Spring and Summer with prAna - with discount code

Spring is here - or at least it was, for a few days. And with spring came my desire to add a few new pieces to my wardrobe. I jumped at the chance to add another item from prAna (last winter, I snagged a winter coat that is both warm and more stylish than my old coat, a corduroy skirt which fits perfectly, and a shirt for Ed which is easily the most stylish thing in his wardrobe).

I'm still  drooling over a few dresses, but I made it out to a Memorial Day brunch sporting this dress.

It's the "Quinn Dress". I was giving it a test drive for my upcoming vacation with Helen. I'm visiting a friend from college, and I want to be both stylish AND I need my outfit to be functional at whatever playground we end up on. This dress is made with this stretchy quick drying fabric (a huge plus) AND has  a built in bra (fewer pieces for me to remember) and I'd say it's true to size.

Next on my list are these two skorts, which I'll be purchasing using my prAna discount code - SCS16ELMA - which you can use, too. It's good for 15 percent off until July 7.

All of these are candidates for my suitcase, which is bound for Prague and Vienna this summer. We've locked down housing reservations for that trip, so I'm starting to get excited!

Elaine

I was gifted the Quinn dress. I've purchased several pieces from prAna and so far, they've held up very well. They are solidly on my "go to" list when it comes to shopping!

Baseball...

Winter has just begun and already Connor's baseball team is being put together. Though (almost) all of the former team members are in the same grade (there is a rock star younger sibling who plays on the team), the age ranges make it such that the boys could qualify for a couple of different leagues. In one league, the boys would stay together, in the higher league, the boys would be split up. Our coach, who has committed so much time to all of these boys over the past several years, has decided to stay in the lower league, where the boys can stay together. I don't know what the other boys will be doing, but I am so grateful that Connor has the opportunity to have one more spring with his coach.


I feel confident in saying that Connor will not become a professional baseball player. I'm fairly confident, in fact, that he won't play into high school. I'm less certain about what will happen in middle school. (But given what a confusing time this is for kids, I'm sticking with a general policy of not trying to guess about this piece of the future too much.) Which just means that this might well be his last season of baseball.


Every time one of my kids gets close to a "last" of anything, I get a little sad. I think I'm sadder about this one than most because Connor really does love playing ball, and a part of him still really wants to be a professional baseball player. Which just means that if this ends up being his last season, it might also be the season his dream dies. I have, of course, told him there are other baseball related careers that might be good paths - including becoming a sabermatrician or agent. I have yet to convince him these careers would be very cool, but maybe thinking about them this year will give him a soft landing.


Elaine

Putting my body back together...

I am now two weeks out of the Marine Corps Marathon and today's run finally made me feel like I was put back together. But it took a lot.

For the first couple of days after MCM, I rested. On day 3, I ran 2.5 miles, just to try and get the lactic acid that was likely in my muscles to start easing its way out. After my last marathon, this was enough, but after this one - I was still sore.

And then a friend of mine sent an offer to try out Massage Envy, and since there is one located less than a mile from my home in Clarendon, I was happy to say yes (even though it meant missing part of one of the Royals' World Series games). I booked a 9:00 PM appointment so I could see Helen read a story at a school event before heading off to heal my muscles.

I had warned the spa when I set my appointment up that my body was a mess. The massage was fantastic.  I should've gone sooner - and the next time I run a marathon, I will! For only $60, you can get a first-time massage -  and since they got my legs back to working order, I'm guessing they can fix a lot of muscle aches.

After the massage,  I went on another short run during my regular track workout, one more easy run that resulted in me walking up the final hill, and today, finally, I made it about 10 miles at a pretty decent clip without feeling exhausted.

I've decided to drop my full marathon entry, which I picked up cheaply at last year's Rock-n-Roll marathon, down to a half. I'm spending the winter working on my form, including cashing in a certificate I won at a silent auction for a stride analysis. I think spending the next few months working on speed will be better than continuing working on endurance. Not sure what a reasonable goal for the half will be, but I'm thinking somewhere around 1:45 is reasonable (though a stretch, for sure). A friend wants to run a 1:37 half and use it to qualify for the NYC marathon, in order to avoid the lottery, but I'm pretty sure I need a bicycle to go that fast.

Thank you, Massage Envy, for setting me on the right path back  to feeling good!

Elaine

Disclosure: My massage was complimentary. I'll be heading back after long runs in the future!

Run, Cowboy, run

On Halloween, my running group held a Kids' Fun Run. I had offered to help marshal the course since my children were among the older children attending, and they'd be fine without me running beside them. The night before the run, both Connor and Helen stayed up late. (Sadly, this was the game Ed and I chose for Connor to stay up for - and it was the one World Series game the Royals lost.) In any case, I decided if they were awake for the run, I'd take them with me. If not, they could sleep in.

