Since Carter has both today and Monday off for Easter weekend, Daddy and I decided to take today off, too.
This gave me a chance to stuff goodies into plastic eggs for our family Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow, plus make something for the family potluck and, most importantly, go to Good Friday church services.
In a nutshell, that was our day off, topped off with a fish fry at a local bar and grill. Now that is a good Friday!
Today also is Earth Day. Carter and I had all intentions of a decent can-collecting effort in local ditches. But even though it was for Mother Earth, Mother Nature did not cooperate. Figures. We had rain pretty much all afternoon and evening.
So tonight we are staying inside. The boys are watching the Celtics and I am watching Tangled, a Disney movie that suddenly Carter is too old to watch with me. So going forward, I guess I have to hide out in the basement with my Pixar favorites and just pretend I have a little guy to enjoy them with me!
And if someday again he sits down to watch one of them with me, then that will be a good Friday, too.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Son Screen
This was supposed to be a "screen-free week" for the middle school kids. In other words, not just a "No TV Week" but also limited time on video games, computer chatting, etc. Anything with screens, really. You get the idea.
It's a great concept. But it didn't really pan out in our household. Not when one of Carter's classes required him to watch the news every day this week. And certainly not when the Celtics are in the NBA playoffs!
During baseball season, he doesn't get that much free time anyway. So I don't feel too compelled to limit his use. Yet.
I personally can't handle looking at the computer much when I get home because I've got my share of screen time at work. This week, I had even extra time because I was doing a little experiment reading a book digitally on my Netbook.
First of all, the book -- Water for Elephants -- was just OK, not great. Secondly, I'm not sure I am ready to embrace the e-book lifestyle. Not completely anyway.
And certainly not on my Netbook. Despite its petite size, it was still cumbersome to take to bed with me. I'm sure the real e-readers are more parallel to actual books in size so you really can take them everywhere you'd take a book. The other part I didn't like was what I previously mentioned. I don't need more screen time after work. I'm sure my eyes are still a bit strained when I read real-life paper pages, but I don't have to worry about glare from the sun or low battery.
We'll see if I eventually change my mind. In the meantime, I don't need to do anything that'll ruin my eyes.
And Carter should be careful, too, not to look too closely at the TV screen, computer monitor or even at real-life girls. That might ruin your eyes, kid (and your sanity).
I'm just sayin'.
It's a great concept. But it didn't really pan out in our household. Not when one of Carter's classes required him to watch the news every day this week. And certainly not when the Celtics are in the NBA playoffs!
During baseball season, he doesn't get that much free time anyway. So I don't feel too compelled to limit his use. Yet.
I personally can't handle looking at the computer much when I get home because I've got my share of screen time at work. This week, I had even extra time because I was doing a little experiment reading a book digitally on my Netbook.
First of all, the book -- Water for Elephants -- was just OK, not great. Secondly, I'm not sure I am ready to embrace the e-book lifestyle. Not completely anyway.
And certainly not on my Netbook. Despite its petite size, it was still cumbersome to take to bed with me. I'm sure the real e-readers are more parallel to actual books in size so you really can take them everywhere you'd take a book. The other part I didn't like was what I previously mentioned. I don't need more screen time after work. I'm sure my eyes are still a bit strained when I read real-life paper pages, but I don't have to worry about glare from the sun or low battery.
We'll see if I eventually change my mind. In the meantime, I don't need to do anything that'll ruin my eyes.
And Carter should be careful, too, not to look too closely at the TV screen, computer monitor or even at real-life girls. That might ruin your eyes, kid (and your sanity).
I'm just sayin'.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
April Madness
Since I try to keep it clean on the pages of this blog, I have officially run out of names to call Mother Nature. Though it doesn't mean she deserves them any less!I just look outside and think: Seriously??
Whatcha gonna do?
It seems to be slowing down now so maybe we won't get the 5-9 inches forecast. But I will say this, that was without a doubt, the worst drive home this "winter!" Scary, slushy, slippery crap that kept both of hubby's hands on the wheel -- and both of mine gripping the door. Yikes. Just felt good to get home safely.
No surprise Carter's baseball game got canceled this afternoon. He was more worried about that than his big forensics competition today. For Middle School, they had the "local" level and the "advanced" level. A few weeks ago, he got a first place(97 out of 100 points) in the first round and today he got another first (97 again)! What a good couple of days here. We keep telling him we're proud of him ... and hoping we don't have a reason to stop telling him!
I said we'd have to find another day to celebrate soon... A day when we're not under a Winter Storm Warning... A day when a new episode of Glee isn't on...
