You're Not Listening To My Words

Justin Beaver Part 2

2012-01-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like I am writing exclusively about Justin these days. I gotta give James some blog love here very soon. As I mentioned here recently, Justin has become very particular about what we can call him. The other night we were clarifying the list of names that are acceptable. He listed: Justin, Jutmeister and Justin Beaver Gillespie. Huh? What was that last one? Justin Beaver Gillespie? Some of you regular blog readers may recall the above beaver t-shirt that Justin was once obsessed with. This, of course, led to the inevitable "Justin Beaver" nickname. It never occurred to me that he would actually start to think that Beaver was his real middle name. When we told him that his real middle name is Zachary and not Beaver, he groaned loudly with disappointment. Poor kid. I think he will thank us when he is a little older.

Year Of The Dragon

2012-01-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Justin's class had a Chinese New Year celebration on Friday and he came home with this picture. Too cute.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2012-01-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

I have spent nearly the entire day planning for JZ's (sorry, JUSTIN'S) upcoming birthday. However, I wanted to sneak in a post about a school issue that has come up. A few months ago, we were having a conversation with a friend of ours that also has a son with sensory issues. He told us about his son's pre-k where the entire elementary school is made up of integrated classrooms. Every class in every grade is made up of general education students and those with special needs. It is a public school that is located in our district. Students are accepted through a lottery. This highly regarded school was established in 1992 and it is the only one of it's kind in New York City. As you can imagine, it is a very desirable school to attend whether your child has special needs or not. In addition, they recently announced that they will be expanding the school through 8th grade in the next few years. This just made the school's desirability shoot through the roof. The middle school process in New York City is one of nightmares from what I am told. It's all about great test scores and perfect attendance. So much so, that parents have told me that in 4th and 5th Grades, they will take their child to school even if they are sick, then pick them up at Noon so they can receive attendance for the day. This is just the regular ol' middle schools. The specialized middle schools (those specializing in arts, math and science, etc) have their own set of tests and requirements your child must meet. In most cases, this means that your child will have to travel sometimes as far away as Manhattan or the outer reaches of Brooklyn to attend school. To have this taken off our plate would be huge.

On Wednesday night, we attended the first of two open houses that the school was holding for parents of prospective students. There were around 300 to 400 parents there with us. Wow. There are only two pre-k classrooms at the school of which there are 12 slots for special needs kids. Yeah, the odds aren't looking very good, are they? We were only given a tour of the kindergarten and pre-k building which is separate from the upper grades. We did have the opportunity to get some time with one of the pre-k teachers who we both thought was fantastic.

I spent Thursday and Friday going back and forth about what I thought might be best for Justin. If he gets into this school and he ends up mainstreaming (no longer requires services), he will still be able to stay at the school which is their policy. This is what we are expecting with Justin because this is what happened with James. When James hit kindergarten, we were told by the the city that he no longer required services. He clearly had some issues that still needed to be addressed, particularly with his fine motor skills, but because he didn't qualify for services, he was on his own. If this were to happen to Justin, at least he would be in a supportive setting, with teachers that are familiar with these issues, to help. In James' case, we were lucky that he had a teacher that was willing to work with him before school on things like handwriting. My fear is, what if Justin doesn't have a teacher that is willing to go that extra mile and he needs the help?

Regardless, even if we don't get in, our locally zoned public school is great. We can keep him at the school that he is enrolled in now for pre-k and then send him to our local school for kindergarten. I think the boys would be sad not to be at the same school together. So there's that. No easy decision here.

Anyway, that is what is on our minds this week. That and gearing up for the big Thomas the Tank Engine 4th birthday celebration. More on that later...

Say My Name

2012-01-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

JZ announced this morning that he no longer wishes to be called by any of the numerous nicknames that we have for him. He is insisting on being called by his name, Justin. Someone is getting so old...

Quote Jar: Good Words

2012-01-12T05:48:00.001-08:00

JZ: "Patience is a good word!"

James: "Mario is good word!"

So proud...

(Hopefully) My Last Post On Potty Training

2012-01-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

JZ turns 4 in a couple of weeks. I can say, with much relief, that he is almost completely potty trained. All that is left to conquer is night training. I know that I shouldn't beat myself up that it has taken this long to get him potty trained but it is hard for me not to do so. For some reason, I felt tremendous pressure to have both my boys trained as soon as they turned 2. I realize that I was the one putting this pressure on myself even though I fully understood that some kids, especially boys, are just not ready at that early age. Even the boys' pediatrician laughed it off with, "Rarely does a child make it to kindergarten without being potty trained. It will happen!" Of course, the neurotic in me worried that my kid would be that exception. As my friends enjoyed successful training with their kids, the more I felt like a failure. I am elated that this particular milestone in my boys' development is almost over.

Now, there is one more issue that needs to be resolved before JZ turns 4. The pacifier. Yes, we still let him have his pacifier when he sleeps. We should have gotten rid of it about a year ago but he is such a bad sleeper, I think we were afraid of what might happen if we took it away. Also, he grinds his teeth in his sleep (kids with sensory issues often have this problem) and the pacifier helps stop it. We have let him know that when he turns 4, there will be no more "binky". I don't think he fully understands what is going to happen but we have vowed to remain strong and not to cave. I have to say, we are kinda winging this. With James, we tried the cutting the tips off his pacifiers, "pacifier fairies" and all those things but at the end of the day, to get rid of it, we just had to take it away. No stories, no bells and whistles. I think (I hope) things will be the same with JZ...

Jeansgate

2012-01-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

KG and I divvy morning responsibilities with the kids. I make them breakfast and pack lunch. In addition to getting James to school and JZ on the bus, KG almost always gets JZ dressed. Once we were out of shorts season, I started to notice that JZ was wearing the rattiest pants out of his drawer. I didn't understand why the pants in the poorest condition kept being selected over all the other perfectly nice pairs. I mentioned something to KG and he sort of shrugged it off. A few times, I changed JZ myself into something else. It finally hit me over the holidays why KG was picking out these ratty pants... because none of them were jeans. KG has rarely worn denim in all the years that I have known him. He never liked i jeans in particular. Apparently he is now passing on his distaste for denim on to our son. Naturally, I had to put this theory to the test. This week, I placed a pair of jeans on top of all JZ's other pants. Everyday, KG picked the hidden non-demin pants. Amazing. KG, you have been found out. Gotcha! This morning JZ asked me to get him ready for school. Guess what? He wore jeans.

A New Year Brings Change

2012-01-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

I had planned to write a post on resolutions as I usually do this time of year. In fact, I had been brainstorming my list of resolutions all during December. There were some good ones too, like finally doing a headstand in yoga and being nicer and stuff. Then, there was the big issue of diet that is consistently on my list. This year it was going to be an anti-inflammatory diet, like the Mediterranean Diet, in hopes to help my painfully inflamed arm/shoulder to heal. Oh, and to lose weight, of course. Then, on December 30th, I found out that I made the lottery for the New York City Half Marathon on March 18th. You have no idea how difficult it is for someone living in the area to get into this race unless you qualify or run four of the five Borough Half Marathons to receive guaranteed entry. I really did not expect to be accepted. I am thrilled but completely taken off-guard by this. It is generally discouraged to start any sort of extreme diet when training for a race of significant mileage, so the Mediterranean Diet is out. I am still going to try and make some dietary changes like choosing healthier carbs, watching portion size and tracking my food intake. We'll see how this all shakes out.

The next big change for this year is that I am going back to work! I'll be working in music PR but this time it will be for someone else and only part-time (for now). I am really excited to get back to work but also psyched that I will still be able to pick up James from school and meet JZ's bus. Yay! Blogging may have to take a back seat while I adjust to my new schedule. I love this blog so I doubt I will be able to stay away for very long, if at all.

So yeah, not much time for resolutions so far this year. I'm okay with that. What are your resolutions for 2012?

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

The weather in Kansas has been a little insane with temperatures reaching into the upper 50s and 60s. This is not your typical late December weather. We took the boys to the Kansas City Zoo on Wednesday. It was a perfect day for it and the boys had a great time. I snapped this funny photo of JZ.

Do you have any big plans for New Years Eve? We are taking James on his first trip to legendary Allen Fieldhouse to see our beloved Kansas Jayhawks play basketball in the afternoon. Then, we have planned a big Mexican fiesta family dinner for the evening. I am in charge of making the guacamole and queso. We spent a lot of money on a big New Year's Eve night out last year and came away from it a little disappointed. I am all about a low key celebration from now on. We head back to New York on Monday and I am not sure I will have a chance to post again before we return. If not, I wanted to wish you all the best in the New Year!

Happy! Merry!

2011-12-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

I hope you have been enjoying the holidays. We had a lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family. There has been a lot of gaming, reading and tons of eating.

On Christmas Eve, I was so excited to make this delicious Bacon-Jalapéno Cheese Ball. You can find the recipe at the Homesick Texan. I should have taken an "after" photo. This platter was left totally bare.

The kids decorated sugar cookies for Santa. JZ decided that Santa would appreciate his artwork more than a letter. I guess it worked because he did get everything he wanted!

On Christmas Day, I turned my Prosciutto Hand Pie into pinwheels for a tasty appetizer. They were a huge hit.

Great. Now I am hungry again. This is the danger of posting about food. Bring on the leftovers!

Holiday Sickness

2011-12-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

It seems like it wouldn't truly be the holidays without some sort of sickness making the rounds amongst family members. This picture was taking of JZ about 12 hours before he vomited for 6 hours straight. He seems to be on the mend, but KG and I are a little bit out of it from the lack of sleep. We arrived in Kansas on Tuesday and I am sure the two flights it took to get here made JZ's sinus infection/cold even worse. Around 12:30am on Thursday, he was choking on all that gunk in his body and had to get it out somehow. I have never seen a kid throw up mucus but that is what he did, for hours. He was miserable. Then, the next morning, he seemed to feel totally fine. We are keeping a close eye on him. Luckily, for all of us, last night he slept great. Here is hoping that you or your loved ones aren't fighting any nasty bugs. Although, 'tis the season!

White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

2011-12-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

I decided to go with almond bark dipped pretzels as my holiday sweet treat. I went to four different stores and none of them carried almond bark. I guess almond bark must be a Midwest thing? I bought a bag of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Chips instead and since the chocolate is richer than the bark, I only dipped the pretzels halfway. At our local kitchen supply shop, I found a container that held a variety of decorative holiday sprinkles. It was so nice not to have to buy several bottles of sprinkles that I would only use once a year. After I dipped the pretzels, I placed them on waxed paper, decorated them with the sprinkles, and then let them set in the freezer for 15 minutes. At that point, they are ready to be packaged.

I chose to pack them in cellophane bags and decorated them with labels that I had on hand.

The pretzels are delicious and a nice change of pace from the usual holiday cookie treats!

Holiday Bakers Block

2011-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

In the past few years, I have made a sweet treat gift for the kids bus drivers and matrons. Last year, I opted for homemade caramel corn instead of cookies. This year, I am sort of feeling the holiday cookie thing again. I thought about making buckeyes, but I have made them the past few years. Normally, I would freeze any extras and then have them as a special treat well after the holidays. However, my goal in January is to cut as much sugar from my diet as possible so there will be no buckeyes hiding out in my fridge in the new year. My friend Heather suggested melting almond bark, dipping pretzels in the bark, and then decorating them with sprinkles. Her mom makes these every year. I agree that these could be a real crowd pleaser. Here is a recipe that I found on the web. What is your favorite holiday baked treat?

Speaking of baking. I can't believe I forgot to mention that James' school had a fundraising event where the community was invited to shop for gifts from local vendors while slices of pie, provided by the families of the school, were sold to benefit the school. Also, a pie competition was held that featured celebrity guest judges including my favorite, Gail Simmons from Top Chef. The event has been going on as long as my son has been at the school and Gail is there every year. I finally got my courage up to enter a pie in the competition. I was initially inspired by the prosciutto parmesan croissant from Eataly but realized it would be difficult to replicate in pie form. I knew I wanted to make a hand pie and have prosciutto as the key ingredient. My friend, Jacki, who is an amazing cook, helped me formulate the ingredients for the pies. I only had time for one practice round and I was fairly impressed with the outcome. I made a few tweaks for the final batch and then I was ready to roll. May I present my "Rustic Prosciutto Hand Pie With Goat Cheese And Fig":

I didn't win but I did make it to the final round of judging so Gail Simmons tasted my dish! In that sense, I totally won. Also, the overall winner was in the "savory" category with me. So that made me feel even better. Now, if I can just put this sort of determination towards my holiday baking. Help!

Santaland 2011

2011-12-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, we took the boys to visit Santa Claus at Macy's in Herald Square. I won't rehash the general details of our Santaland trip since I covered it extensively last year. This year, we did manage to get both boys in one picture. Success! We ended up waiting about 45 minutes but it went by quickly. As you can imagine, the people watching was fantastic. Anyway, the boys time with Santa went off without a hitch. James asked him for a Hexbug, though we (along with Santa), thought he asked for an Xbox. Hexbugs are much more doable than an Xbox. What a relief! JZ asked him for Hungry Hungry Hippos. Even the picture turned out pretty well. Both kids looking at the camera, smiling... what more could you ask for? JZ looks psyched, doesn't he? Cute.

The Muppets

2011-12-09T13:33:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, we took the boys to see The Muppets. I think I was actually more excited than they were to see the movie. Growing up, I was the biggest fan. I watched the weekly show and saw the first movie in the theatre. My prized stuffed toys were Fozzie and Animal. I am happy to report that the movie is super cute and adults will enjoy it as much as the kids. JZ got a little bored toward the end but James loved it. When asked, which was his favorite muppet, James replied, "Animal." Awwww, a kid after my own heart. JZ seems to be more of a Kermit guy. Though, I think it is because we have a Kermit ornament on our Christmas tree and he is a bit obsessed with it. If you haven't seen the movie, check out the trailer below. Nostalgia rules!

The Year In Review

2011-12-06T08:18:00.001-08:00

Every December, I create a year end photo book for each kid. As time consuming as it is, I really enjoy going back and looking through photos and remembering the year. Also, it is the perfect opportunity to get the great photos that KG took on my computer. I found this amazing photo he took after the Christmas blizzard last year. It was shot from the Brooklyn Promenade looking towards downtown Manhattan.

It is hard to believe that this was last December and here we are almost year later and it is 60 degrees outside today. It has been so unusually warm. When it does get cold, which we know it will, I am afraid we are going to be woefully unprepared. Even though it is raining out, I am going to go for a walk and try to enjoy the warm temperatures while I can. It certainly doesn't look or feel much like Christmas here. How about where you live?

Learning To Write

2011-12-01T13:50:00.001-08:00

JZ is currently obsessed with writing his name. He is making nice progress too. Our kids are so different from one another. James didn't start to write until kindergarten because of his fine motor issues. He never showed much interest in art either because holding a crayon, marker or paintbrush was difficult for him. JZ has always enjoyed drawing, painting and now, writing. It is interesting watching them develop. Curiously, JZ is also obsessed with the letter "W". I am not sure if it is because it is a fun letter to say, or to draw, or both? Let's hope it is not because he is a fan of our former President!

Happy (official) 40th Birthday, KG!

2011-11-29T09:49:00.001-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a lovely gathering of family and friends at our place. KG's family came and on Saturday night, we celebrated his birthday (again) with a delicious dinner at Babbo. Tonight's celebration won't be quite a grand... a potluck dinner for James' class in the school cafeteria. It's not Mario Batali quality, but the 7 Layer Dip I am bringing is pretty darn tasty.

Apparently, Someone Else In Our Apartment Is Working On Their Potty Training...

2011-11-23T10:45:00.001-08:00

Surprise!

