Last Weekend

Last Friday was horrible. Massive headache. Migraine. Pain. I was up early and started a repair job on the car at 9:00 but felt so badly that by 10 I was in a dark place in the house with a blanket over my head. I stayed that way until 10 that night.

Saturday I made up for lost time by getting a lot done. I met over breakfast with a guy I mentor professionally, unloaded a freezer that someone gave to us, loaded, unloaded and stacked a load of wood, got the lawn aerated, worked some wrench magic replacing two belts on the car engine, late in the day rode 25 miles on the bike and cooked chicken on the BBQ. It was a good day.

Sunday afternoon we all met at the in-laws for some of mom-in-law's gooood fried chicken, relaxed hanging out and some weird physical challenges. How long can you hold one leg out and extended while you sit in a chair? How long can you stand on one foot? How long can you hold a push-up position - two hands and two feet with your body straight? The competition was tough and ruthless! I don't want to brag about my domination of the events...cause that would be lying. I didn't dominate, but I did compete.

Had any good family times lately?

Thursday

Moved from the couch to the bed at 5:10 a.m. (L is out of town - fell asleep watching Seinfeld)

5:15 a.m. L15's first alarm goes off. (last night i kindly told L15 and A16 that i'm not waking them anymore at 5:40 a.m.)

5:20 L15's second alarm

5:25 L15's third alarm

5:45 A16 alarm goes off

6:00 Me up and in the shower

6:10 out of shower.

6:20 encounter L15 dashing from bathroom to bedroom(they catch the bus at 6:25)

6:20 While Alex is standing bewildered in the dark, casually tell L15, "Hey, I don't know what your plans are for getting to school this morning, but I'm leaving at 7:00 and will be headed in the direction of the school on my way to meet Bill." major relief from A16 and L15.

7:00 leave house and take kids to school. A16 says he wasn't worried about getting to school cause he knew he'd get a ride.

7:01 Make plan for how to be unavailable to give him a ride next time he over sleeps. (natural consequences?)

7:20 Call L and chat with her. (Forget to wish her Happy Birthday) Go to wrong Starbuck's.

7:40 Correct Starbuck's with Bill. Remember I forgot to tell L Happy Birthday. Chat about all things important - Rockies, Bill's move to NC, marriages, kids, wacky family.

10:15 arrive at work. read The American Church in Crisis...at least try to focus. email.

11:30 Wonderful couple arrives with new cloth banner for CM space. Hang banner downstairs. It looks wonderful.

12:20 20 minutes late to lunch with special guest, Derek, from Kennsington Church. Creative and good place.

1:10 leave lunch early. Organize office a bit. Check a blog or two. Write this post

4:00 will leave to pick up A16 from home and take him to school for the Battle of the Bands. Take Lizzy home from track.

4:45 TBD. it's my Friday!!!! Maybe enjoy a precious Chili beer?

8:30p.m. on a Monday night

Laura's at a Bible study. I've been reading.

Here's what the kids are up to:

This is L14 asleep under the covers. I woke her up so she could brush and go to bed.

M13 is drawing in a sketchbook.

A15 is playing guitar

T11 is reading

Our home is blessed.

What's going on in your home?

Living Life with Three Teenagers...

"There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you." -- Peter De Vries

Life is a roller coaster at our house and the teen moments are really pushing me away from thinking I'm not much different than the 25 year old i used to be. I am being pushed over the hill of middle age.

Now the battle against it begins! (smiling as i type)

Family Times

We had a GREAT time playing a game as a family last night. Played SKipBo. The actual game didn't matter. It was family time. A15 (total adolescent) was so flippin' funny. He really busted out. L14 (edge of adolescence) laughed at my jokes. It was fantastic.

I continue to be reminded over and over and over and over again that time around the dinner table is just about the best time we can ever have as a family. When L and I sense disconnection with our family we plan a big meal. Too many sleepovers and camps pulling us apart? Plan the big meal. Favorite foods, good dessert and we find victory. We are a busy family and have to do these on purpose.

I hope this post will remind me when I forget. about family time.

Cereal Dust

Early one morning a few days ago I chose Cheerios for my healthy and nutritious breakfast. I grabbed the first box I saw in the cabinet . Shook it. About 75 Os in the box. You know. 75 Os in the bottom of box covered in that highly toxic and undesirable cereal dust. The challenge was on. I am DAD and I am SO above worrying about cereal dust in my bowl. I carefully and artfully poured those lonely, left for the trash O's into my bowl with only a small trace of dust.

Lucky for me we were well stocked. A full, fresh box was waiting for me in the cabinet. Grab and shake....another 75 O's smothered in their own crumb dust. Ugh! Emptied that box in my bowl with the same artful pouring skill. Best to be careful. That dust can really kill you if you eat it, right?

A slight bit of panic as I returned to the cabinet desperate to fill my bowl. I found a THIRD box already open and waiting for me. Grab and shake...half full. Good deal. A full bowl of Cheerios. No cereal dust to turn a tasty bowl of cereal to ruin. Someone tried to poison me with the dust but I escaped the horror of that nasty stuff in MY bowl of Cheerios!

Three boxes = One bowl

Success!

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Rider's Log 9.3.07 Standley Lake again

M13 and I went out again rode around the south side and the north side of the lake. Another great ride and so much fun exploring. M13 is like the energizer bunny - he keeps going and going and going. I love my kids!
Total distance - 23 miles

Rider's Log 9.1.07 Standley Lake

On a whim, I asked M13 if he wanted to ride with me on Saturday morning last week. He was so down with that! After watering up and getting the tires nice and plump, we headed west along the Big Dry Creek trail towards Standley Lake. It was great fun. We went around the south side of the lake on the single track all the way to the west side bald eagle habitat boundary. I was riding under my normal speed and kept expecting M13 to wear out and want to turn back. Quite the opposite was true. I'd look over my shoulder to see if he was keeping up and there he was, right on my wheel. It was great! His brake pads are totally worn down from the neighborhood riding he does and they give him very little stopping power but it was cool because he just bombed down the hills that i was squeezing that brakes for! youth....
On the way back around the damn, we found a fun hill to mash our way up and fly down. On our way back home i told M13 that i would suffer on that little hill again just to be able to fly down. M13 was all over that so we rode back up the hill and flew down again.
Total distance - 18 miles. A great ride with a great boy!