Black Licorice

Black licorice is one of those things that you either LOVE or you HATE.

I am in the love category. Since I was a little girl I just loved any candy that tasted at all like black licorice. I even loved the smell of anise from plants that people had in their yards. I love Black Vines, Good & Plenty, All Sorts, Anise Drops, Black Jack gum, anise tea, Italian anise cookies...etc. The list goes on. Many years ago I had black licorice ice cream during a trip to Montana. Soooooooooooooo good.

I grew up being the only person in my house that liked black licorice. It was awesome! I could buy a big bag of candy and leave it out knowing nobody would ever touch it. Then one day when I had taken Katya to Old Towne for the day I had stopped by the candy store and bought myself a little bag of hard anise drops. So good. Katya was about three years old and she wanted to try one. I told her that she wouldn't like it, but I let her try it anyway. I had my hand there ready for her to spit it out when she looked at me with eyes wide and said - YUM! What a shock! So for the past ten years I had shared my beloved black licorice with my little girl.

A couple of months ago, Ginger and I checked out a new deli that opened along my normal walking route called the American Deli. Imagine my surprise when they carried black licorice ice cream!! As a special treat Katya and I stopped there yesterday after one of Katya's doctor's appointments. Two scoops in a waffle cone for each of us. Alexis started demanding a taste so I put a little on a spoon and put it in her mouth with a napkin ready for her to spit it out when she looked at me with eyes wide and said - Mmmmmmmmmmm!

So BOTH of my girls are black licorice lovers like their mother. When Logan gets a bit older I am very curious to see if he likes it too. Isn't it funny sometimes what is genetic?

Bryson Communications is Moving Offsite

This is a huge and monumental thing! Bob has been working at this company for around four years or more now and they are finally stable enough to move offsite.

Bob found an office space that is centrally located in Bend (not the one over the Westside Bakery unfortunately - probably the best for me trying to lose weight though) and is a huge space. There is a little area that is like a reception area, a huge conference room/lunch room area, a good sized space for Rick, an office with no windows for all the lab equipment, a window office for Bob, a nice little bathroom, a network closet that has easy access to all the phone wiring and cables and a big storage closet for food and whatnot.

One of the reasons that the space was so cheap is that it was kind of beat up and dated looking. Well, Bob seems to love a good remodel effort so we have been doing our best to fix it up. I have logged over 30 hours in painting time myself. I have been getting up at 5am, feeding Logan and then going to the office and painting until 9:30 or 10am. Bob was getting up with the kids and taking care of them until I got back. One of the reasons that it was taking me so long was that I had to put primer on most of the walls because they were so messed up. I only have three walls in the bathroom and some touch up painting to do and then I am DONE. It looks so much better though. Bob even had me paint the ceiling panels so they look like new. Smokers were in there before and the panels were that awful dingy yellow from nicotine.

Bob was working (at least trying to work) a full day and then would go to the office at night and rip off old baseboards and stain the new baseboards. He also cleaned vent fans, replaced air filters, shop vac'd the metal strips that hold the ceiling panels, cleaned the bottoms of those same strips to get the yellow off and has been laying this whole thing out in his mind how he wants it. One day he came to bed at 4:30am. He has been working non-stop on this office.

We have been working on this place since last Tuesday so today makes it a week. He had my Uncle Mark and one of our old carpenters there all weekend (except yesterday) to help to put new trim around the baseboards and all the doors to update the office. Thank you Uncle Mark!!! I am hoping that we are ready to move in this week.

When the trim is finished and I do my touch up painting, I will take some more pictures to show you a before and after. It should be a nice space for years to come.

And have I mentioned that I get the space downstairs currently occupied by Bryson Communications as my art room/lounge area (since my real art room has a long ways to go to completion)? I'm planning on painting the room light orange, moving the futon and the foos ball table in there and finally having a place for my scrapbooking!! Katya is looking forward to having a place to escape screaming babies, do homework in quiet and have her girlfriends over to watch movies and eat popcorn until way too late in the evening.

This means that I need a name for my new room. Do you have any suggestions?

My Mom suggested the "Lizard Lounge".

Lacosse Diva

Well, Katya has been doing lacrosse for a month now and she is awesome!