2011-11-22T10:24:00.001-08:00

KG turns 40 next Tuesday. With the help of two of his co-workers, I was able to covertly throw him a surprise party on Friday night. It went off without a hitch. Well, not quite. On Thursday, I thought I blew it as I texted a mutual friend to make sure he had received the information about the party. As the text went through, I noticed that the phone read, "sending to all". Ahhhh! I glanced at the other number which I immediately recognized. I quickly texted our friend and told him what happened and asked him not to respond to that text. I spent the next 24+ hours wondering whether or not he knew about the party while his co-workers and friends tried to figure out the same thing. We set up a fake business meeting with a friend that came in town for the party. He tried his best to move the meeting location closer to our apartment and away from the party site. Our friend, Amy, insisted on the first location so we were able to get around that. Then, KG tried to come home between work and his meeting. I had to keep this from happening so he wouldn't run into the sitter. After I cleared the final hurdle, I went to the bar to set up. Luckily a good amount of people showed up for the early surprise. In fact, his entire office coordinated different departure times so KG wouldn't get suspicious that everyone was leaving at the same time. Thanks guys! Once we got the text that KG was on his way, we all moved to the back of the bar. As Amy and KG walked up to the bar, he said he saw everyone through the window wearing birthday hats. He told Amy that they should go elsewhere because there appeared to be a party going on. Even as he walked through the door and we all shouted, "surprise!" he thought we had mistaken him for the birthday boy. It didn't even register. It took him a minute to realize what was going on.

Once he got settled, I asked about the text. We took a closer look at the phone and it turns out that the number that I recognized was our old land line number. Ha! He had no idea about the party after all. It was such a fun night and I could tell KG was really grateful and so happy to see everyone. The week before, I had asked KG about his favorite cake. I had assumed that it would be his mom's carrot cake recipe that I made for his 30th birthday. I was surprised when he got nostalgic about a German apple cake his mom used to make when he was a kid. I was able to get the recipe from her and Dawn did me a huge favor by making the cake so we could keep it a surprise. She did an amazing job. He loved it. The party was really a group effort as KG's co-workers took turns djing. The night ended in a new wave dance party. I am so proud that my first time throwing a surprise party was a success! Of course, I couldn't have done it without the help of his awesome co-workers and our great friends! My only regret is that the photos that I took did not turn out because the bar was too dark. I should have opted for our "real" camera and not have relied on my iPhone. We have a few more fun things plans to celebrate KG's 40th including dinner at Babbo. I can not wait!

Parent-Teacher Conference Round 2

2011-11-17T12:51:00.001-08:00

We had James' parent-teacher conference this morning before school. He continues to do well in all academic areas. His social skills have definitely improved. James' biggest issue is his need to rush through his school work. I think it is common with kids his age. They just want to get it over with as soon as possible and in the rush, mistakes are made. We will continue to try and slow him down when doing his homework and ask him to double check each problem. His teacher showed us a few math problem-solving strategies that they use with the kids. James does a lot of the solving in his head which is a no-no. It is a work in progress but we are very happy with how this year is going. Well done, James!

On the JZ potty training front... no accidents at school in the past couple of days. One accident at home which was followed by poop in the potty. Yes!

Update: Potty Training

2011-11-15T13:30:00.001-08:00

Day #1 - One accident at school but JZ did manage to alert the teachers twice when he needed to use the bathroom.

Day #2 - No accidents!

Off to a good start, I'd say. The food issue is another story. He is putting up a big fight. We are going to keep at it. His speech therapist sent us several new strategies that we need to try. More on this later...

Parent-Teacher Conference Round 1

2011-11-11T12:35:00.001-08:00

This morning we had JZ's first parent-teacher conference at his new school. Well, we received some interesting news. JZ is eating pretty much everything they give him at school. Basically, he has been playing us for the last few months. JZ, the jig is up. We are on to you. Things will be changing on the home feeding front. Otherwise, all his teachers and therapists say that he is working at or above grade level. In particular, his speech therapist is very happy with JZ's progress. Although, he still has some work to do as far as strengthening his mouth muscles to help with his articulation, the general prognosis is very good. They said that JZ is a hard worker who is eager to learn. He loves his classmates and enjoys playing with them. What parent wouldn't want to hear all this great news? It sounds like he has thoroughly charmed them all. Go, JZ! We discussed potty training and that is next on our (and their) to do list. We will begin on Monday.

Recap: 2011 New York Marathon

2011-11-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time on Sunday cheering on the Marathon runners. We decided to go to Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn to watch because it was my favorite part of the race last year. It is almost as fun to watch from that stretch as it was to run it. The neighborhood really goes all out. There were several bake sales happening so we set up our spot on the curb with coffee and lots of delicious snacks in hand. Dawn wowed us with her pumpkin cake muffins, lemon ginger scones and cheddar scallion scones. She is the master! The kids got into the spirit of things as they practiced ringing their cowbells.

I have never been out early enough to catch the elite runners. They are truly incredible. I highly recommend getting out early at least once.

Mary Keitany shocked everyone by going out fast very early. She was at least 2 minutes ahead of all the other women by the time she blew past us.

Then came the pack of female runners who were seriously trailing Keitany here. This shot includes Firehiwot Dado and Buzunesh Deba who ended up overtaking Keitany for a dramatic finish.

Here is the lead pack of male elite runners. Geoffrey Mutai set a course record of 2:05.06. Yeah, that is about what it takes me to run a half marathon and this guy did it a FULL one in that time. Amazing.

After the elite runners went by, we moved down Lafayette Avenue to catch Dawn's friend at a spot that they designated in advance. This really the only way for you to find runners and have them find you, unless you are lucky. This church on Lafayette had the best music and the best energy. The runners loved it.

We did manage to catch a couple of "celebrity" runners. First we saw Christy Turlington running by with her charity team, Every Mother Counts. Also, running on her team was one of my favorite bloggers, Heather Armstrong. She seemed a little startled but smiled when she heard me cheer, "Go, Heather Armstrong!" Also, I spotted Ethan Zohn of Survivor fame. I was disappointed not to see Top Chef fav, Richard Blais. Oh, and Dawn and I saw the Blue Brothers again this year. The same guys, the same costumes. There were many runners in crazy costumes. It is great for the spectators but I don't know how they do it. Also, we saw quite a few funny t-shirts. Two of my favorites were, "Running Sucks" and "I Run Faster Than The G Train." We stayed on Lafayette and cheered until the third wave came through. All that cheering was exhausting. Not quite as exhausting as running the race I suppose. Anyway, this did the trick. I am fully inspired for next year. Bring it on!

Marathon Sunday

2011-11-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has almost been a year since I ran the New York City Marathon. An entire year has gone by and I STILL haven't written a recap of the race. Kind of pathetic. I believe I have mentioned before that I held back writing about the marathon for fear that my words could not give the experience the justice it deserves. Truth be told, it was a lifetime highlight right up there with marrying KG and having our children. That big. It is a little intimidating for me to try to put that experience into words. Also, there was and still is a lot of emotion for me.

My family are runners. They have all finished marathons. It was a big deal for me to join in this tradition. Sadly, it had to be without my mom. My mom was supposed to run the New York Marathon in 2001 with my Dad and my brother. She got sick the week before the race and her doctor gave her a Z-Pak to help get her well quickly. The intensity of the meds must have got to her because she fainted the day before the Marathon and ended up in the emergency room. She never got to run the race. At the time, I had no idea what a big deal this must have been for her. It wasn't until I started my training and I was sick during a long run, that it hit me what a crushing blow this was for her. I felt tremendous guilt that I did not realize this then. Running the New York Marathon was not only for me, but for also for my mom. Then there is my running buddy, Dawn. She is such an inspiration to me and many others. She has wanted to run the Marathon for as long as I can remember. I was determined to cross the finish line with her.

Let's start at the beginning. KG drove Dawn and I to the starting line. It was the morning of daylight savings so the ungodly hour didn't seem as ungodly. I think it was around 6:45am? Once we crossed into Staten Island, the road was backed up with marathoners who had the same idea catch a ride there. We had to jump out (as did other runners) so our car could get turned around and back to Brooklyn before the Verrazano Bridge closed. Most runners either take buses or the ferry but it is really inconvenient for Brooklynites to have to schlep to Manhattan before then heading to Staten Island. Here is a picture of Dawn and I at our "Start Village".

We had a lot of time to kill in the Village. Like 3+ hours. We were in the last wave and we didn't start until 10:40am. This is where I made my first race day mistake. It didn't even occur to me to look for seated spot where I could lean against something to rest my back. By the time we headed to the start line, I was in pain. I was the lucky gal who got my period the day before the race (sorry, TMI?). I am sure this added to the misery. I had read in our Marathon handbook that you should not take pain relievers while racing because of circulation issues. In hindsight, I should have ignored this. Pain medication was needed and should have been taken. Dawn and I did our best to pass the time. We got to see the wheelchair/handcycle riders lining up to head to the start which was inspiring. We watched as each wave took off as butterflies in my stomach increased with each one. Finally, it was our turn.

As we stood on the Verrazano, the nerves really started to build as did the emotion. Luckily, there were plenty of characters around that helped keep the mood light. Like the two guys who were dressed as the Blues Brothers. I can't believe they were going run the entire race in black suits. More power to them. I appreciated the laugh. We started the race to Frank Sinatra's iconic "New York, New York" and the tears began to well up.

The first 7 miles went well. One of Dawn's coaches told her that the great Grete Waitz said that you should consider the first 13 miles transportation to the actual race. I kept that thought in my head during those early miles. We had a long way to go. I was so happy to see my family and friends along the Fourth Avenue stretch in Brooklyn. I made sure to take my time and scan the crowd for familiar faces. Coaches would tell you that slapping hands and waving at friends is a waste of energy but my race goal (besides finishing) was to take it all in and savor the experience. Once again, tears started to well up as I saw KG and the boys. Here is a photo from Fourth Avenue.

Finding a porta-potty without a long line was nearly impossible. Dawn came up with the brilliant idea of heading into the Fourth Avenue McDonalds to use the bathroom. Smart lady! We got the added bonus of chatting with some customers while waiting in line. Like the lady that asked Dawn what MS was. Really? You've never heard of multiple sclerosis before? Wow. Just, wow.

Then it was back on the road where we were about to head into Dawn's home turf, Clinton Hill. This was my favorite stretch of the course. For runners concerned with their time, it is probably their least favorite part because the road narrows and there is a lot of bottlenecking. I liked it because the area is beautiful, the crowds are fun and the bands are good. Here is a photo from Lafayette Street that either Dawn's family or friends took. This is between miles 8 & 9.

As we made our way into Williamsburg, my lower back really started bothering me. I was in a lot of pain and had trouble focusing on any else. Miles 10, 11 and 12 were probably my lowest point. I remembering hitting mile 13 and wondering how I was going to make it through. We crossed into Queens and Dawn's husband was there. It was so good to see a friendly face. He took this photo. I look happy but I am pretty sure I was either really faking it or delirious with pain.

Apparently, I just missed KG and the boys a few feet from here. I am not sure how I missed them except for maybe the "delirious and in pain thing". We did run into few more friends not far from here and that was another nice pick-me-up. Things turned a little bit better for me here as we were only a few miles from the Queensboro Bridge. We had heard so much about the "wall of sound" from the cheering spectators as you exit the bridge. Plus, we were finally going to be in Manhattan which meant that we were that closer to the finish line. I felt a little bit better and started to get excited for the Manhattan crowds as we started to descend the bridge. To my surprise, the crowd was there, but we were met with blank stares and a "wall of silence." This was the first year that there were three waves of runners and I think by the time we arrived, the spectators were cheered out. Insert sad trombone sound. I struggled all the way up First Avenue in Manhattan. I don't know, I can't really explain it but it was probably my least favorite part of the race. It seemed to last forever. Dawn and I ran the last 8 miles of the marathon a few weeks before the race to help us prepare mentally for the end so it should have gone better in theory. I didn't pull myself out of the funk until we started running through the Bronx. The Bronx is awesome because you are only in it for a short amount of time, the music is great and it was there that bananas were passed out to runners on the course. I don't know what it was about that magical banana, but it changed everything for me.

I was feeling fantastic when we entered Harlem. The pain had stopped in my back. Maybe I was just numb from running 21 miles? I knew that the next several miles would be rough. Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is a gradual climb uphill and many marathoners hit the wall here. I did not. I was all smiles as I ran into the Autism Speaks cheering section between miles 23 and 24. As we entered Central Park, I couldn't believe that we were in the home stretch. I tried to soak it all in. As we exited the park and ran along Central Park South, there were so many people, it was all so exciting. The final .02 miles heading toward finish is a bit of a blur. I remember this...

And, I remember crying because I was so proud of myself and Dawn for crossing that finish line. Oh, and not being able to produce tears because I was so dehydrated. I tried to spend a a little time after crossing the finish line to take in the moment. Then Dawn and I hobbled to get our medals and took photos. Once again, I am deliriously happy.

It took forever to get through the finishers area/baggage check to meet our families. You are packed in like cattle barely moving. I was cramping up and in need of a stretch so badly. Actually, this might have been the worst part of the race.

After meeting up with KG and the boys, I was feeling good. Because of daylight savings, and the hour wasted trying to get through the finishing area, it was already starting to get dark during our ride home. I suffered through one final ice bath before heading to Dawn's house for our post-race celebration. That first glass of rosé Veuve Clicquot from the bottle we brought home from Paris, was the tastiest glass of champagne I have ever had.

A few weeks later, Lydia, Dawn and myself (see picture below) got together for a celebratory Marathon finishers dinner. It was so fun to reminisce about the race. I am so proud of these two ladies. We are all hoping to do it together again next year!

I have a couple of friends running this Sunday. One is running her first marathon and has asked Dawn, Lydia and myself lots of questions about our experience last year leading up to her race. It has been so great to go back and remember things about our race. I really wish I would have written about it at the time because I am sure there are many things that I have forgotten. One thing that I remember is how fearless I felt after I ran the Marathon. It seemed like anything was possible if I put my mind to it and energy behind it. I made it my goal to try to get myself out of my comfort zone which I lived in most of my adult life. I think in the past year, I have moved back into living in that comfort zone. I want to get in touch with that fearlessness again.

I can't wait to watch the runners on Sunday and feel that inspiration again. Good luck to everyone running. I will be out there cheering you on. Remember, you can do it!

Happy Angry Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

Angry Black Bird Costume

2011-10-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am almost ready for Halloween. My pig's nose and crown are the only things left to make.

Are you ready?

Day Trip: Storm King

2011-10-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we drove upstate to the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY. As their website explains, Storm King "...is located only one hour north of New York City, in the lower Hudson Valley, where its pristine 500-acre landscape of fields, hills, and woodlands provides the setting for a collection of more than 100 carefully sited sculptures created by some of the most acclaimed artists of our time."

It was a gorgeous fall day and the leaves had begun to change color. It is the perfect place for the kids to run around and enjoy nature, to have a picnic, and enjoy the magnificent sculptures.

Oh, and to roll down a big hill

Some of the sculptures are interactive.

Fence made of mirrors.

Strongest kid in the world!

Storm King is also a great backdrop to get awesome photos of your kids. I highly recommend a visit there, especially in the fall.

Angry Bird On The Dancefloor

2011-10-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Angry Birds Costume #1

2011-10-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

I managed to get most of JZ's Angry Birds costume done today. My bird looks more depressed than angry. I still need to outline the features in black so maybe there is hope for him. The little guy beside him is an actual Angry Birds toy. I should have looked at him before gluing down the eyebrows. Mine are too big and aren't slanted quite enough. I am considering pulling them off and trying again. My hope was to get it done so JZ could wear it to a Halloween birthday party that he has tomorrow. It should be fine for that. I'll be sure to snap another photo once it is completed and hopefully with JZ inside of it!

Adjusting

2011-10-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last month, I wrote about how I was having some difficulty adjusting to having both kids in school and not working. It finally took another mom, who works part-time, to make me realize the opportunity that I had in front of me. She said that she would be overjoyed to have consecutive hours in the day, without kids, to attack every project that languished on her to do list. Wow. What I was thinking? I have a to do list a mile long. This might be the only chance that I have to tackle this, so I better take advantage. I gave myself until after my race to come up with a plan. Last week, I started my first project. I scheduled a round of medical appointments that I have been blowing off for years? months? now. The next couple of weeks will be busy, traveling (mostly into Manhattan) for these appointments. Of course the completion of the Angry Birds costumes is on my agenda as well. Also, I am trying to give myself a daily routine so the hours don't get away from me. This definitely could use some work. However, now that I have started, and I am already feeling a little more settled and productive. I'll report back and let you know how things are progressing. The other bit of exciting news is that KG somehow managed to bring my computer back from the dead. Although, to access the 'net, I have to sit next to our living room window as it is the only place in the apartment that the wireless will work. Hey, it's something and I will take it!

