Knit and Fit

More Swimming

2011-07-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

Since it's been in the triple digits, this week, the only sensible thing to do is swim.

Summer's Last Chance/ Fall's First Glance

2011-07-01T17:35:00.002-05:00

I'm hosting an online Thirty-One Gifts party.

You get a sneak peak at the new Fall Catalog which goes live on August 1st. For each $10 you spend, you get 31% off select items from the new catalog. Click the link to shop now: Jackie's Online Party.

Swimming

2011-06-30T09:25:00.002-05:00

We have been swimming, a lot. The kids are perfecting their dives and front flips.

Awkward Family Photo

2011-06-23T10:08:00.001-05:00

Yoga

2011-06-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

This is me at the Grand Opening of Firefly Yoga Studio. I have been working hard to practice yoga, everyday, either at a studio or a few minutes at home. I'm having some pain in my neck and upper back but the yoga and chiropractor seem to have helping.

My intentions are to build strength and flexibility and cultivate calm.

Sock Yarn Blanket

2011-06-19T21:39:00.001-05:00

12 rows completed

Family

2011-06-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

D is on extending school year which means he has to work until June 16th but he has Fridays off. It's nice to have everyone home and to spend time together.

Friday Night Knitting at Sugar Bunny Blvd

2011-06-13T08:27:00.003-05:00

Friday night, I drove to El Dorado for KIP at Sugar Bunny Blvd's new location.

I brought my Sock Yarn Blanket which is growing and growing. These are all my mini skeins, how I love to collect them. Above is a picture of some micro-mini squares I made.

Just before I left, they went outside to knit.

A few of our favorite things

2011-06-10T15:22:00.002-05:00

1. Henna- We are lucky to have an in-house doodler to create temporary tattoos. D free handed this spider for TT.
Our friends from India, told us the best place to buy premixed henna in a cone and the designs last about a week.

2. Starbucks Double Walled Venti cup- This cup is awesome. It's 24 oz and double walled so it stays cold and doesn't have lots of condensation on the outside. I fill it up with Peach White Tea for only 59 cents at QT.

Legos

2011-06-09T15:31:00.002-05:00

Both the kids are getting too old to really "play" with toys.

One exception is legos, the more pieces the better. TT is very talented at assembling the kits and imaginative in creating his own structures. Many nights, we will find him in his room creating miniature houses, cars, and cities when he's suppose to be sleeping. His current favorites are Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Knit and Fit

2011-06-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I got my copy of Elizabeth Zimmermann's newest book, Knit One, Knit All. It is full of garter stitch goodness. I have a couple of things that I want to knit in the fall (it's too hot to use wool, right now.) I'm planning some mittens and a vest. Right now, I'm in a KAL for the sock yarn blanket. I love trading the little skeins of sock yarn.

In fit news, I signed up to run the half-marathon (13.1 miles) at Prairie Fire on October 9th. I haven't run any races since the marathon last year and I think it's time to get back to it. My first year of teaching was so busy and intense that there was no time for training. I felt like a hypocrite telling kids to exercise for 60 minutes a day when I'm falling into bed at night without a single step in that direction. I'm not running it for speed and right now I'm walking more than I'm running (using Jeff Galloway's method.) I just want to have fun and run!!

2011-06-07T09:16:00.002-05:00

I'm not much of a gardener but I'm trying my best to make the front of the house look nice. D created this area and my friend gave me some plants from her garden. I water it everyday and hope for the best.

Weekend

2011-06-06T09:30:00.005-05:00

Friday night, ST and I were in the River Festival parade. We were with Fuel Up to Play 60, an organization that promotes being active and eating healthy.

The weather has been crazy hot!!

We have been spending most afternoon hanging out at the pool.

We planned on going to more of the River Festival but the 100+ temperatures are too much to brave.

Thursday

2011-06-03T06:51:00.006-05:00

The best way to take all our stuff to pool is our trike.

My teen's favorite pass time is hanging out at the mall with her friends. Four hours later, I had bought 3 tubes of my favorite Buxom lip gloss, 2 pairs of tights and a GIANT jawbreaker (TT's request.)
The girls love playing dress-up and tried on at least 10 dresses each.

Wednesday

2011-06-02T09:47:00.002-05:00

We went for a short bike ride and spent the rest of day at the pool. The water is still a little too cold for me but the kids jump right in.

Tuesday

2011-06-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

We spent the morning cleaning TT's room, that was quite an adventure and we only got half done. Then a picnic lunch at the park with friends.

We ended the day with a Wingnut's game and Freddy's Frozen Custard.

Monday

2011-05-31T09:54:00.005-05:00

It was cool and windy at the pool for Memorial Day. Big D has been feeling much better since his recovery from the surgery. He doesn't really like to swim but had fun playing ping-pong and Tiny Wings pool side.
Headbanz is a fun game for both kids and adults. The idea is that you try to figure out what your card says by asking other people questions.

I always start with "Am I an Animal?" Be careful when playing with TT, his favorite answer to any question is "sometimes" which might be true but can really throw you off track.

Sunday

2011-05-30T11:40:00.003-05:00

We finally got a membership to the pool club that is 2 blocks from our house. Since I have a job next year and they were running a really good special we decided this was our year.