She gets out there and really lets those other players have it. When the guys try and body check her or crowd her out, she just digs in and dishes it right back at them. At the end of a game she kind of feels a bit like Xena warrior princess.

We had no games last week but we have one next week and two the week after that. When she gets her lacrosse pictures back I will post it for your enjoyment.

Which "Grey's Anatomy" Character Are You?

You need to take this test and then let me know which character you are!

I am Miranda.

"You're a perfectionist and you expect nothing less from everyone around you. Even when people complain, they secretly admire you for holding them to your high standards. Your family is your rock, even if you don't get to see them as much as you'd like. But without them, you'd be lost because you can't ever let anyone at work see you're human too."

When I was a working girl, I would have to say this was not too far off the mark. Interesting.

Who are you?

Shoes

What is it about pregnancy and your feet? I understood having my feet grow after having Katya since she was my first child. But why did they have to grow after having Alexis & Logan?

I was just getting a pretty nice collection of shoes! I've been putting on different shoes since the snow has passed and the weather is pretty. I have Keds in about five different colors, boat shoes, loafers, mules, sandals, heels, about five pairs of ankle boots and two pairs of tall boots and a basket of flip flops. Every time I go to put on another pair of shoes - my toes touch the end. So much so that I can see my toe protruding from the end. How depressing.

Katya can't even benefit from my shoe collection. She wears the same size I do now - a size 9.

I guess the next time I see a sale on shoes I shoudln't feel too guilty about buying some.

District Track Meet

Last Thursday Katya competed in a district track meet for this area at Redmond High School. I think it included Bend, Redmond and La Pine. Let's just say that there were a lot of kids there.

Thankfully, Ginger was able to babysit Alexis all day while I sat at the meet. Alexis had a good time going to Danae's class, eating ravioli, playing with the dogs and generally getting spoiled by Ginger all day. I took Logan with me since I figured I would be at the meet for nine hours. I wasn't too far off my expected time there.

I got to Redmond High School at 9am, just as the kids were getting off of the buses. I found a good spot on the grass right at the finish line and set up camp. I had two chairs (in case Katya wanted to hang with me and for when Bob showed up at 2pm), an umbrella to keep the sun off, a big hat which embarassed Katya, a cooler with lunch and munchies for Katya and I, lots and lots of water, a blanket, reading material, my camera and my IPod. I was set for the day. Which is good because it was HOT in the sun. Logan and I wore spf 55 all day but my legs (what was showing of them) got burnt. I managed to keep Logan shaded and unburnt all day.

Katya was an alternate for the 110 hurdles, which was why I showed up so early. The 110 hurdles is always the first running event. She ended up not competing in that race. She was also an alternate for the 200, which she did run. She didn't place, but she did really well. Especially considering that her knees were taped up from physical therapy.

For some reason, when it came time for her 800 relay (four girls each running a 200) she had rockets on her feet. Her relay team got second place!!! What an accomplishment! We don't know yet if they will be going to the State meet, but we should find out next Monday. She gets her ribbon on Monday as well. How cool is that? She says that she plans on doing a lot of training over the summer and fall to prep for next season. She likes this whole winning thing.

Diaper Head

I was busy sorting through my many piles of paper that are sitting on my desk and kitchen counter. It was then that I noticed that Alexis was being very quiet - never a good sign. I turned around and this is what I saw....

Katya + Digital Camera

After I got my new digital camera from Bob for Christmas, Katya inherited my old faithful Kodak Easy Share camera. I had bought it from WalMart with it's photo printer for $300 back in 2000. I loved that camera and it really got my shutterbug habit going. I love taking pictures. What is especially great is that you can take TONS of pictures and you are usually guaranteed that at least ONE picture will turn out good.

Katya has been having a good time with my old camera. She has had me download a bunch of pictures from the camera and I have been cracking up at the pictures that I am finding on it. I forget sometimes just how much teenage girls like to take pictures of themselves.

Enjoy!

Hikes With Tykes

Almost every Tuesday for the past month now, Ginger and I have put the babies in some strollers and headed out on different trails around Bend. The Parks and Rec office here offers something for everyone! For those of us that have small children and still want to get some kind of workout, they offer Hikes With Tykes.