Connor woke up about 15 minutes before we needed to leave, so he quickly donned some clothing  he could run in, gobbled something for breakfast, and we were out the door. I did not check in on Helen, because I didn't want to risk waking her.

Sadly, she probably came downstairs a few minutes after Connor and I left.

When Ed woke up, Helen was reading in the living room - and she was mad. She said she had been reading for HOURS, which was probably about 15 minutes.

And although I did miss running with Helen, I had a ball running with Connor. Often, when we run as a family, I run with Helen. Her litany of complaints can get a little tiring, and I'm not sure I want to subject Ed to that.

I started off with the half mile group, and made sure the runners had safely navigated the area of the course that could have cars on it. I then looped back to find Connor - and though one of my friends had the audacity to say I'd never catch him, I did. (That won't be the case for many more years, so I'm hanging tight while I can!) We then ran the last half mile of the mile long course together - and during that time, Connor was working really hard.

Not only was he working hard - he was doing it while keeping his cowboy hat on and his holster and gun at his side, a feat I found particularly impressive. (My costume was a pair of wings that I grabbed out of the dress-up box.) He opted to run through the water stop, and was fast and steady the whole time I was with him.

A friend snapped our photo, and it is most definitely my favorite running photo ever.

On the way home, Connor asked me if I thought he could run a marathon before he went to college. Could he? Absolutely. Will it be the best use of his time? Maybe not. I suggested maybe he should try out cross country in high school and see if he liked the longer distances before committing to marathon training.

Someday, we will run a big race together, Connor. And probably, you will have to hold back if you want to run with me, or you will be waiting for me at the finish. Either way, I hope you use that body of yours to see the world.

Elaine

Marathon #2: Marine Corps Marathon

Every runner I talked to said the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) - particularly the 40th anniversary of the MCM - would be amazing. Huge crowds on nearly the entire course, only one pretty steep hill (toward the start) and a smaller hill at the end (up Iwo Jima). Plus, the course runs along many places that I run weekly - including the monuments and Georgetown.

Those people were absolutely right. What the Rock and Roll marathon lacked in inspiration, the MCM made up for in spades.

Because the marathon course runs about a mile from my home, there were a lot of people out cheering who knew me, which is just a huge boost (including Connor and Ed, who came with a sign for me). Also a huge boost on the course was knowing that the women I train with were either running the race or cheering for the race - including one mom who is going to give birth in a few weeks! Pretty much every time I thought that today was not my day, I saw a friend who was screaming like crazy - and I am not a person who can stop running with that kind of pressure. They were sprinkled throughout the course up to mile 22, and at that point - might as well finish, right?

The race started out exactly as I had hoped. I pulled back, in order to save energy for the later stages of the race. I ran the first half of the marathon exactly as I wanted. But at mile 3, I got a blister (something that has never happened in a training run) and by the midpoint of the marathon, I was feeling it. Luckily, it was between my little toes, so at least I wasn't pushing off the blister for every step. It also rained at the start and during the race, after a weather report that showed the rain had cleared. That was disappointing, because I didn't wear my trail shoes (which I wear in crap conditions because they let the water drain out better than my other shoes and they grip the street better). I was debating which shoes to wear up until the point we left to line-up, and ultimately chose wrong. Lesson learned.

Mile 17 was hard, made harder when I passed one of my training partners who is absolutely a stronger runner than I am. Something happened with her knee and though she still finished at 4:12, she could've gone 3:40 if she hadn't run into troubles. Her husband was there, and I had nothing to offer as I was struggling myself.

Mile 20 in MCM is soul crushing. It is the point when you cross 14th Street bridge - and that bridge is the longest, loneliest passage back into Virginia that exists. The few times I have run it during training runs, I pretty much just put my head down and try to get over that thing with my soul intact. On MCM day, it's worse. People are cramping up all over, puking on the side, making choices about whether to continue or not. A very good running friend had passed along the advice that when I made it to the bridge, put my head down, focus inward, pick a line - and run it. I did all of those things, but still people were dropping right in front of me and that is hard to watch.

Crystal City is a huge boost. I spent a few months running in Crystal City last winter on Monday morning, and that proved super useful. I knew the roads and knew how flat they were. Plus, a woman I met at that time actually found me on the race at mile 22 and screamed her head off for me. Earlier in the race, she had actually jumped in and run me through two miles when I wasn't sure I was going to keep going.

My super-stretch crazy goal was 3:45. My "if everything goes right goal" was 3:50. And my "I will absolutely not cross the line later than this goal" was 4:00. I came in with a 3:55, which is exactly what I thought I would get, as soon as the rain came and the blisters sprouted. When I looked at my watch at mile 20, I knew I could own a 4:00 - as long as I didn't get too distracted.

