Bleecher Creatures

Life's too short to be sitting on the sidelines.



Sometimes. you just have to jump in..



Climb over those fences..



And take a swing at it.



Sometimes, you'll find yourself racing with the wind at your back.



And the crowds cheering you on.



Sometimes, you might have to rethink your strategy.



But, don't fear.



There are enough challenges out there to guarantee success at something.



Rock on!

This morning I did a short run. It was perfect running weather. At about 7:30, it was cool, overcast, with just a faint drizzle.

Three miles. Slogged away with my buddies - Ipod and Garmin. This is roughly the course for the town's July 4th 5k. I am not happy with this time. My goal is to beat 30 minutes. I've done some speedwork this spring and have been able to do the 5K course in under 30 minutes, so I am confident I can do it on race day. We shall see. It's nice to run a local course where you know all the hills, long stretches, the best parts to pick up speed, and what lies ahead.




Next week, I'll be heading out west and doing the Boulder Boulder 10k with my brother, Osman. Six miles ya'll! I'm psyched. Before I started doing long miles over the weekend, I never thought I could run 6. Now I know I can. Must stay injury free this week though.

And looking ahead... I think it's time to start aiming for distance. How about a half? Maybe this one? Diva half marathon .

I love the idea of running with a feather boa and tiara!! It appeals to my inner princess.

Mother's Day (weekend!)

We had an extended version of celebrating Mother's Day this year. It started with high tea at the preschool.



How very posh, darling.



And how could I resist an invitation from the most sought-after hosts in town?



You know any party these two throw is going to be wild.



With lots of healthy eating options



And great swag!



The paparazzi weren't able to get our best angle this year. Alas.

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The next day, we roused ourselves for a trip back to the heartland - The Brooklyn Children's Museum. The kiddos amused themselves with hands on displays.

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And dress up. Of course. Mina was digging the Japanese kimono.

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I got a kick out of the wishing board. Write down your your heart's secret wish and maybe it will come true.

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Nicey-nice.

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Funny.

I was tempted to write mine, but I didn't think most kids reading would understand the words liposuction or rhinoplasty.

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We liked exhibits you could climb right on.

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Or drive away. Mina makes the cutest MTA employee I've ever seen.

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I know I had one of these growing up.



After the museum we headed over to our traditional Mother's Day destination - Bubby's, for brunch.

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Yep, we like this place. It's become our traditional go-to brunch place on the Saturday before Mother's Day. I think a lot of other people have caught on to this idea though. Brunch the day before - it's slightly less crowded.



Brunch in Brooklyn with Grandma H.



Followed by a major cardio session at the Brooklyn Bridge Park right outside.

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This kid is getting all kinds of crazy on the equipment. It wasn't that long ago that I was carefully treading behind him on the playground stuff, watching his every move and making sure he didn't fall down, crack his head open, tumble off the monkey bars. These days, I've reached the stage where I can be one of those moms. The rare breed that gets to sit on the bench close by and watch the kiddlewinks amuse themselves. I haven't reached the comfort level yet where I can whip out a US weekly or InStyle and peruse. But one day...heck I might even start wearing cute little Manolos while chasing after the tots. Isn't that what all the celeb moms wear in Cookie? Which probably explains why that magazine went belly-up. It was really more of mommmy-fantasy reading than anything else out there. I know I miss browsing through fashion outfit layouts that cost more than my first year tuition at state college.

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They seemed like they were having fun.

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Jordan convinced me to treat them to ice cream. Just like last year, he ordered the cherry dip. (shudder.)

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And Jeff and I wandered over to another local establishment for more adult confections. Coming back here is a stroll down memory lane for us. We made a pit stop here on our wedding day and purchased a box of hand made chocolates for the limo ride down to the ceremony.



The eating fest continued on Mother's Day proper. We joined some friends and kids for a hibachi steakhouse experience at Kiku.



This is Jordan's latest version of a smile.



While he enjoyed the drama of the cooking,



Others were more eager to get to the eating.



Me too!

Mofungo, baby!

This year marks a milestone in monkey history. It's the first year Jeff and I ventured without the kids, on a vacation, TOGETHER!



Ahh... Puerto Rico...at sunset.