We get emailed the starting location of our next hike and we show up at 9am ready to do some walking/hiking. Ginger walks Alexis in our Bob stroller (so aptly named) and I walk Logan in our Phil & Ted's stroller (that one still needs a name). I bring along water, snacks and diapering essentials and we head out following our trusty leader, Mary. The walks are sometimes more interesting or more beautiful than others, but they are always a good walk. The usual hike is walking for an hour, stopping at a park to let the kids burn up some energy, and walking for an hour back. We started out the walking season with only three mile hikes. Our hike yesterday was a bit over 5 miles, but because it was cross country (on dirt and gravel paths), it seemed longer.

Our hike yesterday, although long, was beautiful. It was a trail that ran along the Deschutes River that I didn't know existed. I will definately need to go back there for another hike sometime. But, I think I would prefer to take Logan in the front pack. My arms were sore from pushing that stroller along the gravel path and up some serious incline. Luckily, I had remembered to bring my camera to take some pictures. I am a photo junkie.

I am looking forward to the hike next week. I am learning all the cool places to go for a hike that are stroller friendly in Bend.

Goodbye Gilmore Girls

Wow. Seven years I have been faithfully watching Gilmore Girls. Seven long and very entertaining years.

I first started watching Gilmore Girls back when I bought my condo in Poway. I identified with the character of Lorelei, raising her daughter, Rori. Only, Lorelei was thinner, prettier and talked faster. And she lived in the coolest of towns EVER - Stars Hollow. They made the whole show and all of the characters on it so warm and real. My girlfriends Michelle and Desiree were also horribly addicted. All three of us had our kids when we were 22 or 23. Not babies, but as I look back on being 23 - I was indeed a baby in so many ways. We were all single and raising our daughters on our own.

As Katya got older, she started watching the show with me. It handled a lot of topics with a sense of humor and a hefty dose of reality. Katya watched Lorelei and Rori struggle through their changing relationship as Rori grew older. She watched Rori go through boyfriends, friends, rejection, some major mistakes and saw how she worked through it. I think it was good for her.

As Katya and I were sitting on the couch watching the series finale, we were both close to tears for most of it. It is the end of an era in our lives as it is the end of an era in our favorite characters lives. Katya looks at Rori and sees her future. Graduating from high school, going to college and leaving for her first big job. Leaving me to go off to make her way into the world. Knowing that she can always rely on me at any time - EVER. But leaving me nonetheless. It is tough watching the characters go through that pain on TV so I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like five years from now when I watch Katya graduate from high school and go away to college. I know it is coming, but I am just going to enjoy the time that I have left with her.

It is funny when a show comes along that you become totally addicted to and can identify with in some ways. The first show I ever was in a panic to get home to watch was Star Trek. All of them. I am a sci fi lover. As an adult, I became insanely addicted to X Files. I still remember sitting on David's couch and watching the pilot. Next came Gilmore Girls with all their crazy, but loveable characters. For a brief time, I was stuck on Alias. But the episodes became just too far fetched for me to wrap my head around. And besides, that show is now long over. Luckily for me, I now have Grey's Anatomy or I might go into withdrawls.

So, Goodbye Gilmore girls. Thanks for all the great times. I will miss you.

A Hairy Subject

With the onset of Spring comes the shedding of animals.

We have two cats and two dogs and that makes for a lot of fur in the house even in the winter. Can you imagine the tufts of fur that just fly off of them during the Spring and Summer months? It is gross. You can always see where the cats have laid because there is a circle of fur left behind.

Sooooooooooooooooo, long ago I discovered the beauty of shaving your animals. My cats are long haired, so shaving them is actually really good for their skin as well as keeping the fur balls under control (yulk) and the fur tufts as bay. It is just pretty darn funny to look at them right after they get shaved.

Normally, just the cats get shaved but this year I shaved Thor as well. He was itching a lot and the shaving seems to have solved that problem.

The cats are still mortified by their appearance, but they are really frisky so I think they feel better too.

OCD

Everyone in my family seems to have some kind of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I won't name names, but some issues that people have are; wanting a certain number of ice cubes in your glass (odd, even or prime), counting your gulps, numbering socks so that the pairs wear evenly together, counting steps on stairs, keeping money organized a certain way... etc. The list goes on.

I have always thought of myself as being pretty darn mellow. I thought that I was one of those family members that escaped the whole OCD issue thing. After all, I tend to have a clean house - but messy little piles of paper that always need to be tended to are on my desk and the kitchen counter. I'm a stacker of paper, one of my faults.