They have a pool, diving board, basketball and volleyball courts, grills and an arcade. Plus the kids get free swimming lessons. You can look forward to many pictures from the pool.

Saturday

2011-05-28T16:40:00.003-05:00

Breakfast and Knitting at Mead's Corner with the always glamorous KnitnRide.

Then, a trip to the Downtown Farmer's Market. I bought a pound of Southwest Orzo pasta from Pappardelle's. We are having it tonight with grilled chicken.

These "JazzKatz" were great and I loved the couples swing dancing right there in the square. I hope D and I can takes some dances classes this summer.

Friday

2011-05-28T13:02:00.003-05:00

Lunch at Noodles and Company.

TT's art at Final Friday

Summer is fabulous!!

First Day of Spring

2011-03-21T08:01:00.003-05:00

This year is flying by; only 8 weeks till the end of my first year of teaching. It has been an adventure to say the least.

I am hapy to report that my principal recommended that my contract be renewed and I have full 6th and 7th grade classes for next year. But I am worried about the budget situation, just like everyone else. Since I have no control over what will happen I am trying to have a positive attitude and make great experiences for my students.

The family is good. D is recoverying from surgery. It will be a while before he will be back to normal. S will be 13 this week. She loves middle school and is doing great in her classes. TT spends his time working on his RC truck and being a ladies man.

Feburary (So far)

2011-02-19T07:52:00.003-06:00

It has been a long month, already. Dennis had surgery on the 4th to correct a congenital defect with his kidney. It was suppose to be a simple 1 to 2 days in the hospital and a week off work but it turned into 8 days in the hospital and 3 weeks off work. Complication from the surgery included low blood pressure, nausea, a blown internal stitch (because of the nausea,) anemia and dehydration. The days and nights in the hospital allowed me to complete a cowl but kept me from my workout goals.

Snow Day part Deux

2011-01-12T06:55:00.002-06:00

INCREDIBLE, another Snow Day!!

I did everything on yesterday's to do list except for the lesson plans but I added a nap. Above you can see what the kids did. They were outside in 30 minute increments during the day-building.

I am very happy to have another day at home but I have a little anxiety because of all the free time. Since I am usually going a million miles an hour, it feels strange and wrong to just relax. I am working on getting over that.

Snow Day!!

2011-01-11T07:02:00.002-06:00

Sunday night, I was dreaming there would be a snow day on Monday. The snow fell all night but in the morning there was no cancellation. My first hour only had 8 students and the buses were 30 minutes late. Throughout the day, I had at least 5 students missing from each class. It continued to snow all day long. Paprika's volleyball practice was cancelled so we spent the evening eating chili, s'mores made in the fireplace and playing Left, Right, Center.

Monday night, I dreamed of no school on Tuesday. Now, it feels like Disney because dreams do come true. Here's my Snow Day to do list:

30 minutes of yoga
3 mile run (wish I had some snow shoes so I could run outside)
laundry (about 5 more loads and every stitch will be clean and that makes me happy)
finish TT's hat (which I started on Christmas break)
a few days of lesson plans
card making with Paprika (we love the Card Patterns blog)
Snow ball fight and fort building with TT
watch some bad daytime tv (I love my judge shows)

I know that making a to do list could be wrong on so many levels but having my own classroom has increased my Type A personality factors. I like the control of making lists and checking things off.

Christmas Morning 2010

2010-12-27T09:51:00.001-06:00

I think this is the last year TT will "believe" in Santa. He seemed like he wants to believe but he knows something fishing is going on because he went with D to buy *Paprika's gift.

The kid's wish list was short. TT wanted a big, nice, fast RC car and Paprika didn't know what she wanted. We decided a TV for Paprika's room was a good gift. No worries, she doesn't have cable- just a Wii and streaming Netflix.

I hope everyone's Christmas was magical and bright.

* I need a cute, fake name for my daughter for the blog. S doesn't work so well when I need to use it as a possessive (i.e S's gift.) I was thinking a spice for obvious reasons. I am open to suggestions.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T07:01:00.002-06:00

Santa was very nice to me this year. First, I got a Cricut machine. Most of my Christmas presents to my friends were created from the fabulous cutting machine. I decorated and personalized notebooks and clipboards. S and I have spent many hours crafting and creating.

Secondly, Santa (Dennis) brought me a new Droid Incredible. It is awesome.

Ride the Ducks

2010-07-24T07:43:00.003-05:00

One of the favorites from Branson was Ride the Ducks.

Once we were out on Table Rock Lake, each kid got to drive the Duck.

Next time, you are in Branson, get Captain Jessie and go on Ride the Ducks.

Branson 2010

2010-07-17T08:46:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful trip last week. We spent 6 days in Branson, Mo. at Still Waters Resort.

We traveled with another family, who has kids the same age as ours, which was a new experience for us. The 8 of us stayed in a large, two bedroom condo on Table Rock Lake.

The resort was quite nice with three pools (including one with a waterfall and another with a slide,) there were free kayaks and paddle boats on the lake, places to grill out, two nature trails, fishing on the docks, and jet ski and boat rentals a few feet from our door. Also, it's only 10 minutes from Silver Dollar City.