I carried 55 ounces of Tailwind on my back with seven scoops of powder in it, which means I successfully consumed 700 calories during the race. I had estimated I could take in 600 calories in 50 ounces of liquid. I drank a bit much up front because I was feeling so good, which meant I had to walk through two water stations towards the end of the race, trying not to waterboard myself as I gulped Gatorade from the little cups amazing volunteers were handing out. I also dumped two small cups of water down my front because once the rain stopped, it was heating up and I needed a bit of a refresh. I will carry more liquid the next time I run a marathon.

A big accomplishment in this run is not letting my stride fall apart once I got tired. Typically, when I start to slow down, I over-stride, and land on my heel. As a result of this, I have a nagging point in my rear end that starts to hurt, and someday, whatever is getting pulled in the wrong direction is going to break - and that's going to hurt a lot. But today? I didn't do that, I don't have even a twinge of pain in the typical spot. I've been working a lot on that, so I'm glad that work has paid off.

This is THE marathon to run, as far as I am concerned, particularly if you call this area your home town. I can't wait to get the official race photos, because for the first photos, I smiled. For the last photos, I didn't change the expression on my face at all - I wanted to see what I looked like, because I know how I felt.

Now... to decide if I can knock another 10 minutes off before next year and make it my BQ!

FINISH Time
FINISH Net	3:55:06
FINISH Gun	3:57:09

Location	Net Time	Clock Time	Time of Day	Pace	Pace Between
START	00:00	2:03	7:57:04
5K	27:27	29:29	8:24:30	8:49 /mi
					8:24 /mi
10K	53:33	55:36	8:50:36	8:37 /mi
					8:39 /mi
20K	1:47:23	1:49:26	9:44:27	8:38 /mi
					8:43 /mi
13.1	1:53:20	1:55:23	9:50:23	8:38 /mi
					8:52 /mi
25K	2:14:52	2:16:54	10:11:55	8:41 /mi
					9:16 /mi
30K	2:43:42	2:45:44	10:40:45	8:46 /mi
					9:20 /mi
35K	3:12:43	3:14:45	11:09:46	8:51 /mi
					9:37 /mi
40K	3:42:36	3:44:39	11:39:39	8:57 /mi
					9:09 /mi
FINISH	3:55:06	3:57:09	11:52:09	8:57 /mi

Catching up on past vacations - Shutterfly!

A few years ago, I started making photo books after we returned home from a vacation. The problem, of course, is that when we come home from vacation I am always behind on life in general, so often the project gets pushed back, sometimes getting forgotten completely.

So I did a survey of missing books and came up with several:

• 2015 trip to Adirondacks / Montreal / Vermont
• 2014 ski trip
• 2013 ski trip
• 2012 ski trip
• all vacations in 2011
• 2006 trip to Adirondacks
• 2006 trip to Kansas
• 2006 trip to Chincoteague

And there are probably even more, but getting through these will be a big project. Luckily, all of the photos are at least organized, so it's just a matter of drafting some words to go around them and popping them into an online book.

The strategy that has been most successful for me? Find a discount code that expires, and then stay up all night the day before it expires to finish the project. Better would be to just use the codes as I come across them, of course.

Lucky day for me - Shutterfly and Stonyfield have teamed up to offer the next discount I'm planning to use. It's simple.

• Purchase any Stonyfield YoBaby or YoTot yogurt 6-pack and enjoy $20 off your order at Shutterfly.com. Simply enter the code on the package and the discount will get stored in your shutterfly account. Details here.


• Offer ends February 29, 2016, which means I have a ridiculous amount of time to get at least one of these projects done. If I'm really moving, I can get it done before Christmas and turn the book into a Christmas present for one of our traveling companions.
• It's a one-time use offer - each household may get the discount once.

Nice things about these books are that not only do I enjoy the trip down memory lane when I make them, the kids enjoy looking through them and remembering their trip. They also make great gifts for our traveling companions, which often include grandparents.

Perhaps this winter will be the year that I catch up on all these vacations. That would be a huge accomplishment for me.

Elaine

Many thanks to Stonyfield and Shutterfly for providing the latest kick in the pants to work on one of my favorite projects. I'm looking forward to reliving a few of these vacations!

Stonyfield Fruit Snacks - Three Ways!

We don't eat a lot of fruit snacks at our house, mostly because I'd rather the kids just eat a piece of fruit.  That, and whenever we do buy fruit snacks, the kids forget about them and then end up getting old.