It was brought to my attention a few years ago, that I indeed have my own OCD tendencies. I was reminded of them this morning as I was putting away groceries.

1. I have to have a nicely organized and clean fridge. Keeping it clean is an ongoing battle, but keeping it organized is a MUST. Everything must be faced forward (so you can read what it is) and in nice little rows. I get laughed at because of my fridge.

2. I have the cabinets under the bathroom sinks neatly organized as well. Rows of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and other toiletry essentials are nicely stacked and faced forward for easy viewing and grabbing. My mother had a good time looking under the sinks during one of her visits here.

3. I'm a freak about laundry. Not sure why, but I am extremely particular about how my laundry is done. I have forbidden Bob from ever washing my clothes unless I am in the hospital. I am so afraid of having something shrunk or turned a new color. I also fold all t-shirts, underwear (Ginger had a laugh about this one), towels and socks. T-shirts have to be folded a certain way or I will refold them. Not sure why. Bob really doesn't seem to care because laundry to him is one of the most awful chores there is. I feel that way about taking out the trash.

4. I have a little thing about reading signs and billboards. It is really distracting for me because I feel compelled to read everything within eyesight if humanly possible. The upside of this is that I know my way around places by where the stores and signs are located. The downside of this is that when I give directions to people it tends to be "turn left at the sign for the state park" or "look for the flaming chicken (a piece of art by my house) and go in the direction of Big O Bagels".

5. I buy a lot of groceries. My cupboards are always stocked with food and my freezers are both packed full with food as well. You will never ever go hungry in my house. Not sure why I feel the need to have not one can of refried beans, but four. Or no less than five boxes of cereal in the cupboard at all times. I am not huge and nobody in my family is obese. We all eat normal amounts of food and the food that I buy is usually healthy, whole grain and organic. Granted, I keep a good amount of microwave friendly foods for Bob and Katya for emergency meals or YOYO nights (I love that term from Mandee. You are On Your Own.). But, for the most part what we have is good for you. I just have a lot of it.

I think that is it. I am sure that if I forgot anything, I will be reminded by my most loving family members. I look at this whole OCD thing as quirks that make us all endearing! Besides, you will always be able to find stuff in my fridge when you come over.

Deby's Favorite Things

In the spirit of Mandee's blog, I bestow to all you fabulous mother's out there on this beautiful Mother's Day these virtual gifts. If I were rich like Oprah, I'd love to send each of you all of these things.

A new Fossil watch

Diamond Earrings from Tiffany & Co

A Diamond Pinkie Ring from Tiffany & Co (not sure why I'm in a diamond mood today)

A Freezer Full of Schwan's Entrees

$1,000 to Target (who couldn't use this?)

Housecleaning Service for a Year

Mother's Day Dinner from Honeybaked Ham Company

A Room Makeover from David Bromstad from Color Splash on HGTV

Happy Mother's Day!!

A Tribute To Some Mother's In My Life

This is my little tribute to some of the mothers that I know. I am a better mother for knowing you all.

Mom: This is the one lady that has influenced my life more than any other. She doesn't take credit for doing such a great job of raising David and I. She raised us by herself. She struggled to fight the system that said that David couldn't be the amazing college graduate, holding a fabulous job, awesome father that he turned out to be just because he was deaf. She made mistakes in her life, but she taught me that you are defined by how well you pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes rather than how well you wallow in your own self pity. When things got rough for us financially, she never gave up. She found a way to provide for us what was needed before she met my Dad who gave us a new life. In her marriage with my Dad, she has shown me what a marriage to a good man could be like. She never let the bad things that happened to her in her life cloud her happiness with living today. I am a much better, stronger, more understanding, patient, loving person for having my mother in my life.

Laura: You are an amazing mother. You work so hard to be everything that you can be to Dylan and Ryan. You give them 100% of yourself at all times. The boys will be all that they could ever possibly be because of you being there and helping them along the way. You are creative, fun, energetic, artistic and I sometimes envy your ability to think up such wonderful things to do with the kids. You have always, always been the most wonderful aunt to Katya. You have made sure that Katya has no doubt in her mind that you love and adore her. And I am sure that Ginger feels that same way about your relationship with Danae. You only need to stop and take some time for yourself more often.

