Climbing Mt Everest

I decided to go for the ultimate training challenge - climb Everest. Being the wimp that I am, I also decided not to brave the elements and climb Everest in my own way - by climbing flights of stairs. Now, this apparently isn't an original idea. I was able to find several websites where someone has taken the time to figure out how many flights of stairs it takes to get to the summit. I printed the first one I found, mainly because it had a really cool picture of the mountain. After reviewing other ones, I decided I really liked this one because it only had me climbing 1,452 flights of stairs. These crazy people calculated 3,871 flights of stairs. I can definitely see me reaching 1,452, but over 3K seems a bit unreasonable right now.

I have always assumed a flight of stairs was 13 steps. With few exceptions, I count 13 in every flight I climb. With further research, I see some people have calculated a flight of stairs to be anywhere from 10-20 steps. I am sticking with my assumption of 13, since there are 13 in each flight I climb at work. This includes the 8 flights in the parking garage and the 1 flight up to the boonies parking lot. I'm just looking for a goal - not perfection. I think if I can climb over a thousand flights of stairs, I'll be happy. Maybe then I can shoot for the 3,871. Who knows? I may end up climbing to the moon.

Fun and Proof

Today we went to the walking park (with both bikes, a scooter and safety equipment) and had ice cream for lunch. Sometimes you just have to break the rules. Of course there was drama. Trinks dropped her double chocolate chunk on the ground. S was covered head to toe with coffee ice cream. We've run them so hard this weekend I am surprised they are still on their feet. Right now they are with hubby at the grocery store and I am at peace with the iPod blasting and the vacuum running. Once they return, I can get started putting dinner together - salmon in white wine sauce. And it is grilled in aluminum foil packs. Hopefully it's as good as it sounds.










For those of you who are the doubting sort (Nothing Knew this is directed at you because you were at my house last week and you tend to be a pessamist, no matter what the Baby Boomers tell you), here is a picture of the Accord in the garage WITH THE DOOR CLOSED!!!! My next goal is to have a clean desk by the end of June.

A car in the garage

There is a car in my garage. Really. I swear. It's the Accord, not the Odyssey, but we can use 1/2 of the garage for it's original purpose again. It's been 4 years since we had a car in the garage. When my in-laws moved, we took some of their stuff and then could no longer park in the garage.



Around noon, I decided to go out and sort through a few things in the garage. It is now 7:12 (ignore the time stamp - it's always wrong) and 1/2 of the garage is clear. The Odyssey is packed with junk to donate and there are 5 black garbage bags surrounding the overflowing extra large trash can. The kids rediscovered old toys that they still can use and decided to pitch ones that they no longer like. Hubby ran errands, brought back donuts and helped put things back in order, especially the last hour when it felt like my back would just go completely out. I think he likes having a place for his golf and fishing stuff. He's even taking all the junk to Goodwill tomorrow. Is there still a ton of crap in the garage? You bet. But by winter, I may have the van in the other side. I can dream, right?

0 Dark thirty

I actually woke up - reluctantly and met my walking partner at her house at 6. She walks fast and just about killed me this AM. We only did just over 3 miles, but it felt great. We had some big hills thrown in there and the pace was fast. This was just for fun - I hit my weekly goal of 15 miles yesterday. Next week the goal goes higher. So far, I am hanging on and doing well. 146 days until I have to prove how hard I've worked.

As soon as hubby wakes up, we will pack up and leave for Turkey Point. The hike with the kids should be about 2 miles, nice and slow. Then we'll meet the in-laws at our new favorite restaurant - Washington Street Ale House. I think the in laws are sick of our old favorite place Stewarts. I think we have exhausted the menu there and at Buckley Tavern.

Turkey Point MD

This is one of our destinations this holiday weekend. Turkey Point is part of Elks Neck State Park. When we were there in March, we saw this bald eagle. S just wants to fly his kite and there is a really nice meadow before you get to the lighthouse. We'll bring a picnic and enjoy the weather before it gets hot next week.