But...sometimes, convenience wins. So when I was offered the opportunity to test Stonyfield's newest offering - fruit snacks - I decided to go for it. Our family tested the fruit snacks in three settings: my 5th grade son's birthday party; my daughter's soccer game; our very fancy family diner. All were a hit.

First up, Connor had his birthday party (more later on that). When asked, he told me he wanted a Nerf gun party in the backyard, so I told him we could go purchase a bunch of Nerf ammo and a new gun and invite some friends over.

The party was super low-key, Ed handled all the Nerf procurement, and I handled the food and decorations. (Decorations, for the record, consisted of a table cloth, plates, napkins, and some cardboard shields that at least gave Helen something to enjoy while the boys were nutting it up in the backyard.)

The fruit snacks were a huge hit with the boys, who also consumed some yogurt, chips, and pizza.

That bowl was refilled, twice, because hungry boys like fruit snacks, I suppose.

Next up, I was in charge of snack at Helen and Connor's soccer games. I think the big winner at the soccer game was Helen's friend Taylor, who squeezed four packages out of Helen, and consumed them super fast - probably so her mom wouldn't notice what had just happened.

The fruit snacks were loved by the 2nd grade girls. And, as with all packaged foods, they were easy for me to transport to the game (much easier than the sliced watermelon I served as the halftime snack).

Also, the girls ran around making cow noises, as soon as they saw their snacks were in the shape of a tiny cow. Cute!

Finally, last night Connor and Helen decided to run a fancy Spanish café that served veggie burgers and tilapia for dinner. I was the chef, and then the customer. They were the servers. Before the meal began, they insisted that all fancy restaurants had appetizers, so they grabbed the fruit snacks and placed one package on each plate.

The restaurant diners all loved the wonderful appetizers, especially the two that are shorter than five feet.

Stonyfield gave me so many fruit snacks, that I think I can even hand them out at a school book club I'm getting ready to host.

Thank you, Stonyfield!

Elaine

Soccer

Both Connor and Helen are playing soccer this year, and as part of that effort, Connor has taken to coaching Helen in the backyard. It's super awesome, because we can run around outside after dinner until it gets dark, sweating, laughing, and passing the ball. Helen's coach constantly tells me how great and aggressive Helen is, and I suspect part of the reason Helen is willing to chase down the ball is because she's used to doing it with Connor. Second grade girls are less intimidating than fifth grade boys.

Helen typically plays hard, from the moment she steps onto the field until the moment she steps off. In the rare moment when she starts to sag, I yell the only thing I will say to her when she plays soccer - "no quits". She instantly pops out of her sag and keeps going. She is finally starting to believe how strong she is, which is a great joy for me to see.

Connor has turned it up a notch on the field. He plays hard, he can keep up with most of the kids, and rather than shying away from the ball, he's getting right in the middle of the action. He's had a few nice kicks, which have made him feel pretty good.

During the first game of the season, he answered his coach's call to play goalie. I thought he was crazy to do this, but figured I should stay out of it (which I did). However, when I saw him in front of that huge goal, in a game that was tied 0 - 0, I was terrified for him.

He played all right, but then let a goal in. This clearly disturbed him greatly, and he looked a bit ill. Ninety percent of me wanted to tell the coach "just put us all out of our misery - take him out", but I did not. I sat on my hands and reminded myself that Connor doesn't need his mama to save him. In fact, he needs to be up against the wall, feeling stress, and realizing that he can get through it. (And perhaps I need this, too.)

In the end, he made a couple of stops, kept the ball out of the goal, and rejoiced when his friend Sam got a goal evening up the score. After the game, he reported how stressful playing goalie was, and let me know he never plans to do it again.

I was secretly happy about that.

Elaine

Biking to Gymnastics

Helen started taking gymnastics a couple of weeks ago. A studio moved in near our home, and lo' and behold, they have beginning classes designed for girls older than three. Helen's last attempt at gymnastics was deemed a total disaster by her, because all she wanted to learn to do was a cartwheel, and they never taught her that. (Never mind that she needed to learn some easier things, first.)



Because it is September, and our family fitness challenge is to bike, Helen and I have been riding to her class. Getting there is no problem. It's basically downhill the whole way, and we only have one city street to cross that requires hopping off our bikes and walking across the street.

But that means that getting home is basically uphill the whole way. On week 1, I tried to route us a little out of our way so we'd have a little more flat territory to cross along with the hills. I was not fully successful, which resulted in Helen crashing on her bike.



She was an absolute rock star, taking it all in stride, and hopping right back on her bike to get home.

On week 2, I had a better route, and there was only one small portion where I needed to give Helen a shove up a hill near our home.



This week, as I was going through her Friday folder, I found her artistic version of our week one ride.

I believe she is saying "ow-ee", not "owe" as in "you owe, me, Mom".