And a day when maybe we can sit out on the front deck!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Batter, Up!
Spring baseball season has officially begun -- in case you didn't hear the applause from Marshfield.
Had to exit work early to get there (an hour and 20 minutes away from Iola) by the first pitch at 4:15 p.m. Everyone was there. Mr. Sun also arrived in time. So did Mr. Mercury, but he refused to rise up beyond 44 degrees. Needless to say, I was glad I brought Mr. Blankie and the Mitten twins along!
That's spring baseball alright!
We had a double-header scheduled but due to time limits and lighting limits (no field lights once the sun was setting) both games were called early and both ended in a 5-5 tie.
Not many highlights to share. Carter had 3 at-bats -- one strikeout (at least he was swinging) and two walks. I was happy he was ready to hit and was swinging to hit. He'll get there much sooner than other seasons, I am sure of it. He fielded OK, but not stellar. Overall, the whole team needs to shake off the winter cobwebs and get in the game.
They'll have plenty of chances. Two games down but in the next 6 weeks he's got something like 24 games between school league and rec league. He's practically pro!
Well, let's not rush things. One frigid game at a time...
Had to exit work early to get there (an hour and 20 minutes away from Iola) by the first pitch at 4:15 p.m. Everyone was there. Mr. Sun also arrived in time. So did Mr. Mercury, but he refused to rise up beyond 44 degrees. Needless to say, I was glad I brought Mr. Blankie and the Mitten twins along!
That's spring baseball alright!
We had a double-header scheduled but due to time limits and lighting limits (no field lights once the sun was setting) both games were called early and both ended in a 5-5 tie.
Not many highlights to share. Carter had 3 at-bats -- one strikeout (at least he was swinging) and two walks. I was happy he was ready to hit and was swinging to hit. He'll get there much sooner than other seasons, I am sure of it. He fielded OK, but not stellar. Overall, the whole team needs to shake off the winter cobwebs and get in the game.
They'll have plenty of chances. Two games down but in the next 6 weeks he's got something like 24 games between school league and rec league. He's practically pro!
Well, let's not rush things. One frigid game at a time...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Looks Can Be Deceiving
One of the things Carter enjoys about Art class is drawing optical illusions. He loves creating an image that looks like one thing at first glance but, upon closer inspection, evolves into something entirely different.
Mother Nature drew one of those today.
From inside the house, it looked like one of those sunny spring days that call for some time in the deck chair while the ambitious folks do silly things like rake or plant.
One step outside and it was a completely different picture. Windy and very chilly. Probably reached the 40s today but is was not nearly close to a deck-chair day. And barely became a run day.
Those darn optical illusions!
I decided to tag-a-long with the guys to go to the indoor batting cages. That was fun to watch boys and girls serious about improving their baseball and softball skills... and the devoted dads there helping them!
Got home and figured I better bite the bullet and go for a run. Still get to wear my winter Twins hat! It was one of those weird runs where I ended up facing the wind on my way out and my way back in. It was gusting and switching directions to spite me. And that was not fun. Who needs challenges like that on a Sunday?
This evening, since Jim is gone to a sports board meeting, Carter and I went to Wal-Mart to get a few groceries, some blue baseball socks and Easter treats (while they're still in stock).
With his birthday coming up, we are leaning toward getting him a bike to replace the one he got for his 8th birthday. I guess he's grown a bit. So I let him test-drive a few in the store just so I'd have an idea what is comfortable for him. I warned him, "You know, if you get a new bike, you won't have an excuse to say no when I ask you to go for rides with me this summer." He still wants one. So we'll see.
Now he's practicing his baritone and I'm gonna go make some blueberry smoothies. Hey, it looks like a warm summer day out there. (And this is as close as I'll get to ice cream for one more week!)
Mother Nature drew one of those today.
From inside the house, it looked like one of those sunny spring days that call for some time in the deck chair while the ambitious folks do silly things like rake or plant.
One step outside and it was a completely different picture. Windy and very chilly. Probably reached the 40s today but is was not nearly close to a deck-chair day. And barely became a run day.
Those darn optical illusions!
I decided to tag-a-long with the guys to go to the indoor batting cages. That was fun to watch boys and girls serious about improving their baseball and softball skills... and the devoted dads there helping them!
Got home and figured I better bite the bullet and go for a run. Still get to wear my winter Twins hat! It was one of those weird runs where I ended up facing the wind on my way out and my way back in. It was gusting and switching directions to spite me. And that was not fun. Who needs challenges like that on a Sunday?