We had a great time at Ride the Ducks with Captain Jessie. The kids got to drive the duck on the lake. This activity was on the second day and the Ride the Ducks song was stuck in our heads for the rest of the trip; we would often break out into the chorus at random times.

The first day of Silver Dollar City we were rained out early in the afternoon but we returned the next day and someone from our group rode every ride at the park (except the GIANT Swing.) By far, the ride we rode the most was Fire in the Hole, it was the first ride on the first day and the last ride on the last day.

It was a wonderful vacation with good company and lots of laughs.

Meet Chuck Lee

2010-06-22T07:10:00.002-05:00

This is the story of Chuck Lee, the parakeet.

Towards the end of the school year, the third graders went on a field trip to the Cosmosphere. We arrived back at school with about 20 minutes until the final bell. The students were allowed to play on the playground until the school day ended.

Soon, I heard some excitement near the jungle gym and walked over to find the kids surrounding a parakeet. I shooed the kids away and stood guard until the bell rang. Then, I placed a jacket over the parakeet and picked it up. One of the teachers gave me container and we took it to the pet store to buy a cage.

The "free" parakeet ended up costing us about $80 in supplies but it turned out to be worth it. TT named him Chuck Lee as in, Chuck Liddell (the UFC fighter) and Bruce Lee.

We clipped his wings and now he is part of the family. He happily sits on our shoulder while we use the computer or read. He likes to watch youtube videos of other birds singing and chirps along. TT taught him up and down to climb on things.

And he lived happily ever after.

Family Camp 2010

2010-06-21T07:49:00.002-05:00

Remember, last year, our family went camping? Well we attended that same camp this year.

Unfortunately, the weather was much hotter this year. So hot that is quite miserable.

We still enjoyed archery, kayaking, crafts, and great food. But no camp fire this year, it was simply too hot to think about sitting around more heat.

Medieval Times

2010-06-16T09:20:00.002-05:00

In Dallas, we had dinner at Medieval Times.

It was an adventure.

Crochet Corner

2010-06-15T07:49:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have ventured to the "dark side." I think that crochet is fantastic for summer. Cotton yarn is light and cool.

I have completed a baby blanket, a couple of bags and the above scarf.

Graduation Party

2010-06-12T10:47:00.002-05:00

Last weekend was my graduation party.

The theme was Root Beer and Mustaches.

Everyone was required to take a picture with me wearing a mustache.

Herb Garden

2010-06-12T08:01:00.002-05:00

Usually I hate gardening. It's hot, hard work (I'm sure that's how other people feel about running.)

But this year, I have started an herb garden with the help of a good friend. She gifted me some herbs, last year, and most of them survived the winter. She has a very zen outlook on gardening - sometimes plants live and sometimes they die. Also, anything that dies she gives me more of.

My garden consists of two varieties of sage, oregano, lemon balm, lavender, thyme, pineapple mint, chocolate mint (found at a Whole Foods store in Dallas) and basil.

New Bike

2010-06-11T07:46:00.002-05:00

Check out my new bike!! I found it at a garage sale for $15. I am using it when I have a few groceries to pick up at the market.

It had some rust, which we scraped off. The basket was a mess but the kids and I scraped off the old paint, took it apart, painted it and secured it back together.

I didn't know what a great deal I got until I saw a 2010 version of my bike at Bicycle Exchange. This bike cost $499.00 new.

More biking

2010-05-29T11:31:00.001-05:00

Riding bikes with TT is always an adventure. He has a wonderful eye for detail and often stops to pick up "treasures" along the way. A few days ago, he found a small blue egg.

Last Days of School

2010-05-28T07:24:00.001-05:00

This week there were only 3 days of school. Now, I am officially the mother of a 4th and 6th grader.

On Monday, the kids performed in their school musical, "The Granny Awards." S was Granny and TT was Jack (as in Jack and Jill.) I love that our school does a musical every year, it is one of the many things I value about our school.

Tuesday was the 5th grade graduation. I cried just a little bit.

NAGA Dallas

2010-05-25T15:50:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend in Dallas, Texas at a NAGA tournament. TT has been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the last few months and we felt he was ready to test his skills. He fought a total of three times in two divisions. He came in third place in the gi competition for his weight. The medal is huge and shiny.
We are so proud of his hard work. He has the heart and intelligence of a warrior.

Graduation

2010-05-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

River Fest

2010-05-12T07:26:00.002-05:00

Oh, how I love my bike.

Saturday, I rode the 5.5 miles from my house to Panera for breakfast with my knitting friends. Then,Lanora and I headed out to the farmer's market. Douglas was closed for the River Run; it was so fun to ride down the middle of the street ringing our bicycle bells.

Tuesday, I rode over to the Garden Gala at Botanica. This is one of the River Festival events I look forward to every year. The gardens are beautiful and calming.

Crochet Soiree

2010-05-12T07:03:00.002-05:00

Check it out, Tamara wrote a blog post about me and my crocheting over at Crochet Soiree.

Inspired

2010-05-05T11:28:00.001-05:00

Just a couple of happy pictures for you. I only have two days of student teaching left and I will be walking at graduation on Saturday, May 15th at 11am. I am very excited to be finished and wearing my cap and gown - proudly.

