that it may not be so good for our vegetables?  Just a thought....  Anyone with me? 

And by the way.. here is the scary owl...

 

OOOH,  so scary!!  do you think the critters will know he's plastic?  Personally, I thought he was real when I walked out side at night and his eyes were glaring at me on the deck and I didn't' know he was there... Yea, that was a proud moment!

Now he's over looking the garden... I love it when the squirrels sit on his head while eating their latest find, and the birds poop on him while they fly away... I'm thinking, no one is afraid of him but me.

And so now we have Buckwheat?  AGAIN!  Anyone want pancakes?

LET THEM BE BORED

My son's teacher sends out a note every year before Summer Break that says "Let them be Bored".  It explains that you don't have to over schedule, over plan, have every minute of their day with an activity..  When they are bored, they get to use their imagination.  When they are bored they come up with their own things to do....

OK - Easier said then done!!  After an hour of hearing "I'm BORED" 1000 times, a parent is going to cave.  And in some cases, our little angels may not do the most appropriate things when they get bored, as in looking for negative attention.

I've found the trick is...  They can be bored, with parent involvement and can be bored with Positive Attention, while still coming up with their own things to do....  I found this to be true recently while Veg created his own game out of Marbles.

Who needs Air Hockey, when you have a long table and lots of marbles:

 

And remember Dominoes...  I showed our Vegman the whole concept of setting up and falling dominoes.. we decided to introduce a Marble to the mix.. But the Marble was NOT behaving as it should...  So I explained to Veg that we needed a better plan... Then I left the room... 

He used Paper and pencil to Draw up a "Schematic" of his Architectural Master Piece... Then ran around for the supplies...  Before I knew it, we had this:

 

It's longer then the picture does justice as in the length of the kitchen.  There is a ramp, on the other side of the step stool and guiding wood blocks to get the marble where it needs to go.  He used an upside down stool, some little bowls, the dominoes box and more.

This went on ALLLLLLL DAY LONG!!!  Adding, subtracting, until finally he still wasn't satisfied... THE DOMINOES WEREN'T SORTED BY NUMBER.... So he'd sort, and build, and draw, and this went on for HOURS!!!

Who new being bored could be so fun!!  I finally GOT what his teacher was trying to say in those summer notes.

LET THEM BE BORED!!  There is no telling how much fun they will have!

END OF CAMP

OK this Crime Scene science camp was really cool.. The first day they learned about Felix the dead guy. And then spent the rest of the week figuring out how he died.

Everything from making invisible ink for secret messages, to handmade silly putty. Chemical composition to finger prints. Matching fibers to testing liquids. You name it, and these young kids did it.

They even had a real life crime cop come to the camp and show what was in his Box.

The kids had a BLAST!!

Well, each day Veg would come home and give me clues. By Friday, I was waiting all day in anticipation to find out what happened to Felix.

Finally I see Veg...

Turns out they had a Play today. The kids all acted out things from the week and the ending.

Yippeee...I finally get to hear the ending!!

Are you ready??

"So what happened in the play?"

*it was too long I don't remember everything*

"Ok just the ending, what happened to Felix at the end?"

*he died*

Yeah, got that...

"What happened after he died?"

*he fell on the floor*

"And then what happened?"

*the play was over and everyone clapped*

"How about after that?"

*we all took a bow*

"That's great, but what happened to Felix"

*he died*

This went on....
And so I got Nuthin'. No answers no closure.... Talk about a cliff hanger. Phooey!!

Good news is, this trial camp went so well and the kids all did so well, that they are going to offer 6 more sessions in the Summer!

We are all super excited.

Veg said, "hey mom, maybe in the summer you can learn more about Felix"

Stinker!! Making me wait!

EVERY THING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK

I got a strange mid day call yesterday from Hubby who was at the Hardware Store asking what kind of "Sink" I wanted? 

<Sink?>

"Yeah, I was thinking of replacing the sinks today, just want to make sure I got ones you like"

Hmmm?  I can think of a lot of things I need done around the house, what makes one wake up on a day and say "I think I'll get new sinks"?

