a life beyond running shoes.

got a night out. my dear friend, jb, flew up here SO that she could drive with me and my three kids to florida. that is right.....she is spending two days in the car with us. as a small thank you, we went and saw a broadway show. got half price tix. we were open for anything. american idiot . music by green day. on broadway? yup. think rent vibe with punk costumes and sonia tayeh choreography (from so you think you can dance ). it was great but i had that thought during the opening number, "what have i brought jb to? is she going to hate this?" there were moments when she did but overall really enjoyed it. can i admit that i loved it? can i admit that i had flashbacks to a previous era? can i admit that it made me think of my crush on that straight-edge skater kid who lived down the hall and played kerplunk on vinyl for me my first semester of college. or that tape he made me that i played in my car (very loudly) on the way up the mountain to go snowboarding? so str...

appetite city: a culinary history of new york . written by the times food editor from 2000-20004 (i believe) this one book two check-outs from local library. it had a hold, so i could not renew. i returned it and actually decided to check it out again in order to finish. perhaps more determination than enjoyment. but i have to say it was interesting. the beginning history of oyster bars and fish markets down near wall street at the end of the 1800s were fascinating. i got bogged down at the turn of the century into the roaring twenties because there was a slump due to prohibition and the market crash.... but i have to admit that more modern culture of the last twenty years with names i was familiar with, made finishing easy....alice waters, jacques torres, whylie dufresne, tom colicchio (before top chef ) was all engaging for me. i even made my "dream" restaurant list..... my "one day i'll go"............ while not the best writer.... still an interesting ...

my husband humors my "funky" tendencies..... by faux-hawking my boys. they are just too cute!!! little bit's (while a slightly fuzzy pic and oh so serious) is a bit more pronounced since his hair was not as short as peanut's when the buzzing began this afternoon.... little bit also let me put a bit of gel in there to get the "spikey" look.... peanut is more resistant to mom's meddling. i'll try for better photos tomorrow when it is sunny and we are not about to throw them in the tub.....

one of the typical summer scenes here in new york are open fire hydrants. the fire fighters open up the water when temperatures get above 90 (okay, i lied.... or actually - i looked into and apparently it is illegal to open fire hydrants.)..... and kids all over the city play in them. this is the first summer our kids have been old enough to enjoy the pleasure of it.... and they have been more comfortable with water in general. we visit the public pool weekly.... if not twice a week. that is an experience in and of itself..... but here are the boys enjoy life here in brooklyn:

i can hardly believe that i am only a third of the way to my goal distance. argh! i am intimidated. i got my first "MCM Newsletter" this week. i freaked out! have i booked my hotel? AHHHH! seriously. when do they think this is? three months from now.... oh right?! long run: 9 miles. conditions: 75 degrees; 6:15 am. 70% humidity. i picked up stef half way through run....this makes all the difference. week total: 17.3 miles weight loss: zero pounds i failed to do my cross training or core training this week. but i walked 3 miles yesterday to pick up my CSA - that whole carbon footprint thing...okay, not really - we loaned our car out. but still the kids had a great bike ride. little bit only made it half way. good thing i borrowed that double stroller. but wasn't i a sight with a screaming one year old, a bike on top of the stroller and three dozen eggs plus two whole chickens underneath the stroller. good thing little bit still had his helmet on in the stroller. it ...

in an effort to show ben "the city" we took out him out of the city for an adventure to bear mountain. the boys rode their bikes around a lake. we had a picnic. we played in the public pool up there. (of course, as soon as we got in the pool everyone had to get out because someone threw up in the pool.....we had to wait 20 min for the filtration system to work its magic) it was a full ten degrees cooler up there. i watched the temp reader in the car on the way home. at 7 pm it was 90 degrees in brooklyn. it was a great day out of "the city" away.

