Day 116 and 117

Day 116
Swimming for the girls and a 10 mile run for me, obviously I was feeling better today.  John could't get out on his walk which has become his usual for monday since I had such a long workout. 

Day 117
The girls did some weeding with Daddy in the backyard.  I think it was more playing in the yard than weeding, but hey, at least they were outside!  20 min thinks they were out there about 20 min, then he got to sneak out and go on a walk.

Day 112, 113, 114, and 115

Day 112 - Gymnastics for the girls, a walk for John and a run for me (1st time I've run with a friend this training season).  All of our "activity" took place late afternoon/late evening so no time for something all together.

Day 113 - Nothing I can even remotely conjure up as activity today.  I was off to a conference for the evening and John took the girls out for a date night to Jamba Juice.

Day 114 - Sickness has come to visit me again.  As soon as I got back from my conference this afternoon, all 4 of us took a nap until early evening.  This rarely rarely happens, but I think we all needed it. 

Day 115 - OK cold germs, can I please have my life back? I'm sick of being sick on the weekend and not being able to get in my long run or do anything else productive.  We did all get out on the boat this afternoon.  I went to sleep immediately once we were underway.  Washing the boat with Daddy is the only thing close to activity for the girls today. Then they got another trip to Jamba Juice with me - too tired to make dinner and Jamba Juice had a 2 for 1 coupon this weekend.

Day 110 and 111

Day 110
Yep, I did get my run, I'm sure you were all waiting with bated breath.  As soon as John got home, I was out the door.  After that, all four of us packed in the car and headed off to Hannah's school for a book fair.  The girls were so excited to see their friends and look at all the books.  They were drawn to any book that contained barbies, unicorns, fairies or fancy little girls.  If it was pink, sparkly, or rainbow, all the better. They kept adding to the pile of books they wanted to buy.  We had to limit it a little, but really, how can you say no when they are so excited about books, isn't that what you want as a parent? They even had a few tables of adult books, smart marketing, but it didn't work on me.  After this, John went home and the girls headed off to a baby shower at church where they got to be the "gift fairies" delivering the presents to the mom-to-be.  They insisted on bringing their new books to the shower and were showing everyone what they had just chosen.

Day 111

Wednesdays are getting easier in the activity department, John gets his walk in while the girls are at swim lessons and with no church tonight we had some extra time on our hands.  A friend let me know that the 50th anniversary party for the city of Lynnwood was happening this evening.  When I looked on the website to see if it was worth going and saw that Recess Monkey was performing at 6pm, it was a  no brainer.  Recess Monkey is a fun local children's band.  The kids have seen them before and even own one of their CDs and a DVD.  We have never been in the Lynnwood Convention Center so when we walked in to what looked like a main entrance and a main "ballroom" we assumed we were in the right place.  Birthday cake - check, free food samples - check, information tables - check, stage - check, Recess Monkey on the stage - uh, not exactly.  There was a Hawaiian dance troupe performing on stage with recess Monkey no where in sight.  I wondered if we had missed it, since it was already 6:10, but that didn't seem right, maybe they were running behind, I thought.  So, we settled in, got some food, greeted the SeaHawks mascot and waited.  I asked John to go out and see if maybe there was a 2nd floor or ballroom that we didn't see.  He came back and had not found anything.  We hung out some more, then decided to go explore the info tables.  It was then that we discovered we were actually already on the 2nd floor and there was a downstairs. We hurried the girls downstairs hoping that this was where the concert was but having a sinking feeling that we had probably just missed it.  We found them and they were still performing.  The girls got to hear about 4 of their songs.  They were shy at first, but soon got in the little kid mosh pit and started jumping and dacing around.  Hannah even saw a friend from school, who she had seen the previous night at the book fair and she was excited about that.  Later that evening, I went out on my run, John did some weeding, and the girls were outside playing hopscotch with the neighbors.  Some days we do this together/activity thing so well!

Day 108 and 109

These two days were if-we-piece-it-all-together-then-I-think-we-did-OK days. They were both such nice warm, sunny days, we just had to be outside.  So, though we weren't doing all our activities together, I think we met the goal to get outside and moving.

Day 108
Girls - trampoline time across the street, car washing with Daddy, helping mom make ice cream and slushies with our new ice cream maker

John - car washing, lawn mowing (are you seeing a trend here?)