To Do List from Etsy

Martha

2011-10-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

Dawn and I both have a certain love for Martha Stewart. I love the way that she chastises her guests, without apology, if they aren't doing something her way (which is ALWAYS the right way). That, and the fact that she is totally great at was she does. I have been a fan of her TV show and have attended a couple of tapings. I have to say, I am a little disappointed in the new season. Now more than ever before, it seems to be entirely about promoting the Martha Stewart brand. I know that it has always been about her brand to some degree, but this season it is more obvious than ever before. Regardless, I convinced Dawn to go to another taping with me. Before the new season launched, I signed us up for a show online. We received tickets to attend yesterday's morning taping.

I was excited to learn that our show fell in the middle of her "Halloween Costume Week". Then slightly disappointed to find out that yesterday was about pet costumes. As Dawn said, "salt in the wound". It was fine though, who doesn't smile when they see a dog in a pet costume? The opening pet fashion show was all but a promo for her PetSmart line. The audience members even received one of her dog toys to take home. More salt in wound.

The next segment was a tutorial on making your own dog costume (ugh. more with the dogs!). Then Martha brought up an audience member to be her sous chef during a cooking segment. She chastised her for not shredded her beef fast enough and for not being neat enough when pouring the mixture into their cooking dishes. Vintage Martha. It was awesome. The next crafting project were Halloween candy people that hung from a "Halloween tree". The candy body parts kept falling off which was funny. Finally, Martha ended the show talking about how HOME DEPOT (more Martha branding) would be redecorating one of their green rooms at the studio. Apparently, the reveal would take place today. I didn't watch.

Look, I don't mean to be so hard on Martha. I still love her. In fact, I was so inspired by her show yesterday that I went straight to The City Quilter to get supplies to make the boys Angry Birds costumes. I needed some Halloween inspiration because with the summer temperatures we have had in NYC, I wasn't feeling it. So thank you, Martha!

Here are a few more photos from yesterday.

Martha taking photos post-show with her Emmy.

Camera time!

Race Day Fail

2011-10-11T09:28:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a good thing I wasn't expecting much this weekend because my race did not go so well. It's funny because I say that I am not expecting much, but secretly, I expect a lot out of myself. I was pretty down about my performance after the race. Then I woke up yesterday morning with a cold/sinus infection thing and somehow, I felt a lot better about it. Looking back on things, I definitely made some mistakes during the run (i.e. took my energy gels too early, did not hydrate properly with the high tempertures) but I couldn't figure out why I so majorly ran out of gas during the final three miles. The cold explains some of it.

Mile 10 was along a black top road with the sun beating down. The road is in a warehouse area so spectators were few and far between. It was brutal and went on forever. As we made a turn up a hill to the main road, thankfully Lydia was there cheering for her ACS teammates* and me as well (thanks again, Lyd!). Although, I must confess that as I turned the corner I totally lost all steam as I saw the long, gradual hill that faced me. I walked for awhile until I felt the glare of a spectator on the sidelines. Out of guilt (Why? I have no idea), I started to run again and he cheered me on. The miles seemed to get further and further apart. At mile 12, I had all but thrown in the towel. I walked three times. I had nothing left in the tank. When I hit mile 13 I saw the clock at the finish line. In my exhausted state, I misread the time and somehow thought that if I sprinted to the finish line, I might beat my time from last year. As I got closer, I realized my mistake. Clearly, I had a little something left because I was really booking. KG took this photo and I actually look like I am running!
Oh well, I am happy to have it behind me and I plan on learning from the mistakes that I made this time around. I ended up running only a minute behind my time last year which is not bad at all considering the heat. I am totally fine with it. I did get to have that pizza after the race and it was DELICIOUS! Now, where are those tissues? Aaachoo!

*Sadly, Lydia has a stress fracture and had to defer to run the ING New York Marathon next year. As she did last year, Lydia is raising money for the American Cancer Society and although she won't be running until next year, she still has to raise $4,000 this year. ACS is a great organization and Lydia is an awesome person, so if you can, I encourage you to donate! Her page is here.

Race Weekend

2011-10-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I am going to run the Staten Island Half-Marathon. This is the second year that I will be running in this event. I really enjoyed it last year as it wasn't super crowded, the weather was perfect and I was in pretty great shape because of my marathon training. This year, the event sold out because the New York Road Runners offered guaranteed entry to the NYC Half-Marathon (this race is impossible to get into unless you live out of the Tri-State area) to anyone who ran 4 out of the 5 borough half-marathon races. Every one of these half-marathons has sold out this year. Totally annoying. Anyway, the weather this year will be a little on the warm side. In fact, it will be warmer than the Brooklyn Half-Marathon that I ran back in May. I am hoping for low humidity as that is the only thing that will save me. Finally, I haven't been taking very good care of myself. There, I said it. I have been doing all the runs and workouts religiously, but I haven't been watching what I have been eating for a few months now. I have gained over 10 pounds since the Marathon, which for a runner trying for a PR (personal record), is not good. More weight will only slow you down. I am not expecting much on Sunday but I am looking forward to some Denino's pizza afterward. See? All I do is eat or think about eating. Things have got to change...

9/11 Memorial

2011-10-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, we visited the 9/11 Memorial. As I mentioned in my 10th anniversary post, you have to sign up online for a date and time to visit the Memorial. I am sure this is for security reasons, but limiting the people entering the Memorial, makes the experience so much more special. I can't say that you would be able to properly reflect and remember if there were crowds of people on top of you. Security is very tight which we expected. The Memorial workers were all helpful and friendly in letting you know what you needed to do and where you needed to go. As we made our way through the layers of security, I was immediately struck by glimpses of the unfinished sections of "the pit" visible through the mesh netting around the fences. As someone who spent a fair amount of time around the World Financial Area before 9/11, I had an idea in my head about the enormity of the devastation. I don't know if it was because 10 years has passed or if it was actually being right there, I was astounded by the magnitude of the affected area. The pit seemed to go so much deeper than I had imagined. The general area seemed bigger too. It was overwhelming. How did they ever clear out all that debris, even in 10 years?

The pools themselves are stunning. It hadn't occurred to me until a few people mentioned that they were somewhat disturbed that each waterfall led into what seemed like a bottomless pit. Shouldn't the Memorial be more uplifting? I suppose that is why I love the tribute of lights so much. I don't know. It is still nice to have something there, anything to give tribute.

Here are a few of the photos that I took:

South Pool with views of the Freedom Tower and Museum in the background. The Museum will open next year.

North Pool, looking towards the Museum

Looking up at the Freedom Tower

JZ, who is obsessed with letters, traced the names. After I took this photo, I was taken aback by "unborn child" alongside a victim's name. Heartbreaking.

I am so glad that we went and that we brought the kids with us. Being there gives everyone a deeper meaning and connection to the events that occurred, rather than watching news clips on television or on a computer. I highly recommend everyone sign up for a visit.

Thrill Seeker

2011-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have not had a chance to recap much of our trip to Kansas. One of my favorite things that we did was take JZ on his very first trip to Worlds of Fun. This is the amusement park in Kansas City that I went to as a kid. JZ has been on a few of the kiddie rides at Coney Island but I wasn't sure what to expect visiting a larger park with even bigger rides.

Well, let's just put it this way... this was his favorite ride.

I love nearly every roller coaster but these type of rides scare the crap out of me. JZ and I sat in the middle of the boat which is the least scary of all the seats. James and his cousin are in the very back. They're nuts. This was like a giant swing to JZ and he LOVED it. He begged me to do it again. I took him on the Octopus instead.

Here is a picture of James and his cousins on the Fury of the Nile. JZ was furious himself because he was not tall enough to ride. I didn't hear the end of it.

He then proclaimed that he wanted to ride on the big coaster. This is the roller coaster that he was referring to:

photo by Erik Johnson

Sorry, JZ. I'm pretty sure there is a height requirement on this one as well.

All was not lost at Worlds of Fun. We're pretty sure he met his soul mate there...

14 Years

2011-09-27T07:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary, KG! Thanks for waking up and killing that gigantic water bug for me this morning. Just one of the many reasons why I love you.

Pleasantly Surprised

2011-09-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

JZ's teacher called out of the blue yesterday. For some reason she called KG's mobile phone. His first thought was, "Oh no! Who did he bite?". As it turns out, she just wanted to call and give us an update on JZ's progress. And you know what? The news is good! Apparently he has thoroughly charmed all the teachers and therapists. Actually, this doesn't come as a surprise. That is how JZ rolls. He knows how to turn on the charm. She said that he has started to integrate with the other kids in his class. He is playing well and doing his schoolwork. At first, they were a little concerned at his refusal to eat the food and the snacks the school provides. We have been sending in back up snacks since the second day of school when we realized the problem. This week, after watching his classmates eating the school food, he started showing an interest. I should have known something was up because he asked for some James' smoothie yesterday morning and actually drank it. His teacher said he ate some rice for lunch. Rice and a smoothie in one day! Big progress!

He is still exhausted and angry when he gets off the bus and takes a swing at me without fail. He still talks about not wanting to go to school but after about an hour, he is better. This week, his teacher started sending home worksheets to be completed each day. KG has been working with JZ every morning on them. They have focused on tracing shapes and numbers along with some grouping exercises. He really enjoys them and I think it preps him mentally for his day. By the time the bus comes, he is ready to roll. I think the afternoons are going to be rough no matter what. I am getting better at defusing his anger but I need to come up with some new techniques for distracting him. Any suggestions?

So next up on our list? Potty training! I am going to give him another couple of weeks to adjust to his new schedule and then we are going to give it another go. Wish us luck!

Adjustments

2011-09-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

JZ still hates school. The morning felt like it was one long, drawn out tantrum. Lots of screaming, lots of tears. I keep thinking that he will adjust but he hasn't yet. I am going to give it one more week and then I will address it with the school.

We had a welcome breakfast in James' classroom this morning. KG and I discussed making a real effort to meet James' classmates parents this year. Because James' class looped from kindergarten to first grade together, we haven't had the opportunity to meet a lot of the other parents in his grade. In addition, I have decided that I am going to volunteer a lot more at school this year. Since I had JZ in tow the past few years, I wasn't able to do as much as I would have liked. I signed up to be a class parent for James' room. The position is shared with another parent so it shouldn't be too much work but should be another great opportunity to get to know the other parents. I am hoping that establishing relationships will help James in making friends. I have written before about James' social struggles and how he was rarely invited on play dates. There was an incident that happened this past May in which a newly transferred student and James wanted to have a play date. For whatever reason, the boy's parent always gave me the run around when trying to set something up. I am not sure if another parent from James' class might have said some unfavorable things or if she truly couldn't find time in their schedule for our kids to play together. First I was angry at her but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got at myself for not making the effort to get to know her so maybe she would have been more receptive. Well, we have a fresh start and we are determined to make the best of it.

James is heading back to his psychologist today for the first time since before we left for Kansas. His pacing has really gotten out of control. He seems to crave it and when we ask him about it, he gets very upset. I think it is his way of calming himself and releasing anxiety and stress. He does it in our apartment but also when we are walking down the street. It is a very jerky, non-rhythmic motion and it is accompanied by grunting and sighing. He shuts everything out and withdraws into his own world. It's awkward and people do stare at him. I don't want him to feel self-conscious about it so instead we have asked him to hold hands while we walk in order to get him to stop. This still upsets him and is usually met with resistance to stopping along with yells of, "I CAN'T HELP IT!" We are going to talk with his doctor and see if there is anything she can recommend to us. He is at an age that some of these quirks could come back to haunt him socially. I certainly don't want to take away something that is comforting him but I am wondering if there is an alternative way for him to achieve it.

As for me, being at home alone during the day has been an adjustment. I can't shake the feeling that I need to be "doing something". The job that I thought would be there for me once my kids both entered school full time, is not. I would have never guessed that things in the future would be this bad when we made the decision to close the company. I still do not regret that decision as it was the absolute right choice at the time. Although, now, we are having to live with the consequences of that decision and the fact that trying to get back into the workforce after a long absence, will be extremely difficult in this economy.

Let's Hear It For The 'Weary Tiger' Moms!

2011-09-14T08:37:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I love Samantha Bee from The Daily Show. She penned this hilarious article about summer vacation for the Wall Street Journal last month. I wish I would have read this when it was published. I could have used the laugh then. It is pretty amazing.

Thanks to Nonchalant Mom for posting about the piece. It made my day.

Image Credit: LA Times Blogs.

September 10, 2001

2011-09-10T19:05:00.001-07:00

10 years ago tonight, I was sitting in a bar in the East Village with a group of my closest friends. KG had been in London on business and was flying home that night. My dear friend, Sheila, had been living with us. Brendan and I had convinced her not to go back to San Francisco so she could work with us at our new company. Our friend, Andy, who was visiting from Brazil, was also staying with us. I remember there were crazy thunderstorms that night as we made our way around the Lower East Side. We eventually met up with our tight-knit crew of friends at The Library on Avenue A towards the end of the evening. The bar is a total dive and was not one of our usual hangouts. For the life of me, I can not figure out why we ended up convening there. It was a Monday night, and something must have been in the air because we were all pretty drunk. This was my life pre-kids. Lots of rock shows, lots of bars and probably a few too many drinks. I loved being with my friends and we always had a great time. September 10th was no exception.

The next morning, I woke up with a hangover and made my way to the shower. I had to vote in the primary election. I was determined to cast my vote in the mayoral primary wanting Mark Green to win. We needed anyone that Giuliani endorsed to lose because we couldn't stand the guy. As I was blow drying my hair, Andy came running into the bathroom and told me that planes had hit the World Trade Center. His wife had called him from Brazil as she watched it all on TV. She was there alone and she was pregnant. KG, who had a terrible flight in from London due to the thunderstorms, thought he heard a crashing sound earlier that morning that he dismissed as a dumpster being dropped off a truck. It must have been one of the planes hitting a Tower. We all ran up to our roof in Park Slope, Brooklyn where we had an incredible view of the Towers. At first we thought what many others had thought, commuter planes trying to avoid a collision, ended up hitting the Towers. Our neighbors had joined us on the roof and one of their roommates came up and told us about the Pentagon. At that point, we all knew that it was intentional. We were under attack. We alternated between running down to our apartment for news updates and watching the Towers from the roof. I wish I could describe the moment of horror when the first Tower fell. I, along we many other New Yorkers, never thought they would or could fall. Ever. There was a pit in my stomach. I couldn't even wrap my head around what I had witnessed. I think the only thing I could say after "Oh my God. Oh my God." was "All those people." After the first Tower fell, we all hoped that the other Tower wouldn't do the same, but I think we all knew. I remember calling my mom who was at home watching it on TV and us both crying. I remember the wind was blowing our direction and pieces of paper and debris from the buildings flew above our apartment. I remember KG yelling to keep the windows closed because of the toxic particles. This was something that never occurred to me. I remember the smell. Whenever I smell an electrical fire, it immediately takes me back to that time. I remember how beautiful the weather was that day and that the sky was perfectly blue.

The next few hours were spent locating and talking to our group of friends, making sure everyone was okay. We all wondered what we could do. Give blood. Everyone had the same idea. Sheila and I walked around the neighborhood and checked in where we thought we might be able to donate. Most places already had more people than they could handle. When we got home, we realized the sad fact, that the blood was not needed. The rest of the day was spent glued to the TV. Our apartment became the gathering point with our friends that lived in Brooklyn. Over drinks we talked and tried to make sense out of what had happened. I can't remember when we finally all went back to work. It might have even been the following week. It took a long time and even going back, talking about music seemed so trivial in light of what we had been through.

The New York Times published obituaries of the 9/11 victims. I remember thinking that I would read every single obituary of every victim. I guess I thought it was the very least I could do. I really did try and it became such a monumental task, that I couldn't keep up. I didn't know anyone personally that died that day but I really felt for those that did. Every year I watch the anniversary ceremony on television. The apartment where we now live has a perfect view of lower Manhattan. Here is the view of the lights tonight.

Because of the lights, James is extremely curious and asks a lot of questions. Each year, we disclose a little bit more to him. He expressed an interest in visiting the 9/11 Memorial so we signed up and will take him there in early October.