I found this wonderful vintage Columbine plant on a hike, last week. I am thinking it will be a wonderful inspiration for a crochet blanket. I love the yellow middle, the five white petals and the five lilac petals.

Cruiser time

2010-04-10T21:53:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned before, all the knitting girls have been getting cruiser bikes and I am such a joiner. So my parents bought me a pink cruiser for my birthday. Isn't it cute? All I need now is a bell and basket.

I rode down to the Keeper of the Plains today and spotted this stencil under a bridge. It's of Brad Pitt from Fight Club with the words "Revolt" and "In Tyler We Trust."

Summer is coming

2010-04-05T08:49:00.002-05:00

I am addicted to Granny Squares and I don't know why. I have never been a crocheter, my loyalty lied with knitting but crocheting is opening up a whole new world of things I haven't mastered. The Granny Squares grow quickly and soon I have a beautiful pile of little squares begging to be something. I think crocheting is my new summer hobby.

Another summer hobby is bike riding. Yesterday the kids and I rode around for an hour on the paved bike route near the river. The weather was perfect, no wind and warm. All the knitters are getting new bikes for the summer and we might have to start our own biker gang, we just need a name. Wheels and Needles?

Hello, Old Friend

2010-04-03T13:31:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I have blogged. Things have been quite intense with the student teaching this semester, but there's only 6 weeks till I graduate.

I am adding a couple of pictures with highlights from the last few months.

ST played club volleyball from December to March. They won two of the six tournaments they entered.

Over Spring Break, we spent the night in a cabin at Cheney Lake. We cooked in a dutch oven over an open fire, took a hike, and played frisbee. The kids had fun building a fire in the fire pit.
TT has been working hard on growing a mustache and it's finally coming in ;-) He's also entering a Jiu Jitsu tournament in May. I'm nervous but he has great take-downs and arm bars so hopefully he will bring home a Samurai Sword.

Mental Fitness

2010-01-17T19:33:00.003-06:00

Here's a couple of blogs I have found to help me with my 2010 Healthy Habits:

The Whole Body Action Plan - A four week program provided by body + soul magazine. Great ideas for nutrition, mindful eating, fitness and stress relief.

Zen to Fitness- A great physical and mental fitness blog.

Fit Mom's Blog - A mom is also a PE teacher and yoga instructor writes this blog.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-02T20:41:00.002-06:00

We rang in the new year at a friend's house. She throws the best Halloween and New Year's Eve parties. We are so lucky to have wonderful friends (near and far.)

Of course, the parties are kids friendly, so everyone has someone to hang out with.

No New Year resolutions for me, but I will be using 2010 to focus on some healthy habits. Here they are in no particular order:

Drink more water
Eat less meat
Do more yoga
Read more food labels
Use less media

Snow Forts

2009-12-29T07:54:00.003-06:00

The kids were very excited by the recent snow fall. They love building snow forts and having snowball fights.

The forts aren't really big enough to protect anyone from the incoming snowballs but still fun to build.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T16:57:00.002-06:00

A couple of pictures from Christmas morning. The first "socks" I ever knit were Christmas stockings, a red one and a green one. They are huge and stretch when gifts are placed inside. The kids think they are the best stockings ever but I often find it hard to fill them up. Placing bags of socks and underwear in the bottom seems to help.

We went with the rhyme again this year. Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. The want is always the most difficult because we already have so much. But ST needed new volleyball knee pads and wanted a nice volleyball. TT needed new pj's because he had outgrown most of his old ones.

Books were the easiest because of the book fair at school, the kids had already picked out a large amount of reading materials.

Mittens- Fail

2009-12-21T13:01:00.003-06:00

I decided to knit the Mrs. Roosevelt mittens from the new Knitty. Unfortunately, I had some problems from the beginning. First, I selected a worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220) instead of the recommended DK. This caused the gauge to be off and even though I was in denial I had to admit that it needed to be ripped out. With the help of my knitting guru, I selected Dolly for my second attempt. This morning, I knit up the first mitten while watching TT play video games.

My fingers are long and lean so I had to add a few rounds, then rip out and add a few more rounds. Ultimately, I finished the mitten and it fits, but I don't like it. I prefer rounded mittens but these are quite pointy. Also, the thumb is pointy and huge. The bottom line is that I just wanted to knit them because I liked the story: unpublished notes from Eleanor Roosevelt, a timeless patten. I am posting this picture to prove that I actually knit one because by tonight it will be frogged.

Please, Santa

2009-12-20T10:33:00.000-06:00

ST is famous, around school, for her funny pictures. This one is classic. The Santa looks so uninterested.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-15T19:19:00.001-06:00

Here's a few pictures from the limo Christmas light tour. Some of the houses had their lights set up to move along with music that you could tune into on your car radio. I wonder how they do that.

TT wasn't feeling so well and stayed home from school on Monday.

December weekend

2009-12-14T07:45:00.001-06:00

What a crazy weekend!! Saturday we begin with Festival of Giving for Girl Scouts. We did some crafts, community service and tried the "new" Lemonade cookie. I was happy to see the lady from Female and Fearless. ST took her girl's self defense seminar last year and it was very informative. This time she had a new Ford and taught the girls how to pull the glow in the dark latch to get out of a trunk if they are ever stuck inside. ST said it was very dark inside once she closed the trunk.

