We had a couple of weeks of from storytime at the library, so it was nice for my son to get back and see some old friends. Today's stories were about monsters. As luck would have it, the monsters were silly. Who would have expected that? This was the first time I didn't have to chase my son around the room during the stories. I think it had something to do with bringing his breakfast bar along and feeding him while we sat together. It's something to consider for the future.
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My wife took a personal day on Friday so we could all go see the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! show. We were in the front row, and it was awesome watching our son see all his friends live and up close. He had "met" Muno and Brobee at a Lancaster Barnstormers game this past summer, but all they did is stand around for pictures. To see them dancing around and "singing" was much more exciting. I have to think it can't really be all that special for children to meet characters wearing costumes because generally they aren't allowed to speak. That's the main reason we didn't pay extra for the meet and great with the characters. He was especially thrilled to see DJ Lance Rock and Biz Markie in person (we were, too!).
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For those of you who have never experienced the day after a marathon- consider yourselves lucky! 18 weeks of training and sacrifice culminates with one of the most difficult physical activities a person can endure. Just when you think it's all over, you wake up the next morning.
I drove up to Scranton on Saturday to pick up my bib, bag, and other race materials and then stayed overnight a few miles out of town. The race was early on Sunday, and then I drove back home for my Dad's birthday dinner. It was quite a weekend: 4 hours of running sandwiched between 4 hours of driving! Monday morning was rough, but not the way I expected. Everybody says that the worst part of recovery from this race is the quad pain (because of miles upon miles of downhills). My quads feel fine; it's my calves that are so very, very sore. Thankfully my son didn't make me chase him too much today. He did, however, choose to throw one of his hard plastic toys at my legs several times this morning!
Mommy had inservice today, so she was able to come home in the middle of the day. I picked up some of our favorite pizza after the race yesterday, and we reheated some of it for lunch. It was the first time we got to have it in a while and certainly the first time my son ever had it. Based on how he chose it again and again over his favorite cheese puffs, it's safe to say that he's a fan.
After lunch I decided to go go to the bank and later the post office to ship a few more items that I sold on eBay. Then I realized it was Columbus Day. Whoops.
Since we were already out, we went to Boscov's to buy the new TV we had been shopping for recently. It was really difficult managing my son and the stroller with my weak legs, but I survived. It will be nice to be able to walk up and down steps again more than one foot at a time. Someday.
After buying the TV, it was naptime. I set up the TV while he fell asleep, and Mommy came home soon after that. The two of us got to enjoy a well-deserved nap before dinner. One of the most exciting things about marathon training is thinking about all the food I will get to eat again after it's all over. I'd been looking forward to this week since the beginning of the summer!
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 10
We had an "appointment" between 9:30 and 10:30 for a free breakfast item at Chick-Fil-A, so (you guessed it) I had to wake up my son early in order to get there on time. We barely made it. After I downed my Spicy Chicken Biscuit and he his cereal bar, we headed into the play area. As far as I know, he had never experienced one of these germ havens before. Ignoring the signs directing us to remove our shoes before playing (I purposely put them on him right before we went in, thinking it would be safer for him), we entered the cramped wonderland. His first stop was the large window, on which he proceeded to pound. He quickly tired of this, and moved on to the nearby fake plastic tree. He had no interest in climbing into it; he instead chose to walk around it. Several times. Eventually I got him on, and later down, the short slide on one side of the tree. After putting on a short show for another family, my son decided it was time to go.
As I actually remembered to fully pack "my"diaper bag in the morning, we immediately got on the road. Today's destination- the Lehigh Valley Mall. We stopped in some of his favorite places: The Disney Store, The Apple Store, and Baby GAP, but the real excitement didn't come until we left the mall proper. More on that later. Lunch once again took some improvisation, as I did not pack any food (other than a few snacks), a bib, or washcloth. We ate at The Pita Pit, a new option in the mall. So new, in fact that they did not have some menu items (such as soup- listed as an option for combo meals) or a working ice machine. I ordered us a turkey pita and still felt hungry after finishing it, likely because I had to give most of the turkey to my son.
I noticed on our way in that there was a Guitar Center across the street from the mall. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a drummer. I can also fake my way through playing a few other instruments, and I have a small recording studio in my house, but mostly I'm just a drummer. I have done my best to expose my son to as many different instruments as possible in the short time we've known each other. Though it sounds silly, this, our first trip to Guitar Center, was a pretty significant moment in our relationship.
Realizing soon after entering the store that it was not stroller-friendly, I allowed my son to roam free in the store, taking care to not let him mess with anything he could damage (or I couldn't afford). He enjoyed listening to a man play bass along to Van Morrison's Wild Night, but his attention quickly turned to the drum room. Thank goodness. He discovered a couple of doumbeks located right on his level and gave them a good bit of tapping. He found some cymbals to splash. He picked up a tambourine and smacked it on the ground. He programmed some beats on an electronic drum pad (seriously- I don't know what he did, but it changed a bunch of settings). He performed open stroke rolls on numerous snare drums. It was beautiful. I took some video to show to Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Facebook), figuring he would soon tire. Then he discovered the maracas! Davy Jones ain't got nuthin' on my son!