Carrie and I met for a glass of wine on Thursday night. She received an alert on her phone about the latest terror warning while we were out. We talked about September 10th, 2001. We were together that night at The Library. The one thing we both acknowledged is how naive we all were back then. We were young, we were invincible. The next day changed everything.

First Day Of School

2011-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

James had a great first day of second grade. I am not so sure about JZ's day. We found on Tuesday that his bus ride to and from school is an hour-long each way. This is in addition to having a longer school day. He was asleep by the time he arrived home today. I was disappointed that the school didn't include a note to inform us as to how it all went. He is so out of it and is giving me conflicting info on every question that I have asked him about his day. Also, according to JZ, the only thing he ate today was "a juicebox". I know that it is going to take time for him to adjust to the longer school day but any sort of positive info from the school would have made me feel a bit better about things...

Is This A Sign?

2011-09-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

It took two days of driving, but we are finally back in Brooklyn. The apartment just isn't the same without Sadie. I quickly jumped on Petfinder.com this morning and look what I found?

What are the odds? Do you think it is a sign? Not only is she the puppy twin of our Sadie and shares the same name, she is also from Missouri just like KG and his family.

I might have to schedule a trip to New Jersey to meet this one...

Avoiding Natural Disasters

2011-08-31T14:20:00.001-07:00

I finally have access to a computer to do a posting (thank you, Jack & Bridget!). Let's see... what has happened since I last posted? Oh yeah, there was an earthquake and a hurricane in New York City that I missed out on.

KG was at Heathrow in London waiting for his flight back to NYC when the earthquake hit. I was at Chuck E. Cheese's in Kansas City. You may find this hard to believe, but this was my very trip to Mr. Cheese's place and a memorable one it was at that. As the boys were running around the game floor in hog heaven, I was trying to gather as much info as I could to see if everything was okay back home. At one point, I lost sight of JZ. Before I saw him, I smelled him. He had crawled into the covered slide of the play area and did some "business" in his Pull Up. I haven't had a chance to update you on our potty training woes but long story short, rarely do Pull Ups contain the messier "business". It was oozing down his legs AND up his back. Fortunately, I was carrying a change of clothes, a ton of wipes and several plastic bags. My own emergency preparedness kit! I stripped him down in the bathroom and did my best to clean him up and then get the hell outta there. The boys did love it and for the rest of the week, JZ asked if we could go back to "Chuckles". I told him that next time, his dad would take them.

As I posted last week, things have been rough with boys and I was ready to go home. About the time that I had convinced KG to cut our trip short was about the same time that they announced that NYC was in the line of fire for Hurricane Irene. KG was unable to change his flight as first priority went to those with flights over the weekend. We then decided that it was probably best for KG to stay at the apartment to make sure that everything was okay during the storm. We have had problems with our roof in the past and although it was fixed earlier this spring, we were not exactly confident that it would make it through a hurricane. KG spent Thursday and Friday moving everything from our ground floor storage unit into our apartment and wrapping photos and other valuables in plastic. Our apartment is located a half block away from Zone A which ended up being evacuated. We were extremely nervous. Fortunately, most of NYC escaped serious damage. Sadly, not so for many places to our north. I found this picture on the web which was taken about one mile south of our apartment.

Photo by Micah Garen/Four Corners Media

We were very lucky.

The Culprit?

2011-08-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon, JZ spiked a 103 degree fever. It seemed as though we had been battling a fever every few days since Colorado. The next morning, his fever was still present but not as high. I decided it was time to have him see a doctor just in case. Sure enough, the doctor at Prompt Care said that he had an ear infection. Could this be the cause of some of his difficult behavior during this trip? I think it is certainly partially to blame. We did a 3-day course of antibiotics. He still isn't 100% but the doctor said that the drugs will continue to work in his system even after he is done taking them. Here's hoping that things getting a little easier on this end. The kid is wearing me down!

Angry Birds (Driveway Edition)

2011-08-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

James' turn

Now JZ

The boys grandparents came up with this awesome game last night. It has recently been re-named "Angry Box".

As you can imagine, they love it.

Troubling Times In Kansas

2011-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Things in Kansas have been pretty awful. JZ is totally out of sorts. I can't tell if it is because his allergies are bothering him, or maybe because he is only pooping every three days? It might be because of the lack of routine? It is probably all of these things and more. He is hitting, kicking, punching and pinching. The kid is completely out of control. Oh, and last night he told me that he hated me. That was a new one. Wishing I was back home in Brooklyn right about now...

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

2011-08-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

We made it back to Kansas from Colorado last night. Our trip was an adventure that we all needed. The boys loved the mountains. I'll post more later but my computer no longer connects to the internet via airport or ethernet so I am screwed. I quickly borrowed another computer for this post. My project over the next few days is to figure out how I am going to post to Blogger from my iPad. Dawn sent me a few ideas on the subject months ago. Why didn't I deal with it then? I am such a slacker.

So, James really embraced the whole Colorado "mountain man" thing. Jen's husband, Mike, took the boys for a hike and then taught James all about gun safety before letting him fire his first bb gun. He was over the moon about this as you can imagine. Mike snapped this awesome photo for me. He looks like a natural doesn't he?

I'm in trouble...

Greetings from Colorado!

2011-08-08T09:20:00.001-07:00

It sure is lovely here...

On Regional Beverages

2011-08-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of our NYC-based friends are here in Kansas visiting family (Donovan, I owe you for this post, thanks!). Anyway, Donovan commented on Facebook how ubiquitous "east coast" beverages like seltzer and ginger ale are somehow impossible to find amongst the rows and rows of drinks offered at Midwestern convenience stores. I mean, how many different types of Cokes, Dr. Pepper and Energy Drinks are necessary? Surely, there is a place for a brand or two of seltzer at the very least?

His post reminded me that there is one type of sparkling water that you can find in the Midwest that is nearly impossible to find in NYC. La Croix. Specifically, the most refreshing drink ever made, Grapefruit La Croix.

Our friend, Amy, got KG and I hooked on this stuff a few summers ago during a trip to Chicago. Seriously, on a hot day, there is nothing better. As soon as we arrive in Kansas in the summer, I head to the local Hy-Vee and stock up. I know that Costco carries La Croix but sadly, we don't frequent the one in Brooklyn. Our apartment and bulk items don't mix. So this shall remain my Midwestern summertime treat. I was thinking, there has to be some cocktail concoction possibilities with Grapefruit La Croix as well. Hmmm... might have to give that a Google and see what I can find. Until then, the straight stuff hits the spot just fine.

Do you want to know another fantastic thing about the Midwest? We did the boys back to school shopping in under two hours! With both of the boys in tow! I hate to think how long that would have taken us to do in Brooklyn and how many tantrums would have been thrown? Yeah, on second thought, let me pop open a can of La Croix and put my feet up. Ahhhhhhh.

How We Made It Here

2011-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

For each good day Sadie would have, it seemed to be followed by a bad one. Friday was a pretty good day. She seemed upbeat as several visitors came by our apartment and she was so excited to see each one. Then around 10pm, she started to decline. If Sadie was still holding on, we had planned to take her on our road trip back to Kansas to visit family. It was our hope that she would be able to spend her final days in suburbia, lounging in the grass, free from the stress of the city. As we packed our suitcases on Saturday morning, her back legs gave out on her as she walked down our hallway. KG had to help her get to her bed. I burst into tears. I knew it was time. It was like she was telling us in her own way, that she would not be able to make this trip with us. She had also grew more and more incontinent over that 24 hour period. Her body was shutting down.

We called the vet and let them know that we were bringing her in to have her put down. The vet said that, sadly, he was not surprised to see us. She was not herself and he knew it. He and Sadie had developed a special relationship over the past year and as he finished giving her the shot that would put her to sleep forever, he kissed her forehead. I was in tears. I couldn't believe she was gone.

KG and I decided that the best thing to do for everyone was to continue on with our trip as planned. That became completely apparent as I walked into our apartment building where I was usually greeted by Sadie barking after she heard the key in the door. There was silence met by more tears from me. I knew that I could not stay there. Every pile of hair, dog dish and dog toy was a reminder. So we bolted. There were many tears shed along the highways through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. There still are tears.

JZ hasn't really even noticed that Sadie isn't with us. James worries me a little. I can tell he is trying to console me and isn't really thinking about his own feelings. We spent the night in Iowa City with Kris' brother and his wife. I heard him talking to Jenny about Sadie and when I walked into the room, he stopped. I let him know later that night that if he ever wanted to talk about Sadie to me, he could. I don't want him to think that he can't bring her up to me for fear that it will upset me.

This trip has been a welcome distraction for everyone. We have felt that love and support from friends and family all over and it has helped. I can't thank you all enough.

Sadie bear, we miss you and love you so very much. Rest in peace my sweet girl.

RIP, Sadie

2011-07-31T03:20:00.000-07:00

Heartbroken

2011-07-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Our dog, Sadie, has been diagnosed with cancer. She has been sick on and off since February. The vet first thought is was allergies and then acid reflux. About 2 1/2 months ago, when things seemed to get worse, we had a battery of tests done. These tests did not give us any answers. Everything seemed to be normal. We continued to tinker with her diet and use Pepcid when she couldn't keep her food down. She seemed to be maintaining for awhile, though she had lost quite a bit of weight. Then a few weeks ago, she took a turn for the worst. She wasn't keeping food down at all and the vet decided that they would do an ultrasound to see if they could find more answers. The ultrasound revealed issues with her abdomen, spleen, intestines and lungs. Her abdomen showed fluid so the next step would be to withdraw it and have it tested for cancer. The fluid ended up containing blood and showed symptoms of cancer and organ failure. There is no treatment as she is too weak to survive any surgery because of a compromised right lung. We are doing our best to keep her comfortable. Her appetite is not good and we are doing whatever we can to get her to eat. She is enjoying a cup of vanilla ice cream in the photo above. This morning, I made her bacon and she ate a few pieces which made me happy.

Sadie is a special dog. Sure she has her quirks, but what dogs don't? KG adopted her from a shelter as a surprise birthday gift for me. We had lost our dog, Luka, who had suddenly passed away earlier that year. I was overjoyed to have a new pooch in my life. Having a new puppy in NYC is not easy. You aren't supposed to take the dog out for several weeks because of the risk of disease. Potty training was a nightmare. Also, she had so much energy and would use it to herd us around the apartment nipping at our ankles. It made us crazy plus it hurt. Puppy teeth sure are sharp! Lucky for her she was so adorable...

When we lost our son, Sam, she rarely left my side. If I cried, she was right there to lick the tears from my face. We gave her the nickname, "Tear Squeggee 2000". She lifted my spirits without fail. When my mom passed away the following year, she continued doing her best to cheer me up. She handled the additions of James and JZ to our family like a trooper.

I feel guilty that we weren't able to maintain her pre-kid Frisbee time. Watching Sadie catch a Frisbee is something else. She is so graceful, and damn, that girl can get air. She amazed everyone who stopped to watch. Maybe I'll try to get her out one last time? She loves it so.

Sadie has been with us for 10 years and I am trying to imagine our family without her. I can't.

Sensory Diet

2011-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

So, JZ has been a bit of a terror since school ended. After speaking with some of his home therapists, we decided that he was not receiving the sensory input that his body needs. Sensory input helps children feel calm, organized and more focused. In particular, he seemed like he is craving input in his hands. Thus, the torn apart closet. Some of the activities I have introduced this week include:

Clay. It is great for him because it is harder to pull apart than Play doh. He likes to cover things in it. It is kind of messy and the red clay stains. Not fun for us, but he loves it.

Dried rice and beans. He likes to scoop it up and run his cars and trains through it.

Shaving cream. Same thing with the cars and trains.

The funny thing is, as we are doing these activities with JZ, James has asked to join in. I think he is benefiting from the sensory input as well. Two birds, one stone!

We are also trying to work in other types of input like having him jump on the bed for a count of 20 and then crashing into pillows. Also, carrying a backpack around that is filled with heavy books. Then there is the oral motor input which is hard because he is so picky with food. We bought some sour cherry candies which he likes. That is about the only sour food I can get him to eat. Both of his therapists suggested sugarless gum. We haven't tried it yet but it is next on the list.

JZ's OT suggested that we come up with a daily schedule w/ pictures and post it somewhere for JZ to see it so he knows what is coming next. I put a schedule together this weekend and by Tuesday, it was out the window. Our lives are too up in the air at the moment to follow any sort of schedule. I try to verbally let him know what we are doing each day and as we begin to make transitions from one activity to another. It is not ideal, but it is something.

It has only been a couple of days, but he seems better to me. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself with that statement. He could be in the bedroom destroying it as I type.

Endure Run. Woman. Show.

2011-07-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Instead of my usual Saturday morning long run, I put on my Asics and headed to Park Slope for the Endure Run. Woman. Show. The website calls Endure, "immersive athletic theatre". It is brilliantly written and performed by Melanie Jones.

I had no idea what to expect when I arrived. I was e-mailed an audio download of the performance in advance for my iPod. Once at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, I checked in and received an Endure "race number" to pin to my shirt and signed a waiver that basically says that I won't sue if I passed out or something. Then, the crew led us in cuing the audio so we were all relatively in sync. At their sign, we started our audio and the story began as we hiked up Third Street to Prospect Park. We drew more than a few stares as this strange group of iPod people trudged up the hill sporting our Endure race numbers. I think we definitely had the locals a bit confused.

Once in the park, a crew member lead us into a wooded area where Melanie was waiting on a bench ready to begin her performance. I don't want to give too much away about the story, so in a nutshell, it is about running and the circumstances in Melanie's life that brought her to point where she signed up to run her first marathon. There are many other things touched upon as well like her experience during the marathon and what her life was like during that period.

During the performance, there are times where the audience does run along with Melanie but participants can walk if they prefer. We followed Melanie around the park as she continued acting out her story. I found so much that I could relate to. She nails so many things about running perfectly. However, I don't necessarily think you have to be a runner to appreciate the story. Above all, it is inspirational. For the first time this year, I actually felt a little sad that I won't be running the NYC marathon again this fall. I felt the fire inside me getting stoked. I have been unable to write a wrap up about my marathon experience because of the magnitude of it and how much it meant in my life. I knew my words would never do it justice, so I have avoided doing it all together. Melanie did the experience absolute justice. I might just give my words another shot.

This Is What JZ Did Last Night As I Made Dinner...

2011-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

He emptied the contents of the bedroom closet which included every piece of paper and art sent home from both schools this year. The mess also extended onto the bed.

The bed is unmade because the dog had thrown up all over it earlier in the day. Yeah, it was that kind of day.

James' Diner

2011-07-12T03:32:00.000-07:00

James' first grade class did a special project in June where they created an opened a restaurant in their classroom for a morning. In preparation for the opening of their restaurant, they visited a local restaurant for a tour. Afterward, they created their menu (muffins and smoothies) and filled out resumes for jobs. The families were invited to the opening. It was a lot of fun and the kids absolutely loved it.

I thought James' and I could continue this idea and yesterday, we opened James' Diner. We created a dinner menu and then went to the grocery store for supplies. I was the cook and James was the waiter and food runner.

We decided to keep it simple and served noodles with your choice of red sauce or butter, turkey sausage, salad, bread and ice cream for dessert.

It went over so well, James is insisting our diner open for breakfast this morning.

Keeping Busy

2011-07-07T03:39:00.000-07:00

I have been working very hard trying to keep the boys entertained. Our schedule still hasn't to come together. Our service coordinator called a few days before the holiday weekend to let us know they found an OT for JZ and that she would be in touch. A week later and we still haven't heard from her. I left a message for the service coordinator suggesting that we find a new OT. This has been extremely frustrating. I guess it is back to the drawing board...

James started swim lessons yesterday. His former kindergarten and 1st grade teacher is instructing him and another classmate at our local public pool once a week. He was so excited after class and really seemed to have made progress. I am going to try to get as much pool time in with him so he can practice. The pool is not accessible by public transportation and is a little too far to walk both ways. I need to some sort of alternative and fast.

Other than that, we took the boys to Coney Island for a Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball game last week. JZ loved it and now calls any type of ball or game with a ball, "baseball". He is obsessed. He also loved their mascot, Sandy the Seagull. Here are the boys and Sandy:

Last Friday, we went into the city and explored the newly opened section 2 of The Highline with friends.