Sinks?  I was still confused.  I mean I know our sinks are kind of ugly to say the least, but replacing them would require new cabinets, and that is a whole other project.. So what could he possibly be talking about.

Then he calls back... asking more questions about the sink... So I realized he was serious... not just looking... and he was actually making purchases... I told him that I didn't care what he got as long as they weren't pointy handles... (I don't do pointy handles)

He said the sinks were leaking?  Which is why he was doing this.

Well the last time they were leaking he fixed the pipes.... I didn't realize the "sinks" were leaking.....

Finally... It all became clear.... When I got home expecting to find a demolition zone!!!.

The sinks were all in tact Old as can be... But they had brand spankin new faucets... With FAR from Pointy handles.... 

Hubby said the Faucets had been dripping, and the handles were cracked, so that is why he decided to replace them all...  I told him my confusion, since he kept saying "sink" and he said.... "NOOO, That would require new cabinets"  Well that is what I was thinking....

Look See.... NO POINTS! 

And because he put in new faucets and handles he found the gunky gross messes under neath, not only cleaned them, but also cleaned the sinks, the drains, the toilets (yes the toilets).... Under cabinets... He was a mad man on a mission... Hung some peg board in the garage straightened up some messes, some laundry... Every where I turned I found a new thing "cleaned" that wasn't done before.

While talking to someone on the phone he said he was working on some "Honey Do's"  Funny thing is I didn't even leave a list...He was doing "Hubby Do's"....

Seriously, LOTS of stuff, and I didn't leave a list???  Something strange is happening at the Veg house!  But I'm not complaining.

WE HAVE SPROUTS

Could a garden be growing?  Or do I have a bunch of weeds popping up?

SENIOR DISCOUNT

I went to a store tonight to grab some groceries, and the really nice cash register guy said "I gave you a discount"  Not sure what he was referring to, I just said thank you, paid and walked out.

Upon looking at the reciept in my car, I saw this:

"SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT"

Now, I could take this a couple ways??  I will choose to take this to mean, the really nice guy just wanted to give me a break knowing how much I spend in the store, and he felt bad for my tired looking, lack of sleep long day face.... 

Because I wouldn't think the really nice guy would think I looked that old?  Not that Senior Citizen's look old or anything... Hmmm, guess I better stop before this turns ugly ....

THE SOUTH STAR

I got home a little late tonight and noticed all the beautiful stars shining bright in the sky.  So I asked Veg to join me on the deck for a look-see....

"Wow" he says, "Look at all of them!!" Then he points in one direction and says "Mom that must be the South star"

<You mean North star?> I question...

He says "No, that can't be the North star because its in the direction of South, it has to be the SOUTH Star" he says with all certainty.

Being that I couldn't tell North from South if it would help me out of a shoe box, I had no idea if his directions were accurate and figured he was just pointing.....

So I turned him around.... And quizzed the poor child?  "If that is South, then what is that?"

"NORTH" he says proudly... and before I asked another question, he says "And that's East, and that's West, and that's North East and That's South West".... and he continues......

WAIT A MINUTE.... Seriously???  So I went to get the compass... (Yes we own a compass) and I took it outside....Sure enough he had every direction correct.

Walk inside and the smarty pants turns to his Dad and says, "Did you know your facing South, but I'm facing North" 

Hubby said "Give me that compass"  HAHA!!  "Well, where did you learn that?"

Veg replies with "At school, I learned it Years ago... Oh and Dad guess what?  Me and Mom saw the South star"

Guess he still needs to work on some Astronomy.  But I'm just glad he didn't get my Directionally Challenged Disorder in his genetic makeup.  Maybe some day he will be able to find his way out of shoe box... and one way streets down town, and....  Well I'm not saying I have that problem or anything... Not at all

GOOD MORNING

That's not snow... its flowers... and a happy peeking sun... We've had rain for the past week!!  Good for the garden but I'm glad to see the sun peeking through.

