a life beyond running shoes.

i have always heard (and read) that anti-perspirant is bad for you. after reading the no impact book, i decide to change a few hygiene things.... one being my deodorant. i am using this brand. lavender scent. roll-on. i don't like it. i feel like i stink. any recommendations? i am game to try something new. again.... no anti-perspirant. no animal testing. not bad for environment. let's hear it......

i signed up for the reading program at the local library. i mean i signed the kids up as well.....we will all read 15 minutes a day..... we usually take sweet pea's morning nap as reading time....and then there is the beloved room time that will still be a part of summer routine....but 15 minutes at the least. so far...... day after night . anita diamant. i wanted to like this more than i did. it was slow to start...... it picked up in the middle. i was engrossed by the end. but it didn't really make up for the beginning. okay, maybe a little bit. story based on actual facts of post-holocaust survivors seeking refuge in palestine but find themselves in an internment camp. the story of their rescue is told through four women in the camp.... all with very different stories of the war, the life before the war, and survival through the war. food rule s: an eater's manual . of course.....i love him. how can i not.... he reminds me what food really is.... real! quick, easy rea...

did you know that we graduate from pre-k to kindergarten? it seems a bit over-the-top..... but it was sweet.....of course, we still have three days of school left. (yes we get out at the very end of june) thanks you to our wonderful teachers: ms. balaban and, seen here, ms. black. as seen here - thumbs up, elbows back, knees together, feet apart, butt up, tongue out. the dance to follow directions.....peanut had a blast.... his favorite part - the dancing! brothers..... little bit kept saying.... "i get to do this next year." sweet pea just wanted the donuts holes.....

but caught enough of the blooms that the rose gardens was still spectacular. i this is a funny picture. tied-dyed kid..... and we totally missed the bluebells. in case you have not figured it out..... we live at the botanic gardens because it is free on tuesdays. we have been going after the school pick-up and spending the afternoons there. it makes the dinner routine a bit hectic but on nights daddy is not coming home due to night meetings, it makes it totally worth it. and seriously, this kid is cute.

for whatever reason.... we had a day off of school today. we also had kindergarten orientation. found out about keyboard once a week, the cafeteria, saw classrooms, and got free bagels & coffee. then we went to the beach. yes, we have them in new york city. riis beach. with a very good friend who is getting older and will be gone for the summer. thanks, robbie! no.....sweet pea did not like being buried.....in case you were wondering. we didn't touch the water, but enjoyed our sandwiches & the playground. it is amazing how you can still bring home the smell of the beach. just figured out how to survive part of the heat this summer.... it was wonderful.

cutting for stone. abraham verghese. i actually finished our book club book before our discussion. that hasn't happened since sweet pea was born. i also think this is the first book in awhile that everyone really enjoyed..... if not loved. i am not the only consistent culprit on not finishing the books.... but this time everyone finished. we had a lively discussion.....from flat characters to plot devices to controversial characters to beautiful descriptions. we even discussed the hippocratic oath in regards to the title and themes. the backdrop of ethiopia was part of the captivating aspects of the novel and the surgical component was engaging. this one was a winner! thank you mary for the injera, cheryl for hosting, and marquetta for the delicious vegan brown rice salad.

our family joined some of our neighbors in a graffiti clean-up day. 88 degrees in the direct sun standing on concrete. our kids did great! we were team green #1. we painted over graffiti on the green mail boxes. we also picked up trash and recycling along the way. what a fun day to spend as a family! next year we might be able to stay for the bbq they hosted after..... this year, naps were necessary.

i know that no matter where you live, everyone loves outdoor space. everyone wants a nice backyard..... but here in new york it is especially desirable. when we lived in a 625 square foot apartment, it was close to doubling our space. we ate meals, played, relaxed, entertained, lived out there. in this house, we did not use our backyard until a month ago. it was concrete rumble. it was a mud pit. it was a failed vegetable garden. it was a mosquito haven. now, it is usable. we are living out there. we had two dinner engagements this week marking summer. our final community group for the summer.... pork burgers (thank you mark bittman), orzo, three philospophers beer, and apple crisp plus good conversation, laughing, and the first firefly..... then we had a nigerian, anglican pastor over for dinner. we got to hear about his nigerian tribal princess wife, his grandfather who was friends with winston churchill, and about his experience of living here in brooklyn for the past two months. ...

no impact man . by colin beavan i have been trying to figure out how to post about this book for over a week. that is right, i have been writing this post in my head for a week...... here is why: i want you to read it. and i know that most of you (my brother, my mother....okay, all my family) will dismiss it because it confirms what you really believe: that i am really that crunchy. there is has been said. i want you to read this book..... what can i write to compel you to read it? how can i spin it? how can i sell it? i can't. i will only tell you what i thought.... the decision is yours but so far this is the best book i have read this year..... he and his family (wife -prada wearing, cappuccino drinking, take-out ordering - plus toddler) try and go off the grid for a year....in new york city. no trash. no waste. no impact. want to read it yet? of course not..... that is merely strange and crazy but a slightly fascinating prospect. he is a good writer. he is honest. he is no...

for not having done this sooner. we have not had a date since july. that is terrible!!! but last night we hit the town. joe's pub. dinner, drinks, and music. dinner was only decent. my grey goose dirty martini was perfection shaken. the music was phenomenal. laurence juber (fingerstyle acoustic guitar player of the former band wings as in paul mccartney's other known band). he was insanely good.....down right amazing. set list included fav: strawberry fields, live and let die, a spoonful of sugar, little wing. one song he played that i loved was one he wrote: in your arms. we had a great time!!! thanks for the free babysitting, tiff!!! and the tix, mom!!!!