We were also lucky enough to catch the Rainbow City installation before it closed.

This week was spent with visits to our local playground and Pier 6. Yesterday, I took the boys to the dentist. Sadly, it looks like braces will be in our future. It was JZ's first visit and he did okay as he only bit the hygienist once! The rest of the week will include a visit to the library and possibly another trip to Coney Island. I am doing a pretty good job keeping them busy but finding very little time for other things, like cleaning our apartment and blogging...

Blueberries

2011-07-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Blueberry pie made with Mark Bittman's recipe from How To Cook Everything and fresh berries from the farmer's market. Let's hope it tastes better than it looks. Have a Happy 4th of July!

Last Day Of School

2011-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today was James' last day of school. In our school, and I am assuming the rest of the New York City Public Schools, you find out who your teacher will be for the following year on your child's report card which is sent home on the last day. The schoolyard was buzzing this afternoon with everyone trying to find out who would be in what class. James' 1st grade class (aside from a few students) have been together with their teacher since kindergarten. So pick up was a little bittersweet today. I can not say enough wonderful things about his teacher. She is so creative and was so patient. She has been a solid and encouraging person in James' school life. We are going to miss her. She let us know the other students from James' class that will be joining him in his new class next year and then introduced us to James' 2nd grade teacher. She is a 1st grade teacher that will be moving up to teach 2nd grade. James was very shy when meeting her but then talked excitedly about next year to KG. I am feeling optimistic.

I think the lack of school structure is getting to JZ. He has really started to act out, especially in the afternoons. His home therapy paperwork finally went through today so hopefully he can start receiving special instruction and OT asap. This should help things a bit. Otherwise, it is pretty much chaos here. James did not make it into summer camp so we will be winging it for the next month. I am going to try to put together some sort of schedule like I did last year to give us all some sort of structure. I'll have to make that my weekend project since my free time has suddenly disappeared. Until then, here is to hoping we survive the next three days without a plan!

Congratulations, JZ!

2011-06-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

So JZ had his "graduation" ceremony from the Early Intervention program this morning. KG and I attended his class party and as soon as we showed up, he was ready to leave. I think he was totally confused as to why we were there. Maybe he was overwhelmed by all of the other parents and siblings in his classroom? He looks pretty sad for a graduating kid, doesn't he?

We sure are proud of all that he has accomplished! Now if we can just get our summer services sort out...

Getting Older Sucks

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Life has been a huge bummer lately. Last week, a dear friend of mine lost her mom suddenly. Then, on Father's Day, two other dear friends lost their father after a hard fought battle with cancer. I can totally emphasize with them as losing my mother was one of the most difficult things that I have had to deal with in my life. Some days are more difficult than others but when the sadness hits, it hits hard. I am looking into flights and hoping to attend my friends father's service on Friday so you may not hear from me until next week.

In other news, JZ's school ends Thursday and they still have not located an OT for his home services. I left a message suggesting we head back to a sensory gym instead. This is not my first choice because there are some specific things that I was hoping we could work on over the summer (street safety, toilet training, self-care). Also, the sometimes chaotic nature of a sensory gym was a little difficult for JZ at times when we went last year. However, he may have made progress with this during his time at school this year so I am willing to give it another shot.

James' school ends next week and he is still only on the waiting list for the camp we were hoping to have him attend. I have no clue what we are going to do if he doesn't make it in. With so much on my plate, I can't even think about it until next week. Until then, I am going to follow James' lead. Om shanti.

Summer Reading

2011-06-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

James' school is having a summer reading book fair today and tomorrow. I stopped by today and picked up a couple books for the boys along with a few gifts. Now that James is reading chapter books, it is so exciting to introduce him some of my favorite childhood books. In the past few months, we read Mouse And The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary together. I thought it was so cool that he chose this book for "bring your favorite book to school day" last week. Next up on the list, Superfudge by Judy Blume. I can't wait to read it again myself. I have avoided all of the Harry Potter books because I have been saving them to read with James. Speaking of... what age did your child start the Harry Potter series? I can't wait! And while we are at it, what is on your kids summer reading lists?

Limbo Continues

2011-06-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we received an invitation to JZ's end of school year celebration for next week. NEXT WEEK. ACK! It hit me that we still don't have an OT or a special instructor lined up to do our home-based therapy this summer. I left an urgent message with our service coordinator but have yet to hear back. Last week, we received an e-mail from his new school asking if we received the e-mail they had sent the previous week offering JZ a spot at the school for the summer. NO! We never got that e-mail. Ugh. Now I am totally second guessing our decision. Honestly, if it wasn't for his amazing home-based speech instructor, this would not even be a question and we would be sending him to the new school this summer. Also, we tried to sign James up for camp last week and their slots are filled. We are #2 on the waiting list and they said that James has a good chance of making it in. Still... what are we doing? I really hope we aren't making a big mistake.

Women's Mini

2011-06-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am keeping the posts light this week because, frankly, I am feeling a little overwhelmed with JZ. Today, in the course of 2 hours: he ran away from me at James' school and came very close to heading out into the street trying to get to ice cream cart, threw a tantrum in the middle of the school yard, kicked James multiple times who was crying over dropping his ice cream cone (the crying sets off his sensory stuff) and had a poop explosion in his Pull Up that ended up all over our apartment. So, let's keep things light, shall we?

Tomorrow is the 40th running of the Women's Mini 10K in Central Park. This ground-breaking race was the brainchild of New York City Marathon founder, Fred Lebow. The original race, called the Crazylegs Marathon was the first all-women's race. There is great coverage of the first Mini in the fantastic documentary, Run For Your Life, which is about Fred Lebow and the New York City Marathon. This years race is dedicated to the memory of Grete Waitz who passed away earlier this year after battling cancer. She won the Mini five times and won the New York City Marathon nine times. She and Fred, who succumbed to cancer in 1994, had an incredible friendship. Grete was an inspiration to Dawn and I during our marathon training last year. It will be an honor to run this race in her memory.

You can read more about the history of the Mini in this New York Times article that ran yesterday.

Digging Into Dips

2011-06-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is only early June and already it feels like August around here. When it gets this hot, it's hard to find the motivation to cook. A couple of summers ago, I wrote about how salads are my preferred lunch during the hot summer months. This year, I have been trying something different, healthy dips instead of salads. So far, these are my favorites in the rotation:

Eating Well's Edamame Feta Dip (pictured above)
Mark Bittman's Hummus
Salad Eater's Fancy Bean Dip (white bean dip)

These dips have proved to be the perfect light lunch paired with veggies and rice crackers for dipping. Do you have any favorite healthy dips that I should try?

Cast Comes Off As Child Completely Loses His Shit

2011-06-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I took James to have his cast removed after school. They started by taking an x-ray and once it was clear that the arm was okay, they took us to the "cast room" which apparently doubled as a storage closet. Yeah, our health care system is broken at all, really. I thought about taking a photo of the waiting room so you could see how bad things are here. This office is located in the wealthiest part of Brooklyn too. It is bad everywhere.

So when we got to the cast room/storage closet, the doctor? resident? random guy in the hallway? that was to remove the cast explained the process to James. The guy mentioned the sound of the saw and how it sounds much worse than it really is (see blue saw in photo below). James seemed fine with all this.

Then the guy turned on the saw and all hell broke loose. James totally lost his shit. He began screaming bloody murder. So much so that the main doctor ran into the room to see what was going on. I explained that James was a little scared. Total understatement. The guy showed him that the saw doesn't even cut skin as he ran it across his own fingers while it was on. That did nothing. It was the awful Texas Chainsaw Massacre sound of this horrible saw that screamed, "I AM GOING TO TAKE YOUR ARM COMPLETELY OFF!" I mean, with the all medical advances we have made over the years, someone couldn't have invented a quieter saw? I find that hard to believe. We tried to get James to lay down on the examination table hoping that might help. It didn't. James continued to scream, "MOM! HELP ME! I'M SCARED! STOP!" as tears poured from his eyes. I tried to comfort him but I also had JZ with us and James' screaming set off his sensory stuff. JZ attacked James with every scream. He tried to bite and pinch him and succeeded several times. At one point while I was trying to calm James, I turned my head and JZ had James' shoe in his mouth and he was biting down on his toes. WTF? It was total chaos. The cast removal guy was little help. He was trying to get the cast off as quickly as possible and didn't have the skills to help calm James. You would think that would be a requirement in a pediatric orthopedic practice but apparently not. He used a combination of the saw, a cast spreader and scissors to get the cast off. Here, JZ looks on and readies himself to pounce on James with the next scream:

Here is the aftermath. Not a happy camper:

James held his arm like this for ten minutes as we waited for our main doctor to return. He is extremely tentative with it. As the doctor tried to move it, he said it was still hurting him so they gave him a brace to wear. We have to return in four weeks to have it checked one last time. As suspected, his arm smelled horrible. Even the walk home didn't air it out enough. After some "cheering up" pizza and ice cream, I got him in the bath tonight and tried to wash the cotton and other leftover cast remnants from his arm. We did okay and it smells a lot better. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for him. Poor guy.

We Have A Plan!

2011-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the beginnings of a plan anyway. While we continued to wait to hear back from JZ's new school about a seat for the summer, we decided to go ahead and opt for the home-based therapy. After a very successful home speech session yesterday and talking things over with his amazing therapist, it became clear that this is what we need to do for JZ. He will be able to work with his favorite therapist four times a week. It will be like speech and language boot camp for him. I am so excited to see all of the progress he is sure to make over the summer. We also plan to take a vacation this summer and now we won't have to worry about him missing too many days of school. Instead, we can schedule make up sessions with his home-based therapists. As for James, it is going to take some creative scheduling to keep him entertained. I think we can make it work. We are looking into send him to camp for a couple of weeks as well. Between camp and vacation, he should have plenty to look forward to so he can get through the first few weeks of July. I feel like a heavy load has been taken off my shoulders and it feels pretty great. Now I better enjoy this last month of having some "freedom" with both kids in school, at least in the mornings. Something tells me I have a summer with more of this ahead of me...

JZ, showcasing his sticker collection on our dresser yesterday

Writer's Block

2011-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have been suffering from writer's block this week. I think it has to do with all the uncertainty going on right now with JZ's school situation. I have been expending too much energy on that. We still have no word. They are hoping to know something next week and will get in touch with us then.

I am looking forward to the long holiday weekend. We don't have many plans which is perfectly fine with me. I may fit in a 6 mile run tomorrow and then hit the farmer's market. James wants to see Kung Fu Panda 2 so that is on our agenda. We are having a minor heatwave here and on Monday the temperature is supposed to reach 88 degrees. Sounds like a beach day to me. James is very excited about that but we are going to have to be careful because of his cast. It will come off on Thursday, so I am not overly concerned. JZ is ready too and even has his beach hat picked out:

I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend. And welcome, summertime!

Brooklyn Half Marathon

2011-05-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon. KG took this photo of me in Prospect Park. It was such a beautiful morning. Actually, it was quite humid so I wasn't expecting to do well. Running in the heat and humidity is definitely my least favorite kind of running weather. I am not sure what happened because I had a great race. For the past year, I have dreamed about finishing a half marathon in less than 2 hours and on Saturday, I came so close! 2 hours, 1 minute and 11 seconds. D'oh! Still, it was my fastest half marathon time so I am not complaining. I felt pretty strong until the final four miles and then I found myself needing to stop at all the fluid stations. In fact, at mile 11, I felt like my calves were beginning to cramp up so I stopped for some Gatorade around mile 12 just in case. I kept telling myself to keep pushing ahead and it would be over before I knew it. I had some extra gas in the tank once we hit the Coney Island boardwalk and I finished strong. I saw the boys as soon as I crossed the finish line. It so great to see them but James had a million questions for me and I was still struggling to catch my breath. It took awhile to cool down but I was finally able to head with the boys to Nathan's, which is our post-race tradition. My stomach was too iffy to eat anything but KG and the kids got to enjoy some delicious hot dogs and fries before heading home. It sounds like a lot of families hung out and made a beach day of it. Next year, I will come prepared with a change of clothes, so we can spend more time at Coney Island after the race. Although, it was lovely to come home, shower, and then head straight to the nail salon for a much needed pedicure.

Strangely, I was extremely sore the next day which hasn't happened to me in a long time. Not sure if it was the lack of fluids, the heat and humidity, or not stretching properly afterwards? Who knows. The good news is, I am doing much better today. Next up for me is the Mini 10K in Central Park on June 11th which s always a fun race.

Angry Birds Cupcakes

2011-05-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

I took these to James' class for his birthday celebration last week. I used my new favorite birthday cake/frosting recipe (thanks again, Dawn!). KG's mom and I decorated these with minutes to spare. I thought they turned out pretty well. Although, the Hipstamatic photo application makes them look a lot better. More importantly though, they were delicious.

In Limbo

2011-05-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

The day before James' birthday, in the middle of total chaos, I received a call from JZ's Early Intervention Service Coordinator. Completely out of the blue, she informed me that due to budget cuts, JZ's school was closing their Early Intervention center-based program as of June 23rd. JZ was to attend school there through the summer and then begin at his new school in September. She said that she had already contacted his new school to see if they would have a seat for him this summer. Unfortunately, there is nothing as of yet. Our other options are, finding a new school for a few months in the summer or having all therapies done at home. Neither option is ideal. I think sticking JZ in a school for two months, only to have him start another new school in the fall, would be confusing for him. Having therapies done at home would be a scheduling nightmare and a complete pain for James who would be stuck in our apartment during those times. Also, JZ seems to thrive in a classroom environment and it could really throw him off not having that structure. However, it is just for a couple of months so I think we will opt for having his therapies done at home if his new school does not have a spot for him. With budget cuts looming large over our city and many other cities across the country, I worry for our kids. I know that James' public school stands to lose teachers and classroom size is going to increase. I encourage you all to take action against these cuts in your area. If you live in New York City, here are two ways that you can make a difference:

Help save Early Intervention services for our children by e-mailing your protest to the decision makers in Albany here. Then, please sign the following petition to help save our teachers. Thank you!!

Happy 7th Birthday, James!

2011-05-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am a little late on my Mother's Day post. This weekend was a busy one and on top of it all, I got hit with a sinus infection on Friday morning. Let me tell you, my 12-mile training run that I did on Saturday morning was not much fun. Next up was the Kentucky Derby. Isn't JZ cute in my Derby hat?

The Off-Track Betting organization in New York went bankrupt so this was the first Derby where betting was not as easy as it had previously been. My friend, Brendan, and I drove to Queens to the Aqueduct Race Track to place bets for everyone. It was pretty depressing... if you have ever been to an OTB, take it times 10. Anyway, it looked like they were in the process of doing some major renovations so maybe there is hope for the place? After we placed our bets, we thought that since we were already there, we should bet on some other races. To my surprise, I actually won $100 betting on an early race at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Thank you Sassy Image and Hilda's Passion!

The party was a lot of fun but sadly, no one picked Animal Kingdom in their bets. What an exciting race. I had to cut the evening short as I was really starting to feel worse.

Mother's Day was spent doing yoga (I kept thinking it would make me feel better... it didn't) and then cleaning the house getting ready for Grandma's visit. I did get these special gifts from my boys.

A lamented card from JZ. Good thing it was lamented too because there was a minor liquid explosion in the backpack on his way home from school.

James' class created a cookbook of the recipes they love that their moms make for them. James had to write his with his left hand because of his broken arm. Pretty impressive, don't you think?

I am in the process of transitioning to an iPad and I discovered yesterday that Blogger and the iPad are not friendly with one another. There may be some gaps in posting or I may just throw in the towel and keep posting from my sad little laptop until it finally passes on. Does anyone have any experience with Blogger/iPad? I would love some advice. Thanks!

Arts & Crafts

2011-05-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy crafting over the past week. Dawn and I had a felt birthday crown sewing circle Thursday night. She introduced me to the world of wool felt. It makes such a difference with the crowns. It is a lot sturdier than the cheaper felt and much easier to sew. I highly recommend paying extra for it. James turns 7 on Tuesday. 7?! Anyway, I chose to decorate his crown with two of his favorites, Spongebob and Angry Birds.