SCIENCE CAMP

This Spring break we signed Veg up for Science Camp... Turns out its Crime Scene Science type camp... Only for Montessori kids age 5-10..  Knowing it is Montessori and the Director of his school would be there, I felt very safe taking him.  I knew that they wouldn't show anything Non-Kid friendly or Non-Montesorri like.

I also knew that it was Science, and Montessori environments are Hands on... but that is ALL I knew!!!  And I neglected to tell Hubby everything I knew.

So when we pulled up to the place and his Director said we could tour the class room but NOT the Crime Scene, you should have seen my Hubby's face.  He looked over to see the Yellow Tape blocking one of the doors....

He seriously thought a real crime took place and was about to grab our kid and run!!  "Are you sure you want to leave him here?" he asked...  I quickly realized his hesitation and then explained about the camp.

OOOHhh!!  He said!  haha... and was happy once again.

So then Hubby picks Veg up from Camp today, and the boy is talking about Dead Bodies and all the investigating, matching foot prints, finding facts (yarn) with tweezers, and wearing special gloves, and dead bodies...

Hubby called me to say "Just so you know, he is talking about Dead bodies, and it is NOT because of video games this time, I can't be held at fault for this one" 

Needless to say Veg had a GREAT time!  He even saw a friend from Last Year's school class, and met a couple new kids.  They did a Line up, some art, made a journal for their investigative findings... sounds like they had an action packed day...

Now, we'll see if he can sleep!

WEIGHT LOSS PROTEST

So I've been doing this Exercise thing for a long time, some days more then others... and yet lately I'm doing the exercise to the point of almost death while trying to train for the marathon...(OK not Death, but you know what I mean)... And well, I've gained 12 pounds...

Maybe this has to do with me adding a frozen coffee beverage to my exercise routine... But if I'm going to push this body to the limit of near death, I'm at least going to do it with a nice cold coffee beverage...

Now, Hubby decides he's sick of the "Dryer shrinking his clothes" and maybe he needs to exercise...just a little bit maybe... And so he's been riding the stationary bike... That's IT Being stationary and riding.... Not cycling up and down mountain hills or through the streams... NO!! STAYING STATIONARY and moving his legs.... That's it for like two weeks. 

And he's lost 8 pounds!  8 POUNDS!! 

I gain 12, he looses 8... Something is WRONG with this picture...

PS...Good for hubby... This is a great thing... 

P.S.S...  I'm not bitter or anything... No, Not Me!  I'm a very supportive loving wife!!  REALLY!

A DIFFERING GARDEN OPINION

My MIL is the Gardening Goddess... She can make anything grow and keep things alive for a long time.. She's been summoned by hospitals to fancy up their courtyards, and no matter where she lives, she's been asked by the City to have her yard featured in their spring events. 

She used to keep a Veggie garden and helps others grow theirs... So she has a LOT to say on this topic.... But is she here?  NO!

So when I told her on the phone, what we planted and the fact that it was already planted, I had to hold the phone away from my ear when I heard:

"YOU DID WHAT?????"

"Didn't you read anything I gave you?"  (Ummmm, No, not yet!)

"And why Pumpkins?"  (so our friends kids could come over to pick pumpkins in the Fall)  "But you didn't plant the pumpkins next to the cucumbers did you?"  (Yes, I think he did).... "OH NO!"

"Did you at least plant Lettuce?"  (NO!, I don't do bugs, lettuce from the garden has too many bugs)

I hear a Deep breath.... Deep Sigh, and then I hear her response to me not liking bugs and yet growing a garden and how to take care of the lettuce, and.......

Did I mention... didn't plant lettuce.  Poor MIL....  Her Garden Hopes for my future were smashed in one simple phone call.