Jen - 9 miles on the Burke Gilman

Day 109
Girls - swim lessons, weeding with Daddy, running around outside with the neighborhood kids.  Both girls got some extra time in with Mommy today - Hannah reading and Haley ABCs.

John - walking loop and yard work

Jen - this is my bonafide rest/recovery day, a part of the training program, and a good thing because I was sore and tired today. Well, technically I was supposed to do some stengthening and stretching but I opted for working on cleaing the house which is still no where near clean, decluttered, presentable, choose your favorite phrase.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I figure out how the heck to fit my run in - it will be a busy day

Day 107 - Norman Rockwell this isn't

This picture makes it look like we had a wonderful blissful time snowshoeing - not exactly!  Just before and after this shot was the only time period where everybody was happy.  The lodge is only about 50 yards away up over the crest of the hill in the background.  I had just gotten the girls down to this area where it was not as windy.  Up on the hill behind us is a big open area where the wind was blowing at least 30 mph and it was snowing, though just on the verge of raining.  They don't call it Hurricane Ridge for nothing.  John was at the car getting the sled so we could drag the girls back from our snowshoe walk if needed.  The walk would have been downhill, so we were anticipating them needing help on the way back.We didn't even get that far.  Hannah was set on sledding and throwing a major tantrum.  The sledding area was closed for the day and we couldn't get her to understand that sledding wasn't allowed on the XC trail.  We should have never brought the sled out, she never got over her fit and we had to go inside.  Turns out her double layer of socks were wet and so were the top of her pants underneath her snowsuit, so that is likely the source of her uncooperativeness.  How she got her pants wet under bibs that come way up her back, I'll never know.  The whole episode seemed to only take 5 min, but we were actually out in the snow for about 45 min.  Just before this picture was taken Hannah had said twice, her exact words, "I could really get used to this".  So, I know she enjoyed the snowshoes, I think it was more the elements that we were battling.  Haley did pretty well, but could benefit from growing bigger so the shoes aren't such a big percentage of her little body.  Since we probably won't get back out on the snowshoes until next winter, she should be better able to handle it then.  I'm optimistic that they'll do great next winter.  We may need to work on getting them better shoes, actual hiking boots instead of cheap snowboots that come off and let in snow easily.  I just can't imagine spending that much money on a pair of shoes they'll only need a few times a year.  When we are on dirt hiking trails, their tennis shoes have always been fine, so really no need for hiking boots in the summer.

Later in the afternoon, back down at sea level, we all got more outside time.  John did his usual lawn mowing.  The lawn mowing at the cabin is work.  It is lots of area and an old old machine (not a riding mower).  Mowing just the bare minimum around the house takes 1.5 hours.  I snuck in a 4.5 mile run on the trail that I will run my half marathon on in June.  We took the girls hiking down in our gulley and even tried to get back up the hillside on a steep deer trail.  We didn't quite make it, but the girls were impressed with finding a "secret" passage way.  After that, we all took turns with the flying wheel toy. 

A great active day to make up for the days on either side of it.

Day 106

Not much to report for today, just lots of good intentions helping us to get in some activity and togetherness this weekend.  Haley and I went to REI in the morning to pick up new snowhoes for the girls - thank you REI dividend!  We drove out to our cabin in the evening so we could try out the snowhoes on saturday. We saw a beautiful sunset when we were on the ferry.  It is staying lighter later and later. We were proud of ourselves for choosing to go to Subway for dinner after getting off the ferry.  McDonalds is our usual stop when we take the ferry.  The Subway choice may not seem like a big deal but we are trying to make better food choices and little decision helps.

Day 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105

Finally - I'm caught up on all my posts!

Day 101
I was still sick, so no long run for me.  Since I was feeling better in the eveing, we went on a breif night walk 15 min.

Day 102
The girls started swim classes, they've had a break from swimming classes since last august. The classes include 30 min of instruction and then another 15 min of free play.  They were so tired when they got home, this is going to be a great way for them to get some exercise.  Dad went on a walk, mom was still recovering.

Day 103
A walk for Dad and then we followed the girls while they biked around the the neighborhood.

Day 104
Swim class - finally some activity for a wednesday.  At long last, I'm feeling better and I got in my long run so still hanging in there with the training schedule.  A beautiful sunny spring day on the Burke Gilman trail.