This evening, since Jim is gone to a sports board meeting, Carter and I went to Wal-Mart to get a few groceries, some blue baseball socks and Easter treats (while they're still in stock).
With his birthday coming up, we are leaning toward getting him a bike to replace the one he got for his 8th birthday. I guess he's grown a bit. So I let him test-drive a few in the store just so I'd have an idea what is comfortable for him. I warned him, "You know, if you get a new bike, you won't have an excuse to say no when I ask you to go for rides with me this summer." He still wants one. So we'll see.
Now he's practicing his baritone and I'm gonna go make some blueberry smoothies. Hey, it looks like a warm summer day out there. (And this is as close as I'll get to ice cream for one more week!)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Running the Rapids
Race Day Journal...
8 a.m.- It's race day! Time to get moving! Hubby: "Don't look out the window."
I looked. Dang.
8:03 a.m. -- C'mon, Carter, get up! It's race day. (Silently thinking, please don't look out the window.) Carter: "Oh I'm so tired. I should have watched Rocky last night to get motivated."
8:10 a.m.- Eat our light power breakfast of peanut butter toast and a banana.
8:30 a.m.- Bundle up enough to be warm but not too weighted down. It's 32 degrees with windchill of 26, but the wind is not blowing like yesterday so that is a blessing. I get to wear my lucky winter Twins hat one more time!
9:40 a.m.- Pre-race photos courtesy of Jim, who came arrived in time to be team photographer and cheerleader!
9:42 a.m.- Interview with the local newspaper. I'm not kidding! It was so fun being on the other side of an interview for a change. We were just picked at random. I didn't tell her I was an ex-reporter but made sure to give her good quotes. Carter did, too! We'll let you know if we make the paper!
9:45 a.m.- One more picture with the neighborhood crew!
10 a.m. - And we're off! The snow stopped just in time for the start of the Run The Rapids race, which included more than 450 runners and walkers. Great turnout for the child-abuse prevention event!
10:02 a.m.- "Mom, how long have we been running?" Oh boy.
Since Carter did not get much training time in recent weeks due to baseball practice, we set out to do a run/walk. Run for 5 minutes, walk for 30 seconds, then run for 5, etc. I figured we could easily finish in less than 40 minutes and really, really hoped we could finish in 36 minutes, which would be an average of 12-minute miles. I had to be part Tiger Mom, part Supportive, Caring Mom and part Running Coach.
It all balanced out. We ended up walking way more than planned, but I did not want him to be in pain. "I'm gonna die." "No, you're not!" I did not want this to be a completely miserable experience. But yet, wanted to push him enough so we could finish.
10:30 a.m.- We can see the finish line way downriver. "Carter, you're doing great! I think we can finish in 36 minutes!"
10:32 a.m.- "We're almost there! C'mon Carter! Let's finish strong!" (Praying silently that he has enough energy left to sprint a bit and finish ahead of me!)
10:34:41 a.m.- We did it!! High fives! Fist pumps! "I'm so proud of you, kiddo!"
11:30 a.m.- Awards ceremony. We mainly hung around so we could see final results and see if we knew any of the winners. I was so focused on getting Carter through the race that I didn't know how many kids were in his age group (12 & under). So we were so surprised when they called his name for second place! Awesome! More high fives! More fist pumps!
11:40 a.m.- Me: So what did you think? Carter: "It wasn't so bad. I mean I can say that now that I didn't die or anything." I think we've got him hooked.
11:58 a.m.- "I'm taking my victory shower!"
You deserve it!
8 a.m.- It's race day! Time to get moving! Hubby: "Don't look out the window."
I looked. Dang.
8:03 a.m. -- C'mon, Carter, get up! It's race day. (Silently thinking, please don't look out the window.) Carter: "Oh I'm so tired. I should have watched Rocky last night to get motivated."
8:10 a.m.- Eat our light power breakfast of peanut butter toast and a banana.
8:30 a.m.- Bundle up enough to be warm but not too weighted down. It's 32 degrees with windchill of 26, but the wind is not blowing like yesterday so that is a blessing. I get to wear my lucky winter Twins hat one more time!
9:40 a.m.- Pre-race photos courtesy of Jim, who came arrived in time to be team photographer and cheerleader!
9:42 a.m.- Interview with the local newspaper. I'm not kidding! It was so fun being on the other side of an interview for a change. We were just picked at random. I didn't tell her I was an ex-reporter but made sure to give her good quotes. Carter did, too! We'll let you know if we make the paper!
9:45 a.m.- One more picture with the neighborhood crew!
10 a.m. - And we're off! The snow stopped just in time for the start of the Run The Rapids race, which included more than 450 runners and walkers. Great turnout for the child-abuse prevention event!