10 1/2 MILES AND COUNTING

Things I learned today while training for this 1/2 Marathon:

• You can get to a point where you STOP sweating
• If you walk in to a store with Red Face, soaked through hair and wet clothes, people will look at you funny.
• A Coffee place en-route of a 10 1/2 mile run is a requirement... wonder if they will have that on the Marathon trail. 
• Is there a way to put choco covered espresso beans in my pocket with out them melting?  Think that would do the trick.
• My new favorite store with Coffee place in side and BATHROOMS... have very nasty bathrooms... over flowing toilets, no toilet paper and no paper towel.... FROWN on my new favorite store!
• It is possible to hurt worse after going 10 1/2 miles then going 9
• When your brain says "Hey whats another 1/4, just finish the trail length"....  Tell your brain to SHUT UP, because you still have to go back and that equals an extra 1/2 mile if your counting.
• When talking to your MIL during the last mile treck back home and she says "Its a good thing you have a Garden so you can start exercising"  You can respond with something more then a SCREAM!!  really, you can!
• That you can run in to someone you know from the office with his family and kids, while working on your 8th mile...And feel like a total loser!
• That there is only ONE more long run before the 1/2 Marathon... Its almost over..  Yippeeee!!!

GARBANZO BEANS - THE GOOD AND BAD

A co-worker gave me a quick and easy recipe for taco fillings....Instead of buying veggie meat or using real meat...  She said, just mash up a can of garbanzo beans real good in a bowl and mix with taco seasoning...

Well she actually said two cans and one packet... But I used one can and 1/2 packet and added a little lemon...  OH MY GOODNESS....  For lunch yesterday, I had Taco Salad then for dinner we made tacos.  It was a hit for the Hubby too. 

In fact we decided we would only buy the veggie meat for chili and spaghetti, but use this for EVERYTHING Mexican style... Delicious... And easy and fast... and did I mention it was QUICK!

So I had an extra can... today,  and had the brilliant idea to make Hummus.  But I didn't have any Tahini... so I mixed in some peanut butter... HA HA... BAD IDEA!!!

Think I will stick to the beanie taco mix for now...  I should have just STOPPED there!!!

THE PUZZLE IS DONE

OK, so its Almost done!!  You may notice a single piece missing from the top....

That is saved for Veg, so he can feel like he finished the puzzle in the morning....

Wow - when did I become a Mom?  Used to be I always had to get the last piece, and now I proudly hand off the satisfaction.  I'm just happy to have it DONE!!! 

Yay!!  Mission Complete!

AN EVENING BIKE RIDE

After an entire day of the Vegman being cooped up inside, it was time to play outside... Sure it was 40 degrees and RAINY but after a whole day of being cooped up inside... GOING OUTSIDE was a requirement...

Secretly I really really really wanted a Frozen Coffee Beverage (yes  frozen, on a cold day!  I'm weird but you already know that)  And so, I made the suggestion that I ride the bike (with burly toting Veg) up to the store... We could cash in our tax return, buy some small groceries, get my drink (and Veg a snack) then ride back before dark.  (did I mention that I love the new store.....)

Veg LOVED this idea because he wanted to shop for a snack...  I on the other hand wasn't sure what the heck I was thinking.... Between the weight of the Burly, my Purse, his snacks, drinks, toys etc... plus HIM... A 6 YEAR OLD HIM that weighs much more then the 3 YEAR OLD HIM....  We filled up tires, we got on our way....

Chugging so slow it was hard to tell we were moving at all, we made it to the store!!!  Hubby decided to drive his car up and meet us from work....  This meant that shopping took longer, snacking and drinking took longer, the bank was packed... and when it was time to get back on the trail it was FREEZING out (or I was freezing)  and I was pooped, and had no idea how I would pull Veg back home.

But Veg wanted to go with me... NO DADDY!!!!......  We get everything set back up and start riding back before dark when Veg says.... "MOM, I didn't want to ride all the way home in here, just take me to Daddy's car"

And so I have to Call Daddy on the phone "STOP THE CAR" get him to come back.... stand out in the cold, break down the Burly, get Veg buckled in the car, Burly in the car...  By now I'm really freezing and there is no bike rack...

I don't get a free ride.... And so I ride my happy butt back home wearing Hubby's gigantic jacket, I must have looked like quite a site....

