We're all in this thing together

Yes, I'm opening with an Old Crow Medicine Show line.  It's funny, the older the boys get, the more I feel like toddler parents (we) are all in this together, and I'm sure as the boys grow we'll be "in it" with the same set of parents whose children are growing.  It really does take a village ... even strangers. 

Last night after (an awesome) dinner with Lisa, Frank, Lila, Andrew and the boys we were hovering outside saying goodbyes when all of the sudden the boys and Lila started holding hands chanting "wing awound the wosie..." At the moment they started holding hands, another toddler we've never met before toddles up and gets into the circle with them.  I smiled at her mom, she smiled back, and all of a sudden we were all doing Ring Around the Rosie in the middle of downtown Ballard.  Strangers watched and smiled, strangers played, and we were all in it together - having a great time.

Love

Cole has turned into a little lovey.  He has taken to kissing the animals in books while we're reading them.  He is also very concerned if anyone ever is hurt or sad going so far as to say "'s OK" to complete strangers. 

Last week I went to a conference for work and came home with the best swag - a flying cow toy where you pull it's legs and it slingshots across the room MOOing loudly at the same time.  Cole seems to think this hurts the cow and anytime we try to sling him Cole cries and runs to hold his beloved cow.

Matt and I both think it's hilarious ... I guess we should learn from Cole's compassion.

Myself

The boys are trying very hard to do everything on their own now which is awesome and challenging at the same time.  Getting into the car now takes at least 5min longer than normal.  Getting shoes on - add another 5.  But the rewards are so great.  When Cole flings himself into his carseat on his own the look of pride on his face is staggering.  Wilson is now trying to get his pants and t-shirts on by himeself in addition to his shoes and sweatshirts.  Pants turned into a mini game of twister and pouty lip yesterday as he got one leg, then proceeded to put the other leg in the wrong side of his pant leg, then get completely tangled up.  The lower lip popped out quivering and all I could do was laugh because he was so friggin cute.

In addition to wanting to do everything themselves, the boys want to pick things on their own.  Both Cole and Wilson were a little overzealous at daycare when the sprinklers were out so had to pick clothes from the "backup" closet.  Cole came home touting a bright orange tank top and Wilson was wearing the shortest red shorts I've ever seen (diaper hanging out the bottom).  Too cute!

Weekend roundup: rainy in the summer

What a great weekend!  The weather was horrible, but one of our good friends, and Wilson's godmother, Ryan was in town and we had a lot of fun.  Ry got in on Friday and we enjoyed a mellow night with takeout. 

Saturday we were surprised by rain but made the best of it by heading to the zoo during a dry spell.  Saturday night Ryan, Lisa and I made our way to a wine bar for a girl night - it's been forever since we had a girl night!  We were all roommates in college so it's funny (and great) going out now vs. how we did then.

Sunday I decided to do the See Jane Run half marathon last minute (and did notsogood) and Ryan went to Church with Lisa and fam.  Mid-morning we met up at Farmer's Market and tried to dodge the rain.  Sunday evening was another grown up night, but this time with the husbands.

All in all, a ton of fun!  I think we exhausted Ryan with all the toddler time - and the boys are now going into the guest room asking for her... oh boy.

Five things I love today

This past week has been nuts.  The boy realized they're two and are acting like it.  After a bad race, I got sick and was exhausted all week.  And every day at work has been back-to-back meetings leaving me having to do my day job at night.  All this said, it wasn't a bad week - alternating with the boys' two-drums were hugs and kisses and more words than I've ever heard.  The bad race made me re-embrace the need to actually train.  And work ... well, it's work.

On this evening's run I was thinking about some of the things that have gotten me through the week; so here are five things I love:

1. Friends and family - duh!

     2. The Be Good Tanyas

On this evening's run I enjoyed the mellow voices of The Be Good Tanyas.  It's funny, usually when I race I like fast and loud mixed with quiet (and the sounds of trees, rocks flying, and breathing).  After this week, though, mellow got me into the grove of running - so much so I almost didn't want to stop.

    3. Free weights
I used to love my arms.  Now, though, after tiring everything out with lifting the boys and playing "pickup the dropped toy" over and over, I get too tired to really work my arms.  That's all changing - I'm re-kindling my love of free weights.  No more pancake arms (where I wave and my arm waves a few seconds later)!

    4. Stair repeats - when I don't have the stroller or two little hands I find great joy in running up and down stairs, mainly just because I can.

    5. Books on running

My new favorite is Women Who Run.  I've torn through Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Vintage), and Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner and have MANY more on my to-read list.  Losing myself and getting motivated by these books has also given me a new goal in life ... get published. I would love to write two books: one on running, and one with nothing to do with running but with "diggers" and history - a book for kids.  I'll regail you with more stories soon :o).