Day 105
Gymnastics for the girls, a walk in Edmonds for mom (Haley in stroller), and Dad got in his loop walk too.

Day 100 - Milestone!

We've reached 100 days and it is interesting to see what exactly it is that I have been chronicling.  If this results in nothing more than a year in the life for our family, I love that it is through the lens of how we attempted to live out this year together improving our health and our relationships.  We could do better, for sure, in the being active together at the same time category, but I am encouraged with what we have done.  I'm proud of the fact that we are spending pursposeful time together, whether it is active or not.  I love that even when we are not all together, we are all finding ways to be active.  I love that I am thinking more now about our food choices and finding ways to make them healthier.  I love that the girls know what I mean when I say "together time" and they have words like exercise and healthy in their vocabularies. 

On with the details of the day . . .
I signed the Jamie Oliver Food revolution Petition, nutritious food is also a passion of mine. I am sick as a dog, probably a flu of some sort so no exercise for me today. This is exactly why I started my half training a week early! A 3 hour church game night/Zumba class for Hannah with her friend Katelyn. Date night for Daddy and Haley.

Day 97, 98, and 99 - Getting closer . . .

Day 97
Church night. 4 mile run for mom.

Day 98
Gymnastics for the girls, track workout for mom, Dad got the short end of the stick the girls were asleep when he got home and I had to rush out for a meeting. He had been hoping to go out for a walk.

Day 99
First official friend sleepover for Hannah and Katelyn. We took the girls bike riding to the field. Hannah and Katelyn kept switching bikes and kept insisting the bike they didn’t have was the one that worked better or was faster. We kept telling them how tired they would be and how easy it was going to be for them to fall asleep, hoping these subliminal messages would take effect, not so much. Dad got in his walking loop. Felt so good to have all of us back out there together and was fun to have someone else join us and benefit as well. 45 min.

Day 95 and 96 - not quite back on track

Day 95

Rest day for mom, walk for Dad. Back to school, routine, normal life today. Reconnecting with Daddy with tickle and wrestling time is going to have to count for the activity today.

Day 96
Walk for Dad, 3 mile run for mom. The girls and I spent almost an hour cooking together. They were helping me with my meal exchange meals http://www.frozenmamas.blogspot.com/  and then they pretty much made a marinated veggie salad themselves. Hannah did most of the cutting (properly supervised of course). I love to see them get so excited about eating veggies. It has rarely worked to have them make something containing veggies or fruits and then have them actually eat it (like the experts say they will). However, this time, they were eating as they were cooking and loved it. They said that they were tricking Daddy into eating his veggies, little did they know they were also being tricked too. By now, I’m feeling way off track with the kids as far as all four of us being active together. We’ve been overemphasizing the together time with our road trip, the holiday, etc., gotta get back on track, and tomorrow is not going to help . . .

Day 94 - Easter

As expected, a day of easter egg hunting and togetherness with our own immediate family and our in-laws.  I even managed to get in my 7 mile run, maintaining my half marathon training schedule that is still a week early and gives me a flexible week if I have to stop training for any reason. After last week, and the inconsistent running days, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull out the 7 miler. It was slow, but I did it.

Day 92 and 93 Back to Seattle by way of the CA Coast

Day 92

We started our journey back up to Seattle.  Due to bad weather conditions on Siskiyou pass, we had to re-route up the CA coast on highway 101.  Torrential rain, hailstorms, and windy roads kept us company all day.   We ended our day in Crescent City CA, right on the water.  A highlight of the day were the big trees and big surf. The girls would probably also tell you about their trip to the icy hotel pool, color fading hot tub and their in-room microwave dinner.  As for the hot tub, I had noticed the sign on the wall that read the hotel was not responsible for faded swimsuits or haircolor.  I saw that a lady's tank top was bleached instantly as she sank down into the hot tub.  What I did not notice until we got back in our room was that my swim top was completely bleached out too.  Haley, who was not in the hot tub as long, also had her suit significantly faded.  Hannah spent most of her time in the 60 pool that had unexplained sand leaching into the pool (yes, we were warned on check-in).  