Its a good thing I'm not one of those self conscious people....Speaking of which, do they make bras for backs?  I've suddenly realized I have this stuff growing on my back that is beginning to equal the size of my chest!   I wonder if that is God's way of balancing us?   Hmm, or maybe its just me.

READING THE SEED INSTRUCTIONS

I was talking to Veg about the garden yesterday and he said that his Daddy read all the instructions, and that Everything was planted just right.  They measured, and dug the right size holes.  He was so proud...

Today just for giggles I looked at the seed packets...

"If you have soil that is mostly clay, be sure to plant seeds in a raised bed with added nutrients"

"plant after the threat of frost"

"Seedlings will sprout in 7-14 days, be sure the threat of frost is past that time for successful growth"

"Plant away from other seeds in its own bed with mulch and compost cover for protection"

"Grow seeds inside for 1 month before placing in garden after last frost"

"Likes sandy soil"

OK, so I'm think my Hubby didn't read ALL the instructions!   

But in the event anything does grow, some of them said "40-70 days for harvesting" Thats less then 3 months... I could have a garden grown carrot by like May?  You know I'll be standing on the deck and racing the bunnies to get at least one carrot.... 

Wonder how I know when they are done cooking?  Can I pull them out of the ground and realize they aren't ready yet and stick them back ever so gently?

And then one of the seed packets said we are supposed to thin the heard... after they sprout, pull out the ones in between to make sure they are 3 inches a part... How do I know which are the good ones and which are the not so good ones... I don't want to choose which will live and which will become compost... What if I pick the wrong ones?

Man this Farming is hard work!

THEY WENT FISHING

As noted in a previous post, I'm not so fond of fishing...  I don't put it up there with my Hunting rant... thats for another day, but fishing is not nice, just the same....

Well Veg wanted to go fishing... and there is something to be said about Father and Son's first fishing trip.  So I kept my mouth shut and allowed Veg to be excited.

This morning came, the weather was perfect, Veg jumped up, got dressed, ate breakfast and had his fishing pole, two little tackle boxes and his camera waiting by the stairs.  Turns out, Daddy wasn't SO excited!  Turns out, he didn't get a fishing license, he said HE is not going to fish.... He'll read a book while Veg is fishing.

Well that is not so Father and Son'ish... I was bummed for my Vegman, I new he wouldn't like that.  But hubby said that "ladies are supposed to stay out of first time father and son fishing excursions"...  Saying something like that to me is a sure fire way to get me to NOT stay out of this first time fishing excursion...  I made sure they took drinks and food, and explained to Hubby that him fishing is what Veg really wants.  He doesn't want to do it by himself.

But NOPE!!  Hubby said he DID NOT WANT to fish, and he'll take him out and show him what to do, but then he is on his own.....

So they get all packed up, drive to the lake.....

An Hour later I get a call that they are done and heading home....  "What Happened?"  I ask...

He says that he needs to go buy a fishing license because he saw some giant fish further out then what Veg could catch, and he thinks if he were fishing too that it would make Veg enjoy it more?  And the fish he could catch would actually be much more fun that he remembered, and blah blah blah...

Hmmm?  Ya Think?

See if he tells this lady to stay out of anything ever again? Well he will, but thats for another blog post!

So Veg said he had great fun but was sad not to catch anything....  Of course I wouldn't want to make Veg sad... but I was secretly happy for the fish!  They snuck away unscathed from this pair of fishing men... not sure they will get so lucky the next time.

GARDEN LABELS

I was wondering how the Hubby planned to remember what seeds went where.... But he and Veg had this covered.  This morning my Kiddo drug me down to the garden to see the signs he and his Daddy made.....

You may also notice in the morning light, the rows an squares drawn out a little better then my night time pic.  And if you look hard enough, you will see the soil is just a tad bit rock and a tad bit orange clay... Not so much dirt.... 

 

I may not get any real veggies, but I'll sure have some cute art work:

 

You'll see the watermelon has fallen upside down in this picture... I have a feeling he should be our Garden Mascot!!  I'll spare you the details of the cucumber and peppers...