A few hours later it was time for TT's 9th birthday party. We had 10 kids running around partying like Rockstars. Three kids slept over, but they didn't really sleep. They stayed up most of the night playing video games and being loud.

Sunday we had our first adult rec league volleyball game. We lost both games but it was fun.

Lastly, Sunday night we went on a limo ride to see Christmas lights. D and his weight lose team won the limo ride in the summer but saved it for the Christmas light tour.

The limo was huge and the kids were quite impressed. For two hours we rode around , drank soda, and ohhhed and ahhhed over the amazing lights.
The weekend was very full but overall very fun.

Winter Program

2009-12-11T17:57:00.001-06:00

Here's a coupe of pictures from the kid's Christmas singing program. TT is wearing a black tie with little skulls on it. ST wanted to wear her Christmas dress from last year so she just got new shoes.

ST is in the choir and bucket drum group.

Last year at this time...

2009-12-07T20:10:00.002-06:00

Here's a couple of pictures from last year's photo shoot for TT's birthday invitations. This year we went with store bought invitations because the theme is Bakugan.

With only one week of school left, I am feeling much less stress and looking forward to a nice break with lots of knitting in front of the fireplace and hanging out with family and friends.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T23:00:00.001-06:00

After Thanksgiving dinner, we walked to the park for a little physical activity. S is never without her volleyball, these days.

TT is such a handsome, clever little man. He's sense of sarcasm is way beyond his years.

Sculpture

2009-12-05T23:50:00.002-06:00

Dennis and TT have been taking sculpture class at The Secret Gallery. They have brought home some amazing pieces. This is Dennis' first attempt at a bust. It is far from finished but I am very impressed with his abilities to create.

Thanksgiving Knitting

2009-11-29T18:57:00.001-06:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving break, spending time together as a family and eating lots of yummy food. I also got a lot of knitting done (and not a lot of homework, like I had planned)

I finished two wonderful sweater for myself. The pink sweater's pattern and yarn came all the way from Italy and the brown sweater was originally meant for TT.
Now on to Christmas knitting which I said I was not going to do this year.

A few more Marathon pictures

2009-10-22T06:53:00.001-05:00

Kansas City Marathon 2009

2009-10-19T08:52:00.001-05:00

This weekend I checked one item of my lifetime list, "to run a full marathon." I was very lucky to have my amazing friends traveling with me. Lori, Laura, Judy, Becca, Lanora and all the way from New Mexico, Angelique were there to cheer me on and compete in their personal goals.

The weekend started with a stop in Lawrence for lunch and a little shopping. Then on to the race expo at Crown Center in Kansas City. I was disappointed in the amount of vendors at the expo but I did get an iRun Like a Girl long sleeve shirt to wear during the race.

After the expo, the seven of us met up at our very nice hotel and then it was time for dinner at Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza. Laura and I got our cheesecake to go and stored it in the hotel fridge to eat after the race on Saturday.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and did a little knitting. I woke up Saturday morning excited and nervous. It was cold, dark and raining as we walked the mile to the start line. I started with the 5 hour pace group and started with them till mile 17 when I started to feel very fatigued. Miles 19 to 23 were the most difficult but at mile 23 I realized there was only 3 miles left and I got a little extra energy to make it to the end. I came across the finish line in 5:10:37. I am very happy with my time.

It was an amazing weekend with amazing women and I am so happy that I was able to complete this dream with these women. Thanks to you all!

Wichita Half Marathon

2009-09-21T13:51:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning, we got up early and went to cheer on friends and strangers at the Wichita Half Marathon. We brought our lawn chairs, "Love the Pain" sign, donuts, and cow bells and set up camp at mile 9 (it's a loop so it's also mile 4) We saw a couple of knitting friends, S's teacher and a few people I didn't even were running the race. The kids tried to get a runner to eat a donut but no takers.

Laura and Lori joined us in the cheering section. (BTW, S took this photo and as you can see she is a very professional photographer)

I am very happy that we chose this place to set up because we were able to help a runner who was severely dehydrated. Two other runners were carrying her and we were able to provide a call to 911, basic first aid, and wave down the ambulance. I believe we were able to do something positive for her and that makes me feel good.

Angelique'svisit

2009-09-17T23:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Angelique is visiting this weekend.

Regular Life

2009-09-03T12:01:00.001-05:00

Not much going on around here. It's tough for everyone to get back into the swing of things when school starts. We all miss being at home, together, relaxing and having fun.

WSU Volleyball

2009-08-21T11:49:00.001-05:00

Our season tickets for Wichita State Volleyball arrived yesterday.

First Day of School

2009-08-18T10:03:00.001-05:00

5th grade

3rd grade

Badwater

2009-08-16T08:14:00.001-05:00

Anyone interested in Badwater Ultramarathon??

School, not yet

2009-08-13T08:18:00.002-05:00

This is the last week of freedom before school starts. D went back to work on Monday, the kids start next Monday and I have class on next Thursday.