Day 93
I have never been so glad to be on I-5 as I was today.  We were about 15 miles into an 80 mile trek on a winding road from Crescent City to Grants Pass, OR, when out of no where a car was spinning out into our lane.  Any words I write here are not sufficient to describe the enormity of what we went through and how blessed we were with how it turned out.  Somehow I mananged to swerve on the shoulder and go around the car.  It all happened very fast and we came within feet of hitting it.  I wasn't even sure while it was happening that we would be able to avoid it.  I can still remember the awful screeching sound coming from the other car's brakes.  The other car managed to right it self and drive on so I continued on.  It was a small red SUV and I soon saw a similar car in my rear view mirror.  Was this the same car?  I pulled over to gather my thoughts and to see if that car would stop and explain what happened.  It just kept going, so I'm not sure if it was the same car.  We're still not sure which direction it was originally coming from.  There was no rain or ice at the time, so we think the car was just going too fast.  We are so fortunate, there was not another car close behind it or us or things could have ben much worse.  This is a road that had very little shoulder.  Where the spin-out occured I think there was a tree barrier just off the shoulder, but much of that road was unstable rock cliff on one side and no shoulder drop-off of 50-100 feet down to a raging river.  What a powerful object lesson this was for the girls.  This was our topic of conversation for most of the rest of that 80 miles.  I was driving cautiously the rest of the way and the girls took it upon themselves to point out when they saw curving road ahead or falling rock signs.  I'm sure they will forget this experience - it was a "together" experience of the not so great kind.

Day 91

For the girls this was more of a "together" day.  The girls helped Grandma make waffles then we took them to the farmers market in the morning which always includes some bouncy house time.  In the afternoon, we visited their Great-uncle Bob in San Francisco. Grandma and I sqeezed in a late night trip to the mall for the girls to go on their first ever shopping spree with Grandma.  Note to self - squeezing in a shopping trip too cloe to bed time, does not a good shopping trip make.  Hannah was fixated on a "fancy" dress that was fit for a Las Vegas show girl.  When informed that she would not be getting this dress under any circumstances, chaos and tantrums ensued. 

I never get enough time up in the hills when I'm in CA.  I was optimistic that I'd get back out in the hills the next day before we left, but I also knew it probably wouldn't happen . . . and it didn't, so I was so happy that I took my run on this day up into the hills.  I went up a path very familiar to me.  My dad has even painted a portrait of me as a young girl on this path with my dog, Frisky.  I went all the way up to the top of the ridge and ran as much of it as I could, which was pretty much only when the path was fairly level.  I was hoping I could get to the top, but it was close to dark and I wasn't sure how fast I could make it up there.  It was exhilarating to be up there by myself.  I was definitely aware of my surroundings with it being close to sundown and especially since I had seen a coyote run down out of the hills a few days previous. It was windier than usual and that only added to my heightened senses because it was hard to hear anything else like other animals.

Day 90 - is it possible to spend 4 hours at McDonald's?

The answer is a resounding YES!  McDonalds playlands have been a frequent spot for us this year.  I'm still not sure how the math works out between calories consumed and calories burned for the girls, but on this day, I'm pretty sure the calories burned won out.  We met up with some friends who have recently moved to Fresno.  Turns out the halfway point between the Bay Area and Fresno is Modesto and a playland seemed to be a safe bet for a place to meet up where the kids could run around and the moms could talk.  We never dreamed the kids would stay occupied for 4 hours!  About 2 hours in, they were all ready to stop, but then we got them a snack and they headed back out to play.  It was only after we were getting up to leave that we noticed the sign posted on the wall that said something about a 60 min limit, no loitering - oops!  My friend Dawn is as passionate about getting outside with her kids and exercising as I am and we will be running a half marathon together in June, so it was great to catch up with her.

Today was also easter egg painting day which the girls had been anxiously awaiting since they arrived in CA. The dominant egg colors were browns and flesh tones - that's what you get when preschoolers are coloring your eggs. They were so proud of their eggs that they refused to let anybody eat them and insisted we bring each and every one back to Seattle.