Ginger: What a fabulous aunt and mother you are! Diana and Danae couldn't be more lucky to have you for their mother. You are a very warm, loving, grounded and realistic parent and that is helping your daughters to grow up strong and independent. They will always know that you are there for them and be a safe haven for when life gets a little rough. And there will always be a warm cup of tea, a hug and some wonderful homemade food to make you feel better. In fact, we all know that. I am so happy to know that Katya, Alexis and Logan will grow up with you as such a huge part of their lives. You have always been such a huge part of mine.

Debbie K.: You are one of the warmest people that I have ever met. Brett is an independent, hard working man now who is that way in large part to your influence and support. Suzanne loves you and knows that you are there for her as well. You are wonderful. You are wonderful to everyone! You have made a huge difference in M & M's lives up here, Katya adores you, Alexis goes nuts when she sees you, and Logan will soon learn to love you as well. You are the Ginger to your family. My family knows that being a Ginger is a HUGE compliment.

Michelle: I miss you. I am so sorry that I don't get to see you every day like I used to. You are the closest thing I have ever had to a sister. You are one of the most hard working women that I know and it was always nice to have Katya with you. It is seldom that you find someone else in life that has the same rules and expectations for their kids. You do everything that you can for Rese to provide for her the best future possible.

Grandma: You have always been the best grandma in the world! Thanks for being so close to me growing up. You always gave me good and sound advice. It's too bad I didn't always take it. I love you and miss you terribly.

Pam: Thanks for being one of the warmest people I have ever known. I was always welcome at your house and in your car for your many outings to Mission Bay, the movies, or wherever. Growing up with you as my Aunt Pam has been nothing short of wonderful. I can't think of the words to tell you how warm my heart feels when I think of you and how influential you have been in my life. Your daughters are grown and gone, but they love to spend time with you still. That is the sign of a warm and wonderful mother.

Aunt Ann: I know I don't get to see you hardly at all anymore, but I love you. Thanks for opening your heart to me and letting me live with you for those few months when I was younger. It was because of you that I learned to love crafting and how to work a microwave. Skills I still employ to this day. I always felt safe at your house.

Aunt Cheri: Thanks so much for being my aunt. You are so gracious, supportive and kind to me and my kids always. I have always thought of you as a second mother. Probably because I spent so darn much time at your house growing up and the fact that you are my Mother's best and oldest friend. I'm so lucky to have you in my life.

Heather: You are an amazing mother. You handle motherhood with ease and grace. Your kids are warm and loving, a sign of a warm and loving mother. You showed me long ago that being a stay at home mother could have a huge postive impact in your kids lives. I miss seeing you guys on a regular basis.

Mandee: Thanks for all the great advice. It's too bad that we don't live closer, I'd love to hang out with you and the kids. It is so nice to know someone else who is in such a similar position. Your emails always say the right thing at the right time. I appreciate and value your friendship.

I thank each of you for being so influential in my life. Each of you have shown me different ways to be a mother and that has made me a better mother. I know that Katya has benefited from the many long conversations I have had with each of you over the course of her lifetime. I hope to only become a better and more patient mother now that I have Alexis and Logan.

I love you all!

Mr. Sensitive

My little Logan is such a little sweetie.

He is happiest when someone is giving their total and complete attention to him. He prefers to be held instead of sat in a bouncy seat, thank you very much. He wants lots of smiles and in return he will give you some of the best little grins and giggles ever.

Logan has started cooing and laughing. How cute!! Sometimes he just has a lot to say and he will just coo and gurgle and bubble and coo as long as you look at him. When people walk up to take a peak at him he always rewards them with his million dollar toothless smile.

If Alexis, or any other baby for that reason, starts to cry or get upset - he will sympathy cry. He just feels so bad that they are sad he will join in.

Logan is also the total Mama's Boy. He will cry and fuss when other people are holding him and he will stop the minute that I pick him up. He has a very different personality than Alexis or Katya. The girls were very independant from early on. Don't bug me, I'm busy rolling over or exploring. It has been challenging at times because I really do have other things to do than just hold him all day. I do have to make sure that I block out time to just sit and hold him during the day and talk to him. The only problem is that he gets so happy and content that he falls asleep. If I put him down, he will wake up and cry like I broke his little heart because I didn't want to hold him anymore.