Race Report: Cougar Mt. 10mi

This past weekend was another race weekend - the Cougar Mountain 10mi, the third in the Cougar Mountain series.  This was definitely a "boogy man race" as after about mile 5 I was checked out.  This was also a good reminder that the mind does tire before the body.  The race started OK - 168 of us lined up in the tall weeds at the starting line ready for the countdown.  I went out fast, probably too fast (that's my downfall) and was leading the pack for the first few miles.  Then it hit me - I was tired.  My mind started spinning with my to do list and the desire to be done and stretching - enjoying watermelon and diet coke.  Skipping to the finish line mentally during a race is rarely a good thing. 

I wound up getting 3rd woman and 31st overall.  Not great, not horrible.

All in all, a good learning experience.

Happy Birthday Cole and Wilson

Happy Birthday to my loves - Cole and Wilson are officially TWO!

It's been quite a year - we moved to Seattle, the boys started walking, the boys started pre-school, Cole chipped his front teeth, Wilson got breathing probs - and both of them are moving past it - the boys colored their first pictures, the boys learned more than 20 words and can now count no 5 ... yes, lots of great milestones.  And we can't wait for more!

Things I love: Running apps!

So I have a love / hate relationship with my phone. Having email all the time day and night can be rough - if I see something come up at work, I have a very hard time holding myself back from working on it.  That said, I love having pictures and videos of my boys anywhere I go.  I love having my music loaded in Cloud Player right on my phone so I can take that running instead of my iPod (when I'm on a long run and decide to go longer I can let Matty know).  I am now loving all the great running apps there are for phones. 

Recently I Beta tested Sports Tracker for Android - what a cool app!  This is an app that helps track runs by distance and time, but also doubles as a great social networking app as you can automatically upload your workout, and even images, to the Sports Tracker site.  By default you're "introduced" to athletes around the world and can stay on top of runs and workouts and see some cool routes in the process (if people upload pictures).  The app is now out of Beta and is available on Android, iOS, and Ovi - if you feel like geeking out on the run, check it out!

Tasty Tuesday: Juice!

I used to be very anti-juice - I wanted to eat my nutrition vs. drink it.  Lately, though, I've been doing a lot of research on raw/vegan diets (OK, I'll admit, much of this research was post steak dinner, but I'm researching!) and I'm turned on to juice ... the right kind that is.  So, recently we bought a super cheap juicer and have been enjoying noisy messy Saturday mornings where, you guessed it, we juice!  Here's my favorite right now:
1 Apple
1 Beet
2 Carrots
Ginger

And that's it!  Delish.  Super sweet, though - this juice could be a dessert... almost.

Money Saver Monday: Deal Emails!

I have to say, I'm a little on the fence with all the deal sites and emails now.  For fashion there are:

• Gilt Group
• Ruelala
• Hautelook
• Ideeli

For mom and kid stuff there's:

• Babysteals.com
• Kidsteals.com

For local activities there's:

• Groupon
• Livingsocial
• Amazon Local

And now for athletics and activities in general there's:

• Schwaggle
• Zozi

I can't keep up with all of these!  But, when I'm looking for a deal on local eats or for an inexpensive Clif Bar kit or heart rate monitor, I check these sites first.  I am a sucker for a sale, and that's what all of these sites and email lists are bringing.  I can't subscribe to all of them because the inbox management becomes a mess, but it's good to know they're there.

Happy shopping!

Ode to Poison Oak

It's itchy
It's bumpy
It's red and it's lumpy
It's the poison oak that has taken over my legs
Boo ...

After the Double Dipsea last week I was left with sore legs and poison oak.  The sore is gone, but the poison oak has taken over my legs in full vengeance - and it hurts!  Weak at heart?  Hide your eyes - here's a look at a narnar athlete's leg (mine):

(p.s., that's not purple nailpolish on my toe - double gross)

So what's the cure?  Unfortunately the only real cure is time. Poison Oak Cure.net says the best poison oak treatment and cure is as follows:

1. Clean your skin right away (when you're an hour + away from home doing a trail race, and all you really want at the end of the race is a Diet Coke and eggs Benedict, that's not always an option)
2. Identify the symptoms (redness - check! itchiness - check!  Rash - check!)
3. Avoid scratching - this is the hardest step
4. Sanitize all your stuff that may have been exposed
5. Cold baths or showers - painful, but this really does help
6. Let the area dry
7. Use antihistamines

Here are my favorite cures:

• Oatmeal - sounds weird, but this really helps to dry up the poison oak and it takes away some of the itch
• Benadryl Spray - LOVE this!  Being able to spray it on really helps
• Calamine lotion  - I use this at night only because it's pepto pink and my legs already look beat up enough
• Benadryl Allergy - the pharmacy recommended this for night only (I haven't slept in 2 days because of the itch) but this cannot be used in conjunction with the spray; hence the pink stuff

As to how long poison oak lasts, according to the Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac Information Center, it can last from 5-12 days.  For severe cases, it can be upwards of 30 days or even longer!  I'm hoping my home treatments will help stick on the short side ... I'm at 7 days and counting.