Dinner and gas (and not what you are thinking)

Hubby and I went out to dinner last night. The kids were spoiled rotten by a good friend, so we had nothing to worry about. We ended up at Washington Street Ale House. It was a wonderful meal - started with cheesesteak spring rolls. They were stacked on a pile of caramelized onions and surrounded by a beautiful design of dijon mustard. I could tell hubby wanted to lick the bowl. Then the entrees came. He had a tuna sandwhich - not canned, but a beautiful seared piece of tuna. I went for fried tandoori chicken over curry waffles with mango chutney. Amazing! We followed that with German chocolate cake with more coconut than you ever thought possible.



We reluctantly left, but had to get gas before we picked the kids up. We hit a record - $70 for a tank of gas. That was more than we spent on dinner!! We don't drive the Odyssey as much as we drive the 10 year old Accord, but it is a shock when we do fill it up. Ugh!

Simplicity

Quiet

I think I have been obsessing about quiet lately. Trinks' incessant chatter really gets under my skin sometimes. I have to remind her I can't really hear her when she talks all the time because I tune her out. She must have taken this to heart because on the way home from school, I gave clues to Trinks and Hortense about a place I really liked to go. Trinks first guess was "Quiet!" I laughed and said it was my favorite place, but the city I had in mind was Chicago.

The funny thing about quiet is once I get it, I am uncomfortable. I am so used to the noise of the house that it's almost unnerving when no one is here. Now don't get me wrong, my ultimate fantasy is to ditch hubby and the kids from Friday night to Sunday night. I think that's the most quiet I can stand.

1,000 miles

I hit a milestone last week, but in my rush to get to NJ, I never noticed it. I have walked over 1,000 miles since I started tracking my miles in 2006. To put that in perspective, it is 1098 miles to Key West from my house. I AM ALMOST THERE!!!! If I get in all my training miles, I will hit another 600 by the end of October.



I average about 5 miles a few times a week. The challenge comes when I have to do the longer training walks. The mileage isn't the problem - finding the time to walk 10-15 miles is. When I start that again, I'll be back to dragging my tired self out of bed at 5 to meet my walking partner for several hours of walking and chatting. Then I get to go home just as the rest of the family is getting ready to start their day.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm tired. After spending most of Friday in the hospital (surgery went well and my mother is still crazy) or running around, I was tired. I still had to get up early on Saturday for the fundraiser at Old Country Buffet. It went well, but clearly I am not experienced in this type of thing. We are welcome to come back, so I have to check my calendar. It was nice to see people show up for a good cause, and it was even nicer when they bought something from our table. The breast cancer rubber ducks were the most popular by far. I'll have to get a couple dozen more for the next one. Female with no nickname (we HAVE to work on a better name) made nice beaded necklaces and set up make your own bracelets. With a better location, we could clean up next time.



After we left OCB, we hit Longwood - yes again!!! It's amazing that it's never the same place. The lily pads section of the conservatory is open and the four adults sat on a bench and watched the kids run around. We placed bets on who would end up in the pond. Although there were some close calls, no child fell in. I would post some pictures, but Nothing Knew ran a bunch of things to modernize my computer that I am afraid of collapsing the whole thing since they are still running.

The ultimate challenge was bedtime. I think the kids were all exhausted so putting them to sleep in one room wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. They woke up at 6:15 and didn't stop running until two left. I made it to ballet pictures on time (barely) and hubby took S for a haircut and out to the grocery store. I am ready to collapse. Maybe no one will notice if I slip away........

Cheap coffee

In these uncertain times, we all must make great sacrifices. I made the ultimate sacrifice last night. I bought cheap coffee instead of Starbucks. I am saving $5 per coffee container and it really doesn't taste that bad. This may save me about $10-$15 per month. Small savings, but it's the small things that eventually add up.