here is the re-cap...... tuesday - botanic gardens. boys love the children's area. sweet pea is learning how to pick flowers. wednesday - coney island. temperature was 90. there was at least a breeze at the beach. thursday - school potluck. peanut with two classmates and his teacher. friday - "mommy school" peanut has figured out basic addition.....by himself. i promise i only erased the problems he got wrong. he did this whole worksheet without assistance! saturday - marine park. deep, deep brooklyn. park, playground, bike riding, picnic. perfect weather!!! happy memorial weekend, friends.

this is just crazy!!! but indeed it is true. he is riding a bike. for daddy's birthday we had steak and roasted beet salad sunday night with flourless chocolate cake (thank you 3 peas) and watched series finale of lost . but monday, we went up to nyack.... rockland state park to try out the boys on their bikes. we tried taking off little bit's training wheels.... and low and behold..... he could do it. peanut finally got the hang of starting by himself last weekend (he learned last summer)..... but little bit's new bike was more comfortable with training wheels. we had to push him to try w/o. this. kid. is. amazing.

sweet pea is a funny little girl. she amuses herself.... and the rest of us as well. she is a joy and delight and makes each day interesting.... so somewhere between a funk and a slump is the possibility of being a little depressed. that is okay.... i still like my kids, love them and want to eat them up.... i still like my husband, adore and enjoy him to pieces. this too shall pass...... now, if i could just get my running shoes back on.....i'm sure it would do wonders.

funk : (noun) a state of cowardly fright; a severe depression. slump : (noun) an extended time of poor performance; a sudden falling off or decline. not sure which better describes my state of being..... but in an attempt to get out of it, i signed-up for a 5K. well..... truth-be-told, i had mentioned that there was a race that had a kid's race on the same day. peanut, who is actually an elephant, didn't forget and reminded me about it about a week ago. (i think i mentioned it a month ago...seriously) it was a great way to spend the day as a family. driving up west side highway and playing in riverside park. there were hills to run down and dogs to run away from. it was a glorious morning! so.... i would have skipped but i did it for the kids.... and i am so glad i did. my race time wasn't too shabby.... it gives me something to beat (30:30). and peanut LOVED it!!!! notice what place he is in? third... that is right. he got third place. on wednesday he did admitted that he ...

for mother's day i went to california to visit my family. i took sweet pea. 16 hours at my mom's. (left sweet peat there) 40 hours at my sister's. 18 hours at my dad's. and got no pictures. here at home the boys were busy, busy, busy, busy. what a mother's day gift! here is the before: and the after: now for some outdoor furniture, a picnic table, and some landscaping... but baby steps.... and seriously, i need to leave more often!

orthodoxy . gh chesteron. this took me a year. perhaps longer; i've lost track of time. but i finished.....and it was a struggle. it tested my mental faculties, my ability to pay attention for much longer than was comfortable.....but every couple of pages, i was struck with lucidity for which i am richer. this one chapter made the struggle of the entirety worth it.... completely: "the paradoxes of christianity." if you have time to read over these quotes, do so..... they are brilliant. he is brilliant, cheeky, and way over my head. "there was never anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy. it was sanity: and to be sane is more dramatic than to be mad." "and then in a quiet hour a strange thought struck me like a still thunderbolt. . . suppose we heard an unknown man spoken of by many men. suppose we were puzzled to hear that some men said he was too tall and some too short . . . . he might be the right shape. outrageously tall men might feel h...

but i finally finished our latest book club book. albeit, two weeks late..... but the conversation of the book was not really about the book. it was about food. which the book is about. thanks to mary...... for an amazing meal. fresh pasta..... and that is just where my palate memory begins. heat - an amateur's adventure as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a dante-quoting butcher in tuscany. bill buford. how can you not want to read this. well..... mario batali makes more than just a few cameo appearances. buford works in his kitchen. learns what it looks like on that side of the order. fascinating. daunting. intimidating. then he travels to italy to learn pasta and butchering. mario takes a back seat and the book loses its flare. could mario's robust, obnoxious, foul-mouthed presence have made the book more interesting? possibly. i work my way to the end and then in the last section..... nuggets: "it's not in the breed but the breeding" ...

we under charged. didn't make our start up cost back. (sign says "lemonade 25 cents - 5 year old handwriting!!) we learned..... 7 0z of fresh-squeezed should cost 50 cents. not a quarter. but what a fun experience. great way to meet our neighbors on a sunny saturday morning. maybe next time we'll have cookies for sale too. trying to figure out how to teach start up cost, profit margin, etc. peanut (5 year old) loves it. loves learning about change, tips, coins versus paper. it is fun to see.

in an attempt to make the backyard usable space...... we added 700 pounds of sand. there was much rejoicing. found a used box through neighborhood group. the only one that does not love it..... sweet pea. there were many tears. also.... night out with friends. celebrating her 40th. i got to wear a dress and heals. anyone recognize the dress??? (mom?)

a year. wow. even as i process being with my husband's family last week, i am still overwhelmed by how quickly it went, yet how significant of a year it has been that it seemed to have crawled by at the same time. sweet pea was only six weeks old when my father-in-law died. she is getting so big. these guys are all within four weeks of each other. (sorry locks.... didn't mean to capture you in tears) this is how i know that time is passing. i also realize that i don't feel as raw. i don't feel as if i am walking around with my nerves endings on the outside of my skin. i can still get bowled over by my grief, but it doesn't come as often. and god's comfort and grace come more quickly. it has been a long year..... but we are still resting in the arms of our savior. he has been good.... all year.