This is pretty much where we spent the entire two days. Poolside, beachside, lounging.. Note how nicely I've covered up my running injury. Which has now developed into BIGGEST SCAB IN HISTORY. It is seriously so gross, I have been keeping it covered at all times. Sometimes when I cross my legs though, I can feel the fat ridges of the scab brush up against the fabric of my pants and I shudder to myself. I'm never going to be able to wear cute little, summery dresses again.



I digress. View from our room... This was just one side of the pool/lounge area. There was a whole other side of the hotel that was pools and lounge areas with chairs and BEDS! Outdoor beds! And naturally, poolside beverage and food service. This is my kind of vacation.

When we weren't lounging and sunning, we were stuffing out faces. Yep. That's about the nicest way to put it. From happy hours to four star restaurants, we indulged.



Wherein I learned that all things go better with MOFUNGO!! (plantain).





Another reason why I loved Puerto Rico. Hotel lobby statue says it all. If you notice the shadow image in the glass in the left corner, you'll see that after three days, my shape is looking remarkably similar.

It was hard leaving Puerto Rico behind. But with one last sweet gesture, I found yet another reason to love this place.

The airport had these things all over the place.



Heaven.....

Recovery

This kid missed a whole WEEK of school. Unheard of. Shocking. Unprecedented. The only good news - Jeff was home all week to take care of him and Miss Mina, who was out for 4 out of 5 school days.



four. Out of five. Days of school. My mind staggers when I begin to think about the monthly tuition bill that runs by express check automatically. Whether they attend or not.

The culprit responsible for all these missed days appears to be some sort of vicious little stomach bug that renders one nauseous and incapable of retaining any solid foods. Neither one of them had an appetite. Any food they did consume did not remain in their body for long. Ahem.

Slowly, over the course of the week... the two of them began to recover. Their appetites returned and the food remained within the confines of their body.

Which is a good thing. Because when dadddy is in charge, this is what passes for breakfast.



Kinda makes me wish I was five years old again.





By Saturday, there was definite improvement. They both managed to get outside, get some fresh air, play some t-ball, and boss Daddy around in the backyard.

The irony, of course, is that next week they will be home for spring break. Le sigh.

Midweek - spring yucks.

The monkeys have been home two days in a row now, nursing various degrees of yuckiness. Stomach viruses, fevers, general malaise... little bit of drama thrown in there too.

Jeff has been valiantly doing the stay-at-home dad bit this week. Silly boy. He had scheduled two weeks off between quitting his old job and starting a new one. I suspect he thought he'd be home relaxing. But kids have this funny way of messing with your well-designed plans.

Prior to getting sick, they did enjoy a visit to the dentist. Their first! Jordan should have seen one sooner, no doubt, but no worries. All looks good.





How I generally feel about going to the dentist.



He redeemed himself though.



Did I ever mention I needed to get braces while I was in law school??!? Yes, law school. There I was, in my late twenties, trying to be all professional and whatnot, with a mouthful of wires. I wore those things for three miserable years. I hope our kids have better luck and get that nonsense out of the way early... or even not at all. One of my brothers, who shall remain nameless.. managed to get away with never needing braces. He has perfect teeth. And also a good short, little nose.

Completely unfair.

Other whatnot:

Cutesy or too Minnie Mouse? The quest continues for a good summer/20th reunion dress

polka dots!

Best advice of the week:

Running tip: Don’t neglect and irritate your family and friends by spending all your time running and talking about running. You love running and everyone knows it. However, not everyone wants to hear about what pace you kept over ten miles. The good news is, your running friends and blogger friends eat that shit up. So save it for them.

courtesy of Beth over at Shut up and Run, a very entertaining site I've recently discovered. I just noticed the actual URL for her site is "twentysixpointtwomore." I can only assume that means a marathon, plus in mileage. I love this. Now, all I have to do is work my way up to that.

If you needed another reason to hate her, apart from her dress at the Oscars - watch this movie:

Vera whatshername in:

Orphan

Argh... I can't believe I watched this thing!!! And I LOVE horror movies. But this just sucked! Can we get over the creepy kid thing already? And creepy Russian kid thing? Come on. Vera, vera, vera...