I'm pretty impressed with her very accurate drawing of me. All that running has clearly paid off. And biking with a purse takes a lot of talent!

Elaine



AN UPDATE: Helen clarified that the picture she drew was an example of when she was being a "good citizen". Laying on the ground with no helmet is Connor, after falling from his bike in the backyard. (For the record, I didn't even know about this injury until this discussion about the picture came up.) Riding her bike with no helmet and offering assistance to Connor is Helen. Helen told me I should have known this, because Connor's bike is green. I reminded her that she and I have blue eyes, but Connor has brown eyes. I'm pretty sure her response to me was "what-ever", which is her basic response to everything that annoys her lately.

New Family Mantra

Helen has always been the light in our house. As crabby and obstinate as she can be, she remains an optimist through and through.

A few days ago, Helen and I headed off to her girl scout meeting in the pouring rain. Ed happened to be commuting by bike that day (as he often does) and as we stepped outside I told Helen "I feel so badly for Daddy riding home in this rain".

Without missing a beat, Helen responded "well, at least the bike path won't be crowded today".

And I think that should be our new family mantra. When things are not going well, we should just look at each other and repeat "at least the bike path won't be crowded today" as a reminder that somewhere, amidst whatever trouble is happening, a silver lining exists.

Even if it's tiny.

Elaine

First Volley Thrown

Connor launched his first volley in his war on school a few days ago. It started out innocently enough. The teacher (who was an intern at the school last year, but is teaching her first solo class this year) asked the students to write about themselves - their families, their pets, what they were looking forward to, and what the student wanted the teacher to know.

Connor responded with this:

The teacher was a bit taken aback, as was I when I read it at his conference. She told me he didn't just riff it off, that he had actually sat and thought about it a bit. She thought it was pretty funny, as did I. And she also thought it was pretty sad, which I also agreed with. Connor is the type of kid who should enjoy school.

After Connor and I talked about the letter, I asked him if he had to pick a favorite subject, what it would be. He chose science, which is not too surprising. He had a great science teacher last year and this year's science teacher is reputed to be just as good. But then he said "because it's the last class of the day and it means I get to go home soon".

I have a feeling it's going to be a long year. For everyone.

Elaine

Arlington County Fair

This year's trip to the fair did not bring job offers, as one many years ago did. But it did bring the usual bit of fun at the usual ridiculously high price. We almost didn't get to the fair, because it was the day before Helen and Connor left for Kansas for two weeks (which I believe my parents and sister have recovered from). But the bags were pretty much packed, and a friend's email inviting me to the fair that weekend reminded me that we had a few hours to ride some dangerous rides and possibly eat a sweet treat.

The best (and only free) part of the fair that we go to is the pig races. Ed has a crazy record of picking winners, though Connor and Helen did a fine job with the strategy of "pick your favorite color". Yellow won half the races and purple won the other half of the races, as I recall. But maybe I just told the kids that so they wouldn't argue about who picked the best pigs.

Note the handmade dress Helen is wearing. She made it in camp earlier that day. Sadly, she wanted it in Kansas, and when I dried it on a very low setting, it went from dress to shirt. Happily, she made a new one with my mom the next week, which is handwash only, though I'm guessing the fabric my mom chose wouldn't shrink that much.

Connor, as always, was drawn to any ride that seemed dangerous. Helen abstained, and even went on a ride that she was technically too tall for, but reported afterwards that it was pretty wild. You're my kind of amusement park gal, Helen.

The next morning, they were off for two weeks.

Elaine

Laurapalooza: Day 2 - 3

Days 2 - 3 of Helen's and my adventure were spent mostly at the conference. We learned that Mary's blindness was likely NOT caused by scarlet fever and that the grasshoppers that destroyed Pa's crops were actually locusts and for a variety of reasons, they are now extinct. (There was a long discussion about the biological relationship of grasshoppers and locusts, with the upshot being that one is a subset of the other, but it was all just confusing to me.) The presentations that tied most closely to the books (as opposed to being more academic in nature) were the things I loved best - and the ones Helen could relate to.

The conference materials came with peppermint sticks and conversation hearts. The hearts had specially printed messages relating to the conference and Laura. AWESOME! Helen doesn't like peppermint, so she traded for my hearts upon opening her goodie bag. It was a win-win situation.

Helen loved parading around in her bonnet (which she's worn a LOT since my mother gave it to her a couple of years ago) and was even interviewed for the evening news. This was a big thrill for Helen, as you can imagine. There were several older ladies who seemed to love parading around in their bonnets as well, which was only a little bit surprising. (One lady had not one, but two pretty creepy bonnets - which was just weird.)

