Bike riding

It doesn't matter the weather, when he has a spare minute he wants to RIDE HIS BIKE!

I don't think I've ever seen my 4 year old son have such excitement for anything outside.  Sure, he has a great time at the playground and he will happily dig the dirt out of each and every flower bed around the house.  But there is something different about him on his bicycle. 

I think he enjoys the sense of freedom while riding his bicycle.  He only rides back and forth on the sidewalk between our house and the next door neighbor, it's short enough to be safe but long enough to actually get moving.  Even though he rides with training wheels, he has crashed numerous times.  I'm not really sure how it happens but it doesn't seem to faze him.  Most of the time, he just rides with a big leisurely grin on his face.  

This past week, I was able to get an opportunity to ride my bike with him while my 11 month old daughter was napping.  A long time ago, I used to race bicycles, so my past relationship with riding is somewhat complicated.  But riding with J, I simply loved it.  We rode back and forth, along the same sidewalk.  Sometimes, for variation, instead of one house down we ride two houses down.  Yesterday, we went on a bike ride all the way to playground in my neighborhood, it was so easy for me and yet so hard for him on his little 12'' bicycle.  My neighborhood is quite hilly, so I will have to pack up the bikes so that we can find a flatter path somewhere.

My favorite part of bike riding is when we race.  J announces the same way every time. 
"Mommy, ready?  Ok, I'm going to count backwards from 1"
"4...3...2...1...GO!"
I can't even write this without laughing. 

31 days of writing, wow!

Day 31 of 31 - yahoo!

Here we are, March 31st.  I did it!

I want to personally thank Stacey and Ruth for hosting this challenge, which must be a ton of work on their end.  Thank you.

I am proud of myself for taking on this challenge that is definitely out of my comfort zone.  What did I accomplish this month?

- I think, most importantly, I took some time back for myself.  Writing allowed for some 'me' time, something I'm sorely lacking.  Next project, getting my exercise routine and diet in check.

- I very much enjoyed reading the other blogs, but found I just didn't have the time to read and comment on as many as I wished.

- I enjoyed the distraction of writing while dealing with the most frustrating month of my professional career (not an exaggeration .

- I really enjoy putting the memories of my family in text.  I have always been good at taking pictures and I remember the stories, but having them in writing is different.

- I need to learn how to be reflective on my own teaching.  It's an area I want to improve on, but just don't have the energy at this particular moment.

- Will I continue to slice on Tuesdays?  Sure, why not!  See you all in a couple of days.

I think I blog with rose colored glasses

Day 30 of 31

One of my reflections about this month long writing project has been that I think I blog with rose colored glasses. 

I think, that in general, I'm an optimist.  I really do always try to see the positive of every day and situation.  And I think, that we all have a choice in our attitudes even in we don't always have a choice about our circumstances.

I chose to make this blog anonymous, and it's been a challenge to keep it that way.  I have posted pictures of my kids, have made mention of the area I live, and if you put the pieces together, you can probably figure out which school district I work at.  But I haven't listed my last name for a very specific reason.  10 years ago, my Mom started the divorce process from my ex-stepfather.  It was the nastiest a divorce can possibly get and somehow I got in the middle.  So, if you were to google my name, you will see some pretty terrible (and completely false) stuff on the internet about me.  So, for obvious reasons, I want to keep this blog anonymous from him. 

In many ways, the last month has been good (like always).  But in reality, I have dealt with some very real issues involving my job and the labor disputes that we are currently in.  In addition, my husband worked nearly non-step from until March 25th, so I was pretty much on my own for the month.  But I don't want this blog to be a place about complaining.  So maybe I blog with rose colored glasses because it makes me feel better and see the positive of each day.  I don't know, still figuring this one out.  

The wonder of technology on a busy day

Thank goodness the month is over,  I fear that I'm running out of things to write about.   It was a busy day and I had the kids all day since my husband is working all day.   It's tough for me to write when on these days,  but right now I'm typing on my phone.   Want to know some of what I did today?
-Wake up
-Breakfast
-Cook potato dish for potluck
-Make chocolate covered strawberries for potluck
-do a ton of dishes
-farmers market
-curiosity connection at state museum
-bike riding with four year old while baby napped
-laundry
-feed kids dinner
-go to potluck at friends house
-play a game and read books to J
- bedtime.
See,  now I know why I have no time to blog on a day like this.

Songs that are full of memories

Day 28 of 31

I made a quick trip to BJ's after dinner tonight and on the short drive there and back I heard two songs that invoked some pretty strong memories.

On the way there I heard "Piano Man".  I'm sure everyone who follows Two Writing Teachers has their own memory of this song.  For me, it was going to see Billy Joel in concert at Hershey Park Stadium.  It was July and I was about 2 months pregnant with my son.  It was the closing song and I think the whole stadium sang in unison. 

On the way home, I heard "Come on Eileen" which I don't hear that often.  Between junior and senior year in college, I planned a month long trip to Israel that turned into a three month trip (but that's another story).  One of my classmates on the trip was named Aylin (but pronounced Eileen).   Since it was 1997, we were still living in the land of mix tapes, so I guess someone had made a mix tape that included "Come on Eileen" and we must have heard it hundreds of times, much to her chagrin. 

I have always had an excellent memory, but as I get older, I find that my memory of dates is not as good as it used to be.  So I find it fascinating that songs can invoke memories so easily and so vividly.  When I hear a song that was once popular, I can remember the year, current events and what I was doing.  Does memory work this way for everyone?

On Marriage Equality

Day 27 of 31

Like everyone else in the country, I'm following the Supreme Court proceedings regarding Prop 8 and DOMA.  It's time that once and for all, the same rights, privileges and penalties are bestowed equally.  I happen to be heterosexual, but here's the part I just don't understand.   How does it affect me, I mean one iota, if two men or two women decide to get married?  Does it change my rights, my tax structure, my right to divorce?  Does having more married couples help the country?  It's not my area of expertise, but my guess is yes. Is having families with 2 parents beneficial to the community, absolutely.  Do gay families face challenges just as straight families do, absolutely as well. 

I am an A and a very close family member is a T in the LGBTAQ acryonym. It will be three years in May and you know what, it wasn't a walk in the park for me.  It's complicated and it takes a lot of time to make the emotional adjustments.  However, from day one there has been unconditional love and support.  So, if they are lucky enough to a find a person to spend the rest of their life with, who am I to deny that? 

My new car

Here's the update to the earlier blog post about my husband's car accident in early March.

We got a new car today! Actually, it's a used car, but it's new to us.  I find car shopping overwhelming.  There are a gazillion choices of cars and who to purchase one from.  I went through a lot of scenarios, but at the end of the day, I though the most important thing was to find a car that would not put me in a financial bind.

I drive past a used car dealer every day between work and daycare, so I decided to check out the stock.  I found a car that is from 2009, but only has 24,000.  It wasn't a car that was even remotely on my radar, but the miles were low and the price was right.  It's got a funny look, but is surprisingly roomy inside.  esides, a car purchase is not for the rest of my life, I can always change in a couple of year.  So, without further adieu, here she is, my new to me eggplant.