The next project on my list was a hat for Dawn's annual Kentucky Derby party. I bought a hat on Monday but it was missing a little flair. JZ and I went on a hunt for decorative fabric flowers and feathers in our neighborhood yesterday but came up empty. I found a paper magnolia kit a Paper Source and decided that it could be an interesting substitute. The flowers were a little tougher to assemble than I thought. After they finished drying, I sewed them to my hat. What do you think?

I am so excited for the Derby party. I downloaded the free Kentucky Derby app for my iPhone. There is an fantastic game where you can try various hats on yourself using the camera. Lookin' good!

We even tried virtual hats on Sadie. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Besides trying to figure out my bets for Saturday (I'm leaning towards Pants on Fire... such an amazing name), I need to make a superhero cape for my youngest nephew. I am nearly a month behind on his birthday gift. Terrible Auntie! Also, I need finish preparations for James' birthday. I am planning on making Angry Birds cupcakes for his classroom celebration. Then, that night, we are taking him to a Yankees game. Coincidentally, they are playing the Kansas City Royals. Go Royals!

New York City

2011-05-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, KG woke me up to tell me the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. I got up and watched the President's press conference. Shortly after falling back asleep, I woke up unable to breath. I think I had a panic attack in my sleep. Is that even possible? It was so frightening.

I watched the Twin Towers fall from our roof in Brooklyn. Although I did not personally know anyone killed on September 11th, like so many, I was profoundly affected by the events of that day. I have tried not to think too much about New York City being attacked again. Although, the thought finds it way back time and time again. Last night, it all came rushing back.

This morning, I ran along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Brooklyn Bridge Park taking in the stunning views of lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. As hard as it can sometimes be to live here, I can't imagine living anywhere else. I love you New York!

Day Trip: The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT

2011-04-28T10:53:00.001-07:00

We made it through spring break by the skin of our teeth. James went back to school on Wednesday and JZ went back Thursday. I felt like we narrowly escaped many full on meltdowns. James finally snapped on late Tuesday afternoon. After having a pretty good play date in the morning, and successfully hanging out with another classmate at the gym, he hit a neighborhood boy who he was playing with on the sidewalk outside of our apartment. After reprimanding him and heading upstairs, he fought with JZ. As I walked in to stop the fight, I caught him kicking JZ in the face. He spent some QT in time out after that. Overall though, I feel like he did okay for being off-schedule for 7 weekdays.

On Monday, we took a day trip to The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. The kids had a great time and for us, it was totally manageable. It was not too big to be overwhelming and had enough exhibits to keep the kids entertained for a few hours.

JZ loved the jellysfish

James likes the Aquarium but is not convinced that the fish won't break through the glass and attack him. Seriously. He kept his distance from even the most harmless fish.

This turtle was giving me "the eye".

Sand tiger sharks!

The Aquarium had a special meerkat exhibit. They are so adorable, we could have watched them for hours.

The other great thing about the Aquarium were the hands-0n exhibits (JZ got to touch a stingrays!) and play areas. Here is JZ driving a boat and James pretending to be a turtle.

Afterward, we headed to Frank Pepe's for some delicious New Haven-style pizza. If you are in Connecticut, I highly recommend making a trip to one of their locations. There is nothing quite like their white clam pizza.

Now that spring break is a wrap, it is time to start looking towards summer. How on earth am I going to keep them entertained this year? Ugh.

Who Is Jesus?

2011-04-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that is one question you don't want your six-year-old asking at Easter dinner at your friend's house. Good thing that they are fellow heathens and thought it was kind of hilarious. I guess you could say that KG and I aren't exactly religious. I was raised Methodist and KG was raised Catholic. In fact, both of us have pretty strong opinions about organized religion. So when it comes to our boys, religion isn't at the top of our "stuff-to-teach-our-kids" list. For years, I thought it would be awesome if there were a class that your could send your children to where they could learn about all different types of religions without any pressure. I think knowledge about religion is important. However, I would never want to impose my religious beliefs onto my children just because I was raised a certain way. And let's be honest, there are some good lessons there. It is others interpretations of these things where it often times gets screwed up. James has learned a little bit about Jewish traditions at school but not much else. He is a curious kid and I am sure he will ask again. Maybe it is time to move religion a little higher on our list? Happy belated Easter!

The Potty Training Chronicles: Part 1

2011-04-20T09:37:00.001-07:00

Before JZ's third birthday, we decided to do a weekend-long potty training bootcamp. We made it until just after lunch on the first day before we gave up. It was agreed that we would put this on the back burner for the time being. JZ was still using the potty but only before bath time. After talking to some friends, I decided to take a more relaxed approach. I created a sticker-based chart that would reward him after a certain number of successful tries using the potty. I explained to JZ that if he used the potty 10 times, he would earn a new toy. Truthfully, he was more excited about the stickers. So much so, that he found where I put them and when I wasn't looking, he decorated his potty chart with all of our precious Thomas the Tank Engine stickers. Suddenly, his incentive disappeared. He did manage to eventually go 10 times and earn his new toy. This weekend, I picked up several new types of stickers at the toy store and hid them well out of his reach. I created a new chart and this time I explained that he would have to use the potty 12 times to earn a new toy. Yeah, he doesn't really care that much about the new toy. It is the stickers that he is excited about and since Monday, he has earned 8 of them!

Last night, as I was getting ready for a much needed evening out, I found JZ in our room mid-poop in his Pull-up. I asked him if he wanted to finish in the potty. To my surprise, he said, "yes". We dumped the Pull-up contents into the toilet and gave it a flush. Then I put him on the potty and let him finish his business. In the interim, KG came home from work and I asked him to take over so I could get ready. KG excitingly announced that JZ had actually pooped into the potty for the first time. YAY! After leaving JZ for only a few minutes in the bathroom alone, KG returned to find that JZ had stepped off the potty and dug all the poop out of the toilet and dropped it onto the floor. Then, to make matters worse, rubbed it all over his potty seat. Ugh. Note to self: do not leave him unattended when pooping, not even for a second. Still... progress! We are getting there, very slowly.

Food Allergies

2011-04-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

James is doing much better this week. The pain has passed and he is growing accustomed to life in a cast. Yesterday, we kicked off spring break with a trip to the allergist. The doctor did a quick skin test with a variety of nuts, wheat and dairy. The nurse numbered points on his arm 1 through 13. She placed a drop of liquid with each item that they were testing him for with a corresponding number. Next she scratched each drop on his arm with a tool that helped the liquid penatrate the skin. We waited 10 minutes and then they determined that he is not allergic to anything. She said that he may have an intolerance to certain foods but his immune system is not showing any problems. So no new info with this visit. Next stop: nutritionist and elimination diet time.

In the interim, I have been trying to think of activities (that does not involve a playground) to keep him from getting too bored over the break. On Sunday, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (see photo above) and yesterday we had an adventure on the subways in Manhattan en route to the allergist. This afternoon I took the boys to see Rio. We will keep plugging away and hope we can make it through the rest of the week.

Broken Bones

2011-04-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

How was your weekend? I spent my Sunday afternoon in the pediatric ER. I had taken the boys to our local playground while KG headed to the grocery store. As I sat on the park bench, enjoying a rare springlike day, I heard a boy screaming. I thought that the scream sort of sounded like James but a little different. I couldn't see him so jumped up to see who it was. James was laying on the ground next to a ladder that leads up to the tallest slide of the jungle gym. I ran over to see what was wrong. He said that he hurt his arm. What I saw, almost caused me to pass out. His entire forearm was totally malformed. I looked up to a group of moms that who were watching and said, "I think it is broken. Can you help me?" I totally panicked. I didn't know what to do. I got James off the ground and one of the women told me not to move his arm. Luckily, she moved me out of the way and showed me how to hold it properly. Her daughter had broken her arm last year. She sat with him on a bench while I tried to reach KG. No answer. James was crying and in so much pain. Another mom called 911 for me. They suggested I call his pediatrician in case surgery was needed because I wouldn't want it done at the hospital where the ambulance was going. I tried the pediatrician but, of course, it was Sunday so there was a recorded message. I couldn't focus enough to hear what the message said. I hung up and tried KG again. He answered and I said, "James broke his arm. We called an ambulance. Please come and get Justin." I didn't know where he was but fortunately, he hadn't left for the grocery store and was there in a matter of minutes. He took over the job of soothing James from the woman that did such a fantastic job of stepping in when I was completely stricken with panic. At some point before KG arrived, I was able to get it together enough to call the pediatrician's number back and was able to figure out how to reach her service. She was not on call but another doctor from a nearby practice phoned back. She was completely unhelpful. I explained that I didn't know what I was doing and mentioned that I was a little freaked out. She told me that there wasn't much she could do since I already called an ambulance. Okay, well that was a waste of time. Anyway, it took nearly 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. 20 MINUTES! I mean, thank god no one was actually dying. Ridiculous, right? Parents from the playground had mobilized and moved to each end of the block, looking for the ambulance to wave them in the direction of the playground. The mom that called 911 ran to the deli and bought a bag of ice for James to put on his arm. This proved to be extremely important because it really kept the swelling down. I am so lucky to live in a neighborhood with such awesome, caring people. I hope to run into these women so I can thank them again for all of their help. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't have been there.

The EMTs arrived and put James' arm in a splint while they recorded his information from us. They were so great with him and really put him at ease. It was the first time that he stopped crying. They put him in the wheelchair type thing to move him to the ambulance. You can see the photo below. Yes, I took some photos. James was kind of excited about riding in the ambulance and this was a way for him to remember the ride. Not only was this James' first ride in an ambulance, it was mine as well. He did fantastic through the ambulance ride and even once they processed us in triage at the hospital. He managed to charm all the EMTs and the hospital staff who were shocked that he was only six years old. They thought he seemed so much more mature.

Next, they moved us into the pediatric ER and that is when everything changed. They stuck us in a corner next to a crying baby. It was pretty full and it seemed as though there was only one nurse on duty. I don't know if the pain started to intensify or the distraction of having all these people around us gone but he started crying again. He kept asking for something for the pain. No one came to help us. The crying moved on to screaming and then pleas like, "MOM, PLEASE HELP ME! I AM IN SO MUCH PAIN! I DON'T THINK I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THIS!" Holy shit! I mean, I thought I felt helpless at the playground, this was even worse. I could see the other families staring at us with that look of pity and also of understanding for what we were going through. Finally, I yelled out to the the entire pediatric ER, "CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE MY SON SOMETHING FOR HIS PAIN?!" One of the residents that was sitting behind the reception desk, said that the nurse would be with us soon. The nurse was so overwhelmed. She finally made her way over maybe five minutes after I yelled, although it felt like a lot longer. She gave James a not-so-tender shot of morphine in his thigh. He jumped up in pain, hurting his arm in the process. This fucking sucks. James continued to scream and cry saying the pain wasn't going away. The resident guy said that it would take five minutes for the pain to start going away. Five minutes came and went and the pain doesn't go away. The nurse comes over and takes off the splint to prepare him to head for X-rays. When she unwraps the bandages and sees the condition of his arm, everything changes. We became a priority. He was immediately sent for X-rays and the Orthopedic resident met us there. We ended up having having eight or so X-rays. I was put in charge of holding the X-ray plates and James' arm into position. Is this normal? At least they gave me a lead apron to protect myself. This can't be good. About halfway through the X-ray process the morphine started to kick in. When I asked James how he was doing, he said, "This is great! It is so relaxing." I'll bet. You gotta anything for me doc? Anyway, it was there that we learned that James broke both his ulna and radius bones in his forearm. The doctor said that they would knock James slightly out and then manipulate the bone back into place, then put a cast on. I was shocked but completely relieved that surgery was not going to be necessary.

James was wheeled into a room in the pediatric ER. For those of you that don't know, We had a son that passed away, after contracting a virus, three weeks after he was born. It was in this very room that James was now in, that they treated our first son after he was rushed to the hospital. Wow. I can't believe I didn't fall to pieces right there. Since the death of my son, I tend to overreact over any injury and illness no matter how small. There have been several times where JZ's temperature has spiked to 104 degrees and I am totally paralyzed by fear. I don't know if it is a post-traumatic stress type of reaction after what we went through with our first son. I will say that it is surprising, that being the parents of two very active boys, that we made it almost seven years before having to return to that ER.

James was in decent spirits courtesy of the morphine. He was giving the nurse and the doctors a hard time and charming each one of them in the process. The resident that would be in charge of administering the knock out drugs explained the process. They would give him more morphine for the pain and then give him a drug called Ketamine that would knock him out and keep him from remembering the procedure. He started to describe Ketamine. Ha! Yeah, dude... I worked in the music industry for years and I know about Special K. Great, my son was going into a K-hole. Is this a real hospital? Where am I? He explained that it is normally used as a veterinary drug but they find it works well with children. Creepy but, okay I guess. They hook James up to all the various monitors to keep track of his vitals during the procedure. I sign some form that states that I said it is okay that they put my kid slightly under even though his stomach isn't empty like it should be and that I know that he might vomit and that the vomit could cause problems but it is still okay for them to use the drugs. Again, who put me in charge? Oh yeah, I did. KG showed up shortly after that. They started to assemble the drugs and the needle for the IV. KG has a thing with needles. In fact, he fainted in this very ER after we brought our first son in when he got sick. Upon hearing this, the nurse sends him out of the room. She has too many to take care of already and doesn't need one more. I like this woman. Lucky for James, he has great veins and the IV needle goes in with ease. It's almost go time. The nurse, the ortho resident and the resident that is to administer the drugs, bicker with each other at various points before the procedure. I remember trying to talk to James so he couldn't hear them arguing. The nurse got angry with the ortho because he messed with her set up. The nurse fought with the drug resident over the amount of drugs they were going to give James. This did not give me great confidence in them. They asked me to stand just outside the sliding glass door, out of the way but where James could still see me. They started with the morphine and then moved on to the Ketamine. It was slowly injected into his IV. Nothing happened. For a very long time. Nothing happened. They gave more drugs and James' kept staying awake. Wow. Periodically they would try to move his arm and he would yell in pain. More morphine. More Ketamine. Finally they got to the point where they gave him all that they could for his size and they decided to go ahead and start. Really? But he is still awake? I felt powerless. They took his broken little arm and suspended it by bandages wrapped around his fingers from an IV stand. A bag of weights lay across his arm, drooping towards the floor. This was to help straighten out the bones. At that point he was doing fine. We encouraged him not to look at his arm but try to close his eyes instead. He did for a short periods of time but would open his eyes again and again. The doctor began to squeeze his arm moving the bones back into place. James screamed in pain. LOUDLY. Is this is what is supposed to happen? They told me that he may moan but promised that he wouldn't remember anything. This was not a moan, this was someone screaming in intense pain. I burst into tears. The doctor told James to close his eyes and take a nap. James replies, "This is the life." What the hell is going on? God, is he going to remember any of this? Clearly he is feeling the pain. This is awful. Finally the arm is straight and it is time to put on the cast. James' eyes are open for most of the casting process. The doctor would squeeze the cast to mold it to James' arm and he would scream but not as loudly as he did when they were putting his bones back into place. After the cast was on, they bring in a mobile X-ray machine to make sure the bones are straight in the cast. Please be straight, please be straight. Otherwise they will have to do the entire process over. We are in luck, everything is straight. We talk about the details with his doctor. James will have to see an orthopedic doctor once a week for three weeks to make sure that it is healing properly. They will give him a shorter cast, made of fiberglass, for the final two weeks. We wait for the cast to dry and for the drugs to wear off some more before we are discharged. James is extremely impatient, hungry and ready to go. When asked by one of the residents what he remembered of the procedure, he says, "Everything". Great. When asked if it hurt, he said, "Not that much." Whew! We put James' newly cut up Incredible Hulk-style shirt and hoodie on and made our way out of the ER.

I am so amazed at his strength and his resilience. At the same time, I am very disappointed in my initial reaction to the situation. At least I was able overcome the panic and fear to be there for him. In fact, last night he asked me if I would be the first one to sign his cast. Of course, I will buddy. Absolutely.

Below is a photo of his arm pre-cast. Do not look if you have a weak stomach. You have been warned!!