Eventually, I gave the clerk a break and we checked out some of the other departments. My son also loves banging on piano keys; in fact, it was one of the first independent physical movements he ever did. Many of the electronic keyboards were within his reach, so he tested them out. And I turned down their volume controls. I really hope he actually enjoys playing the piano someday, as resisting piano lessons is one of the only regrets I have about my own childhood. I'm fairly certain I won't have to convince him to to take up the drums.
I'm pretty sure we spent more time in Guitar Center than we did in the mall. After a quick trip to Hobbytown USA (if that's not the name of the store, it should be) for a velcro dartboard (it was close to impossible to find one when I actually wanted one for his birthday party), we got back on the road, he took a well-deserved nap, and Mommy's weekend would soon begin.
As I actually remembered to fully pack "my"diaper bag in the morning, we immediately got on the road. Today's destination- the Lehigh Valley Mall. We stopped in some of his favorite places: The Disney Store, The Apple Store, and Baby GAP, but the real excitement didn't come until we left the mall proper. More on that later. Lunch once again took some improvisation, as I did not pack any food (other than a few snacks), a bib, or washcloth. We ate at The Pita Pit, a new option in the mall. So new, in fact that they did not have some menu items (such as soup- listed as an option for combo meals) or a working ice machine. I ordered us a turkey pita and still felt hungry after finishing it, likely because I had to give most of the turkey to my son.
I noticed on our way in that there was a Guitar Center across the street from the mall. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a drummer. I can also fake my way through playing a few other instruments, and I have a small recording studio in my house, but mostly I'm just a drummer. I have done my best to expose my son to as many different instruments as possible in the short time we've known each other. Though it sounds silly, this, our first trip to Guitar Center, was a pretty significant moment in our relationship.
Realizing soon after entering the store that it was not stroller-friendly, I allowed my son to roam free in the store, taking care to not let him mess with anything he could damage (or I couldn't afford). He enjoyed listening to a man play bass along to Van Morrison's Wild Night, but his attention quickly turned to the drum room. Thank goodness. He discovered a couple of doumbeks located right on his level and gave them a good bit of tapping. He found some cymbals to splash. He picked up a tambourine and smacked it on the ground. He programmed some beats on an electronic drum pad (seriously- I don't know what he did, but it changed a bunch of settings). He performed open stroke rolls on numerous snare drums. It was beautiful. I took some video to show to Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Facebook), figuring he would soon tire. Then he discovered the maracas! Davy Jones ain't got nuthin' on my son!
Eventually, I gave the clerk a break and we checked out some of the other departments. My son also loves banging on piano keys; in fact, it was one of the first independent physical movements he ever did. Many of the electronic keyboards were within his reach, so he tested them out. And I turned down their volume controls. I really hope he actually enjoys playing the piano someday, as resisting piano lessons is one of the only regrets I have about my own childhood. I'm fairly certain I won't have to convince him to to take up the drums.
I'm pretty sure we spent more time in Guitar Center than we did in the mall. After a quick trip to Hobbytown USA (if that's not the name of the store, it should be) for a velcro dartboard (it was close to impossible to find one when I actually wanted one for his birthday party), we got back on the road, he took a well-deserved nap, and Mommy's weekend would soon begin.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day 1
Sure enough, my son woke up around 9:15. He managed to sleep through the night, surviving a scare when my wife left for work and the dogs opted to inform the entire neighborhood. I got him dressed right away [which is odd for me- I usually keep him in his pajamas until after his lunch (read: mess)] and took him downstairs for breakfast. (Note: I will spare you these details in the future, as most mornings will likely have little variation.)
Breakfast for my son consists of a bottle of whole milk and a breakfast bar. He is rather fond of the apple cinnamon cereal bar made by Gerber. That is to say, I think he likes them. He hasn't told me otherwise.
Wednesday is trash day. Having worked at the previous night's Phillies game, I didn't get a chance to take out the garbage cans in the evening. My son walked over to the front door and watched as I quickly rolled three containers-full of diapers and Land of Nod catalogs out to our rounded curb and returned just in time to find that he had squashed his breakfast beyond recognition. Our dogs, one a border collie/ cocker spaniel mix and the other a lab mix of some sort, were the benefactors of my son's destruction, as I split the remains of the bar into their respective breakfast bowls. They, too, didn't complain.
The day's schedule included an 8-mile training run and lunch with Mommy during the day and studio time in the evening. I had hoped to get the run in before lunch, but my son's reluctance to finish his bottle made that impossible. Instead we curled up on the carpet and watched the most recent episode of one of my favorite dumb shows of the moment, SyFy's Warehouse 13. The episode veered from the standard monster/ artifact of the week formula and actually provided some character development for a change. My son didn't want to talk about it, but I know he noticed.
Soon after the show ended, Mommy arrived home from her first day of work for lunch. She explained that she had "a moment" when she discovered some Cheerios our son placed in her school bag. We had always heard stories like this from our friends: how heartswelling/ breaking it is to find the little things their children leave for them in their briefcases, etc. He wasn't old enough during last school year for me to experience this, but I'm sure I'll know some day. Despite this grainy gift, she managed to make it through her first few hours of work without crying. We all left the house after lunch- my wife to work, my son and I to a nearby trail.