My big concern is that I work for a BFC (Big Financial Company) and during tough times, there are massive layoffs and miserly raises. If I can find ways to make small cuts now, we should be able to weather this storm. I have started researching ways to save at the Dollar Stretcher. Here's a great way to get lattes for half price at the coffee bars.

Besides switching to cheap coffee, I save money by not buying coffee at work. I have been brewing my own at work. I keep the coffee and #2 filters in my desk. I just pop the filter in my brewbasket, pour hot water over it and viola! A fresh cup of coffee at a fraction of what the horrible work coffee shop charges. And, it's hot.

Surgery

My mother is having surgery tomorrow. Her gallbladder is finally getting evicted! It should be a nice, easy surgery. I'm heading up to NJ tonight so I can hang out in the waiting room for a couple of hours. I know the surgeon and I've had this surgery - piece of cake. The waiting room is just such a terrible place to be! I think Dad is headed to the gym for a bit. Maybe he can print me off a pass and I can get some cross training in. We can work out and still be back before she hits the recovery room. At least the recovery should be quick. I remember popping Advil and climbing the stairs to my old bedroom and going right to sleep a couple of hours post op. Hopefully it will go as well for my mom.

This trip is also another opportunity for me to work on my pile of electronics. My mother thinks I am a techie and saves her new gadgets for me to figure out. This time, she bought herself (heaven help us) a Classic 80 GB iPod http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPod-classic-Black-Generation/dp/B000JLKIHA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1210846873&sr=8-1. I can't wait to rip tons of cds and podcasts for her. Does she need 80 GB? Heck no! I barely need it. I have 20.59 GB of music, 7.64 of podcasts, and 2500 photos (can't find out how many GB that is - maybe 4?) on mine. At any rate, I will be busy tonight.

If you are inclined, keep my mom and her surgeon in your thoughts or prayers.

Hungry, Hungry Hippo

Here is a picture of the friendly hippo who swam up to greet us at the aquarium on Saturday. It really looks like he's smiling. This was the day after S informed us he wants Hungry Hungry Hippos for his birthday in 6 months.

No fear of water

I have a six year old who has a healthy fear of the water and a three year old who thinks he can swim. On a whim, I brought our bathing suits to Philly when we stayed over. It was a great idea and we had time for two swim sessions. I needed a break from the constant clutching of little hands, so I put S on the wall to kick and I floated an arm's length away. He left the wall to grab my toe and learned my toe can't help him. Down he went, to the bottom of the pool. At that point, we figured it was time to go order dinner.

On Sunday, we walked in the Mother's Day Race for the cure. Or I should say, I walked and the kids rode in the wagon. It was a nice warm day and we had a nice time. When it was over, we went back to the hotel, packed up and headed to the pool. This time S was on my back and I was carting him across the pool. In the middle of the pool, he decided he wanted to go back. let go and again went to the bottom of the pool. At that point, I decided to head back to DE.

Room service rocks

This salad makes a joke out of healthy eating, but darn, it was good. The kids and I got room service (read - lazy mom exhausted after morning at the Aquarium and near drowning #1 of 3 year old son- more later, I promise- decides not to leave the hotel room). The hot dogs were standard and not worthy of a picture. This dessert, however, is worthy.

Thank goodness I only ordered 1 dessert - or as what I actually said was $8 for cake? Are you serious??? At least they came through on value. This is Juniors cheesecake with layers of carrot cake, topped with whipped cream and real carrot strings and chocolate sauce. There was no way we could have finished this, but we gave our best effort.

I am tired and want to relax in a steaming bath to recover from a wonderfully busy weekend. I'll post about both almost drownings of S man as soon as I can think of them as funny. I am a careful mother - I swear.

Pretty sure I'm crazy

But at least being crazy means having more fun. I have one taker on the Aquarium deal - my dear mother in law who is alone this weekend. After enjoying all the aquatic life we can stand, we'll probably head to lunch. After lunch, I am taking the kids to A HOTEL IN PHILADELPHIA. Happy Mother's Day to me! I realized that the Race for the Cure (http://www.komenphiladelphia.org/) is poorly planned for a lowly person from DE. I would have to wake the kids up at 4AM to get to a parking space before the roads close. Who wants to hang out with kids who have been awake since 4AM? Certainly not me.