EARLY GROWING SEASON

Sorry for the dark picture, I got home late tonight, and this was the best I could do:

That is our garden, you'll notice some lines drawn in the dirt... those are our "squares" of rows....  and WHY do we have squares and rows, because Hubby and Veg planted all our seeds today....   Even the Pumpkin and Cucumber, EVERYTHING!!!   But its MARCH!!!  I'm sure the bags say "wait until the last freeze" and yet, I have a garden...

The seeds have been sown!! 

Well, at least I can grow some thing:

Even some crystal formations:

But I'm about 99% positive that I'm not going to get my pumpkin patch out of this soil.

Ah well, at least the birds will have feast while they chub up for the next frost.  See they are SMART!  They PREPARE for the cold temps.

Or maybe the "Owl" will scare them away!

Aww... Poor Hubby, he does try!

NOT SURE I LIKE THIS AGE

My sweet angel turned 6....  He then got a note from school with a behavior issue.. "He's saying potty words"... I ask what kind of words reluctantly because I couldn't figure out the reason for such a note... I mean we don't use very many "potty" words in the Veg house....

So I asked the teacher... Turns out he is saying "Potty" and "Poopy"...Really Potty words!  I almost had to laugh at the note, and then had to not laugh because it is a behavior issue if saying potty words and NOT in the potty.  So we must "correct" the issue apparently.

But today he starts pretending to smoke?  SMOKE!!!  What the heck?  We don't smoke!!!  Where did that come from.  So being that he wanted to learn about the human body on Spring break, I decided to show him pictures of Lungs.  What better time to show a person what a smoke damaged lung looks like, and let me tell you... the pictures we found were GROSS!!!
He quickly decided his imaginary smoking friend should quit... I agreed that was a good idea.  Hubby thinks I'm a fruit loop. (what else is new)

But don't worry, Veg is not afraid of gross things now that he is 6... Yesterday after rolling his NeeNee's change, he went to the store, traded in his change at the bank and out of ALL the things in the store he could buy, he purchased THIS game:

Yup the picture is correct, you stick your hands in the stuffed nose and pull out gross things.... IT's GROSS!!  What happened to Lincoln Logs, Leapfrog... the nice games from before 6...

Now we have potty words, pretending smoking and grosser then gross games.....  And did I mention ATTITUDE... The little smarty drawers is quite full of himself... Even throwing tantrums...He is SIX now after all....  and by the way, he wants to go fishing?  Since when? 

He wants to get married now... since when does he like girls? 

He's growing out of his clothes, and wants to use just a "Booster" in the car... NO more car seat... its too "uncool"...  He gets dropped off at the sidewalk... doesn't want me inside anymore (even if he does wave)

Hubby is taking him fishing tomorrow!  The poor fish..... How would you like a needle stuck through your face every time you tried to eat... Just not nice!  What happened to my sweet little Veg...

And on top of that, he had a Cyclical Vomiting episode yesterday, which I was hoping we would outgrow at Six... But nope... There it was, a 4hr puke fest.  Not done yet!  And not food related... we think this one is thanks to his growth spurt and or the fact that he was running around like a loony bird before bed.

I've decided, I don't think I like this age!!  And I totally can't believe he's six!!!

THE GARDEN IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Last fall, I posted about a Garden in the making.  One that would be at my house, One that would be in my back yard.... I giant square.... That made a very lovely Mud, clay, rock Pit... The dogs were NOT happy with this intrusion of their yard, and I was unsure how we would get anything to grow.

See whole story here:  Our Garden Journey

After all, if you recall, I can't even grow a flower that is brought home from School on Mothers day (bad bad Mom)  I have been known to kill a Cactus.  I am not capable of growing any kind of plant life except a single flower that likes my deck, and a little grass man that NeeNee bought for Veg.  Other then that, I'm useless...

But Hubby was determined to get me a garden by this Spring... The kind with real Veggies...  Then my friend informs me that not all veggies like each other... Apparently the Veggies aren't all Veggietale like and they can be quite aggressive.... If you plant a Potato next to A cucumber, they start throwing punches, or something like that...  So I had know idea how hard this whole thing would be...