Probably the highlight of the conference for Helen was on the second day of the conference, when we made bracelets and name cards. We traded our name cards just as Laura had traded hers. Pa didn't have to give us a dime to purchase them, since we made them ourselves. What a fun tradition!

Each evening after the conference we spent a lot of time at the indoor waterslide at our hotel. My friend's daughters and Helen were instant friends, and all three girls played so nicely together. Watching them interact was one of those wonderful parenting moments. I wish my friend and I still lived just a few blocks from each other. It would be super fun to watch our children grow up together!

Elaine

Running

I get a lot of good energy from running, so when a runner I truly admire asked me to write a post on why I run for her blog, I felt like I had made the big-time. She is funny, she is a great storyteller (two attributes that are extremely welcome in running company), and she spreads good energy everywhere she goes. My post is here.

Here is the story about the track that she alludes to in her introduction. The first time I went to the track, I was a couple of minutes late. I looked around for a big group of women, because I had heard about the track workout through a running group I had joined, Moms Run This Town (MRTT). (If you are a woman looking for running buddies, I strongly recommend looking for a chapter of this group near you.) I had already decided that I was going to run at the track that morning and not be discouraged, no matter what. I ran up next to this group of women and by way of introduction said "are you the moms?". Well, no, they were not the moms, they were the LUNA chix, but some of the people running with them were from MRTT and they said "sure, run with us". So I fell in to their warm-up mile. Only their warm-up was like my all-time fastest rock star pace (and I had run the 0.5 miles to the track, so I had warmed up a bit). I hung on to the back of the pack and then they stopped and said "OK, now it's time for striders" and they might as well have been speaking in Russian because I had no idea what that meant. Someone told me what they were, and I followed along for that as well.

At this point, I am dying, but also reminding myself that I was not going to be discouraged. I'm clinging to my water bottle pretending that I'm OK, but I am not.

And then someone said "here's today's workout" and sweet Jesus on a bicycle I swear all I could think of was "what the crap was all that stuff we just did?" and the woman with "today's workout" started talking about distances and tempos and rest breaks and I knew there was no way I was going to keep up, so I told myself - I'll just run whatever pace I can for the total length she is describing, and maybe if I don't take the breaks I can sort of keep up.

This whole pack of women took off around the track and I just started doing my thing. But here's what happened. When they ran by me (because even with their jogging breaks they were so damn speedy), a few of them would say "good job, Elaine". And I took that as a sign that even though I was not doing even close to what they were doing, I wasn't actually causing harm to them, so it must be OK for me to keep going. I could not finish the workout that had been described, so I just ran around that track until they all stopped, and then I said my good-byes and ran home, rather than cooling down at the track. After all, I was dying and thought dying in a private place might be better than collapsing on the track.

It took a few weeks for me to realize that those breaks were actually an important part of the workout.

I have no idea what they were thinking about me. At one point, I decided that maybe I made a good mascot for them. Maybe I made them feel good about how awesome they were, as they lapped me week after week. It was a few months in, on an exceptionally cold day when they shortened the workout that I actually finished it. For the first time, I had completed the workout, and I did announce this glory to everyone else, and their reaction told me it was clear they had no idea I hadn't been completing the workouts before. And while they were happy for me because this was clearly a huge milestone in my eyes, they weren't bothered at all by my previous early exits.

As spring approached, I learned that I had actually been going to workouts that weren't official. There is an official LUNA chix season where everyone is invited to join, and unofficially, several people had just kept it going. I had totally crowded right into their workouts (at someone's invitation, but still...), which made me realize even more how nice these women were being to me.

It took me a long time before I felt comfortable running off the track with these women. On the track, pace doesn't matter. You can't get lost, you can't get left behind. You're running in circles. But off the track, pace matters. You have to have a reasonable chance of keeping up with your fellow runners, and it doesn't feel good to know you're holding everyone back. And if you can't keep up, there is the very real chance that you will be left behind (people will volunteer to slow down, but I would've just said - oh no, I'm fine).

My only regret? I wish the first time someone in that group had asked me to run with them I would've just done it. Because I am loving my runs lately.

Elaine

Laurapalooza! Day 1.

Helen and I recently flew to Minneapolis, picked up my best friend from elementary school and her two daughters, and then drove to Brookings, South Dakota where we attended a conference on Laura Ingalls Wilder. And as ridiculous as that all sounds, I promise I am not making it up.

I have never traveled with Helen alone for an extended period. This trip was a real treat. That Helen made fast friends with my friend's daughters was icing on the cake. I'd rate this trip as being as good as it could've been - and I'm hopeful this will be the start of some mother-daughter travel for Helen and me.