My son has been a great training partner. We use the Jeep Liberty stroller, which apparently is not intended for use as a jogger, but works great on both trails and sidewalks. We were the only father/ son team on the trail today; in fact, we are usually the only father/ son team on the trail. We are generally joined on the trail by retired couples, mommies and their babies, and the occasional cross country team. Today was no different. My son fell asleep roughly two miles into my run, but some bumps on the trail startled him, so I slowed down to a brisk walking pace in order to let him sleep. This was a bit of a blessing in disguise because I'm fairly certain I have a few broken bones (as well as diagnosed tendinosis) in my left foot, and I didn't want to push too hard today because I was not wearing my normal running shoes.
I have been wearing various varities of Vibram Five Fingers for the past couple of years. Last year I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in pair of Bikila, and this year I am running the Steamtown Marathon in a pair of Bikila LS (because just one would be far too painful). I injured my left foot last year on a rugged trail run, and I don't think it ever fully healed. The hundreds of miles I have put on my feet in concert with the lack of support these shoes offer have contributed to a fair amount of foot pain. However, before I started wearing Five Fingers, I had so much pain in my right knee, I was physically unable to run. A broken bone or two is a small tradeoff for actually being able to run!
He woke up around mile 4, and after a short sippy cup break, I (we?) ran the rest of the way. We returned home, and we each refreshed with a cool beverage. While I drank my red Gatorade and he drank his afternoon milk, he pointed over to my bottle to let me know that we were doing the same thing. It was easily one of the three most adorable things I had seen all day.
Before I knew it, my wife returned from work, and my first day home from work was complete. She wanted nothing more than to play with him, and I finally got to shower around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 1 day down, 180+ to go!
Breakfast for my son consists of a bottle of whole milk and a breakfast bar. He is rather fond of the apple cinnamon cereal bar made by Gerber. That is to say, I think he likes them. He hasn't told me otherwise.
Wednesday is trash day. Having worked at the previous night's Phillies game, I didn't get a chance to take out the garbage cans in the evening. My son walked over to the front door and watched as I quickly rolled three containers-full of diapers and Land of Nod catalogs out to our rounded curb and returned just in time to find that he had squashed his breakfast beyond recognition. Our dogs, one a border collie/ cocker spaniel mix and the other a lab mix of some sort, were the benefactors of my son's destruction, as I split the remains of the bar into their respective breakfast bowls. They, too, didn't complain.
The day's schedule included an 8-mile training run and lunch with Mommy during the day and studio time in the evening. I had hoped to get the run in before lunch, but my son's reluctance to finish his bottle made that impossible. Instead we curled up on the carpet and watched the most recent episode of one of my favorite dumb shows of the moment, SyFy's Warehouse 13. The episode veered from the standard monster/ artifact of the week formula and actually provided some character development for a change. My son didn't want to talk about it, but I know he noticed.
Soon after the show ended, Mommy arrived home from her first day of work for lunch. She explained that she had "a moment" when she discovered some Cheerios our son placed in her school bag. We had always heard stories like this from our friends: how heartswelling/ breaking it is to find the little things their children leave for them in their briefcases, etc. He wasn't old enough during last school year for me to experience this, but I'm sure I'll know some day. Despite this grainy gift, she managed to make it through her first few hours of work without crying. We all left the house after lunch- my wife to work, my son and I to a nearby trail.
My son has been a great training partner. We use the Jeep Liberty stroller, which apparently is not intended for use as a jogger, but works great on both trails and sidewalks. We were the only father/ son team on the trail today; in fact, we are usually the only father/ son team on the trail. We are generally joined on the trail by retired couples, mommies and their babies, and the occasional cross country team. Today was no different. My son fell asleep roughly two miles into my run, but some bumps on the trail startled him, so I slowed down to a brisk walking pace in order to let him sleep. This was a bit of a blessing in disguise because I'm fairly certain I have a few broken bones (as well as diagnosed tendinosis) in my left foot, and I didn't want to push too hard today because I was not wearing my normal running shoes.
I have been wearing various varities of Vibram Five Fingers for the past couple of years. Last year I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in pair of Bikila, and this year I am running the Steamtown Marathon in a pair of Bikila LS (because just one would be far too painful). I injured my left foot last year on a rugged trail run, and I don't think it ever fully healed. The hundreds of miles I have put on my feet in concert with the lack of support these shoes offer have contributed to a fair amount of foot pain. However, before I started wearing Five Fingers, I had so much pain in my right knee, I was physically unable to run. A broken bone or two is a small tradeoff for actually being able to run!
He woke up around mile 4, and after a short sippy cup break, I (we?) ran the rest of the way. We returned home, and we each refreshed with a cool beverage. While I drank my red Gatorade and he drank his afternoon milk, he pointed over to my bottle to let me know that we were doing the same thing. It was easily one of the three most adorable things I had seen all day.
Before I knew it, my wife returned from work, and my first day home from work was complete. She wanted nothing more than to play with him, and I finally got to shower around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 1 day down, 180+ to go!
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