I knew that each of my kids would be different - it is just a lot of fun getting to know their personalities.

Katya's Last Track Meet

Yesterday was Katya's last regular track meet of the season.

The weather couldn't have been more different than last week. It was HOT (in the low 80's), sunny and blue skies. Alexis was with Ginger again so I just had Logan with me. We had a hard time staying cool and out of the sun for the five hours that we were there.

Katya was still running injured, but she gave it her best. She opted out of high jump again to concentrate on the 110 low hurdles, 200 and 800 relay. Katya came in 3rd in hurdles, 2nd in her heat for the 200 and first for the 800 relay. Her relay team has been so strong that they will be going to the District meet next week in Redmond to compete. Katya will find out tomorrow if she qualified for any other events.

I had made some rice krispy squares for the kids on her team, but it was too hot for anyone to want to eat them. It has to be hot for kids to turn THOSE down.

I was really bummed with my ability to take pictures. The sun was really intense so a lot of my pictures turned out looking almost white. And my camera had just enough of a delay during key races that the picture that I wanted was long since past and I got Katya's foot. Some days are just better than other with camera karma. I did manage to take a video of her running the 200, but the first couple of seconds were aimed at the trees while I was trying to find her. It is hard to keep that camera level with it zoomed out so far.

We went to the doctor today about Katya's knees and ankles and she thinks that Katya is overusing them. She will be seeing a podiatrist and going to some physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around her ankles and knees. Hopefully those things will help for the long haul. Luckily, Katya's lacrosse practice was cancelled for tonight so she is able to kick back and relax a little. This is a really good thing since she has a lacrosse game tomorrow night.

Well, her last track meet will be next Thursday. I guess if she places well in any of the events at the District meet the next place to go is the State meet. Wish her luck!

Shuffle Mode

I do a LOT of walking. I walk four to five days a week for at least 45 minutes (a little over 3 miles minimum) in the grand hopes that some day my baby fat will eventually melt away. I have found that I actually can take advantage of some morning time after I feed Logan and before Bob and Alexis wake up. Walking the same routes every day can get pretty dull, so I hook myself up to my little IPod that Bob gave me for Christmas a couple years ago and go on my way.

While walking this morning, I noticed a theme with my IPod. Even in it's shuffle mode, I get certain genres of music primarily played each day. Now, I have some really eclectic taste in music. I like rock, pop, hip hop, some stuff that is considered rap, alternative, 70's, 80's... the list goes on. So, of course, my IPod music reflects that. But, it doesn't seem to stop the IPod from playing certain artists on certain days.

Today was primarily Beyonce and Destiny's Child. I must have heard at least 10 songs that were Beyonce related. Her new one with Shakira, some old stuff with Destiny's Child and a couple from her first solo album.

Last Friday was mostly rock. I heard Nine Inch Nails, ZZ Top, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 3 Doors Down, Evanescence, Outcast, Everclear and the like.

One day last week I spent my whole walk hitting the shuffle button because I was wanting music that was more upbeat. All I mostly got for that whole walk was Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, Enigma, Elliott Smith, The Fray and Dido.

My favorite walking days are ones where the IPod plays a lot of pop and hip hop. I get some speed up when I'm listening to Will Smith asking if I can "Switch", or Gwen Stefani telling me about her "Sweet Escape", or 50 Cent telling me about what it going on "In Da Club". Nelly, Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, Pink and Prince (true, not current but one of my favorites) make my walking time just wizz by.

I need to peruse my IStore to see if there are any new songs that I want to put on my IPod in the grand hopes that someday it will feel like playing it.

Katya's 3rd Track Meet

Yesterday was another track meet and let me just say that it was really, really, really cccccooooooooollllllllllllddddddddddddd!!! We were snowed on several times, the wind was just brutally fridgid, and once there was hail. What fun conditions to do a meet in.

Luckily, my most wonderful Aunt Ginger and fantabulous sister in law, Debbie K. babysat the kids for me. Ginger had Logan at her house while Doug was hanging out and visiting. Debbie K. had Alexis at her house. Alexis was totally spoiled! Debbie K. had a small kiddie pool blown up in the living room and had it filled with those play balls you find at McDonald's. She also had an inflatable Elmo toddler bed that Alexis got to play on. The kids had WAY more fun with their aunts than freezing their hiney off at a track meet.