On a whim, I contacted the Sheraton to see if they had any more of the discounted rooms. They didn't, but I wasn't really expecting them to be left. The AAA rate was $15 more, so I said what the heck. I get guaranteed parking, checkout at noon and a nice comfy bed that I refuse the share with the kiddies. Since the event starts around 7, we can wake up, eat breakfast and arrive without anyone being cranky. The in room coffee machine guarantees my good humor. (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1776&language=en-US)



The event ends at 10. I'll have to see if I should check out and go to the Please Touch Museum (http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/, which has free tickets for mothers on Sunday, or head home to collapse. Then there is the matter of painting.... maybe I can convince hubby to golf soon.



Hope everyone has a nice weekend, and a happy mother's day, if it applies. I'll type about my adventures when I return.

Adventure Aquarium

On Saturday, to take advantage of the substantial savings offered, I will be taking the kids to the Adventure Aquarium. http://adventureaquarium2.reachlocal.net/index.cfm?sectionID=10,65,0,0&newsStoryID=214 Please join us if you can. In addition to having a ton of fun with fish and hippos and sharks, I get to hang out with the NBC10 crew. Could my life get any more exciting?



Why yes it can. Since hubby has yet to read my blog, I feel safe in saying once I get back from said aquarium, I will paint the living room. He painted it last year, but would not paint the ceiling because of the substantial hole in it. Well, the hole has been repaired for some time now, and I just can't stand seeing the mess. It will be a lovely surprise for him when he returns from fishing.


I always find it easier to do what I want when he is out of the house. I love that he golfs. I wish he would fish more. I move furniture, rearrange things, remove things and don't have to ask his opinion. If he states that he doesn't like it, I always allow him to move things back. By himself. So far it hasn't happened.


Nothing Knew will probably have another snarky comment about how this is somehow passive aggressive stuff, but it isn't. I just seem to get myself into all sorts of trouble when left unsupervised.

Ballet

Every year at this time, I question my sanity. At this point I am sick of the weekly ballet lessons, ready for it to be over. Last night I found out Trinks is in the SECOND ACT! That means we have to sit through the first act before we see her. I don't know if hubby can stand that much dance!


The show is wonderful - they try to put on a very professional show. Things run smoothly once the big day is here. But, in order to get to the big day we have picture day, tech rehearsals and dress rehearsals. Since you aren't allowed to video tape the show, you have to buy the DVD for the low, low price of $40. I will hold off on buying the T-shirt this year. There are some things that just aren't necessary.

Of course this schedule messes things up for S-man. Day out with Thomas (http://www.ticketweb.com/thomas.html) is the same day. At least the show starts at 10, so we should be able to get to PA to spend a few hours in the baking sun riding trains. It's worth it to hear him shout (hundreds of times throughout the day) I SEE THOMAS!!!!!!

Cancer

I've been thinking about cancer a lot over the last couple of years. I remember the good old days when I thought that cancer was curable, especially if you caught it early. Now I know better and I try not to be terrified about what the future holds. In the next 5 years, I will have a mammogram and colonoscopy. In the next 6 months I will see a dermatologist about some suspicious moles. I live in a cancer cluster. Somedays it seems that cancer surrounds me, and I feel one day it will get me.



It's been just over a year since Karen was diagnosed with cancer, and just over four months since she's been gone. I still don't understand. I have my moments when I can't believe she's really gone. Then some days I forget and remembering is just like getting that phone call early Sunday morning. Lately I have been remembering more than forgetting. This Sunday I am walking, with the kids, in a Race for the Cure Mother's Day walk. Karen's family will be there with me. Somehow my hubby got out of attending - striper fishing seems to have more of an allure than walking 5K with thousands of other people, tripping over themselves in the streets of Philadelphia. I'll deck the kids out in pink and bring the wagon and walk my 5K in hopes we raise enough money to cure breast cancer this year. I'll walk as long as I am able because cancer is not fair to those of us left behind.