Our adventure started with an early morning drive up to Baltimore, because I decided the convenience of a direct flight was better than the convenience of driving to Dulles or National. Upon landing in Minneapolis, we headed to The Works. It's super cool, we should have one in DC.

A huge bonus of going to a children's museum in the middle of the week is that it is virtually empty. And we took advantage of that by testing every exhibit in the place, with only a brief break to eat what would be the first of roughly 20 pizzas on our trip. (My deal with myself was that I was going to try and make the trip as easy on Helen as possible, and if that meant cow-towing to her daily request for cheese pizza, I was going to smile and love it.)

Helen was a little horrified that I took her photo in these clothes. They are her traveling clothes, selected only for comfort, not fashion. She did admit they were good on the plane, but they are not even close to enough style for her.

We rocked it so hard building a marble run, that at one point, a bunch of kids were trying their best to take the project over from Helen. But she was determined to make it work, and she succeeded! 

And then Helen made a balloon car, and she brought home a kit for Connor because she would really like to show him how awesome it is.

After spending several hours here, we headed off to Lisa's house - but not without texting my mom a photo for my dad, the family engineer.

It was good to move around a lot, because the next phase of our trip was driving. We were able to remind ourselves that I am a terrible navigator, which resulted in Lisa driving down a few roads in the wrong direction. Luckily, she either remembers that I'm a disaster with a map or doesn't care.

We did make it to our destination and were able to check into our "suite". It was there we encountered the first problem - the couch that was supposed to be in our room with two beds was an imaginary couch. Helen sized up the situation quickly and begged for all three girls to sleep in the same bed, even volunteering to be the middle kid. (She wasn't being nice here - she remembers getting kicked out of bed the last time she shared with a friend, and she wanted to make sure she didn't suffer a similar indignity on this trip.) The kids were thrilled, so as Lisa noted, the problem was solved before anyone even realized it was a problem. Yay!

Elaine

Grilling! With decent hot dogs!

Ed is the grill master around here, and as it turns out, that's probably a good thing. Those things are hot, dirty, and forgetting stuff on them is not a good idea.

However, in the spirit of feminism and my "I can do anything" spirit, I tried grilling.

Look, I'm grilling! It's fun. (Not really - really it's very hot, just as I suspected.)

A friend of mine that normally summers in North Carolina is here in Arlington waiting for the arrival of her third child. She might be more concerned about what her children eat than anyone I know, so it was with great excitement that I was able to invite her over to taste Applegate's Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs. Her children not only gobbled them down, she happily took the rest of the package home to enjoy.

They are hot dogs, so they are super easy to cook - just heat them through. So it wasn't hard to go from this...

to this!

Applegate gifted me two packages of the hot dogs, so I am totally ready to impress whatever sports' team finds its way to our home next.

I have decided to retire my grilling spatula (or whatever you call that long tool). I do a lot of the cooking around here these days, and grilling is one place that Ed owns. I'm happy for him to keep ownership of the grill. I much prefer sitting around waiting for the food to be cooked.

Cheers!

Elaine

I received two packages of Applegate hot dogs, bottles of Sir Kensington's Ketchup and Mustard (totally delish - seen in picnic photos later this summer, I guarantee). 

Helen's Softball Wrap-up

I think we convinced Helen to wear a pair of Connor's old baseball pants to exactly one game this season. They simply are not stylish enough for her, and since there was probably only one other girl who wore them, we didn't have much of an argument about them being part of the required uniform.

Helen possibly agreed that pants might work better than shorts (even though there's no sliding in her league - or at least no intentional sliding), so she took to wearing a pair of leggings under her jersey.

All of her games happened early in the morning, so either Ed or I trotted out to each game with coffee in hand. We both went to a few games, which gave me the opportunity to snap a few photos of Ed's mid-game coaching session with Helen.

I suspect every softball photo I have that includes an adult also includes a coffee cup.

Ready for action! She was actually quite aggressive in the field, and got pretty good at tracking down balls and flinging them in the correct direction.

And she also became a pretty reliable hitter. 

Helen is much better at softball than she thinks, but as confident as she is about many things, that confidence doesn't seem to overflow into her softball life. But I'm pretty sure she's planning on giving it at least one more season.

Go Hurricanes!

Elaine

Keeping the Mosquitoes at Bay

I'm not sure what the final total rainfall this past week was, but it was a lot. The toddler sandbox that still gets play as Helen's favorite watering hole was filled to the brim. Water was pooling on the side of our house, which inspired me to at least temporarily fix some of our many drainage problems - getting completely soaked in the process. I also ran 9.5 miles but that is only because I didn't get the email or text suggesting we cancel until I was already sitting in front of my friend's house. And by that point, I was ready to run (my friend and her neighbor, another friend, decided to join after all which was super nice of them).