This week, we have been getting up early, going swimming, watching movies, shopping and having one last sleepover. I have also been cleaning my house; Flylady is really a miracle.

Relay for Life

2009-08-10T21:35:00.001-05:00

Friday night, I participated in a wonderful event to help defeat cancer: Relay for Life. In the weeks leading up to the event, team members raise money for cancer research. On the day of the event, each team sets up a "home" area with a tent, decorations and a fundraiser. The event was held at a middle school football field and it's surrounding track.

Our team was called Hope Floats and we had a nautical theme. From 7pm on Friday till 7am on Saturday morning someone on your team must be walking on the track. I decided to run during my time on the track and I was able to complete 13 miles. Running on a track at 2am with a dj playing music is a very surreal experience.

I want to say a special thanks to everyone who purchased goodies during my fundraiser bake sale at Twist.

Mall Madness

2009-08-07T08:36:00.002-05:00

On Friday night, before Vegas on Sunday, S and I participated in the annual madness of sleeping over at the mall with the Girl Scouts. S has been saving her money for months for this event. She bought some school clothes (JCPenny's had a good clearance sale), jewelry and hair clips from Claire's (the line to checkout was out the door) and of course, candy.

Most of the shops close about 1am, then Radio Disney pumps up the volume til 4 am. The moms sit in their lawn chairs and try to stay awake (which is easy since the music is so loud) and the girls sing, dance around and play games. At 3am, S was feeling tired and we decided to pack it up and go home.

These are some the moms, looking scared, before the event started.

More Vegas

2009-08-06T16:57:00.002-05:00

We didn't take many pictures in Vegas but here's a couple more I wanted to share.

The Rock at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

It's Vegas Baby

2009-08-05T22:04:00.002-05:00

Dennis and I spent the last 4 days in Las Vegas on vacation. We haven't been on vacation alone since the cruise six years ago. We had an amazing time, here's a quick overview of the highlights.

We bought tickets to The Blue Man Group on our Allegiant flight. For $99 each, we got Blue seating (11 rows from the front, in the center) and a VIP meeting with a member of the Group in the VIP lounge. We figured there would be a bunch of people in there but it turned out to be just us and another couple. The "Blue Man" was very nice and answered all our questions and took pictures with us. It was strange to hear him talk because they are silence through the entire show.

We didn't rent a car so we took the Deuce (double decker bus), taxis and walked all over the strip. They are opening a Hard Rock Cafe on the strip in the fall but we took a shuttle over to check out this one. We also went to the House of Blues and ate at Dick's Last Resort (Dennis has been wanting to eat at one of those, forever.)

On the second day we saw our favorite show of the trip, The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil. It was so cool. The music was wonderful and I was in awe of the athleticism of the performers.

On the third day we saw three shows Mystere (the original Cirque du Soleil), The Price is Right, and Phantom (The Phantom of the Opera, Vegas style.) It was a very full 4 days, we don't know how to do it any other way.

Rocksprings

2009-07-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

Leadership course. I trust you.

The girls liked to take "professional" pictures. Some girls modeled and some girls posed.

Canoeing.

S's canoeing skills are very good and she can get the canoe to go just where she wants it.

Busy Week

2009-07-26T19:23:00.002-05:00

We had such a busy week, last week. Monday through Wednesday we were in Topeka at volleyball camp. S learned a lot and I could see the improvement at the end of the camp. I learned a lot, also. They had great drills and progressions.
On Wednesday afternoon, we went to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. TT and D rode every roller coaster, TT was fearless. S was scared of the roller coasters but loved the spinning rides. We stayed till the park closed and fell into hotel beds at 11:30pm. Thursday we drove home.

On Friday, S and I left for Rocksprings 4H camp with our Girl Scout Troop. There were 10 girls and 8 moms. We had archery, leadership course and a night swim on Friday.

Friday night, the moms were up late laughing and talking. I think most of the girls only got 3 to 4 hours of sleep because we woke them up at 7am for breakfast. The Rocksprings staff provides all the meals and they are wonderful.

On Saturday, we went horseback riding and canoeing. The girls were wonderfully behaved, no crying or fighting. I am so lucky to have this group of girls and have this time to make memories with them.
I highly recommend Rocksprings for family reunions, scout troops, or retreats.

Painting and Crafts

2009-07-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

This week we spend a couple of days painting the walls in T's room. It was pink with a fairy border, now it is a bright blue with a couple of skulls.

We also did a fun rice craft. We dyed the rice with food coloring and then used glue to make pictures. We also made a I Spy bottle with the leftover rice.

Week 3 Training

2009-07-13T09:54:00.002-05:00

I finished week 3 of "4 month to a 4 hour marathon" with an 11 mile run, yesterday. It was a good running week overall, except I missed one day of cross training since I was very tired from the 6 hours of driving to and from KC on Monday and Tuesday.

I was lucky to have Laura run quarter-mile repeats with me on Thursday. We did 8x400, which was challenging but I know it will make me faster and stronger.

I also booked the hotel room for October. It's a suite with a fireplace and full kitchen and enough room for my friends who are running the relay.

14 weeks to go.

No Doubt

2009-07-08T08:52:00.001-05:00

Monday night I saw No Doubt in concert at the Starlight in Kansas City. Totally an amazing, high energy show. The opening act was Paramore.