I guess the trick to survive all these cancer threats is the overused phrase - each day is a gift. If today is my last day on earth, what would I like to be doing? I hope I can do something meaningful (not major) each day. I look forwar to simple pleasures - planting seedlings with a 6 year old, getting kissed the "English way" (both cheeks) by a 3 year old, relaxing with the hubby and enjoying the silence that follows bedtime. It's not earth shattering, but appreciating the small things is definitely a good start.

Tired

After running around Longwood on Saturday, I decided it would be great to recreate some of their wonderful gardens. Today I am sore. I ripped out trees, weeds, vines and wild raspberries. I felt such a sense of accomplishment until I realized I only cleared 6 feet of space! Oh well. Progress is slow. I have to remember that at Longwood, they have a ton of people doing all this and they actually plan what they are doing. I was outside and just started pulling. I'm lucky the weeds got bagged!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

My Enemy

Here is my enemy - waking up from winter hibernation. One touch of this will create an itch so horrific, I end up on steroids and two types of allergy medicine.

Once I finish downloading the rest of the pictures from Longwood today, I'll post the good ones. It was a perfect day to spend 4 hours walking around gardens.

Fundraising

I am in the midst of a year long campaign to raise money for breast cancer research. No one should have to die from this horrible disease and leave behind devastated family and friends. It's not fair. We need a cure and we need it now.


I do not like asking people for money. When I signed up for the breast cancer 3 Day last year, I learned how to ask. I'm still not comfortable asking, but I am getting better. This year, I am creating fundraisers where people can get something for their donation. On Saturday, May 17, Old Country Buffet will generously donate a portion of their proceeds to breast cancer research, via the breast cancer 3 day. My team, This One's For the Girls, will split the money among those who attend. While I don't expect to earn thousands of dollars, it is a way to get started. The requirement of $2,200 per team member is steep and daunting. If we can earn a little at a time, by October we will have plenty.



So if you want to travel to DE that weekend, we will be happy to see you. I'll send you the vouchers so we get credit. If you want to check out the 3 Day website and join the team either by walking or crewing, go right ahead. It is an emotional weekend, but it's such an amazing journey. http://08.the3day.org/

I am a techno geek wannabee

When I got my iPod for Christmas, I impressed myself by loading over 6,000 songs onto it. It had 80 GB, so I had plenty of room. I now have every picture I ever took on my digital camera (the good, bad and ugly, too) stored on this, as well as numerous podcasts. I love podcasts because they make me feel I am learning something. I probably won't retain much of it, but the Princeton Review word of the day songs are too funny to miss. Once I mastered the iPod, I moved on to digital frames and loading my sister's kids MP3 players. I turned to online banking and paid all my bills on the computer. I guess it is no surprise that I am trying to blog. I know just enough to be dangerous. I think this whole random paragraph is an apology to Nothing Knew for screwing up his simple directions to link blogs. Why do I have two blogrolls? No idea. Why aren't they located the way I intended them? No idea.

But to further my techno geekness, we got a GPS yesterday. Why 2 people who sometimes fear technology have a GPS is beyond me, but it is really fun to piss of the lady when we don't do what she says. It sounds like she is going to shove her hand through the screen and strangle us. It was amusing to set the directions for work then take off for daycare. We are simple people who are amused rather easily. I totalled our gas bill for last month and it was $310, so I don't think we are going anywhere. We live 10 minutes from work and carpool 4 out of 5 days, so I really don't see why we consumed so much gas. It must be all the trips to the parents in NJ.

I am sure I am going to lose my 2 readers because I can't think of interesting topics. Maybe I'll let Hortense have a spin to liven things up.