All kinds of parents were out there supporting their kids in this awful weather. People were wearing parkas, covered with blankets, huddling under umbrellas and one woman was wearing a sleeping bag. Hats off to all these parents! Their kids may act like they don't care if they are there, but we all know that they really do care. I think that more parents should be out there supporting their kids and letting them know just how fabulous they are just for trying at these events. But that is just me and my personal push for the parenting world at large.

Back to the meet. Well, Katya did three running events and although she was scheduled to do the high jump - she opted to scratch since she was really not in the mood. Unfortunately, Katya has been suffering from some sore knees and ankles for the past couple of weeks. She had one really bad ankle during the meet and I know that the fridgid temps didn't help it out at all. She has been going through a lot of Icy Hot and we have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next week to see if she maybe needs orthotics.

Katya ran the 110 low hurdles and since she wasn't feeling 100% she placed 5th overall.

In the 200, Katya placed 2nd overall.

For the 800 relay, Katya and her team placed 2nd overall.

Totally stellar performance! Especially considering she was running injured.

Rock on girlfriend!

What Mother's Should Be Paid

Ok, I was looking at my My Yahoo homepage this morning and a news article caught my eye. It was titled "A Stay-At-Home Mother's Work Worth $138,095 a Year". Of course I had to read it.

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the typical stay-at-home mother in the United States were paid for her work as a housekeeper, cook and psychologist among other roles, she would earn $138,095 a year, according to research released on Wednesday.

This reflected a 3 percent raise from last year's $134,121, according to Salary.com Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts-based compensation experts.

The 10 jobs listed as comprising a mother's work were housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist, it said.

The typical mother puts in a 92-hour work week, it said, working 40 hours at base pay and 52 hours overtime.

A mother who holds full-time job outside the home would earn an additional $85,939 for the work she does at home.

Last year she would have earned $85,876 for her at-home work, it said.

Salary.com compiled the online responses of 26,000 stay-at-home mothers and 14,000 mothers who also work outside the home."

Not too shabby, huh? Go MOMS!!!

Katya's First Lacrosse Game

Last night was Katya's first Lacrosse game of the season.

For those of you that don't know what lacrosse is ( I didn't know until last year), I'll give you a brief explaination. It is played kind of like soccer with a goal on each end of the field. There is a small heavy ball that is passed from player to player and they try to get it into the other teams goal. However, the ball must be passed at least two times before a goal attempt can be made. Each player passes the ball with a stick that has a small net attached to the end of it. If the other team has the ball you are allowed to hit their stick with your stick to bounce it out (hence some really gnarly padded gloves that they are required to wear) and you are also allowed to use your body to push the other team out of the way. Required equipment is a full face helmet, padded gloves and the lacrosse stick.

At the game last night, some of the players on the other team got a bit overzealous in the body checking and one person started hitting another person in the chest and on his back with his stick. The game was stopped twice to go over rules and then people started going to the "box" until the other players started to mellow out. The first two minutes into the game Katya fell and twisted her knee so she was out for the first half of the game. She felt better after letting it mellow for a while so she went in and played the second half.

Oh yeah, she is only one of three girls on her team. I don't think the other team even had a girl on it.

Katya was hanging by the opponents goal to try and help the ball in. She wasn't up for too much running so she played very safe. However, this didn't stop her from scoring the tying goal! I was filming some of the game on my camera and the memory card was full 60 seconds before she got the ball in. I am not kidding! You can check out what I did catch on You Tube.

I'm buying a new memory card before next weeks game. Heck, there is a track meet tomorrow so I should do it before then too. I guess I'm going to Costco.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

Today is my parent's 25th wedding anniversary.

It is hard to believe that they have been married that long. I remember the day that I first met my Dad. It is too bad that I was so mean to him for so many years. He didn't deserve it. The fact that he stuck it out with my mom (and me by default) is amazing. I have learned a lot by watching my parents relationship over the years. I am much more aware of what is truely important, when you should give and when you should take, when to put your foot down and when to just roll with it and what it really means to "be there" for your spouse through good times and bad.

To mark the occasion, they are going on a cruise with their friends from Barcelona to Istanbul in August. What an amazing trip that will be!

So.... Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!