Recipe: Farro Salad With Roasted Mushrooms And Parmesan

2011-04-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am still waffling on the allergist vs. nutritionist issue. Lydia connected me with her nutritionist friend that cured her kids of their sensory issues with a combination of diet and homotoxicology. How amazing it that? I almost canceled our allergist appointment this morning because at this moment, we can't afford both. Traditional vs. non-traditional? I am so conflicted. While I mull this over, I wanted to share this delicious recipe that I made last week and was totally blown away. This is going to be my go-to lunch time salad for spring. The recipe came from Food52 (photo from the site as well) via the Huffington Post. I have posted it below with my modifications.

Farro Salad with Roasted Mushrooms and Parmesan

1 cup uncooked farro
salt
1/2 lb of mushrooms (use a mix of your favorites)
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped or crumbled parmesan cheese (not grated)
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the farro and enough cold water to cover it by about an inch. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain well and return the farro to the pan, again covering it with cold water. Add a few generous pinches of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the farro is tender but still has some bite.

While the farro is cooking, wipe and trim the mushrooms and then cut them into bite-sized pieces (I used a pre-sliced mix of mushrooms). Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently to distribute everything; spread the mushrooms out evenly on the baking sheet and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crisp around the edges and cooked through.

When the farro is cooked, drain it well and spread it on a clean baking sheet to cool. Do the same with the mushrooms once they are cooked. When the farro and mushrooms are close to room temperature, or just barely warm, combine them in a serving bowl. Add the lemon juice and 6 tablespoons of olive oil (I used half the amount of olive oil called for), tossing gently to combine. Then add the parmesan, parsley and a generous grinding of pepper and fold gently. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Closing The Gap

2011-04-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had JZ's parent-teacher conference. In addition, the past two weeks have been an evaluation period for him. In EI (early intervention), the children are evaluated by their therapists every 6 months. JZ's home speech therapist and I have a great relationship. She is fantastic with JZ. His speech has really come along since we started working with her last Fall. She pushes him but not in an aggressive/mean way. She knows he is capable of more than he tends to demonstrate. After her evaluation on Thursday, she told me that she feels that his receptive and expressive language is that of about a 2.5 year old. JZ is currently 3.2 years old. The gap is beginning to close. This is fantastic! You can't always understand him but that is not what they are looking for at this age. We know what he is saying a good percentage of the time. His speech therapist at the school puts him more in the 2.2/2.3 age range. However, his home therapist is able to get much more out of him so I tend to agree with her assessment. I am not sure what is going to happen now. Her concern is that the city might decide to do away with the home speech therapy sessions. We are hoping we can hold onto them until the summer.

The rest of the conference went well. JZ is sharing and interacting with his classmates more. He still has trouble with transitions. His PT gave me a few ideas yesterday to help the transitioning process. Instead of giving him the singular, 5-minute warning. Give him one at 5 minutes, 3 minutes and then, 1 minute. Promptly distract him with the next task: putting on the shoes, cleaning up, whatever needs to be done. It will keep the child focused on the present and not thinking about what they were doing. So far, it seems to be working!

Where To Begin?

2011-03-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

So I threw myself into researching new ways to make things better for James and for JZ. I have been sitting on writing this post because all of the information I have come across has me overwhelmed and confused. I'm not sure where to begin. Not just where to begin in writing about it, but what is my starting point in trying to make things better?

Let's begin with the positive. We had a great parent-teacher conference for James. His teacher, who has been his teacher since kindergarten, feels that James' behavior has improved tremendously since last year. Great! He is excelling in all areas. Great! She even said that James does have friends in his class. This is a relief to hear even though those friendships aren't extending outside of the classroom. There are a few of areas where she sees him struggling socially. First, he can not distinguish between a friendly tease and a mean one. He misses social cues. This is something that we are aware of and have been working on with him. He also tends to hold on to his anger towards his classmates when something does go wrong. Finally, when he plays with other children in his class, he tends to engage in parallel play with them rather than integrate himself in what they are doing. For example, if they are building something with blocks, rather than help them build their structure, he will make his own structure next to them.

I met with James' psychologist last week without James. We reviewed his report card, discussed his teacher's observations and talked about our difficulties of the past few weeks. She was impressed with how well he is doing in school. The purpose of our meeting was to figure out where we go from here. This meeting had been in the books for awhile and just so happened to coincide with this crossroads we find ourselves in with James. She gave me a brochure for a therapist in the area that runs a social skills group for boys. This is where a group of kids that have social issues come together with a therapist and work on developing these important skills. We have discussed the possibility of this before but there are so few groups like this around that they are hard to get into and they are expensive. Also, I expressed my interest in exploring the food allergy/sensitivity component. She was concerned that we were going to put all of our eggs in that basket only to be disappointed if it didn't work out. Especially because there have been no medical studies on the subject that have proven a link. On top of all this, it would be expensive. We settled on checking into the social groups and that an ideal situation would be alternating each week between the group and continuing our work with her. Also, I told her that I wanted to go ahead and explore the food allergy possibilities. Finally, she encouraged us to continue using a reward-based behavior chart because James really responds to this.

Our pediatrician recommended an allergist and we have an appointment next month for both children. I have recently connected with a couple of parents of sensory kids that have warned me that the allergist may not find anything. Both encouraged me to try an elimination diet no matter what the allergist says. Also, there are the supplements. Oh, the supplements. Hundreds of dollars worth of supplements. I don't want to get into this right now because I don't feel like I have enough information on the topic. One of the parents forwarded me information that is very compelling, yet overwhelming. My initial thought is to wait and see what the allergist comes up with first, then begin the elimination diet and lastly, explore supplements. It seems like adding and eliminating things in stages is a better way to see what is helping. On top of that, the cost of all these things is going to steep and I'm not sure we can afford all of it at once.

This plan changes on a daily basis as I receive more information. I found out yesterday that the local therapist who was running the socialization groups is no longer doing this. I'll check with a few more contacts and see if they have any recommendations for me. I am extremely grateful to my friends that have helped me connect with other parents of sensory kids. It has helped me immensely. It is insane to me how little information is out there for us. The medical community doesn't even officially recognize sensory processing disorder as an official diagnosis for crying out loud. I think we all sort of feel like we are winging it. Then you hear about things like food dyes and their link between hyperactivity and attention in children and how this has been suspected for years, yet the FDA is just getting around to holding a hearing on the subject this week. Our government seems fine with poisoning our children for the sake of making a buck. Add "checking all the food labels in our kitchen for the suspected food dyes" to the list.

Making It Better

2011-03-24T19:32:00.001-07:00

KG was out of town for most of last week. Of course during this time JZ got extremely sick and this, on top of James' ongoing behavior issues, nearly sent me over the edge.

This has been my week to find solutions to all that has gone wrong in the past two weeks. I am throwing all my energy into that so blog posts will be few and far between this week. I'll explain more next week but I will say that I had an excellent sit down with James' psychologist yesterday where we laid out our next set of plans to try and help James deal with his social struggles. Today was spent making calls and sending e-mails to begin to put these plans into motion. I am feeling optimistic which is a really nice change of pace.

On another positive note, JZ finally met his new PT today. I could tell she was a little leery coming into this situation. I mean, the city only mandated one 30 minute PT session per week which isn't a whole lot of time to accomplish much of anything. But by the end of the session, JZ had won her over and vice versa. He is a real charmer. She definitely knows what she is doing and even taught me a cool new trick. JZ was running his head along the floor as he played with a car. She showed me how if I touched his head and gave him input with my hand, he would raise his head up. It worked! Wow. I think she is going to have plenty to teach both of us.

Tae Kwon Do-Gate

2011-03-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in Tuesday's post that things with James got worse over the weekend. Well, here is the story. We knew for several months now that James had a Tae Kwon Do tournament this month and that at this tournament, he and his classmates would be testing for their yellow belts. James has worked hard and quickly made his way through all the striped belts last Fall. So, the yellow belt has been a long time coming. We missed several classes while we were away on our 10-day trip to Austin and Kansas. When he finally returned to class, his instructor mentioned that she wasn't sure if James would be ready for the test but that she would watch him over the next few classes and determine whether or not he should test. The tournament was last Saturday and when discussing the details of the day with his instructor, she said that the kids James' age would do their forms around 1pm and then there would be a 2-hour break before their 4pm yellow belt test. It was a long day and the break in the middle was even more annoying since they moved the location from our neighborhood to Bay Ridge which is a bit of a hike for us. KG and I decided that I would stay home with JZ and he would drive with James to the tournament.

The day got off to a rough start when James' instructor and most of his classmates showed up about 30 minutes late. The other schools had already begun their warm ups and James felt left out without his class and started to cry. Luckily, a short time later, they finally showed up and he calmed down. His forms went fine and he finished one person out of trophy range. Of course, this wasn't good enough for him since he won a trophy at the last tournament. In fact, he walked over to his classmate who came in 1st place and gave him a big thumbs down. Awesome sportsmanship, James! KG pulled him aside and gave him a talk about it and then had him give his friend a proper congrats. As KG and James were making their way out for their lunch break, they stopped to talk to James' friend (the 1st place winner) and when KG mentioned coming back for the test, he said that James wasn't taking the test today. KG thought for sure he misunderstood so he asked James' instructor when they were to return for the test. He said that she sort of hesitated a bit but told him to be back at 3:30 for the 4:00 test.

When they returned, James' classmates were already assembled across the room. In the rush to get James settled in with them, he left his shoes on the other side of the room. He watched as all of the kids James' age were called to do their tests. When they moved on to the older kids, KG and James both knew he wasn't testing. James burst into tears. As James' instructor moved into to console him, KG ran across the room to collect James' shoes so he could get him out of there as soon as possible. He wasn't sure what exactly the instructor said to James but nothing she said helped. James cried for at least 30 minutes as KG sent me text messages trying to figure out what had happened.

I was furious. She never once said to me directly, "James is not testing." He was so angry, embarrassed and sad. I felt so awful for him. The next day, I ran into the mom of one of James' classmates at yoga. I asked her for her take on what had happened. She said that even her son knew James wasn't testing. I am not sure why it wasn't clear to James? Maybe he refused to believe it? Who knows. Also, she said that there was no reason why James shouldn't have taken the test as there were kids with much less experience that took the test that day. Something that the instructor seemed to notice as well. I was relieved to hear that she was quite rattled by what happened with James. The mom went on to tell me how poorly organized the tournament was and how the judges barely paid attention to the kids as they did their forms. KG did not attend the last tournament so he did not pick up on these things. We both agreed that the $80 entry fee we had to pay, was definitely not worth it.

On Monday, James refused to go to class. Fortunately, his class is downstairs from our apartment so I went without him to confront her. She felt that she made it clear to both James and myself that he was not testing. Obviously, it wasn't clear to me and for whatever reason, it wasn't clear to James either. She told me that there was another belt test on Wednesday night at 8:30pm (8:30pm on a school night, really?) and she wanted him to test. I told her that I would have to think about it and discuss it with James. She asked if he would come down after her classes and speak with her about what happened. The instructor did say to me that it was important to her that he continue with Tae Kwon Do because he has come such a long way and that she would do anything to make this right. I was able to convince James to go speak with her. She explained that it was a misunderstanding and he seemed to accept this. I told her that I thought 8:30pm was way too late for a child with an 8:00pm bed time and that I would have to find a sitter as KG was out of town. Emphasis on: THIS IS TOTALLY NOT CONVENIENT! James and I discussed it and he insisted on taking the test. I didn't see that I had a choice in the matter unless I wanted to give he and his future therapist another issue to work through. "I could have gotten my yellow belt and my mom wouldn't let me because it was 30 minutes past my bed time. I never forgave her for that!'

The next few days are a bit of a blur. I exchanged a few e-mails with the mom that had told me about how lame the tournament had been. Since our last conversation, she approached the head of the Tae Kwon Do school with her concerns. It was somewhere in that e-mail she had forwarded to me where I learned that the yellow belt test actually costs money. $60. How come I am just now hearing of this and from another parent, not even from the instructor? What if I showed up at the test without my wallet? It gets better. Wednesday (the day of the test), as James and I are leaving Tae Kwon Do class, another mom asks me if James would be at the 7:30pm class before the 8:30pm test. I said that the instructor never mentioned it to me so I assumed that James didn't need to take it. About 5 minutes later, my phone rings and it is the instructor calling to tell me that James MUST take the class or he will not be allowed to test. Oh yeah, and the class costs $25 and the belt costs $60. At this point, I am fuming. I told her that James would not be able to test then because I booked the sitter to come at 8:00pm and she can not get here any earlier than that time. James hears this part of the conversation and starts to lose it... again. She offers to take James there and back. I told her that I needed to think about it and I would get back her. I immediately call KG and fill him in on the latest. We both agree that we are being held hostage here and that if James doesn't take the belt test, he will not return Tae Kwon Do. Fine. We do it and James passes his belt test. He is over the moon and I am pretty sure comes back from his night out with a big fat crush on his instructor.

I wrote her a long e-mail the next day telling her that we need to improve on our communication so this doesn't ever happen again. I suggested that she create a parent e-mail list and gave her ideas of some of the things that it would be important for us to know like tournament and belt test details including costs, all in advance + to tell us how they address topics like sportsmanship, etc. so we can reinforce these ideas at home. I ran into her on Friday and she promised that she would get back to me soon. The thing is, I do like her but I think her inexperience in dealing with kids clearly shows. Hopefully she learned some valuable lessons with what happened with James. It is just a shame that these lessons had to come at the expense of my child's feelings.

Daylight Savings Nightmare

2011-03-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about this blog, is that it has become a virtual baby book/record for my children. For example, as I mentioned on Friday, we had an extremely rough week with James. In fact, things got even worse over the weekend (I'll share that story for another time) and they have continued down that path this week. I was talking to my friend, Sandy, about it this morning, and she mentioned that daylight savings time has been rough on her kids. Bingo! I can't believe I had completely forgotten about how daylight savings time wrecks havoc, behaviorally speaking, with James. So, I decided to check my blog and whaddya know... one year ago to the date from Friday, I wrote a post about James' behavior issues. Wow. I totally remember that week now. It was one of the lowest points that I have felt, as far as his behavior goes. In fact, I think that week was the catalyst that started us on the search that led us to James' current psychologist. It was extremely enlightening.

How about you... does daylight savings time effect your child's behavior?

Rough Week

2011-03-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

First, my heart goes out to those in Japan and those with loved ones in the area. Tragedies, like the one in Japan, really help put things into perspective. So as I go on with my rant, please be aware that I know that in the grand scheme of things, my problems are not that huge.

I don't know if I am feeling hypersensitive this week but James' social issues were on my radar. Maybe I sensed there were quite a few kids in his class that had birthday parties last year that James was invited to and this year there have been no classmate birthday party invitations. Then at school pick up, I became painfully aware that all of his classmates were pairing off to go on play dates, day after day, and there were no invitations for play dates for him. We discussed these things at his weekly appointment with his psychologist. She asked James if kids were ever mean to him at school. He said, "no", which was was a relief.

The next day I picked him up from school and one of his classmates began to chase him. I couldn't tell if he was having fun or distressed. Then he used mean words to retaliate, "stop it, moron!" and then some other insult that included the word "crap". I stopped the boys right there, told James to say goodbye, and left the school yard as soon as could. I asked James several times about the situation but I wasn't able to gain enough info from our conversations to clarify what happened. Maybe James didn't understand either?

Last night, I got together with some neighborhood moms for cocktails. One of the moms has a son in James' class. I brought up the chasing incident and what came out after, had me rattled for the rest of the night. In a nutshell, it seems as though the kids in his class are very aware of James' "issues" and yes, he is being excluded. When I got home last night, emotionally, I was a mix of angry and sad. I told KG that I wanted to look into getting James tested for a possible gifted program and get him out of the school. My reasoning was that he needs fresh start. His classmates have been with him since kindergarten and the kid that he is today, isn't necessarily like the kid he was last year. He needs a chance. Look, I don't deny that he has issues but his social history isn't helping him getting invited on play dates. KG said that running away isn't going to help him with these social issues. They would follow him. I know he is right.

I don't think he is being excluded on purpose. Kids don't want to hang out with someone that is unpredictable and is known to fly off the handle at times. Also, I regret being as open as I have been about his issues with the parents of his classmates in case I scared them away. I will have to rethink this once JZ is ready to start public school.