In high school, my friend, Carrie, and I went to the No Doubt and Bush concert. So when she called a few months ago and said they were coming to KC, I was so excited. Gwen's abs are still rock hard.

Independance Day

2009-07-05T09:37:00.003-05:00

I had a great plan to make cute shirts for the kids to wear on the Fourth but summer school got in the way. This wasn't my original plan but I decided at the last minute to do this. These freezer paper stencils are very easy.

I forgot to take a good picture of the shirt when they were done so this is the best I got. We went to the baseball game and stayed for the fireworks.

Piano Recital 09

2009-07-03T08:51:00.004-05:00

And here's T's piano recital.

Piano Recital 09

2009-07-02T08:39:00.003-05:00

The kids had a great time at summer school. Here's a video of S playing the piano.

Toy Swap

2009-06-28T08:42:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we had a KIP toy swap. Mine is the big blue monster and I got to take home the cute little doggie on the right. There were cookies, an ice cream cone, a llama, and a dolphin. I love swaps, it's so fun to open up the bag and see what someone knit for you.

A few other random things:

Only 4 more days of summer school left, thank goodness.

My dryer is broken, I hope that it is the last thing that will break this summer.

I have finished the first week of 4 months to a 4 hour marathon. A couple of jogs , speedwork, and a 7 mile long run.

It has been ridiculously hot this week, in the 100's everyday.

4 month countdown

2009-06-22T08:05:00.003-05:00

Today is my first day of training using the 4 months to a 4 hour marathon. I will be running the KC Full Marathon is year. I am so lucky that some of my Twist friends will be joining me as a relay team.

My goal for this race is to finish in less than 5 hours.

Last set of Camping Pictures

2009-06-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

We went on this wonderful camping adventure with our family friends from school. This family has a daughter the same age as S and a son one year older than T. Also, I have worked on PTO with the mom for almost 6 years. It's really nice to have friends that everyone in the family likes and gets along with.

One of the kids (and adults) favorite activities was ladder golf. I am going to make a couple of these games for my PE classes, they are simply constructed from PVC pipes, old golf balls, and nylon rope.

The Girl Scouts owns 500 acres for this camp but lease some of the land out to a farmer who has cattle. In order to go on the hike, we had to use this ladder to climb over some barred wire.

More Camping

2009-06-18T07:52:00.001-05:00

I like this picture of S and I. The kids are really good campers, they love sitting around the camp fire and running around the camp site catching fireflies and naming them.

I don't have any really good pictures from the waterfront because we were all in the water but if you look closely you can see D and the boys in the canoe. On the left you can see the kind of kayak that the kids used.

More Camping

2009-06-17T07:45:00.004-05:00

We were camping at Four Winds Girl Scout Camp near Leon. This was a family camp and had some great perks: the staff cooked at the food, planned the activities, and provided instruction and supplies. We could chose the activities we wanted to do and when we wanted to do them.

I am a big fan of flag ceremonies.

We went on a 45 min hike around the 500 acres. The boys found shell fossils in an especially rocky area on the property.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of me windsurfing. The hubby was not thinking and didn't get the camera out (insert eye rolling.)

Camping Trip

2009-06-16T15:04:00.001-05:00

I am super busy with summer school right now but I will be putting up a few of the pictures from our camping trip this past weekend. We had a great time. We did archery, hiked, played ladder golf, the kids learned to kayak and I tried windsurfing.

I have over 100 pictures so I will try to put a few up everyday this week.

Hospital Hill Run

2009-06-08T07:34:00.005-05:00

Race Recap

I left home on Friday about 11am and had an uneventful drive. The GPS helped me get to the Backwoods in Overland Park (I was less than impressed with the staff, they were not very helpful.) Then I stopped at my favorite over-priced sportswear store, Lucy. I bought a couple of shirts and some pants.

From there, I went to Crown Center to pick up my race packet. I love goody bags and I was not disappointed. The bag was a large nylon bag and contained running socks and a very nice running shirt.

I stopped by The Studio on my way to my friend's house but didn't buy anything. We had dinner at Tomfoolery and then ice cream from Cold Stone. On the way back to my friend's house her car exploded. There was a loud bang and smoke came from the exhaust; when we opened the hood there was green fluid all over. We think the radiator was overfilled at the garage last week but she has to take it in this week. We decided that we should stay in for the night so I was able to go to sleep at 9pm.

Race Day:
I woke up at 5am, had cheerios for breakfast and put on my lucky race outfit. We arrived at Crown Center at 6:30 and were able to easily find a parking place in the garage. The start line was a buzz with people. The wheelchairs started at 6:55, then Half-Marathon at 7am, and then me in the 10K, at 7:15. The first 2 miles had rolling hills, a little up and then a little down. Along the rest of the course there were a some big hills and it felt like I was going up and up and never coming down. I saw lots of people who just walked up the hills and then started running again at the top. There was also a strong wind through the course. Before I got to KC, I was thinking that I would finish in less than an hour but once I got there and saw the hills I realized there would be no personal best for me. After a few miles my goal became just running the whole thing without stopping. I was successful in that and finished in 1:06:12 which was a minute and a half less than my OKC time. I enjoyed the energy of the race - there were lots of runners and volunteers. The course was clearly marked and had enough water/gatorade stations. After the run, I got my picture taken, had some chocolate milk and bananas, and picked up my finisher flip flops; then we went to Panera for bagels. They had pancakes and sausages for finishers but I ready felt like a bagel.