And now we sit and wait for the swarms of mosquitoes that will surely thrive in all this water that has been left behind. Our backyard has the worst mosquitoes - and they bite during the day and in the evening. We've done a lot of work in our backyard to get rid of them (mostly getting a lot of air circulating through there, and getting rid of standing water before it is around for more than a couple of days) but still, they persist.

We leave bug spray on our screened in porch at all times so that anyone who dares venture out beyond the screens can try and protect themselves. But last weekend, I tried something new! We had friends over for a BBQ on Friday night, and when Helen went out to play ping pong with her friend, I turned on the Stinger All Natural Mosquito Lantern. I placed it beneath the center of the table.

The packaging claims it'll keep mosquitoes away over a 225 square foot area, and by the looks of Helen's legs, it actually worked! Which is awesome, because we love hanging out not just on the deck, but the patio beside it. And normally, we get enough mosquito bites to be driven back to the safety that screens offer.

When I'm brave, I'm going to try weeding the garden with this lantern nearby. I'm thinking it might be possible to NOT have to put on two layers of long sleeves to keep from getting bitten!

The Mosquito Lantern is super easy to use - just put this little strip that looks like a piece of Juicy Fruit gum in a holder in the lantern, drop in the batteries, and turn it on. Almost like magic!

Elaine

I received the Stinger All Natural Mosquito Lantern as a gift from Stinger. I'll be purchasing additional ones for my annual Oktoberfest party, in a bid to keep the mosquitoes out of the party!

Best Game of the Season

Every time my parents visit and attend Connor's baseball game - he does something completely out of character and amazing. One year, he fielded a ball in right field and threw the runner out going to first. Another time, he caught a ball headed fast and hard toward his head, and somehow had the presence of mind to put his glove up and catch the thing, rather than duck or just swat it down. He once hit a double.

A couple of weeks ago when my parents were visiting was no exception. The team had a great year, due almost exclusively to the amazing rotation of pitchers on the team. Many of them play travel baseball, and it shows. The team is endowed with a catcher that can routinely throw kids out at second when they try to steal, another player who has almost hit the ball OVER the fence, and yet another who hit an inside-the-park home run.

Despite a solid effort, Connor is not a stand-out athlete. But during the final game of the season, he pounded a ball for a single (advancing all the runners!) and made an amazing catch in left field. The ball was hit long and hard, Connor started stepping around - backward, forward, a little to the side. I know that every parent was holding their breath (bases were loaded, the pitcher was struggling) and we were probably all thinking "anywhere but Connor". But somehow, Connor managed to plant himself directly under that ball, reached his left hand up, caught the ball, and tossed it back into the infield. Ed even commented that he looked more graceful than lost.

This is what a kid who just made a great catch looks like.

All of the parents on the team might dread when the ball goes toward Connor (only a slight exaggeration) but all of them also pull for him so hard, because they see how hard he's working out there. I have never heard so many people cheer. His friend W. was in centerfield and ran over to left to high five Connor and give him a hug. After the game, a dad of a friend of Connor came and remarked on Connor's great game - and I have to say, this dad has been steadfast in telling me he hopes Connor sticks with it. I appreciate that. And that dad's attitude shows in his son, who routinely says nice things about Connor's baseball playing.

And so ends another season of Spring baseball. The team lost, but it was a true high note for Connor. Thank you, every parent on the team. You have been so kind to Connor. Thank you, teammates, we couldn't ask for anyone better by our sides.

I am, of course, sad that I have no photograph of that catch. It would've been fun to hang on the wall. I did, however, catch that single.

Elaine

L'Hermione - docked in Old Town!

A replica of L'Hermione, the ship that carried General Lafayette, troops and supplies for the American Revolution docked in Alexandria. Through a bit of confusion, I was able to score a pair of tickets after waiting in line - and a kind man in line behind me gifted me his second ticket so that I could take both Connor and Helen on the tour.

Connor's class has been studying Virginia history, and he is particularly drawn to all part of history related to war, so I knew this would be a big hit with him. Helen is not quite as enthralled with wars, but she does love old-timey things, so there was a change this would be a huge hit with her as well.

In order to pick-up our tickets, we needed to arrive at noon. Our tickets were good for touring the boat at 1:30. This left us plenty of time to walk around the dock, get a ridiculously thorough explanation of naval navigation at the time of L'Hermione, and have an ice cream snack.

Even before stepping foot on the ship, Connor kept muttering "this is awesome" and "thank you so much, mom". He then spent his time on the ship noticing details, asking about them, and reminding me of tidbits about the ship he had read earlier in the day.

This solidly qualifies as another one of the ridiculously great experiences Connor and Helen have gotten to go to because they live in this area.

Elaine