10:02 a.m.- "Mom, how long have we been running?" Oh boy.
Since Carter did not get much training time in recent weeks due to baseball practice, we set out to do a run/walk. Run for 5 minutes, walk for 30 seconds, then run for 5, etc. I figured we could easily finish in less than 40 minutes and really, really hoped we could finish in 36 minutes, which would be an average of 12-minute miles. I had to be part Tiger Mom, part Supportive, Caring Mom and part Running Coach.
It all balanced out. We ended up walking way more than planned, but I did not want him to be in pain. "I'm gonna die." "No, you're not!" I did not want this to be a completely miserable experience. But yet, wanted to push him enough so we could finish.
10:30 a.m.- We can see the finish line way downriver. "Carter, you're doing great! I think we can finish in 36 minutes!"
10:32 a.m.- "We're almost there! C'mon Carter! Let's finish strong!" (Praying silently that he has enough energy left to sprint a bit and finish ahead of me!)
10:34:41 a.m.- We did it!! High fives! Fist pumps! "I'm so proud of you, kiddo!"
11:30 a.m.- Awards ceremony. We mainly hung around so we could see final results and see if we knew any of the winners. I was so focused on getting Carter through the race that I didn't know how many kids were in his age group (12 & under). So we were so surprised when they called his name for second place! Awesome! More high fives! More fist pumps!
11:40 a.m.- Me: So what did you think? Carter: "It wasn't so bad. I mean I can say that now that I didn't die or anything." I think we've got him hooked.
11:58 a.m.- "I'm taking my victory shower!"
You deserve it!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Freaky Friday
Nothing surprises me about weather in Wisconsin anymore, but it can still be a bit freaky.
After having tornadoes touch down to the north and south of us earlier in the week, we did not need to see "Wind" in the forecast. And frankly, if the winds are steady at 25-35 mph, do we need to add in "Gusts"? Enough already.
I noticed from my window seat at work that the wind was whipping around quite a bit. But when Carter called after he got home from school, I was surprised to hear the wind knocked over our basketball hoop! Thankfully, it it did not break the hoop or pole or shatter the backboard. It could have been worse.
Then, moments later, my co-worker's spouse called and they have trees down in their yard! So I was prepared for the car to be fighting headwinds on the drive home but was not prepared for the sight we were driving into, heading west on Highway 54. The air and skies ahead were kind of brown -- almost like you'd see in a movie about the "dust bowl." Surreal. Then driving next to the farm field and seeing dust fly like you would if someone was plowing -- only no one was there, that was freaky.
Nothing else seemed out of order, though.
Picked up Carter, went out for a fish fry, then it started hailing. We stopped briefly to visit Jim's parents in town, then it was sleeting on our way home. And still windy.
Why do I care? We have approximately 13 hours before the starting gun goes off for Carter's first 5K! At this point, he'd rather go to bed tonight and stay in bed. Who wouldn't? I think my persuasion will have to follow the lines of "Your future races can only get better" or something like that.
I mean we have to do it no matter what. Neither rain nor sleet nor wind nor snow can stop us from getting that T-shirt!
After having tornadoes touch down to the north and south of us earlier in the week, we did not need to see "Wind" in the forecast. And frankly, if the winds are steady at 25-35 mph, do we need to add in "Gusts"? Enough already.
I noticed from my window seat at work that the wind was whipping around quite a bit. But when Carter called after he got home from school, I was surprised to hear the wind knocked over our basketball hoop! Thankfully, it it did not break the hoop or pole or shatter the backboard. It could have been worse.
Then, moments later, my co-worker's spouse called and they have trees down in their yard! So I was prepared for the car to be fighting headwinds on the drive home but was not prepared for the sight we were driving into, heading west on Highway 54. The air and skies ahead were kind of brown -- almost like you'd see in a movie about the "dust bowl." Surreal. Then driving next to the farm field and seeing dust fly like you would if someone was plowing -- only no one was there, that was freaky.
Nothing else seemed out of order, though.
Picked up Carter, went out for a fish fry, then it started hailing. We stopped briefly to visit Jim's parents in town, then it was sleeting on our way home. And still windy.
Why do I care? We have approximately 13 hours before the starting gun goes off for Carter's first 5K! At this point, he'd rather go to bed tonight and stay in bed. Who wouldn't? I think my persuasion will have to follow the lines of "Your future races can only get better" or something like that.
I mean we have to do it no matter what. Neither rain nor sleet nor wind nor snow can stop us from getting that T-shirt!
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