For the past two years, I have wondered about the possibility of food allergies with both of our kids. When I addressed the possibility of a gluten-free diet with their pediatrician, it was not something that she particularly encouraged. This morning, I watched James go from being fine to being extremely moody and angry after eating a bowl of cereal. This, coupled with last night's information, I decided that it is time to explore this idea further. I have a couple of leads on nutritionists and I am anxious to hear what they have to say and if they think a change of diet might help my guys.

That is where I am going to leave things for today... with a little bit of hope.

You Know What Isn't Fun?

2011-03-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

When you get a call from the preschool nurse telling you that your son has pink eye and needs to be picked up immediately. You tell her that your car died last night and that you live 15 minutes away from the nearest subway, so it is probably going to take you an hour to get there. She repeats and repeats, "This is highly contagious, you need to get him as soon as possible." You hang up the phone and decide that you will run there instead because it will be faster even though at least one mile of the route is uphill and it is very windy. Finally, you arrive at the school and check your phone where are there are texts and voicemails waiting for you that all say, "WRONG JUSTIN."

Yep. The nurse called the wrong mom. JZ's teacher had no idea all this had happened. He was sitting nicely with his classmates listening to a story completely oblivious and without pink eye.

Look, I am grateful he doesn't have it. I managed to avoid having to clean hundreds of toys and do loads of laundry. But, come on. What a total inconvenience. I am ready to climb back in bed and start this day over.

My Guide: Austin, TX

2011-03-02T08:38:00.001-08:00

I gotta say, I am ready to move to Austin. I was completely seduced by the February 70/80 degree temperatures. KG says that I have to go there for a week in July or August before I can officially make that statement. It is such an outdoorsy town and the air is clean. My winter-long sinus infection was gone by day 2 (p.s. it is back again now that we are home. boo!). Besides the air, the city is clean. Something NYC is not right now. It's still pretty disgusting here even after a couple of significant rainfalls. Enough complaining though, let's get to the good stuff, the food and the fun. Here is a list of places that we visited:

Our first stop directly from the airport was an old favorite of ours, El Azteca. We have been going to this family-owned Mexican restaurant for over 15 years. The food is classic Tex-Mex. Everything is pretty tasty including the queso and margaritas.

The next day we decided to drive to Lockhart, TX which is considered to be the BBQ capital of Texas. We joined the line at Smitty's Market to place our order next to the fire that is used in the process of smoking the meat. I mean, it is right next to the line and completely accessible to a curious three-year-old. I had to pull JZ out of line so we didn't end up with BBQ preschooler. They placed our order of brisket, ribs and sausage on butcher paper and gave us our choice or white bread or saltines to accompany our purchase. The dining hall next door is where you can buy your sides and drinks. The ribs were definitely my favorite. James really liked his sausage. We all felt that we have had better brisket elsewhere. Overall, it was definitely worth the trip.

Saturday, I took a break from Mexican food and BBQ in order to properly carbo load for the race on Sunday. Sheila made us a delicious pasta dinner to make sure we were adequately fueled!

Our first post-race stop (after a shower, of course) was Torchy's Tacos. We picked the Trailer Park location which has a few other food trucks stationed there and picnic tables. Torchy's has my all time favorite queso. It is made with green chilies. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Also, I highly recommend the fried avocado taco. Yum! Sadly, JZ preferred playing in the dirt to eating tacos.

On Sunday night, we hit to Polvo's for yet more Tex-Mex. I gorged myself on their queso which comes loaded with seasoned beef, guacamole and pico de gallo. Sadly, I was so full by the time our entrees arrived, that I ended up having to take almost my entire meal to go.

On Monday, we decided to take another Mex/BBQ break and after James' first attempt at Mini Golf at the legendary Peter Pan, we headed to the nearby P. Terry's Burger Stand. We heard great things about their hamburgers and how they use fresh, local and organic ingredients but we had no idea just how delicious they would be. Wow. We are talking In-N-Out burger caliber. And as KG said, "with better fries". We sat outside to eat our burgers, soaking up the warm weather. It was at that very moment that I said out loud, "yeah, I could definitely live here."

That night for dinner, KG and I put together a special birthday dinner for Amy and Sheila. Sheila recommended La Condesa for their fabulous cocktail menu. Their cuisine is based on Mexico City cantina and street food. Our group shared a variety of dishes. The favorites were: beer-braised short ribs, oak-grilled ribeye and roasted pork chop. The sides were fantastic too. We enjoyed the Mexican-style street corn and the brussels sprouts with bacon.

On our last full day in Austin kicked off with a breakfast of migas at the Austin classic, Magnolia Cafe. JZ seemed tired and crabby as did KG so we left them at home to nap while we met up with some friends of Amy's for lunch at the Hula Hut. The restaurant overlooks Lake Austin and is a fun place for the kids to eat while the grown ups can enjoy a margarita. Afterwards, it was off to Zilker Park to ride on their mini-train, the Zilker Zephyr.

James absolutely loved it, of course. I filmed a good portion of our ride on my iPhone and he has since enjoyed going back and re-living the moment. I must get that up on YouTube soon.

There is a great playground next to the Zephyr's station where James played for awhile and even made a new friend.

Then we walked over to the Barton Springs Pool (a natural spring-fed pool) to watch workers cleaning out the algae and getting it ready to re-open for the season. We also took a quick walk through the Splash! Into the Edwards Aquifer exhibit at the Barton Springs Bathhouse.

Next up was a visit to the Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress. You can find all sorts of candy both new and classic here.

They also had an old fashioned ice cream fountain that even served egg creams. James opted for a strawberry shake instead and bought a handful of jelly beans, root beer hard candies and an atomic fireball. I bought some cherry sours and some jujy fruits.

That evening, we met up with our friends at Red House Pizzeria for a goodbye dinner. I have never had margaritas served with pizza before but, in Austin, it works. Plus it was National Margarita Day and we were certainly in the right city to celebrate.

I couldn't leave Austin without one last taco. So en route to the airport, we stopped at Joe's Bakery for some breakfast tacos. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

There were a few places that we had wanted to go but didn't find the time. First, if you have never been, you must add Tamale House to your list. In my opinion, they serve the best migas in Austin. Juan in a Million is a favorite for breakfast tacos though most of my Austin friends think it is overrated. Franklin's BBQ is supposed to be the best new place for BBQ in Austin. People start lining up at their truck at 10:30am and they only serve until the food runs out. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. My friend Kenny, who was born and raised in Texas, says it is the best brisket he has ever had. I must try it next time for sure.

There you have it. As you might have guessed, I think I put on about 10 lbs on this trip but it was well worth it! Now, please pass the celery and water with lemon. It's detox time.

Austin Half Marathon

2011-02-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

We are back from our mid-winter recess adventure. Austin was a blast. I'll do a recap this week with a list of our favorite places. I couldn't write about this beforehand as not to blow the surprise, but on Wednesday we flew to Kansas for KG's mom's 60th birthday. It was a great time and on top of that, we got to catch up with a lot of family and friends that we missed seeing over the Christmas holidays.

I wanted to give you a quick update on the Austin Half Marathon. I will say that it is a fun race with good crowd support and lots of bands playing along the route. That said, you really need it because it is one of the toughest courses I have ever run. Hills, hills and more hills. The race kicked off at 7am near the Capitol building. They do not have organized corrals or waves so it is a little bit of a free for all. I jumped in the crowd where I saw a sign for people who planned to run the full marathon in four hours, figuring that the runners around me would be going at a good pace. In reality, I could have jumped in anywhere because no one was utilizing the signs. The temperature was in the low 60's and it was humid but at least it was cloudy. Still, a little warm for me. I set off at a slow pace in hopes to save energy for the 3 mile climb uphill on South Congress during miles 3 through 6. It was tough and I was so happy that the boys and Amy were there cheering me on. Seeing them definitely gave me the boost I needed to to keep going up that hill. KG snapped this photo of me on South Congress:

Miles 6 - 8 were mostly downhill, so I took advantage of that and picked up the pace. At one point I looked at my Garmin (a side note: they did not have clocks at the mile markers which was disappointing) and noticed I was running 8 minute miles. Yikes! In hindsight, I probably was going too fast. The sun came out briefly around mile 10 when we were on a stretch of highway. It was at that point that I really started to fade. I had no idea what was in store for me as we exited the highway, I was hit with a pretty significant hill. I couldn't get past it mentally or physically and walked up my first hill ever in a race. Near mile 11 we split up with the marathoners. We cheered them on as we went our separate ways. The next 2.1 miles seemed like the longest miles of any race I have ever done, the marathon included. It was just hill after hill after hill and I walked every one. It was relentless. I crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 12 minutes about 7 minutes slower than my last half marathon. I have mixed feelings about my time as the course was extremely hilly and I was not accustomed that or the humidity. However, I think going too fast during miles in the middle of the race caught up with me. Also, eating queso, bbq and drinking margaritas in the days leading up to the race probably didn't help either. But it sure was tasty going down!

I am not sure why, but they handed out our race t-shirts after we crossed the finish line. I don't why race organizers haven't figured out that the last thing people who have run over 13 miles want to do is stand around in a crowd with hundreds of other runners for a prolonged period of time. We want to have some water and/or Gatorade and stretch. So, there I stood in a herd with all the other racer cattle waiting for our commemorative shirts. It took about 20 minutes or more until I reached the front of the line.

With t-shirt in tow, I hobbled to a nearby hotel to meet up with my friends Kristy, Marc & Sheila who also ran the race.

Look at the smiles! Those are the faces of people that are more than ready for some celebratory tacos and queso. Another great thing about this photo is that you can see JZ trying to break into the Starbucks kiosk in the background. He is so sneaky when he thinks no one is watching him.

Anyway, congrats again to my pals. I do recommend running the Austin Half and if you are completely insane, the full Marathon. Austin is a fantastic place to be in February, especially for a runner.

Heading South

2011-02-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have had enough of winter. The streets in Brooklyn are coated with a filthy layer of dirt, sand and salt. On Monday, we had a high wind advisory and all that yuck was kicked up and was blowing directly in my face as I walked to pick up James from school. My eyes were killing me by the time I got home and I had trouble breathing. I am coughing even thinking about the horrible air quality. Even as the temperature begins to climb out of the freezing range, I am resisting the urge to open all the windows to air out our apartment as the concept of "fresh air" doesn't apply here.

Anyway, enough of my complaining. Thankfully, several months ago, we planned our mid-winter recess escape and will be heading to Austin, TX to visit friends. Austin is one of my favorites cities. While working in the music business, we traveled to Austin every spring for the South By Southwest music conference. Several of my dear friends have since relocated there so it makes it an extra special place to visit. I can't wait to show my boys around and introduce them to my favorite places and restaurants. Oh, the restaurants. I can not wait. Especially for the queso, migas and margaritas (see photo above. this was taken during my last Austin trip in 2009). My stomach is growling just thinking about all the deliciousness that will be awaiting us.

Since I will be eating all this food, it's good I have some running planned to burn off a few of these calories. On Sunday, I will be joining three of my friends to run the Austin Half Marathon. I am a little concerned because I was forced to use a treadmill for numerous training runs because of all the horrible weather we have had here. I managed to do all my long training runs outside which is good. The course is a hilly one which concerns me as does the temperature. I believe the highs will be in the 70s so it will probably be in the 50s at race time. I think the warmest long run I had this winter has been slightly above freezing. My best strategy will be to take it very slow. I'll let you know how it goes.

While we are away, I will hope that there is some sort of significant rainfall here so we no longer have to deal with so much grime upon our return. My fingers are crossed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Another monster valentine inspired by small for big. I made this one for James. Do you have any special plans for today? KG and I are making dinner at home. I had planned recreating a steakhouse meal complete with mashed potatoes and iceberg wedges with blue cheese dressing but apparently when I wrote "grass fed beef" on the grocery list, KG thought I meant the ground kind. Burgers it is then! Okay, I'm off to make some brownies for dessert. Paired with vanilla ice cream, this might be my favorite dessert ever. Mmmmm.

Valentines

2011-02-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

James still had a low grade fever this morning so we decided to keep him home from school. He ended up having all of his electronics taken away after throwing an iPhone across the room in an Angry Birds-induced tantrum. Once boredom started to set in, I suggested that we work on making homemade valentines for his classmates. My design (see pic below) was inspired by these adorable valentines available free for download on small for big.

We spent hours this afternoon cutting and gluing. Then, as the 25 cards were drying on the table, I received a call from a fellow classmate's parent. She wanted to let me know that his class made valentines for each other at school today based on an on-going project they are working on and she had the materials so James could make his over the weekend. D'oh! I guess we will be doing this all over again. Great.

Where Has The Week Gone?

2011-02-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

More importantly, what have I been doing with my time? Besides, battling my internet connection and trying to navigate the new Gawker/Jezebel redesigns (annoying, right?), oh and meeting Jon Hamm (swoon! blurry iPhone photo alert)

I guess, not much? Well, actually we did FINALLY receive JZ's deep pressure vest aka "The Bear Hug" from his school. His home speech therapist and I gave it a try on Tuesday and he threw a tantrum when we tried to put it on and wouldn't come anywhere near it. She worked with him on it for his entire session and the most progress made was that he would sit in his chair with it draped along the back rest. I didn't even bother with it yesterday. His speech therapist will be here in about an hour so I figure we can give it another go then. I spoke to his OT and she said that we need to distract him with an activity that he loves (coloring, puzzles) while putting it on. He can only wear it for 30 minutes at a time, otherwise his body will become used to the pressure and it will no longer be effective. She said that we will reach a point that he will ask us to put on his vest. Really? The vest that he doesn't even want to be in the same room with? Interesting. Okay, I guess we will see.

In other news, James is home sick today. He woke up yesterday morning with a red bumpy rash over his cheeks and nose. By the end of the day, he had a fever and was pretty lethargic. You know what you don't want to do? Google "face rash" and "fever" together because the things that come up are not what you want to see. Lupus, anyone? He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms so we will keep an eye on him today and give the doctor a call tomorrow if he doesn't improve.

So yeah, now it Thursday and Valentine's Day will be here before you know it. To make buy or make cards? That is the question. What are you doing this year?

I Have Cake Decorating Kit...

2011-02-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

and I think I know how to use it.

I heard something about a big football game tomorrow. I suppose I am looking for excuses to decorate something, ANYTHING! It is just too much fun.

Woody Cake

2011-01-31T06:17:00.000-08:00

At one point while decorating this cake, I thought it was going to be a total failure. I guess one of the great things about working with frosting is that you can always scrape it off and start over. The cake was a huge hit. JZ talked about his "Woody cake" all day. The cake itself was delicious. Dawn recommended Magnolia Bakery 's recipe for their vanilla birthday cake with frosting. The frosting calls for 8 cups of confectioners' sugar but I cut it back to 6 cups and I thought it was plenty sweet. A salesperson at our local kitchen supply store talked me into buying this Ateco basic cake decorating kit. I don't know about you, but those frosting bags have intimidated me for years. I am so glad she talked me into buying the kit because not only is it much cheaper than buying the pre-made decorative frosting, but it isn't all that difficult. Clearly, my decorating skills need some practice but if I can do this, anyone can.

As far as the transferring the design onto the cake, the paper that we printed the Woody image on was too thick to trace through. Next time, I will use another type of paper. Instead of tracing, I poked holes though the paper along the lines of the image. Unfortunately, I could barely make out the design on the cake. KG ended up cutting out the picture of Woody and I traced around it with white frosting. The rest of the design was basically done free-hand which is probably why it doesn't look very pro. I'm okay with that. It kinda adds to the charm of the cake, don't you think?

JZ Is Three!

2011-01-31T05:41:00.000-08:00

JZ turned three! I wanted to post these pictures yesterday but my computer is acting up again. I think JZ enjoyed his birthday. He went sledding with his Dad and brother, took a huge power nap, then topped off his day with some pizza and cake. What's not to love about that?

Zero

One

Two

Three

Happy Birthday, cutie!

Snow Day!

2011-01-27T14:05:00.001-08:00

We received 19 inches of snow yesterday and overnight. This morning, James awoke to the news that for only the 7th time since 1978, New York City Public Schools were closed. I wish I could describe the excitement. There may have been actual bouncing off the walls. Here are some photos from during and after the storm, courtesy of KG:

As beautiful and fun as the snow can be, I gotta say, enough is enough. This is the snowiest January we've had and the eighth worst on record. I am ready for spring.