well this week the weather was not cooperating. i got one short run in on monday. wednesday's was canceled, so i did my bootcamp workout with bob from the biggest loser . working out those arm muscles... or at least trying to. i hate push-ups but i have officially moved from my two pound weights to the five pounders! long run: 8.5 miles. conditions: 77 degrees; 6:15 am. not as humid as last week which made a huge difference. also, picked up stef half way through run....another BIG difference. week total: 11.5 miles weight loss: zero pounds

i forgot to mention another small change: coffee. in the summer i love my iced coffee. in the winter..... ummmmm.... that vanilla latte. okay - preface - i only drink decaf. what is the point? taste. i add sugar and milk. or no go. well, i have decided that i will not buy my "little slice of heaven" iced coffee unless i bring my own cup..... okay, another confession - this is my husband's mug that he got for his birthday from my amazing sister-in-law who never forgets anyone's b-day and married into a family that doesn't remember to send a card.....or actually, she married a boy who has a sister that doesn't even remember to send a card....actually, my sister is really awesome at b-days too....so it is just me that sucks. and well, i stole it. it seals! i can throw it on the top of my stroller that does NOT have a cup holder and it won't spill!!! i mean seriously, that is one really awesome travel mug! i walk into my little coffee shops and very...

strength in what remains . tracy kidder. true story. i had to keep telling myself it was not made up. burundi.... real country. real genocide. new york....really homeless. columbia....really graduated. builds a clinic back in burundi. how does this happen? that is what the author tries to figure out. remarkable. breath-taking. seriously.... i had to keep reminding myself that deo is a real person. this really happened to him. this is really his story. kidder takes us through deo's journey from farm hills, to medical school, to war, to refugee camps in rwanda, to new york city and back. it is not linear, yet moves in such a way that it is captivating, troubling, horrifying, and beautiful. from the people that deo meets to his survival; from his loss to his journey back from that loss. wow! and by the way, i thought kidder was an excellent writer in such a way that deo's story is only enriched because of the narration..... kidder does not tarnish deo's journey with ...

they are small changes, but changes none-the-less: 1. paper towels. we really started using rags awhile ago to clean up the kitchen, spills, and the table, but for kid's hands we have still been using paper towels OR wipes.... i now have a stash of washcloths in the kitchen for dirty hands & faces. 2. grocery bags. we have been using reusable grocery bags since my sister gave me some for xmas two years ago....but now i have been re-using the "vegetable" bags from the grocery. it takes a lot to remember to bring them every week but i feel like it is an important effort. i mean really, you put three apples in that bag and then throw it away. 3. deodorant. (okay, not so small of a change) i am still a little bit in disbelief that it really works. mama v gave me a recipe after my other post asking for help. it works and it is not for lack of smelling my own armpit (TMI - sorry). all i can say is - amazing. i made my own. thanks mama v ..... your recipe is ...

than taking a baby that only took a morning nap with two brothers who have been up too late every night during the week....to a baseball game. maybe next year it won't be torture. coney island for a brooklyn cyclone game: but before the game, we got to ride an amusement park ride. he was totally torn between wanting to ride something that "scared" him and something "not boring." we settled on the whales that went up and down "just a bit." (and his brother didn't want to join in) we almost got rained out..... but managed to catch a few happy moments.

so i missed training week #1 because hubbie was out of town..... so i had to catch-up this week. only 16 weeks to go. now that sounds too close; how will i ever be ready to run 26.2? am i really doing this? long run: 6 miles conditions: 76 degrees at 6 am; 85% humidity week total: 14 miles weight loss: 1 pound some personal revelation: if you have an athletic body with virtually no body fat and wear running shorts that are smaller than my bathing suit.... feel free to pass me BUT if you are older than my mother, shorter than me, weigh a hundred pounds more than me, and pass me on the hill in the middle of the summer..... my ego is bruised.... i'm working on it. ultimately it is not about anyone else but me and my pace out there. and by the way.....she was awesome & kicked my butt!

husband was gone last week....lots of excitement there: had no internet, no wine, saw a flasher at playground, had friends over, lots of kid adventures, and slept on floor in kids room to save energy on air conditioning costs. we found a new playground - lots of cool things but no shade. once daddy came home, we got summer cuts...... and have stopped wearing shirts.... we had an ordination at sister congregation..... yeah, pastor david!!! have a house guest for three weeks..... the boys LOVE him!!! and hit the beach.... now we are babysitting a bunny for the month of july. does it ever really slow down?

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.