Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I am a Free-wheeling Visionary

That sounds so much more exciting than I actually am. But cool. Thanks to my sister (a free-wheeling architect) for hooking me up with this test.

See my results here.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Friends with Skills II



She really is a very happy girl... Posted by Picasa

Friends with skills



My friend Elizabeth took some shots of the kids this week. Here is a little sneak peek... Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

WTH is wrong with my knee??

Since yesterday morning I have barely been able to walk. It feels like someone whacked my right kneecap with a blunt instrument. I have been sucking down ibuprofen every four hours for two straight days. This morning it felt fine as I dressed for my walk, but two blocks into it I was limping along. I headed home, in pain (physical and emotional -- I love my early a.m. walks!)

I remember in seventh grade having something like this. It was so bad I had to stay home from school. As I recall it resolved on its own. Over the years I have had twinges when the weather gets damp, or when I exercise too much, but nothing this bad. Many members of my family have had "bad knees" of some type or other, so I wonder if this was just inevitable.

I do not want to get cut open again.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Comfortable clothes vs. Feeling comfortable in your clothes

I don't wear leisure wear except to exercise. I'm not a track suit and tennies sort of gal. But Tuesday, I had an important meeting in the afternoon and errands to run with my kids in the morning, and I just couldn't face getting fully dressed twice. So I experimented.

I wore a nice stretchy top given to me by my fashionista sister, and my new track pants (with stripe that matched the top), and my white athletic shoes. I ran the kids around to school and whatnot in the morning, even stopping by my office. I had more "bounce" than usual. I noticed that I chased my son to the gate at school, which I would never do in my normal shoes. I was truly a "mom in tennis shoes."

It was a fun experiment, and I think it worked because I knew I would be really dressing for work later, and my hair was styled and my accessories matched my outfit. I didn't put on my makeup until later, but I did wear lipstick (a habit I am happy to have reinstated).

What struck me was how comfy the clothes were. I can see why women want to dress like that every day. But even though I was wearing comfortable clothes, I would not have been comfortable in many situations. I think running errands with a one year old on my hip bought me the permission I needed to wear that outfit. Once my kids were home with dad and I was "on the clock" I needed to be dressed more professionally. That's just me.

But it made me realize that there is a place in my wardrobe for leisure wear. It is a small place, but it is there. I think I need another pair of those cute track pants.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Getting a little better, and a little worse

Sam is fully on the mend now, with just a residual cough and the typical mid-winter runny nose. He went back to school on Thursday. Athena is still lagging behind, but hopefully will be well enough to return to playschool on Wednesday. No rest for the weary; Steve and I were busy all weekend. And one of our babysitters took ill and ended up in the hospital w/pneumonia, so we have been down one sitter and of course worried about her. She is home now, but won't be back to work for awhile.

We are taking this opportunity to rethink our work schedules, and I will probably change to two full days and two half days a week, instead of five partial days. I will still be at 25 hours a week, but I'll have longer days to get more done, and a full day with the kiddos in the middle of the week. I think it will work out nicely, if we can fill the two sitter slots we need. Steve will rearrange his days slightly, but also keep the same number of hours.

Since I've been so sick, I haven't been out walking. Hopefully I will be well enough by Wednesday to rejoin my troops. If there are any left.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Feeling like crap

Sick kids, sick spouse, sick me. We all have some awful strain of winter nastiness, causing coughing, snotty head, and the usual host of symptoms. Kids have had fevers too. I was doing fine today, despite severe sleep deprivation due to (see above) but after dinner I just hit the wall.

I'm not sure I can get out of this chair...