Well in the Fall, our land was tilled and barley was grown, and allowed to break up and fold in to the soil... Leaves were pushed in to a pile and a tarp took over our garden to keep it nice and cozy till spring...We were supposed to have Happy Soil by spring.

It is now Spring!  The boys were out there tilling and pulling out rocks and tilling and pulling out rocks, and breaking the tiller and pulling out more rocks... For some reason, I really don't think our land is a happy garden place quite yet....

We didn't grow anything inside, we don't have seedlings or saplings or anything of that kind, but I did buy some organic seeds....  Hubby said we don't have to grow them in side first because we are not a "short season" state... HOW DOES HE KNOW?   Anyway, he said, "Pick out what you want"  and so I did.... Nothing Leafy, I don't want bugs... No Broccoli... don't do little green worms....  Nope I got cool stuff...

Like Pumpkin seeds, so all the kids can come to our Pumpkin Patch in the Fall.  I got Watermelon seeds.... What?  I like Watermelon...  Got some cucumbers, peppers, onions... He said "Get what you want?"  I had no direction, no one told me GET THIS?  I would have listened... No, he said "GET WHAT YOU WANT" and so I did.  Some Zucchini and carrots....and potatoes....

I came home with my organic seed packs and potatoes ready for cutting, all proud of myself...... and he says "You can't plant these?  I was thinking a tomato plant or something" But But but... I want a Pumpkin Patch and a Potato Treasure hunt... I want fun stuff,....  not a tomato farm...

He says he planned to divide the big square in to small squares by making lines in the dirt so he new where everything was when it was time to go back out there.... Hello, first rain and the lines are gone?  And by the way, do you really think the Cucumber is going to stay where you plant it?  I'm thinking no.  How is that going to help anything... Well, he said he would put cucumbers in one spot, tomato plants up the center, and I had one more option.... OH NO!!

Do you realize HOW many tomatoes you will end up with if you do an entire row of tomato plants.  Hello, we don't even eat tomatoes unless we are chopping one for a pasta dish... what do you plan to do with all those tomatoes...

He replies with, "What do you plan to do with all those Pumpkins?"  let the kids come pick pumpkins of course.  At least mine is practical.

He said he wanted to start with tomatoes this year, see how they do and maybe do more next year.  Seriously, you spent like 10 total hours working the land, and all I get is a Tomato?  I DON'T think so!

And we argue... we argue about his tidy little squares, his need for Tomato plants, and all the seeds I purchased that are now going to go to waste.... He claims our Garden isn't big enough for everything I wanted to try.... I'm thinkin' a single tomato plant, bury a few potatoes (away from the cucumbers), stick in a couple onions (away from the carrots), some carrots down the center, throw in a couple pumpkin and watermelon seeds... They are all vines anyway, and will grow out to the center of my yard...  The cucumbers will scale the fence like Spider man... and that still leaves, me 1/2 the middle... See I've planned this whole thing out?

Except one thing??  My soil is nothing but clay and rock.  the fact that we are ARGUING is cracking me up, because the only thing that garden is going to grow is a speck of dust...

I'll be lucky to end up with two carrots for the bunnies... Oh but the bunnies won't get in our garden because Hubby is going to put his "OWL" out there... Yeah, good luck with that. 

The only thing the OWL will scare away is me, when I walk outside at night and it spooks the heck out of me on our deck (its temporary home)  But I'm pretty sure the Bunnies will NOT fear the Owl.... He has a plan though... Snakes!  Yup, he is sure that rubber snakes will keep the bunnies away.  Has he seen Bugs Bunny?  I'm thinking they will laugh at the snakes....

And so we have a Tarp free Mud/Dirt/Clay/Rock Square pit, waiting to have seeds planted....

Hubby plans to do this tomorrow....  HELLO!!  FREEZE is coming next week...

Stay tuned as our Spring continues in the Vegmom Garden....