Day 89 - Hiking in the rain

What began as a leisurely evening stroll became an adventure hike in the rain.  The whole gang, Grandma and Papa (G&P), Brandon, New Jen, the girls and I started up into the hills near G&P's house.  Storms had been rolling through all day (very unusual for this time of year and this part of CA, but typical of how it had been this winter).  There was a sprinkle or two when we started, which was not unexpected, the pouring rain about 10 minutes later was not expected!  It was too late to turn back, so my Dad sugested that we make our way to the large tree by the rope swing hoping it would provide some shelter until the shower passed.  It was quickly becoming a "Terrell hike" and if you've hiked with my Dad before, then you know what kind of hike I'm talking about.  Just getting to the tree was quite an adventure with streams to cross and steep ups and downs along the way, but it was definitely memorable.  The rope swing was such as hit that a certain oldest child of mine threw a temper tantrum when we had to leave.  It was completely dark by the time we got down out of the hills and back home.  Aunt Jen is was busy keeping a grouchy Haley occupied on the way home- bunny hop anyone?

Day 88 - Biodynamic wine, slow food, charcuterie plate, truffle oil, and prickly pears

Lots of memorable outings this week and lots of pictures to share, so much I want to say, but in order to get the blog updates (I'm several weeks behind) I'm going to be brief, Jen-brief that is, and that's not too terribly brief!

Day 88

The girls enjoyed the swings at Benzinger Winery while their aunt and uncle were wine tasting and learning about biodynamic wines.  Later they got some playtime at the playground in the middle of the Sonoma town square with Grandma and Papa while the rest of us did some window shopping and prickly pear harvesting. The girls could not be convinced to try the prickly pear.  We had a foodie’s dream lunch at the El Dorado Kitchen that can't go unmentioned.  We stumbled upon it in a convoluted way, too crazy to explain here and it was even connected to the winery we had just visited, though we didn't know that until after we had our meal.  The restaurant is a participant in the slow food movement (slowfood.com- good, clean, fair) and Bran had been hoping to find a slow food restaurant for lunch. It was probably one of the best lunches out I have ever had.  Bran, Jen and I shared charcuterie plate, roasted cauliflower and cheddar pizza, and roasted beet salad.  To top it all off, the manager sent out an order of truffle fries on the house.  As much of a foodie as I am, I have never tasted truffle oil and did not know what a charcuterie plate was.  A bonus for me today was a 3 mile run by myself through my old neighborhood.

Day 87 - Surprise, surprise the hills are alive with Jen and Brandon

Driving, driving, driving, almost too much together time! Are we there yet? With the help of my brother and sister-in-law, we surprised Grandma and Papa by traveling all the way down to CA.  They had no idea we were coming.  We arrived at Lococos, our all time favorite pizza place while they were just finishing dinner.   The look on their faces was priceless.  After dinner, Bran, Jen, and I sent the girls back to the house with Grandma and Papa and we got ice cream at Three Twins Organic Ice Cream shop http://threetwinsicecream.com/ .  Creme Fraiche ice cream - yum! We wasted no time getting up into the hills, we started up into the hills while we were still eating our ice cream.  The plan was for us to walk home over the hills. I couldn't wait to get up into the hills I love. There has been so much rain in CA this winter that everything was nice and green. New Jen (my sister-in-law) kept commenting how much it felt like we were in the Sound of Music movie. We climbed to the top of the hill and were rewarded with some amazing views.  We changed plans opting to walk back down the same way we came up. Grandma and Papa and the girls, expecting us to come down the other side, drove around and hiked to meet us. They of course never found us in the hills. Here is my Facebook post from today:

Successfully surprising the grandparents with a visit from their granddaughters, dinner at Lococos, creme fraiche ice cream and a walk in the hills of Marin - can't think of a better way to spend a sunday evening.

Day 85 and 86 - From the Jungle to California

Day 85

Birthday party at Jungle Playland in Mount Vernon.  What a fun place and a great church ministry!  You literally walk out of the sanctuary of the church it is housed in and you are in a cross between Chuck E Cheese and McDonald's Playland and much cleaner than either.  The equipment was big enough for adults to play on too and the slide was almost too fast for me.  What a great setting for our active and together time. 

Day 86
Birthday party week continues.  Today was a birthday party complete with an indoor bouncy house. We left from the party to start our drive to CA to surprise Grandma and Papa. We stopped at our usual McDonald's Playland in Oregon for dinner, so the girls got in some more play time.  This was a trip just for the girls, so the next week will be lots of together time for us.  Daddy will be painting all the doors in the house while we are gone, so I'm guessing that will be his exercise for the week.

Still recovering from Spring Break

New posts coming soon . . .if I can actually remember what we did over the past 15 days!