Back at the house, I took a little nap and then we went to Hammerpress. D loves that place and I got him a great print and a little book. We had yummy Mexican food before I left for home. It was a long drive home because the A/C in the van was blowing hot air so I had to drive home with the windows down. (Never buy a Ford, my van has been a piece of junk from the day I bought it.)

Things I liked:

cool weather
beautiful course
lots of great spectators and volunteers
the hills (even though they were grueling)
the goody bag
finisher flip flops (awesome)
running socks
great tech shirt

Summer Baseball

2009-06-05T06:55:00.000-05:00

TT is playing baseball at the Ymca. He has one practice and one game a week. This is his first time playing and his coaches are very nice and encourages all the boys to do their best. TT has a great batting stance and has hit the ball everytime he has come to bat, last game he had 2 singles and this game an RBI.

Zoo Sunday

2009-06-04T07:33:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning we went to check out the new Tiger Trek exhibit at the zoo. The tigers were nice but my favorite part was the Red Panda. He was quite a busy little animal, exploring his habitat and looking at the visitors.

Febreze Sport

2009-05-30T11:31:00.002-05:00

I am trying out the Febreze sports collection. Many of my workout clothes are dryfit and tend to smell the same after a wash as before...very sweaty. The spray seems to work well on my shoes, gym bag, and car seats. I am soaking some items in the laundry odor eliminator right now and hoping for the best.

Last Day

2009-05-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of school for S and T. I was a little sad because I will miss all the teachers and students over the summer. S said she wasn't sad because she "has connections" and can call her friends over the summer. T got a list of his friend's phone numbers so they can plan play dates.

I start summer school June 8th and the kids will be doing fun summer classes also. D is planning on going to the gym everyday. I am looking forward to a relaxing, fun, hot summer.

Pink Hair

2009-05-27T19:52:00.003-05:00

S has been asking for a year to color her hair pink but the school rules say "no un-natural hair colors." Well tomorrow is the last day of school so I made an appointment with the wonderful Jeni at House of Hair and 2 hours later S walked out with this.

Summer Clothes

2009-05-26T08:59:00.004-05:00

Polyvore is a fun site where you can create collages of items from the web. Also, there is beautiful layered art. These are some of the items I would love to live in this summer.
Summer Wardrobe by knitandfit on Polyvore.com

Farmer's Market

2009-05-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

This morning, I took the kids to the Farmer's Market. First, they each got a cinnamon roll then we walked all around and decided what to buy. We bought a hanging basket, tomatoes, huge stalks of asparagus, a small butterfly weed plant and purple sage. All this for 20 bucks.

My garden is coming along nicely, I will have some pictures next week.

Tall Tales and Heroes

2009-05-22T07:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day. I went on a zoo field trip with TT's second grade class. TT's favorite animals, right now, are the fruit bats. We were one day early so we didn't get to see the new Tiger Trek.

In the evening TT had baseball practice and ST was in her school's musical. The kids did a great job. The music was wonderful and they used BIG voices.

Wasting time

2009-05-18T21:23:00.002-05:00

Two of my favorite ways to waste time on the internet are: F My Life and Cake Wrecks

Gardening

2009-05-17T17:32:00.004-05:00

I am not a big fan of gardening. I know that some people love it but I find no joy in pulling weeds, watering, and watching my plants die.

My Girl Scout co-leader is a happy gardener, she has a huge vegetable and herb garden plus perfect landscaping all around her home. She has given me hope that I can have a nice front garden this year. The above picture is before and below is after. I pulled out all the overgrown grass and moved the living plants to pots. Now it is ready for my friend to come and help me purchase and plant a beautiful landscape.

I also planted a little herb garden in the boxes under our front windows. Wish me luck.

Great Plains Nature Center

2009-05-15T07:32:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for a good place to run or walk in Wichita, try Great Plains Nature Center. There are no bikes, pets, or skates just you and the paved trail. I love the little rush of adrenaline I get when I hear animals moving in the trees and prairie grass. "Is it a snake, beaver, deer and turkey?" Whatever it is, it makes me run faster.

Molly

2009-05-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

I made this cute little lady for S. She has a pet sheep with a matching outfit. See more on my ravelry page.

River Run 2009

2009-05-09T17:35:00.003-05:00

I am very happy with my time this morning at the River Run 10K. It was just under one hour (59:49 mins to be exact)

I wish I had taken some pictures of my friends there.

Congrats to Becca, Judy, Laura, Lori, and Nikki. You ladies are my heroes!!

Knee Pain

2009-05-04T19:56:00.002-05:00

After the 10K in Oklahoma City my knee had a little pain, which is not something I have experienced before. It doesn't hurt all the time but I have noticed that it is a a tiny bit creaky and is sore after my runs. I'm not too concerned about it but I think I will keep an eye on it and hope that it doesn't get worse.